BBC: Israel: 'World backs Lebanon offensive'

[mogster]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5219360.stm

'World backs Lebanon offensive'

Israel says diplomats' decision not to call for a halt to its Lebanon offensive at a Middle East summit has given it the green light to continue.

"We received yesterday at the Rome conference permission from the world... to continue the operation," Justice Minister Haim Ramon said.

His comments came ahead of an Israeli cabinet meeting to decide whether to intensify the military offensive.

(...)
Speaking on Israeli army radio, Mr Ramon - a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - said "everyone understands that a victory for Hezbollah is a victory for world terror".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5219360.stm

------------------------

This is so wrong on so many levels.

[wakeme2008]

1. They have the same script writers as Bush

:grr:

[Robbien]

2. Exactly

Makes one wonder which is the tail and which is the dog.

[lapfog_1]

5. It's the same tail and the same dog

Neocon == PNAC == Likud

[katty]

82. yup, the tail is getting raggedy and the dog's bark is old news

[Tight_rope]

74. EXACTLY....Israel does what the fuck they want anyway!

Why would they expect that they would need permission from the world to bomb another country. :argh: :grr: :banghead:

[itzamirakul]

3. There are those who always read exactly what they WANT to read in

any situation.

This is why PNAC and the neocons have been so successful. Even if they are told an absolute 'NO!" they turn it and spin it into the "YES!" that they want it to be and everyone allows them to do so.

Boy, just wait until they turn against their own. Then we will really hear some bitching and complaining...that is, if they leave enough of us alive to hear it.

The idea that this was okayed by Rome speaks volumes to me re the end of civilization as we know it.

[w4rma]

24. neo-cons "create their own reality".

They live in coo-coo land and must be stopped.

[itzamirakul]

45. If you want to see how they are also creating OUR reality in coo-coo

land with them try reading this paper by Mearsheimer and Walt at

http://www.londonreviewofbooks.com/v28/n06/mear01_.html

[Scurrilous]

66. EU says Israel misinterpreted Rome conference result

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3282401,00.html

"The European Union said Thursday that Israel misinterpreted the outcome of the Middle East conference in Rome and that the fighting in Lebanon should cease immediately.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said Israeli views that the Rome declaration indicated it should continue its offensive were "Totally wrong." Finland is current president of the EU."

[mom cat]

75. US = Israel = World ..... NOT!

[Dead_Parrot]

4. Yes, Israel! The whole world is backing you!

Well, apart from the 6.2 billion people outside the US. And several million inside it who don't seem to have a say.

But they don't matter! On with the slaughter!

[Binka]

6. Your Sig Line Could Not Be Any More Apt!

Israel is proving it each day this madness continues.

[Dead_Parrot]

9. Hey, I didn't write it...

Blame Einstien, a famousley clever Mormon. No, Christian. Or Was He Bhuddist? No, wait, I'm sure it began with a J.

Janist? Jihadist? It's on the tip of my tounge... err...

[Binka]

15. He was a JumpingJackFlashist You Silly Goose!

It's a gas dontcha know?:silly:

We are the only two posters awake at this hour! Greetings from Sicily and I love NZ btw!

[Dead_Parrot]

17. Ahh, that's it!

Silly me. It was either that or Jaggerism. :silly:

Hey, sorry, I have to ask - what's the weather like there? been hearing some bad things from Europe in the last few days...

Not too hot, I trust?

[Binka]

19. Around 32-34 With Thunderstorms In The Late Afternoon

I live on the east coast under Etna.

[Dead_Parrot]

23. Not too bad, then...

I've heard 40+ from France/Germany.

You should be more worried about living downwind from Etna - I hear she's moody recently!?

Either way, if you want to cool off, swing down this way.

It's bloody freezing.

:D

[Binka]

44. Etna's Been A Huffin & A Puffin

The pool has been full of ash. I'd love to come to NZ but my sister just died and I have to go to California. Bloody awful week I tell ya!:cry:

[Dead_Parrot]

46. Sorry you have to fly out for it

I hear it's a bit warm in CA.

As I said in the other post, I know her monkey of old. But she's free of it now, so concentrate on the happy things. Everyone's life is worth a celebration, even if it comes too soon.

:hug:

The pool will clean, if it's any help. :)

[Binka]

49. I'll Never Forget Our Crazy Trips To Tijuana ( Don't Ask About The Donkey)

Or our pogo stick competitions, or the way she would snort when she laughed too hard, or hiking in Yosemite, or scuba diving off Catalina Island....there were lots of happy things. Thanks for the reminder. :hug:

[Dead_Parrot]

53. Damn, that sounds like a lot of good stuff...

... but I have to know: tell me about the donkey!
And for an encore, what competions did you have with pogo-sticks? that sounds mad...

[Binka]

54. We Stole The Donkey Outside A Bar

It was an old hag thing some guy used as a prop in front of a cart that said "Welcome To Tijuana!" people paid a few pesos to have their photo taken. We "borrowed" it and we almost got tossed in the hoosegow. But our glib tongues (we are fabulous bullshitters) and our blond hair and long legs saved us!

The pogo stick competitions consisted of doing the most consecutive bounces with out falling off. I could pogo to the 7-11 order a slurppie pay for it and never fall off. It is a great skill too bad the pay isn't good!:silly:

[Dead_Parrot]

55. rofl...

It must be said, I have never been able to pogo down to the 7-11 (or local equivalent) and order a slurpee without falling off. You have a rare gift there...

The story about the donkey reminds me of the time me and Boff stole my then-girlfriends car. Well I say car, it was a 2CV. And we weren't good enough to actually steal it, but we discovered we could - just - pick it up and carry it: So we lugged the damn thing 200 yards up the road, and sat back to watch the look on her face: "priceless" I think is the word. Especially when she saw it up the street....

He died after a road smash about 12 years ago. But bugger that, The fun we had is much more fun to dwell on. Like the time we raced combime harvesters at midnight...

You get the idea, I hope :D

[Binka]

56. We Have So High Jacked This Thread! Thanks For Making Me Laugh!

Micki and I did some crazy things and even though I grew 5 inches taller than her my older sister could ALWAYS kick my ass. Little toughie!

[Dead_Parrot]

60. Hey, I learned that when i was 10...

"Don't mess with Big Sis, 'coz she'll kick your ass." :D I think that's a universal rule, maybe they practice while we're still in diapers or something.

At the risk of getting deleted, "BIG SIS RRRAAAWWWWKKKKKS!!!"

[Binka]

63. Can You Believe That Got Deleted?

That poster is such a PUTZ!

[Dead_Parrot]

67. Well, that's why we have...

>>> <<< Which I have, after 3 years, finally started using :D. Sad but true.

I must go, dear bink, because it's getting so late down here it's nearly early, and Morpheus is calling. PM me if you want to, otherwise we'll catch up when we catch up...

Enjoy the lava :)

[Dead_Parrot]

68. Grrr... dupe

[Ghost Dog]

29. Greetings from Catalonia, Binka

(Out here in the Rest of the World)

...And I was thinking of travelling to NZ next time...

[Binka]

47. Howdy Ghost Dog

Are you an American ex pat? I am originally from San Fransisco but I left the States in 2002. :hi:

[Ghost Dog]

57. Nope, I'm a Brit exile. Since the mid-eighties,

sympathising with you, gone native in, er, Spain (North-East and Far South).

Sicily is definitely on my list. :hi:

[Binka]

61. Ole Maggie Drove You Out Then?

I was married to the crazy fundie in the mid 80s. After leaving him with only the clothes on my back and my hair on fire in 1989, it took me a few years to overcome poverty. Well actually it took me until 2002 and that is when I left the USofShithole. Come visit!:hi:

[Ghost Dog]

78. I hear you. Yes,

... It was my birthday today, and yesterday was the 26 July, so i'm now a bit the worse for habana club 3 años. Playing Shakti: Saturday night in Bombay.

[Dead_Parrot]

50. Hey...

If you want to be surrounded by cold, rain, and sheep, give me a call. All Duer's are welcome at chez parrot...

...If you can find it :D

[Ghost Dog]

58. And hi there Dead_Parrot:

Cold, rain, and sheep sound just great at the moment, partly on account of the great (even by our standards) heat and drought we're suffering here.

Sounds like South Island, am I right?

... and then, you run all those Pacific Islands... :hippie:

[Dead_Parrot]

72. I've heard it's a bit warm...

I'm in North Island, but the only difference is the power tends to be on more often. I'm also another Ex-Brit - or POM, as the case may be - like yourself (although I'm guessing you left for the warmth, not the hills full of nice warm sheep. Err, did I type that out loud?)

If it's any consolation, I'll be baking in 6 months while you're nice and cool....

[Ghost Dog]

79. Warm sheep, cold women...

Yeah, I'm also a Tom Waits, Jim Jarmusch (crazy sense of humour) fan.

52 years old today.

Stay warm there friend.

[Ghost Dog]

83. Here:

http://world.std.com/~raparker/exploring/thewasteland/explore.html

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering 5
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten, 10
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
Bin gar keine Russin, stamm' aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
And when we were children, staying at the archduke's,
My cousin's, he took me out on a sled,
And I was frightened. He said, Marie, 15
Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man, 20
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock, 25
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

/... (continues)

[mogster]

7. We may derive from this that their world are the US/UK govt's. only?

This is a part of the problem IMHO. The Israeli hawks see only the US and UK hawks, and their 'people-to-people allies' are the neoconistas and evangelistas only, the same people that still support Bush.
And frankly, these people doesn't carry much support outside their sectarian communities.

Here's some background info on the origination of the recent conflict, from Professor Tanya Reinhart of Tel Aviv University:

"On Wednesday, July 12, a Hezbollah unit attacked two armored Jeeps of the Israeli army, patrolling along Israel's border with Lebanon. Three Israeli soldiers were killed in the attack and two were taken hostage. In a news conference held in Beirut a couple of hours later, Hezbollah's leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah explained that their aim was to reach a prisoner exchange, where in return for the two captured Israeli soldiers, Israel would return three Lebanese prisoners it had refused to release in a previous prisoner exchange. Nasrallah declared that "he did not want to drag the region into war", but added that "our current restraint is not due to weakness... if they choose to confront us, they must be prepared for surprises." (1)

The Israeli government, however, did not give a single moment for diplomacy, negotiations, or even cool reflection over the situation. In a cabinet meeting that same day, it authorized a massive offensive on Lebanon. As Ha'aretz reported, "In a sharp departure from Israel's response to previous Hezbollah attacks, the cabinet session unanimously agreed that the Lebanese government should be held responsible for yesterday's events." Olmert declared: "This morning's events are not a terror attack, but the act of a sovereign state that attacked Israel for no reason and without provocation." He added that "the Lebanese government, of which Hezbollah is a part, is trying to undermine regional stability. Lebanon is responsible, and Lebanon will bear the consequences of its actions." (2)"

http://www.nimn.org/articles/whats_new/000547.php
(Posted by DU'er Douglas Carpenter)

Their harsh response is in no way justified, nor supported by the world community.

[Dead_Parrot]

14. I like to study religion...

...and bare with me on this...

A lot - in fact the numerical majority - of the world's religions are pagan, which literally means "people of the land": The land gives them food - vital for their survival - on a regular basis, so they elevate it to the status of Godhood.

Israel, on the other hand, is more reliant on on arms than food, so the provider of arms is elevated....

You see where that leads.

I'll admit I'm over-egging it. But still, you have to wonder...

[mogster]

35. Interesting

I do react to the moral justification implied by Israel when saying what's written in the OP. It's like the world opinion doesn't matter as long as you can find somebody who supports you, somebody strong enough to twist arms. It's a concious choice of unilateralism/bilateralism that points to extremist views - and the bridge to the evangelistas in the US confirms that.

My take on this whole situation is that Israel (govt. and most media) feels left in the lurch, first and foremost by the Europeans, and respond in defiance, like children. The wall they built wasn't just a protection measure, but also a statement to the world.
I've studied some recent history by searching Norw. news media, and there was a trans-EU poll in November 2003 that made the Israeli media rage; it said that 59 percent of Europeans held Israel as the foremost threat to world peace, before Iran and North Korea.
They topped the list, actually.
Along with a growing number of reported incidents of anti-semitism in the European countries, this might have been a factor in the radicalization leading up to this situation. Add the Iraqi war, Iran's continued statements on the destruction of Israel, and so on and so forth, it leads to groupthink and erroneous desicions - extremism. To me, a poll is a poll - it more or less shows the current status of what people think. To a group of people being more and more isolated and threatened, percieved or for real, this poll reinforce the feeling of being on your own. This is a perfect fit for some traits of Jewish extremism like kahanism, where the idea of a multilateral Israel having allies works against the 'awakening of the Jewish people' to see their enemies true intentions and fight.
Norway have received a certain amount of attention from these people since 1994, and if you look under the surface, they 'help' this impression take hold in Israel by taking over the flow of information both ways, and exaggregate incidents they report back. They also work to sever the ties between moderate Christians and Israel by attacking central moderates for being anti-semites, and by doing so drives the Christian voters to the extreme right. Which, of course, helps this development as best they can, being total opportunists. Subsequently, the area of 'Israel friends' are now owned by rw extremists exclusively, while the moderates who had an influence on Israel prior to 2002, no longer are able to break the spell because they're not in the loop.
I think a lot of what the people here percieves as support for Israel's current policies from Dem leaders and others, may be an attempt to get back into that loop.

[Dead_Parrot]

36. Mogster...

formulating a reply, but would I be correct in assumimg you are a Norge Jew?

[mogster]

39. No I'm not Jewish

I'm yer regular dorkish Norwegian :-)

My sympathy lies with both parties, but I spend most of the activity at home picking on the local media for being biased against Muslims, a trend which started after the London bombs.

[Dead_Parrot]

42. Hey, I've spent enough time in Norway...

You're not all dorks. Hey, I can trace my blue eyes that way...

:D

Hell, If you will join me, in support of the 500+ non-IDF, non-hamas, non-hezbollah, innocent nameless dead on boths sides of this pointless war, that's good enogh for me.

[mogster]

43. I will, DP

Of course :-)

Peace is always a friend, no matter what.

[Dead_Parrot]

48. That'll do me, my friend.

:hug:

[Dead_Parrot]

41. Then try not to be confused...

by the anti-semitic and the anti-zionist people: There is a difference. I have known a number of people over the years, and have found two truths:

1) No-one has a "moral" right to attack you for your beliefs. I've heard that from Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs and Pagans. I'm guessing it's fair.

2) No-one has a right to punish you for your beliefs. From the same Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs and Pagans.

It kind of knocks the whole middle-east into perspective: Only the loonies are still waging war. On both sides, the IDF and Hezbollah/Hamas.

The IDF have the military backing of the US: that's the only difference.

The IDF are going overboard. So are Hebollah.

When all is said and done, we're all just people.

[lapfog_1]

8. I was just thinking that if the entire world could vote on this

I wonder just how lopsided the vote would be...

And I certain the result would not be as insinuated by this headline.

[PCIntern]

10. I do recall that people said the same thing

when the Israelis bombed the Iraqi reactor.

"How DARE they..."

But then again, upon reflection, many here might still feel that way. To each his/her own.

[Dead_Parrot]

16. Now come on!

That would be democracy. The bad sort, where ordinary people get a vote.

Can't have that. Just ask Diebold.

[Ghost Dog]

40. As a matter of interest, there's a YNetNews poll (in English) here:

http://my.ynet.co.il/englishsurvey5/okay.asp?pollID=10
Is Israel's war in Lebanon justified? (btw, I don't think war has been constitutionally declared in this case, either)

Current results: number of voters: 7128
Yes, absolutely: 73%
Only partially: 5%
Absolutely not: 23%

Note that, an hour or two ago there were some 5100 votes, 77% Absolutely Yes, 4% Only artially, 19% Absolutely Not. So perhaps news of this poll (see front page) has been spreading more widely beyond what I suppose would be the normal English-speaking Israeli/Jewish readership

[Amonester]

59. But then (again)...

The results of this survey are not scientific and do not reflect the opinions of the public at large in Israel or elsewhere. Rather, the results reflect the users of Ynetnews who have chosen to participate in this survey. Usage of this feature limited to one time per person.

Yes. We all do know this already. :think:

[MrPrax]

62. It's like the Iraq war...

The neo-cons claimed the same thing through a pliant media -- they had public support.

But like this, public opinion is growing against it (especially outside the US) and so the elites and the media will simply ignore the 'public mandate' after awhile and continue to promote a war that is largely the result of some of the most extreme elements of the far right.

Sad part is that people who claim to be Progressive will drink Likud kool-aid on this one, and as such the Right will be able to point out the stereotype of intolerant hypocrisy (flip flop) on the Left.

It is hard to say your against the 'Iraq' war, which is a 'war on terror' according to Bush, but you support this war, which is also a 'war on terror' according to Olmert. You will end up NOT explaining your anti-war views or your support of international law , but instead explaining how these two conflicts are different which requires the language of the media, not the language of Progressive left politics.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

80. seconded!

attacking civilians is not ethical/moral regardless of who does it and whether its secular or religious fundamentalism.

[HuffleClaw]

11. how orwellian of them

what a complete crock o' BUSHit. pretty funny.

[magellan]

12. Why is it that those who shout "democracy" the loudest nowadays

...are the first to ignore the majority concensus?

[Dead_Parrot]

27. Because they have the money to buy the stations

Follow the money. It never fails.

[Sherman A1]

13. Unfortunately

the Israelis (and Hezbollah) can come to that conclusion in the absence of an international call for a cease fire and talks. I for one am not backing the Israelis, I am not backing Hezbollah, I am not backing Hamas, I am not backing the international community that sits on the sidelines refusing to even call for a cease fire. Perhaps if those interested in doing so looked up the address of the Israeli Embassy (and the Syrian Embassy as Hezbollah probably doesn't have a return address) and sent them a note calling for a cease fire, they might get a slightly different impression. Just a thought.

[PCIntern]

20. Your point is well-taken...

Hezbollah does not have a return address. Hmmm...d'ya think, maybe, that they're the ones out of control? Sending rockets with ball bearing shrapnel into residential neighborhoods...reminds me of the lines:

Return to Sender
Address unknown
No such number, no such zone..(zones were...well, you kids here, ask your mommy about them)

Anyway, it's pretty neat that people aren't 'backing' Israel - like they're waiting for our 'thumbs-up'. Nice of them not to 'back' a terrorist organization like Hezbollah...or Hamas. I forgot...they were 'elected'...that makes them legit. Like Bush II.

On other threads I have suggested that people re-watch the film Syriana and try to understand that no one in the film understood the gestalt - the whole plot - it is so intricate that no one person can. It is a huge chess game and there are those who are way ahead of the rest of us.

[Dead_Parrot]

25. It's a sad reflection ...

of DU and today that "I for one am not backing the Israelis, I am not backing Hezbollah, I am not backing Hamas, I am not backing the international community that sits on the sidelines refusing to even call for a cease fire." Needs to be a dislaimer.

:hi:

[Sherman A1]

38. You are right

Takes longer to write out to avoid the flames, than to write the message, and I am sure that many of us have been or seen the recent flame-o-rama's on this topic.

[xchrom]

18. it's interesting to watch the process of trying to control history.

whose story is the dominate and ''popular'' story circulated about.

[no_hypocrisy]

21. I wouldn't interpret silence as assent or consent. It's lackof an answer

to a multilayer, complex issue.

[twenty4blackbirds]

22. I mis-interpreted the heading

I thought the World agreed with Lebanon defending itself, and Israel was complaining about lack of support for Israeli offensive. Boy, I sure made the wrong presumption!

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. Fuck Blair and his refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire

He's complicit in this killing. If he was here now, I'd smash his head into the monitor until the bastard got the message. He's cheerleading the murderers.

[Bhaisahab]

28. The Aussies are pulling their troops out.

From the same report:

Following the deaths of four UN observers in an Israeli air strike, Australia withdraws 12 UN peacekeepers, describing the prospect of sending an international force to Lebanon right now as a 'suicide mission'

Also this:

He (Mr Ramon) said that in order to prevent casualties among Israeli soldiers battling Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, villages should be flattened by the Israeli air force before ground troops move in.

SNIP

He added that Israel had given the civilians of southern Lebanon ample time to quit the area and therefore anyone still remaining there can be considered Hezbollah supporters.

"All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah," Mr Ramon said.

[LynnTheDem]

33. Good fucking grief...

He (Mr Ramon) said that in order to prevent casualties among Israeli soldiers battling Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, villages should be flattened by the Israeli air force before ground troops move in.

SNIP

He added that Israel had given the civilians of southern Lebanon ample time to quit the area and therefore anyone still remaining there can be considered Hezbollah supporters.

"All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah," Mr Ramon said.

:wow:

[Name removed]

30. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ghost Dog]

31. Be aware that the BBC is largely a Bliarite tool these days

(post-Dr. David Kelly).

Contrast with The Guardian's account: http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1831069,00.html

Frustration as summit fails to end conflict

For an immediate ceasefire: UN, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Jordan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Canada and Cyprus
Against: US and Britain.
Result: no immediate ceasefire

John Hooper in Rome, Ewen MacAskill and Jonathan Steele in Beirut
Thursday July 27, 2006
The Guardian

The split within the international community over the Lebanon war was clearly exposed yesterday when the US and Britain combined at a Rome summit to block a move by European and Arab countries to demand an immediate ceasefire.

In a frenetic last 90 minutes of the summit, Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, had to fend off a chorus of calls from foreign ministers demanding that she support a call for Israel and the Lebanese-based militia, Hizbullah, to declare a temporary truce. Her only ally at the conference was Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary.

<snip>

The conference ended with a statement fudging the ceasefire issue, with participants expressing "their determination to work immediately to reach with the utmost urgency a ceasefire", but going on to incorporate Washington's insistence that any cessation of hostilities be "lasting, permanent and durable".

The conference in Rome's foreign ministry was also attended by the UN, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, the European Union and the World Bank, as well as representatives from Lebanon. Israel was not invited nor were Iran and Syria, both backers of Hizbullah.

The meeting was scheduled to last two-and-a-half hours but it overran by 90 minutes because of the row over a ceasefire.

/more...

[Binka]

51. The BBC Had Their Night Of The Long Knives After Kelly

A major purge and lots of scapegoating all round. The quality of their reporting has suffered IMMENSELY! Damn shame too.

[LynnTheDem]

32. World leaders demand end to Israeli assaults

The world's most powerful nations united on Sunday to call for an immediate halt to Israeli military action in Lebanon and Gaza, an end to abductions and shelling by "extremist elements" and the deployment of an international presence on the Israel-Lebanon border.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/219577/1/.html

Doesn't sound like "world backs Lebanon offensive"...just like the world didn't join bush's "coalition of the willing", either.

Truth & reality don't exist much in either government.

[rodeodance]

34. sad but true. Condi had her first major failed summit.

[Ghost Dog]

37. And Condi knows it.

Big Dick's people will really have their knives out for her now.

[CoffeeCat]

52. I'm disgusted....can someone please tell me that...

this is not happening?

Israel is saying that the world gave them the green light to murder more babies--because Condi Rice stood firmly in cement against a cease-fire? She's the only damn one who wouldn't agree to a cease-fire, and Israel knows it.

So.......Was Condi sent to the Middle East to purposely stop a peace agreement?

This is so sick. SO SICK.

I don't understand why ONE country--ruled by a bunch of vicious thugs--has so much damn pull. There are many other countries--and many people inside the United States--who do not want this war. They want peace.

I hope the WORLD blames BushCo. I certainly hope the people of this country understand what BushCo has done. I hope that when they see the pictures of screaming, burnt babies and dead, innocent civilians---that they will understand the politics--and know that the United States is just as responsible as the people firing the rockets and dropping the bombs.

[donkeyotay]

65. Condi blocked the call for a ceasefire and Olmert calls it permission

I hope the rest of the world is pissed off about being used as a set prop.

Meanwhile, the difference in coverage of this and the "other" war in the ME could not be starker between the propaganda that Mercans see and what they can see if they even tune in to the BBC or DW. Our coverage has little blood, death and suffering and lots of excuses about how noble and inevitable this cause is. Freedom my ass. You're not free if the information you receive is controlled.

[Amonester]

70. I just want to say again that the world does, indeed, blame...

BushCo. The world (well: a BIG majority of the world) is not blind, and the world gets their news through their local "cable-news" (not all bought-and-paid-for by the New Klingon Imperial Neocon Federation yet...).

Rest assured, we know who the fascist crackpots aren't!

[mikelgb]

64. THEY DON'T HAVE MY PERMISSION!

motherfuckers

[Roland99]

69. Hmm....in what parallel universe?

[plasticsundance]

71. Why be surprised? Where was the outrage ...

When Menachem Begin and his Irgun terrorist cell attacked British soldiers in Palestine? Where was the outrage for massacre of Arabs at Deir Yassin? Where was the outrage for the Lavon affair:

The Lavon affair ("Esek Habish" - the shameful affair) was one of the most bizarre chapters in Israeli history. In 1954, the Israeli secret service set up a spy ring in Egypt, with the purpose of blowing up US and British targets. The operation was code-named "Susanah." The terrorist hits were to be blamed on the regime of Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser, with the purpose of alienating the US and Britain from Egypt and Nasser and somehow preventing Egyptian nationalization of the Suez canal. The ring was discovered. Strict censorship ensured that that the Israeli public officially knew little or nothing of the affair for many years. Names were not mentioned, the affair was called "Esek Bish" - the affair of shame, and key protagonists were referred to as "X" and "the third man." Unofficially and through leaks, most people knew at least the outlines of the affair.

... The arrest of the ring resulted in an affair that dominated Israeli politics for over a decade. Israel was embarrassed, as it had been caught trying to harm American and British interests for no reason and in instigating terror attacks against innocent targets. The spies who were not executed were left to rot in Egyptian jails. Meanwhile, a wave of persecution forced the emigration of tens of thousands of Jews from Egypt, leaving behind property, memories and roots. Investigations in Israel led to a trail of forged documents and perjured testimony, as everyone involved tried to implicate others. To all of the above would be added the ignominy of betrayal, as it became evident eventually that Israeli agent Avri Seidenberg (Avri Elad) had probably betrayed the operation to the Egyptians.

The Lavon Affair

Where was the outrage about Sharon role in war crimes committed against Lebanon in 1982:

An attempt by Palestinians to bring Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon before a Belgian court on charges of war crimes appears to have been thwarted. On February 14, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that past and present government leaders cannot be tried for war crimes by a foreign state because of their diplomatic immunity and can only be held to account in their own country.

Under a 1993 law, Belgium gave itself the right to try war crimes committed by anyone anywhere at any time. A Belgian judge was due to rule on March 6 whether a case against Sharon should go to trial, but a legal adviser to the Belgian government, Jan Devadder, said that the International Court of Justice “has clearly ruled government leaders and heads of state enjoy total immunity from prosecution. The Sharon case, in my opinion, is closed.”

Sharon’s war crimes in Lebanon: the record

Where's the outrage about Israel bulldozing Palestinian homes? Where's the outrage that Israel is defying 66 UN resolutions? Where's the outrage that Israel still occupies the Shebaa farmlands in Lebanon.

Israel has learned that it can get away with it.

[funnymanpants]

73. PLEASE READ ARTICLE! Israel advocates to war crimes!

Sorry, I usually don't use all caps, but the headline should read "Confidant to PM of Israel calls for flattening villages and killing civilians in south Lebanon."

(Mr Ramon) said that in order to prevent casualties among Israeli soldiers battling Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, villages should be flattened by the Israeli air force before ground troops moved in.

He added that Israel had given the civilians of southern Lebanon ample time to quit the area and therefore anyone still remaining there could be considered a Hezbollah supporter.

"All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah," Mr Ramon said.

(Edit: changed "admits" to "advocate.")

[goforit]

76. OMG!!! Permission from the world? WHATA joke!

[ananda]

77. Whoa, that is s o m e propaganda!

The news I heard and read was that the USA was the - only - country not calling for an immediate cease fire.

[zonkers]

81. Question: If Lebanon gov. would've condemned Hezbollah rockets & kidnap-

pings, would Israel have been able to bomb as indiscriminantly as they have without a real outcry from other nations?

[Ghost Dog]

84. Question: What Lebanon Gov?

This is the problem with laissez-fair anarchy (whether capitalist or otherwise)...

We all need, NEED, a strong, genuine UNITED NATIONS Government.