Who is America’s best friend? Most would argue it is Britain, but I think its Israel. We give more aid to Israel than any other nation. Israel’s political lobby (AIPAC) in the US is the most heavily funded foreign interest group, and some believe it has more influence than most (if not all) domestic lobbyists.
So what are our friends up to? Well, they may have carried out political assassinations on foreign soil. This is pretty bad, and something I would consider worthy of cutting our massive aid to our violent ally, but apparently that isn’t really the worst part.
No, apparently Western powers don’t give a shit about assassinations. Let’s see, what’s the one thing Western nations care about more than anything else… oh right, themselves. Israel not only carried out the assassination, they probably did so using forged British and Irish passports.
So that’s the line? British officials need to talk to Israel… because they falsified British passports? No one cares about the fact that Israel is conducting deadly covert ops, executing people without any due process of law?
Here’s a thought: maybe the UN ought to be charging Israel and its leadership with war crimes for not only this action, but several in the past. A British magistrate has already issued a warrant for the arrest of Tzipi Livni, former foreign minister of Israel. The accusation? War crimes during the 2008-2009 Gaza attacks.
“But a nation has the right to defend itself! Palestinians were firing rockets into Israel…”
Stop right there. Yes, a few dozen rockets were fired over the border into Israel. But let’s analyze the post-war tally, and you tell me if Israel over-reacted:
Israelis killed during rocket attacks: 13
Palestinians killed during the attacks on Gaza: 1387
Israel must believe Palestinians are only 1/100th of a person…
At some point, we need to end this experiment known as Israel. We’ve learned a lot from it, so it wasn’t a total waste. For one thing, we learned you can’t just draw lines on a map in England and expect millions of people in Palestine to be happy with being dislocated from their homes. We have learned that the West has endless patience and tolerance for the violence of allies. Finally, we’ve learned that if you take someone’s home, they get violent.
Who am I kidding, no one learned anything…
for no reason:
ReplyDeleteSderot, less than a mile from Gaza, has been the target of Palestinian rocket attacks that have killed 13 residents, wounded hundreds, caused millions of dollars in damage, disrupted daily life and wreaked havoc on the local economy.[3] According to MSNBC, "nearly everyone [has been] traumatized by the frequent sound of air-raid sirens and explosions of incoming projectiles". All local schools have been fortified.[4] From mid-June 2007 to mid-February 2008, 771 rockets and 857 mortar bombs were fired at Sderot and the western Negev, an average of three or four each a day.[5]
from wikipedia
Yes, the poor Israelis are being disrupted from the business of oppressing the Palestinians. Why won't the Palestinians be a good little subjugated people and just roll over and die?
ReplyDeleteSo... 13 dead Israelis means 1300+ Palestinians need to die? Try adding that to wikipedia, and read a history book while you're at it.
British lines on a map.
ReplyDeleteIf that's the case, then of the British mandate following the dissolution of the Ottoman empire, well over 90% of "Palestine," an entity that had no identity before the end of World War I was given to the Arabs.
Query, where does it end? Recorded human history is lines on maps. Where do we draw the line? Do you advocate the return of Breslau and East Prussia to Germany? How about Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Nevada and California to Mexico?
What fascinates me, is that the same language used to condemn Israel, taking the form of being opposed to "Zionism," is in fact the same language deployed in throughout history against the Jews themselves.
It never ends, does it?
Cheers, my friend.
There were Jewish people living in the area that is Israel before the state formation enabled the systematic removal by force of Palestinians. I don't think Jewish people need to leave. I think people ought to be free to live where they are able. Israel only persists in a state of extreme violence funded largely by US tax-payers.
ReplyDeleteWhat fascinates me is that the same language used to condemn those who criticize Israel is in fact the same language used to criticize all those who oppose tyranny: make it a larger issue than it is. Bush called anyone who disagreed with him unpatriotic, Israeli supporters call their opponents anti-Semites. See how that works?
You can only divert attention away from atrocities committed by your friends for so long before people start blaming you as much as your friend. At some point, you become guilty by association.
I wonder if non-violence is not the solution to this.
ReplyDeleteFear the other - hate the other - destroy the other.
The problem is. Peace can never be built on such foundations.
Only when people refuse to see themselves as Israeli or Palestinian - and when they view each other as human beings.... that's when progress will happen.
I do not trust bureaucracies to humanize people - they are engines of de-humanization. It must start with individuals.
Which side in this conflict is teaching it's children that the other is actually a race of dogs, monkeys and pigs and not human beings? Link
ReplyDeleteJD, which side has been treated like dogs, monkeys and pigs?
ReplyDeleteActually, both sides treat dogs, monkeys and pigs better than the other, since both cultures refrain from slaughtering those three animals.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Samuel's comment above. They need to stop seeing each other as Israelis and Palestinians before they can accomplish peace. At least, all the religious implications that come along with such labels.
ReplyDeleteDumb question here: Why does the U.S. support Israel so much? Is it only because of the Judeo-Christian overtones of the U.S. or is it something else?
Uruk: There's no simple answer to your question.
ReplyDeleteThe relations between the US and Israel has evolved over time since the formation of Israel in 1948. We initially held a casual alliance bordering on sympathy, but our foreign policy changed quickly because of a few factors, namely communism and oil.
Israel was a democracy in an otherwise non-democratic region which was rich in oil. You have to realize we lived in a different philosophical climate, and a common idea of the time was the "domino" theory, which stated that the political systems of one nation would affect neighboring nations (like a line of dominoes). The fear was that Russia would expand communism and it would eventually engulf the pan-Asian continent, including the oil-rich Middle East.
This even appeared to be happening at one point, and it ended in the US funding and arming a little group of Muslim freedom fighters in Afghanistan during the 80's. You might know them today as Al Qaeda. We also kept allies such as Iraq and Iran armed (though we had tentative problems with each at various times between the 70's and today).
Add to this the fact that the majority of our support came under and after Reagan and the rise of the Religious Reich (sorry, I mean Religious Right). Many Evangelicals really, truly believe supporting Israel and making sure Jews are living there will bring about the end of times.
Ah, I see . . .
ReplyDeleteVery insightful. Thanks for the history lesson, Ginx.
Canada.
ReplyDeletewhat a
ReplyDeleteshameful site..gag........