Why Must Israeli Electioneering Always Require Spilling of Palestinian Blood?
By RANNIE AMIRI ” … no one had been killed by the rocket barrages after the official end of the cease-fire [with Hamas]. This doesn’t mean the situation is possible to live with, but it appears the hysterical reaction by the public as a whole and politicians in particular stems mainly from the fact that the country is in an election period. And when elections are in the offing people speak from the gut rather than the brain and demagoguery is rampant.” – Yoel Marcus, writing in Haaretz, 23 Dec. 2008. As hopes for a renewed ceasefire between Hamas and Israel fade—assuming the latter’s blockade of food, medicine, fuel and other humanitarian assistance to Gaza did not itself constitute a violation many months ago—reports indicate the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is increasingly preparing for an invasion of the Strip. According to the AP citing anonymous defense officials, were it not for inclement weather, airstrikes would have already taken place followed by a land offensive.
