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Credible foreign intervention needed in Gaza conflict

The letter “Making Hamas pay high price is Israel’s only realistic option” (July 19), starts with the statement that Israel is “sandwiched” between the West Bank and Gaza. I wonder if there has ever been a more lopsided sandwich.

The letter “Making Hamas pay high price is Israel’s only realistic option” (July 19), starts with the statement that Israel is “sandwiched” between the West Bank and Gaza. I wonder if there has ever been a more lopsided sandwich.

One need only look at the picture of this figurative sandwich to understand that it is the Palestinians in Gaza who are sandwiched by air, land and sea, with one way out: Six feet underground, as recent events are proving.

The escalation of the conflict had more to do with Israel’s inability to separate a crime from an act of war; rockets were being launched from Gaza since the beginning of the year.

Why did Israeli operations start after the homicide of three innocent Israeli children unless, in Israel’s eyes, all Palestinians are guilty of that act? The right-wingers demanded blood and they are getting it.

Israel has in recent times, with the help of Egypt, suffocated the Palestinian administration and Gaza, resulting in an undignified existence for the Gazans.

This is why Israel’s Iron Dome defence system has had to intercept hundreds of missiles from Gaza since the year began, compared with 31 missiles last year.

The power struggle in Egypt has caused the return of the status quo for the Gazans, who had a few years of relief under the Morsi administration.

It is evident that those rockets fired from Gaza have no hope of penetrating Israel’s Iron Dome, which keeps its citizens, infrastructure and homes safe.

While I do not condone the missile attacks, I believe they are being launched with full awareness of how ineffective they are. The Gazans can inflict only a sense of insecurity on the Israelis who imposed sanctions on their lives.

This is no way for humans to exist on both sides. The Palestinians will not leave what has been their home, nor should the Israelis go anywhere.

Generations have grown up in the conflict, which will continue unless there is credible external intervention in the interest of peace. Making the Gazans pay the high price for the Israeli administration’s stance against Hamas is not a realistic option.

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