Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Not Very Statesman-like

While seeking out material, I came across this 2007 item in the New Statesman:

Key dates in history of the Gaza Strip


Research by Shabeeh Abbas

1949 Egypt occupies strip following 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1956 Occupied by Israel after Suez War, in which Israel, France and Britain attack Egypt. International pressure forces Israel to withdraw in 1957
1967 Recaptured by Israel in Six Day War. United Nations calls on Israel to withdraw
1970 First Jewish settlement in Gaza
1987 First Intifada. Hamas is formed
1993 Oslo Accords. First Intifada ends. Palestinian Authority takes control of strip
2000 Ariel Sharon visits al-Aqsa Mosque, sparking the Second Intifada
2005 Israel withdraws troops but maintains control of the strip's borders and airspace
2006 Hamas wins elections. Crippling economic sanctions imposed on new government because of its refusal to renounce violence and recognise Israel. Clashes between Hamas and Fatah militants become commonplace
2007 Fatah and Hamas form unity government but fail to prevent factional fighting. Israeli air strikes continue to kill civilians

Well, let's try to correct some of that.
a.  1949 Egypt occupies strip following 1948 Arab-Israeli War

actually, Egypt occupied it in 1948.  there was an All-Palestine Government but it was feeble.


b.  1967 Recaptured by Israel in Six Day War. United Nations calls on Israel to withdraw

that withdraw was the 242 Resolution which read: (i) Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict
not all the territories.
c.   1970 First Jewish settlement in Gaza

the first "Jewish", as opposed to Israeli, "settlement" was way back in antiquity and all throughout the years of exile.  Jews were forced to leave Gaza, aka ethnic cleansing, in 1929 but Kfar Darom was founded in 1946 on purchased land.

d.   2007 Fatah and Hamas form unity government but fail to prevent factional fighting. Israeli air strikes continue to kill civilians

Israeli airstrikes were in response to Hamas terror, including mortar and rocket fire.
Otherwise, very factual (cough, cough).
 
Not very statesman-like.
 
^

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