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Reader Extra / 1
Gaza: Massacre Of A Nation
http://www.coldtype.net/Assets.09/pdfs/0109.Extra1.Gaza.pdf

"... Western enthusiasm for democracy stops when
those opposed to its policies are elected to office.
The west and Israel tried everything to secure
a fatah victory: palestinian voters rebuffed the
concerted threats and bribes of the “international
community” in a campaign that saw Hamas
members and other oppositionists routinely detained
or assaulted by the IDf, their posters confiscated
or destroyed, US and EU funds channelled into the
fatah campaign, and US congressmen announcing
that Hamas should not be allowed to run. Even the
timing of the election was set by the determination
to rig the outcome. Scheduled for the summer of
2005, it was delayed till January 2006 to give Abbas
time to distribute assets in Gaza – in the words of
an Egyptian intelligence officer, “the public will then
support the Authority against Hamas.”
– Tariq Ali
..."

If Gaza Did Not Exist (Jennifer Loewenstein), The Logic Of Colonial Power (Nir Rosen), A New Generation Of Militants (Chris Hedges), The Lying Silence Of Those Who Know (John Pilger), The Monstrosity Of War (Dahr Jamail), Making The Prison More Secure (Jonathan Cook), Molten Lead (Uri Avneri), The Hoax Of Sderot (Stuart Littlewood), Will Things Ever Change (Ramzy Baroud), The True Story Behind The War (Johan Hari), Washington Bears Blame (Bill van Auken), Long And Bloody Hypocrisy (Robert Parry), In The US, Gaza Is A Different War (Habib Battah), Massacre At A Gaza School (Alan Maas)

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January 08, 2009
Former Amb. Martin Indyk vs. Author Norman Finkelstein: A Debate on Israel’s Assault on Gaza and the US Role in the Conflict
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/8/former_amb_martin_indyk_vs_author

"...AMY GOODMAN: Norman Finkelstein, your assessment of why Israel attacked now?

NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Well, the record is fairly clear. You can find it on the Israeli website, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Mr. Indyk is correct that Hamas had adhered to the ceasefire from June 17th until November 4th. On November 4th, here Mr. Indyk, I think, goes awry. The record is clear: Israel broke the ceasefire by going into the Gaza and killing six or seven Palestinian militants. At that point—and now I’m quoting the official Israeli website—Hamas retaliated or, in retaliation for the Israeli attack, then launched the missiles.

Now, as to the reason why, the record is fairly clear as well. According to Ha’aretz, Defense Minister Barak began plans for this invasion before the ceasefire even began. In fact, according to yesterday’s Ha’aretz, the plans for the invasion began in March. And the main reasons for the invasion, I think, are twofold. Number one, as Mr. Indyk I think correctly points out, to enhance what Israel calls its deterrence capacity, which in layman’s language basically means Israel’s capacity to terrorize the region into submission. After their defeat in July 2006 in Lebanon, they felt it important to transmit the message that Israel is still a fighting force, still capable of terrorizing those who dare defy its word.

And the second main reason for the attack is because Hamas was signaling that it wanted a diplomatic settlement of the conflict along the June 1967 border. That is to say, Hamas was signaling they had joined the international consensus, they had joined most of the international community, overwhelmingly the international community, in seeking a diplomatic settlement. And at that point, Israel was faced with what Israelis call a Palestinian peace offensive. And in order to defeat the peace offensive, they sought to dismantle Hamas..."