An Israeli lawmaker, Ofer Cassif, says his party warned about events like Saturday’s Hamas attack on Israel if the government continued its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands.
Hamas launched a multipronged assault at dawn with thousands of rockets fired at Israel and the Gaza-based group’s fighters infiltrating Israeli towns and illegal settlements, on Saturday.
The attack left at least 600 Israelis dead, including dozens of soldiers, with bodies strewn on roads.
Meanwhile, at least 313 Palestinians have died and more than 1,700 others wounded in Israeli bombardments of besieged Gaza enclave.
Cassif, a member of the Knesset and leftist Hadash coalition, told Al Jazeera that he warned the situation would “erupt” if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not change his policies towards Palestinians.
Hadash has four seats in the 120-member Knesset.
“We condemn and oppose any assault on innocent civilians. But in contrast to the Israeli government that means that we oppose any assault on Palestinian civilians as well.
“We must analyse those terrible incidents [the attacks] in the right context – and that is the ongoing occupation,” Cassif said.
“We have been warning time and time again… everything is going to erupt and everybody is going to pay a price – mainly innocent civilians on both sides.
“And unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. The Israeli government, which is a fascist government, supports, encourages and leads pogroms against the Palestinians.
“There is an ethnic cleansing going on. It was obvious the writing was on the wall, written in the blood of the Palestinians. Unfortunately now it is on Israelis as well.”
More than 20,000 Palestinians have left Gaza’s border region to head further inside the Hamas-controlled territory to seek refuge in UN schools, according to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
Previously, conflicts between Israel and Hamas resulted in extensive devastation in Gaza and days of rocket attacks on Israeli towns.
Read Related News:
Egypt hosts meeting of Palestinian factions
Israel forces kill 4 Palestinians in Gaza, W/Bank
Palestinian PM urges Britain to recognise state of Palestine
The current escalation appears more precarious than normal, as Israel’s far-right government grapples with the unprecedented security breach.
Palestinians, on the other hand, are mired in despair due to the ongoing occupation in the West Bank. And the suffocating blockade in Gaza.
“The only thing Netanyahu cares about is not the well-being of the citizens of Israel, let alone of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
“He is interested in surviving. He just wants to stay out of prison. That is the only motivation and incentive that drives him,” the Israeli lawmaker added.
Netanyahu is facing numerous legal troubles at home with the country’s attorney general filing several charges against him, including fraud, breach of trust and corruption.
The Israeli leader has strongly denied the charges.
The latest escalation raises the prospect of a broader regional conflict.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Hezbollah, a powerful armed group backed by Iran, said it had launched guided rockets and artillery onto three posts in Shebaa Farms “in solidarity” with the Palestinian people.
Israel captured Shebaa Farms, which Lebanon claimed, in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Also, Israeli military, on Sunday, said it fired artillery into a Lebanon area from where cross-border mortar fire was launched.
It said one of its drones struck a Hezbollah post in Har Dov, an area in Shebaa Farms.
“I’m afraid that some of the elements like Hezbollah are going to join this war. I hope not, of course.
“For the sake of Palestinians and Israelis people, I hope this is going to soonest,” Cassif said.
He added, the only way to stop bloodshed of both peoples is to end the occupation. (Al Jazeera)
Do you have a flair for Citizenship Journalism? Share story(ies) of happenings in your area with The NewsZenith on WhatsApp: 08033668669 or thenewszenith@gmail.com