There are many events that take place in this world that we… myself included.. can describe as crimes. Crimes take many forms and have different degrees. Among these forms, one of the most horrendous in my eyes – becuase it is so tacidly approved of and glorified in our collective culture, is war.? Stop with the World War II references, there hasn’t been a just war since… since.. how can anyone call a war just? It is a contradiction in terms, especially in 2009, when as a world we know so much more about why things happen, why people suffer and who benefits in keeping in that way.? It is not a mystery of why one group hates another, there are very clear causes and those causes are rarely addressed because too many people profit from perpetuating hatred and conflict.Continue reading “More War Crimes”
Tag Archives: hamas
Smile As You Destroy Their Democracy
There list of hypocracies and deadly inconsistancies continues to grow between Israel and Palestine.
On this blog I’ve been very vocal at the distress I felt seeing the international community demand elections in Palestine, and then slapping them with financial and political penalties for party they elected.
As I’ve said so often: you (nations) may not like Hamas, but you can’t just refuse to acknowledge their legitimacy because you didn’t want them to win.
But thats old news. The hypocracies I’ve been watching tonight on this late night CNN that I sometimes turn on, are of a whole new dimension. Apparently, if CNN can manage to report something accurately, the Israeli Army has bombed the Palestinian Interior Ministry, offices of FATAH (the former governing party) and offices of Hamas (the recently elected party in power).
Putting aside, if at all possible, the hostile moves such as the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, on the part of some vaguely named Palestinian extremist group, what kind of statement does this look like from the Israeli government and the western powers that support it, financially and politically.
Will they really soon recognize a Palestinian state? If so, will they then proceed to bomb the government buildings whenever they deem it necessary? How is that respecting democracy and being committed to dialogue?
Of course there are radical elements on both sides that commit crimes. But it seems extra baffling to see that the most violent (with the most capacity for carrying out violent attacks) and the most radical of the groups involved is in fact the Israeli government’s own military!
And once again, before all this destruction, signs and statements that Hamas is changing and can be counted on to participate in dialogue.
All this darkness…. that’s it.. I’m hitching a ride to Paris for the weekend.
bm122 Fallout from the Financial Crisis of the Palestinian Authority
Only a month ago the international community was demanding and encouraging free and fair elections in Palestine. But then HAMAS was elected, ever since then the international community has turned their back on the new government, withheld funds, and are now holding them partially responsible for any violence against Israel. What story do the numbers tell? What’s left of the budget without that aid money? And what about the effectiveness of the age-old strategy known as “we don’t negociate with terrorists,” or in this case: a party with ties to suicide bombing and the use of violence, now with a newfound political responsibility for the lives of over 2 million people. Where will this political and financial stalemate take us?
AudioCommunique #122 (mp3)Some Links:
CIA WFB on the West Bank
Israel Withholds Taxes
Palestinian Budget
Calls from Within Hamas for a new era
Music:
Faudel – Aveuglé par l’amour
Final Fantasy – None of you will ever see a penny
Elvis Costello – the other side of town
Talib Kweli – Get By
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