What Will It Take ?

The Israeli Army shot a 9-year-old Palestinian girl to death yesterday.

Her crime ? She was "too close" to the fence that separates Israel from Gaza, acting "in a suspicious manner reminiscent of a terrorist", said the Israeli Army which also termed the killing "an accident". An accident in which, apparently, an Israeli soldier accidentally identified a 9-year-old girl as a terrorist, accidentally aimed his assault rifle at her and accidentally shot her "several" times.

The killing of this child, Aya Al-Astal, brought to two the number of children killed by the Israelis in the last seven days. That is, according to Palestinian sources, twice the number of Israelis killed by Hamas in the last twelve months. The other child was a thirteen-year-old boy who, according to the Israeli Army "had planned to throw rocks at Israeli cars".

Please notice these crimes. Being "too near" the security fence. Not on it, or over it or through it, just "too near". And "planning to throw rocks". Not throwing them or having thrown them. Planning to throw them.

Imagine, please, just for sixty seconds, that you are on the side of the Palestinians. Not Hamas or Islamic Jihad, but the Palestinian people. Imagine how you would feel about these crimes and the bland explanations of the Israeli Army. When would you ask:

"What will it take before the United States joins the rest of the world in recognizing the illegality of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, its seizure of Palestinian lands, its destruction of Palestinian homes and villages and agriculture ?"

I don't know if the woman pictured above is related to Aya Al-Astal, but it doesn't matter much. Google "palestinian women" for images and most of them are crying.

Our thanks, if that's the appropriate response, to the Guardian for this Gaza glimpse.

Thank you for those sixty seconds and

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