Gaza by the numbers

After

• Approximately 500,000 Palestinians are entirely cut off from running water

Before

• Israel denied more than one third of the Palestinians exit if they required medical treatment only available outside Gaza

• Most hospitals relied on back-up generators for an extended period of time

After

• Since December 27, 2008, 13 medical personnel have been killed and 22 have been injured while on duty

• In spite of their insistence that they are taking care not to hurt civilians, the Israelis have hit three hospitals (Al Wafa Hospital, Al Fata Hospital and Al Quds Hospital)

Before and After

• Israel allows an average of 120 trucks per day into Gaza carrying food, medical and other humanitarian supplies, but the number of trucks required to meet the needs of the population is more like 500

Much of the humanitarian nightmare was created by Israel's policies before the January assault on Gaza. It would behoove everyone to step back and look at the big picture. While I agree that the shelling of Israel must stop, the Israeli response to the latest shelling was over the top and more in line with breaking the Palestinian spirit and making it clear that they will never live peacefully as a Palestinian state.

Do we really wonder why rockets are launched into Israeli territory? Come on, people. It is always amazing to me that people just do not 'get' that sometimes aggression is a result of another nation's inhumane policies and practices. While I do not consider the Palestinians totally innocent in this equation, I'm also certain that the Israelis are not just victims.

The United States has many allies, but Israel is the only ally that has the benefit of unconditional support regardless of their actions. Don't think that other nations do not notice. They do. I am not suggesting that the United States should stop being an ally, but I am suggesting that they take the blinders off when it comes to its dealings with Israel.

All data on Gaza has been supplied by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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