Cause and effect
Cause and effect
This article is meant as food for thought for all those who intend to vote for Bush, rather than to abstain.
(1) The cause: US war against Israel. Anyone asked to list the hostile action taken by the Bush administration against Israel would have no difficulty in citing scores of examples, whether it is shielding the Egyptian terrorist, Mohammed Abdel Rahman al-Husseini ("Yasser Arafat"), or pressuring Israel to cease building in Yesha. One of the most egregious aspects, however, is the pressure on Israel to curtail the security roadblocks and checkpoints; "egregious" because the inevitable consequences are Israeli victims or terror.
To document the US pressure concerning the checkpoints, I quote from today's al-Ha'aretz:
The United States has recently commended Israel for fulfilling its commitment to remove roadblocks in the territories to ease the Palestinians' freedom of movement. The Israel Defense Forces has removed about 100 roadblocks in the last month, and Palestinian officials told the Americans conducting a field investigation that they feel the improvement.
The removal of roadblocks was one of four commitments Israel made to the American government. The other three are evacuating illegal outposts, limiting settlement construction to built-up areas, and unfreezing hundreds of millions of shekels in Palestinian Authority tax money.
(2) The Effect: Israeli victims of terror. When the movement of the Arabs in Yesha is eased, so is the movement of homicide-bombers. Today's bombing, therefore, should come as no surprise. JPost reports:
The capital remains on a high terror alert level after Palestinian terrorists set off a bomb 200 meters south of the Kalandia checkpoint at about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, killing two Palestinians and wounding 16 people, six of whom are Border Policemen...
Magen David Adom reported that at least three of the wounded policemen are in very serious condition...
In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the United States condemned the bombing. "In our view, this once again underscores the need for the Palestinian leadership to take immediate and credible steps to end terror and violence," he said.
Notwithstanding the "condemnation" from Powell's workshop, I put the responsibility for the Israeli victims on Bush, and on Bush alone. Significantly, it was only because the Border Police erected a surprise roadblock -- one of those roadblocks that Bush wants to have removed -- that the terrorists were preventing from penetrating into Jerusalem and attacking civilians.
Don't I have anything to say about the two Arabs who were killed in this terrorist attack? Oh, I sure do. Here it is, straight from AP (as in "Arafat Press"). Under the heading, "Explosion at West Bank Checkpoint Kills 2", AP reports:
Zakiyah Abu Sneineh, whose 60-year-old husband, Salah, died in the blast, refused to acknowledge that he was killed by Palestinians. "Arabs couldn't have killed him, only Israelis," she said, sobbing in the emergency room of a Ramallah hospital. In an adjacent room, her 6-year-old grandson Mahdi, who was critically wounded in the blast, was fighting for his life...
A Palestinian man hurt in the attack said it was too early to judge the militants. "I don't want to blame them," said Rateb Abu Fkhaideh, 47, who had a leg injury.
Well, if the Jews use the blood of non-Jewish children for religious rituals, then surely the same Jews are responsible for this bombing too! And these are the people to whom Bush is so eager to grant a state. How can any supporter of Israel possibly vote for such a person???
Note: The AP report was also reported by JPost at this URL.
Posted by Joseph Alexander Norland at August 12, 2004 07:01 AM
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1.
Bennett
said:
To advocate 'abstaining' in the election only makes sense if you equate Bush and Kerry as being equally bad for Israel and don't care which one wins.
But assuming that Kerry means it when he says he plans to give greater weight to allies such as France, Germany, and Russia (who sacrificed Iraqi lives for oil)--what would such allies push Kerry to do in regards to Israel?
If Kerry is so keen on giving the UN influence in US actions, what would such a corrupt body (as evidenced in the oil-for-food scandal, let alone its regular anti-Israel output) push the US to do?
If Kerry is so opposed to unilateral pre-emptive action, will he be able to support Israeli assassinations of terrorist leaders in a credible way (especially to his new European and UN friends)?
Kerry, who associates with Michael Moore (no friend of Israel) and Jimmy Carter, and thinks that Carter, Clinton, or James Baker would make excellent Middle East peace envoys--don't we care whether such a person becomes president vis a vis Israels security?
With all the valid criticism of Bush, are you really willing to stay on the sidelines in the belief Kerry couldn't possibly be worse for Israel?
Posted by: Bennett on August 11, 2004 11:53 PM
2.
BobW
said:
B"H
The listed "hostile acts" are not much different in intensity and amount than US diplomacy with Japan and the UK.
The road block issue is nominal. Israel fields a large political bloc seeking to divest from YESHA and large segments of Jerusalem.
The "homicide bombers" are tracable to Government of Israel policies inviting them from Tunis to Israel. Recall that the US Marine Corps had assisted in exiling them from nearby Lebannon to Tunesia. The US Government involvment cannot eclipse Israel's involvment.
Israel's victims of terror, to include our lost (Z"L) are partly tracable to various Israeli policy decisions based on coalition politics. Israel has a dysfunctional government indirectly attributing to terror. Don't blame President Bush or the Bush administration.
Israel has political status as a major nonNATO ally with the US. There is no US war against Israel. The negative aspects of the relationship relate to the oil trade. The real war is between 2 major political segments in Israel's population. Other countries have terrorism problems and successfully handle the threats.
Kol tuv, BobW
Posted by: BobW on August 12, 2004 05:52 AM
3.
Elina
said:
I believe that abstention does not make any kind of a useful or coherent statement - it simply lumps one together with the apathetic mass of American voters.
I also think that there is a difference between Bush and Kerry - that Bush is less harmful than Kerry. If there were a strong third candidate, I might consider voting for them. But this year, one of these two people is going to become the President, and I can make a difference in which one it is. Therefore, I am going to vote, and for the candidate which I believe is less harmful for Israel - despite his many egregious flaws.
Posted by: Elina on August 12, 2004 07:56 AM
4.
Tuli
said:
The Bushki's and their Islamist pals are indeed "hostile" towards Israel. Check out the archives at the Whitehouse site and you'll discover that their agenda leaves no room for Christians either.
We are all endangered by the Bushki regime, Kerry however, could be worse.
Posted by: Tuli on August 12, 2004 12:46 PM
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Cause and effect
This article is meant as food for thought for all those who intend to vote for Bush, rather than to abstain.
(1) The cause: US war against Israel. Anyone asked to list the hostile action taken by the Bush administration against Israel would have no difficulty in citing scores of examples, whether it is shielding the Egyptian terrorist, Mohammed Abdel Rahman al-Husseini ("Yasser Arafat"), or pressuring Israel to cease building in Yesha. One of the most egregious aspects, however, is the pressure on Israel to curtail the security roadblocks and checkpoints; "egregious" because the inevitable consequences are Israeli victims or terror.
To document the US pressure concerning the checkpoints, I quote from today's al-Ha'aretz:
(2) The Effect: Israeli victims of terror. When the movement of the Arabs in Yesha is eased, so is the movement of homicide-bombers. Today's bombing, therefore, should come as no surprise. JPost reports:
Notwithstanding the "condemnation" from Powell's workshop, I put the responsibility for the Israeli victims on Bush, and on Bush alone. Significantly, it was only because the Border Police erected a surprise roadblock -- one of those roadblocks that Bush wants to have removed -- that the terrorists were preventing from penetrating into Jerusalem and attacking civilians.Don't I have anything to say about the two Arabs who were killed in this terrorist attack? Oh, I sure do. Here it is, straight from AP (as in "Arafat Press"). Under the heading, "Explosion at West Bank Checkpoint Kills 2", AP reports:
Well, if the Jews use the blood of non-Jewish children for religious rituals, then surely the same Jews are responsible for this bombing too! And these are the people to whom Bush is so eager to grant a state. How can any supporter of Israel possibly vote for such a person???Note: The AP report was also reported by JPost at this URL.
Posted by Joseph Alexander Norland at August 12, 2004 07:01 AM