Tragedy in Gaza and the West Bank...

Photo shows dust and smoke billowing after an Israeli mobile artillery piece fired towards the Gaza Strip at a position near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, just outside the northern Gaza Strip , Wednesday June 28.

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The situation in Gaza and the West Bank has gone from very bad to catastrophic. The Bush Administration has led the effort to financially strangle the Palestinian Authority. Now electricity has been cut off for most of the residents of Gaza. This means that many do not have drinkable water.

Half of the legally elected representatives of the Palestinian people have been arrested. It is not just the intimidation of the Palestinian people that we're witnessing. It's the humiliation of a people who have already suffered for too long.

And what has been the response of the Bush Administration? Silence. When Bush finally speaks on this issue you can expect he will blame and demonize the Palestinians. He and Condi seem to embrace the view of the Christian right that God is on the side of the Israelis. Otherwise known as the Pat Robertson Doctrine.

What about the response of the mainstream media? Most of the on-site television reporters that I've heard seem to blame the Palestinians for the punishment they are taking.

Here's what I find really disappointing. The issue of what is happening in Gaza or the West Bank has been almost completely ignored in the Progressive Blogosphere.

Okay, maybe there is some unwritten rule about not making comments that could be interpreted as sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians. That doesn't make sense to me. Does anybody understand that this kind of onslaught against a mostly defenseless people is only going to breed terrorism?

Update:

Juan Cole has this informed comment on what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank.

Update #2:

This post by Wolcott puts the assault on Gaza in perspective.