Gaza is a human rubbish-heap that everyone would rather ignore. Neither Israel, nor Egypt, nor even the Palestinian Authority wants to take responsibility for it. Sometimes the poison gets out — when, say, rockets or other attacks provoke a fully fledged war. And then the world is forced to take note.
Such a moment came on Monday. Tens of thousands of Palestinians massed near Gaza’s border fence, threatening to “return” to the lands their forefathers’ lost when Israel was created in 1948. Israeli soldiers killed 62 protesters — the bloodiest day in Gaza since the war in 2014. In a surreal split-screen moment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was exulting over the opening of America’s embassy in Jerusalem, calling it a “great day for peace”.
Many countries have denounced Israel; a few have recalled diplomats. Some people accuse it of war crimes. Others blame Donald Trump for causing the clashes by moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It is surely right to hold Israel, the strong side, to high standards. But Palestinian parties, though weak, are also to blame. Seven decades after the creation of Israel as a thriving democracy, there is a better way than endless conflict and bloodshed.
Read the article in The Australian from The Economist.