According to new figures from an AP report the death toll from Israel’s decision is up to 430 Palestinians, while the Israeli death count remains at 4. And, it only looks to get worse for the Palestinians, as the Israeli ground forces are crossing into Gaza. Troops seldom move without artillery cover, and it is being reported that Israeli artillery has joined the offensive, to add to the carnage from their warplanes and gunboats. Artillery fire is far less precise and discriminating, so the Palestinian civilian casualty rate is very likely to increase significantly.
U.N. humanitarian coordinator, Maxwell Gaylard, has estimated that 1/4 of the Palestinian dead are civilian, with a “significant number” of them being women and children. He also estimates that some 2000 people have been wounded in Gaza.
107.5 to 1 seems to be the latest ratio on the value of Israeli life over Palestinian life. 107.5 is also the estimated number Palestinian civilians who have joined the ranks of collateral damage. If you just look at the civilian deaths, and assume that the 4 Israeli deaths were civilian, then we’re looking at a ratio of 26.875 Palestinians equaling 1 Israeli life. Wow. The Old Testament used to call for “an eye for an eye”. That’s 1 life for 1 life. How does one justify taking nearly 27 lives for every one life taken, let alone 107? It boggles the mind, and sickens the stomach.
It would seem that Israel is making hay while the sun still shines. The U.S. is in a transitional phase, with a lame duck President, who won’t take any definitive action, due to a large number of reasons, and a new President Elect, who can’t afford to overstep his boundaries before he takes the oath of office, on January the 20th. The international community is outraged over Israels’ disproportionate use of force, but as always, is hesitant to actually do anything, because Israel has become a kind of sacred cow. You can’t touch it, without the fear of violating various alliances, and of being labeled anti-Semitic. Israel feels that they effectively have carte blanche right now. No one is likely to enter the fray, on behalf of the Palestinians. The world is, once again, watching passively as the Israeli government reinforces the age old notion of might makes right.
Happy New Year, Gaza!
YUR
https://unclerave.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/the-price-of-human-life-in-israeli-terms/
Unclerave's Wordy Weblog 
What have we wrought?
Published January 29, 2011 Commentary , Current Events , Government Leave a CommentTags: Egypt, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, unrest
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History keeps repeating itself, and our *empire* refuses to learn from it. Why? Because empires feel they are ABOVE such things. We like to think we’re the great puppet masters, but ultimately our control in these matters is limited, in time and in scope. We propped up the Shah for decades, but we couldn’t stop the Iranian Revolution. Saddam was “our boy” for decades, and when we were done with him we tried to spur unrest/revolt, to have the Iraqi people ” take him out”. That didn’t quite work out so well. So, we finally did it ourselves. But, the people??? Last week, Zine in Tunisia. Now, (maybe) Mubarak in Egypt. How long before Yemen dumps Saleh? Can Morocco be far behind? The world is becoming a much smaller place all the time, and much less naive.
The actions of the U.S. simply do not match our words. Democracy? Human rights? How does Hu Jintao keep a straight face, when Obama brings these issues up? Our *foothold-friend*, who the U.N. established – at the U.S. and Britain’s direction – back in 1947, is losing its strategic value. Their human rights record is atrocious. Our original *nation building experiment* was, arguably, very successful. But, just look at the cost! The West Bank is now like the Warsaw ghetto, and the situation in Gaza is even worse. How many Trillions in aid have gone to the blue and white in the past 60 + years? And, I’m just talking about direct aid. How much has gone to the so-called “friendly” Arab states, to mollify them? We now have next to zero credibility in the Muslim World. And, for very good reason. In the long run, the crusades didn’t work during the middle ages, and – despite our pretty packaging – they are not working today.
I’m not sure of the etymology (I wouldn’t be surprised if it originated in the Middle East), but there is an old saying that goes: If you lie down with dogs, you will wake up with fleas. Looks like we’re going to be scratching for quite a while! There are plenty of others, too. We made our bed, now we have to sleep in it. And: The chickens are coming home to roost. We ignored all the warning signs – and believe me there have been plenty over the years – because *arrogance* does such things.
YUR
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