The IDF has been dropping leaflets in Gaza urging that civilians flee from their homes. Some people who flee their homes for other districts of Gaza find that the same warnings have been dropped in the areas where they have sought refuge. In the Lebanon war of 2006 the IDF used its warnings as a rationale for killing zones where anyone moving was considered to be an enemy.
It has frequently been noted that the people of Gaza are trapped. They have nowhere to run, but I suspect that many have no idea how densely populated Gaza really is and how difficult it is for many people to find safe shelter. Thanks to one of my bright graduate students at Boston University, I offer the following data:
Think of Gaza as a single city. Gaza's population density is variously estimated at between 3,823 persons per sq. KM and 4,270 per sq. KM. The high-end estimate of 4,270 would make it the 54th most dense city in the world, just behind Warsaw at 4,300 persons per sq. KM and only a few spots behind Tokyo/Yokohama at 4,750 persons per sq. KM. The low end estimate of 3,823 persons per sq. KM would place it just ahead of Birmingham, UK (3,800 persons per sq. KM) or Berlin (3,750 persons per sq. KM). The Gaza strip is a good deal more densely populated than the cities of Paris (3,550 persons per sq. KM), Rome (2,950 persons per sq. KM), Dublin (2,950 persons per sq. KM), Beirut (2,800 persons per sq. KM), Los Angeles (2,750 persons per sq. KM), San Francisco/Oakland (2,350 persons per sq. KM), Sydney (2,100 persons per sq. KM), and New York (2,050 persons per sq. KM). Finally, Boston, which has just 900 persons per sq. KM is a veritable park-land when compared to Gaza. The city of Tel Aviv has a population density of 5,050 persons per sq. KM, by the way.
Now imagine conducting a military campaign with field artillery, tank guns and thousands of bombs in Tokyo, Birmingham or Los Angeles. Add the fact that the people living in those cities cannot flee, but are stuck there.
Here are the links used to find the data reported here: Jewish Community Online, CIA, and City Mayors.
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14 comments:
Another way to describe it is that it
is the size of Denver, Colorado, with three times the population.*
*OK, it has slightly less area than Denver (360km vs 397), and slightly less than three times the population (1.5 million vs 510 thousand).
Israel is dispersing the population of Palestinians as they dream of ending occupation with crocodile tears from socalled MUSLIM UMMA promoted by Saudi arabia to hide its own impotence and connivance in this Israel attack .Let Palestinians be told the truth.
This is more like genocide than an offensive. It's more like an ethnic cleansing.This hell must be stopped at all cost. The IDF are shelling the innocents using their super weapons.What kind of reasoning is this when one's technology is pinpoint accuracy.Please stop these war crimes. Why bully the weak? Any person with the right state of mind can tell that this is plainly wrong.My prayers goes to those in Gaza living in fear, in the dark,ongoing constant explosions,with death approaching them anytime as i write this..take some time and put yourselves in their shoes and try to imagine what they are going through..
i guess i don't understand. what would the critics suggest as a solution for israel? should israel simply allow hamas to attack it with rocket delivered bombs? it looks to me like israel has done everything it can to solve this problem, short of moving to utah.
Anyone who thinks that Israel's actions are justified is ignorant about the facts and the history of the region. Israel's determined decimation of the Palestinian people while bombing their cities into rubble is nothing short of war crimes. All rational people of conscience must raise their voices in condemnation of Israel's actions. Contact your elected officials; write letters to editors; attend rallies; sign petitions; donate funds if you are able -- just please do whatever you can to stop the slaughter of Palestinian people. Silence and inaction amount to complicity.
If you are still reticent, learn the truth by checking out some links to dissenting Jewish voices: http://www.alternet.org/audits/117568/?page=entire
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/1/10/11281/4229/984/682450
http://www.othervoice.org/welcome-eng.htm
Now imagine living in any one of those cities that Gaza was compared to for population density and having missiles attacking you and your family on a multiple time a day basis. Further imagine the people of the world saying that in the face of these repeated missile attacks you should respond proportionally. Prior to this war there were almost 7000 missiles lobbed at Israel from the time it handed over Gaza to the Palestinians. As far as the so called "Economic Argument" that Gaza is not sustainable economically and Israel must help it the perfect refutation of this, is the millions of dollars of destroyed property such as the flower growing hot-houses that were destroyed by the Palestinians after Israel left them in working, money making order for those same Palestinians. These were destroyed for no other apparent reason than because the Palestinians could. Not exactly what a population you think of as suffering high unemployment and lack of hard capital should rationally do unless it is really just about proving the power of destruction. Imagine also as you look at the news reports a cynical, cold blooded Palestinian leadership that sees nothing wrong with locating its missiles and arsenals in Mosques, schools and hospitals. Further realize that you have a leadership whose repeatedly stated goal is the "destruction of the sState of Israel". Then that same leadership uses its poor citizens as "holy innocents" protesting strongly when you fire on these rocket shooting armed and agressive targets. The Palestinian blood is as it always has been on the hands of Palestinian leaders.
"I guess I don't understand...."
I guess you have no conscience along with no understanding.
"The Palestinian blood is as it always has been on the hands of Palestinian leaders."
From the mind of a maniac destroyer of Palestinians.
News flash: Mexico lobs 700 rockets into San Diego. US response is to lodge protest with UN. Oh yeah . . . that makes sense. Hamas lobs 700 rockets into Israel targeting civilians. Israel moves in to take out Hamas. Now that makes sense.
"Now that makes sense."
Only to an insane lying monster.
"Now imagine conducting a military campaign with field artillery, tank guns and thousands of bombs in Tokyo, Birmingham or Los Angeles."
Not hard to imagine what that would be like. Simply look at what we've done to Baghdad. But I guess if Americans do it it's ok, it's only when other countries do it that it's a problem. And, by the way, Americans did infinitely worse to Tokyo in 1945, since you mention that. Over 100,000 civilian deaths in one day. Americans are in no position to criticize others.
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