The US State Department wants to clear the record. America, and the world, has not given Israel a green light to continue bombing Lebanon:
“The US is sparing no efforts to bring a durable and lasting end to this conflict.”
-Whitehouse spokesman Adam Ereli (link)
[The above statement made as the US had a rush delivery of precision-guided bombs en-route to aid Israel in its attacks on Lebanon.] (link)
Let’s be honest - the single driving belief behind fifty years of US Middle Eastern foreign policy is the racist notion that Israelis (especially Jews) are more valuable than Arabs (especially Muslims). I personally believe it’s a combination of the powerful Zionist lobby, mixed with some dangerous right-wing Christian fundamentalist eschatology. No matter how many hundreds, or thousands of civilians end up dying in
Every single day across the Middle East – in
This latest Israeli incursion into
So now they’re fighting Hezbollah and we’re to believe that after the IDF bombs 3 airports, 62 bridges, 3 dams/ports, 5,000 homes, displaces over a half a million people, destroys the Lebanese national economy and tourism sectors, that the militias are going to go away? Not a chance. More will rise up to fight. Leave it to Israel to use the same tactics over and over, with the expectation of different results.
There is no doubt that the history books will write this latest blood soaked chapter as another victory for Israel’s military – they have the technology to ensure it.
But the reality is that
Sunday, July 23rd I visited another church – this is the true story of what took place there. Picture of said church located here.
I optimistically walked into the service (amazingly on time) and received the bulletin, and a raffle ticket. I secretly hoped that they were going to have a special giveaway for visitors – who knows what goodies they might give to coax guests into returning again.
The talk
Using other stories most likely obtained from e-mail forwards, she proceeded to make the crowd recite positive affirmations recommended by Christian psychologists (right after discrediting the field of psychology). We were each given bookmarks with verses we were to “claim in the Name” for the next week.
The tickets
As if my intellect hadn’t been insulted enough for one morning, at the end of the talk she asked the congregation to dig out the raffle tickets we had received earlier.
Yesterday Nick & I completed the Wheels & Heels 5K run which kicks off the annual Festa Italiana.
Going into the third mile I started to struggle – my pace was slowing, my side hurt, my face was drenched in salty sweat, and I just really wanted to stop and walk for a couple of minutes to catch my breath. It wouldn’t have been the end of the world to walk, but Nick knew I would’ve seen walking any part of it as a failure. 
Noticing my fading optimism, he began encouraging me more. We’re almost there. You can do this. You’ve done a great job so far. Every time I wanted to give in to the exhaustion, Nick was there pushing us to finish strong. Despite my own self-doubts, his unwaivering belief in me was what I needed to keep going.
I so thoroughly enjoy his company, no matter what we’re doing – whether we’re sitting in his office surfing eBay, eating yummy meals with his family, digging ditches and planting flowers, discussing global political and economic news, listening to books on CD in the car, or even running. His presence in my life has been an unanticipated gift – a best friend that I both trust and admire.
Yesterday he could have easily ran ahead and completed it more quickly, but instead he stayed behind to be supportive and finish the race with me. 
Until Arabs are granted equal rights as Israelis, both in Israel and Palestine, Israelis will not have peace. And neither will their neighbors.
I found these two images on electroniclebanon.net – they are both startling in their own right. Arabs, especially Palestinians, are often blamed for teaching their children to hate Jews. It’s true that some do. I have found that Jews are as guilty and effective at passing on hate messages to their children. I met a sweet Jewish couple in an Israeli bus station, settlers originally from Brooklyn, who refused to see the Palestinians who lived just hundreds of meters from their walled-in suburbs as legitimate heirs to their own land. As they spoke, I saw that they had dehumanized them – they were not people – they had simply become the enemy. I also saw this enmity in the eyes of a professor I had at the University of Jordan – he could no longer distinguish between Jews, Israelis and Zionists – they were faceless, soulless enemies.
Sadly, the victims have also victimized. It’s like the child who grows up in an abusive home who goes on to abuse. These are the militants. They see no hope when they look at the occupation, the economy, or the check points. There are no bunkers to hide in when bombs are dropped, and they watch their land and families torn apart.
Despite those harsh realities, hope can and does exist.
In case it is not clear – the giant in the Middle East is Israel. Do not be deceived by geographical size, they are funded and armed by the world’s only superpower. Israel’s human rights violations are being committed with US weapons, financed by US tax dollars. I am nauseous knowing that my money is providing Israel the ability to target and kill Palestinians and Lebanese militants and civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Despite our own president’s comments supporting “Israel’s right to defend herself”, the more sane leaders of the world have called for a cease fire on both sides – including the Vatican which pleaded for an end to the disproportionate retributions by Israel.
The briefest summary of events that I can muster:
The first two weeks of June saw an increase in Palestinian casualties as a result of routine shelling from Israel. This resulted in the Hamas raid that captured an Israeli tank gunner. The militants demanded a prisoner exchange (there are roughly 11,000 Arab men, women and children being held without charge in Israel). Israel refused and re-entered Gaza with force. For over two weeks Gaza suffered nightly bombings of homes and critical infrastructures including the only electrical generation plant, bridges, roads and endured repeated sonic booms. (By the way, it is still continuing today in Gaza).
In response, and to show solidarity – Hezbollah (a Lebanese militant group) ambushed an Israeli tank in the north, capturing two soldiers and demanding a release of Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners for their exchange. This was clearly a stupid thing to do. Israel has called it an act of war from Lebanon – an unfair charge, especially since Israel refuses to be associated with the violent acts committed by extremist Israeli settlers.
So now with a sea blockade, a land incursion, and air attacks on Lebanon – Israel has threatened the stability of a very moderate and progressive-leaning country. Last night, as promised, they bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut. They have sent antagonistic statements including that they’re “willing to turn back the clock 20 years in Lebanon” if the two soldiers aren’t released. So far at least 60 Lebanese have died, and over 100 wounded. Hezbollah continues uses rocket launchers on northern settlements and towns in Israel – at least two Israelis have died as a result. Despite Lebanese PM Fouad Siniora’s plea for a cease fire – Israel refuses.
As Israel threatens Syria, Iran waits – pledging to defend Syria against Israel. Doing anything to Syria would destabilize the entire region.
Friends I met while I lived in Jordan - Andrew & Karen (& their four children) are stuck in Beirut. Andrew is the principal of a Christian school and had purchased plane tickets to leave before the airport was hit. Now they are re-evaluating their options and have presumably huddled down in the safest place they can find.
Non-violent Resistance: Still the Best Option
Meet Muhammad Az-Zanoun, a 20 year old Palestinian journalist who recently suffered massive injuries while trying to take photos of the current events in Gaza. Since Israel issued a decree banning all foreign passport holders from the Occupied Territories – these vulnerable people have been increasingly isolated. When an Israeli soldier saw him taking the photos – he was shot in the stomach. As he went down he scrambled for the film. He believed that if he could just show the world what was happening – someone would surely stop it. I cried because I knew he was wrong. No one is going to make them stop.
One of the pictures he took before being shot.
