Sunday, July 30, 2006

Rice Offers Crocodile Tears

Below, another injured Hezbollah fighter is removed from the battlefield:
More precision bombing:

An Israeli airstrike flattened a three-storey building in southern Lebanon on Sunday, killing at least 57 people, 34 of them children.

Lebanese security officials said the toll rose dramatically after an initial report of 50 dead after 18 people from two families were found in a single room of the building...

Rescuers aided by villagers dug through the rubble by hand. At least 20 bodies wrapped in white sheets were taken away, including 10 children. A row of houses lay in ruins, and an old woman was carried away on a plastic chair.

Villagers said many of the dead were from four families who had taken refuge in on the ground floor of a three-story building, believing they would be safe from bombings.

Rice reacts:
Ms. Rice said she was “deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life” in Israel's attack. But she did not call for an immediate cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militias.

“We all recognize this kind of warfare is extremely difficult,” Ms. Rice said, noting it comes in areas where civilians live. “It unfortunately has awful consequences sometimes.

“We want a cease-fire as soon as possible,” she added.

Deeply saddened sounds wonderful, but it masks the simple fact that this offensive forges ahead with the Americans blessing. Everyone understands that Israel would cease operations if it lost the support of the Americans. All Rice need do is demand an immediate ceasefire, while negotiations continue, and that would be the end of it. Simplistic? In my mind it is simple, this war continues because the Americans first endorsed it, and now refuse to pull the plug. Israel would not continue, if it lacked the backing of its most important ally. So, if Rice really is saddened, then she should use all the tools at her disposal to stop the violence.

If Israel unilaterally agreed to a temporary ceasefire, the rockets from Hezbollah would soon stop. Rice has the power to make this happen, but chooses to allow continuation, which makes America culpable. It is simply amazing to listen to Rice, as though America is a distant player, when in fact it possesses all the leverage it needs to stop the violence now. Rice has already acknowledged that she will now negotiate with "terrorists", which is an admission that Hezbollah will not be defeated, so what is the goal? Demand a ceasefire, don't negotiate terms while the fighting continues. Rice has the power, she just chooses to delay it, so please spare us all the crocodile tears as though helpless- it really is disgusting.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The United States (and apparently Canada given Harpers parroting of the American stance) give not two tiny turds how innocent many people die in this conflict... and Israel has displayed that certainly doesn't give a rats a$$.

This will be written off as an unfortunate incident, a horrible accident, or "ya gotta break a few eggs", and forgotten about or rewritten - it's easier for "polite society" that way isn't it?