The Israel government has definitely made it clear that it has no intention to initiate withdrawal from the occupied West Bank. Unfortunately it is just not enough to continue building settlements, they are now poised to start another confrontation with those they rule.
The Israeli newspaper Al Haaretz reports that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is “finalizing its preparations for Operation Summer Seeds, whose purpose is to ready the army for September and the possibility of confrontations with Palestinians following the expected vote in favor of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly.
In essence, they are arming settlers with tear gas and stun grenades to be used in response to what might be the Palestinian’s own Arab Spring. Israelis are not starting off with all out war though, they feel they want to set the stage with smaller, but still lethal weapons, as the first line of defense. Futther, if Palestinians were to stage demonstrations after the declaration of the State and then go past an Israeli imposed “red line” around any settlement, after first being gassed, “the soldiers will be allowed to open fire at the legs of the demonstrators, as is also standard practice if the northern border is crossed.” Although as we saw during the marches from Syria and Lebanon at the northern border young protesters where not shot in the legs first, many were just hit in the back.
I guess in places like Israel (who by the way is doing this in occupied lands), Bahrain and Syria, if you are poised to commit human atrocities it doesn’t count as anyone’s responsibility to protect (R2P). R2P only happens in places like Libya where the US doesn’t like the current leader or maybe it’s just that the NATO-led US forces munitions are exhausted, but that’s doubtful.
To support Israeli’s efforts in continuing the occupation and it’s right to repression and war, its BFF, the United States Congress, who loves democracy as long as no one is practicing it, has come up with a new bill to stop funding anyone in the United Nations who may even consider being “pro-Palestinian.” Sigh.
The head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FLA), Cuban born no less, has decided to forgo the fact that she has a PhD in higher education and dumb down the possibility that America do the right thing for Middle East peace. She wants all monies from the US to the UN to stop due to the possible declaration of a Palestinian state. Ros-Lehtinen is basing this not only on its “pro-Palestinian” agenda or allowing people to have self-determination, but on the following: “the UN continues to be plagued by scandal, mismanagement and inaction,” which if you ask me sounds more like the US Congress. Nevertheless, Ros-Lehtinen wants the UN unfunded to stop what has been official US policy oh since 1948 when Israel unilaterally declared itself a state – a Two State Solution. In my mind, it would be better to halt funding to the US Congress who also seems to also be plagued by scandal, mismanagement, inaction, and, might I add, more concerned with Israel’s survival than that of the United States.
Time to think beyond war people. If you didn’t think the Arab spring would reach the Palestinians forcing Israelis to finally acknowledge that they must accept two states and Arab democracy, you are living under a rock. The bottom line here is that either the Israelis take the high ground and sanction the declaration of a Palestinian state or continue rolling the dice to keep their own.
Think before you parrot.