By NNN-WAM
Dubai : Two UAE English language daily newspapers editorialised on the violence which erupted two days ago in Gaza after two Palestinian fighters stormed into southern Israel and opened fire eventually resulting in the deaths of at least 10 people.
The Gulf Today warned that the Gaza flare-up on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of seven Palestinians and two Israelis, is threatening a fresh outbreak of violence on the border.
The paper urged the international community to intervene immediately and force Israel to lift the blockade first before going ahead with any further talks on establishing peace in the area.
It further said lifting the blockade is possible only if the US President, who plans to hold a summit with Israeli and Arab leaders in Egypt next month to find a permanent solution to the Palestinian independence issue, comes forward and tells the Israelis to remove the blockade first.
“As usual the Israeli government has put the blame on Hamas, though the responsibility for the attack was already claimed by three other groups — Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees and Mujahideen Brigades,” said the paper.
While the debate, it added, is still going on about who is behind the raid, the Palestinians unanimously agreed on the reasons behind such attacks. The area, controlled by Hamas, has been on the brink of a humanitarian crisis after Israel has imposed a blockade of the Strip last June.
“Supply of all necessary goods, except essential humanitarian goods, was stopped. The blockade has increased the suffering of the people because of heavy price hike and scarcity of goods of daily use. The people think breaches of the borders will continue until the blockade is lifted and inflow of essential goods allowed,” it remarked.
But the Gulf News daily newspaper lambasted the international community for ignoring Israel’s regular bombing of the Gaza Strip.
It said even when civilians are killed, there is seldom any condemnation or even an acknowledgement of the illegality of the Jewish state’s actions.
“The latest violence between Palestinians and Israelis marks the most serious breach of the border between the two sides in months. Israel has cut off all fuel supplies to Gaza’s 1.4 million residents, pushing their lives into further despair,” it opined.
The paper further said Tel Aviv’s decision to retaliate against Hamas, even though the Islamist group has denied any involvement in the border violence “is out of line and is bound to make matters much worse for Gazans, unsure when the next Israeli strike is going to hit or where, they continue to live in fear.” Israel’s resumption of its strikes proves that the situation in the Gaza Strip remains extremely bad and any quietness we witnessed recently was only temporary. Violence, on the other hand, has become a way of life.
“For the sake of humanity, there must be an immediate halt of all fighting as well as military strikes against innocents and a return to the negotiating table”, appealed the Gulf News to all parties.