It cannot be overstated how unnecessary and illegal this war is.

Although Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza strip in September 2005, Israel still controls all of Gaza’s borders, its airspace and territorial waters. Following the Hamas victory in the Palestinian Authority elections in 2006, Israeli and international economic sanctions have been imposed, creating an ongoing humanitarian crisis, and since 2007 Gaza has faced total collapse amid an Israeli blockade. The Gaza Strip, therefore, not only remains under active Israeli occupation, but is entirely at its mercy. Israel is, and has long been, in flagrant violation of its responsibilities to the people of Gaza under the fourth Geneva Convention.

The question of gender and power relations is intimately tied up with this war. An analogy with an abusive relationship between a man and woman might be useful here: Once again the more powerful abuser, with greater resources at his disposal, a larger public role, and access to those in positions of authority is invited to give his version of events. When the victim turns up bloodied, half-starved and with only the clothes on her back, the aggressor is summoned and proceeds to lay the blame on his victim: her behaviour and speech is dismissed as irrational and harmful to the peace and unity of the family; even if he did strike her it was only to educate and discipline her and anyway, she “brought it upon herself”. Before Israel began its current war on Gaza, women in Gaza were already speaking of the double occupation they lived under: the Israeli occupation and an increasingly socially and religiously conservative society that seeks to control the female body and mind.

As long as the Palestinian right to self-determination is denied and as long as the Palestinian people are living under occupation, or marginalised within the Jewish state, conservative Muslim and Christian forces will grow in strength and women’s rights will be subordinated to national aspirations and religious dogma. A captive, abused and impoverished people have little hope of pushing through much-needed reforms in the areas of family law and women’s representation in public life. This war has contributed to the grievances of anti-progressive and anti-feminist fundamentalist groups, worldwide. As with the “war on terror”, women will now face more insecurity and violence in the name of religion, tradition, and culture.