Sharif Abdel Kouddous on Gaza’s “Severe Damage” and Why Truce Won’t Stop the Violence of Occupation at Amy Goodman’s “Democracy Now!”
The blurb from the show:
Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip ended in a ceasefire last week with the final toll standing at around 170 Palestinians killed, and more than 700 wounded. Meanwhile in Israel, four Israeli civilians and two Israeli soldiers were killed, along with dozens of others wounded, in Palestinian attacks. We’re joined from Cairo by Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous, who has just returned to Cairo after several days in Gaza. "Gaza’s damage is severe," Kouddous says. [Transcript to come. Check back soon.]
Gershon Baskin, PhD, a peace activist that helped mediate the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, has reported that a draft permanent truce agreement had been prepared when Hamas leader Jebari was killed by Israel. This suggests that Israel both deceived Jebari into believing a truce was imminent and knew that there would be a retaliation of rockets that could be used as a pretext for initiating Operation Pillar of Defense by the IDF.
This scenario would be nothing knew for Israel. Secret testimony to the Winograd Commission that was leaked revealed that the Israeli government had planned the Second Lebanon War four months prior to the initial invasion of Lebanon – thus indicating the abduction of IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev by Hezbollah was a mere pretext for a pre-existing planned IDF military operation.
There is also speculation swirling about why Ehud Barak suddenly resigned as defense minister.
The whole thing is a deception. Israel’s ‘job’ as it were in the Middle East is to ratchet up tensions and keep them high in order for the Pentagon to continue to justify its’ huge budget and prestige as the so-called ‘global security’ police. Israel and the Pentagon thrive on war and would shrivel up and die if Peace ever came to pass. They make sure it never happens with their ‘secret ops’ and Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’.
There’s a problem with this theory: none of the Middle Eastern wars that the Pentagon has fought had anything to do with Israel and its “tensions,” while the many wars resulting from Israel and its “tensions” never have anything to do with the Pentagon.
Look at the wars the U.S. has fought in the region: the overthrow of Saddam, kicking Saddam out of Kuwait, al Qaeda in Yemen, the Afghan War, the occasional tangle with Iran in the Gulf, the Somalia mission, the UN Protective Mission in Libya – none of these have had the first thing to do with Israel.
If anything, Israel is a pain in the Pengagon’s butt, frequently complicating American wars, such as when Saddam lobbed Scuds at Israel in 1991 and we had to talk them out of retaliating because it would have broken up the alliance.
@Joe From Lowell:
The U.S. got dragged into Lebanon in the 1980s largely due to to Israel’s Operation Galilee invasion of that nation on June 5, 1982 to drive out the P.L.O.
The Marines went in to Beirut in 1982 to secure that city and supervise the P.L.O evacuation of its fighters and the Reagan Administration guaranteed the safety of Palestinian refugees in Beirut. After leaving, the Marines returned following the Sabra and Shatila massacres. Numerous Americans were later taken hostage during that decade.
Israel’s occupation of Lebanon ushered in the era of the suicide bomber. The first struck the former P.L.O. HQ in Tyre, killing 75 IDF soldiers and 17 Arab prisoners in November of 1982. In April of 1983, there was the dea dly attack of the American Embassy in April of 1983 and later 237 Marines died in the suicide bombing in Beirut.
American involvement in Lebanon had much to do with Israeli occupation of that nation.
“none of these have had the first thing to do with Israel.”
Not even the very smidgen of a tiny bit of a first thing? Absolutely sure that there’s no weensie meensie cheensie little minuscule bit to do with Israel? Israelis had not even a tiny little bitsy role or involvement in all that stuff? Doesn’t help too much to keep all the other potential “powers” that might have been of benefit and interest to the tiny little state of Israel?
I know it’s not fair to expect someone to try to prove a negative, but you set the standard of proof with your post. I sure would like to know what you might have that would eliminate from “no first thing to do” possibility the strange notion that Israelis, the ones who play the Great Game over there and here in our hallowed halls of government too, who demonstrably have their fingers in every pie within reach or that might come within reach.
As if.
Please help mend the situation in Gaza. I hope you’ll join the many generous hearts who are giving & sending aid to the Palestinians:
Fundraising for Medical Aid for Palestinans
link to justgiving.com
MAP–Medical Aid for Palestinians’ homepage
link to map-uk.org
Dr Ang Swee Chai was the founding Trustee MAP, following is a link to a talk she gave in 2004 of her experience in Beirut, as a witness & survivor of the Sabra & Shatila massacre of 1982. MAP was established thereafter, upon Dr Ang’s return to London.
link to inminds.co.uk