Gaza massacre: security measure or capitalist venture?

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/Nnyago/Gaza_massacre_security_measure_or_capitalist_venture_78289.shtml

Gaza massacre: security measure or capitalist venture?

Israel's invasion on Gaza could be the most significant event yet on the global political calendar. It overshadowed the Christmas festivities of the past year, blurred the New Year celebrations and threatens to diminish the most anticipated Obama inauguration on January 20. Indeed, the only item to look for in Obama's inaugural speech is likely to be his views on the massacre of Palestinians.

His legendary oratory notwithstanding, Obama will have a tough time telling the world and the American people that the change he promised was around the corner. The world looks much gloomier than that night when he accepted his election.
By 2p.m. on Wednesday this week, 879 Palestinians, largely women and children had been confirmed dead by official sources. Another 4,698 had been injured in the continuing Israeli bombardment that started on December 19, 2008.

The Diplomatic footwork that was initiated by Sarkozy has so far come to nought. For now, It seems only Israel will decide when to end the war. They are in charge of the situation. They cannot be bogged down by so called public or international opinion. They want the job done. They say they are making good progress. Of course they are, and have the full support of the United States of America, their most powerful benefactor.

Intense behind-the-scenes negotiations are in progress but the bombardment has not relented. On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Forces confirmed they had hit 60 targets in Gaza the previous night, in densely-populated residential areas, while a ground assault was continuing unabated, inspite of calls from the United Nations, Unicef and other humanitarian organisations imploring Israel to respect international humanitarian law. Unicef has accused Israeli forces of wanton violation of children's rights, who comprise the bulk of the dead.

But beyond the humanitarian catastrophe, that is justified by Israel's right to defend itself, but not Palestinian's right to resist occupation, there lies a more sinister motive that revolves around control of natural resources. So, like George W. Bush invaded Iraq on the basis of a well woven lie about weapons of mass destruction that didn't exist, and caused the destruction of a whole nation, when in actual fact it was a war to control the flow of oil, we could be, in Gaza, in the middle of another capitalist war.

According to Global Research, The military invasion of the Gaza strip by Israeli Defence Forces bears a direct relation to the control and ownership of strategic offshore gas reserves that were discovered in 2000, along the Gaza coastline.

This assertion is lent credence by the fact that sources in the Israeli defence establishment that the plan to invade Gaza strip, under "Operation Cast Lead" was set in motion in June 2008.

Sources indicate that the Defence Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israeli Defence Forces to prepare for the operation over six months ago, even as Israel was beginning to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. (Barak Ravid, Operation Cast Lead": Israeli Air Force strike followed months of planning, Haaretz, December 27, 2008).

Could we be witnessing another war of conquest?
Records from the Palestinian Authority indicate that British Gas (BG Group) and its partner, the Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC) owned by Lebanon's Sabbagh and Koury families, were granted oil and gas exploration rights in a 25 year agreement signed in November 1999 with the Palestinian Authority. Under the agreement the Palestinian Authority would be entitled to 10 per cent of the proceeds. (Haaretz, October 21, 2007).

In May 2007, the Israeli Cabinet approved a proposal by Ehid Olmert "to buy gas from the Palestinian Authority". The proposed contract was for $4 billion, with profits of the order of $2 billion of which one billion was to go to the Palestinians.

According to sources, Israel had no intention of sharing revenues with the Palestine. An Israeli team of negotiators was set up by the Israeli Cabinet to trash out a deal with the BG Group, bypassing both the Hamas government and the Palestinian Authority.

Under the proposed 2007 agreement with BG, Palestinian gas from Gaza's offshore wells was to be channelled by an undersea pipeline to the Israeli seaport of Ashkelon, thereby transferring the ownership of the gas to Israel. The deal fell through.

The negotiations were suspended because "Mossad Chief Meir Dagan opposed the transaction on security grounds, that the proceeds would fund terror". Israel's intent was to forestall the possibility that loyalties be paid to the Palestinians. According to the British Gas website, the BG Group withdrew from the negotiations and in January 2008 they closed their office in Israel.

There is credible evidence to support the assertion that the ongoing massacre of Palestinians in Gaza is intent on confiscation of Palestinian gas fields and the unilateral declaration of Israeli's sovereignty over Gaza's maritime areas. Could this be the real objective of the massacre?

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