This week 15 UN investigators arrived in Gaza headed by Richard Goldstone, a Jewish South African judge. The team was refused entry by Israel leaving them no option but to enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing.

Their purpose is to investigate war crimes and other violations of international law, but will the team bring the results that the world is waiting for? Mr. Goldstone has proven his ability having been a former chief prosecutor for war crimes in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, but many believe he’s the wrong man for the job.

We have seen time and time again that even if the Israelis are found guilty on any of the claims made against them, they are likely to disregard the findings. One should ask the question what is the purpose of imposing United Nations Resolutions if Israel ignores them, and what can the international community do to enforce them?

The first obstacle to overcome is the very foundation and workings of the UN Security Council which clearly shows a bias towards wealthy and powerful nations. Could one ever have imagined that of the current 192 member states, The Security Council consists of only five permanent members responsible for international peace and security. Each members of this exclusive club has the power to veto if they disagree with the majority. This arrangement is absurd and out dated, especially in the case of Israel when the United States vetoes or abstains on every resolution.

It is painfully obvious that the United Nations, like its predecessor, The League of Nations has been severely weakened by the control of this elite group and one can only hope it does not follow the same demise. If we are to make the UN work effectively we have to change this post WW2 arrangement and have a more balanced Security Council. The existing five permanent members were drawn from the victorious powers of WW2 in 1946 when the UN was first founded. It consisted of France, China, UK, US and the USSR.

Israel has ignored over 130 UN Resolutions with the total support of the United States. During the Israel – Gaza conflict, Israel manipulated the US into abstaining. On her last day in office, Secretary Rice met with Foreign Minister Livni and signed an MOU favouring Israel. The US/NATO will provide vessels to patrol the region in an attempt to stop the smuggling of weapons. Up to the current time the IDF has brutally carried out these patrols as part of its blockade of Gaza.

The IDF has never failed in this regard. On the contrary, it has ruthlessly enforced its activity in the Gaza Marine Area by violating the legal fishing limits of Gaza and continuously intimidated its fishermen. Despite the rulings of the Oslo Accord, the IDF has restricted this vital fishing industry to just a few kilometres from the shore. As a direct result of these actions they have caused the collapse of the Gazan fishing industry and at the same time depleted fish stock in their coastal waters, killed or injured innocent fishermen, and damaged or sunk their vessels.

Whilst the UN team is in Gaza it would be relevant to review all the violations that have and are still taking place in Gaza and the West Bank. It would be extremely difficult for me to list every single violation but the summary below highlights the main ones.

Israel has ignored over 130 UN Resolutions. In addition, the UN Permanent Observer Mission for Palestine has sent almost 200 letters to the UN Secretary General complaining of serious illegal Israeli actions between 2005 and early 2009. Is it possible this may form the basis of Palestinian anger resulting in rocket attacks and other militia actions?

The Oslo Accord was officially signed on September 13th, 1993, and provided for the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA). It gave authority to administrate its own territory and called for the withdrawal of the IDF from parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

The Oslo Accord did not give the Palestinians a fair deal. It allowed Israel to continue its blockade and retain a strong controlling influence over the two enclaves. In Gaza it created a reduced fishing zone which favored IDF activities, and in the West Bank it allowed almost half of the territory to remain under Israeli control.

The five year interim agreement has failed from its onset and relationships have become strained after many serious IDF incursions. In December 2008, we witnessed the totally disproportionate attack on Gaza. Since the conflict the crossings have been severely restricted to a point of stagnation. They close without warning despite the urgency of Medical/Humanitarian Aid and stop those with urgent medical conditions from seeking treatment.

We have seen high levels of intimidation in the offshore Gaza area and we continue to see regular bombings by the IDF of selected targets, most of which have been in the tunnel area of Southern Gaza.

It is obvious that since the agreement between the US, Egypt, and Israel and the continued financial/military support, the Rafah crossing is totally controlled by the US and Israel.

When we add up all the violations, UN Resolutions, the Oslo Accords, and the terrible consequences of the attack on Gaza, we can see the Palestinians have really been dealt a card from the bottom of the pack.

Can the many governments of the world ever understand or imagine what it is like to be forced to live in a prison enclave with no sovereignty, to have essential services cut off at any time (Electricity, Food Water, Medical/Humanitarian Aid), have your only means of income either stopped or perish at the border crossing, have your olive groves and agricultural land bulldozed, have your home bulldozed or land taken and replaced with Israeli dwellings, and have your loved ones deprived of urgent medical care? Only when we can see and feel their pain can we better understand the magnitude of the problem!

Aggression breeds aggression and we must understand that there is a link between the humiliating treatment and oppression carried out by the Israelis and the retaliatory action by the Palestinians in the form of rocket or mortar attacks on Israel ( land that was once theirs) Can anyone imagine what makes a person become a suicide bomber?

Do we understand that humiliation, loss of dignity, pride, and ones own self respect. Lossing everything you worked for, everything precious to you? The intense pain of seeing your entire family or members of your family executed or killed by disproportionate means?

It is at that moment of despair we see such a person turn to his god and faith to make that terrible final sacrifice knowing there is nothing else to live for.

If we look deep within ourselves, in a compassionate way, we can see that this is truly a grave injustice on the people of Palestine. We have seen their land carved up and fragmented, and seen the conduct of some members of the Israeli Government and IDF reach unacceptable levels. In the case of the latter, a total breach the IDF rules of engagement and code of conduct.

Finally we see the exploitation of Palestinian resources especially in the oil, gas and fishing sectors and the deplorable illegal use of White Phosphorus, Depleted Uranium and other weaponry in breach of the Geneva Convention.

I ask you all one final question, could you endure this? Would you subject yourself and your family to this, and would you allow your own government to contaminate your own people, land/crops and water in this barbaric way? I already know your answer! So what can you do about it? Stop sitting on your hands, form groups, protest and lobby your political leaders and stop this terrible chapter in our lives once and for all.

By Peter Eyre