The following, written by Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab (who is currently teaching at Princeton), appeared in the Huffington Post web site:

Ten Myths about Gaza

It is known that truth is the first casualty in wars. The current war
on Gaza is no different. Below is a list of 10 myths perpetuated by
Israel and repeated ad nauseum by many in the media.

Myth # 1 Israel had no alternative

Ever since starting the air campaign the Israelis have been stating
that they had no choice but to carry out this invasion. Acting Israeli
prime minister repeated this myth saying that Israel had no
alternative but to begin the ground war on the Gaza strip.

The truth is that Israel had a clear alternative. The Islamic Hamas
movement and the various Palestinian factions in Gaza offered to
extend the truce in December if the Israelis agreed to lift the
massive blockade and siege on Gaza. Israel also had an even easier
alternative, they could have agreed to talk to Hamas and worked out a
true and lasting ceasefire, but they choose to refuse to legitimize
the rulers of Gaza backed by the so called global war on terror that
Israel's main ally, the Bush Administration has been implementing.

Myth # 2 Hamas rockets were targeting Israeli civilians without
provocation

Ever Israeli spokesman repeats the myth that Hamas has been attacking
Israeli communities with missiles coming out of Gaza without any
provocation. International leaders, media anchors repeated ask how
could any country tolerate its citizens being attacked without
provocation such as what is happening to the citizens of south Israel.

The truth is that Palestinians and Israelis have been at war since
1948 when nearly 500 Palestinian villages were erased, its residents
became refugees (the refugees constitute more than 50% of the
population of Gaza). The UN has resolved that the refugees should be
allowed to return and the Arab countries have offered a peace
agreement that includes an agreed upon resolution of the refugee
problem. Furthermore Israel occupied Gaza in 1967 and has not
(according to international standards) ended its occupation of Gaza.
As stated above, Hamas has offered short and long term truce with
Israel but the latter has rejected these offers.

Myth # 3 Israel is acting in self defense

This myth has been repeated enough times that the naïve rotating head
of the European Union initially stated that Israel's ground invasion
is a defensive act (he later recanted). Emerging from a security
council meeting that failed to stop the Israeli ground attack, the
United States' deputy chief at the UN stated that the UN charter
allows member countries to defend themselves and that "Israel's right
to defend itself is not negotiable."

The truth is that the Israeli offensive against a population still
legally under its occupation is anything but defensive. Countries do
have a right to defend themselves but they don't have the right to
occupy and continue to occupy. The same charter that the deputy US
official was quoting also states in its preamble:

We the peoples of the United Nations determine to:
• save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which
twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
• to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity
and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women
and of nations large and small.

Myth # 4 That Israel is only targeting Hamas fighters not Palestinians

Foreign minister Tzipi Livini regularly repeated the term that the
Israeli army is targeting only what she called Hamas terrorists and
that her country has no fight with the Palestinian people.

The truth is that by shelling the densely populated Gaza strip (1.5
million living in a 350 square km area) the Israelis hit both Hamas
combatants and civilians. One of the best proofs of this is in the
fact that about one third of the casualties in the first week alone
were children- hardly members of Hamas. International law is very
clear about the responsibility of warring parties to limit deaths of
civilians. The Israelis totally destroying a four story building in
which a Hamas leader and his wives and children living with F16 planes
is a clear example of a lack of effort to distinguish between
civilians and fighters.

Myth # 5 Israel ended its occupation of Gaza in 2006

Part of the well weaved Israeli narrative is that Palestinians are not
really interested in land for peace because they have continued to
attack Israel after the Israelis ended the occupation of the strip in
2006. Again the truth is different. The UN Security Council resolution
242 which called the occupation of Gaza 'inadmissible' called on
Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, to acknowledge the
sovereignty and territorial integrity and political independence of
every State in the area and their right to live in peace with secure
and recognized boundaries and it also affirmed for 'achieving a just
settlement on the [Palestinian] refugee problem.' By all standards and
as agreed by neutral international observers the occupation of Gaza
that was established in 1967 continues with all the responsibility
that befalls on the Israeli occupying authorities.

Myth # 6 Hamas is the military arm of Iran

As part of justifying the local attack, Israel and its apologists
paint a much larger regional picture with Hamas and Hizbullah as the
military arm of Iran and the Iranian Islamic revolution.

The truth is that whereas as a Shiite movement Hizbuallah might have
natural relations with Shiite Iran, Hamas is a Sunni Islamic movement
and in general Sunnis look down at Shiites and reject them
theologically. True Hamas leaders have visited Iran, but it is a long
shot to say that they are the military arm of Iran.

Myth # 7 Hamas uses the Palestinian population as human shields

The difficulties that Israel has had in locating and destroying Hamas
leaders has led to this myth. The Israeli PR machine uses quotes made
by Hamas leaders that the Palestinian population is not afraid of
death as proof that they are using Palestinians as human shields.

The truth is that the international law that forbids the use of human
shields is referring to militants who use captured enemy civilians as
hostages to prevent an attack. There is no evidence that Hamas is
forcing their own population against their will to be where they are.
In fact the irony is that Palestinian civilians have no where to go
within the Gaza Strip even if they wanted to leave.

Myth # 8 There is no humanitarian crisis

Speaking in Paris, the Israeli foreign minister insisted that the
attacks on Gaza are not causing a humanitarian crisis. Israeli Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni said there was no need for a ceasefire on
humanitarian grounds as more lorries containing aid were entering Gaza
than before the conflict began last Saturday.

The truth as quoted by according to the latest bulletin from the Gaza
office of the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs:

"The military incursion compounds the humanitarian crisis following
more than a week of shelling and an 18-month long blockade of the
territory. There is an increased threat to civilians due to combat in
densely populated urban areas. "Hospitals continue to be overstretched
because of the large number of casualties that have accumulated since
the beginning of Israeli attacks, and ambulances and medical personnel
face difficulties in accessing casualties. Electricity and
telecommunications are down over much of the Gaza Strip. Food
distributions have been suspended and all crossing points remain
closed."

A flash appeal issued by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
this month said that the bombing was "destroying what remains of
Gaza's crumbling infrastructure and public service capacity," and
"threatens dramatically to worsen an already dire food security
situation for the entire population.
Myth # 9 Israel wants to weaken Hamas

Another Israeli myth is that the campaign aims at weakening Hamas.
Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli Defense Ministry official, told Israel
Radio the goal is to weaken the movement.

While the Israelis will certainly weaken the movement military at the
present time, it has already raised their public stature in Palestine
and the Arab world. Hamas whose public standing was deteriorating
because of its difficulty to govern has now become popular as they are
seen as heroes who are standing up to the Israeli military machine. As
a movement Hamas can't be destroyed even if many of its leaders are
killed. Furthermore, Hamas's hard-line political position has caused a
major set back to moderate Arab leaders especially those in Arab
countries who have a peace treaty with Israel.

Myth # 10 Hamas is not only a danger on Israel but also on the Arab
world

As part of the effort to dehumanize their enemy, the Israelis justify
their attacks against Palestinians in Gaza by saying that somehow they
are encouraged to do so by Palestinians and Arabs who disagree
politically with Hamas.

The truth is that while Palestinians and Arabs have had differences
with Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and Arab leaders have been
consistent in their repeated and constant denunciation of the Israeli
actions. In fact the Palestinian president has released all Hamas
prisoners and an effort for national unity has taken place