Sunday, July 23, 2006

Poor, Defenseless...Israel???

The right wing has made much of the fact that the entire world with few exceptions is opposed to the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon. True, without the United States' veto, the resolution calling for a ceasefire would have passed, and true, the United States is one of two nations to veto every resolution calling for an end to the occupation of Palestine and the building of a wall along the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Yes, Israel does not have many countries on its side when it comes to these matters.

But really, is it fair to characterized Israel as being constantly under threat of annihilation from the Arab states? Israel has nuclear weapons at Dimona and it doesn't want anyone to know. Ask Mordechai Vanunu, who spent 18 years in an Israeli prison for revealing that secret. Now, it's not so much a secret anymore as Simply Something One Mustn't Talk About, probably because it would prompt a dialogue over why Iran is being scolded for its enrichment of uranium, while Israel isn't.

In addition to having a nice nuclear arsenal, Israel also recieves four billion dollars per year in aid from the United States, as well as missiles and the odd bunch of F-16s. The Israeli Defense Force is one of the best, most ruthless armies in the world, and its intelligence agency (Mossad) is unparalleled.

So let's go through that again: Unconditional US veto on any issue regarding Israeli military operations, even when such actions violate international law (Yes, bulldozing homes is collective punishment, and that is a war crime); $4 billion/year in aid; Made-in-the-USA missiles and F-16s (to be fair, other countries are the recipients of such largesse as well. Pakistan comes to mind.). Defenseless? No.

The Israeli Invasion

Ten days ago, Israel began bombing targets in Lebanon following the capture of two soldiers. It was reported by several newspapers at that time that the Israeli forces were on the Lebanese side of the border. However, since then most of the mainstream media have claimed that the capture occured in a "cross-border raid", often refusing to specify just who was doing the "raiding" and on what side of the border it took place, or that the attack occured on the Israeli side of the border.

Even if Hezbullah did attack and capture the soldiers on the Israeli side, the disproportionate response is not appropriate. Mossad has deeply infiltrated Hezbullah. Would it not have been more beneficial to the well-being of the prisoners for paramilitary elements of Mossad to free the soldiers, instead of endangering their lives by indiscriminately bombinb Lebanon?

Think also of the groundswell of support for Hezbullah, Hamas, and other organizations that will be a result of this military campaign. Lebanese Shiites in the affected areas who have had their homes, families, and economy destroyed will become radicalized, just as previously moderate Iraqis have been radicalized by the American occupation of their country. Often it is hard for Americans to imagine how anyone could support a terrorist organization, living in a country that is thankfully free of such problems. But what are the Israelis to the Lebanese (and Palestinians) but terrorists, people who use military force against a civilian population to coerce its government? And what would you do, if your country was occupied by a military power (foreign or domestic) that understood no difference between civilian and military targets?