It is almost unbelievable that after the US sped delivery of
guided bombs to Lebanon, Israel forces shelled civilians in Qana, the same city
in Lebanon where they committed another massacre 10 years earlier (18 April
1996 shelling of a UN compound killing 106 civilians).
As in that incident, Western mainstream media, guided by
pro-Israeli forces, failed to report the reality of what was happening on the
ground before then. Only Reuters carried the statement nine days before (on
April 9, 1996) of Israeli Maj.-Gen. Amiram Levine: "The residents in south
Lebanon who are under the responsibility of Hezbollah will be hit harder, and
the Hezbollah will be hit harder, and we will find the way to act correctly and
quickly." So indeed residents were hit "harder". Yet, left-wing
politician and architect of Israel's nuclear program Shimon Peres stated then
with a straight face that the 1996 attack was simply a mistaken targeting.
The U.N. appointed military advisor Major-General Franklin
van Kappen of the Netherlands to investigate the 1996 incident and he concluded
that facts on the ground were at odds with the Israeli explanations given. Amnesty
International's investigation concluded, without mincing words: "the IDF
intentionally attacked the UN compound, although the motives for doing so
remain unclear. The IDF have failed to substantiate their claim that the attack
was a mistake. Even if they were to do so they would still bear responsibility
for killing so many civilians by taking the risk to launch an attack so close
to the UN compound."
Yet, Israel was never punished for that crime in Qana and
the hundreds of other massacres going back six decades. Israeli historians now
acknowledge for example that some 33 massacres of civilians occurred between
November 1947 and May 1949 that helped precipitate the exodus of the
Palestinian refugees. More crimes ensued since then and today over two-thirds
of the native Palestinians were made refugees and displaced people, and Israeli
Zionists increased their control of Palestine from 7 percent of the land in
1947 to over 90 percent today.
Now we are faced with another massacre in the same city of
Qana and with a parroting of the same "explanations" used in 1996:
"a regrettable mistake". So far, 54 are confirmed killed, including
37 children.
Unfortunately these never-ending "mistakes" are
perpetuated using US weapons (violating the terms of the US Arms Export Control
Act and Foreign Assistance Act). In the past two weeks alone over 500 civilians
were killed in Gaza and Lebanon.
Our Congress and media, succumbing to the pro-Israel lobby,
chose to close their eyes to the damage done to the US. The damages go beyond
public image around the world (a majority of Europeans now think of the US and
Israel as the most dangerous countries on earth). The damage also includes the
foolish attack on Iraq (2,560 US killed, over 25,000 injured, $300 billion of
our taxes spent so far). Each day we remain there over 100 Iraqis are also
killed. A vast majority of Iraqis and even 70 percent of US servicemen and
women want us to bring the troops home. Lest we forget, it was Paul Wolfowitz,
Richard Perle, Elliot Abrams, David Wurmser and other neocons who argued (well
before 9/11/2001) that an attack on Iraq would serve Israel.
It was these same neocons who support Israeli extremist
political parties who violated constitutional protections with domestic wire
taps, attacks on civil rights of Arab and Muslim Americans, infringement on
academic freedoms, and allowing torture and imprisonment without trial.
When
defending the constitution, we pledge to defend it against enemies both foreign
and domestic. Isn't it time to challenge the domestic enemies of our
constitution? Isn�t t time to realize the danger posed not just to the US but
to the whole world (as Europeans and Latin Americans are now realizing)? Isn't
it time to challenge the myth (found among the left and the right) that Israel
serves US interests? Isn�t it time to stop delivering billions of our tax money
to Israel (largest recipient of US foreign aid)?