Wednesday, January 7, 2009

60 years of deja vu in the middle east

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
JAN
06
Israel pushes into Gaza
Posted by Stephen Carr on Jan. 6th, 2009
Israel began a ground assault on Gaza Saturday night, pushing deep into the territory and targeting Hamas militants. Israel has effectively cut Gaza in half, but Defense Minister Ehud Barak says that they still have not achieved their objectives, and that the offensive will continue. The estimated casualties in Gaza have passed 500, including a number of Gaza civilian deaths which have sparked international outrage.
Gaza City and the Gaza territory has always been an important area to the Muslim and Jewish populations, and has been invaded more than once. After the League of Nations left Gaza (part of the defeated Ottoman Empire) under British control in June of 1919 (read the story here), a period of riots and violence occurred. World War II took attention off of Gaza, but unrest continued. Finally, following the War, Britain gave up control of the area for the creation of the State of Israel. The Arab-Israeli War began the next day.
During the Arab-Israeli War, Egypt invaded Gaza (read the story here). By September, Egypt had set up an all-Palestinian government in Gaza. Between December 1948 and January 1949, Israel launched an offensive forcing Egypt out of the Gaza area (read the story here). International pressure forced Israel to withdraw from Gaza, and the 1949 Armistice gave Gaza to Egypt. Stay tuned for more in the recent occupations of Gaza as the current conflict unfolds...
Links to the Past

100 Jewish Families Ready For Palestine
Chillicothe Constitution, December 29, 1919

Gaza Said to Have Fallen
Joplin Globe, May 16, 1948

Israel Drive Cuts Egypt's Gaza Route
Walla Walla Union Bulletin, December 28, 1948


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