The Massacre in Gaza: A Deliberate & Calculated Policy

Here is an article I wrote for Truthout on the horrific slaughter that #Israel has been committed in #Gaza, culminating in the bloodiest day when at least 58 were killed and almost 3,000 were wounded in only 10 hours time. That comes out to around 4 people being shot per second by well-fortified Israeli snipers shooting from distances of over 100's of yards away, at unarmed and peaceful protesters.

#Israel of course claims "security" but that's not even a bad joke. No Israeli casualties and one 1 "lightly wounded" injury. These are unarmed civilians vs. full-geared snipers from one of the most advanced militaries in the world. Those are massacre numbers.

The video evidence shows the truth: unarmed and peaceful protesters congregating, only to be shot at by sniper fire, consecutive bullet sounds ringing through the air as people are struck down, either maimed or killed, having committed no provocation beforehand to justify the attack.

Even the NYT's reporter described how he was peaceflly standing 100's of yards away from the fence with a few women, only to have an Israeli bullet strike one of them in the belly, critically wounding her.

None of this was by accident. Statements from Israel's highest officials prove that it was a premeditated policy to shoot to maim and kill, even if protesters were unarmed and posed no threat. It is a strategy aimed at crushing #Palestinian resistance through terrorism.

Case and point: an Israeli general admitted that the targeting of children, of which 14 so far have been killed, was a deliberate policy where a higher-up "marks the target" for the snipers, who "receive very accurate instructions about whom to shoot." There is no other way to reconcile such a policy, combined with the systematic targeting of both journalists and health workers.

In the piece I try to overview the horrendous and inhumane living conditions in Gaza, and to bring light to the reasons why they are protesting: the forceful expulsion from their homes, the denial of their recognized right of return, the US-Israeli takeover of Jerusalem, the brutality and despair of continued Israeli rule.

I also catalogue some of the evidence documenting the truth of the Israeli violence, and I as well briefly debunk some of the propaganda and point out the criminal double-standards: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/44486-the-massacre-in-gaza-a-deliberate-and-calculated-policy