November 18, 2012
Stop pretending the US is an uninvolved, helpless party in the Israeli assault on Gaza
Glenn Greenwald in The Guardian:
A central premise of US media coverage of the Israeli attack on Gaza - beyond the claim that Israel is justifiably "defending itself" - is that this is some endless conflict between two foreign entitles, and Americans can simply sit by helplessly and lament the tragedy of it all. The reality is precisely the opposite: Israeli aggression is possible only because of direct, affirmative, unstinting US diplomatic, financial and military support for Israel and everything it does. This self-flattering depiction of the US as uninvolved, neutral party is the worst media fiction since TV news personalities covered the Arab Spring by pretending that the US is and long has been on the side of the heroic democratic protesters, rather than the key force that spent decades propping up the tyrannies they were fighting.
Literally each day since the latest attacks began, the Obama administration has expressed its unqualified support for Israel's behavior. Just two days before the latest Israeli air attacks began, Obama toldPalestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas "that his administration opposes a Palestinian bid for non-state membership of the UN". Both the US Senate and House have already passed resolutions unequivocally supporting Israel, thus earning the ultimate DC reward: the head-pat from Aipac, which "praised the extraordinary show of support by the Senate for Israel's struggle against terrorist attacks on its citizens". More bipartisan Congressional cheerleading is certain to come as the attacks continue, no matter how much more brutal they become.
More here.
Posted by S. Abbas Raza at 05:49 AM | Permalink
Comments
Of course! Am helped with Iron Dome..and who supports Hamas? Iran sends long range rocketgs via Sudan, smuggled into Egypt, and reassembled after going via guns by Hamas.
Those rockets can reach the two biggest cities in Israel and wipea out many people.
ps: Glen...note that US sends Egypt and Gaza foreign aid, much as the Arab states do.,
In sum: this post is pure bull
Posted by: fred | Nov 18, 2012 8:40:49 AM
The math of Obama's domestic and foreign policies simply does not add up.
History is witness to the undoing of nations that ignore the fundamental foundation of profess; peace and justice, not only for themselves but on the same footing for others well.
We all know the one and only moral of the stories of our fathers, Abrahim, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad, peace be unto all. That the fire freezes, the mighty fall and surrender, the sea parts, the spider weaves a web on the mouth of a cave to protect it's occupants. That the divine help comes for oppressed, when the conscience of humanity dies. That divine justice is consistent, unflattering, and guaranteed to the oppressed.
Let the oppressors, greedy land grabbers playing an endless victim game be forewarned. We do not rely on USA for justice. We await for the divine justice to prevail. It is God's promise and He keeps His promise for sure.
Posted by: Humanity | Nov 18, 2012 9:48:04 AM
What exactly is Glenn Greenwald complaining about? The elected representatives of the people of the US tend to support Israel and other pro-Western governments in the Middle East (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the new Libyan regime) and tend to oppose groups backed by Iran and El Kayda. I have never seen any pretence of neutrality in that respect. I don't think any candidate for POTUS or Congress would get very far if she openly backed radical Islam (insofar as Americans care very much about foreign policy or other countries).
Maybe Greenwald should try to change this by pointing out the progressive, humanitarian acheivements of Hamas, Hizbollah and the Taliban.
Will you ban me for this comment??
Posted by: aguy109 | Nov 18, 2012 5:04:22 PM
Yeah, its not clear to me what Greenwald is complaining about. Its one thing to say that we should or shouldn't support Israel. But thats not what he is saying. Some how bipartisan Congressional support is "reflexive" (is that a synonym for "I don't like it"?). Also Greenwald thinks that opposing Turkey and Egypt on this issue is by definition wrong. Unclear why.
I also found his comments about the "head-pat from AIPAC" very creepy. C'mon Glen, just come out and say what you really mean.
I am pleased to see that Greenwald has developed a concern for "The American Taxpayer". Lets see if that concern holds in domestic policy.
Posted by: Sundar | Nov 18, 2012 5:41:01 PM
Illegal occupiers and greedy land grabbers are guilty of crimes against humanity under the pretense of defense Hundreds of UN resolutions against the illegal settlements and inhuman practices of Israel have been ignored by the bullies and their backers.
Israel is conducting ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing, while playing the endless victim game. People can not be folled any longer and their patience with the shenanigans of the oppressors has run out.
Even God is fed up with their hypocrisy now. There is no hope from the US and the impotent agencies who lack the courage to stand up to the bully. When hope dies in humanity to do the right thing, then divine justice takes over and parts the sea to save the oppressed. How long will God tolerate the concentration camps of Israel? The oppressors are running out of time.
Posted by: Humanity | Nov 18, 2012 6:33:02 PM
Being pedantic here, but surely you can't be engaging in BOTH genocide AND "ethnic cleansing"? I always thought that to qualify for genocide, you had to at least make a good faith attempt to wipe out an entire population. Which doesn't leave many people to "ethically cleanse". Just saying.
Posted by: Sundar | Nov 18, 2012 6:46:37 PM
Gilad Sharon, Son Of Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Writes Op-Ed:
'We Need To Flatten Entire Neighborhoods In Gaza'. He goes on to say, "The Americans didn’t stop with Hiroshima – the Japanese weren’t surrendering fast enough, so they hit Nagasaki, too."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/18/gilad-sharon-israel-gaza-op-ed_n_2155932.html
Sharon wants to make Gaza Hiroshima, as if Auschwitz wasn't enough.
Sundar, is this genocide or ethnic cleansing?
Posted by: Raza Husain | Nov 18, 2012 8:23:19 PM
"I don't think any candidate for POTUS or Congress would get very far if she openly backed radical Islam (insofar as Americans care very much about foreign policy or other countries)."
And Blacks wouldn't have the right to vote if you follow the majority opinion, let alone the congress and Senate. So?
Willful amnesia doesn't make morality. This has been half a century long. Radical Islam wasn't the issue for most of it. It is due to the US power plays, not in spite of it. Taliban's power is due to whose propping them up? Iraq's best friends were who? Iran had a moderate who was assasinated by the CIA, then came the "democratic" Shah, a dictator, was who's best ally? Why does Muslim Brotherhood look great against the dictator Mubarak, US/Israeli ally? And finally, Hizbollah at least has the one thing clearly done: they defended their part of S. Lebanon against Israel. The rest can be figured out but they are the few who can claim that. Who cares if Iran finances them. This is globalization - would it be better if it were Russia or China, the U.S. allies?
Meanwhile, Israel worked with S.Africa during apartheid to give them nuclear weapon technology.
If democratic Israel was a real neighbor, rather than colonizer, Hizbollah would never have functioned in peace. It would not exist.
There were more moderate positions and parties. Israel and the U.S. always have one goal - divide introduce other factions and finance them. Cause chaos. (and if necessary assasinate) Whether Latin America or Mid East. Hamas came into power via Israel's consent. That is hardly a hidden fact.
So NOW the problem was "radical Islam" but not radical Zionist theology? It's claims to "cleanse the soil" are so common as to be disgustingly easy to find. Soldiers used to claim it all the time. You can find it easily, the graffiti they left among other things. Its so easy as to be googled ... Media never looks at the settlers who are more rabid than imaginable, and against the Christians as well as Muslims.
Simply put: The U.S. stands for Jewish-only State? and calls it a democracy? How is that even feasible to understand, except by Orwellian double-speak.
Posted by: Arthur Job | Nov 19, 2012 3:42:14 AM
It would be very sad if the largest democratic country of the world, USA, will not support the only democracy in Middle East, Israel, when a terrorist(qualiffied as terrorist by European Union, Canada,USA, England) organization, Hamas, is sending each day hundreds of rockets against civil population, each rocket being a crime of war.
Israel is also the only friend and ally of USA in all Middle East.
Hamas is the terrorist organization that wants the destruction of this friend and death of his Jewish citizens, including myself ; the rockets are falling over us, our houses,our family, my sons even in those moments that I'm writing. Again this is not about 67 borders but of 48 borders, about a Palestine without Israel, without Jews. The songs that the mob of Gaza is singing have the refrain:
Kill the Jews, kill the Jews, we'll return in our towns (here names of the towns) and we'll kill them all...
Hamas is not only the mortal foe of Israel, but also of the Western civilization and of USA.
Read the Hamas Charter and you'll understand that a decent, rational state (or human being) may be be only the enemy of the evil and obscurantist Hamas:
http://www.acpr.org.il/resources/hamascharter.html
Posted by: mirel | Nov 19, 2012 8:19:21 AM
I skimmed the charter... hard to keep a straight face. Reads like the ramblings of a demented teenager. I especially like mysterious references like this: "This will not apply to the Gharqad, which is a Jewish tree" Whatever can that mean?
Interesting reference to power of an "Indian Sword". Probably refers to the widespread use of Indian Steel in the ancient world. For people who are interested: http://io9.com/5831683/a-brief-history-of-the-ancient-science-of-sword-making
Posted by: Sundar | Nov 19, 2012 9:24:47 AM
Arthur, you are right to point out that governments sometimes use strong -arm tactics to get their way in areas or in times of conflict and instability. I was just saying that an overwhelming bi partisan majority in the US tacitly support such policies if they can be persuaded that is in their national interest.
I live in Israel and support its right to exist even while knowing that shady stuff is done in my name. I do so because I am 100% certain that the extermination of Jews in Europe and the Middle East would have been completed if Israel had not been created.
Posted by: aguy109 | Nov 19, 2012 3:29:36 PM
@Sundar, this is the tree; a medicinal long-lived, perennial, thorny shrub:Lycium (Boxthorn)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycium
The roots ofthis passage about the tree and the Jews are in historical massacres of Mahommed against the Jews:
http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/qurayza_jews.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_in_Medina
About the tree in Hadith
and the antisemitism in Islam:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_antisemitism
Posted by: mirel | Nov 19, 2012 5:47:16 PM
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