The Palestine Monitor reported recently that between the end of Annapolis (28 November) and 15 January, Israel had killed 121 Palestinians, 113 in Gaza and 8 in the West Bank. In the same period Palestinians had killed 2 Israelis.

Israel has killed 38 Gazans in the past week alone. The Electronic Intifada reported nine Gazans killed and 57 injured in the past 3 days. Israel allegedly responds to Hamas rockets. These rockets are not a major cause of death among Israelis (14 deaths in 2 years). And anyway this argument seems largely irrelevant because we know already that both sides are engaged in a stupid and endless tit for tat, the origins of which are lost in the mists of time (well perhaps in the end of the year-long Hamas cease fire which gained them precisely nothing).

The great majority of the Palestinian deaths are what are euphemistically known as "collateral damage." But as the UN Special Rapporteur states: "Israel must have known about the wedding party in Gaza near to the interior ministry when it launched missiles at the ministry building."

Now the power is shut off in Gaza, due to Israel's closure of the border last week. No lights, no refrigeration, no washing machines, no computers, no internet, no TV, no heat in the middle of winter, no functioning medical equipment, no water supply, no wastewater treatment, for 1.5 million people.

"I want to run away from this madness. And I know many others who want to leave as well." says one Gazan in the UN report cited by EI. It starts to look as if that's just what Israel really wants them to do.

Meanwhile the UN Special Rapporteur issued the following statement (quoted in part):

The United States and other states which attended the Annapolis conference are under both a legal and a moral obligation to compel Israel to cease its actions against Gaza and to restore confidence in the peace process, ensure respect for international law and protect civilian life.

Fat chance.

Edit: If Israel does have dreams of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, it has a road to hoe. That makes it a pretty big if. Probably they're just doing the usual bullying. The population growth rate in Gaza is the third highest in the world at an estimated 3.66% in 2007 (beaten only by Liberia and the UAE) and 40% of this is accounted for by net immigration! The West Bank growth rate is estimated at 2.98%, of which 91% is accounted for by net immigration - presumably mainly Israeli settlers? Israel's own population growth rate is 1.15% of which none is due to net migration. (all figures from the CIA factbook).