World War 111?

Well, the Israelis are doing everything they can to start WW 111. Not content to destroy any chance whatsoever for a viable Palestinian state they have now attacked Lebanon. They have also threatened Syria. And they are claiming that Iran is involved in the hostilities as well. They probably are. If the U.S. provides military equipment beyond all responsibility to Israel, that is okay. But if Iran provides weapons to Hezbollah and Hamas that is bad. Very bad. We, of course, think of Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations. Most everyone else recognizes them as legitimate freedom fighters trying to protect their countries from Israel (and the U.S.).

Israel's total overreaction to the capture (what they are calling kidnappings, as if soldiers are somehow kidnapped instead of captured) is to use it as an excuse to destroy Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinians. They are busily overextending themselves trying to get us to join in the fray. Bush is just stupid enough to fall for this and Cheney is no doubt drooling over the possibility of another war and more unnecessary bloodshed (it's good for the military-industrial complex which is where he and his cronies are making their obscene profits).

Israel, as always, is claiming they have a right to protect themselves and their citizens, which, of course, they do. But this is such a gross oversimplification it is almost brilliant in its falsity. Consider that if Israel was not actively engaged in stealing Palestinian land and water, and not illegally occupying Palestinian land, and not illegally building a huge wall to shut Palestinians out of their own land, and not humiliating and killing Palestinians (including women and children) virtually everyday, they wouldn't need to be constantly bombing and invading Gaza. There will never be any security for Israel until they give up their colonial enterprise and racist ways and agree to a viable (and complete) Palestinian state. As they show no inclination to agree to this they will never have complete security. This is their choice. They have made it quite clear what their intentions are (and they are depending upon the blind loyalty and stupidity of the U.S. government to help them out). Nothing would please them more than for us to attack Iran (and Syria and who knows all else if they could arrange it).

There will never be any hope whatsoever for peace in the Middle East until Israel changes its ways. In the meanwhile the rest of the world stands around wringing their hands and whining about the Israelis lack of constraint. Don't expect any constraint from Israel. They have violated U.N. rules and international laws for so long, and so blatantly, we have come to accept it and apparently resign ourselves to it. The U.S. is the key to solving this problem but we have for years refused to curb the Israeli outlaws and, indeed, have encouraged them. You reap what you sow.