It is now over two weeks since Israel’s aggressive intrusion into Lebanon on the pretext of neutralizing Hizbollah militia accused of kidnapping two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border attack. Compared to the common practice of kidnapping and arresting Palestinian freedom fighters and subsequently throwing them into Israeli prison’s in Beer Sheba, which include some 300 children, has Israel forgotten the storming of the Jericho jail in the West Bank in March of 2006, when they kidnapped inmates fearing the later would be released by the newly elected Hamas government? How illogical and contradictory for the Israeli regime to now employ the same line of reasoning for their blatant madness and armed incursion into Lebanon.
A report released by the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Ministry for the Affairs of Prisoners and former prisoners, announced that nearly 321 imprisoned children were still incarcerated in Israeli jails without being charged with any crime nor being afforded a speedy trial. Is this not kidnapping? Has the American administration called for the release of those prisoners as it did in the recent cases involving captured Israelis soldiers?
The report states that 4% of inmates were still being administratively held – 3% of which comprise young girls. A further 64% are awaiting trial, 56% are incarcerated within Israeli territory, of which 27% are from Nablus.
In addition, the reports alleges that living conditions within Israeli prisons are appalling and that prison authorities habitually deny the Palestinian inmates basic human rights.It would appear that for some soldiers taken as prisoners by their adversaries, Israel is afforded what no other nation is afforded, that is to say carte blanche to kill scores of civilian including women and children in neighboring nations. The destruction of strategic infrastructure in Lebanon including Beirut’s airport runaways is sowing the seeds of discontent for Jews throughout the Arab and in the rest of the Muslim world. This discontentment and anger is a direct consequence of Israeli tyranny endorsed by the hypocritical American administration.The US as usual is adamant in its support for the recent Israeli tyranny. They too demand the release and return of the captured Israeli soldiers. How absurd ! What about the demands of some reasonable Americans citizens and world community to release captured civilians imprisoned in Guantanamo?
The two-week barbaric Israeli attacks have so far resulted in the murder of more than 380 Lebanese, mostly civilians, have wounded about 2,000, have displaced nearly a million people and has caused billions of dollars in damages, according to official reports
Several alleged Hizbollah strongholds in Southern Lebanon and Beirut were bombarded with heavy artillery and aerial missiles hitting and destroying civilian buildings. A UN observer post on the border in southern Lebanon was not spared, killing four UN peace observers. U.N. chief Kofi Annan believes Israel deliberately and intentionally targeted the UN.
Israel air strikes preceded a ground offensive into the border towns. Many including the Secretary General of the UN. Koffi Annan consideres the so called retaliation by Israeli to be disproportionate use of force on innocent civilian and infrastructure. Unfortunately, the UN can do no better than to call for a cessation of fighting between the two sworn enemies.
Meanwhile, in the first week of the tyranny, Israel’s big brother, the US kept silent indicating its approval of the attack. Until the tenth day, the US pleaded selective amnesia and played a deaf ear to the world’s condemnation of Israel’s armed drive and the former demands for an immediate end to the bombings. Instead, the US tried to deflect responsibility, squarely placing blame on Iran and Syria for their role in assisting the Hizbollah resistance.
In fact, news reports have indicated that the US is sending Israel GBU-28 bombs as part of a multi-million bilateral exchange post haste. These bombs are designed to penetrate underground bunkers. Although the contracts were signed over two years ago, Israel has urged for immediate delivery of these bombs that can be guided via satellite and laser systems. Obviously this was intended to be immediately used in Lebanon to flush Hizbollah militia out of their hideouts. If this report is true, it is indicative of US encouragement and therefore, the US that should be held accountable for the escalation of violence in Lebanon instead of pointing fingers to Syria and Iran. It is the US administration beating the war drums while Israelis dance to the tune. In saying so, one is not excusing Israel, nor is one saying that Israel is merely a pawn in the US powerplay because in truth, Israel provided the sheet music.
Commenting on US silence and inaction, secretary of state, Condoleeza Rice justified America’s controversial stand claiming that an immediate “cease-fire” would truncate efforts to remove the threat Hizbollah poses towards Israel, leaving the door open for further tyranny. Analysts view the American hypocrisy as a means to buy more time for Israel and guarantee a successful end to their “offensive”. Has the US administrators forgotten the fact that it was air raids 20 years ago that gave birth to Hizbollah as an expression of popular resistance in Lebanon?
Meanwhile, Israelis Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert has indicated that the two-week-old military offensive would not cease until Hizbollah is elimeinated. He claims Israel has the stamina for “a long struggle” and is determined to defeat Hizbollah.
Perhaps Prime Minister Olmert wants to leave behind a legacy of his own, one which is similar to or even better than those of his predecessors beginning with David Ben Gurion. Perhaps he wants to be known as the defender of the Zionist cause after being in the shadows of Ariel Sharon for a long time. Each of the 15 other past Israeli Prime Ministers have personally been directly involved. The blood on their hands qualifies each of them to be tried for war crimes, genocide, atrocities and human rights abuses in Palestine and elsewhere in the middle-east, including the more recent , in Lebanon.
Western analysts believe that unless the US, being the self declared singular power in the world capable of stopping the latest Israeli military incursion into Lebanon, does something, public opinion in the Arab and the Muslim world at large will go against their long term interests in not only in the Middle East but the world as well.
Something significant is happening in Lebanon that has long term implications not just for Israel and the US, but also for moderate pro US regimes throughout the Middle East. When people and public opinion lose their faith in such regimes, those regimes have very little left to sustain themselves.
The future of the Middle East may no longer hinge on how the battle is played out on the streets of Beirut or how the “offensive” concludes in Baghdad or Kabul. Public sentiment and world opinion will ultimately determine the future of the superpower and the aggressor. The latest excursion by the US secretary of state to the Middle east to hold talks with the Israeli, Lebanese and Palestinian prime ministers is more a shadow play intended to portray positive US diplomatic efforts to bring peace in the chaotic region. But how is it possible to ignore Syria, Egypt and Jordan?.
Last Wednesday, a group of 18 nations and the UN met in Rome. The call for a cessation of tyranny and indiscriminate killings was overwhelming. The Texan US President acknowledge that he had heard the call, yet he continues to refuse to LISTEN. And the beat goes on.
Has the world gone insane? It would almost appear as though the spiraling madness and acts of tyranny and oppression are treated as little more than a exciting Hollywood war epic. – all at the expense of the lives of innocent women and children of both Lebanon and Israel. If the US continues to deny the rights of the innocent, this will only confirm their hypocrisy many have suspected.