The Arab world is somber today. The feeling of shock and disgust at the events of yesterday can be felt at every blog. As the Israeli Defense Forces bombed and wrecked havoc [1] in besieged Gaza the blogosphere had a sense of disbelief at what is happening and the international reaction to it.
The IDF launched on Saturday, December 27, 2008, Operation Cast Lead [2], in response to local Qassam rockets being fired from Gaza. An intensive bombing of the Gaza strip that resulted (in its first 12 hours) in 230 dead and more than 700 wounded.
The news about Egypt's blessings for the campaign and its reported disinformation of Hamas helped make the words on the blogs even more bitter.
Qunfuz [3] relays his feelings about what's happening on the eastern Mediterranean [4]:
In other circumstances it might seem strange that a population on the Mediterranean coast is being besieged and starved without a murmur from the rest of the world. But this is Gaza, Palestine, and the victims suffer alone. Reports say Mubarak had given his assent to a ‘limited blow’ before today’s blood; he’s been keeping the Egyptian border with Gaza sealed, keeping the ugly oppressed in their cage very effectively since they briefly broke out last January. Tony Blair – who should be in prison but is instead poncing about in Ramallah and Jerusalem – has been winking to Israeli journalists about necessary change in Gaza. No response to today’s crime is likely in Lebanon, or Jordan, or Egypt. The peoples of Europe and America are, by and large, silent.
Jabs from Arabian Camel [5] puts things into context and summarizes [6] the last few months that lead to what happened yesterday:
I am sure everyone has heard about the 225 people that have been massacred in the latest Zionist aggression on the Palestinian people. This is just unbelievable, and the anger cannot be described, the anger not from what the Zionists have done, but from the silence of the Arab and Islamic nations towards this massacre and from those betraying governments, especially that of Egypt whose president (the fascist dictator) sold an entire nation, their cause and their future in order to keep his damn seat under his fat butt.
Anger from the blogosphere is being equally directed at the collective Arab decision makers. At their incompetence and utter inaction. Kinan Jarjous from Jar of Juice [7] says [8]:
Earlier they were listing every single leader I have heard of condemning the assault on Gaza that left 225 dead (as of this writing), and an urgent Arab Summit is to be called.
Till when is condemnation a sufficient “action”?
The latest campaign comes a few weeks before another campaign, that of the Parliamentary elections of Israel. In 1996's elections there was the Grapes of Wrath [9], in 2001, there was the Second Intifada [10]. Could it be that these lives are just another campaigning effort for Israeli politicians. The irony of it all did not escape Sasa‘s post [11]:
140 DEAD, 200 injured and Tzipi Livni surges ahead in the polls.
More coverage:
Maysaloon posts photos from Gaza, titled: Gaza Massacre [12].
Dubai Jazz write about safety, and the utter lack of hope [13].