I don't know if I will post this diary, but for now am just trying to draft out my thoughts. I hope not to add to the immense frustration that those of us who have posted on this issue are feeling.
I have read most all of the diaries here that go into the history of the region, seen the maps, followed the links. I am pro-Israel, whatever that means. I guess to me it means that I want Israel to survive as a sovereign nation, that if there are any changes to their government, that those changes are voted upon by Israelis, not imposed from without by other countries, be they in Europe, North America or Arab countries in the region.
Other than that I have no great wisdom or knowledge about either the Israelis or the Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, Egyptians, Iranians, Iraqis, etc. The more I read the more confused I get. I am an American citizen, I am a progressive, liberal Democrat, and I want to see real change in my own country. And it is from that perspective that I write this diary.
I'd like to make a few comparisons here. We are all against the War in Iraq, all agreed that we were lied to about WMDs, that we are causing great destruction to a country which did not attack us nor had anything to do with the attacks in America on 9/11. Yet we also are completely supportive of our troops over there, even as a number of them have been shown to have tortured prisoners and raped and killed civilians. We are aware of the difference between a government who sends young men and women off to die and those young men and women themselves.
And we all have had to deal in one way or another with being called un-American for our views on the Iraq War and towards the Bush Administration in general.
So now we are seeing young men and women in Israel killing over in Lebanon and being killed in battle and in their cities. I wonder if we can see the similarity here and feel that these soldiers are following their orders just as ours are over in Iraq. And that our quarrel is with the decisions of the leadership there just as our quarrel is with the decisions of our own leaders here in America.
It is not an exact comparison. The situation in the Middle East, the aggression on both sides comes from a history we cannot even imagine here in America. Frankly, our own founders came here because of the bloody European history they were desperate to escape.
Our United States military have fought all over the world, but not since the civil war has our "homeland" been attacked, as it was on 9/11. We cannot know how we would react if terrorist attacks were as common here as they are in the Middle East (and not just in Israel, but in all the countries there).
Our country has shaped the lives of countless people across the world from the beginning of the Cold War. We have been an imperialist power, propped up dictators, shot down leaders whose ideology was not in our interests. And now we see a horrible leadership that wants only war and power and doesn't care if they destroy our country in the process.
So what is the appropriate response for progressive Democrats to what is happening in Israel and Lebanon and the Palestinian territories?
To those (and I see very few, really) who want Israel to be destroyed, who call themselves "anti-Zionists," I have little appreciation. To me, that is like calling for America to be destroyed and saying "well, I'm anti-capitalist, I don't have anything against any American citizen, per se, but your system of capitalism is using up the vast majority of resources in the world and screwing up other countries, so I think America as it is now should be handed over to an international force that will keep you all from more destruction." Whether a case could be made for that or not, as an American, I prefer to see change in this country made by its citizens, not imposed from without.
To those who are agonized over the killing of civilians, I do have an appreciation for that, but we are killing far more over in Iraq, and for the past few years there has been little protest over that among our citizenry, who have been amply informed of the lies that led to the war. Only now can we see a bit of movement in that area, but only in poll numbers, there are no significant protests, and this sentiment has not yet changed our government's agenda in the slightest.
To those who feel anguish over the plight of the Palestinians in the occupied territories, I have much appreciation and share that anguish. And I believe there are many in Israel who feel the same, just as we here in America feel such strong disagreement with how we are treating Iraqis, Afghans and detainees in Gitmo, not to mention our own citizens who may have darker skins and are living in fear of our own government right now.
No, the two countries are not easily compared, and I realize I am only making generalities. But the fact is we are American citizens, not Israeli citizens or Lebanese citizens or Palestinian citizens. We have our own grave struggle ahead with our own government. Until we can win that struggle we are in no position to be peacemakers around the world. Sure, we can attend protests against what is going on in Lebanon, and I have nothing against doing so. Activism is a good thing, in my opinion.
But here at Daily Kos and in the progressive community as a whole, I think it is important to use our heads as well as our hearts. I have read very few diaries on the subject of Israel that don't fall into a kind of proxy "WE must stop this," as though we have any power to do so, seeing as WE can't even stop our own atrocities in Iraq and elsewhere in the world.
The soldiers in Israel are no different than the soldiers here in America. If we are not going to bash our own military, then I see no reason why we should bash theirs -- where is the moral high ground to do so, without bashing ours as well? Disagree with Israel's policy all you like, as far as I'm concerned, and please disagree with this Administration for being so entirely disengaged from the area that this could get so out of control.
But our response is as American citizens and progressive Democrats, and I think we should remember that when we are discussing this issue.