I was recently reflecting upon the reasons given (back in 2002) for the necessity of a US invasion of
Iraq and an overthrow of its government. If you recall, at that time, we were told again and again about
Iraq's supposed possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and its desire to develop nuclear weapons.
We were told about Iraq's atrocities against the Kurdish people, specifically that the regime of Saddam
Hussein had used horrific chemical weapons against them. We were told about how Iraq was a great threat
to its neighbours, and we were reminded that it had once invaded and occupied Kuwait, a neighbouring state.
We were reminded about how Iraq had been in violation of many United Nations resolutions. We were also told
about how such a dangerous regime would be likely to give weapons to terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda.
Though the claim of Iraq's connection with terrorist organizations turned out to be false, the other claims
were true. Iraq had used chemical weapons against Kurds in Northern Iraq and against the Iranian military.
Iraq was known to have (at one time) been in possession of WMD's and it was reasonable to suspect that it was
trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iraq had threatened its neighbours, having not only invaded and occupied
Kuwait, but also having waged war agaisnst Iran throughout the 1980's. It was also true that Iraq had ignored
many UN resolutions.
The narrative of the day said that based upon all of these conditions, it was clear that Iraq was a great threat
to peace and stability, both regionally and globally, and that the correct response to such a threat was for the
Iraqi government to be overthrown through a military invasion.
Fast forward to the last few weeks. There have been reports of Israel firing white phosphorous shells into the
air above Gaza. There has been a lot of news footage of these shells exploding recently, you may have seen it.
The shells resemble flares, but they rain down a white substance (phosphorous) that looks like ash. In reality, white
phosphorous is quite similar to napalm, in that it is an incendiary adherent. White phosphorous is a sticky substance
that will cause pretty much anything it comes in contact with will catch on fire. If white phosphorous lands on people
(and it is certain to in a densely populated slum like Gaza) it sticks to them, causing severe and mutilating burns
that often result in death. White phosphorous can be considered to be a chemical weapon.
So let's add this all up. Everybody knows that Israel has nuclear weapons and other WMD's. Israel is currently
invading and occupying Gaza, and only two years ago it invaded and occupied Southern Lebanon. Israel threatens
to strike against other nations in the region like Syria and Iran. Israel has ignored many UN resolutions in the
past. Last week Israel ignored a UN resolution calling for a cease-fire and yesterday it showed its contempt for the
UN by shelling the UN building in Gaza. Now with the use of white phosphorous munitions, Israel has shown
its willingness to use chemical weapons against civilians.
Israel's conduct strongly resembles the conduct of Iraq in the 1980's. Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons
against his neighbours just as Israel does today. Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied neighbouring countries
just as Israel does today. Saddam Hussein ignored UN resolutions just as Israel does today. Saddam Hussein
(at one point) was armed with WMD's just as Israel is today.
So what is the difference between Israel now and Iraq then? I understand that domestically, Israeli civilians
have far more rights than the average Iraqi civilian did under Saddam Hussein's regime. Israel also has a
democratically elected government, so at least on the home front, Israel now is better than Iraq was then.
However, when it comes to the conduct of foreign policy, of military policy, Israel is doing the same things that
Saddam Hussein did in the 1980's. There is no real difference. Keep in mind that Saddam Hussein justified many
of his actions of the day by claiming that he was fighting against terrorists who sought to wipe out his people.
One further disturbing point. Just as Western governments of the day encouraged Saddam Hussein to commit his
war-crimes against Iranian soldiers and Kurdish civilians, we encourage Israel to punish Gaza today. Our governments,
by their refusal to condemn Israeli war-crimes are complicit in them. This is truly shameful, and it will not be
forgotten. I hope that the incoming Obama administration will have the courage to stand up and condemn what is
taking place. Change would be welcome. However, given the power and influence of the Israeli lobby in Washington,
I'm not holding my breath.
It's time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for
Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa.
If we were reporting the 18th-century slave trade, I said, we wouldn't give equal time to the slave
ship captain in our dispatches. If we were reporting the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp,
we wouldn't give equal time to the SS spokesman.
Israeli politics played a key role in this crisis. Labor Party leader Barak, and Kadima leader,
Tzipi Livini, are trying to prove themselves tougher than Bibi Netanyahu's hardline Likud Party.
Israel's elections are only six weeks away, and Likud was leading until the air assault on Gaza.
Putin said a "clan war" over financial sources inside Ukraine, particularly ahead of elections
at different levels, was what had brought about the transit crisis.
The "Mainstream Media" is making great efforts to distract attention from the horrific actions undertaken
by the state of Israel during the last weeks. The reality of Israel's air assault and ground invasion of Gaza
and the ensuing massacre of civilians has been obfuscated by Israeli spokespeople and sympathetic talking heads in
the press. Pro-Israel commentators have employed shameful debate tactics in order to stop others from making
a very obvious point; that it is wrong for an advanced military to drop bombs on crowded slums. In light of this
I want to share a few thoughts.
Opposing the attack on Palestinian civilians does not imply support for Hamas. Disgust with Israel for it's murder of children
does not mean that one is a terrorist sympathizer, rather, it means that one is human. To suggest that opposition to
one side means support for the other is a false choice designed to obfuscate the issue. It would make just as much
sense to suggest that because one opposes the death penalty that one supports capital crimes.
It is not anti-Semitic to criticize the Israeli government's conduct. To suggest that opposing Israel's military
actions makes one a racist is ridiculous. The ethnic/religious makeup of the state of Israel (and of Gaza for that
matter) is irrelevant to the fact that it is wrong to fire tank shells at civilians. It would make as much sense to
suggest that someone was anti-Christian because they opposed the Russian invasion of Chechnya.
From my own observation, Al Jazeera seems to be doing the best job of covering what is happening in Gaza.
I've been watching their coverage of the war in English here. Al Jazeera has reporters within Gaza, not just embedded
shills at the border reporting what IDF spokesmen tell them to. Better yet, the Al Jazeera anchors actually challenge
the ridiculous assertions of Israeli and Hamas spokespeople alike. I recommend checking out their coverage to get
a more balanced picture of what is going on in Gaza.
CNN can not be trusted to present a fair framing of the events unfolding in Gaza, particularly if Wolf Blitzer is at
the news desk. A quick look at Blitzer's resume reveals that he once worked for the Israeli lobby group AIPAC.
This disqualifies Blitzer as an impartial reporter on anything to do with Israel as his life's work prior to joining CNN
was that of an Israeli lobbyist. He is not in a position to offer unbiased reporting.
Here is a clip of Blitzer promoting Zionism in 1989.
The people suffering in Gaza are no different than you or I, except for accident of birthplace. Imagine your
own children being subjected to the terror unleashed upon the citizens of Gaza. See the faces of your friends and family
among those burying their loved ones today. Imagine how you would feel if your city were bombed from the air and then
attacked on the ground while you huddled in a crowded apartment block without access to food, water, electricity or
medical care. Recognize the humanity of those being subjected to such inhuman treatment. Know that those who survive
the attack will not be likely to forgive Israel for what has been done to their families. Know that Israel's actions
have not and will not enhance their national security, rather, they have guaranteed that the next generation of
Palestinians will grow up with scores to settle.
May the good people of Israel have the courage to stand up and tell their government to stop.
Click above to see the proportionality of Israel's response to the rockets fired out of Gaza.
Note that Israel's shelling of Palestinian civilians only ensures another generation of warfare as
the massacres of the last few days has legitimately earned them the hatred of billions.
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An image to help explain the root cause of all of the violence in Israel.