This is posted at www.counterpunch.org

Nothing Good Can Come from This War
Is Beirut Burning?
By URI AVNERY
Tel Aviv.
(excerpt)

"Now it is not a secret anymore: this war has been planned for a long time. The military correspondents proudly reported this week that the army has been exercising for this war in all its details for several years. Only a month ago, there was a large war game to rehearse the entrance of land forces into South Lebanon - at a time when both the politicians and the generals were declaring that "we shall never again get into the Lebanon quagmire. We shall never again introduce land forces there." Now we are in the quagmire, and large land forces are operating in the area.

The other side, too, has been preparing this war for years. Not only did they build caches of thousands of missiles, but they have also prepared an elaborate system of Vietnam-style bunkers, tunnels and caves. Our soldiers are now encountering this system and paying a high price. As always, our army has treated "the Arabs" with disdain and discounted their military capabilities.

That is one of the problems of the military mentality. Talleyrand was not wrong when he said that "war is much too serious a thing to be left to military men." The mentality of the generals, resulting from their education and profession, is by nature force-oriented, simplistic, one-dimensional, not to say primitive. It is based on the belief that all problems can be solved by force, and if that does not work - then by more force.

That is well illustrated by the planning and execution of the current war. This was based on the assumption that if we cause terrible suffering to the population, they will rise up and demand the removal of Hizbullah. A minimal understanding of mass psychology would suggest the opposite. The killing of hundreds of Lebanese civilians, belonging to all the ethno-religious communities, the turning of the lives of the others into hell, and the destruction of the life-supporting infrastructure of Lebanese society will arouse a groundswell of fury and hatred - against Israel, and not against the heroes, as they see them, who sacrifice their lives in their defense"

So - it looks like Israel is doing the same idiotic things in Lebanon that the US did in Iraq - "shock and awe" didn't have the effect Rummy hoped for - yes, "mistakes were made". Mea culpa - and too bad about all them dead folks. Somehow, I don't think the Iraqis or the Lebanese are going to 'get over it' anytime soon. What do they call this? Blowback? Pissing into the wind? FUBAR?

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a shred, or actually some shrapnel

JERUSALEM - Shrapnel from an Israeli artillery shell was extracted from a young Palestinian wounded in a deadly Gaza beachfront explosion earlier this month, an Israeli television report said Monday.

The privately-owned Channel 10 report cited medical sources whose findings contradicted Israel's official version of events that the explosion which killed eight Palestinian civilians was not caused by Israeli artillery.

The shrapnel was removed from a 12-year-old boy who was wounded on the beach on June 9 and then transported to a hospital in southern Israel for medical treatment, it said.

Governments lie, they have always lied, and they always will. whether jew or gentile.

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Hmm. So shelling begins on the post in the early morning. After which the UN starts contacting the Israeli army to ask it to stop bombing. Instead, shelling continues until around, what?, 7pm, after which a precision guided (American built) missile levels the small complex. This specific outpost in question has been in Lebanon for literally years on end and is clearly marked on every single Israeli military map.

Now, clearly there is no evidence that it was deliberate. But then, given the nature of military orders - i.e. me shouting at you to do something - and the fact that the levels of beurocracy are refreshingly small (ironic given it's the one industry where completing everything in triplicate would be beneficial for everyone), exactly what kind of proof do you think you will find?

Besides, if it's not deliberate then, given the details stated in my first paragraph, clearly they are far too incompetent to manage such dangerous munitions.

PS Your racist undertones honestly turned my stomach.

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Remarkable. This has got to be a spoof. No one could seriously write something that divorced from reality and not be out to get laughs.

For the record:

The IDF knew exactly where that UN bunker was. It's been there for years. It's on the maps.

The UN observers sheltering in it contacted the IDF 10 times to tell them that they were being shelled. 10 times the IDF responded that they were very sorry and it wouldn't happen again.

The Irish officer appointed as liason between the UN force and the IDF forces on the ground doing the shelling contacted the attackers 6 times to tell them that they were targetting unarmed observers.

The IDF stoped shelling the bunker with mortars, and instead sent a guided missile right through the bunker's viewport to kill everyone inside.

But there's not a shred of evidence that this was done deliberately.

Like I said. Remarkable.


Oh, and not to put too fine a point on it. The only people claiming that a Palestinian mine, rather than Israeli shelling, was responsible for the murder of that family on Gaza beach are the Israeli military and Government spokesmen. After initially apologising, they held a really, really quick 'investigation' and concluded, oh so very conveniently, that it was those evil Palestinians who did it.

Needless to say, everyone else who has gone to the trouble of actually visiting the site and investigating the damage has concluded that it wasn't a mine, it was a shell fired from an Israeli gunship, at civillians, which is a war-crime.

But please, don't let the facts mess with that spaced-out little head of yours. You were getting off on screaming "Jew Hater!!!!" into the faces of everyone who lacks your Pavlovian response to Israeli war-crimes. Knock yourself out, just don't make the mistake of thinking that there's anyone with eyes to see and ears with which to hear who can fail to understand exactly where you're coming from.

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Yeah those jew haters always jumping to conclusions.

http://billmon.org/archives/002568.html

If you let killers investigate themselves how often do you reckon they'll find themselves guilty ?

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This time the weapons are more technologically advanced (an entire city block is erased in a single strike); our sense of humanity, however, has failed to keep pace.

This time, via the Internet, we are able to hear, see and feel the anguish of our brother and sister human beings, - to feel with them the incomprehensibility of such acts in the 21st century.

This time there is a sense of the entire levelling of cities and towns and those who dwell there, as being of no consequence to the machine-minds guiding the process along the inexorable route to the next stage of their "game".
www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/
10962352/iran_the_next_war

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This diary sheds a great deal of light on this situation.
Short synopsis:
Israel was shooting at Hezbollah emplacements that were very close to the U.N. base. They tried to prove how accurate they were, and succeeded for 7 days. Then they screwed up.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/27/12626/3982

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Breaking News -
From today's NY SUN.
http://www.nysun.com/article/36860?page_no=1

A Canadian U.N. observer, one of four killed at a UNIFIL position near the southern Lebanese town of Khiyam on Tuesday, sent an e-mail to his former commander, a Canadian retired major-general, Lewis MacKenzie, in which he wrote that Hezbollah fighters were "all over" the U.N. position, Mr. MacKenzie said. Hezbollah troops, not the United Nations, were Israel's target, the deceased observer wrote.

Hess-von Kruedener wrote about heavy IDF artillery and aerial bombardment "within 2 meters of our position." The Israeli shooting, he added, "has not been deliberate targeting, but has rather been due to tactical necessity."

Mr. MacKenzie, who once commanded the U.N. troops in Bosnia, told the CBC. "What he was telling us was Hezbollah fighters were all over his position and the IDF were targeting them, and that's a favorite trick by people who don't have representation in the U.N. They use the U.N. as shields knowing that they cannot be punished for it."

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UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a statement late on Wednesday condemning a deadly Israeli attack on a U.N. observer post in Lebanon after the United States blocked language that appeared critical of Israel.

During a daylong debate, council members made numerous changes to a text put forward by China, which lost one of the four officers killed in the attack.
Their patience ran out when Washington demanded the deletion of language condemning "any deliberate attack against U.N. personnel."

Qatar, the council's sole Arab member, then said it needed time to consult with its government overnight, and the deliberations adjourned until Thursday morning. A policy statement needs the approval of all 15 council members.

China's U.N. ambassador, Wang Guangya, called for a strong statement of condemnation after an Israeli air attack destroyed the U.N. post in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing peacekeepers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland.

The attack prompted U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to ask Israel to investigate what he termed the "apparently deliberate targeting" of the U.N. observer post.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, while expressing "deep sorrow" over the deaths and agreeing to an investigation, voiced shock at the suggestion the attack was deliberate.

Wang acknowledged it was important to preserve council unity but said the council had to show its concern for the safety of U.N. peacekeepers.

Asked whether the U.S. position might affect China's attitude toward American efforts for a resolution on Iran's nuclear program, now under negotiation, Wang indicated there might be some spillover.

"I think that all members will reflect, on what lessons, if there are any, (can be) learned from this episode," Wang said.

China's initial draft called for an immediate end to the fighting in Lebanon and referred to the "apparently deliberate targeting" of the U.N. troops by Israel.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said there was no evidence the attack was deliberate, and Wang agreed to take out the two phrases at a very early stage.

Hours later, U.S. envoy Molly Phee said the United States wanted language deleted expressing the council's condemnation of "any deliberate attack against U.N. personnel."

Phee filled in for Bolton who was in Washington preparing for a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday on his nomination as U.N. ambassador.

(Additional reporting by Evelyn Leopold)

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I criticise Zimbabwe for their terrible abuses. Does this make me racist and anti-black?

I criticise Uzbekistan for the torture and abuse it causes. Does this prove some racial bias on my part?

I criticise many countries for the pain and damage they cause. For disproportionate actions, for people killed needlessly and for people suffering who need not suffer. Israel is one of these countries - the fact that they have a large jewish population does not make them immune to such criticism or from people being angered and saddened by their actions.

By using the anti-semiticism charge you help no-one but the anti-semites. You rob the term of all meaning and give the REAL anti-semites a smoke screen to work behind. When a real bigoted, vile anmti-semite speaks up and we label him as what he is it means nothing - because you have destroyed the term anti-semite, you have abused and misused the term by flinging it around carelessly and rendered it useless in labelling those who truly spout hate.

I am sure the neo-nazis and their ilk thank you, but it would be short sighted of any Jew or Israeli to do so.

Far Sight

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Jew haters don't go on evidence.

This is just such tired, old, shabby propaganda. You're slipping, thinkprogress. They could have used you in World War II, either the British or the Germans. Both were fond of demonising the enemy using two-dimensional caricatures, in order to inflame hatred and stiffen resolve. Been going on for over a century, actually.

So please take your 19th century agit-prop somewhere where the folks are more likely to appreciate it. Although I can't imagine where that is. If you wish to join the adults here, then learn to discuss issues using skills such as reasoning and logic.

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http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?
SectionID=107&ItemID=10643

As usual link has been split to permit posting it.

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They have a long history of attacking witnesses to their activities.

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There will come a time when someone in America will stand up and say that the days of U.S.A.'s blind support and welfare support of Israel is at an end. Unfortunately, that day will probably be after a much crueler and wider war than what is going on now at the hands of the Neocons and their Israeli counterparts disguised as a war against terrorism. It is a crusade and a holy war.
America First! I am not an Israeli and I do not support my taxdollars going to fund Israel and its wars of Occupation and agression. I do not want Israeli agents in AIPAC spying on my country. I do not want U.S. politicians turning as blind eye to the crimes against humanity that our military commits in Iraq or that Israel commits in Lebanon or against the Palestinians. We are not Nazi Germany. Speak up!

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The incident makes for good politics but unfortunately, it is just irrelevant. One statistic every body should keep in mind is; Americans killed by friendly fire Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Iraq 2. If you are under the delusion that, there really are smart bombs you have never been in combat. Remember behind every smart bomb there is one stupid person. War games are what the military plays until it can find a real war. Remember the movie “the only winning move is not to play”. There has been progress since 1949 when Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq had the first cessation of violence. Now it is Hezbollah, Palestinians, and Israel left in the game. If after this round Hezbollah can be eliminated, the Palestinians and Israel can duke it out for a while. However, they may have a chance to find a solution. Personally, I would like a Republic of Palestine solution. States made up of Israel, Gaza, West Bank, and the Goland Heights. Without economic equality in the area, war is inevitable. The two-state solution makes it a lot harder to establish economic equality. What do I know, I like Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan.

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Norman Finklstein's latest book 'Beyond Chutzpah - The Misuse of Antisemitism, and the Abuse of History' is a must read for anyone sick of hearing the baseless charges of antisemitism....
Zionists have been using the charge of antisemitism to supress any logical criticism of policies of the Apartheid colony of Israel in the main stream media...Fortunately the more these charges are thrown around the less credible they become!

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Here they go again! The "Progressives" I mean. They keep running off their constituencies and are left wondering why they can't win elections and why so many folks despise them.

First, back in the 1960's, the Progressives ( some used to call them Yankees, later communists!) decided that all Southern People specifically the whites were all racists, and needed to be told so. Hmmmm, I wonder why the South went from being a Democrat stronghold to one of nearly total Republican dominance? Howard Dean certainly couldn't figure it out, ever since he made his comment down South where he basically said," it ain't about God, guns and gays" and got booed by the crowd.

Then, in the early 1980's the Progressives decided that since the evangelical Christians were voicing their opposition of their tax dollars being used to fund the very abortions that they found abhorent, that they must be held up before all to see with the most virulent contempt, and smeared in the Progressive press with anecdotes such as, " Those people are really closeted sex fiends and child molesters!" Funny, ain't it? Before 1980, the voting demographics of the evangelical Christians were similar to the rest of the U.S. population; that is, no political party held a "lock" on their votes. Well that sure isn't true anymore, is it?

Now, turn to 2006 and the Progressives are spewing forth a very old sort of venom wrapped up in new garb against another of their constituency groups. That old venom is no less than anti-semitism, and the current group is no less than American Jews. All I can say boys is keep it up! When the Jews take their votes and their very lush campaign contributions over to the Republican Party, the Democrat Party will be totally fucked!

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Posting at 12:05am? Are you stalking this website? Too bad you lost this time - you only got the second place post, LOSER!!!

Damn, you need to get a girlfriend, boyfriend, inflatable doll, or WHATEVER gets you off to keep you occupied at midnight instead of pounding out facsist, neocon remarks on your computer keyboard. I, for one, (and I'm sure the rest of the posters on Alternet) would appreciate it if you could release some of that tension that comes (no pun intended!) screaming out of your EVERY comment. I got an idea! Give Frankenfurter a call - he'll help you "relieve your sexual tensions". ;)

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Found this:

"This week I had the pleasure to appear on American radio, on the Laura Ingraham show, pitted against David Horowitz, a “Semite supremacist” who most recently made his name under the banner of Campus Watch, leading McCarthyite witch-hunts against American professors who have the impertinence to suggest that maybe, just maybe, Arabs have minds and feelings like the rest of us.

It was a revealing experience, at least for a British journalist rarely exposed to the depths of ignorance and prejudice in the United States on Middle East matters -- well, apart from the regular whackos who fill my email in-tray. But five minutes of listening to Horowitz speak, and the sympathy with which his arguments were greeted by Laura (“The Professors -- your book’s a great read, David”), left me a lot more frightened about the world’s future."

Full article by Jonathan Cook at:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?
SectionID=107&ItemID=10643

As usual link has been split to permit posting it.

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I busted "thinkprogress" a couple of days ago with this proof, using his own "evidence against him and providing updated material! Check it out:

Russianblue1: Some of the sites listed below have reporting on them that is older than the June 13th date in the CNN story you cite. Also, the CNN story you cite, in the second paragraph, states "However, in Gaza, the group Human Rights Watch said the evidence it has been able to gather suggests that a 155 mm artillery shell, like the type used by the Israeli military, was responsible." As investigations move forward, you must take the new evidence and adjust your opinion.

usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-14-gaza-blast_x.htm

thinkprogress response: You can take the word of the terrorist animals who strap bombs to their children and believe you get 72 virgins for killing Jews if you would like.

But is is pretty amazing they 'knew' it was an israeli shell seconds after it occured. Must be the power of Allah.


Personally, I thought it was pretty funny he labels USA Today a "terrorist animal"!!!

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"At least 10 ambulances have been hit in Israeli air strikes, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen civilian passengers – many on their way to the hospital."

The vehicles were "clearly marked by the medical emblem and flashing lights that were visible at a great distance."

www.antiwar.com/glantz/?articleid=9410

www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/
0,21985,19918297-5005961,00.html

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Facts of history support Annan's assertion that the attack was deliberate.
Ignorant people need to google "King David Hotel" , "Lavon Affair" , and "USS Liberty".
Those sure are some incredible (meaning : not credible) allies that the USA and Britian have in Zionist Israel!!!!

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As tempting as it is to give these knee-jerk pro zionist cyber cretins the toungue lashings that they so clearly deserve, it is probably a better strategy to ignore them. Otherwise, you end up with these long meandering flames than fill up space and distract from the thread of intelligent commentary.

I am as guilty as anyone here of falling prey to the tempation to whack them verbally. But, they cannot be reasoned with, are impervious to argument, tone-deaf to either moral suation or ridicule. They just want to provoke someone into an angry response that they will then hold up as evidence of anti-Semitism. I say - let them stew in their own lubricant.

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Look. This is simple. The dividing line between the Jewish left and the rest of the left in this country and in Israel is going to be this:

Whether or not someone, in all good conscience, can accept the fascist unilateral genocidal actions of "their" government, and all the utter bullshit and lies those governments spew and millions they spend to by the mass media to convince people of those lies and bullshit that war is necessary and killing is OK "because the other side started it first."

BOTH governments of the US and Israel are fascist: BOTH governments of the US and Israel start and fight moneyminting wars of conquest for their economies and economic windfall for the elite; BOTH governments of the US and Israel attack their own people to mobilize the population for their endless wars against an enemy that can never be won, "terrorism", because each attack creates more enemy EXPONENTIALLY. It's not about ending terrorism and forging peace; it's about RAPING MONEY FROM TAXPAYERS in an ENDLESS SCAM.

Both governments of the US and Israel are not democratically elected governments, but are run by military/offense contracting cabals that merely revolve puppet leaders with the real power being concentrated in secondary and tertiary offices, that control the vote through HACKED VOTING TALLIES.

The US and Israel ARE the Nazi Germany and Italy of today, only with a differnet target, and more power and firepower than those countries could ever have dreamed of in their wildest, sickest imaginations. And with a more horrific goal than merely taking over the world: TO NEVER WIN THEIR WARS, BUT NOT LOSE THEM EITHER; JUST HAVE THE GRAVY TRAIN of DEATH AND DESTRUCTION OF INNOCENT PEOPLE GO ON INDEFINITELY.

And no, the Israeli people are no more responsible for the fascist actions of their governments than are the American people... anyone believing the 90% polls supporting Israel's current action has got mush for brains, because their polls are even more rigged than US polls.

So let's stop infighting amongst ourselves. The enemy is not Hamas, or Hezbollah, nor "the vast Jewish conspiracy", nor THE INNNOCENT MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN OF LEBANON.

The enemy is our own governments; let us NEVER FORGET THIS AND STAND TOGETHER AGAINST THEM.

How do we do this without impossible-to-win revolution?

Not terrorism of our own. Terrorism plays right into the enemy's hands, allowing their endless crusade to go on forever.

No, by taking a page from Ghandi. BY LAYING DOWN ALL OUR ARMS, EVERY LAST ONE OF US, AND REFUSING TO KILL.

EVER.

If we do not do this, mark my words; these bastards WILL END THE WORLD, and far sooner than anyone thinks POSSIBLE.

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But when has proof stopped a Arab hater?

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I may have missed it but I have yet to hear CNN ( I assume FOX hasn't mentioned it either because they are more one sided than CNN) mention UN resolution 242. I have heard 1559 batted around to point out Hezbollah's need to disarm. That is very unlikely to happen when the Shiites of the Middle East compare them with the gangsters that rule Egypt, Jordan and otherdictators we support. The people of Lebanon see them as standing up to an Isreal armed to the teeth with our weapons. Of course Hezbollah is just as bad. They just can't kill as effeciently as Isreal. The Middle East is indeed turning into Armaggdon and we are in the middle.

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For the first time, well, ever, the United Nations blue tops have engaged in a fire fight. After decades of standing down in the face of horrible atrocities and grinding their teeth under a no shoot mandate, finally in Southern Lebanon, a collective of UN troops has engaged in real combat.
Sadly, due to their over arching "never shoot anyone for any reason, including a Rwandan literally in mid machete mayhem covered in the blood of children" (the preceding in actual verbage from the Rwanda mandate) they didn't even know they were involved.
The UN has declared the battle a victory, because even though suffering a 100% casualty rate, the UN troops did not stray from their orders one iota, proving to the world that no matter what, they are duty bound and honorable above all else.
In other news, Kofi Annan (known by UN subordinates as "Coffee On Him"...meant of course in a clear jest about his name and fully rejecting any racial interpretations-this is documentably true lest you berate me for inventing it)
has declared that the UN will respond to the horrific act by the Israelis with proportionate force. He said "Doggon it, we are going to, going to, ohhh, we are gonna get really mad and I may even say so at a press conference". Later after a cooling off period suggested by the benevolent leaders of Myanmar and Cambodia, the Secretary General decided that response was disproportionate to the act perpetrated and he remained calm and quiet.
Kofi has recalled several middle managers from Africa, one suffering minor injuries after being pryed off a child with a crowbar.
It gets worse....

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It is long past time that Alternet exercised some responsibility and deleted the rants of professional hate mongers like the so-called "Thinkprogress".

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1. Are you trying to claim these events did not happen?
2. I am not a Stormfront nazi or a white supremacist. However, your squealings of "anti-semite" or "nazi" do not bother me at all. I am not an "anti-semite" (an abuse of the real definition of semite, since arabs are semites too), and apolagists for Israel are damaging their own position by calling everyone who criticizes their behaviour a Nazi or an "anti-semite". If they keep it up, they will make "anti-semite" a respectable term. That said, I am not a "philo-semite" either. Israelis and Jews are just humans like everyone else, and most of the time humans are just plain assholes.

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Pure Evil

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You know, I’m far from being a Jew hater. I am a native New Yorker, a city which has a huge Jewish population. I was educated until 14 years old by mostly Jewish teachers. Gee, my mother went out her way to make sure that I had abundant exposure to Jewish literature. She went out of her way to tell me that Jewish people were very "good people". From the entire All-of-a -Kind Family to Philip and Henry Roth, you have no idea how much Jewish literature and non-fiction I have consumed. Not to mention the Seders that I have attended. Why do you bandy those words around so lightly? How do you know who is a Jew Hater? Why don't you admit that that's what you call anybody who disagrees with you?

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Because it's not an observation, it's a weapon.

And the sick thing is, the more they misuse it to try and stiffle debate, the weaker it becomes. Calling someone an "anti-semite" should actually mean something. In the mouths of these jokers, it just becomes another groundless slur that can be brushed off with an angry snarl.

Give it a few posts and they'll be claiming that 'The Left' deliberately de-legitimised the term by complaining about it so much.

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Kofi Annan is catching heat for his comments on the deaths of four UN blue helmets. Whether he realizes it or not, Annan must show courage and stand by his remarks. Deliberate? Some have said so. The bombing is nonstop. People are killed on both sides.
Israel has understimated Hezbollah, whose weaponry was purchased from Russia, France, England and the United States. And we all know where Israel's arms came from. (Hint: NOT from Wal-Mart.)
The world is powerless to stop this macabre.
As the old saying goes-"an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
No one is willing to send peacekeeping troops into no-man's land to act as target practice between the two factions. The USA surely won't , because of what happened in 1982. We're tied down in Iraq.
So who will stop the fighting? We might as well sit on the sidelines until both Lebanon and Israel all kill each other. I hope this will not occur.

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According to a UN soldier at the bombed post Hezbollah was 'all over' the UN position. It is now clear the terrorist animals were using the UN soldiers as a human shield, since they are not part of the UN they knew there would be no consequences.

It is a war crime to use human shields.

Read for yourselves:
http://www.nysun.com/article/36860?page_no=1

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This attack in Lebenon is not just some chance event. Neither is killing UN people on the ground. The UN is in the way of the US and it's interests in that area of the world. We want control. We can't openly engage Syria or Iran without becomming the 'Aggressor Nation' folks have been calling us for more than 20 years. So we get on of our 'biznuss' partners to do it. Isreal wants alot form us,owes alot to us,so we pulled their string. Syria will do a slow burn and after a while will attack Isreal, Isreal fights back,Iran get involed,we get involved and from the Indian Ocean to the Dead Sea it will be burnt bodies,exploded vehicles,shelled homes and ruined lives.
Yes they killed the UN boys on purpose. Yes they want to burn the Earth, Yes their Greed makes them feel superior
and that's why they do it.
Just take joy in the fact that more of their wart coverd,wrinkle encrusted asses die on their gold covered toilets everyday,then we could make bullets for.

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I see the above posts with the usual cries of anti-semitism when somebody points out Israeli aggression. Can't they get off the same old saw? Well, regardless, I think we should see that Israel was sending a very clear message in attacking the UN Post. First off, Kofi Annan was calling for a cease-fire and next he was criticizing Israeli over-reaction in Lebanon. The attack on the UN Post was a message for Kofi and the UN. And, he understood right away, this is why he labled it on purpose. I think Israel is giving lip service to the idea, by the way, of an International Peacekeeper Force, they most likely intend to reoccupy at least Southern Lebanon. The other strategy is to demolish the infrastructure as a way to drive off the civilian population, which will make an occupation much easier. The plan is obvious.

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Who knows the truth anymore about the abominations taking place in the Middle East? To lose such valuable human beings as these courageous UN workers for any reason at all is a terrible sadness to the world. Whether or not this terrible situation has religious roots, certainly followers of the three Abrahamic religions represented are responsible for the current reign of terror--totally responsible for these dreadful weapons raining down on people (such beautiful little children!) whose escape has been made difficult if not impossible. How can anyone instigating or supporting such awful mischief claim to be a civilized human being with a conscience? Whether or not this conflict has roots in religious delusions, or any other delusions, the three Abrahamic religions involved give very clear directives as to how their followers are to treat other human beings. I think somewhere in the Old Testament we are told that "the Earth is the Lord's, the Earth and they that dwell therein." What is this madness over territory that has been used by many, many of God's children since time immemorial? I hear the blather of people who think the ten commandments should be posted in every American public building--but do they even know what they say? As I recall one of them states "Thou shalt not kill?" What could be clearer? Jesus instructed us to love our neighbors and gave examples of compassion and caring in his story of the good Samaritan. He goes so far as to tell us to turn the other cheek to ignorant indignities. The incomparable Sermon on the Mount should leave no doubt as to how Christians should conduct their lives. Shame! Shame on all of us!

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It seems that the UN post WAS targeted deliberately! Isreal just admitted that the coordinates were given by it's troops on the ground "accidentaly" and it WAS DELIBERATELY TARGETTED, but they "didn't mean to kill UN personel"

It seems that Isreali military personel have this odd condition that makes them think that rocket propeled ordinance has no detrimental effect on human life! Obviously if it does, they feel their heartfelt ignorance of the effect of their own munitions should excuse them from any and all culpability.

By the way, "think progress", "can't-serve-asaurus", and what ever other "trolls de jour" are lurking around out there today, I'm not a "Jew hater" and I refuse to be baited into your little hate-fest!

I only speak when I have something to say! And I just said it!

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Looks like someone is afraid of hearing from the other side.

My post was respectful and followed the Alternet guidelines which I agreed to when I created my account.

It is just a matter of time before they cancel my account.

What is funny is that Alternet has a story on the frontpage about how some protesters were kicked out of a hannity event. Alternet rips them for not allowing free speech.

Well, talk about hypocrisy! LOL!!!

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Has everyone forgotten the American Flagship that was attacked by Israel in the Syrian assault. UN Post or Ship, what's the difference to the israeli military planners...

jmc

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I am reposting this comment at 5 am because I am not in CST, I am 9 hours ahead of you.

This is not the time for picayune bickering. This is a question of protecting the mechanisms that we have put into place to maintain and encourage World Peace. Arabs and Jews are only two peoples on a planet bustling with ethnic diversity. All ethnicities deserve a fair chance to reach their full potential. China alone has reported 2400 ethnic groups. Can we afford to focus on any one group to the detriment of another?

The Earth is 4 billion years old. Human beings are only 100 millions old. We have many, many years ahead of us together before our time together is finished. Peaceable coexistence is our only hope. We can not let the Arabs-Jew or Middle Eastern conflict undermine peacekeeping and peace-building structures that can, will and does benefit billions of human beings worldwide. Civilized people can't afford to be dominated by war and violence. We have to do everything we can to further World Peace. For the moment, the UN is our best bet. It is the only arena that by definition encourages cooperation between nations. If UN Peacekeeper and Truce Observers, who risk their lives so that all of us can attain peace, are not protected, then the entire World Peace effort is placed in jeopardy. The murder of the 4 UN employees is a heinous act which must, must, must be condemned, no matter which country is humiliated in doing so. World peace takes precedence over nationalistic chauvinism.

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These UN observers sitting in the middle of a bombing zone for several days and doing nothing. Why did they not get the hell out of there? There is an anti terrorist attack going on, what else was being observed? As they had been there for a long time they must have known or seen what Hezzbola was doing.

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Look, the observers were there because they were suppose to be there, in accordance with international agreements. Israeli wanted them out, but why? What were they going to see that Israel did not want them to see? How would they interfere with Israeli plans for occupation of the area? Let's also get off the simplisitic notion that Israel is some kind of benign actor and a victim in this entire drama. They have kidnapped and murdered at least as much, if not more than Hezballah. They took land to began with that was never there own and used terrorism to seize it. Now, because of the Holocaust, its all suppose to be ok. Last I checked the Holocaust was in the 1940's with the Germans, just what did the Palastenians and Arabs have to do with than anyway? Why should they pay?

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In Iraq, the US Marines were supposedly told "kill every male of mlitary age." In Israel, to get one "terrorist", Israel does not mind if a couple dozen civilian Palestinians also go up in smoke. But you won't see a video of this. Nor will you see a video of Mosaad assasins or CIA extraditions for torture. Let's get off the hypocrisy.

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Israel is the agitator to force a response from Iran. Once Iran is involved, Big Brother US (pun intended) will muscle in. As the Middle East turns into complete chaos, the US gov't will continue eroding rights at home by caging demonstrators, pressuring Amazon to drop the book "America Deceived" by E.A. Blayre III and illegally wire-tapping phones. Soon after, another false-flag attack (like 9/11) will occur on US soil and the masses will beg for the 'safety' of One World Gov't.
Final link (before Google Books caes to gov't pressure):
America Deceived - Book

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Mitch Prothero writing in Salon

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The soldiers fighting for Israel, like the soldiers fighting for the US in Iraq, they are victims themselves in these wars and battles. They are just being used by those in power to accomplish some objective, like access to oil fields, natural resources, markets or some kind of related objective. They are all being fed on the lies of chivalry, on the lies of machismo and fake manhood, while their countries feed them into the meat grinder. They are nothing at all to the Chairman of Conoco-Phillips, the shareholders of Exxon or the US President. On the fields of Vietnam thousands of US military personel learned this, they learned it the hard way, and they came home broken hearted, disillusioned and ruined. Now we see it starting again, the same old cycle, the lies from government and corporations. Can't people see thru it. It started with Iraq remember as a fight because of WMD's, next because Sadaam was a really bad guy, and lastly for so-called democracy. Meanwhile Halliburton and Blackwater moved in to rake away millions.
Israeli soldiers are being used the same way. Fed on lies, myths of some kind of super soldier, ruined when the reality of being a baby killer hits home. How sad.

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Here is the only thing on the topic I have found. The quote is from the first link and the second link is where the Israeli government spokesperson says they would not deliberately target the UN. One contradicts the other.

"Meanwhile, a top Israeli general said for the first time that the military had deliberately -- but accidentally -- hit a United Nations outpost Tuesday. The attack killed four unarmed peacekeepers.

Brig. Gen. Shuki Shahar, the deputy chief of the military's Northern Command, said soldiers in the field had accidentally called in the coordinates of the U.N. base and that the airstrike had been approved up the chain of command.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had suggested Tuesday that the military had targeted the outpost deliberately. Israeli leaders rejected that allegation, but Shahar's initial findings indicate that the military did strike the base deliberately, even if it wasn't an intentional attempt to kill peacekeepers."

Israel deliberately but accidentally hit UN post, approved up chain of command

“no commander would deliberately target UN or civilians” according to Israeli Foreign minister

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Conspiracy theorists come on down!!! Our problem today is for the anti-semitic paranoids to discover some logical reason why one of those pointless UN observation posts (you know, the ones that never observed anything, ever) got hit with bombs. Notice that the paranoids never admit to human error. The question is why in the world any Israeli plane
would waste a bomb on a UN post when the enemy was a stone's throw away. What's the point? Answer - there is no point and it's obviouly the last thing Israeli forces wanted to happen. The implied claim that Israel somehow gained something is shown to be patently absurd by the results of the action. I predict that logic will not prevent the anti-Semites from deducing some hidden purpose, no matter how silly it may seem. Guys flying at 600 knots on the deck always hit their targets. Sure they do.
Second question - why did Kofi Anon make loud complaints? Was it to cover up the failure of the UN to remove its non-combat observer personnel from an obviously confused battleground? The blame for any UN casualties lies squarely on the head of the "leader" who so obviously failed to protect his workers. Kofi can be considered as both a fool and a
murderer. He should have been dressed down both by the US and Britain, the only countries that don't seem to be frightened by the threats of the Arab terrorists. THe UN's leader has once again shown his true colors by criticizing Isreal for responding to a terrorist rocket attack. Sixteen days of rockets falling on Israeli soil and Kofi doesn't open his mouth. Kofi needs to be impeached and then perhaps jailed for past criminal acts. Kofi and ethics or morals is an oxymoron. He is a puppet of the Arab terrorist groups, with whom he strongly identifies.

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For the last quarter century, America’s annual aid has averaged $3 billion to Israel’s 6 million people.

Aid to Israel, unlike quarterly aid distributed to other nations, goes in one lump to their General Fund, where they collect the interest. From there, it is increasingly used to update the world’s perhaps fourth strongest military, quell Palestinian unrest, establish or fortify segregated settlements, and build walls and private Israeli roads. To many world citizens, this use of American tax dollars is seen in its kindest terms as “segregation.”

Using America’s history to end generations of Israel Palestine bloodshed
The spiraling of worldwide terror emanates from Holy Land hatreds. America’s history offers the graceful answer.
The CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 (CRA) empowered the United States to:
• Prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs.”
It didn’t end discrimination. It needed to rely on another tool.
The BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION CASE OF 1954 (BBE) legislated:
• "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
While these acts were taking hold in the 1950s & 60s, we grew a literate middle class that schooled and played together to eradicate the too prevalent diseases of narrow mindedness, bigotry, and racial violence.
How can America help end generations of Israeli Palestinian bloodshed, growing fundamentalist antipathy, spiraling terror, and make the world safer and smarter?

In Palestine, there is one university, in Israel 8. In 2001 about 50,000 Palestinian students could not get to school, at least 3 schools were occupied by Israeli soldiers and turned into military camps; over 2,000 students were injured and 137 killed on their way to or from school; many schools had no or few textbooks. The Director of Libraries for Peace says not one library functions in Palestine. In 2006, the situation has not improved.

The world needs an administration that attaches our nation’s healthy history to our economic exchanges with Israel and Palestine.

Image how much safer the next generation would be hearing these words from an American President:

“Kids who school, play, and grow together don’t throw stones or bombs at each other. Kids who hang out together erase dangerous ignorances and hatreds. Instead, they build their nation’s vitality, economy, and character.

“Today we call on Israel and Palestine to pick dozens of parcels of land or existing school sites that straddle the walls and roads now separating Israelis and Palestinians. Then, you must establish an organizing committee with chairs for Israelis, Palestinians, world educators, American Peace Corps, and NGO leaders. Have that committee draw up plans for turning these chosen sites into state of the art, fully integrated schools, recreational facilities, and a university.

“These schools and recreational sites will be designed and staffed to be among the world’s best. Their students will be supported by a 20 year escrowed scholarship account established to help underwrite the future education of graduates of these schools.

“America’s 2005 Israel aid budget will be restructured, based on the hard lessons we learned from civil wars, lynchings, burnings, and violence...
“Next year 10% of our Israel aid, or roughly $300 million, will be escrowed to this policy alone. We know education and integration works. We have learned warring and segregating doesn’t.

“Move quickly on implementing this cost effective and safety enhancing program, since we anticipate proposing further such foreign aid budget shifts in the future.”

“Golda Meier once said, ‘The fighting will stop when both sides decide they love their children more than they love death.’ ..

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