Israel's wanton disregard for the safety of civilians in their dispute with Hezbollah is one thing. Their thumbed noses at international organizations, like the Red Cross, the UN outpost they bombed etc. is now history. But now, on the eve of a U.S. and France-brokered truce what does Israel do? They escalate their attacks as if to say "We're running out of time before the truce happens lets kick the shit out of Hezbollah before the international community says we shouldn't be (since we agreed ourselves)".
Since the altercation escalated - and I am hardly alone to think Israel's reaction was more than out of scale with the kidnappings that launched their offensive into southern Lebanon in the first place - Israel has consistently acted out what I expect are its desires - to crush and terminate the Lebanese state.
The argument could be made that it is about ridding the world of terrorists but no one attempted to deal with the sour reality that was Lebanon's democratically elected government - dominated by Hezbollah members. And here Israel took a page from the U.S.'s foreign policy of late - "If it moves, toward you, kill it" - and especially because such a policy itself defines what a move towards one's state is, or can be - no matter how obliquely seen, construed, or, in the case of Iraq and more recently Iran, politically motivated rather than truly about a state's safety and sovereignty.
Hezbollah is not to be excused in this mess, to be clear. However Israel's actions are is simply out of line - they don't even hold support at home as polling in their own country shows. The staggering scope of their actions speaks volumes of what they believe to their own self-imposed superiority. Monday morning at 8 am EST will tell the world where their minds truly lie.
And one it not an anti-Semite to speak out over Israel's actions. Here, in the U.S., I've learned it's fine to blaspheme every other religion except "the Christians" (read "neo-con Christian) and the Jewish faith. Islamic? Sure! Call 'em fascist! Haitian? Sure! Call 'em weird and creepy voodoo ritualists! But whenever anyone says anything critical about Israel they are anti-Semites. What a crock. If I said something about Canada being bad does that instantly make me "anti-French"? Or about France - does that make me "anti-Catholic"? Israel uses the charge of "anti-semitism" as it's own shield, as Teflon to any criticisms levied towards them for their (often) precarious actions, land grabbing in the West Bank etc.
It has become such a "natural" state of affairs that the international community operates in a knee-jerk mentality now when it comes to dealing with Israel and the mid-east - First, see how Israel wants it, Second, Identify the threats to that, Third, construct them as threats to a Judaic state, Four, identify any other responses as rantings of "Islamic" or "Muslim" radicals - in need of obliteration.
And so its gone this round. Recently, Prime Minister "I want a vote from the Jews because I won't win the next election without them" Steven Harper, of Canada, jumped on board defending Israel - after a long and careful history of neutrality that has meant Canada could speak objectively about the mid-east it was dashed in a moment of self-absorbed politicking. It was NOT about Jewish persons or Israel - it was about getting elected. And Bush is just as bad. So Israel perhaps ought look beyond its own doorstep to see how nations are using their plight as the window dressing of support when in actuality it's about self-serving politics. But then again maybe it's monkey see, monkey do...
3 comments:
Perhaps it's not what you say that brands you an anti-Semite but how you say it. I take issue with much of your post, from the perspective of a Jewish woman, of course. But it's the only one I have.
The problem is not so much anti-Israeli sentiment as it is with the expression of it, as seen here.
But my issue is that the Israeli/Arab conflict is far more complex than most people realize, and few have the authority to speak about it with the learnedness that it requires. It's far more difficult, even, than "No Blood for Oil," though that too is a gross oversimplification.
The Jews have been through enough, I think. And that fact may make us, as a people, a little hair-trigger, if you catch my drift.
One more point: it's become such a hip, left-wing thing to be anti-Israel these days. I'm a liberal. I've never been actively pro-Israel, but I will probably never be anti-Israel. I think it's a damned shame that the Jews had to plunk themselves down, with their gift of this spoil of war, right there in the middle of their enemies. They probably could've had Arizona.
Shalom,
Janer's Friend, Doggy
Thanks for your comments - we chatted off-line but I think you are bang on - there is much too much complexity to distill into 5 paragraghs - AND non-Jewish persons better damn well be ready to hear what they don't like, from ANY side of the argument if we are to learn anything from one another.Oh, do you suppose the Arizonans would want to move to Miami though??? :)
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