U.S. Thwarts U.N. Demand for Gaza Cease Fire
Aren't you proud of your country when you find out that we're only one of two that refused to sign a treaty calling for a halt in production of cluster bombs, and when you hear that the U.S., just tonight, now stands in the way of a United Nations call for an immediate end to the Israeli ground, and air, assault of Gaza.
As the Associated Press reports, U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff is cynical about the prospects of Hamas sticking to any agreement to stop the killing. In light of this, Wolff issued a statement saying that any cease fire "would not be adhered to and would have no underpinning for success, would not do credit to the council." Maybe so, but it would do a huge credit to the world community as indicated by the overwhelming support for an end to the violence from the 15 member nations present at the meeting.
But, we the solipstistic war merchants, the cannibals of international law, the vandals of history, progenitors of the Bush doctrine of preemption, a country in which 80% of its people believe in some kind of God, we think that it a waste of time to condemn a mindset that justifies mass murder in the name of self-defense?
No one is sanctioning the rocket attacks by Hamas on southern Israel which continue even as I write, but to send ground forces into an area occupied by 1.5 million people, and to claim the lives of hundreds of civilians, as well as create the kind of upheaval last seen in Beirut in the name of protecting one's sovereignty, what kind of twisted logic is this?
When we speak of so-called collateral damage, we must first ask---whose collateral, and what's damaged?
While some might argue that it's unsafe to send journalists into a war zone where their very survival is threatened, why have we heard so little, in the U.S., of the humanitarian crisis that has been taking place in Gaza for months now, and has been allowed to escalate to the point of explosion? Where is our concern for stifling of information, and a preemptive war on dissent?
Clearly, the Bush doctrine involves only selective preemption, and information is the biggest casualty of this administration's foreign policy.
There are no good guys here. The politics of divide and conquer which has led to America-backed civil war in Latin America, Iraq, Pakistan, and now in Gaza, must end. America must get out of the business of state-sanctioned murder.
Neither Israel nor Hamas is innocent when even one civilian dies. Palestine has a right to exist as does Israel. Palestinians, who live within Israel, have as much a right to live freely, with dignity, and equal opportunity, and not as second class citizens.
All world leaders, the United Nations, men and women of conscience must come forward, call for an immediate cease fire, and for Israel to withdraw its troops from Gaza at once.
About Jayne
My full name is Jayne Lyn Stahl.
Widely published poet, and essayist---Huffington Post blogger, with screenplay, "Shakespeare & Company," that tells the story of Sylvia Beach's struggle to publish James Joyce's "Ulysses," currently in development.
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Connections
Causes Jayne Stahl Supports
Free Speech, human rights, and abolition of the death penalty.
Jayne’s Favorite Books
"Crime and Punishment," Fyodor Dostoyevsky "Ulysses," James Joyce "Dead Souls," Gogol "The Trial," Franz Kafka "Thus Spake Zarathustra," Friedrich Nietzsche "...
Dear Jayne, It is good to
Dear Jayne, It is good to see that contrary to what the media would have us believe, there are many Americans who although rightly not condoning the activities of extremist groups such as Hamas can also see through the veil of deceit and disinformation spouted out by its government and media about Israel and its right to continue to Occupy Palestine and bombard its populace whenever it deems it expedient to do so.....
And of course it would be highly cynical of me to suggest that Israel has only now decided to obliterate Hamas, not because Bush is soon to depart and that the Israeli elections are looming but because only now the Hamas rockets have really hurt its population
Your comment
Many thanks for your comment, Qasir. You're so right---this is all about politics. In the end, it's not ideology that will be the death of the planet, but politics.
Indeed, human rights crosses all barriers including those of race, religion, or creed. All human beings feel pain. No child should ever experience what the children in Gaza, and Beirut before it, experienced.
If one could be convinced that bombing the daylights out of a country would end genocide, or bring peace, then reason itself has now joined the endangered species list.
If we look closer, we'll see that, as a species, we humans have far more in common than we think. Those who choose to use our differences for their own political gain are the common enemy----not those who follow out their orders. The bloodshed must stop, and we, as a world community, must build an infrastructure for peace.
Dear Jayne, Even though our
Dear Jayne,
Even though our views on certain topics are clearly diametrically opposed, I have a high regard for your intellect, and I'm certain that your heart is in the right place. For this reason, I'd like to ask you (as I asked John Haskell- another intelligent, rational-minded person with whom I also disagree on many points relating to this "mess" in Gaza) to take just a few moments of your time to carefully read my blog of Jan. 2 titled "The 'Final' Word on Israel/Gaza?!". After you've read that, then please read my Jan.1st blog "Anyone care to hear the MINORITY view?". Then my Jan. 3rd "Thinking Man's blog: nothing new on the Gaza front?!", and finally- my blog of today.
Should you be so inclined, then I respectfully suggest you also read all of my comments on Ugo Mattei's "Plunder Blogs!" of the past week.
I would welcome a rational, intelligent discourse with you- just as I do with John Haskell- but seeing as how I've been pouring my heart out this past week in (what I know beforehand will almost certainly be) a vain attempt to bring some much needed balance to this "hot-button" topic, it would only be counterproductive of me to have to rehash everything I've already said in those previous blogs.
Saul
P.S. take particular notice of that brief bio I provided in the Jan. 2 blog ("The Final Word.."), for you will see, perhaps to your surprise, that I am anything BUT one of those hard-line, flag waving, "my country right or wrong!", right-wing Nutjobs. Nor am I, or have I ever been, an "apologist" for either Israel or America! But the incessant vitriolic horrifically distorted hate-filled rhetoric that's been slung so shamelessly, and so slanderously, almost solely at Israel by the legions (or rather, "cadre's") of bleating radical ULTRA Left-wing Nutjobs this past week has gone far beyond all boundries of human decency.
As you say "All human beings feel pain. No child should ever experience what the children in Gaza, and Beirut before it, experienced." I agree wholeheartedly with that statement- but feel it only fair to add that no Israeli child should have to experience being blown to smithereens in a school bus by a fanatically insane homicide-bomber; or be blown to pieces while enjoying a slice of pizza at a Sbarro's by a cowardly car-bomb designed specifically to murder civilians; or have to run, screaming in fear, to a bomb shelter almost on a daily basis because yet another Kassam rocket is hurdling towards their neighborhood; or having to see the bloodsoaked limbs of their friends, their brothers, sisters, mothers or fathers strewn all over the street because they were butchered in one of those ball-bearing-and-nail-packed "martyr"-bombs. This too, should be acknowledged- even though, sadly, Jewish blood has always, all throughout the course of history, been woefully cheap...
Israel/Gaza
Sadly, Saul, not only Jewish blood but the blood of any group deemed "other" and inferior has always been cheap. Our American Indian population was nearly wiped out by what can only be called genocide. Gypsies. Africans. The list is long, long, long. The ancient Israelites felt that way about certain neighbors, I believe, as they do now about certain groups of Arabs. And vice versa. There have been many blood-soaked limbs in history, many slaughters, and a lot of butchery. There's no statute of limitations when it comes to human depravity. But then, too often it comes down to "all througout the course of history" which group you belong to as to whether the bloodletting is done by "heroes" or "terrorists." The bloody limbs are all the same human flesh, whether ripped off by Israeli bombs ---falling in far greater number, incidentally, than Hamas rockets -- or Arab bombs. Butchery is butchery, no matter the perpetrator. Fortunately, we have groups of peace-minded members of both the Jewish and non-Jewish community coming together over this issue that has been, through sheer political cowardice, left to fester for so many decades. My fear is that this latest assault will further damage Israel's security, as well as our own.
Dear Kathryn, While there
Dear Kathryn,
While there is, of couse, some truth to what you are saying- there is little practical value to be gained regarding the present Israeli/Hamas conflict by bringing up those examples from the past (or, for that matter, the genocide in Rwanda, Sudan, etc., that you could also have mentioned). The ongoing situation in Israel is difficult enough to fathom without trying to lump it in or compare it to other conflicts- so I will try to put it in simple, basic terms. The Israelis want peace, and the Palestinians want, well, Israel (a.k.a. "The Criminal Zionist Entity"). The Gazans are hell-bent on driving every single Jewish man, woman and child into the sea. This is their STATED goal. This is in their CHARTER. And they have catagorically refused to remove this genocidal road-map from their charter despite the constant pleas from the international community (including, I might add, most Arab countries!).
If you take the trouble to read at least some of my previous blogs on this subject (which I listed above in my comment to Jayne), you will see that the only recourse left to Israel at the present time is to finally disarm the murderous fanatical Hamas terrorists before they smuggle in enough longer-range rockets to hit civilian neighborhoods all throughout Israel. Seeing as how Hamas is NOT willing to negotiate, and seeing as how they only wish to slaughter Israelis (particularly Israeli civilians!), what, pray tell, would YOU have Israel do? Just sit there meekly and keep taking it?! Just keep on watching their children being forced to run in terror to bomb shelters every day (in spite of that laughable "cease-fire"- which Hamas so callously disregards)?
Or should Israel perhaps turn its security over to the U.N. (which was either powerless or simply unwilling to prevent the genocide in Rwanda, in Bosnia, in the Sudan, etc., etc.)?! What would YOUR solution be for Israel- the "Final Solution"? Should they all pack their bags and leave? Once again, Hamas refuses to "negotiate" with them!! Their stated goal is to kill them all- unless they pack up and leave.
Is this how you would act if your family was threatened? Would you still subscribe to the theoretically-laudable Utopian ideal that "there is never a valid reason to use deadly force"? Would you simply "turn the other cheek", say "two wrongs don't make a right", and cower in the corner while watching your family being slaughtered? Somehow, I seriously doubt it. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that if the lives of your children, your loved ones, were threatened by those who cooly announced their intention to murder the lot of you- and were NOT willing to "peacefully negotiate" about it- I think you would make a grab for the nearest blunt instrument and try to cave their skulls in. At least, that's what I hope you'd do if you were my mother...
Saul
Cat got your tongues...?!?
Kathryn? Jayne? Cat got your tongues..?!?
Cat Got Tongue?
You want a reply? No way. I can see where you are coming from, and as as I told my friend Marilyn Kallet, this is a no-talk-zone obviously. No rational thinking allowed.
I have no intention of getting into any more comments with you. I've said what I thought. There are lots of articles out there about this issue. They can say it better than I. I have better uses of my time than engage in this kind of exhange.
Finis! K.
Eloquent
Many thanks, Kathryn, for your enlightened, and eloquent statement. Indeed, "there's no statute of limitations when it comes to human depravity," and any attempt to justify the terrorizing of 1.5 million people is just that---depravity.
I fear, as you do, that this latest assault combined with the bombing of Beirut will further damage the reputation of all those who engage in it---Israel's, and our own.
I must admit, Jayne, that
I must admit, Jayne, that although I never expected you to suddenly agree with any of the arguments I've tried, both honestly and sincerely, to provide regarding this issue- I did expect some thoughtful rebuttal on your part, instead of merely insinuating (in no uncertain terms!) that I was "depraved" for my "attempt to justify the terrorizing of 1.5 million people". I'd hoped that you would have at least done me the courtesy of reading a few of my blogs or articles that I'd posted (including that eloquent article by an Arab). But alas...
I can only assume that you do find it totally acceptable that Hamas is fully justified in their unrelenting campaign to terrorize 7 million Israeli citizens until they are all slaughtered or "driven into the sea" (that darned "CHARTER" again- it must make it so difficult for their apologists to deny Hamas' own declared objective!). I am, and will always be, totally and completely bewildered by those who profess such a warped and distorted "double standard". Apparently, anything Hamas does in the name of their hateful, bigoted and murderous ideology is justified, and anything Israel does in retaliation (e.g. in the interest of their survival) is UNjustified.
All I can say is, thank God Israeli's care more about the lives of their children, than about the harm done to their "reputation" that ensues from defending themselves against total annihilation!
As far as that goes, I'm reminded of the prophetic and starkly eloquent words of Golda Meir:
"There will only be peace in the Middle East when the Arabs finally decide to love their children, more than they hate Israel".
Your blog
Hello Lady Jayne, I went to your blogspot where I also have a couple of blogs and just wanted to say hello, apart from the Israeli/Gaza situation, and wish you well. My blogspot posts are devoted solely, pretty much, to poetry and other regional, land-based topics in in our under-assault Blue Ridge mountains, but I appreciate your speaking out about his current crisis. I'd love to see some of your work. I'll look it up!
You might get a laugh from my current post, about poets and shoes! Happy 2009. Kay Byer