What if Hamas dumped its rockets? 

(MENAFN - Arab News) What if Hamas dumped all its rockets in the sea tomorrow? Would the illegal blockade be lifted? Would Gazans enjoy the same freedom as other nations?

Would their democratically elected government be allowed to get on and govern? Would they be able to open their sea port to foreign ships and rebuild and operate their airport? Would they be able to import and export and carry on trade and develop their economy and prosper like other countries?

Would Israel clear out of Gaza's airspace permanently? Would the Israeli Navy cease its piracy and stay out of Palestinian territorial waters? Would you and I be able to visit Gaza direct?

None of this would suit Israel. So Palestinians would be no better off.
Nothing has changed for West Bank Palestinians who do not fire rockets. And there is no sign of an end to their torment.

Remember, there are no rockets coming out of the West Bank. Yet the illegal Israeli occupation there continues and so does the ethnic cleansing, the land theft, the illegal settlements, the colonization, the demolition of Palestinian homes, the throttling of the economy, the abduction and "administrative detention" of civilians and the massive interference with freedom of movement.

The bloody assault on Gaza therefore has much more to do with Israel's ambition to expand racial dominance in the Holy Land, make its occupation permanent and seize Gaza's offshore gas field than the paltry damage from crude and erratic rocket-fire. The Palestinians holed up in Gaza are simply in the way of the grand plan and have to be removed or totally subdued. This was the case four years ago when Israel launched Operation Cast Lead after staging the same sort of provocation as it did last week.

Israel's deputy prime minister, Eli Yishai, let the cat out of the bag when he said of the latest military operation: "The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages. Only then will Israel be calm for 40 years." He is also reported as saying: "We must blow Gaza back to the Middle Ages, destroying all infrastructure including roads and water."

If he carries it out he'll have written his arrest warrant for mega war crimes. Obama, Cameron and Hague actually pledged support for this maniac and Netanyahu and Barak, implicating us (the Britons) in their foul crimes. I'd like to subject Obama, Cameron and Hague - and their families, for bombing that engulfs women and children also - to just one night of the London blitz and see how they like it. London at least had defenses, functioning emergency services and an extensive subway network. Gazans don't. And Gazans have had to put up with raids night after night for years on end.

Actually, I'd like to include the entire United Nations Security Council in that experience.