The Star Tribune reported Monday that 5th district US Representative Keith Ellison took the opportunity to mark not only Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but also the “one-year anniversary of the end of the ‘Gaza War’.”
Personally, I am a little surprised that the first, and so far only, African-American US Representative from Minnesota would spend the opportunity afforded by MLK Day to focus on any of a number of local or national issues by focusing instead on the end of the “Gaza War,” but I guess he knows best what is closest to his heart.
In any case, for myself, I am in fact very glad to join Representative Ellison in his commemoration of the end of the “Gaza War,” and with it, the end (or at least, relative cessation) of the 3 years of daily violence against Israeli communities in the south, which included over 4500 rocket attacks from 2005 to 2008* (ironically, beginning immediately after Israel withdrew from the Gaza strip in 2005).
What is a little bit interesting to me is that there have often been discussions around “could the Palestinian government really be expected to control all the other “fringe” groups operating in the territories?” I, for one, have been very impressed with Hamas’ ability to “control” its “allies,” including groups like the Islamic Jihad (previously often thought uncontrollable), to mostly abide by the terms of its negotiated cease fire with Israel. I guess when Hamas wants to keep things quiet, it can certainly deliver.
(Though this still feels like squandering Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to me…)
* Number of rocket attacks on Israel courtesy of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the US-based public policy group GlobalSecurity.Org. Read the full Human Rights Watch report on the rocket attacks and their toll on Israeli civilians here.
(Photo: ambrown)
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Thank you, Jenna, for pointing out the exact number of rocket attacks Israel endured from 2005 – 2008. While I think your post extremely charitable, I cannot help but question Representative Ellison’s motives in “celebrating” the “end of the Gaza War.” It seems more like pandering to a local anti-Israeli constituency to this reader than concern over years of rocket attacks endured by Israeli civilians.
I think the author’s tongue was firmly in cheek in being “glad to join Rep. Ellison.”
I agree with you, Jenna (Zark).
Isn’t it just a bit presumptive to celebrate the end of the Gaza war? Hamas is still in power and rearming for another conflict, as opposed to building infrastructure for agriculture, economy, and education. In Sederot the children and others still suffer the tragic effects of post traumatic syndrome and know that any day the rockets could start to fall again. Obviously they are suffering in Gaza also as Egypt covertly tries to build an underground wall at the Rafah Crossing, and Israel has a blockade trying to stop Iranian made arms from entering. Many intelligence analysts and military experts warn of another conflict erupting in Gaza very soon. I for one think there’s nothing to celebrate and for Ellison to somehow try to tie in Gaza to MLK day is truly offensive. One should remind Ellison of this little inconvenient MLK quote “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You are talking anti-Semitism.”