Yesterday the sunshine kept up impressively all day so we went for a walk up the hill to Dobcross in the late afternoon. It was already hazy in the distance though, maybe already bringing in the mist which has shrouded much of the area this morning.
Today is a disappointing contrast to yesterday. The mist has resolved itself into general rather clammy damp cloudiness. And the trees which have been regaling us with a fine display of autumn colour are beginning to lose their leaves.
I vaguely remember reading somewhere in recent days that the Israeli government was advising Palestinians not to return to Gaza city because of danger, which is understandable, given the state of Northern Gaza. But with thousands of people missing, probably still buried under the rubble it’s understandable that their family members want to look for them. News reports tell us:
“Some 6,000 people have been reported by relatives to still be buried under rubble, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The true number is likely thousands higher because in some cases entire families were killed in a single bombing, leaving no one to report the missing, said Zaher al-Wahidi, the ministry official in charge of data.”
Another report tells us this:
“If Israel permits the entry of heavy equipment in the coming days, all the bodies should be recovered within six months to a year, said Dr Mohammed al-Mugheer, 38, the director of humanitarian support and international cooperation at the Gaza civil defence agency.
Many residents of northern Gaza cannot bear to wait that long. They have begun to return to their ruined homes to search for their loved ones on their own.”
Imagine such devastation that it could take a year to excavate remains. In many cases they will find nothing at all as some places have been bombed several times over, or tanks have rolled over rubble reducing it to nothing but dust.
But hostages are being returned home from both sides, so there is some rejoicing as well as sadness. And important people are meeting to discuss the next stage.
Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik begins her pessimistic article like this!’
“Today, Sharm el-Sheikh will host the most high-profile gathering of global leaders in the Middle East of recent years. Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Pedro Sánchez and others are meeting “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”.
If the ceasefire holds, this language is an augur of the future. One where there is no reckoning, no addressing of root causes. Only a hurtling into the imperatives of cleanings-up and workings-out. All the while illegal occupation continues, and another chapter of Israel’s violations is furtively closed without accountability not only for Israel, but for its sponsors.”
and ends like this:
“As the world leaders descend, a line from TS Eliot’s Gerontion hangs over Sharm el-Sheikh: “After such knowledge, what forgiveness?””
Here’s a link to the whole article.
Over here in the UK I read that the police in Kent have apologised and agreed to pay damages to a woman who was threatened with arrest, basically for holding a Palestinian flag and a placard calling for freedom for Palestine. Back in July at a demonstration an officer told her: “Mentioning freedom of Gaza, Israel, genocide, all of that all come under proscribed groups, which are terror groups that have been dictated by the government.”
He claimed the phrase “free Gaza” was “supportive of Palestine Action” and that “to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely Palestine Action, is an offence under section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act”. The officer told her she had committed that offence.
Compensation: a small triumph in the fight to keep freedom of speech. She is reported to have said she would donate any compensation to Palestinian causes: “People should continue to exercise their lawful right to protest in support of Palestinian people despite the proscription of Palestine Action. I hope this case serves as a reminder to chief constables across the country that there should be no unlawful interference with those protest rights.”
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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