By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW

The 23-day war of aggression by Israel against the Palestinian in Gaza has led to the loss of lives and properties. The death toll was put to 1,300 where almost half of them were civilians. More than 4,500 were wounded, reported Gaza health officials.

Filipino women who got married to Palestinian, who came home lately, claimed on media how that war did not spare civilians. These are first-hand information from persons who actually experience the horrible war. Again the war, which started on December 27 and temporary halted on January 18, showed how civilians were as usual the victims of war.

The call of various groups for an investigation of war crimes as a result of the 23 day war is commendable. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged for an investigation as he was able to visit and saw how the UN compounds in Gaza were shelled by the Israeli troops.

I salute nine Israeli human rights groups who accused Israeli army of endangering civilians. They were among the earlier who called for an investigation of war crimes and a ceasefire for the warring Israeli-Palestinian Hamas troops. Israel troops already started withdrawing their troops on Sunday, January 18. Peace advocates kept their fingers crossed that the war will led to a permanent peace in Gaza.

Personally, I support the call for war crimes investigation in Gaza. Though I have reservations with the UN, it should conduct an objective investigation on that temporary halted war. It must be pointed out that civilians, their homes, educational and religious institutions are mandated by the Geneva Conventions to be respected and spared from war; but reports have again proven that these were the most affected in that war.

The investigation would not be the answer to permanently achieve peace in Gaza. The root cause of the war must be traced and the UN was actually an institution blamable for the Israeli–Palestinian war.

History showed that the Israeli ascendants Jews had been bannering Zionism or that bible-based promise that there is a homeland for the Jews (descendants of present Israelites) in that Palestinian area. Jews arrived from Europe due to their oppressions from that region and poured into Palestine prior to World War I. Mandated by League of Nations after World War I to help achieve peace in the Middle East, the British promised the Jews, through the Balfour Declaration, a homeland to the latter despite oppositions from the Palestinian and Arabs in the Middle East.

After World War II, the problem was passed to the newly created United Nations (as the League of Nations was abolished) where it addressed the issue by dividing the area and designated half of it for the Jews and another half for the Palestinians. Israel was created as a state on May 14, 1948 and the Palestinian people were scattered in the nearby Muslim states in the Middle East due to the war that followed, which had been unbelievably won by Israel despite its small population and territory against the combined Middle East Muslim/Arab unity.

Israel had been reportedly supported by imperialist states led by the USA to control the Middle East for “regional peace.” The peace for them however is to militarily control the area for their political and economic interests particularly on oil, a resource that is vast in that area.

My reservation for the UN’s objective handling of the Israel-Palestinian issue must be pointed out here. How can the UN which divided the old Palestine now be trusted to come up with a real solution for the Israel-Palestine issue? How can the US allied controlled-UN come up with a solution against the interests of the US?

Will Pres. Barack Obama make a difference? #