The Invasion

Posted on January 5, 2009 in Hatred War

The masterstroke of late 20th century Right — which defines itself, in part, to be proactive meaning pro-War, — was to embrace Israel and set it against Palestine so that it could slough off blame for the Holocaust. “That was Nazi Germany” the corporatist arms dealer will say as he goes about his business of arming his clients beyond all reason and rhetorically attacking those who call their actions against civilian populations war crimes. Like the Fascist, the Neo-Conservative does not make a distinction between soldiers and noncombatants, at least not one that will change his tactics of using high-explosives against civilian neighborhoods. He will always call for violent retribution unhindered by rules of war because that, he claims, is what his enemies do.

Many Israelis — and many Americans for that matter — are not aware of the degree to which they have been co-opted. I would call the majority of them not jingoists at all, but decent people who want peace with their Palestinian neighbors. The present leadership has abrogated negotiations ((The Bush Administration has put no pressure on them to do otherwise and it has blocked Security Council resolutions to end the fighting.)) and told its citizenry that they must “preempt” the Palestinian threat. This does not assuage the other side ((Supporters of the Palestinian cause have increased their rhetoric against the very existence of the nation of Israel. This invasion lessens the security of Israel. What has anyone done to pursue other means of resolving the conflict? The United States has cheered on the warring and done nothing to check the expansion into the West Bank. It has the power to ameliorate the threat against Israel by diplomatic means, but it laughs at these.)) . They, too, have addicts to never-ending war among them though they are weaker. The arms merchants are happy, some feel safer, but children die.

Right now, our aim must be to stop this invasion and resume the peace process that has lain in suspension for eight years.

The military industrial complex which feeds off these tensions has extended its tendrils into places like the U.S. Congress where it waves the flag and invents powerful enemies to keep itself in business. We are stuck with it in our lives and there’s no clear way for us to disentangle ourselves. But we must try.