Today marks the beginning of formal peace talks between Israel and Palestine since the Annapolis summit last month. In observance of Israeli tradition, settlement construction has intensified and the IDF launched a massive invasion of the Gaza Strip yesterday killing several and arresting dozens in house-to-house raids. These are sure signs that peace is on the agenda!

According to Israeli government apologist, Mark Regev – a man I have come to know quite well from his briefings on the “humanity” of Israel’s crimes:

“We do believe that [with] these sort of surgical incursions where we go in, we deal with the infrastructure of the extremists, of the terrorists, we keep them on the run.” <<< more

It’s not entirely clear where they will run to, being as it is that Gaza is tightly sealed, but we can be sure that Israel will be back soon to chase them there for daring to disturb the normality of Israeli life. The servants in the quarters are meant to be locked up and remain quiet… any deviation from these expectations will be violently suppressed.

After almost fourth months in Gaza, my frustration has reached numbness. Another Israeli incursion, another sonic boom at 3.00 am, another child killed for throwing stones… The people here live in a state of perpetual fear, stripped of their remaining dignity by the strangling imposition of the four-decade-long Israeli occupation.

This particular operation may have ended last night, but Israeli tanks invade Gaza on a daily basis… The death toll will continue to rise as peace talks move along. In the end, there will be nothing to show for it other than greater Israeli control over Palestinian land and the intensified subjugation of the Palestinians.