The U.S. Arms Export Control Act stipulates that foreign countries receiving weapons from the United States must use them solely for defensive purposes or to maintain internal security. During the last major Israeli incursion into Lebanon, in 1981, the Reagan administration cut off U.S. military aid and arms deliveries for 10 weeks while it investigated whether Israel was using weapons for "defensive purposes."
Last week, both houses of Congress, mindful of the importance of retaining Jewish votes and campaign contributions, passed resolutions stating that Israel was acting in self-defense. The vote in the Senate was unanimous; the House vote was 410 to 8. Walking in lockstep with Bush, neither resolution calls for a ceasefire. The Senate resolution praises Israel for its "restraint" and the House resolution "welcomes Israel's continued efforts to prevent civilian casualties."
U.S.-provided Israeli bombs have killed nearly 400 Lebanese, of whom the overwhelming majority were innocent civilians. The bombing has displaced half a million people and caused an estimated $1 billion in damage.
After Israel ordered people in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes, several vehicles filled with evacuating Lebanese civilians were bombed by the Israeli military.
2006-07-26
Our Willful Blindness in Lebanon
Bush could stop Israel in its tracks with a snap of his fingers. But why would he? Israel is doing his bidding.
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5 comments:
I agree with the US Congress and Senate on charactorizing Isreal's actions as self-defense. They acted only in response to years-ongoing daily attacks into Isreal from Lebanon.
Isreal's interests and goals run counter to their hitting vehicles carrying civillians fleeing in compliance with Isreali warnings to do so. It is also illogical: if the Isrealis wanted to kill civillians, they certainly don't need to first fool them into packing into moving caravans. If half a million people have fled their homes, this certainly translates into thousands of fleeing vehicles. Even a 99% accuracy would explain accidental firing on civillian vehicles, especially with Hezbollah using same.
Nadir, do you lefties really believe that Isreal wants to conquer and occupy and rule Lebanon? What conceivable incentive do they have for invasion other than to prevent a continuation of daily attacks that has not abated after years waiting?
With a billion dollars in damage, maybe Iran and Syria can pay to rebuild Lebanon rather than to arm Hezbollah.
Those of us who support Isreal here are not blind, willful or otherwise. We have the same facts as you, Nadir, we just reach a different conclusion.
Right. I denounce the murder of innocent civilians and you applaud it.
Right. Unless those innocent civilians are Israeli. Then you say nothing.
We don't applaud the death of civillians, and we don't consider it "murder" as part of a defensive war conducted by an army erected by a democratic people. We also recognize an enormous difference between civillian deaths caused by Isrealis and those caused by Hezbollah. The Isreallis do not target civillians, and want only to exist within their present boundries in peace with its neighbors, with freedom and democracy for all residents of its nations. Hezbollah (and Hamas, etc.) target civillians, and want all residents of their current nation and that of Isreal to live under a dictatorship with no freedoms for anyone.
If Isreal had its way, all residents of Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank would live in peace, freedom, prosperity, and pass easily and peacefully back and forth accross Isreal's borders. If Hamas and Hezbollah had its way, Isreal would cease to exist, and all its residents (and all residents of Arabia) would either be dead, expelled, or obeying rigid islamic laws of personal conduct, with no democracy.
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