Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Israel to U.S. : Now Deal with Syria and Iran -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sea_urchin who wrote (10938)	5/17/2006 7:47:49 PM
From: Crimson Ghost	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 22250

US-Israeli Plan in Palestine Isn't Policy, It's Barbarism By Mike Whitney Al-Jazeerah, May 17, 2006 Politics is a murky business which rarely presents clear moral choices. That’s what makes the humanitarian crisis in Palestine so exceptional; there is no gray-area whatsoever. The situation is appallingly clear and there’s a yawning chasm between what is right and what is wrong. The withholding of food, medical supplies and resources is manifestly immoral, and those who support that policy, even by their silence, are participating in a grave injustice. Dov Weinglass, advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, stated, “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” Weinglass’ comments reflect the cynicism and virulent racism which underscores the current crisis. Would he be equally unmoved if Jews were suffering from economic strangulation or are his feelings limited to (what Noam Chomsky calls) the “unpeople”? America has used this heinous strategy before; most recently in Iraq where13 years of sanctions led to the deaths of an estimated 500,000 Iraqis. Now they’ve shifted that horrific policy to Palestine where millions of innocent women and children are being intentionally targeted to destabilize the government. How does this square with Bush’s recurrent proclamations on human rights and freedom? Collective punishment is banned under the Geneva Conventions, but that hasn’t deterred Israel or the United States from their current plan. Those laws only apply to Muslim countries that are involved in the peaceful development of nuclear technology (Iran) or who operate independently of Washington and Tel Aviv (Iran, Syria). The situation on the ground in the territories is growing more desperate by the day. The US and Israel have foiled attempts by the EU and the Arab League to transfer funds through the normal channels leaving the people in the West Bank and Gaza completely cut off from the outside world. The Bush administration has used threats and intimidation to prevent Arab banks from releasing urgently needed funds to the Palestinians. Just days ago, the Bush administration backed off on its original position to block the distribution of financial resources. Its probably just another trick to pacify the international community while the de-facto blockade persists. John Bolton claims that the US wants to find an appropriate “international aid mechanism” to transfer the financial help. In other words, the US and Israel are preventing the money from reaching the duly-elected government, Hamas. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said, “Local, regional, and international banks have refused to transfer Arab League money because they feared US sanctions for helping the Hamas-led government.” At the same time, Israel is refusing to hand over an estimated $300 million in Palestinian taxes that are earmarked for employees of the PA. More than 165,000 Palestinians, 25% of the work force have received no income for three months. The UN commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, said on Friday that the “Palestinians are on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe” She added, “Palestinian civilians particularly the most vulnerable such as children, women, and the elderly, should not pay the price for the neglect of human rights and humanitarian obligations.” Where is the United Nations while Palestinian women and children are being deliberately deprived of the basic necessities of life? Is the UN just a cat’s-paw for American hostility (as in the case of Iran) or is it a viable institution for stopping belligerence and supporting budding democracies? Where are the European Union and all the lofty-sounding organizations which pretend to defend social justice and human rights? We know where they are; they are kowtowing to Washington and Tel Aviv; keeping their heads down so their feeble pleas for humanity don’t offend the global-overlords. Regimes that use vital aid as a political-weapon have no moral legitimacy and are unfit to rule. They are also responsible for any retaliation that results from their incitement. The blood is on their hands. Hamas is the democratically elected government of Palestine. They won the balloting with larger margins than George Bush and they didn’t have to tinker with the voting equipment to do so. Furthermore, Hamas poses no threat to Israel or the Israeli people. How can we be sure of this? Because if Hamas broke their year-and-a-half truce by attacking Israel, every elected Hamas official immediately exposes himself to targeted assassination. Isn’t that so? Hamas’ participation in the political process is a guarantee that their military-wing will continue to demonstrate restraint. But what about Israel? Is Israel showing similar restraint? Has Israel honored their commitment to peace or have they consistently used the lulls in the conflict to foment greater violence? Isn’t this how Israel conceals its territorial ambitions; by creating diversions that draw attention away from the relentless seizure of Palestinian land. Israel thrives on violence just like Bush; it creates the necessary environment for carrying out their unpopular policies. This explains why Israel has intensified its policy of extrajudicial killing. Last weekend alone, 7 more Palestinians were killed in gangland-style murders. Its all part of a scorched earth strategy to crush Hamas by provoking them to retaliate. Once Hamas responds, Israel will crush them with an iron fist. There’s a sense that Bush and Olmert are enjoying their sadistic game of punishing the Palestinians for their choice at the ballot box. By stalling the relief effort, they’ve put the entire society into a choke-hold and are increasing the risk of widespread political turmoil. Is this the plan? Anne Coote of the UK Guardian says, “It isn’t just the absence of essential medical supplies that threatens lives. Nor is it just the poverty induced by failure to pay public sector wages. It is the cumulative effects of lost family income, disruption of public services, food and water shortages, restrictions on travel and trade, homes and farmland flattened by the encroaching wall, and routine fears and humiliations: all these are having a profound and long-term impact on the health of Palestinians. They require a profound and long-term political solution”. 39 years of occupation have finally deteriorated into an all-out assault of the basic means of Palestinian survival. Won’t the United States or Israel ever tire of punishing the innocent? There’s no chance of a negotiated settlement with those who are willing to use food and medicine as weapons of political coercion. It is as pointless as bargaining with thugs. The US and Israel are determined to achieve their narrow objectives even if it means sacrificing the lives of countless women and children. This isn’t policy; its barbarism.