Thursday, June 03, 2010
I'd Like to Spank Joe Biden
Joe Biden, our Vice President, has joined the chorus of Israel's spin singers by asserting that Israel has a right of self-defense and therefore, by implication, should not be criticized by the way in which it foiled the attempt to break the blockade of Gaza. Isreal has enough apologists. Mr. Biden's help isn't needed. To me it is humiliating that our Vice President, who recently was given the royal snub by Mr. Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, who announced that settlement building would continue on the day that Mr. Biden arrived in Jerusalem to try to persuade Mr. Netanyahu to at least put a hold on more settlement building for a while. It seems as though Mr. Biden has no self-respect. I wonder what kind of pressure he is under to continue to sing the praises of Israel no matter what Israel seems to have done.
I don't know any facts that haven't been aired and published in the news media. I believe that Israeli commandos landed by helicopter on one of the ships sailing toward Gaza. There was a fight in which several of the activists on the ship were killed or injured. I'm guessing that the Israeli commandos then took command of the ship and steered sit to an Israeli seaport. I remember seeing a report that Israel would inspect the cargo and send part of it on to Gaza.
The presumption is that part of the cargo of the ships attempting to break the blockade consisted of weapons to be used by Hamas soldiers against Israel. That is certainly Israel's excuse for stopping the ships. I won't deny Israel that excuse. However, if I were in position to advise the people and the government of Israel, I would say something like the following:
"You people should make up your minds what your real objective is. Do you want peace now or do you want to continue trying to restore and reclaim all of the Biblical state of Israel? Whatever it is, be honest with the rest of the world. If you want to restore all of ancient Isreal, then you should never have moved out of Gaza and you should have maintained full control over the West Bank. In addition, you should make humane provision for relocating all of the Palestinian people whom you have driven from their homes or who still live in the West Bank. Give them something of value to compensate them for the homeland you have taken from them.
"On the other hand, if you really do want peace now, agree to the creation of a Palestinian State on part of ancient Israel and make peace with that state, regardless of what political faction is in charge of it. Accept Hamas as a legitimate political faction and stop pretending that it is a terrorist organization. Accept that Hamas has a slogan that implies the end of the State of Israel. Slogan or not, Hamas doesn't have the power today to put you out of existence.
"As an example of lofty and unrealizable claims, the official title of the King of Thailand asserts that he is the ruler of most of Asia, including Burma, Viet Nam, and China! Treat the Hamas slogan as a lofty but unrealizable claim and get on with the business of establishing peaceful and stable relations with whatever state the Palestinians choose for themselves."
I don't know any facts that haven't been aired and published in the news media. I believe that Israeli commandos landed by helicopter on one of the ships sailing toward Gaza. There was a fight in which several of the activists on the ship were killed or injured. I'm guessing that the Israeli commandos then took command of the ship and steered sit to an Israeli seaport. I remember seeing a report that Israel would inspect the cargo and send part of it on to Gaza.
The presumption is that part of the cargo of the ships attempting to break the blockade consisted of weapons to be used by Hamas soldiers against Israel. That is certainly Israel's excuse for stopping the ships. I won't deny Israel that excuse. However, if I were in position to advise the people and the government of Israel, I would say something like the following:
"You people should make up your minds what your real objective is. Do you want peace now or do you want to continue trying to restore and reclaim all of the Biblical state of Israel? Whatever it is, be honest with the rest of the world. If you want to restore all of ancient Isreal, then you should never have moved out of Gaza and you should have maintained full control over the West Bank. In addition, you should make humane provision for relocating all of the Palestinian people whom you have driven from their homes or who still live in the West Bank. Give them something of value to compensate them for the homeland you have taken from them.
"On the other hand, if you really do want peace now, agree to the creation of a Palestinian State on part of ancient Israel and make peace with that state, regardless of what political faction is in charge of it. Accept Hamas as a legitimate political faction and stop pretending that it is a terrorist organization. Accept that Hamas has a slogan that implies the end of the State of Israel. Slogan or not, Hamas doesn't have the power today to put you out of existence.
"As an example of lofty and unrealizable claims, the official title of the King of Thailand asserts that he is the ruler of most of Asia, including Burma, Viet Nam, and China! Treat the Hamas slogan as a lofty but unrealizable claim and get on with the business of establishing peaceful and stable relations with whatever state the Palestinians choose for themselves."
Labels: Gaza blockade; Hamas; future of Israel
