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<h2 class="title">Fawzi Barhoum on Shajaiyah, resistance and
ceasefire</h2>
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<li class="stat-date">12:54 - 21 July 2014</li>
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<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;"><strong>by Julie Webb-Pullman</strong></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Gaza is today reeling from the brutal
massacre of scores of people in the Shajaiyah neighbourhood
east of Gaza City. Israeli tanks relentlessly shelled the area
overnight, cutting off electricity and water supplies.
Families huddled together, unable to flee because of the
danger.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">As day broke 40,000 people fled, carrying
whatever they could. Bodies began arriving at Shifa Hospital
from dawn – some 70 bodies were brought in but scores more
dead and wounded still lay in the streets.</span><span
style="font-size: medium; font-family: times new roman,times;">
The Israel military shelled Red Crescent ambulances as they
attempted to retrieve the dead and injured.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Several hours later a two-hour cease-fire
was announced to enable the injured and dead to be evacuated
from the area. It was not observed – a Gazan man trying to
locate his family, accompanied by municipal workers and human
rights defenders, was shot dead in front of their eyes during
the so-called ceasefire.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“They shot him, and then continued to fire
as he was on the ground. We had no choice but to retreat. We
couldn’t reach him due to the artillery fire, and then he
stopped moving,” said Joe Catron, a U.S. International
Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist in Gaza.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum today
condemned the massacre.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“This is a war crime, why is there such a
deafening silence from the world, from Egypt, from Mr Abbas,
from the Arab countries? This encourages the occupation to
continue such massacres,” he said in Gaza City.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“The occupation leaders historically have
total impunity, they have never been punished for their crimes
in the international court. This encouraged and enabled the
occupation to kill the children and civilians today in
Shajaiya.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">He added that there is no option for
Palestinians but to continue their resistance until the
killing stops and they are respected as human beings.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Rejecting any ceasefire agreement that does
not meet the resistance conditions, Barhoum said the
Palestinian resistance in Gaza refused the Egyptian initiative
because it called only for stopping resistance actions, but
delayed any negotiations until after the ceasefire.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“In 2009 and 2012 the occupation breached
all of the terms of the truce agreements and there is no
assurance in the Egyptian proposal that would make the peace
conditions stick,” he said. “Yesterday Hamas produced new
conditions that clearly serve Palestinian interests, for Qatar
and Turkey and the Arab league and Abu Mazen to put into the
ceasefire agreement.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Emphasising that the conditions are
resistance conditions agreed on by all factions, not just
those of Hamas, he said they will serve the interests of the
resistance and the Palestinian people, not just those of the
occupation.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Despite the heavy toll on civilians, or
because of it, the mood in the Gazan street is overwhelmingly
pro-resistance. Saying that the choice is between a slow death
by the siege or a quick death from Israeli attacks, the people
are determined that they will not <a
href="http://gaza.scoop.ps/2014/07/dignity-or-death-we-cannot-give-up-now/">give
up now</a> unless the siege is lifted.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">International journalists seeking interviews
with people who want a ceasefire have been left with no story,
such as a French agency today.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">As Fawzi Barhoum says, if you took a poll in
Gaza now you would find that all Palestinians support the
resistance.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“When the occupation failed to overcome the
Al Qassam Brigades and the other resistance organisations in
Gaza, and after they failed to enter Gaza with their land
invasion, they began the mass killing of Palestinian
civilians, and destruction of their houses,” Barhoum said.
“This has always been the mentality of the occupation – when
they fail to defeat the resistance they commit a massacre
against the civilians, and because of this the civilians now
all support Hamas, they all support the resistance.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Calling on their full right under
international law to fight the illegal occupation, Barhoum
said they will continue to resist, firstly because they are
Palestinians under occupation and have the right to, but
secondly because the occupation has forced them to resist by
waging a war in Gaza.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“We must continue our resistance in order to
defend the civilians, to defend the children and the people
here in Gaza and to put an end to our tragedy, to impose a
deal on the occupation to respect us as human beings. Our
conditions now are to stop the war, and to put an end to the
injustice of the siege in Gaza that we have been suffering for
eight years,” he said.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Many Gazans are also completely
disillusioned with the temporary unity government, and even
more with President Abbas (Abu Mazen) who they feel have
abandoned Palestinian interests to collaborate with the
Israeli occupation, and whose silence on the brutal assaults
on Gaza invoke both anger and derision.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">The unity government’s Minister of Health
was chased from Gaza last week by angry crowds of health
workers when he failed to deliver anything more than a few
bags of blood and some packets of pills – but no salaries for
workers who have not only worked for several months without
pay, but are now working without break to provide care for the
thousands injured in the Israeli attacks.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“Why until now have Abu Mazen and
[Palestinian Prime Minister] Dr Rami Hamdallah stayed silent?
Why do they only support the Israeli occupation’s interests,
with no support for our interests to live as human beings?
Until now they have provided nothing, no medical teams, no
medical aid. They are Palestinian, we are Palestinians, we
cannot understand how they can behave in this way after the
reconciliation,” they complained.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Barhoum’s take on it is that the
government’s silence encourages the occupation to commit
massacres such as today’s in Shajaiya – and that there is a
reason for this.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“The occupation has targeted Hamas because
until now Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian
resistance have consistently supported Palestinian rights and
interests, while Abu Mazen has been negotiating with the
occupation. The occupation has focused on Hamas and Islamic
Jihad to get rid of them, to leave the Palestinian Authority,
Abu Mazen and Rami Hamdallah, to spread their wings in
Palestine, and it depends on security collaboration with them
to cut down Hamas.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">In his view, the Israeli occupation is doing
the dirty work, beating the Gaza population into submission
and getting rid of Hamas, so Abu Mazen can regain control over
Gaza and run it with his Israeli-friendly security
apparatuses.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“Now the world is cracking down on Hamas and
cracking down on Gaza, and the occupation now uses massive
destruction to kill civilians to force Hamas to accept any
deal imposed on it by the occupation, that favours the
occupation while giving no support to Palestinian interests.
The situation may continue, these massacres will continue, if
the world and Abu Mazen keep silent, and the Egyptians do the
same,” he said.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“Abu Mazen has been playing at being a
mediator, but he should be a partner with the Palestinian
people against the occupation. If he fails to support Gaza and
stays with the occupation it will encourage the occupation to
destroy Gaza with more of these massacres.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Barhoum said the resistance will continue to
defend Palestinians’ right to live in dignity and peace.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“Gaza can refuse to recognise this fight,
and the Palestinian resistance can refuse to recognise the
security co-operation with the occupation, and refuse to
acknowledge Israel in our land,” he said.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“All of the people now support the
resistance because there is no other option that will fight
and defend them and protect them from the occupation. So the
occupation is now punishing the civilians for supporting the
resistance.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">Despite the very cruel punishment being
meted out to them for that support, the Gazan population
remains steadfast. As increasing numbers have said over the
past two weeks, they no longer have anything to lose.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">“There is nowhere else for the Palestinians
in Gaza to go now except to the resistance in all its shapes
and forms. We must force the occupation to stop this mass
killing, and respect the Palestinians rights and interests
here in Gaza,” concluded Barhoum.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: times
new roman,times;">All that remains is for the world – and Abu
Mazen – to break their silence and broker a legitimate and
enforceable agreement in accordance with the resistance
conditions – conditions that an Israeli commentator today
described as both <a
href="http://www.haaretz.com/mobile/.premium-1.606042?v=97DF39BC9CD0B755200C8151A9578759">understandable
and just</a>.</span></p>
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