I do not know you, Mehdi, so I will not presume anything about you. I am saddened that you think to presume that I do not find the events a tragic, needless loss of life, just because I raise challenging political dilemmas. It is above all else a huge human tragedy. It was also clearly an absolute mistake by Israel that has caused it considerable diplomatic damage.
However, your approach is a manifestation of the problem, in that you seem unable to engage in a discussion about the serious policy and political problems relating to Israel that beset the international community. Serious dilemmas are faced by those that both want peace in the Middle East and also want to stop the suffering of innocents on all sides.
Given your presumption about me, you may be surprised to note that I think the arbitrary way that Israel appears to determine what foodstuffs enter Gaza is punitive, self-defeating and wrong. Furthermore, it detracts from the serious issues that I raised about the smuggling of arms, and the need to support Abu Mazen to ensure the peace process stands a chance. What is happening in Gaza is heartbreaking, but being a bleeding-heart liberal will not help resolve the wider issues.
What the people of Gaza need is for the international community to focus on the following: stop the smuggling of arms, get Hamas to renounce violence, and release Gilad Shalit. Then it will look as though we are not rewarding terror and keep the hope and chance of peace alive. This will in turn make reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah possible and then elections (which Hamas refuses to hold at present).
The best hope for Gaza is for Salam Fayyad to be able to extend his state-building programme there.
No matter how much you accuse me of not caring about human suffering, Mehdi, you can’t get round these questions. Israel should answer the questions you raise about what is allowed into Gaza, but you have to acknowledge that the issue is not simple. There are enough good people in the US, UK, EU, PA and Israel that want to resolve this problem and have spent a very long time trying to sort it out. However, whatever Israel allows into Gaza, until Hamas renounces violence and stops arms smuggling, the problem will only get worse.
I feel it is equally shocking to hear someone on the left ignore the human rights abuses inflicted by Hamas, not least upon its own people. Even Amnesty International accepts Hamas is guilty of war crimes. Israel is guilty of many things, but we help no one, least of all the people of Gaza, by pretending that Israel is the sole problem.
Lorna Fitzsimons is chief executive of the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre.
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