Link:
Israel's operation widens, but its objectives are getting murkier
Three weeks ago, Israel's goal in Gaza was “Quiet for quiet.”
Last week: The war will continue until the tunnels are destroyed, a task which should largely be completed within “two or three days.”
Monday: Yuval Steinitz, the intelligence minister, told reporters that the bombing would continue until the international community agrees to “disarm” Hamas and other groups:
“If we want a real comprehensive solution, that will bring not just an end to the current round of violence, but real relief for people on both sides of the fence … you have to demilitarize Gaza, as it was supposed to be.”
The three-week-old Israeli offensive in Gaza, which has killed nearly 1,100 Palestinians and wounded more than 6,500, is a war in search of an objective.
While the excuses for continuing the slaughter of civilians changes from week to week one thing that has held strong is US support. Other than my basic morality and concern for all loss of life, I find plenty of reasons to oppose Israel's actions.
I see the hypocrisy of sanctioning Russia over arming rebels who kill civilians while at the same time resupplying Israeli ammunition stores. I also worry about the number of family members who will no doubt (and who am I to blame them?) blame the US for their loved ones deaths and want revenge. Netenyahu for his part, is more than willing to name drop the US as its rationalization for murder:
We have struck hard at thousands of terrorist targets: command centres, rocket arsenals, production facilities, launch areas and hundreds of terrorists have been killed. These achievements and the neutralization of the tunnels are only the first stage in the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. The US, the EU and other important elements in the international community have accepted our position and I must say that this was not an easy thing to achieve but we did it together, with hard work ....
The IDF is a moral army without peer. It is vigorously fighting an enemy whose brutality is without peer. It tries, as much as possible, to avoid harming civilians.
Classic mission creep, which we allow. When we made a half-assed attempt to 'make peace' Israel laughed us out of the room and now they cite our backing as justification to further their mission all while slinging insults as well.
Link
Reckless Kerry risks causing escalation
But over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ruined everything. Very senior officials in Jerusalem described the proposal that Kerry put on the table as a “strategic terrorist attack.” His decision to go hand in hand with Qatar and Turkey, and formulate a framework amazingly similar to the Hamas framework, was catastrophic. It put wind in the sails of Hamas’ political leader Khaled Meshal, allowed the Hamas extremists to overcome the Hamas moderates, and gave renewed life to the weakened regional alliance of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Obama administration proved once again that it is the best friend of its enemies, and the biggest enemy of its friends. The man of peace from Massachusetts intercepted with his own hands the reasonable cease-fire that was within reach, and pushed both the Palestinians and Israelis toward an escalation that most of them did not want.
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If Israel is forced to ultimately undertake an expanded ground operation in which dozens of young Israelis and hundreds of Palestinian civilians could lose their lives, it would be appropriate to name the offensive after the person who caused it: John Kerry
Hell, as Marcy Wheeler notes, even
Ronald Reagan intervened when Israel overstepped the bounds of humanity.
Questions raised regarding the use of U.S.-supplied military equipment by Israel in Lebanon in June and July 1982, led the Reagan Administration to determine on July 15, 1982, that Israel “may” have violated its July 23, 1952, Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement with the United States (TIAS 2675). Concerns centered on whether or not Israel had used U.S.-supplied anti-personnel cluster bombs against civilian targets during its military operations in Lebanon and the siege of Beirut.
On July 19, 1982, the Reagan Administration announced that it would prohibit new exports of cluster bombs to Israel. This prohibition was lifted by the Reagan Administration in November 1988
As my signature line reads, 'If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything', and today I for one stand with humanity, and say
NOT IN MY NAME. Not one more vote or dime for ANY politician/Party who does not only speaks up, but acts out.