The Deepening Crisis
Reprinted from Edge Left
This current crisis flows not only from relatively old quarrels between Israel and the Palestinians, but from recent Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. When Hamas won the election in Palestine, one could deplore their refusal to recognize Israel, but one should not have been surprised by it, given the long policy of Israel of "targeted assassinations" which too often had high civilian casualties. (If one counts the number of Israelis killed by terrorists attacks and stacks those deaths up against the terrorist attacks by Israel on the Palestinians, the death rate is very much higher for the Palestinians - something the US media seems never to get clear).
One can feel a deep concern for the fear the Israelis have - I have that concern - but also one must be aware of the problem, which is that since Israel has a very powerful military machine (built up in part by US aid), it has tended, almost always, to think of all political problems in military terms. This was true of Lebanon where Sharon invaded and carried the invasion all the way to Beirut, trying once and for all to destroy the PLO. It was Hezballah which, over a long period of time, eroded the Israel will to occupy Lebanon or even the "security zone" which for some quite mad reason Israel thought it had a right to create from Lebanon's territory. It was Hamas which, over a period of time, wore down the Israelis in Gaza and led Sharon to carry out the evacuation.
But again and again Israel has compounded the problems. There was a small edge toward some kind of negotiations between Israel and Hamas (this is before any rockets were fired at Israel) when Israel began more military attacks in Gaza. Then came the rocket attacks, then came the apalling Israeli attack on Gaza, the destruction of its power stations, its water supplies, etc. This is inhuman. It is also illegal under international law. This is collective punishment. Which is immoral, illegal, and stupid.
The last country in the world which should be surprised at the various "terrorist" attacks on Israel should be Israel itself.
Others may think Israel is acting in concert with the US - I don't think so. That Bush is incompetent to deal with this is obvious, and that he tends to take the Israeli side is also true. But the US is trapped at the moment in Iraq, it doesn't have military options against Syria and Iran. A wider war is not in the interests of the US. Already oil prices are going up.
My own guess is that Israel is acting without thinking. That the current government (which in theory is not a "right wing" government) feels a need to prove its toughness, and has let itself provoke a situation where it has now foolishly escalated the war to the point where everyone will be the losers, including a lot of Israeli young men and women in addition to the civilians in Lebanon and Gaza. If anything, this is a replay (though history never repeats itself precisely) of Sharon's folly in marching into Lebanon. Israel is doing it again.
Folks getting this should be thinking of demonstrations calling for the immediate end of Israel's actions, those in other countries should press their own governments to insist that the UN continue the pressure to stop Israel (thus far it is the US which has vetoed the UN actions). All of us can be in contact with our members of Congress.
There is an increasing urgency to this situation. Alas, when I listen to the Israeli spokemen I feel, once more, that lying is almost a requirement for service in the Israeli foreign office. Syria and Iran did not cause this crisis - Israel did. The basis of that crisis is not the capture of an Israeli soldier - it is the continued Israeli Occupation of Palestinian territory.
Peace,
David McReynolds
former co-chair, Socialist Party USA
former chair, War Resisters International
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