Politics: Telling It Like It Is

In case you hadn't already heard, our President has just warned Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's current and rabidly rightist leader, NOT to carry out a preemptive strike on Iran without the agreement thereto of the United States (my paraphrase — his exact words, according to Ha'aretz, were: "Don't surprise me with (an) Iran strike.")

Naturally, the rightwingnuttia of America is foaming at the mouth with their unconsidered, rageful, and rabid reaction. Loud cries of "fuck him," and "bomb 'em anyway," with no thought of the consequences. Although I suppose putting "thought" and "rightwingnuttia" in the same post ought to be the best example of oxymoronia.

Which leads me to believe that rightwingnuttia could not care less if the state of Israel and all its people, and all Jews whereever they may live, were to be wiped off the face of the earth tomorrow. They are just an excuse for the more rabid among them, to be used as a catspaw, with no value inherent in themselves except the ability to be used as a whipping post, as an excuse for military posturing, as a tool to permit this or that action against others, for example, the Muslims, or those who live in countries with vast oil resources. Because should Israel carry out ANY military action without the full support and military commitment of the United States, death and destruction for our Israeli brothers and sisters is sure to follow.

Sickened by the howling of these wretched beasts, I dug around and found within myself the wherewithal to post this comment on HuffPo, where I found the link to the Ha'aretz story:

This is a warning, not a request. One does not warn another without invoking consequences. What are the consequences if you warn someone not to do something and they do it anyway? You take away any privileges you might have previously afforded them, or any future benefits that you might award them. What does America have that Israel wants? Money. American money supports the troubled Israeli economy. Arms - American arms and armaments enable Israel to protect itself against hostile neighbours.

Israel engaged in two wars recently and lost them both. Israel's security is a matter of grave concern. Yet that concern must not outweigh pressing humanitarian concerns. President Obama has shown that he supports Israel by refusing to attend the recent conference at which Israel was vilified (in my opinion, not without grounds) for crimes against humanity. However, President Obama is not going to allow Israel to determine American foreign policy. This is a good thing. The tail should not wag the dog.

It is not unreasonable for President Obama to take such a stand. Many Americans do not wish to continue to support, financially, in a difficult economic time, an Israeli policy of expansion that continues to take land, water, and resources from Palestinian residents and give them to Israeli settlers. We all respect Israel's right to exist - with the exception of the most rabid anti-Israelis. But most of us also want peace in the Middle-East according to the agreements made half a century ago, signed and ratified by all parties thereto. Shalom, Salaam, let us live in peace. For peace benefits all, whereas war benefits only a few, and that few the worst among us.

Thanks to extreme pain (still?!) and the resulting heavy doses of medication, I'm not sure this makes much sense to me, much less anyone else.

Still, I think our President has done something most American leaders of past decades have been unable to do: he has told Israel, nay, warned Israel, that American support is not to be unconditionally assumed, and that American public opinion is tired of Israel's (1) refusal to engage in a good-faith process towards implementing the solution that Israel itself agreed to lo, these many years ago; (2) shameless meddling in American policy, domestic and foreign; (3) unwarranted assumption of unconditional access to the American taxpayer's assets; (4) acting as if laws agreed to by the entire international community do not apply to Israel alone, although everyone else should be bound by them. Well, this was long overdue. As a lifetime supporter of Israel, I am glad of this.

Israel must find a peaceful solution, because the martial solution puts the entire Israeli citizenry, and the Jewish people everywhere, at risk. Not all Jews are Israelis. Not all Jews want to live in Israel. Many have made their home elsewhere for generations, and have no wish to give it all up to return to Eretz Israel. Not all Jews support the policies of the Israeli government. Yet all Jews will pay the price for Israel's shortsighted policies, for some of those who oppose Israel will not hesitate to kill a Jew. Or many Jews.

Not even all Israelis support the Israeli government's policies, and many among them are courageous enough to call them what they really are, which is, mad, short-sighted, self-destructive. For the sake of the Children of Israel, the leaders must make peace with their brothers and neighbours, the Arabs. For are they not all the children of Abraham, and brothers belike?

I am very proud of my President today, for his courage and lucidity in speaking the truth to leaders who have so little care for their own people, who seek only to frighten them into perpetuating a cycle of hate and fear laid down a long time ago.

Enough!

Stumble It!