I read an interesting article by Jean Shaoul at wsws entitled “US and Egypt announce ceasefire in Israeli assault on Gaza”.
Shaoul asks within the article why the Israel/Gazan ceasefire co-sponsored by the United States (along with Egypt and Turkey) happened.
Say what?
But she persisted.
Why did it happen, especially since Obama himself had given a rather robust “green-light” to Israel as Obama exclusively focused on Israel’s “anti-rocket” self-defense rationalization, ignoring so many short-run and long-run pre-emptive and sadistic provocations from Israel.
According to Jonathan Cook, on November 8th the Israeli government invaded Gaza and killed a 13-year old boy playing football. This triggered a series of “tit-for-tat” Palestinian and Israeli killings.
Then on November 12th Israel broke another truce, after only two days, by assassinating Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari, who had been working on securing a long-term truce with the aid of the Egyptian government. This assassination triggered retaliatory launching of rockets by Hamas which Israel was then happy to point to and call its casus belli and begin slaughtering Gazans, whether militants or civilians. It made no difference.
Hmmmmm.
Witnessing the incredible pro-Israel “self-defense” rationale propaganda pouring out of our U.S. corporate media, especially the so-called “progressive” MSNBC coverage that proves its pure Obama regime puppet-ness once again, and knowing how our U.S. government, executive and legislative branches, are solidly in the pocket of Israel, no serious leverage from US shores was being rallied to stop the massacre.
Let’s face it. Despite the anti-humanity dimensions of the slaughter in Gaza this past week, Netanyahu had a blank check to continue on the vicious ethnic cleansing as far as Obama, the US Congress, the US media and a bobble-headed majority of the US population was concerned.
For those who think this week's ceasefire is a significant victory for securing peace and empathy for those in Gaza, who think that it has anything remotely to do with respecting the sanctity of human life, think again.
It is in the realpolitik, the political -- global, in this case -- gamesmanship, where the truth lies, NOT the “for the sake of humanity” wishful projection so many human beings want to attribute to their government and other governments in our Post-Morality world. Especially Americans who want to attribute “a peace sensibility” to an Obama who has done so much to defy that attribute in his first term and now the beginning of his -- shudder -- second term with his brutal illegitimate war-making, assassinations, detentions, prosecutions of whistleblowers, dronings, etc.
So, what are the United States, Israel, Turkey, and Egypt gaining from this ceasefire between Israel and Gaza? It is certainly not for the sake of the Gazan or even the Israeli populations. The horrors of collateral damage to foreign and even domestic peoples mean so little to the sociopathic leaders of our “ends justifies the means” “might makes right” governments. It is so hard to acknowledge that, but we all should know it in our heart of hearts by this time.
What are the benefits of the ceasefire for the Obama regime?
It has “finish off Syria” at the very top of its “to do” list. It had used and is still using the CIA working with al Qaeda terrorists to traumatize the Syrian population and government with mass deaths, infrastructure damage and population displacement. Now it intends to ramp up “official” violence probably in the name of U.N.-sponsored faux-humanitarianism to finish off the Assad regime.
After the Assad regime is eliminated, the Obama regime CAN GET ON TO WAR WITH IRAN!!!!
To get to this big payoff, WAR WITH IRAN, the United States certainly does not want any lingering energy and will of the Arab Spring to stagger forward on behalf of the victims of Gaza. Especially not to let said spirit re-inspire the now pathetically impoverished Egyptian population. Nor does the Obama regime want the Turkish population to turn on its present western-puppet leadership. It vitally needs Turkey to conquer Syria. It does not want the opportunistic Turkish government leaders to be distracted or even blocked by a pesky population exercising conscience.
If the U.S. had wanted to prevent last week’s bloodbath in Gaza it could certainly have reacted more quickly with the political, military and financial leverage it has with Israel. But it watched Netanyahu act out a week of incredible bloodlust.
Maybe Obama will get another Nobel Peace Prize out of this ceasefire? It takes so very little. Children killed or maimed? No biggie to prize givers or winners. He didn't even have to give substantive lip service to the ceasefire. He let Egypt handle it.
Israel’s advantages?
Reportedly the week’s violence will give Netanyahu a big bounce from the Israel “right” in his January election. People must die so an opportunistic leader can serve another term. Post-morality world is what it is.
The damage Israel did in eight days was profound. According to Shaoul, over 140 Palestinians were killed in the bombardment, most of them civilians. 34 children were included in this death toll. Hundreds devastatingly wounded. Israel punished hard and fast.
There was profound damage to infrastructure. 1,500 targets were hit since November 14th. As the ceasefire was about to be declared, craven Israel didn’t waste time getting its last sadistic licks in. That Wednesday according to Shaoul, Israel launched 100 more bombs and missiles, “pulverizing” a number of government buildings in Gaza including the Ministry of Internal Security. Also bombs from an F-16 damaged hotels housing international journalists including offices of Al Jazeera. Going after propaganda-defying international journalists was certainly satisfying vengeance from a suffer-no-criticism Israeli government.
The Netanyahu government insisted in this "latest" ceasefire agreement that Egypt police the Egyptian border of Gaza for it.
Most importantly, Netanyahu readied his country for FURTHER WAR. Before the adrenalin subsides in his people over the Gazan conflict that Netanyahu and his administration willfully provoked, the war-drum-beating message is “ON TO IRAN”! After all, Netanyahu has been impressing on his people that the weapons Hamas uses come from Iran. Do they? Or is that Israeli-US propaganda? Hard to tell any more.
Looking at the Egyptian government, Prime Minister Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood came out well politically-speaking. In realpolitik terms, he is desperate for funding and to appease his debts to Washington, the IMF and Gulf allies of the U.S. and to keep his Muslim Brotherhood in control Shaoul explains. The freedom-hungry but also literally HUNGRY-hungry masses of Egypt are capable of rising up once again against global governmental/corporate oppression! How long would they abide the sustained murdering of their neighboring Gazans one might wonder?
Finally, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu went to Cairo to “mediate” along with Mursi and Hillary Clinton. Davutoglu wants Turkey to play a major role in the overthrow of Syria, but if his population is agitated over the plight of the Gazans will they cooperate with said Syrian overthrow? After all, that pesky Arab Spring wasn’t all that long ago. Back in February.
Just a few cynical thoughts to throw out at the end of this Thanksgiving Day 2012.
Count your personal blessings, but don’t pretend our government and its crony governments are willing to forsake ruthless wars and corporate profit-making for peace and humanity.
Maybe take just a minute to say a prayer for our GLOBAL family, too?
[cross-posted at correntewire]
---------
What hypocrisy! Especially since the US blocked a Russian Security Council resolution condemning the escalating violence between Israel and Palestine (they probably didn't tell US residents about that one, but it was reported here in New Zealand: http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/us-blocks-un-security-council-action-gaza-conflict-5230527). Two conditions of the ceasefire are unprecedented: an opening of all the border crossings between Egypt and Gaza and an agreement by Israel to halt the targeted assassination of Gazan leaders (by drones and otherwise).
morsi has a strong position with israel and hamas, and may have got a relatively good result for hamas. it is much more difficult to live than to watch, but i am sick of the usa, sick of israel, and bless myself each morning for having the brains to leave.
americans are praising hillary for establishing the ceasefire, rather like praising the fox for bringing peace to the henhouse...
damn them all.
americans are praising hillary for establishing the ceasefire, rather like praising the fox for bringing peace to the henhouse...
damn them all.
"Things are seldom what they seem; skim milk masquerades as cream." It has been suggested to me that Israel was using this small incident to blow up a political smoke screen in order to elicit western sympathy in their stance against their Arab neighbors. There are no winners here.
No comments:
Post a Comment