The invasion of Gaza by Israel is creating a humanitarian crisis. More than 500 people have been killed in the weeklong air strikes and the ground fighting that began over the weekend. The 1.5 million people of Gaza have been cut off from food and water supplies. Medicine is running out in the poorly equipped and poorly supplied hospitals in the strip. As in any war, it is the civilians who greatly suffer.

If the Israelis think the present offensive is going to be a walk in the park, like the Six-Day War in 1967, they are gravely mistaken. The Hamas are experienced and well trained, have sophisticated weapons and are strongly motivated to defend their territory. So it looks now that the present conflict will be a long-drawn-out one.

The rising death toll and the looming humanitarian crisis have aroused outrage from countries and peoples all over the world. Calls for a ceasefire have been made by, among other countries, France and the United Kingdom. But at the UN Security Council, the United States has blocked approval of a statement proposed by Arab countries calling for an immediate ceasefire. As for Israel, ultimately it may win the conflict even if it has to engage in house-to-house fighting, but does it have an exit strategy?

Israel would be well reminded, as some analysts and commentators have said, that there can be no lasting solution to the situation in Gaza unless there is a coherent and mutually acceptable Palestine peace plan.

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Common purpose

About two weeks ago the Movement for Good Governance (MGG), a coalition of reform-minded organizations, said that it aimed to mobilize a critical mass of 10 million voters to bring about good governance ahead of and beyond the 2010 elections. [Read story] The movement’s three long-term goals are voter registration and empowerment, election reform and leadership development.

Last week, Ang Kapatiran Party began distributing its “Passport to a New Philippines.” Like the MGG, Ang Kapatiran has two interrelated programs to achieve its vision and mission: One is education and the other is political action. Its Passport embodies a comprehensive plan that covers a declaration of an ethic of life, a political platform, an educational program and a statement of the religious dimension of politics.

Nandy Pacheco, founder of Ang Kapatiran, says the country will change only if the people will change individually. He adds that based on this premise, the Passport is designed to jumpstart the process of change.

Pacheco, the prime mover of the Gunless Society, has been called a Filipino Don Quixote, but it has been proven that his “gunless” scheme will work, if only the people and the government would exercise political will. It might be a good idea, at this point, for Ang Kapatiran and the Movement for Good Governance to meet and find out how they can work together in carrying out the common task of reforming Philippine politics.

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The color pink

It is ironic that the left-leaning congressmen, who would have been called “pinkos” in the Cold War era, should protest against the use of bright pink as standard color for road signs and structures by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. But the other day they went as far as to ask the House of Representatives to investigate the MMDA’s use of pink as its identifying color.

Pink is a color commonly associated with femininity. Thus, a baby girl wears pink and a baby boy, blue. Soft pinks are associated with romance and the blush of a young woman’s cheeks. The pink ribbon is an internationally recognized symbol of hope and awareness in the fight against breast cancer. And for about three or four decades now, a pink triangle is frequently used to represent gays, lesbians and bisexuals.

The leftwing representatives have reason to protest against the use of pink signs and structures by the MMDA. They say that they not only mar the city’s landscape but also violate local and international regulations on signs and signals. We agree. If compliance and discipline is the objective, why not use a more assertive color like blue?