Towards a global perspective . . .

As Israel rains fire and brimstone on Gaza Hell,  people across the Middle East, and a few of us in the Western Heaven as well, sit impotent before our television and computer screens watching the nightmare of death and destruction unfold.   We are all wondering why nothing is done, has been done, to end the massacre.   Or maybe we aren’t.  This is not the first time Israel has seen fit to visit Hell on a neighbor, and it isn’t the first time that the world, with the US taking the lead, has stood idly by as it happened.

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After a week of bombing the trapped and starved population of Gaza with F16s (made in the USA) and Apache helicopters (ditto), Israel has sent in their ground forces of 10s of thousands of soldiers with armored tanks and M16s.   The General Assembly of the UN condemned the assault and called for a cease fire, but the Security Council didn’t even try to come up with a resolution.  George Bush cheered them on, and a smug Nancy Pelosi gave her blessing to the necessary action by our good friend Israel.   The Arab League met, but couldn’t agree on statement, so they didn’t make one.  Various EU countries have expressed displeasure, but the current EU President, from Czech Republic, said that they understood Israel’s need to take action.  Egypt has sealed the Rafah crossing to make sure no victims escape.

Meanwhile, as Arabs watch daily tv images from Gaza of the death and destruction in horror, American News is purged of the grotesque images of dead babies and their collapsed homes, of hospitals full of wounded, but lacking medicine and tools, of the blood running in the streets.  We are blindered like a skittish racehorse, that might bolt if startled.   Even so, some of us find ways to be informed, and take to the streets in protest.  All over the world, people are in the streets demonstrating their rage and frustration.  But nothing changes.

I wrote the following letter to the editor of the New York Times a couple of days after the bombing began.  I haven’t heard from them, so it is safe to assume that they are not interested in printing my opinion.  So, here it is:

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Most have us have already seen the great footage of Iraqi reporter, Muntazir Az Zaydi, throwing his shoes at George Bush, calling him a ‘dog’ and referring to the widows and orphans a dead bodies created by the war. The video has been viewed with great amusement by those of us who feel the same way about George Bush. But, even Bush supporters have found the symbolic act impressive and amusing. That being the case, we cannot allow this man to be persecuted for giving us all so much pleasure.

It appears that, as he was dragged from the room by his hair, he was being kicked and beaten. He has not been seen since. His family is very concerned about him, and AlBaghdadiya, the newspaper he worked for has requested that he be released. I think we should all stand behind this brave soul. You can sign a petition for his release here.

If you are having second thoughts, imagine what would happen if a member of Code Pink were treated this way after shouting down some warmonger in Congress while throwing around fake blood or holding up a banner or any of the other symbolic acts they are prone to. And then go and sign the petition. The petition will be forwarded to the White House, with a copy to Al Badhdadiya, Mr. Az Zaydi’s employer.

I think that Iraq Veterans Against the War could be our best hope for ending the War on Terrorism. Their points of engagement include not only ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and better support for Veterans, but reparations to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. They have met the enemy, and found that it is us. I think they are better organized and have better visibility than Vietnam Veterans against the war. And, they have an increasingly radicalized wing that is capable of making very public statements that cannot be ignored. They are also young, idealistic, full of energy. They are prepared to place their military credentials on the line and bring their military training to bear on the current problem, ending the war/s. They are about the same age as my son, many younger, and their vulnerability lends their message a striking depth of sincerity and passion, while their youthful joy in life make their company a pleasure.

For example, I have an image of IVAW member Mathis Cheroux at the last local march led by IVAW, hanging upside down from a tree taking pictures. It seems trivial, but adds the general quality of experience along the way. It is also true that the presence of Veterans in our march caused the police to be surprisingly restrained while we, about 100 people, walked down the middle of the road blocking traffic for a good mile. Most drivers waited patiently, and surprising number smiled and waved Peace Signs at us through their open windows. Perhaps IVAW can finally bring the resistance into the main stream. Read the rest of this entry »

My last post engages the scenario in Hebron, perhaps, beyond the ability of the ordinary American to grasp. I is important to me because it is a microcosm of everything that is wrong in Israel today. Whatever the suffering of the Jewish people prior to WWII, and whatever benevolent intentions the ordinary liberal American or American Jew may have in supporting Israel, this is why those intentions are misplaced. It is time for a change of perspective.
When I wrote last night, I purposely avoided using the word “Jew” to refer to the settlers. They are thugs. They do not represent the thinking of any Jews that I know, and their behavior would be unthinkable to any civilized person.

Words are important. There are all kinds of subtle levels of covering the truth. For instance, I refer to the City of Hebron. This is the Jewish name for the location. In fact, the Palestinians call the town Tel Rumeida. Read the rest of this entry »

The NY Times ran an article on Wednesday, titled ‘Palestinian Forces Dilute Hebron’s Volatile Brew’, stating that Abbas’ new army, trained by the US in Jordan, is bringing peace to Hebron.    It describes the newly trained Fatah forces in glowing terms, but doesn’t say exactly what they would be doing in Hebron, only that they would be helping to keep the peace in a volatile situation where Settlers and Palestinians are at each other’s throats.  In fact, they say that the bad attitude on the part of the settlers isn’t a surprise as they are running out of patience after years of  Palestinian harassment.

This is a typical reversal of documented facts which clearly show the Hebron Settlers to have a long history of hostiity and violence toward the Palestinians.  According to an Israeli peace activist who served his mandatory military stint in Hebron, the Israeli soldiers stationed there have not been allowed to restrain or interfere with the settlers.  Videos taken by human rights activists show Settlers attacking Palestinians while the soldiers restrain the Palestinians or do nothing.  What could Palestinian soldiers do in a situation like this?

At first I thought it was just another fluff piece presenting a nice picture of fellowship and restoration of order for the American audience, a distraction, if you will, from the ongoing atrocity in Gaza.   Read the rest of this entry »

You know, I have wanted to comment on about the godawful situation in Gaza for some time.  The Israeli siege of Gaza, the devastation and the human suffering that it is causing is notably absent from the mainstream media.   Big surprise!  We do hear about Israel has blockaded Gaza ‘until the ‘militants’ stop firing Kassams.   Has anyone been injured by a Kassam lately?  Not to my knowledge.   Why are the Kassams being fired?  Because Israel has not let up with the raids and missile attacks since the beginning of the so called “cooling off period”.  This is all old news.   It is so old that it is difficult to focus on.

Activists who came to Gaza from Cyprus on the Liberty sailboat succeeded in breaking the Israeli blockade twice.  Those who stayed on, however, have since been imprisoned after being removed at gunpoint from fisherman’s boats which were attacked by the Israeli Navy.  Read the rest of this entry »

I have been reading the reactions from various quarters to Obama’s selection of Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff with some interest.  As a supporter of Palestinian rights, and the rights of sovereignty of the surrounding nations in the Middle East, I was personally rather dismayed by this choice.  But, being a person of hope, I did, at least, entertain the thought (however whistfully) that Obama is bringing in the troublemakers so that they will have to support him if he moves against their traditional agenda, or be disloyal.   If they can’t move him from the inside, they can’t complain in quite the same tone as they might as open adversaries.

For example, and no one that I know of has emphasized this point, it is said that Emanuel is in line to become Speaker of the House.   I don’t know what they are planning on doing with Nancy Pelosi, but this is a very powerful position.  It is a position without the direct control of a boss who demands level of personal loyalty.   Would it be better for Obama to have this man inside his team, or on the outside, leading the lower house of the Congress, potentially, in opposition to his plans?

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When Emanuel made the comment that he was most honored that his parents are still alive to savor his achievement, it seemed a little unusual, but honorable.   The fact that the parent he is so pleased to impress is a former member of the Irgun, an Israeli terrorist group that participated vigorously in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland around 1948 makes me a little uncomfortable.  Read the rest of this entry »

If you have a half hour or so to do so, listen to this podcast of a paper by Barnett R. Rubin and Ahmed Rashid *.  I have reprinted the first paragraph below.

“The Great Game is no fun anymore. The term “Great Game” was used by nineteenth-century British imperialists to describe the British-Russian struggle for position on the chessboard of Afghanistan and Central Asia — a contest with a few players, mostly limited to intelligence forays and short wars fought on horseback with rifles, and with those living on the chessboard largely bystanders or victims. More than a century later, the game continues. But now, the number of players has exploded, those living on the chessboard have become involved, and the intensity of the violence and the threats it produces affect the entire globe. The Great Game can no longer be treated as a sporting event for distant spectators. It is time to agree on some new rules.”

The article begins with a rather cavalier flourish, a little too cavalier for my taste.  However, the authors then proceed to analyze the players in the deteriorating Afghan standoff in some detail, and with significant authority.  Based on their analysis, they present of dizzying array of diplomatic possibilities and presumptive necessities for developing peace and stability in the region.  At the outset, they state that not everyone will agree with every idea presented, and going by the comments, there are those who vehemently disagree with certain aspects of the plan, and with any renewed Western meddling in Eastern affairs.  Wouldn’t it be better to discuss the issues, acknowledging the agendas of different players, and look for consensus, rather than either a) try to manipulate a particular outcome, or b) turn away and wash our hands of rest of the world?  Albeit, plan b) looks pretty good considering the blood on our hands.  Read the rest of this entry »

You all may have seen something about this. The Bushies are doing their best to secure their permanent war on the way out. They have just added a new country to those subject to unprovoked attacks. The US brought Special Forces into Syria by helicopter, who then killed eight civilians, including four children and a woman, last weekend. Of course, they have an excuse. They say they attacked a man known to facilitate bringing foreign fighters and weapons into Iraq. If they knew that were the case, then they should have informed the Syrian Government and given them an opportunity to address the problem.

The arrogance of the US and other members of the international community amazes me. A post on the Syriacomment blog complained that last year the Syrian Government went so far as to make some studies on Syria compulsory in the American School and forcing the students to take Arabic. Syria has now said they will close the American School, which is attended by the children of UN workers and corporations like Shell. Who can blame them? Imagine if that were the US and some resident foreigners insisted that they did not want their children to study American Culture or History, and the English language in school.
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