Newsweek to Obama: Get Tough on Israel

If Obama was serious about peacemaking  he would have made  different choices  in his administration:

If he is serious about peacemaking his first trip to the Middle east must include a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp. An invitation has been extended.....the kettle is on!

Israel must shoulder full responsibility for the current campaign of indiscriminant killing in Gaza, including its choice to target humanitary aid workers as they attempt to provide some measure of relief and comfort by delivering supplies to the remainder of 1.5 million of inhabitants trapped there.

hey whats going on? an apologist for Israel now tries to hijack history as far back as 1948? Hilarious (in a sick sort of way)!

PS absolutely no blame on jews, only on Israel - theer's a most vitally important distinction here to be borne in mind

Absolutely right.

Despite the very pertinent and honest opinion expressed in this post, for which I thank the author, the fact remains that he's in a no-win situation here.

And that's because there are certain actors in this tragedy who will not hesitate to do everything possible to destroy his efforts......

now, some hope for change:

Exclusive: Sources say president-elect will abandon isolationist approach of Bush

Obama camp ready to open up dialogue with Hamas

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/08/barack-obama-gaza-hamas

Do not mis-state my articulated positions. I have not expressed ".... anti-Israel sentiments", nor am I uninformed.

I have stated that at this juncture, during this recent invasion of the Palestinian Territories, there is no defense that can be offered for the continued slaughter of the population of Gaza, a population 45% children, with the rationale being used that, in order to subdue Hamas, the entire Palestinian population can and must be killed to achieve Israel's goal.

The thought that it is acceptable for Israel to do as it is currently doing is uncivilized. 

In Dark Star Safari, Paul Theroux describing an Egyptian guy as telling him that the US will support Israel no matter what Israel does, because it is the West's only eyes into the Middle East. I totally butchered that quote, but it was words to that effect.

Obama will never ever let Israel down no matter what Israel may do, even if all in Gaza where to die or be killed the US will even send the Marines to defend Israel, even if the UN 192 member states kick the US and Israel out and remove the veto of the US, it will support Israel even if guilty of genocide and Apartheid and Israel does know this rather well, why they can act like "Enfants Terrible." 

Karen, not the West please. The USA. Europe has Turkey and they may very well join the EU and I hope they will rather sooner then latter, no the US needs Israel, no one else does.

This situation could go either way for Obama and it looks like either way, he will lose.

Funny how none of the multitude of anti-Israel posts.seem to place any blame on Palestinians or Hamas. Perhaps Israel's neighbors should have succeeded in their attempted 1948 genocidal destruction of Israel. I'm sure people would find a way to rewrite history and blame Israel and Jews for that as well.

I do not think it matters, it is a grave insult to assume that the US are the West, or represent the West. Obama will do as Bush did and go against the UN will and wishes of the 191 nations. There will be no difference.

We need human beings who feel the suffering of others to rule the world especially in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />America.  Because America’s interest in the world are not kosher that is the reason why they deafened Israel no matter what it does.  For example all the killing in Gaza that is worst than the holocaust for God sake they bombed the school run by the UN. And US still says that Israel has the right to defend it self when there is over 600-700 dead and some 3,000 injured in Gaza and 14-20 in Israel now tell me who needs defending? One group throwing stones the other the most high tech fighters and land machines yet American still defends Israel.  Israel is America’s gateway to the Middle East among other countries. This Genocdie should stop.

It appears that Karen Hatter's and other anti-Israel sentiments here are based out of non-truths and hostility. I'm not surprised that a hypothesis that Newsweek or some other Main Stream Media bias would influence their thinking. After all, one wouldn't expect anything less from uninformed people.

No hysterical ranting about this:

WELL, WHERE IS THE WORLD'S OUTRAGE OVER THIS?

http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1053825. html

Since the aerial attack on Gaza began, Hamas has sought to suppress
individuals it believes endanger the group's fight against Israel and
its hold on power in the Strip, as well as public morale. Prime
targets include Fatah members, people convicted or suspected of
collaborating with Israel, and "common" criminals.

"Hamas rules with an iron fist even now," said one resident. A
political activist who says he supports neither Hamas nor Fatah said
that given the difficult conditions created by the ongoing shelling
and ground invasion, Hamas is likely to try to prevent collaborators
or those suspected to be from working with Israel.

Since the operation began on December 27, Hamas operatives have
executed several people it classified as collaborators. Members of the
group have confirmed the executions took place, and said the victims
had admitted giving information to the Shin Bet security service that
resulted in the deaths of Palestinians, or had already been sentenced
to death by a Palestinian military court but the sentences were
delayed for various reasons.

Independent sources said that among the dead were those not known
publicly to have been collaborators, as well as others long suspected
of cooperation with Israel, or those arrested and later released.

Estimates of the number of suspects executed range from 40 to 80, but
amid the prevailing conditions shelling, fear of walking the streets
and media blackouts it is virtually impossible to verify the numbers
or identities of the dead.

Executions are carried out secretly. In Rafah, for example, at least
some of the victims were killed in a caravan erected in the area
formerly occupied by the Rafiah Yam settlement, and the victims'
relatives were invited to take away the bodies.

Even in the current conditions, Hamas is continuing to arrest those it
suspects of criminal activity or Fatah membership, many of whom were
arrested on the eve of the IDF operation and fled detention when the
shelling began. No one knows where the detained are being held.
Independent sources and those linked with Fatah say Hamas' common
methods include confiscating cell-phones, beatings, house arrest and
firing at a suspect's legs.

Fatah members say Hamas is following a policy dictated from its
leadership and directed against Fatah as a whole. An official in the
Hamas-run Interior Ministry told Haaretz that the steps were taken
only against Fatah members who expressed "happiness" at the aerial
attack and even "distributed candy" in the streets as it began. An
independent source corroborated Hamas' account.

Fatah officials said last Thursday that notifications were sent to
organization members from the public security forces, under the
direction of Hamas's Interior Minister Said Siyam, confining them to
house arrest for 48 hours. Other Fatah members were ordered not to
leave their homes from 7 P.M. until morning.

Hamas is also targeting common crime, promising the public that prices
will not rise due to the closures of crossings into Gaza, nor will
looting be allowed from stores that have been shelled.

Thank you for this contribution to the thread, Heritage. It appears the ball is poised to enter Obama's court.

Butchered quote aside, Jordan, if the basic sentiment expressed here is correct, that has appeared to have been the U.S. stance in relation to Israel.

If it is assumed that Israel is viewed as the only eyes through which the West views the Middle East, that possible reality is extremely troublesome.

Thank you for making that distinction, Paschen. When I used the 'West' designation, I was referring to it's use in the quote alluded to by Jordan.

Most likely, Amy, that is true. 

As I explained in my previous comment, the attribution of Israel as being the 'eyes of the West' was not my statement or assumption.

Thank you Karen. I appreciate it. Good point.