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Rep. Donna Edwards, a progressive leader endorsed by J Street, put out this statement today about the ongoing crisis in Gaza:
"I am deeply disturbed by this week’s escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, as I have been by the ongoing rocket fire into southern Israel. To support Israel and to ease the humanitarian crisis facing the people of Gaza, the United States must work actively for an immediate ceasefire that ends the violence, stops the rockets, and removes the blockade of Gaza.
"Israel has a right to protect its citizens, but I remain convinced that military measures have only a limited role to play — a political and diplomatic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the only way to stop the violence permanently and bring long-term stability to the region. As Americans, we too have a strong interest in ensuring peace, stability, and security in the Middle East and that is why I am committed to supporting active American diplomacy in the region, working together with partners in the international community, from the earliest days of President-elect Obama’s administration. America should not sit on the sidelines, as we are doing today — this does a disservice to our own national interests and security and is unhelpful in bringing stability and security to Israel and the Middle East."
That’s a really excellent and mature sentiment. Pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, pro-peace, pro-lasting security, all in the service of American interests in the region, free of cant and demagoguery and euphemism and cluttered thinking.
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Well, almost. If you don’t count the cant concerning the blockade.Didn’t you think that adding that was throwing in a spanner?
Donna Edwards is wonderful. She is a natural leader, and many other ‘critters would do well to follow her lead. Pelosi, to start.
Re macaquerman at 1.
I do not see how mention of lifting the Gaza blockade is indicative of cant or bias. Maybe the failure to recognize the blockade as part of the problem would be more indicative of cant.
The following is copied directly from the petition at J Street:
“I support immediate and strong U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to urgently reinstate a meaningful ceasefire that ends all military operations, stops the rockets aimed at Israel and lifts the blockade of Gaza. This is in the best interests of Israel, the Palestinian people and the United States.”
I would suggest not bias, but cant, because the Israelis just wouldn’t do it. The reason for the blockade is to interdict any large weapons shipment to Hamas. If you’re looking to stop rocket attacks from Gaza by bombing ammo dumps and smuggling tunnels, how in hell can you drop the blockade?
The Israelis won’t, and representatives of our government should be well aware of it. Every other thing she said, as Spencer points out, is well reasoned.
Regarding the “blockade,” here are some figures about recent events. Granted, they come from the IDF via Marty Peretz, but they should be easily verified or disproved:
Also, why is Israel denied the same basic rights of self-defense, including blockades, available to any country that is attacked?
Who’s “denying” anything to Israel? As I wrote earlier, the relevant consideration isn’t justice, it’s wisdom.
There I agree with you. The Israeli actions are not necessarily wise, but they are legal. I feel your comments have been quite balanced. Some of your FDL colleagues have not shared this viewpoint.
My point was that the “blockade” has been grossly exaggerated and really been fairly narrow in scope.
Edwards’ sentiment was indeed encouraging. What I remain discouraged by is the lack of “really excellent and mature sentiment” from any Rabbis. Surely some of them would have the moral courage to criticize Israel’s actions – but if they do they are not getting their voices into the media I’m reading.
How interesting the statistics you quote about the blockade. The United Nations agency charged with delivering aid, money, and foodstuffs to Gazans said that very little aid was getting in before last Saturday and it stands to reason that even less has been getting in since given that the IDF justified defying an Israeli Supreme Court ruling about letting in journalists the next time the Erez crossing was opened. As we know, the crossing was opened to allow those residents of Gaza holding foreign passports to leave. To date, no foreign journalists have been allowed to enter.
It is difficult to get accurate, unbiased reporting if journalists are not allowed to do their job. It is easy to get information – YouTube videos from both sides of the conflict, reporting by Israeli newspapers and quotes from Israeli politicians, and coverage from Al Jazeera in English along with the AP and Reuters. But since no foreign journalists are allowed into the strip, it is hard to say what is true.
I am not an unbiased observer. As long as American foreign aid and military hardware are used against a captive (if the borders are sealed and people are not allowed to leave at will, they are captive) population, I cannot remain unbiased.
Please, there are LOTS of Americans who don’t share your support for the use of American-supplied weapons in this instance.
6500 tons of food for 1.5 million people? for two weeks? That’s a drop in the bucket. The hospitals in Gaza are out of everything. Many injured Palestinians are being turned away because they have no ability to treat them. There is no fuel being allowed in, and Israel has cut the electricity grid so the hospitals were being run on portable generators. But now there is no fuel. There is no fuel for cooking either. And very little for vehicles or anything else. Large groups of people are going out into the relatively small ‘wild areas’ and gathering grass – for food. Other agencies have said that they needed over 150 truckloads of food on a daily basis and we’re supposed to believe that 93 is enough for two weeks? Please…
As far as Israel’s right to defend itself – that UN mandate applies to Gaza as well. Why is Gaza not allowed to defend itself from the constant bombings, targetted assassinations, house-bulldozing, and other things perpetrated against the Palestinians by the Israelis? What about this blockade – it is an act of war to prevent food from reaching a civilian population!
Israel is just as guilty as Hamas in this mess even though they portray themselves as the constant victims. I find it hard to see them as victims when they have put up a wall with virtually no way out, and they control the openings – and then stop allowing vital necessities of life to get inside. Your understanding of just what this blockade is about is not at all reality on the ground there. And this blockade has been in place for over a year. Do you not think that if you lived inside – couldn’t get out, couldn’t feed your family, couldn’t even cook food if you had any in the first place, you would try to do something? I submit that you would be perfectly within your rights to do so.
Israel is not as big a victim as they have made the Palestinians, and while there is violence, it is on both sides. But the bigger offender IMHO is Israel. All you have to do is look at the numbers. What is it, 4 dead Israelis and almost 500 Palestinians so far and more to come? Yeah, Israel is a real victim here.
The blockade has been used to deny the Gazans shipments of heavy weapons.
It has most definitely not been used to deny food as evidenced by many statements by relief agencies estimating that 75-80% of Gazans are dependent on such shipments.