It seems that every day that passes the Middle East descends into greater turmoil, with more wasted lives. The cycle of violence continues to spiral while the people of the United States live in some fantasy parallel universe, where all that matters is the latest trivia of the Presidential campaign or the latest Paris Hilton video tape. Gideon levy is referring to Israel in this article but it equally well applies to the United States.
“For 10 days now, F., a 28-year-old resident of Gaza, has been trying to get to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer for urgent chemotherapy in the oncology department. The story of what has happened to her during these 10 awful days sounds unbelievable, even to someone who has already heard horrible stories. The reality has succeeded in superseding even what the sickest imagination could invent.”
“F. has been undergoing treatment at Sheba’s oncology department for many months: she has had surgery twice, radiation and chemotherapy. In Gaza, there is not a single oncology department and F. is not allowed to go to Egypt for treatment; she is one of the tens of thousands of Palestinians to whom Israel has refused to issue identity cards because they were not in the territories at the very beginning of the occupation. Without papers and without treatment in Gaza, F. is totally dependent on Israel’s good graces.” ”