This is disgusting.

I'm sorry I can't say anything more profoudn, but I can't believe that my coutnry, my government, is speeding up bombs to kill f@#king civilians.

I can believe it, but I am so, so saddened. And feeling a little helpless. Anchorage is not a hotbed of activism. Just yesterday, actually, some unbeliveably sonic, huge military something flew past our bedroom window (they shake the house sometimes). I turned to my partner and said, "How much do you want to bet that's not rushing off to Lebanon?" I guess I should have said, "How much do you want to bet that is rushing off to Israel?" Ugh.

Tina:

“How much do you want to bet that’s not rushing off to Lebanon?” I guess I should have said, “How much do you want to bet that is rushing off to Israel?”

Did you mean Lebanon but mistakenly wrote "Israel"?

I guess disgusting is the best way to describe this.

"Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah."

I think this disclosure should anger a few more people than just Arab governments and these shadowy "others." This unquestioned hypocricy on the part of the U.S. government has been going on for as long as there as been something called U.S. foreign policy and the fact that the U.S. has more bombs makes it all o.k.
Who wants to bet that the people who are actually protesting this insanity make it onto CNN and are used by some idiot commentator as an example of naive troublemakers who don't understand real politics? These past six years have provided us with far too many examples of this.

Here are pics from Lebanon on the Angry Arab blog, a blog I recently discovered:

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Scroll down the entire webpage.

NOTE: Please, please be aware that these pics are sensitive. If you can't stomach extremely graphic photos, be careful.

And this is very interesting: he asks a question that hadn't occur to me:

Would you not agree that Muslim clerics in the Middle East (Sunnis and Shi`ites alike) expressed more outrage over Danish cartoons than over the destruction of Lebanon [link]?

He also includes a link on Sri Lankan maids.

Read his various posts where he caustically lambastes various Arab governments.

Listen to this:

”We must work urgently to create the conditions for stability and lasting peace,” Rice said.

A framework accompanied by ”some kind of international assistance, perhaps significant international assistance” must be created to ”push forward” the sovereignty of the Lebanese government and the deployment of Lebanese forces in the south, she said. [Link]

What kind of ”international assistance” to contribute to lasting peace and stability? More weapons to Israel, please!

And Bush’s radio address today:

We’re also mindful of the cost to innocent civilians in Lebanon and in Israel, and we have called on Israel to continue to exercise the greatest possible care to protect innocent lives. Throughout this crisis I have spoken to leaders in the Middle East and around the world. Our efforts to resolve this dangerous situation are guided by an international framework that is already in place [Link].

”Mindful of the cost to innocent civilians in Lebanon and in Israel”?? Yeah, that’s right! Send more bombs to Israel !!!!!!! That’ll alleviate the suffering and deaths of those ”innocent civilians”! Cease fires won’t do it, but rushing more bombs to Israel will!

Hypocrisy at its best. Unbelievable.

And speaking of the US’ ”efforts to resolve this dangerous situation are guided by an international framework, read this excellent article which critically analyzes and dissects the legal and foreign policy implications that I encourage ALL of you to read. It concludes:

given that Israeli attacks have taken far more civilian lives than the Hezbollah and Hamas attacks, why should not the Bush administration also be condemned for its support of Israel\’s armed attacks against Lebanese and Palestinians? [Link]

It's interesting to think about this as a proxy war for the neocon agenda. For a long time I thought the neocon program was stymied by the fact that U.S. military capabilities are tied up in Iraq. I forgot about this possibility.

Incidentally, in the running for stupidest comment of all time:

"The world may be seeing 'the birth pangs of a new Middle East,' [Rice] told reporters in Washington."

I thought these people were against abortion.

Would you not agree that Muslim clerics in the Middle East (Sunnis and Shi`ites alike) expressed more outrage over Danish cartoons than over the destruction of Lebanon [link]?

This isn't that shocking, if true. They, like many governments, didn't face any threat to their power over the cartoons, whereas here, they have to oppose the Global War.

Incidentally, in the running for stupidest comment of all time:

“The world may be seeing ‘the birth pangs of a new Middle East,’ [Rice] told reporters in Washington.”

O, our sweet, sweet Condi! More gems of wisdom from the hypocrite US Secretary of State:

"This is a different Middle East. It's a new Middle East. It's hard, We're going through a very violent time," the US secretary of state said.

"A ceasefire would be a false promise if it simply returns us to the status quo.

"Such a step would allow terrorists to launch attacks at the time and terms of their choosing and to threaten innocent people, Arab and Israeli, throughout the region." [Link]

It’s interesting to think about this as a proxy war for the neocon agenda. For a long time I thought the neocon program was stymied by the fact that U.S. military capabilities are tied up in Iraq. I forgot about this possibility.

The tentacles of the neocon/Democrat agenda reach every corner of the globe :)

"No opportunity must be wasted", say the crackling, old white men (and African American woman) up on Capitol Hill and in corporate boardrooms.

This isn’t that shocking, if true. They, like many governments, didn’t face any threat to their power over the cartoons, whereas here, they have to oppose the Global War.

From what I gather, the Lebanese are pretty pissed off at the "Arab World". And everyone is really pissed off at the Arab governments. Except for the US government. They like their Arab governments to rule the masses with an iron fist (House of Saud, anyone?)

Killing innocent people is a sin be it a Muslim,Hindu,Christian,Jew and one has to pay back for the sin in one form or another.Terrorist who kill innocent people are punished by God in one form or another and now Israel and other nations who do so have to pay for the sin they are doing .israel has to pay a price for the things they are doing.God is watching every thing.I being a Hindu believe that if you harm any other peron knowingly God will make you a dog, ant or any bad thing in youe next life as we believe a person has seven lives.

Stop before its too late.

MAY GOD REST THE SOUL OF THOSE INNOCENT PEOPLE DIED IN THIS BLOODY WAR.

"Killing innocent people is a sin be it a Muslim,Hindu,Christian,Jew and one has to pay back for the sin in one form or another"

Well, since the entire Bush cabal get their orders from God personally, I think that they'll probably be o.k. with that whole salvation thingy :)

Nope, I meant Israel. As in the gift (bleh) of weapons convoy...

Tina:

Nope, I meant Israel. As in the gift (bleh) of weapons convoy…

Yeah, I got it about 2 hours after I had posted that comment.

I've been a bit slow these days :)

“Killing innocent people is a sin be it a Muslim,Hindu,Christian,Jew and one has to pay back for the sin in one form or another”

Well, since the entire Bush cabal get their orders from God personally, I think that they’ll probably be o.k. with that whole salvation thingy

Everybody's got God(s) on their side :)

"Everybody’s got God(s) on their side "

Ah Desi Italiana, there you go being all disturbingly multicultural again :)
As an aside, I don't know how y'all feel about indymedia.org but taken with a grain of salt, it's easier to sift through stuff there than on many of the MSM sites. I actually would like to hear what y'all think, so far the only discussions on this site have been in classes on media and politics.

They have an article on Lebanon and Palestine there with a lot of links to information on protests and public opinon on the issue.
Here's the address:
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2006/07/843022.shtml

Oh, and I had to add about the above link and many of the other stories that indymedia has posted on Lebanon and Palestine; they often link to stories provided by the International Middle East Media Centre. I googled them a while back and couldn't find a lot of information so yeah, grain of salt, but they seem to be reliable.
And the Quakers like them :)

oh man. this is disgusting...

On another note, maybe you guys can help me on a work-related project,
Anybody know of any sites/blogs with commentary on the Lebanon crisis from an academic/social science perspective? Non-American, non-English resources are cool. Any help would be appreciated :)

gracias!

What specifically are you looking for, vlc? I spoke to a former aid worker in Lebanon who gave me a great overview of the topic. She recommended looking at www.merip.org (middle east report), but that's definitely political. She also suggested the "terrorists" chapter in Fisk (which is part of the bibliography that desi italiana put together).

-s

VLC:

know of any sites/blogs with commentary on the Lebanon crisis from an academic/social science perspective?

The blog that I provided a link to-- The Angry Arab-- is written by a professor who lives in the States. He's very well known. There is also the Electronic Intifada, which has a newborn offshoot, the Electronic Lebanon. A good place to go to for great Arab blogs is "The Best of Arab Blogs".

“terrorists” chapter in Fisk

This chapter in Robert Fisk's book was absolutely great. In general, I really like Fisk's work-- he's a British journalist and Middle East veteran correspondent who reported from the Arab world for over 20 years (if I'm not mistaken). He has tons of articles, and I would definately look into those.

Sleepy:

Will get back to your question after this hectic week is over :)

HOT OFF THE PRESS, READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Israel Drops White Phosphorus Bombs, Littlest Victims Suffer

Jawad Najem, a surgeon at the hospital, said patients admitted Sunday had burns from
phosphorous incendiary weapons used by Israel. The Geneva Conventions ban using
white phosphorus as an incendiary weapon against civilian populations
and in air attacks against military forces in civilian areas.

A "New" Middle East? W's or Osama's?

Robert Perry writes,

As George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice huddle with representatives of old-line Arab regimes and as Israel continues pounding
targets in Lebanon, it is becoming increasingly clear why al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden wanted Bush to gain a second term as US President.

This is along the lines of what Sleepy was alluding to (not specifically Indymedia, but sources that were non MSM):

The latest issue of Socialist Worker is available at SW Online:
http://www.socialistworker.org

To see a full list of stories from this issue, go to:
http://www.socialistworker.org/Storylist.shtml

________

Highlights from the latest issue of Socialist Worker...

ISRAEL'S TERROR IN LEBANON
Israel's massive military offensive against Lebanon has created a humanitarian crisis and threatens to plunge the entire region into war.
http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-2/596/596_04_Lebanon.shtml

GILBERT ACHCAR: "ISRAEL IS HOLDING A WHOLE POPULATION HOSTAGE"
A leading author and antiwar activist talks to SW about the causes and background of the Israeli assault on Lebanon.
http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-2/596/596_08_GilbertAchcar.shtml

WHY THE U.S. SUPPORTS ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION OF LEBANON
The Israeli attack on the Lebanese people is a war that the U.S. government wants. It is designed to advance the dominance of the U.S. and Israel in the wider Middle East.
http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-2/596/596_03_USSupport.shtml

ISRAEL AND THE FUTURE OF THE ANTIWAR MOVEMENT
Israel's slaughter of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians should be a moment of truth for the U.S. left.
http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-2/596/596_09_Antiwar.shtml

THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT'S SEARCH FOR SCAPEGOATS
The Indian government responded to a series of bomb blasts that ripped through packed commuter trains in Mumbai by cracking down on Muslim organizations.
http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-2/596/596_11_Mumbai.shtml

________

Recent articles on the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon...

LEBANON: A PAWN IN THE GAMES OF THE "GREAT POWERS"
The Israeli destruction of Lebanon and the wanton murder of its civilians served to remind the world that Lebanon has long been a site for the bloody machinations of outside powers.
http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-2/596/596_07_Lebanon.shtml

LATEST STAGE IN ISRAEL'S WAR ON PALESTINIANS
The military forays into Gaza are designed, in the words of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, to make Palestinians "understand that the landlord has gone crazy."
http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-2/595/595_04_NewResistance.shtml

NOTE: The links I gave above do not necessarily reflect my or the PTR Posse's opinions. It was just an attempt on my part to provide other sources besides MSM.

[...] Since we’ve lately been talking about issues that affect stateless people, I thought I would highlight a feature up at Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) about Rohingya refugees from Burma: In the most southern part of Bangladesh, near the city of Teknaf, live 6,000 Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar (Burma). They live in terrible conditions in a provisional camp. Classified by the Bangladesh government as illegal immigrants, the people have not received any support until very recently. Since the end of May, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been operating a small healthcare centre and improving the water supply and sanitary conditions in the camp… The Rohingyas are a Muslim minority that are deprived of citizenship rights in their native country of Myanmar and are subjected to various forms of repression by the government there. Many camp residents, like this old woman, fled to Bangladesh years ago. Some were sent back to Myanmar only to flee again. [...]

Thank you for a great, if depressing, post. I can't believe how the US media is treating this issue, although I guesss I shouldn't be surprised.

I *HEART* the Independent for putting world opinion into perspective.

Sometimes it feels like there really is this huge force that sanctions what's happening in Lebanon, but to see those 3 countries against the will of the rest of the globe holding an innocent civilian population to ransom is terribly, terribly sad.

And it's not surprising either that the Geneva Conventions have been thrown out the window. I wonder when the 'reconstruction' of Beirut will start, complete with glistening Haliburton construction contracts and shiny new World Bank loans to rebuild something which should never have been shattered in the first place.

Oh, it's a cynical world we live in.

disgusting of course. margaret beckett the UK foreign secretary completely echoed Rice's no ceasefire please. but interestingly now Blair seems to be saying ah ok let's think about this - and Rice seems to have changed her mind this week. Shall have to see what happens.

I have to say i hope Americans ca do something about this allegedly democratic country the USA which unfortunately has exacerbated the iSrael Palestine problem continuously by making it such an unequal fight. and basically allowing israel to get away thinking it doesn't have to really sit down and negotiate. i also think the hardline US attitude makes it easier for terrorist leaders to gain acceptance and recruits. hey that's just my opinion but i think it's time the US stopped getting away with so much belligerence - and constantly pointing fingers at others and saying they're dangers to global society. Ha! ( and phooey to Blair types who suck up to all this nonsense. it's time we all reclaimed democracy)

well regarding Beirut's re-construction - i take it you mean Beirut's re-re-construction..after all they've spent the last so many years working really hard to pull themselves up after the terribly debilitating war of so many years. The tourist trade was actually booming again - skiing etc. And there have been plenty of American contracts and American firms investing - i remember back at a class @ USC in 2001 we were looking at a case study of guess who - Disney- trying to get into the Beirut market - selling kids toys and videos and what have you. Uh uh. Oh yeah, let's take advantage of the situation - lots of kids who'll need toys. Sure - but now what?

Things only seem to get worse in the Middle East. The latest news from Lebanon is deplorable.

Published on Monday, July 31, 2006 by the Guardian / UK
'They Found Them Huddled Together'
More than 60 people, including 34 children, killed by Israeli attack on home where families were sheltering
by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Jonathan Steele and Clancy Chassay in Qana; Rory McCarthy at the Israel-Lebanon border; Wendell Steavenson in Beirut and Julian Borger in Washington
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0731-07.htm

As if that's not bad enough, look at what politicians in Israel have to say about the conflict.

Published on Monday, July 31, 2006 by Inter Press Service
"If You Haven't Left, You're Hezbollah"
by Dahr Jamail
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0731-04.htm

What crime did these civilians commit aside from living in the wrong place at the wrong time? What does the US govt. have to say about all this? As usual, Washington is silent and clueless.

If you can bare to read any further, here's a great perspective piece from Thruthout.org.

Cease-Fire Now
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/073106J.shtml

The world is outraged, as it should be, but Americans continue to remain ignorant of the violence directly resulting from US foreign policy. Our tax dollars allow tragedies like this to occur every day and here we are oblivious, lost in our own sheltered worlds. Until we pressure our leaders to put an end to the latest Israeli onslaught, we can read about tomorrow's tragedies and cry our hearts out all we want. Like the screams from Lebanon, our cries will fall on deaf ears.

Tash:

I wonder when the ‘reconstruction’ of Beirut will start, complete with glistening Haliburton construction contracts and shiny new World Bank loans to rebuild something which should never have been shattered in the first place.

This is a great question. It didn't even occur to me. This is like what is happening in Iraq-- everyday people are dying, car bombs explode on a daily basis and so on, but the gnomes are quietly working behind the scenes, handing out slices of Iraq's economy as US companies greedily gobble them up, and signing contracts with US companies for "reconstruction" after the US freaking razed the country to the ground.

I am going to look into your question and see what's going on. Sonia brings up a great point:

well regarding Beirut’s re-construction - i take it you mean Beirut’s re-re-construction..after all they’ve spent the last so many years working really hard to pull themselves up after the terribly debilitating war of so many years.

This is very true, after a 20 year civil war and Israeli occupation....

Sachin, thanks for the great links.

From the Times:

On a mountain road just south of here, a convoy of Lebanese villagers was fleeing north shortly after the war began. They had heard Israeli soldiers telling them to evacuate. Suddenly, a rocket struck a pickup truck full of people. Twenty-one people were killed, more than half of them children

Israel said it believed the convoy was transporting rockets. The convoy had not notified Israel that it was going to make the trip. Those who survived said in interviews that they were simply following Israeli orders to flee the south as best they could.

The attack, which took place on July 15, was one of the war’s most lethal strikes. It is one of a number of civilian deaths, like the bombing of a house in the village of Qana this week that killed 29 people, that have brought intense criticism on Israel.

Civilian deaths illustrate the raw dilemma of modern warfare, in which a conventional army fights an elusive militia that loads its rocket launchers in family gardens, orchards and on village streets. In Lebanon, the result has been desperate efforts to flee and military miscalculations in the fog of war.

The families of the village of Marwaheen spent the morning of July 15 figuring out how to get away. They awoke to the sound of Israeli soldiers shouting through megaphones that they should evacuate, because war was coming. Musa Safe, a 77-year-old villager, insisted on leaving.

“He was crying,” said Entehab Safe, his daughter, who was tending her injured father in a hospital in the southern city of Sidon. “We decided to leave because of him.”

A group of between 100 and 200 villagers walked to a compound of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, near the town, and asked to be let inside. They were turned away. A spokesman for the force, Milos Strugar, said on Wednesday that workers told the villagers it could not provide shelter. Its compound was small and could not guarantee safety, he said.

“The U.N. said, ‘We can’t have you here,’ ” Ms. Safe said.

The villagers then trudged back to town. Some time later, another group decided to drive the winding mountain road down to the sea and to Tyre, said Musa Safe’s son Ali, one of the villagers who made the trip. Ali Safe, 32, set off with five other people, his wife and baby, his elderly parents and an aunt. In front of him was a pickup packed full of people standing in its back, holding on to fencelike walls.

Just as they rounded a sharp curve in the road on a bluff overlooking the sea, halfway between the villages of Shamaa and Bayada, the missile hit. Bodies were thrown from the white Datsun pickup. They were damaged so badly a rescue worker who responded to the scene said he collected some in pieces: one entire leg and a woman’s torso.

“It’s like when you throw something into the water, you see it spraying,” Mr. Safe recalled, sitting with his wife’s family in a small village north of Tyre. “I saw parts of people flying like that.”

From UFPJ and U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation:

TAKE ACTION THIS WEEK: Call Congress and the White House

Call your Congressperson and the White House every day this week and demand an immediate cease-fire and a Presidential report to Congress on Israel's misuse of U.S.-supplied weapons to kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure in violation of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act.

Call 202-456-1111 or email comments@whitehouse.gov today to reach the White House! Call Congress at 202-224-3121 for the Capitol switchboard.

TAKE ACTION NEXT WEEK: Emergency Week of Action, Aug. 7-11

During the week of Aug. 7-11, while Members of Congress are home on recess, organize local pressure on your Representatives and Senators to demand an end to support for Israel's human rights violations, an immediate cease-fire, a just peace, and the end of weapons deliveries to Israel.

Depending on the position of your Members of Congress, local organizers should decide whether a protest, vigil, meeting, or nonviolent civil disobedience is the most effective way to express opposition to U.S. support for Israel's attacks.

Your delegation should include, if possible, constituents who were evacuated from Lebanon so that they can provide eyewitness accounts.

* Check our online calendar to find and event near you or to post details on an event you are organizing. If you don't see an event in your area listed, please check back over the next few days or organize one of your own!
* Click here and here for resources on the legislation mentioned below, action alerts with talking points, and policy briefs and news articles on Israel's misuse of U.S. weapons.
* Find the addresses of your Congressmembers' district offices.
* You can use this template to fax a constituent meeting request to your Members of Congress.
* Tips on how to conduct a meeting with your Members of Congress.

ISSUES TO RAISE WITH YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS:

1. Support Kucinich & Jackson-Lee Resolutions for Immediate Cease-Fire & Just Peace

On July 19, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) introduced H.Con.Res.450, calling for an immediate cease-fire and multi-party negotiations with no preconditions. On July 25, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) introduced H.Res.945, calling for the cessation of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, secure humanitarian corridors to be opened in Lebanon, an immediate cease-fire, and a comprehensive and just resolution to the Israeli-Arab conflict. Ask your Representatives to sign on as a co-sponsor of these resolutions, or thank them if they've already done so. Ask your Senators to introduce a similar resolution in the Senate. Pressure on Congress has already resulted in 34 Representatives signing on to the Kucinich resolution, while 16 have signed on to the Jackson-Lee resolution.

If your Congressperson is a member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, let them know you expect them to support an immediate end to the bombing of Lebanon. And urge them to publicly announce their support for a cease-fire now.

2. Stop U.S. Support for Israel's Attacks on Gaza and Lebanon

On July 18 and 20, the Senate and House respectively passed one-sided resolutions expressing unconditional support for Israel's attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip (S.Res.534 and H.Res.921). Tell your Members of Congress that the United States should be supporting human rights and international law, not expressing support for their violation. If your Representative was one of the few who voted no or abstained, thank them for not supporting this biased resolution.

3. End Weapons Deliveries to Israel Now

Over the past month, Lebanese and Palestinians civilians by the hundreds have been killed by Israel with U.S.-supplied weapons. By using U.S. weapons to kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure, Israel is violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), which limits the use of U.S. weapons to internal policing and legitimate self-defense. Instead of stopping the flow of weapons as required by law, the United States is rushing jet fuel and satellite- and laser-guided bombs to Israel. Ask your Members of Congress to demand from the President a report on Israel's violations of the AECA as a first step toward cutting off U.S. weapons to Israel.

Get Voices for Peace Into the Media

Now is the moment to help people see there is an alternative, and getting our voices into the media should be a central part of what we do:

* For your local newspapers: Send a letter to the editor and encourage others to to do so; try to arrange for an op-ed piece or a guest editorial; if you or someone you know has been personally touched by this crisis, try to get a reporter to do an interview.
* Call into radio talk shows: You can often talk about anything that's on your mind and reach thousands of people.
* If you organize a visit to your member of Congress, invite a reporter to come with you.
* Be sure to let the media know about any public educational or protest events you are organizing.

Just to remind our readers:

The killings in Gaza have not stopped. An article by Patrick O'Connor points out:

Although photographs of Friday's attack on Palestinian women have been widely disseminated, the bigger story is still not being told.

Palestinians, already subject to occupation by the Israeli military, have been killed at a rate of 26 Palestinians for every Israeli killed since Hamas took power on March 29, 2006.

Since July that ratio has risen to 76 Palestinians for every Israeli.

According to casualty figures from B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and press reports for November 1-3, in the period between March 29, when the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority took office and November 3, 491 Palestinians have been killed by Israel while 19 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians, 25.8 Palestinians killed for every Israeli.

Since July 1, 381 Palestinians have died versus five Israelis.

This year has seen by far the most skewed ratio of killings. While no deaths should be accepted, the figures show that the Israeli war machine has shifted gear.

During the second Palestinian intifada (uprising) from September 29, 2000, about 3.9 Palestinians were killed for every Israeli.

The highest previous multi-month ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed during this intifada occurred from March to December 2004 when about 9.5 Palestinians were killed for every Israeli. In the first Palestinian intifada from 1987-92, 5.2 Palestinians were killed for every Israeli.

The increase in 2006 reversed the downward trend from 2005, the year with the lowest number of both Palestinian deaths (197), and Israeli deaths (50) during the uprising.

In April, with Hamas taking power, Palestinian deaths climbed back to 2004 levels. From July 1 to November 3, 2006, Israel has killed an average of 93 Palestinians a month, the highest monthly average since Israel's reinvasion of the West Bank in March/April 2002.