editor said:
I'm not asking for "equal weight" (is anyone?) because it's fucking obvious that Israel is acting with an outrageously vindictive and murderous show of strength that is completely out of proportion, but an acknowledgement that the murder isn't entirely one way might be more productive in the long term, IMO.
If you think I've "lost the plot" for holding that opinion, well that's your call.
I understand where you are coming from; I don't like to see any civilians die.
However, the problem with condemnation of both sides is that it gives ground to those who argue that Israel has a 'right to defend itself' by which is meant the right to launch military offensives against civilians. Israel is not defending itself from aggressors. Israel is responsible for the existance of Hezbollah (formed to defend Lebanon from Israeli invasion). Israel is responsible for the existance of Hamas and the PLO before them - formed to defend Palestine from Israeli occupation. Even the relatively new phenomena of Palestinian suicide bombers has to be seen as against the background of a generation of suffering and endless fruitless appeals to the 'international community' for justice for Palestine and the repeated murder of children by Israeli forces and the appalling conditions the displaced Palestinians have had to endure.
The media keeps saying this crisis 'started' with the 'kidnapping' of Israeli soldiers. The current situation actually escallated when Israel was backed by US/UK/EU etc in blockading Palestine after they had the nerve to democratically elected Hamas out of desperation. Whilst hostile acts have been perpetrated by both sides, one is the act of an Imperialist aggressor, the other the desperate act of the oppressed; as the massive disparity in deaths will show.
Now, as it happens I do not agree with suicide bombers or rocket launches against civilian targets. I do, however, believe that these are a response to Israeli imperialism and are therefore caused by Israeli Imperialism. Israel itself being a willing tool of US Imperialism.
On a broader issue, Israel is not the Jewish homeland - any country set up with a declared intent to be racially pure (especially if the land is already occupied) is a racist state and an aggressive state. Interesting that the pro-Israel Zionist lobby in the US excludes many Jews who find the actions of Israel abhorant, but includes many fundamentalist Christians of the pro-Bush pursuasion. Whatever the Zionists say this is an issue of imperialism and oppression and not race. Opposition to Zionism is not anti-semitic as Israeli apologists make out. I believe that Jews can live happily alongside any other race, and that Jews and Palestinian Muslims and Christians etc can live together in peace in the region, but that will not be possible while Israel terrorises the region.
So I'll happily be marching against the perpetrator of war and aggression in the region and I'll not be giving any credence to our Govt./media etc propaganda by condemning those who fight back, albeit in ways I find regretable. I'll be marching against our own rulers as well whose own war of terror has let Israel off its leash. We could be heading for World War Three. No amount of appeals to the oppressed to stop fighting back will stop Israel who have the support of the major Imperialist powers, including our Govt. We need to concentrate on breaking that support.
