Yes, I do. I support Israel's right to exist.
I also support the Palestinian people's right to live free of the oppression and butchery inflicted on them by Israel.
Feeble rocket attacks that claim seven lives over the past two years do not, I repeat do not, endanger Israel's right to exist. There has been no existential threat against which Israel needed to defend itself.
These rocket attacks by a handful of militants do not remotely justify a weeklong aerial bombardment of populated neighbourhoods in Gaza. That crosses a line into barbarism. It also ensures that Hamas will have plenty of fresh supporters and volunteers. It's the sort of rank stupidity that has been a hallmark of the Olmert administration.
Israel has today sent columns of soldiers into Gaza for the stated purpose of seizing sites from which rockets have been launched. If they had this capability they ought to have done that a week ago instead of resorting to several hundred bombing sorties.
Supporting Israel's right to exist does not mean condoning that nation firing cluster munitions into populated areas in Lebanon or resorting to relentless air bombardment of populated areas in Gaza. Supporting Israel's right to exist cannot be construed as a blank cheque for its brutal excesses. Supporting Israel's right to exist does not mean that Israel should not be rebuked for this unjustified, wanton violence against Palestinian civilians simply because someone from Hamas lives in their neighbourhood.
I support Israel's right to exist and I also support the international community imposing a just peace on Israel and the Palestinian people because both sides have now forfeited their right to feign any willingness to negotiate a peaceful and equitable solution.
7 comments:
Is it possible that Ehud BARAK (Israel) does not trust BARACK Obama and wants to do his misdeeds now before Obama is sworn in as the President of US?
I think the Washington Post got it right. This is about the political ambitions of Barak and Livni in the Feburary 10 elections to replace Olmert and Olmert's collusion in an effort to stop Netanyahu (sp?).
In other words, the whole thing is electioneering. There are some in Israel who've also seen through it.
It's pretty morbid to think they'd beset the people of Gaza with a full week of aerial bombardment to gain a few points at the polls but, hey, they've got the backing of the current American and Canadian governments and most Israelis so what have they got to lose?
It could also be an attempt to spur some sort of action by Iran or Syria that would create a casus belli for a larger war.
I think the Israelis are properly more concerned with Obama than the "anything goes" Bush administration and I know the Israeli air force is rightly terrified at the prospect of the Iranians getting S-300 Russian surface to air missiles against which the F-15s and F-16s would be dog meat.
Oh dear. It's never good to be a one trick pony when the audience stops paying attention to your trick pony.
This isn't going to stop rocket attacks out of Gaza. They'll resume just as soon as the militants can whip up another batch and that won't take long.
If anything this seems like yet another tactical blunder by Israel. Silly buggers.
Interesting study on the psychology of ideology.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/02/AR2009010202195.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Thanks Lilian and thanks James. Aerial bombardment of civilian populations is terrorism. We're wrong to bomb Afghan villages because we couldn't be bothered to commit enough forces to keep Taliban insurgents out - our primary responsibility to secure the innocents. Israel is wrong to bomb Gaza to take out a few militants. The massive destructiveness of these weapons ensures carnage. Yes, on a conventional battlefield they are essential but in some kid's neighbourhood, no. It's not as though they'll solve any of the problems exploited to justify their use. Why on earth would we support this butchery? What does that make us?
"Supporting Israel's right to exist does not mean condoning that nation firing cluster munitions into populated areas in Lebanon or resorting to relentless air bombardment of populated areas in Gaza. Supporting Israel's right to exist cannot be construed as a blank cheque for its brutal excesses. Supporting Israel's right to exist does not mean that Israel should not be rebuked for this unjustified, wanton violence against Palestinian civilians simply because someone from Hamas lives in their neighbourhood."
An excellent, clear post. And it seems that Gaza does not have the right to exist. Although Hamas is blamed it's just an excuse for wanton murder & destruction & for Israel to take away more territory from the Palestinians.
I am furious at Iggy's response that is the same as Harper/Cannon's & the Cons. What's up with that?
I'm physically ill to my stomach over this atrocity.
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