Tuesday
Dec302008
Gaza Update: US Says, "Go, Israel, Go" (A Bit Longer)
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 18:02
Just watched CNN's live coverage of the press briefing --- which is not yet posted on the Web --- by White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe from the Bush complex in Crawford, Texas.
The key phrase, repeated by Johndroe in his statement and in responses to questions, is that the US supports a "sustainable and durable cease-fire". Johndroe's further explanation? "We don't just want a cease-fire for the sake of a cease-fire." Until Israel and the US get assurances from Hamas that there will be no rocket attacks, "We are not going to have a cease-fire that's worth the paper it's written on."
In other words, the US is not only accepting but endorsing continued Israeli military action. This is in sharp contrast to calls from the UN Secretary-General, the European Union, and even some British officials for an "immediate cease-fire".
There is a recent and important parallel here. Johndroe's wording is almost exactly that used by the Bush Administration during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in summer 2006. As most in the international community called for an unconditional end of hostilities, Washington and London continued to accept Israeli operations under the guise that they wanted a "meaningful cease-fire".
The key reason for the eventually cease-fire was Hezbollah's resistance and the difficulties faced by Israeli ground forces rather than any action by the US or Britain. My money is on a similar outcome --- with Hamas' resistance being more significant politically rather than militarily --- this time.
The key phrase, repeated by Johndroe in his statement and in responses to questions, is that the US supports a "sustainable and durable cease-fire". Johndroe's further explanation? "We don't just want a cease-fire for the sake of a cease-fire." Until Israel and the US get assurances from Hamas that there will be no rocket attacks, "We are not going to have a cease-fire that's worth the paper it's written on."
In other words, the US is not only accepting but endorsing continued Israeli military action. This is in sharp contrast to calls from the UN Secretary-General, the European Union, and even some British officials for an "immediate cease-fire".
There is a recent and important parallel here. Johndroe's wording is almost exactly that used by the Bush Administration during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in summer 2006. As most in the international community called for an unconditional end of hostilities, Washington and London continued to accept Israeli operations under the guise that they wanted a "meaningful cease-fire".
The key reason for the eventually cease-fire was Hezbollah's resistance and the difficulties faced by Israeli ground forces rather than any action by the US or Britain. My money is on a similar outcome --- with Hamas' resistance being more significant politically rather than militarily --- this time.
tagged Ban Ki-Moon, European Union, Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon in Middle East & Iran
Ban Ki-Moon, European Union, Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon in Middle East & Iran
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The text below is being signed by large numbers of academics at the University of Tehran:
On February the 29th 2008 the deputy defense minister of the Israeli regime threatened the Palestinian people with a holocaust. Ironically, this genocidal rhetoric, which should have shaken the world, produced absolutely no reaction from the western political establishment and now the international community is witnessing the results of this indifference towards Zionist inspired genocide against the oppressed people of Palestine.
The racist regime of Israel has for decades carried out a reign of terror against Palestinians through murder, confiscation, secret prisons, the imprisonment of women and children, and plunder. However, in the last few decades rarely have we seen such a horrific manifestation of brutality and barbarism as we are witnessing today in Gazza.
Perhaps, one of the most painful aspects of this holocaust is the fact that it was preceded by the siege of Gazza. For months, and with the consent of western as well as a number of neighboring Arab regimes, the Israeli apartheid regime starved children and prevented Palestinians from accessing medicine for the sick and dying. For months, women and children were deprived from access to water and electricity and as a result many rays of youth and hope were forever lost to the grave.
As academic, we utterly reject racism and apartheid.
We declare that Zionism has no place in the civilized world and that all the dispossessed and traumatized people of Palestine have an undeniable right to their entire homeland.
We strongly condemn the endless terrorizing of women and children by the Zionist regime.
The children of Gazza are dying and the horrors of the Srebrenica Massacre and the Rwandan Genocide are back to haunt all of humanity. As academics, we call upon our colleagues throughout the civilized world to stand and be counted. Today silence is unforgivable.