What country is known to have weapons of mass destruction, has threatened to use them if attacked, has defied numerous UN resolutions, refuses to allow international inspectors in, has brutally killed its own citizens who protest its policies, and is bringing millions of innocent civilians to the brink of starvation? No. I’m not talking about Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. I am talking about Arik Sharon’s Israel.
The hypocrisy of Dubya — who reminds me so much of Slim Pickens’ Major Kong in Dr. Strangelove, intent on nuking the enemy no matter what price the world has to pay — is breathtaking. In his speech to the UN a few days ago, when referring to Sadam Hussein’s defiance of the UN, Bush used the phrase “enough is enough.” This immediately took me back a few months ago. Remember, during operation so-called “Defensive Shield,” Israel was defying the Bush’s administration call to stop attacking Palestine. Bush got on TV, and in his response to questioning by reporters, put on his tough school-master tone, and said “Enough is enough.” Of course, Israel took Bush’s tough tone for exactly what it was — a nod to the camera. Behind the scenes, the Bush administration gave, and continues to give Israel the green light for its war crimes.
Everything Bush criticizes Hussein about, is equally true about Israel. Israel is known to have an arsenal of nuclear bombs, and although never spoken about officially, it is well known that Israel has a Massada plan — to use its nukes if it feels threatened: sort of a Doomsday weapon. When Mordechai Vanunu blew the whistle on Israel’s nuclear program in 1986, Israel abducted him from the UK (something only third world dictatorships do) and threw him in prison, keeping him in solitary confinement for over 10 years.
[NB. Here is another important action item]
Israel’s heinous treatment of Vanunu is only one example of the crimes it commits against its own citizens who protest its policies. Vanunu is Jewish, so he wasn’t assassinated by the Mossad — just kidnapped and cruelly incarcerated. 13 Arab citizens, however, met a worse fate two years ago, at the beginning of the current Intifada. Under orders to “shoot first, ask questions later,” Israeli police shot and killed Israeli Arab protestors in cold blood.
Israel’s treatment (thus far) of its own citizens, while not exemplary, is still relatively benign, as compared to totalitarian regimes like Iraq’s. Which is why defenders of Israel ask: “How can you compare Israel to Iraq?”
Very simply. Those who ask that question see only the Jews of Israel. They are blind to Israel’s brutality directed at the millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Forget for a moment all the past brutality, destruction of property, beatings, killings etc. that have gone on for decades. In the past few months, Israel has kept the Palestinian population under virtual house arrest — preventing them from leaving their homes for school and work. In the past two months alone, dozens of Palestinian innocent civilians (including many children) have been killed. Hundreds more taken away from their homes and put into prison camps. The Palestinian population is on the verge of starvation (and things have only gotten worse since that piece written).
The excuse is “terrorism.” This, of course, is the excuse of all totalitarian regimes when they crush civilian populations. Putting aside the moral depravity of Israel’s actions, they have no pragmatic value as well. Everytime there is a few weeks of “quiet” — i.e. quiet for Israeli Jews — it is followed by more horrific acts of violence by desparate Palestinians bent of wreaking revenge. The current “quiet” period will be no different. [Addendum: Within 24 hours of this being written, 8 Israeli Jews were killed in 4 attacks.]
Israel has defied the international community’s meager attempts to end the violence with impunity, because cowboy Bush admires Sharon’s brutality. Is it any wonder then, that the whole world looks at Bush and the U.S. administration as a bunch of hypocrites, in their current call to stop the Iraqi “menance”?
If Bush is truly interested in world peace, and not just in riding, like Major Kong, on the back of a phallic bomb into Baghdad, then he will act on his words: “Enough is enough.” It is time to stop Israel’s brutal war against the Palestinians – now! Baghdad can wait.