Slaughterhouse

Burglar stealing meat from
woman’s freezer thwarted
when his van is stuck in mud.

It is by no stretch of the imagination a “war,” although it may be to the bitter end. Those “brave” Israelis are boasting that it is to “be a war to the bitter end,” but what kind of “war” is it when one side has a million and a half Palestinians cornered in a small area, starved and without medicines and whatever, and virtually helpless in the face of overwhelming Israeli military superiority? It’s not a “war,” it’s a slaughter, a massacre, a bloodbath, an extermination, a pogrom, a mass murder so cowardly and unnecessary as to be condemned by the entire world (except, of course, by the U.S., complicit in this criminal act and apparently proud of it). The Israelis are boasting of it, how they allowed a few truckloads of supplies into Gaza to lull the Palestinians into thinking they were safe, and how they attacked on the Jewish Sabbath to also throw them off guard, and so on. They have already killed about 350 Palestinians, many women and children included, and are threatening to increase their bombardments. And all of this apparently in advance of an actual ground invasion. In some cases Palestinians are called and warned to flee, but, of course, they have nowhere to go, even the Egyptians are apparently shooting at them. These are not brave Israeli soldiers, they are cowardly ghouls who are determined to finish Hamas once and for all. Their rationale is the usual bullshit about “Israel has a right to defend itself.” By this massive slaughter of innocents they are protecting themselves from some rather primitive, home-made rockets that over the course of weeks finally managed to kill one Israeli. It’s the same massive overkill they employed against Lebanon not long ago, which failed miserably to bring about the results they wished. Now they say their massive bombardment will show Hamas they will not be intimidated. The bully is not intimidated by the weaker people he picks on. But they will not succeed in quieting Hamas, only in multiplying and intensifying the hatred they already feel toward Israel. And it is not just Hamas that is the target, it is all the Palestinian people, those poor souls displaced from their own lands by the arbitrary acts of a colonial power, who still refuse to give up seeking their rights and justice. It appears the Israelis have decided that a slow genocide of Palestinians is preferable to giving up any of the lands they have illegally and immorally expropriated. With U.S. aid they seem to be getting away with this crime against humanity. By these barbaric acts it may well be true that they are sowing the seeds of their own eventual destruction.

What a travesty! Bush just looks on and sanctions the Israeli bloodbath, while Obama has no choice except to repeat “there is only one President at a time.” While this may be literally true, is it in fact true? That is, Obama must have been consulted about this (I think), and while he is acknowledging that he isn’t President yet, did he in fact endorse this policy, indicate that he would support it, that he would continue our policy of uncritical acceptance of anything the Israelis want to do? Once he is President will he just continue the Bush/Cheney policy of non-interference (in fact, active support) in Israeli outrages? He is on record as saying he regards the Israeli/Palestinian question to be of the greatest importance and will try to help negotiate a two state solution. But will he? Will he even be able to do so in the face of the current hostilities? While we are forced to wait how many more innocent lives will be lost and ruined by this shameless, murderous aggression?

LKBIQ:
History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.
Edward Gibbon

TILT:
The earliest known cave paintings in Europe have been dated at 32,000 years ago.