Rockets from Lebanon

Like manna from heaven, rockets fired into northern Israel from Lebanon could serve as a message from on high that there is no military solution to Israel's conflict with the Palestinians and its other neighbors. What will Israel do now, repeat its failed 2006 invasion of Lebanon? Or just bomb and kill another 1000 Lebanese civilians as it did last time? (not that they are not perfectly capable of such wantonly stupid brutality.)

The only way to stop rockets from Hamas or Hezbollah is to make peace. But Israel does not want peace, because it would mean giving up most or all of the West Bank. How do I know that? Often the best way to judge someone's motivations is by their behavior. Israel has encouraged and tolerated the settler movement with subsidies and huge security costs (mostly paid for by U.S. taxpayers), and continues to expand the number of housing units in the settlements (which are, by the way, illegal under international law.) It has built a so-called "security fence" that brings large amounts of good farmland onto the Israeli "side."

All this should be obvious, and it underscores the dishonesty and hypocrisy of Israeli leaders who claim they just want to live in peace with the Palestinians. Until the majority of Israelis realize that, instead of blindly and stupidly following such leadership, the rockets will continue to fly.

Photo: A Hezbollah rocket heading towards Israel, August 2006/AP

Red Cross accuses Israel of neglecting Gaza wounded. According to today's New York Times: The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday it had discovered “shocking” scenes — including small children next to their mothers’ corpses — when its representatives gained access for the first time to parts of Gaza battered by Israeli shelling. It accused Israel of failing to meet obligations to care for the wounded in areas of combat. Read the rest.

The Gaza blame game (aka how to be stupid.) I have been strident in taking sides against Israel and with the Palestinians during the current bloodshed and massacres, but would like to point readers of this blog to the voice of reason of Los Angeles Times columnist Rosa Brooks, one of the wisest commentators amongst us. Read her column for some sensible advice to all sides of the conflict. (But don't forget who is most to blame.)

Israelis kill United Nations aid workers. During the three-hour truce designed to allow aid in, the BBC reports.

Israel apparently retracts its claims that mortars were being fired from the UN school it bombed, killing 40 people (with thanks to the Lenin's Tomb blog:)



To live and die in Gaza. More testimony on Israel's wanton disregard for human life, in The Nation.

An unnecessary war. Jimmy Carter, writing in the Washington Post, describes the events leading up to the war--in which he was involved--and how it could have easily been avoided.

What Israel hath wrought. The Washington Post (Jan 9) reports on the devastation and death Israeli attacks caused in a residential housing area, which was kept off limits to aid workers for four days. Dozens of people were killed, entire families were wiped out.