17 November 2012 By Stephen
Lendman Since 1948, Israel waged varying
intensity war on Palestine. Crimes of war, against
humanity, and genocide are committed regularly. World
community inaction lets Israel get away with murder. Operation Pillar of Cloud (aka
Cloud Column/Pillar of Defense) is Israel's latest
naked aggression. "And the Lord went before them by
day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by
night in a pillar of fire; to give them the light; to
go by day and night:" Exodus 13.21. Israel apparently believes
Almighty God sanctifies cold-blooded murder.
Self-defense claims don't wash. They never do. Killing Hamas military commander
Ahmed Jabari in cold blood intensified Israeli
attacks. They began Saturday. They replicate what
Israel did so often before. Israel bombs, shells, ravages,
and murders civilian men, women and children with
impunity. A special place in hell awaits responsible
rogues in charge. Palestinian supporters worldwide
condemn them. Cast Lead 2.0 looms. The lives of
1.7 innocent people are at risk. They're trapped
inside the world's largest open air prison. They're
sitting ducks. There's no place to hide. Israel takes
full advantage. Mondoweiss published a list of
scheduled Emergency Global Actions for Gaza. Silence
and inaction aren't options. Accountability time is
long overdue. Evening November 14: ▪ Jerusalem
- Damascus Gate, 7:00PM ▪ Ramallah
- al Manara Square, 7:00PM ▪ Bethlehem
- Manger Square, 7:30PM ▪ Tel Aviv
- Ehud Barak's doorstep, 8:00PM ▪ Istanbul
| al Fateh Mosque, 9:00PM ▪ London |
Israeli Embassy ▪ Quebec |
Hall Building, Concordia University, 1455 de
Maisonneuve West, 6:00PM November 15: ▪ George
Mason Univesity - Free Speech Square, 1:30PM ▪ Nashville
- Centennial Park, 3:00PM ▪
Washington DC - Israeli Embassy, 3:30PM ▪ San
Francisco - Israeli Consulate, 5:15PM ▪ New York
- Israeli Consulate, 42nd Street & 2nd Ave, 5:00PM ▪ Boston -
Copley Square, 4:30PM ▪ Chicago -
Outside Obama HQ, 130 E Randolph Street, 4:00PM ▪ Montreal
- Hall Building, Concordia University, 5:00PM ▪ Vancouver
- The Art Gallery, 5:00PM ▪ Toronto -
Israeli Consulate, 180 Bloor Street (east of St.
George TTC), 6:00PM ▪ London -
Israeli Embassy, 5:30PM ▪ Brighton
(UK) - Outside EcoStream HQ, 12:00PM ▪ Brighton
(UK) - Victoria Gardens, 5:30PM ▪ Bradford
(UK) - 4.30PM ▪ Oxford
(UK) - Cornmarket Street, 4:00PM ▪ Dublin -
Israeli Embassy, 5:30PM ▪ Belfast -
City Hall, 7:00PM ▪ Paris -
Ministry of Justice, 6PM ▪ Jerusalem
- Outside Hebrew University, 12:00PM ▪ Beirut -
Cola, 10:00AM ▪ Sydney -
Parmatta Town Hall, 6PM November 16: Cairo - Tahrir
Square ▪
Washington DC - March from State Department, 6:00PM ▪ San
Francisco | Israeli Consulate, 4:00PM ▪
Manchester (UK) - Picadilly Gardens, 5:00PM SATURDAY, 17 Nov ▪ Stockholm - 3PM ▪ Oslo - 3PM Mondoweiss co-editor Philip Weiss
is in Bethlehem. He called the West Bank mood
"resigned" and "edgy." Demonstrations were urged. Scattered ones occurred in Nablus,
Jenin, Qalqilia, Hebron, Bethlehem, and near Ofer
military base. Israel responded violently. Protesters
were attacked with rubber bullets, sound bombs, and
tear gas. Injuries were reported. Gaza's health minister Mofeed al-Mkhallalaty
said what's happening is "a comprehensive war launched
by Israel against the civilian population of Gaza
killing the elderly, children and infants." He called for international
action to stop it. Gaza's main Al Shifa Hospital and
other medical facilities can't handle the severe
casualties needing urgent treatment. At least 15
Palestinians were killed. Over 150 were injured.
Expect casualty totals to rise. Israel shows no
mercy. Unconfirmed reports suggest the
IDF is using white phosphorous and other illegal
weapons. It's likely. Israel uses them in all its
wars. New ones are tested in real time. Doctors report
injuries never seen before. Mondoweiss contributor Waleed al-Meadana
headlined "Almost Dead: An eyewitness report from
Gaza," saying: "Death smells! Blood stains the
walls. Pieces of grained human flesh spread
everywhere, and broken glass is scattered. I can
recognize a hand, and some parts of the head." "Trees are torn apart some steps
away. They are laying dead. And a car is still firing.
Or what is left of it. Appalled faces. Shaking
voices." "The sky is weird. Gloomy clouds,
bleak scenes, some kind of strange feeling alongside
the smell of human blood, and children. Children are
gathering up the remnants of the fragmented body." He lives in Gaza. He's never been
this close to Israeli crimes, he added. He's
witnessing Israeli barbarity firsthand. Before it
ends, he may be lucky to survive in one piece.
"Israeli arrogance….showers us with bombs and hate." Israel said a ground invasion "is
only a matter of time." An emergency November 14
Security Council meeting was held. Ban Ki-moon made
his usual dismissive comment. He urged both sides to
exercise "maximum restraint and to respect
international law." Washington blocked possible
condemnation of Israel. Ambassador Susan Rice is an
unprincipled defender of naked aggression and mass
murder. She ignored Israel's premeditated
war on Gaza. She condemned the victims. "There is no justification for
the violence that Hamas and other terrorist
organizations are employing against the people of
Israel," she said. "We call on those responsible to
stop these cowardly acts immediately." "Hamas claims to have the best
interests of the Palestinian people at heart, yet it
continues to engage in violence that does nothing but
set back the Palestinian cause." "Attacking Israel on a near daily
basis does nothing to help Palestinians in Gaza nor to
move the Palestinian people any closer to achieving
self determination and independence." Comments like these don't rise to
the level of bad fiction. What's happening in Gaza is
very real. Since December 27, 2008, Israel murdered
well over 1,500 Gazans, injured around 6,000, and
caused widespread destruction of non-military related
sites. PA UN ambassador Riyad Mansour
said: "Once again the international
community is witness to Israel's malicious onslaught,
using the most lethal military means and illegal
measures against the defenseless Palestinian civilian
population." "A direct firm message must be
sent to Israel to cease immediately its military
campaign against the Palestinian people and to abide….
by its obligations under international law." "The Israeli occupying forces are
now mobilizing on the ground as we speak. Fear and
panic are spreading among the Palestinian civilian
population." Israel perhaps is readying a
large-scale invasion. The Palestine News Network (PNN)
reported Israeli paratroopers and Givati Brigade
members heading for Gaza's border. IDF officials said
Israel "will do whatever is needed to restore calm to
Israeli towns in the south." PNN said IDF forces held training
exercises in recent weeks. They're preparing for a
possible Gaza offensive. Increasingly it looks likely.
Military commanders said its scale will exceed Cast
Lead. Netanyahu addressed Israelis on
nationwide TV. He said Israel is prepared and ready
for a large-scale offensive. In his November 14 press
conference, Obama said nothing about Israeli
aggression. He told Netanyahu and Egyptian President
Mohamed Morsi by phone that Israel has the "right to
self-defense." State Department spokesman Mark
Toner said the following: "We strongly condemn the barrage
of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, and we
regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli and
Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence."
"There is no justification for
the violence that Hamas and other terrorist
organizations are employing against the people of
Israel. We call on those responsible to stop these
cowardly acts immediately." "We support Israel's right to
defend itself, and we encourage Israel to continue to
take every effort to avoid civilian casualties." Iranian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast strongly condemned
Israeli attacks and atrocities, saying: "We believe one of the objective
of these crimes is covering up the domestic problems
of the Zionist regime." Syria also denounced what it
called "barbaric Israeli crimes." It called on the
international community to condemn them. Condolences
were extended to the families of victims. Arab
solidarity is needed. So is worldwide support for a
people victimized by Israeli savagery. US television so far ignored it.
Print media reports one-sidedly support Israel. Naked
aggression is called self-defense. On November 14, The
New York Times headlined "Another Israel-Gaza War?"
saying: "No country should have to endure
the rocket attacks that Israel has endured from
militants in Gaza, most recently over the past four
days. The question is how to stop them permanently." Blaming Israel's victims is
official editorial policy. Hamas and other resistance
groups are condemned for defending themselves against
savage Israeli attacks. At the same time, The Times
called another full-scale ground war "especially
risky." Concern isn't about mass killing and
destruction. Cast Lead didn't "solve the problem," it
said. The unexplained problem is
millions of Palestinians wanting to live free in their
own country, on their own land. They want occupation
harshness ended. They want Israeli aggression
condemned and punished. They want long denied equity,
justice and freedom. Hamas is Palestine's legitimate
government. The Times calls it "a dangerous adversary
that may never accept Israel's right to exist." It won't ever accept Israeli
belligerence and oppression. Nor do millions of
Palestinians and worldwide supporters. The Times and
other media scoundrels won't explain. Haaretz did no better. It
editorialized irresponsibly. "Calm thing down," it
said. Assassinated Hamas leader Ahmed Jabari
"dedicated his life to war against Israel." Killing
him tells Hamas to choose "more moderate" officials. Southern Israeli security "became
impossible in recent days." Gaza rocket attacks
threaten residents, said Haaretz. Calming things down
depends on pointing fingers the right way. Hamas, other resistance groups,
and all Gazans are victims. Israel provocatively
committed aggression. Days of bombing, shelling, and
killing were premeditated. Self-defense is
inviolable. Responsible journalists should
explain it. Running cover for lawlessness is
unconscionable. So is global community silence. International law obligates world
leaders to condemn crimes of war and against humanity.
It's long past time Israel was held fully
accountable. Stephen Lendman lives in
Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces
America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and
Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his
blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
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