See this page for links to articles on OpEdNEws that articulate both sides on the issues in the middle east. It is the goal of OpEdNews to air opinions from both sides to stretch the envelope of discussion and communication. Hate statements are not accepted. Discussions of issues and new ideas for solutions are encouraged. .On July 20, the House of Representatives voted to endorse Israel's attacks on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip by a 410-8 margin. Thus exceeding the unity it showed when voting 296-133 to grant President Bush the authority to invade Iraq.
Meanwhile, not only is the Republican administration backed by Democrats on this, but a Jewish state is backed en masse by Christian Americans, not much of whose love is usually lost on Jews.* Democrats and Republicans, Jews and Christians have all rallied around the nation they consider our staunchest ally.
Then why is that warm and fuzzy feeling missing in action? The progressive opposition, however negligible, knows. To spell it out for those who don't, Daithi Mac Lochlainni quotes Agence France Presse at his crucial Gaelic Starover blog:
"The Israeli air force is under orders to blast 10 buildings in south Beirut, a Hizbullah stronghold, for every rocket the group fires at the Israeli port of Haifa, army radio said Monday."
The incomparable Ted Rall puts it in even starker terms. In September 1941, Adolf Hitler**, frustrated by resistance movements in countries Germany had invaded, "ordered that 50 civilians be executed for each German soldier killed." Rall continues:
"Now, as of this writing [July 18], more than 500 Lebanese civilians have been killed by Israeli bombs. On the Israeli side, 15 civilians have died in Hezbollah rocket attacks and 14 soldiers have been killed in combat.
Current ratio: 30-to-1."
That damned iron fist is just so unwieldy.
*The Christians most faithful to Israel are those who require its service as custodian of the Holy Land until the Rapture. Afterwards of course they'll be "left behind" to fight it out with the infidel Muslim hordes.
**If mentioning the policies of Hitler and Israel in the same breath reeks of heresy, kindly refrain from emailing me. Save it for Ted Rall (who, conveniently, screens his email).
