If you think the Israelis are doing nothing but defending themselves, you need to look beyond the spin. In the most recent conflict, 13 Israelis died as a result of Palestinian rocket attacks. Israel's answer was to annihilate 1,300+ Palestinians, more than 400 children. We need to take the blinders off and see Israel for what it is: A nation determined to deny the Palestinians statehood at all costs.

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I decided to write this article before going to bed this evening because I'm tired of the comment “Israel has a right to defend herself” when I try to discuss the humanitarian nightmare that is life in Gaza. Aside from the misinformation handed down by Israel and our own 'turn a blind eye' government, what do you really know about Gaza?

The Gaza Strip, named after its largest city, is 25 miles long and between 4-7.5 miles wide, with a total area of just 139 square miles. It has about 1.4 million Palestinian residents, who are either refugees or descendants of refugees from the Six-Day War with Israel (1967). That is how Gaza came to be. The Palestinians were herded into the Gaza Strip after the war. While Israel insists it no longer occupies Gaza, the fact is that Israeli citizens continue to cross the border to establish settlements in what is supposed to be Palestinian land. However, Israel's domination of Gaza doesn't end there.

In 2005, Palestinian-American attorney Gregory Khalil said, “Israel still controls every person, every good, literally every drop of water to enter or leave the Gaza Strip. It's troops may not be there, but it still restricts the ability for the Palestinian Authority to exercise control.” Human Rights Watch also disputed Israel's assertion that they had disengaged from Gaza.

Today, democratically-elected Hamas is the governing authority in Gaza, but Israel's oppression hasn't changed. So, when people write to me and tell me that prior to the most recent excursion of Israeli troops into Gaza, Israel had “held out its hand to the Palestinians,” I simply have to laugh. Furthermore, I have been told, the Palestinians brought it on themselves because they continue to send rockets into Israel. So, let's look at some facts that cannot be disputed.

A total of 13 Israelis were killed as a result of the rockets launched into Israel. The Israeli junket into Gaza to avenge these deaths resulted in 1,300+ dead Palestinians, of which more than 400 were children. It is a disproportionate use of force. In addition, the Israelis utilized white phosphorus in the densely-populated Gaza Strip, a violation of international law. So that I am not accused of misinterpreting the law, it is perfectly legal to use white phosphorus to mask troop movements, but it should only be used in the absence of heavy civilian populations. This is clearly not the case in Gaza, according to Human Rights Watch.

If, prior to this invasion, the Israelis extended a hand to the Palestinians, they have an odd way of showing it. Let's look at some before-and-after facts.

Before

• Flour stocks were so low that five out of six mills stopped operating

• 30 of 47 bakeries were forced to close down due to lack of cooking gas

• Bakeries were forced to sell only 50 slices of bread per family per day

After

• Only 9 bakeries remain operational

Before

• Hatchery owners were forced to kill 400,000 baby chicks in November of 2008 because there wasn't enough fuel to heat the hatcheries and not enough food to keep the chicks alive

• 80% of the water supply in Gaza did not meet World Health Organization standards for safe drinking

• Half the population of Gaza City had access to water for only several hours a week

• 70% of agricultural land was no longer being irrigated

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.

Authors Website: http://www.becomeungovernable.net

Authors Bio:

Deb Della Piana is a corporate ex-patriot (30+ years in advertising & public relations) turned activist and aspiring revolutionary. Co-founder of the group #BecomeUngovernable, she invites everyone to stop by the web site, learn about the group and its goals and join the cause!

Deb lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts, with her life partner, Susan, four kids, two dogs, two cats and a rabbit.