Comments on: It Goes On And On And On And On

By: opit

opit — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:40:24 +0000

There’s also a ‘terrible moral blindness’ sanctioning murder when it is committed by governments with given boundaries and ‘regular forces’ against captives without either. Pretty uniforms do not make justice.

By: macaquerman

macaquerman — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:55:59 +0000

trashandsend
Your criticism of Israel makes sense. But excusing Hamas’ rocket attacks as a cry for help is moral blindness also.
There’s a dreadful redundancy in trying to place all blame on one side or the other.

By: trashandsend

trashandsend — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:32:40 +0000

What’s so troubling about (a) Israel’s decision to attempt to destroy Hamas militarily and (b) the U.S. media’s unwillingness to put this latest round into context–historical, moral, and strategic–is the dreadful redundancy of it all. Age-old conflict, maybe. But each iteration of Israel’s attempt to starve, bludgeon and bomb the Palestinians into acceptance of Israel’s power, under the glib rubric of of its right to exist, produces at best short run satisfaction for Israel and its American Amen Chorus, and longer run grief.

This time the blockade that’s reduced Gazans to penury and misery and, along with Israel’s increased attacks, probably motivated Hamas to resume the rocketry and eschew the humiliating cease-fire, were essentially Israel’s actions. The Hamas rockets were, it seems, the Gazans only way to reacquire a modicum of world attention to their suffering.

So, the NYT and other U.S. media that accept Israel’s justification for this attack as motivated solely by self-defense are willfully and morally blind. Let’s hope that Obama will rise above the bogus, narrow-minded and short-sighted, rhetoric and bring a cooler, more humane attention to the situation and help Israel discover not only what’s good for the Palestinians but also for itself.

When will they ever learn?

By: macaquerman

macaquerman — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:45:18 +0000

You’re certainly correct that bombing Gaza won’t deprive Hamas of the will to continue bombing Israel.
Are you suggesting that there is something that Israel can do that will change Hamas’ intent?

By: joshuetree

joshuetree — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:15:37 +0000

Israel has definitely made it clear that they are in it for the long haul in this battle. But this battle is older than Israel, and is an increasingly dangerous chess match consisting of blockades, rebuttals, and temporary ceasefires. Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, both sides were promised so much for their people and for their religion, and neither side was satisfied with what they were given. As a result, they were left to fight it out amongst themselves, and a century later, they still are. So, yes, this war rages on and on, and will continue to do so until the underlying causes of their frustrations are addressed. I see it difficult to properly appease all sides, but something more needs to be done - something more than finger (and missile) pointing.

By: cobernicus

cobernicus — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:11:28 +0000

You have summed up the intractability of the problem quite well. If you can’t negotiate with an enemy committed to your eradication, and cannot eliminate their capability to attack, what do you do? “Go on and on and on” and merely accept attacks on your population? Appeal to the UN? (LOL) Unless and until there is a government in Gaza that recognizes the benefits of peace, or at least an “understanding” with Israel, this will go on and on.

As you have noted, there is a large segment of the Israeli population that wants a peaceful two-state solution. Once the Palestinians reach a similar understanding, the path will be visible. Until that point, this cycle of astrategic action and reaction will continue.