Letter from +972 Magazine

August 4, 2014

Richard Kuper

Tags: gaza, repression of dissent, zionism

As ceasefire talks collapse, Israel eyes unilateral retreat from Gaza

4 August 2014

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Ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas broke down completely this week after both parties blamed each other for breaching what was meant to be a 72-hour humanitarian truce. Samer Badawi, who is on the ground in Gaza, describes how Palestinians view the collapse of the ceasefire, and talks to civilians who have sought refuge in a local hospital.

The past week has been one of the bloodiest in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with roughly 700 killed. The vast majority of casualties have been Palestinian civilians. As the new week began, the Israeli government said it will no longer participate in ceasefire talks, and has begun unilaterally scaling back its presence in the Strip. Aziz Abu Sarah explores the future of the Palestinian armed struggle.

Read our full coverage & analysis of the escalation in Gaza

How did we get here? B’Tselem’s Hagai El-Ad takes down Israeli arguments that Gazans are responsible for their own deaths. Author Nir Baram argues that contrary to popular belief, the “existential threat” of the tunnels is just not the issue. Without addressing the underlying causes, Noam Sheizaf explains, the Palestinians will find a new way to wage their independence struggle.

The few dissenting voices in Israel have been met with anger. Violence by nationalists against left-wing demonstrators has spiked, a phenomenon Dahlia Scheindlin says has helped hinder the peace camp from making its mark this time around. In Haifa, protesters hurled insults at an 18-year-old who refused to join the army. Despite this atmosphere, peace activists were able to mark several successes, including a 500-person march in the heart of Tel Aviv.