"With all due respect, nothing will prevent us from continuing operations to protect our citizens."
- Ehud Olmert, in response to international criticism over Israel's recent aggression in Gaza
Does this really help to protect Israelis? (in fact, it probably has the opposite effect)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7273444.stm
At least 54 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers died on Saturday. Local doctors say at least 13 of the Palestinians were civilians, including eight children. Israeli operations began on Wednesday after a rocket fired by Hamas militants killed an Israeli student in the southern town of Sderot, the first such death in nine months. More than 80 Palestinians have been killed since then.
[So apparently one Israeli life is worth 80 Palestinians? Statistically, terrorist rockets are much less dangerous to them than traffic accidents or smoking. Are the Israelis bombing Raleigh-Durham every time one of them gets emphysema? Yet one random civilian hurt seems to be justification enough for the IDF to launch multi-million-dollar military operations in Gaza that kill dozens of people who had nothing to do with rocket attacks, and further cripple the already suffocated local economy. Well, I guess we shouldn't be surprised, coming from a nation that destroyed Lebanon in retaliation for one soldier kidnapped by Hizbullah.]
The Security Council later voiced deep concern at the events but failed to condemn either side. "While recognising Israel's right to defend itself, I condemn the disproportionate and excessive use of force that has killed and injured so many civilians, including children," said [UN Secretary General] Mr Ban.
Israeli UN representative Daniel Carmon said Israel had a "duty" to defend itself under the UN charter. However, a recent opinion poll has indicated a majority of Israelis favour a truce with Hamas.
[Too bad they're not the ones in government! I just wish some of them would finally tire of this nonsense, and use their brains and their conscience to stop the vicious cycle. Islamists gain control of Gaza, so Israel chokes them off with an embargo (that stanches the flow of foreign aid to some of the poorest people on Earth). Frustrated terrorists launch rockets indiscriminately into Israel, so she responds with disproportionate and somewhat indiscriminate violence against Gazans, which infuriates them and encourages future rocket attacks, et cetera, et cetera.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/world/middleeast/25mideast.html
----------
Abstract: If nations are serious about security and defense, then they should stick to the DEFENSE part and cut the BS. It is counter-productive and perilous to marginalize or provoke your enemy, which only encourages them to strike back at you – and a sound defense is supposed to prevent that from happening in the first place! In addition, don't insult our intelligence and mask your hostile actions under a national security/defense pretense. It's not fooling anyone (except Bush, Rice, and right wing talk radio). Please pardon my angry rambling and read on at your own risk!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7280026.stm (text below)
"[Human rights groups] say a battered, starved Gaza cannot be peace partner." -BBC (or maybe that's what Israel wants, in order to justify the continuation of hostilities)
This is what nonpartisan human rights groups have to say about Gaza. But of course it won't really matter, since the Israeli government is committed to making sure that Hamas utterly fails, not only in their resistance against Israeli occupation (via legitimate and criminal methods), but in every matter of peaceful governance as well. They don't care about the human costs. They froze Palestinian funds and aid so Hamas can't pay government workers. They closed the borders to choke off energy, commerce, and even basic necessities from reaching hundreds of thousands of desperately poor people. And let's not forget the periodic air strikes and ground incursions. How could anyone govern and maintain order under such conditions? They were outraged by the inclusion of Hamas in the peace process, and have set out to ruin them from day one. They hope that the suffering that they unjustly and illegally inflict upon the Palestinians will encourage Gazans to blame Hamas for their troubles and demand new leadership. I guess that is punishment for supporting and voting Hamas into power a few years ago. By all means, Hamas' short record of governance has been abysmal, but I really doubt the Gazans are going to switch sides and show gratitude to the Israelis (who starve and bomb them) by rejecting Hamas.
And here is where Israel's argument of national security and defense falls apart. Surely every nation or people have the right to protect themselves against REAL threats using SENSIBLE methods. But when you adopt the Bush/Israeli strategy of "pre-emptive defense", you become the aggressor and it's hard to justify yourself as the poor victim in the crosshairs, just doing whatever it takes to survive in the lion's den. During the Cold War, the West and the Soviet Bloc often regarded each other as mortal threats, as Israel may view Hamas/Iran/Hizbullah/etc. In rare cases, the sides were prepared to destroy each other (and themselves in the process). But in general, their national security actions were not too provocative, or mostly affecting their Third World proxies in the struggle to spread influence (I won't debate the merits of Cold War colonialism-counterinsurgency now, just stating that it happened). Sometimes the sides went too far and upset the hostility balance. For the US to place offensive nuclear weapons at Russia's underbelly in Turkey, and for the USSR to respond with covert nukes of their own in Cuba, the stakes were raised and it was no longer about defense. Now both sides (especially the US) wanted the luxury of first-strike capability in order to bring the enemy to his knees. That's being greedy, and it could (and did) really endanger the peace.
Of course a sound defense doesn't sit idly by as the enemy prepares to strike. Nations have to be diligent and anticipate threats. But a defense that crosses the line and jeopardizes the survival of the other side is no longer defense! You can protect yourself and neutralize your enemy without destroying him. In fact, it's usually preferable and easier to accomplish, but try telling that to the chicken-hawks. Unfortunately, it can be very hard to tell the difference between ambiguously aggressive and truly defensive actions at times. So if nations really care about their own security, they should take great caution in planning and executing their military actions (as the US and Israel failed to do in Iraq and Lebanon, respectively). Otherwise the other side may get the wrong idea, react poorly, and make a bad situation worse. When both sides feel that they are fighting tooth-and-nail for their very lives against an enemy who will stop at nothing, how can cooler heads prevail and peace materialize?
But even by the most remote stretch of the imagination, Israel's blockade and recurring invasions in Gaza cannot be construed as innocuous defensive precautions. They have made some non-threatening, reasonable actions such as mandating bomb shelters in new homes being built, setting up air raid notification systems, and more controversially, erecting their huge security barriers. More intrusively, they enforce curfews, detain suspects, and control traffic through checkpoints in the Occupied Territories. If I was the leader of Israel and I was concerned about the rockets, I would relocate my people at a sufficient safe distance from the Gaza border, or force border people to live in fortified structures only. Problem solved without having to kill anyone! The Qassam rockets are pop guns compared to standard Western hardware. It's not like Battle of Britain over there! Of course the Israeli residents may protest, but something has to give. Israel had no problem with its settlers evicting thousands of Palestinians from their legally-owned lands and turning them into refugees without recompense. Their troops even forced rebellious Gaza settlers to close up shop when Tel Aviv decided to evacuate Gaza.
Israel has the right to defend itself, so then defend already and don't get too greedy about it! They want to humiliate and abuse the Palestinians, in addition to blunting their meager attacks. How does consolidating East Jerusalem (at the fury of the Arabs) help their defense? How does bulldozing villages and redrawing Palestinian demographics in the West Bank help their defense? I have trouble answering those questions, because their actions resemble provocative imperialism a lot more. In fact, their audacious behavior is probably counter-productive, and turned a lot of moderate Palestinians towards Hamas or other extremist groups to seek retribution. Preventing your enemy from feeling secure (or even living with dignity) is a terrible threat in itself, and you only have yourself to blame. If you lean on your enemy so badly that they are unable to maintain even a minimal quality of life, then out of desperation they may lash out in unpredictable, damaging ways to attempt to restore equilibrium. How is that defensive if you insist on repeatedly aggravating an already wounded, defiant, and temperamental adversary? You shouldn't tease a confined animal, because some day he might escape and come after you (SF Zoo, Christmas 2007). It's no small matter than Israeli-Palestinian historian Rashid Khalidi characterized the Occupied Territories as "The Iron CAGE".
Seeking out the destruction of your enemy is another matter. Nations do it all the time (since the beginning of time), so no need to be embarrassed about it. If that is Israel's goal against Hamas or the Palestinian people in general (as it appears by many indications), then fine – just admit it and go about your business. They are untouchable diplomatically and militarily, so they don't care about UN sanctions or international condemnation. But masking your aggression with defensive pretext is cowardly, sleazy, and dishonest. Anyway, no one but the Neocons believe their BS anymore. The Israeli government claims that their neighbors seek to wipe them off the map (and idiotic loudmouth Muslim leaders have somewhat confirmed this, even if they totally lack the tangible means of accomplishing it). So why not just say that Israel wishes Lebanese, Palestinians, and Iranians didn't exist either? Their world would be a simpler, safer place without them, right? Wishing your enemy's destruction but declining to act is one thing (as the US and USSR did during the Cold War). But punishing them with unjust policies and aggression (under the blanket excuse of national security) is actually carrying out the dirty deed. What difference does it make if it's outright genocide like in Somalia, or a nefariously slow, subtle bleed in Palestine? And in many cases, their fighting with neighbors has been anything but subtle. In a sense, the slow bleed is worse because it is less likely to be noticed. A pile of skulls in a field would hopefully get even the most intransigent members of the UN to act (yet they haven't on many occasions!). But a kid dismembered here and there, and a hundred thousand hungry bellies crying out to deaf ears (due to lack of media coverage or global interest), won't really compel any third parties into action.
| Gaza situation 'worst since 1967' |
They include Amnesty International, Save the Children, Cafod, Care International and Christian Aid. They criticise Israel's blockade on Gaza as illegal collective punishment which fails to deliver security. Israel says its military action and other measures are lawful and needed to stop rocket attacks from Gaza. The groups' report, Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion, says the blockade has dramatically worsened levels of poverty and unemployment, and has led to deterioration in education and health services.
'Disaster'
More than 1.1 million Gazans are dependent on food aid and of 110,000 workers previously employed in the private sector, 75,000 have now lost their jobs, the report says. "Unless the blockade ends now, it will be impossible to pull Gaza back from the brink of this disaster and any hopes for peace in the region will be dashed," said Geoffrey Dennis, of Care International UK.
Israel tightened its blockade on the strip, controlled by the Hamas militant group, in January. Last week Israeli forces launched a bloody and destructive raid in northern Gaza, in which more than 120 Palestinians - including many civilians - were killed. Israel says the measures are designed to stamp out frequent rocket fire by Palestinian militants. Recent rocket attacks have hit deeper into southern Israel, reaching Ashkelon, the closest large Israeli city to the Gaza Strip. [FYI, Ashkelon is only 15 miles away from Gaza, and their podunk rockets don't have much more range than that. In fact a good portion of Hamas rockets are duds or crash soon after liftoff. ]
Occupying power
The UK-based groups agree that Israel has the right and obligation to protect its citizens, urging both sides to cease unlawful attacks on civilians. But they call upon Israel to comply with its obligations, as the occupying power in Gaza, to ensure its inhabitants have access to food, clean water, electricity and medical care, which have been in short supply in the strip. "Punishing the entire Gazan population by denying them these basic human rights is utterly indefensible," said Amnesty UK Director Kate Allen. "The current situation is man-made and must be reversed."
Other recommendations from the groups include international engagement with the Hamas movement, which rejects Israel's legitimacy and has been shunned by Israel's allies, and the Fatah party of Palestinian West Bank leader Mahmoud Abbas. "Gaza cannot become a partner for peace unless Israel, Fatah and the Quartet [the US and UN, Europe and Russia] engage with Hamas and give the people of Gaza a future," said Daleep Mukarji of Christian Aid.
---------
By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago
JERUSALEM - Two gunmen infiltrated a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem and opened fire in a library Thursday night, killing at least seven people, police and rescue workers said. Channel 2 TV said police special forces killed the two infiltrators. Rescue workers said at least 10 people were wounded although Israeli media reported a larger number hurt.
Yitzhak Dadon, a student, said he was armed with a rifle and waited on the roof of a nearby building. "He came out of the library spraying automatic fire. ... The terrorist came to the entrance and I shot him twice in the head," he said.
Medic Yaron Tzuker said he arrived as the gunfire was still going on. "They were still shooting when we got here," he told Channel 10 TV. "We took cover and the ambulance was hit. It's horrible inside — dead bodies and wounded — it's horrific."
Another witness told Israel TV that he heard both single shots and automatic gunfire from inside the building, and it lasted for about 10 minutes. The attack came a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice persuaded moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to return to peace talks with Israel and on the same day Egyptian officials were trying to mediate a truce between Gaza militants and Israel. Abbas suspended the talks after Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza militants barraging southern Israel with rockets. Palestinian officials say more than 120 were killed in Gaza during the week-long operation. Four Israelis were also killed.
Earlier Thursday, Palestinian militants in Gaza set off a bomb on the Gaza border, blowing up an Israeli army jeep and killing a soldier. Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby said one of the gunmen who attacked the seminary was wearing what at first appeared to be an explosives vest but turned out to be a belt holding extra ammunition. "One or two terrorists infiltrated the Mercaz Harav seminary and opened fire in all directions," the police spokesman said. "One terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire, and apparently he had an explosives belt."
Hundreds of police surrounded the area and searched the campus as ambulances raced to the scene. Scores of seminary students spilled out onto the sidewalk and street outside after they were evacuated. "There are at least seven killed and 10 people wounded," said Eli Dein, director of Israel's rescue service.
An hour after the attack, medics began removing the dead from the building, taking them away in ambulances. The seminar is the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in the Kiryat Moshe quarter at the entrance of Jerusalem, a well-known center of Jewish studies identified with the leadership of the Jewish settlement movement in the West Bank.
There were no attacks by Palestinian militants in Jerusalem during 2007, though police and the military claimed to have foiled many attempts. Between 2001 and 2004, at the height of Palestinian-Israeli fighting, Jerusalem was a frequent target of Palestinian attacks, including suicide bombings on buses. "It's very sad tonight in Jerusalem. Many people were killed in the heart of Jerusalem," Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski.
In Gaza City, residents went out into the streets and fired rifles in celebration in the air after hearing news of the attack on the seminary.
No comments:
Post a Comment