At this stage in the Israeli wars on Gaza, and now Lebanon, it is fair to say that statements from the Israeli government have no credibility at all. Furthermore, US behavior with respect to the Gaza and Lebanon wars is shameful and deserves to be condemned by all those who care about human rights.
Unpublished letter to the editor Guardian offered for publication (26 Nov):
So, "Israeli official: agreement with Lebanon will maintain Israel's freedom of operation there" as well as "Israel launches large-scale airstrikes on Beirut hours before cabinet due to discuss ceasefire” (26 Nov). Why do these caveats/exceptions not surprise me? Israel, with the stated absolute backing of the US, have offered a ‘ceasefire’ defined in the manner claimed by Humpty Dumpty: “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
You left off what is perhaps the most important line of that quote: "The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all." Surely, the question of being master is the issue here, is it not?
This pretty much says it all: “If the ceasefire collapses, there will be no more exemption for the state of Lebanon. We will enforce the agreement with maximum impact and zero tolerance,” he said. “If until now we have differentiated between Lebanon and Hezbollah, that will no longer be the case.” --
Israel wanted a "ceasefire" so it could be "broken" and they could make an excuse to attack Lebanon as a whole.
Absolutely no surprise that the zionist entity is acting unilaterally when it is backed full stop by the imperial states of america. As many others saw coming, as soon as the "ceasefire" went into effect we all knew israel would violate it. As this article shows, it's not a ceasefire when only one party is expected to cease hostilities and the other can wantonly bomb and murder civilians under the guise of "defense." Defense for the zionists is doublethink for outright terrorism and genocide; it is baked right into the nature of zionism itself. Truly one would have to be blind to think this would end up any other way given the very obvious side deal that Biden and Israel cut. Zionism is antithetical to the very notion of peace and freedom; you can't be a white supremacist settler colonial state without atrocious levels of violence and oppression. Zionism will devour itself; unfortunately along the path to its destruction there will be mountains of corpses.
The U. S negotiated ceasefire means that Israel, whom the U.S. supports, can continue to massacre the Lebanese people and destroy their country, but the Hezbollah who are trying to defend the country of Lebanon from the attacks are not allowed to break the ceasefire. Have I understood that correctly, a one-sided ceasefire? Wow! What kind of ceasefire is that, what kind of law is that? Is everyone so scared of the U.S., that Netanyahoo is allowed to do anything he wants, including I might add, the massacre of the Palestinian people in Gaza, which has been happening for over a year now, and with the exception of the So. African gov't. and the Yemenese, the rest of THE WORLD sits back and does diddly squat. As for Biden, he has been somewhat absent from gov't affairs for most of the last 4 years, with the exception of signing off on an old war, and enthusiastically escalating yet another war in the Middle East and another in Eastern Europe, and very enthusiasically funding both, that appears to be his legacy. He was elected in spite of his disability, but having been a war hawk for much of his life, his availability for the most part during his tenure was confined to opening borders, escalating wars with endless arms and funding. He is currently approving long range missiles being sent into Russia I assume to start WW3 prior to leaving office. WHO is making these decisions? Is that a concern for anyone in government? Will anyone intervene to stop this debacle before its too late?
Help make the Holy Land holy again. The best thing Pope Francis could ever do is to make his stand in Gaza, or Bethlehem. He has an opportunity that is unequalled, to say "no" to genocide. If Gaza is no longer an option, thanks to the total blockade by Israel. He could even go to the West Bank, Beirut, or even Teheran, and say, “Not in our name, not on our watch.”
At this stage in the Israeli wars on Gaza, and now Lebanon, it is fair to say that statements from the Israeli government have no credibility at all. Furthermore, US behavior with respect to the Gaza and Lebanon wars is shameful and deserves to be condemned by all those who care about human rights.
I was wondering has there ever been a time when Israel acted
decently torwards Arab and Muslim neigbhors?
Let us know when you find that moment.
Unpublished letter to the editor Guardian offered for publication (26 Nov):
So, "Israeli official: agreement with Lebanon will maintain Israel's freedom of operation there" as well as "Israel launches large-scale airstrikes on Beirut hours before cabinet due to discuss ceasefire” (26 Nov). Why do these caveats/exceptions not surprise me? Israel, with the stated absolute backing of the US, have offered a ‘ceasefire’ defined in the manner claimed by Humpty Dumpty: “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
Best of luck, Lebanon.
Eddie Dougall
You left off what is perhaps the most important line of that quote: "The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all." Surely, the question of being master is the issue here, is it not?
Yes, quite right.
This pretty much says it all: “If the ceasefire collapses, there will be no more exemption for the state of Lebanon. We will enforce the agreement with maximum impact and zero tolerance,” he said. “If until now we have differentiated between Lebanon and Hezbollah, that will no longer be the case.” --
Israel wanted a "ceasefire" so it could be "broken" and they could make an excuse to attack Lebanon as a whole.
Absolutely no surprise that the zionist entity is acting unilaterally when it is backed full stop by the imperial states of america. As many others saw coming, as soon as the "ceasefire" went into effect we all knew israel would violate it. As this article shows, it's not a ceasefire when only one party is expected to cease hostilities and the other can wantonly bomb and murder civilians under the guise of "defense." Defense for the zionists is doublethink for outright terrorism and genocide; it is baked right into the nature of zionism itself. Truly one would have to be blind to think this would end up any other way given the very obvious side deal that Biden and Israel cut. Zionism is antithetical to the very notion of peace and freedom; you can't be a white supremacist settler colonial state without atrocious levels of violence and oppression. Zionism will devour itself; unfortunately along the path to its destruction there will be mountains of corpses.
What a joke!
The U. S negotiated ceasefire means that Israel, whom the U.S. supports, can continue to massacre the Lebanese people and destroy their country, but the Hezbollah who are trying to defend the country of Lebanon from the attacks are not allowed to break the ceasefire. Have I understood that correctly, a one-sided ceasefire? Wow! What kind of ceasefire is that, what kind of law is that? Is everyone so scared of the U.S., that Netanyahoo is allowed to do anything he wants, including I might add, the massacre of the Palestinian people in Gaza, which has been happening for over a year now, and with the exception of the So. African gov't. and the Yemenese, the rest of THE WORLD sits back and does diddly squat. As for Biden, he has been somewhat absent from gov't affairs for most of the last 4 years, with the exception of signing off on an old war, and enthusiastically escalating yet another war in the Middle East and another in Eastern Europe, and very enthusiasically funding both, that appears to be his legacy. He was elected in spite of his disability, but having been a war hawk for much of his life, his availability for the most part during his tenure was confined to opening borders, escalating wars with endless arms and funding. He is currently approving long range missiles being sent into Russia I assume to start WW3 prior to leaving office. WHO is making these decisions? Is that a concern for anyone in government? Will anyone intervene to stop this debacle before its too late?
Help make the Holy Land holy again. The best thing Pope Francis could ever do is to make his stand in Gaza, or Bethlehem. He has an opportunity that is unequalled, to say "no" to genocide. If Gaza is no longer an option, thanks to the total blockade by Israel. He could even go to the West Bank, Beirut, or even Teheran, and say, “Not in our name, not on our watch.”
Please sign the petition and share widely.
https://chng.it/gkvBfY44rq
The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a case with the ICC against 1,000 Israeli soldiers for war crimes in Gaza.
https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org/perpetrators/hind-rajab-foundation-files-historic-icc-complaint-against-1000-israeli-soldiers-for-war-crimes-in-gaza
I think they can use our help. Please read the article and join me in making a contribution. https://buy.stripe.com/cN228hbY5g7jaM84gg