|
|
From the editor’s desk
Peace must prevail Free Israel's ferocious military assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza has brought international condemnation, despite its insistence that it is only targeting militants and terrorists. Hundreds have been killed and hundreds more injured, including a large number of innocent civilians. Israeli tactics appear to be not so much the elimination of Hamas by killing its personnel one by one as the punishment of the entire Gazan population for having supported Hamas in the first place. If so, it is a profound mistake. From the Israeli perspective, justification for the assault is to be found in the regular bombardment of southern Israeli towns by Hamas rockets, especially since Hamas failed to renew a six-month ceasefire agreement. This was despite the fact that Israeli settlements in Gaza were closed down in 2005, sometimes forcibly, and the fact that the Israeli Government has shown every willingness to negotiate a two-state solution to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would be permanent. But Hamas opposes the existence of the state of Israel in principle, and is at war with the other half of the Palestinian movement Fatah over precisely that. The Israeli hope is that popular support for Hamas can be undermined by making life in Gaza intolerable; the unspoken offer being that fuel, food, funds and medicine will start to flow into Gaza, and military action will cease, once Hamas has been toppled or learned to change its ways. Israelis feel exasperated by the world's reaction, and ask indignantly: "What else can we do?" From within Gaza itself, things look different. The Israeli blockade has halted even rudimentary humanitarian aid and has the character of a collective punishment of the entire population. That is not only illegal and immoral: it is counter-productive. It stiffens the will to resist, and wins Hamas more support than ever. Israel may say its attacks and incursions are targeted only at militants, but to the population on the wrong ...  Previous weeks
Light in the darkness Free One thing is clear about the economic situation in Britain and the rest of the world - there is no going back. The prosperity that looked so secure a few years ago turned out to be built on the economic equivalent of feet of clay, not just on personal debt and unrealistic property values but on the profits of a finance industry that had lost its way. With dire economic news in every bulletin, the nation, as Christmas ...
Beacon of civilising values Free This week's commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has brought to the surface some scepticism and anxiety about what might be called the global human rights project. Some see it as a mere fig leaf to cover Government hypocrisy, committing abuses with one hand while signing up to fine principles with the other. But it was ever so. In 1948, when the Declaration ...
Grey areas of privilege Free It is said to be one of the strengths of the British constitution that so much of it is unwritten. That gives flexibility. But from time to time, as now, this proves to be one of its weaknesses. The Metropolitan Police may or may not have crossed a line when officers raided a senior Tory member of Parliament's office in the precincts of the Palace of Westminster, and removed papers and computers. In the absence of ...
As precious as any other Free Ten years ago, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales published "Valuing Difference", highlighting the importance of people with disabilities in the life and mission of the Church. Such differences are not valued highly in society at large; indeed, the Church is rarely so counter- cultural as in its approach to disability in the unborn. The commonly held view is that if fewer and fewer children with disabilities ... |
 In this week’s issueThey traversed afar Now say thank you Lead, kindly light Best and worst are yet to come Power of the union Green thoughts in a greener Church 'Do whatever he tells you' Latest NewsSurprise at delay over Becker's appointment as cardinal Longley sees value of secularism SSPX plays for time Australian ordinariate named Can the Church support abuse victims on its own terms? Elena Curti Is the Church too slow in recognising that academies are the future for Catholic schools? Christopher Lamb Goodwin the scapegoat Elena Curti The pain of being a coeliac Catholic Sr M, guest contributor
|
