Fighting and mounting civilian
deaths in Gaza must end
Montrealers can unite to demonstrate for peace and aid those impacted by the fighting
By Irwin Rapoport
March 21, 2024
This opinion piece takes no sides, save for one – an end to the killing in Gaza.
On October 7 last year, Hamas, which has governed Gaza as a dictatorship since 2007, launched a horrific attack and assault on Israel, killing more than 1,300 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostages – Israelis, Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and those from South Korea, Thailand, and other nations. Most people across the planet rightly condemned the vicious attack involving rape and the gunning down of unarmed civilians at a music festival, kibbutzes, and towns. We all saw and read the news reports and are still horrified.
That Israel responded with a counter-attack on Hamas in Gaza is understandable and accepted as a legitimate action. The key to the legitimacy of Israel’s invasion of Gaza was a focus on weakening Hamas and going after the ringleaders and fighters of the October 7 surprise attack.
The fighting in Gaza has exceeded the goal of punishing and weakening Hamas. It has become a deliberate attack upon civilians… via artillery, bombing raids, missile strikes, and ground attacks, as well as a cutting off of essential supplies of food, water, medicine, power and electricity.
We know, based on thorough media investigations, that the successful full-scale Hamas raid was significantly aided by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for ignoring warnings of an attack, for pulling troops from the Israel-Gaza border to defend settlers on the West Bank that are taking over more territory from Palestinians to create new settlements, and for allowing Hamas to strengthen its grip over Gaza in the past few years.
The fighting in Gaza has exceeded the goal of punishing and weakening Hamas. It has become a deliberate attack upon civilians – children, women, and men – via artillery, bombing raids, missile strikes, and ground attacks, as well as a cutting off of essential supplies of food, water, medicine, power and electricity.
Hamas initiated the attack on Israel, not the Palestinian people living in Gaza. More than half of Gaza’s residents are under 18 years of age, and many of their parents are literal hostages of the Hamas dictatorship. An election in 2007 permitted Hamas to administer Gaza, however, since then, it has banned elections. I and others would love it if Gazans opposed to Hamas could remove Hamas and take over the reins of authority and negotiate, along with international partners, a modus vivendi that would establish a watchful peace which hopefully can bloom into a real relationship.
Montreal has large and significant Jewish and Muslim communities. The Muslim community includes Palestinians, North Africans, Egyptians, individuals from various Arab countries, and those from Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. We also have Muslims from India, which has a significant Muslim minority that is over 100 million.
‘Hamas initiated the attack on Israel, not the Palestinian people living in Gaza. More than half of Gaza’s residents are under 18 years of age, and many of their parents are literal hostages of the Hamas dictatorship.’
In the last five and a half months, we have witnessed many demonstrations by Muslims and Jews to support Israel and the people of Gaza. While some have been loud and have disrupted traffic, that is the nature of protests, and we must protect the right to protest and demonstrate. Sadly, some demonstrations have led to clashes, and we’ve had incidents of gunshots fired at Jewish schools and synagogues.
The majority of Montrealers are for peaceful protests that inform and shine a light on attacks on innocent civilians, which are causing terrible human suffering. What we do not desire are demonstrations that get out of hand and create strife and division. It has reached the point where some members of the Jewish community secured a court order to prevent Muslim groups and individuals from holding demonstrations outside specific synagogues and institutions, such as the CJA building on Cote Saint Catherine in Cote des Neiges.
We know the arguments of both sides, and there is nothing more to learn. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, many more have been wounded, and millions are facing the consequences of a lack of food, water, medicine, and power. The only casualties Israel is taking are those of Israel Defence Forces’ troops being killed and wounded in the land assault, which may soon be targeting Rafah, where one million Palestinians have nowhere else to go. The Egyptian government refuses to allow Palestinians to enter Egypt to escape the fighting, and both Israel and Egypt are seriously minimizing the amount of relief supplies to enter Gaza.
‘The ongoing situation is a humanitarian disaster and crisis for the Palestinians and for Israel, whose actions – which I would define as war crimes and crimes against humanity – are leading to traditional allies openly questioning its tactics and considering plans to cut off support and withhold aid.’
The ongoing situation is a humanitarian disaster and crisis for the Palestinians and for Israel, whose actions – which I would define as war crimes and crimes against humanity – are leading to traditional allies openly questioning its tactics and considering plans to cut off support and withhold aid. We now have the United States Navy about to start construction of a temporary port facility in Gaza to bring in supplies to prevent malnutrition, treat the wounded, and provide much-needed fuel for generators. The Canadian government has committed to providing supplies. The Americans, along with several Arab nations and Israel, are conducting talks to establish a ceasefire based on the return of 100 plus Israeli hostages and on Israel’s ceasing its attacks. President Joe Biden is involved directly, and this is a good sign. We can only wish them success in ending the daily bloodshed and violence.
Following his recent State of the Union speech, President Biden declared that an Israeli attack on Rafah would be crossing a “red line.” It appears that the president’s pressure is helping to prevent an all-out Israeli attack on Rafah, where one million Palestinians are now huddled together.
Netanyahu appears to recognize that such an attack, which he continues to dangle, would seriously anger the American government and lead to serious consequences.
And now we have Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling on Israel to hold a national election, with the understood goal of giving Israelis an opportunity to vote out the Likud government supported by several ultra-religious parties that form a rag-tag coalition which is beginning to fray at the seams and is increasingly unpopular among Israelis.
‘… President Biden declared that an Israeli attack on Rafah would be crossing a “red line.” It appears that the president’s pressure is helping to prevent an all-out Israeli attack on Rafah, where one million Palestinians are now huddled together.’
While the goal was a ceasefire before the start of Ramadan, efforts are ongoing round-the-clock to establish a six-week cessation in the fighting that would see the return of a minimum of forty Israeli hostages and allow for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. The sooner this happens, the better. All remaining hostages should be freed, and the threat of numerous deaths via malnutrition and starvation averted. Every second counts.
We in Montreal can do our part.
Thus, I call on members of the Montreal Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as all Montrealers of goodwill, to call off demonstrations and actions and unite under one banner demanding a ceasefire based on the return of the Israeli hostages and Israel ending its attacks and permitting civilian aid to enter Gaza unhindered.
To help end the fighting, we could hold peaceful demonstrations calling for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages; information meetings to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis and how once the fighting ends, real peace can be achieved; discuss ways to bring about a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians living in the West Bank, who live under an Israeli occupation. All this focus on Gaza has taken the spotlight away from the West Bank, which requires a real solution and fast. Since the Gaza situation began, there have been a few clashes between West Bank Arabs and the IDF.
We may not be able to solve all of the problems that confound Israel and the Palestinian people, but we can help end the violence.
‘… I call on members of the Montreal Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as all Montrealers of goodwill, to… unite under one banner demanding a ceasefire based on the return of the Israeli hostages and Israel ending its attacks and permitting civilian aid to enter Gaza unhindered.’
The conflict in Gaza is spreading globally, be it through demonstrations in many countries or through incidents in the West Bank. Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea are now having a serious environmental impact, with one ship sunk and its cargo polluting the waters and threatening wildlife and fragile ecosystems.
Montrealers have it in their power to make a difference. I’m not alone in being willing to help organize actions and activities to bring about a serious and productive ceasefire. Killing as a form of revenge, even if it makes one feel good in the moment, does not bring back the dead. Who will join us to provide relief to those in need?
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.
Feature image: Gaza casualties, Fars Media Corporation, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Irwin Rapoport is a freelance journalist with Bachelor’s degrees in History and Political Science from Concordia University.
To Irwin Rappoport: some questions.
Shouldn’t the hostages be returned first?
Why doesn’t Egypt open the border in Rafah and supply the Gazans with electricity, water and food? According to their own survey the Gazans support the Oct. 7 attack and celebrate it. So aren’t they participants in the terrorist attack?
Thank you.
My article called for the return of the hostages as a key element of the ceasefire. You cannot have one without the other. I noted in the article that Egypt has closed the border to Gaza and is not taking in any refugees and as to why supplies in Egypt are not getting through to Gaza, you may want to ask Israel why it is not allowing the trucks in? I repeat once more, I want a ceasefire based on the return of the hostages by Hamas and Hamas ending all attacks on Israel – raids and the firing of rockets; and for Israel to end its assault on Gaza, including the planned attack on Rafah, and for the country to restore the flow of water, food, medicine, power and electricity, and other vital supplies. Both sides have taken losses and the killing and wounding of civilians must end.