Warm up those keyboards: Part four?
The following is an excerpt from the most emailed article today on English Al Jazeera: [I added italicized bold to some terms in the text below] The body passed Friday's resolution 'recognising Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza' by 390 votes to five. Twenty-two members of the House voted 'present' which means that they voted neither in favour or against the resolution. The measure also noted that the humanitarian situation in Gaza 'is becoming more acute' (page 3 of pdf linked below) but did not rebuke Israel. Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic congressman for Ohio who voted against the bill said before the vote: 'I'm hopeful that we do not support the inhumanity that has been repeatedly expressed by the Israeli army.' 'We must take a new direction in the Middle East, and that new direction must be mindful of the inhumane conditions in Gaza.' Washington has been Israel's closest ally since 1948, when Harry Truman, the former president, made the US the first country to recognise Israel. US-Israel ties The US has been repeatedly criticised by Arabs for its unstinting support of Israeli actions. The US frequently blocks United Nations resolutions critical of Israel and on Thursday abstained from a Security Council vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The House has passed similar measures in recent years by massive majorities. In 2006, the House voted to condemn Hamas and Hezbollah for "unprovoked and reprehensible armed attacks against Israel" and supported Israel's incursion into Lebanon. In 2004, the body voted to support a statement by George Bush, the US president, that it was 'unrealistic' to expect Israel to return completely to its pre-1967 borders. The US senate had voted on Thursday to back its own resolution offering 'unwavering commitment' to Israel. That recognised 'its right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of terrorism' and urged a ceasefire that would keep Palestinians from firing rockets at Israel. Harry Reid, who leads the Democratic majority in the senate, said on Thursday following that vote: 'Our resolution reflects the will of the state of Israel and the will of the American people.' " Will of the American people? Just who is this guy talking to? Here's a pdf of the resolution (only six pages long) if you want to read it for yourself for letters to your reps in congress. My "favorite" quote from this piece of trash: Sick. Just sick. Is Reid correct in his assumption that this resolution reflects the will of the American people?
"The US House of Representatives has voted to endorse a resolution backing Israel in its offensive in Gaza, in which at least 780 Palestinians have been killed.
Nevermind the Israeli blockade in place for over a year now on the Gaza border. Or the fact the civilians are the ones who are dying from bombs, food shortages, lack of clean water, and access to civilized medical care. It seems Olmert has taken a page from the Bush doctrine on pre-emptive war.
4 comments:
God help us all. I have nothing that I can possibly say about this that would make any sense. I just don't get politics sometimes, when they choose to omit the human equation in the mix.
I think I said it before, but I'll say it again, we need to pick our battles wisely and giving Isreal unwaivering support every time they get into a conflict is ignorant. I am fully aware of what the Nazis did to the Jews over 60 years ago. I'm also aware that they were given a piece of land, and then they went after more during the 6 Day War. However, the Palestinians have been hanging around for a good long time and have been uprooted many times thanks to Jewish settlers. Now, their homes are being torn apart, they are losing their lives, and many are starving and dying because aid cannot get through due to Israel being a bunch of bullies.
Peace in the Middle East has been a topic of discussion for years. Peace agreements have been made time and time again. They have almost always been broken time and time again as well. Now I'm not saying that Israel is full of horrible people. However, I am saying that playing the "victim" can only go so far and at some point we need to realize just what sort of behavior this country is truly condoning.
Blind support for Israel makes no sense whatsoever. We provide aid to Israel and arms. They can be the bullies on the block because they have a big gun behind them. It is time that we urge them to sit down and play nicely.
Reed's views on this do not reflect this American's.
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