-
Ok, this is going to be tough for some of you to read. Not everyone will agree - clearly - or like who I have sourced - but you MUST open your eyes FULLY.
In the ongoing ping pong game that is the Human Rights community condemning Israel and Israel defending its actions - they don't make it easy. And there-in lies the rub. Because it is not easy to see where the "truth" lies, it is SO EASY to believe something that is less than the truth. This holds for most things in political life in America. But on this issue the ramifications are nothing less than the discrediting of the religious soul of some and the continuation of a cycle of horrific violence for others.
To further explain, the more "less than truths" are spread about Israel, the more the "pro-Israel" community needs to defend it. The "less than truths" are wrong, but it prevents those who support Israel from moving on to the better questions about the decisions of the Israeli government and people - which CAN be questioned. But they should only be questioned with the truth and not the "less than truths." The issue is not for example about the use of Phosphorous, or the tactics of the incursion, but whether the incursion gets us closer to a two state solution. The incursion can clearly be understood and justified - but it should not be vilified. No one is a demon here. Short sighted maybe, but not the devil some would claim.
In the recent accusations about the use of Phosphorous in the Gaza War, we have a perfect example of this ongoing game. And even in my previous sentence I have played into the game for a brief moment. The issue - if you look closely at the Human Rights reports and the Israeli Government reports - is about the INDISCRIMINATE use of Phosphorous. For you see, if you just read the articles as they come out in a vacuum, you would think that no one but Hannibal Lechter and Israel uses Phosphorous in shells to create smokescreens for troops. You, however, would be wrong. The use of Phosphorous is common and legal and used by most Western countries in combat. Everyone knows this but those who are biased against Israel don't care. They like that they have succeed in adding this phrase to dinner conversations all over the world. "And what about Israel and this Phosphorous .... see what I mean about them." Unfortunately that is a meaningless phrase. It's like the Elian Gonzalez photo which had a machine gun seemingly pointed at him. It wasn't. But no one calmed down to say "well of course a soldier would have a gun." The real question was - did he really need a gun going in to that home. The answer may have been "maybe if they thought the family might be armed" but no one asked.
This situation is very similar. Throughout the debate over Gaza and everything else in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel is held to a different standard than EVERY OTHER COUNTRY in the world. No one knows this because when the reports come out they never qualify their comments. For example, the latest report might have stated - "Phosphorous in shells creates the smokescreens that most Western armies use to give themselves cover from snipers. Our issue here is that it was used so close to a civilian population - and yes, yes we know that Hamas soldiers were stationed among the population, kept civilians around them specifically so we could make our report like this, and did station themselves in schools and the UN centers - but all that doesn't matter."
But it does matter. It is the other side of the coin. It is the reason why Israel, who feels they must do something to respond with strength and testosterone, is always between a rock and a hard place.
But this "less than truth" only serve to keep Israel and her supporters aware that there are those out there looking to discredit their actions, no matter what they do, or how careful they are. It doesn't matter how many text messages Israel sends, or leaflets they drop, or phone calls they make to this or that Gaza residence to evacuate (yes they did that). These reports, these "red herrings" will be used to stir up hatred and decrease support for Israel in the US.
What matters is that Israel sees no other way to vent their frustrations over Gilad Shalit or their inability to secure southern Israel from the Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Do people really wonder why Netanyahu has no desire to curl up to the dove and proclaim a Palestinian state in the West Bank just now? I am not saying he shouldn't, I am just asking people to understand why he is reluctant to say it. He is looking for something on the other side to, in his mind, warrant that proclamation. According to some, the fact that the Palestinians deserve it is enough. For Israelis who are frustrated, and angry, and are told to proclaim a state for people whose leaders want to destroy Israel (something Netanyahu is not saying about Palestinians) "deserving it" just isn't enough.
I say this also because it is the anniversary of the Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel. I know this is paraded out too often, but it doesn't make it any less true. Egypt possibly deserved to have the Sinai back. But Sadat didn't leave it at that. He knew that you can't wish death upon someone and then expect them to just warm up to you. I agree that Israeli leaders need to be pushed harder to making smarter decisions that will lead to trust instead of fear. Rabin got that, but he was exceptional. Most leaders are not, and that is who we have right now. Unexceptional leaders - on both sides. In this case it is up to us to try to moderate each side so that each side can at least tolerate the other.
But until that happens look closely at the accusations you see. Read everything you can. If I am right that Hamas did station militants in all the places Israel used Smoke (phosphorous) shells, something all western armies use in similar situations, would you think differently of the Human Rights reports? If Israel really did make announcements, drop leaflets, make phone calls, and send text messages for civilians to leave the areas, would you think differently about their actions?
And finally, to address this singular account that seems to be everywhere - the account where a building was cleared and a misunderstanding caused a family to turn right when they should have turned left. They were shot under a shoot to kill order, again a practice common to western armies, a practice used commonly in war when you cannot be sure whether a civilian is a hostile. This is a reason for the conflict to stop - not to blame any one side. These are the kinds of misunderstandings that should cause BOTH sides to convince their respective leaders to cease and desist. One side cannot do that alone.
Look more closely at the story. Civilians were being cleared BY THE ISRAELI MILITARY. Did everyone just miss that fact. Ask why civilians were still there after all the attempts to clear the area? Why were they even there in the first place? Unfortunately, they were there because it is common for civilians to live among military targets. It is a win win. If the Israeli's don't strike, militants have protected their arms. If the Israeli's do strike, and civilians are harmed, the militants win the PR war.
Again, you can also ask why Israel was in Gaza but I will repeat - it may not have been the BEST decision to attack in Gaza, but it was a legitimate and understandable one. This is my point. Everyone is acting understandably here. I will just be damned if I am going to sit by while Israel is repeatedly the only party blamed for acting in a way people do not think is "understandable."
Please Read:
Israeli Government Statement on use of Phosphorous/Smoke Shells
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/IDF_response_Human_Rights_Watch_Report_25-Mar-2009.htm
Boston Globe Article on Human Rights Report
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2009/03/26/rights_group_critical_of_israeli_shelling/
Boston Globe Article on Netanyahu, Peace, and a Palestinian State
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2009/03/26/netanyahu_vows_to_seek_peace_with_palestinians/
No comments:
Post a Comment