Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Winds of War




Israeli fighter jets flew today over Syrian President Bashar Assad’s summer home in northern Syria an escalation that has put the Middle East on tenterhooks.

This move was apparently meant to send a strong message to the Syrians that Israel can reach anybody anywhere in Syria, meaning Hamas leaders, and that even Bashar Aasad himself is not safe in his own bedroom.

CNN reported that Syrian TV said that defenses had intercepted the Israeli aircraft and "forced them to separate and leave the area." It called the Israeli airspace breach "an unacceptable, hostile and provocative act.



Aljazeera reported today that Israeli soldiers have kidnapped 8 ( so far) Palestinian cabinet ministers and over 20 members of Palestinian Parliament in addition to scores of Palestinian government officials and activists across the West Bank. This massive military campaign is predicted to undermine and perhaps dismantle the entire Palestinian government. Such scenario if occurred, chaos and war will be the order of the day.





The only official Arab reaction thus far had come from the Qatari foreign minister, who had lamented, in Aljazeera interview, about the Arab governments paralysis in facing Israeli aggression.

Jordan’s king Abdullah, on the other hand, had earlier condemned the Palestinian military operation against the Israeli checkpoint that resulted in taking a soldier prisoner.

It is worth noting that neither King Abdullah nor Hosni Mobark of Egypt or any Arab president or king have called on Israel to stop its wholesale killing of Palestinian civilians, nor did they try to press the issue with the Israelis since some of those Arab governments have diplomatic relations and in some instances are bedfellows with the Israelis.

World leaders who have supported Israeli aggressions seem to neglect the fact that Israel has kidnapped Palestinians civilians from Gaza, only few days ago and has committed kidnapping, and assassinating against Palestinian almost on daily basis.

While Israel has refused to negotiate a prisoner swap with the Palestinian government therefore defusing the crisis, claiming that it will not negotiate with “ terrorists” Israel however, have in the past kidnapped several Hizbullah leaders in south Lebanon to use them as barraging chips for its pilot Ron Arad who's missing since 1982 and still hold some them after 25 years of captivity.

Last week, the Lebanese authorities uncovered an Israeli terrorist cell operating in Lebanese cities and was responsible for acts of terrorism, car bombings and assassinations against Palestinians and Lebanese activists.


The US government said (in its efforts to win the hearts and minds in the Arab world) that “Israel has the right to defend itself”. Though it is unclear how would Israel be defending itself while it masses an entire army around Gaza, and have bombed and destroyed a water plant, and an electrical grid leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians without water or power.





Palestinian minister for Prisoners affairs said that there are over 12000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, 155 of them are women, and 360 are children under 18, and that between 1967 and 1994 Israel had arrested and imprisoned over 650.000 Palestinian 85% of those were tortured and abused.

So basically Israel can almost declare war on the entire Arab world for its one soldier, and can kidnap, assassinate, car bomb, and blow up anybody anywhere while issues of international laws, international sovereignty, international airspace, matters very little if any at all.

Israeli aggressions go unchecked, and often times disguised in euphemistic terms, such as “ self defense” “ fighting terrorists”.


Once again, the Palestinians are left defenseless and alone facing the world’s most aggressive and militaristic state.

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