Borders analogy drawn to Gaza conflict
As I write this, the abomination that is the Israeli attack on Gaza goes on its illegal, murderous way – and nothing the West says will deflect them from their genocidal intent.
There is nothing I can say in this letter that has not been said by mightier voices than mine, but still the killing goes on with devastating results, and it appears that – despite the Israeli propaganda machine – it is the civilian population that is suffering the most.
It is hard for us here to appreciate just what that suffering entails and perhaps a small experiment can help here.
Take a motorist map of the area and take as the bottom line the A699 from Selkirk to St Boswells (this represents the boundary with Egypt), then go north from Selkirk on the A7 to about Newtongrange (this is the coast of Gaza). From St Boswells, take the A68 to Pathhead (this the boundary with Israel).
Into this area are packed 1.3million people, mostly in ramshackle cities which grew up out of refugee camps. Entry in to and out of Gaza is tightly controlled by control points manned by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), the airport was destroyed many years ago by the IDF and the coast is patrolled night and day by IDF gunships.
For the population of Gaza now, with these limited entry and exit points closed, and the area now effectively cut in two by the IDF, I think the term nightmare can hardly cover the situation.
For those of you thinking the UN should do something, please do not hold your breath. Israel has studiously ignored UN resolutions for decades and will continue to do so – no matter what the rest of the world thinks.
JIM GIBSON
Bleachfield Road
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Weather for Selkirk
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: North
