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Dear President
Bush:
You have been a
weak president, despite your strutting and barking, when it comes
to doing the right things for the American people within the
Constitution and its rule of law. This trait is now in bold relief
over the Israeli government's escalating war crimes pulverizing
the defenseless people and country of Lebanon.
With systematic
efficiency, the Israeli government has already destroyed innocent
homes and basic public facilities-- ports, airports, highways,
bridges, power stations-- which are critical to delivery of food,
medicines, health care, ambulances, water, and other essentials
for a civilian population. This bombardment, by U.S. made bombers,
military vehicles, ships, and missiles with American taxpayer
subsidies, places an inescapable responsibility upon your
shoulders which does not mix with your usual vacuous messianic
rigidity.
As the leading
player in official Washington's puppet show, it is time for you to
assert the interests of the American people and those of the broad
Israeli and Palestinian peace movements, by standing up to the
puppeteers. For without this conflict, Hezbollah would not be in
today's news.
The time has
come for you to return to Texas for a private meeting with your
father, his former national security advisor, Brent Scowcroft, and
his former Secretary of State, James Baker. You need to say to
them 'I can't trust my advisors anymore; there have been so many
tragic blunders. What do you advise me to do about the destruction
of a friendly nation by the world's fifth most powerful military?'
Here is what I
think they should say to you:
1. Take personal
command of an immediate rescue effort for the tens of thousands of
Americans trapped in Lebanon by Israel's calculated blocking of
air, land and sea escape routes. You've said the safety of
Americans is your top priority. Prove it by using the U.S. Air
Force and the U.S. Navy facilities to immediately evacuate all our
people desperate to escape the terrorization of Lebanon.
2. You have been
so docile and permissive to Israeli demands that any modest
deviation from this posture will make your next move credible.
Announce that you are sending two prominent negotiators-perhaps
James Baker (Republican) and former Senate Majority Leader George
Mitchell (Democrat) to Israel and Lebanon to arrange for a cease
fire between the combatants.
Announced at a
televised White House news conference with your two envoys, you
can punctuate your seriousness by raising the questions of
violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign
Assistance Act. Using U.S. supplied weapon systems to commit
civilian atrocities on homes and fleeing vehicles with children
and to inflict collective punishment on mass civilian populations
are not using these weapons for legitimate self-defense and
internal policing, as our federal law requires. Israeli planes
have even fire-bombed wheat silos and gasoline stations in
Lebanon. More mayhem is on the way.
3. Stop acting
like an impulsive, out-of-control West Texas Sheriff and start
reading, thinking and listening for a change. When Israel, Britain
and France violated international treaties against aggression in
1956, and invaded the Suez Canal, President Dwight Eisenhower used
his influence to make them withdraw from Egypt.
In 1982,
following a year without any PLO skirmishes over the
Lebanese-Israeli border, Israeli armed forces invaded Lebanon
anyway. They created a path of destruction all the way to Beirut
and militarily occupied south Lebanon for 18 years before they
withdrew, except for retaining Shebaa Farms. In 1982, the
New York Times
reported "indiscriminate bombing" of Beirut by Israeli planes. At
least 20,000 Lebanese civilians lost their lives in that invasion
and many more were injured. From that conflict Hezbollah was born,
composed of many people whose relatives were casualties in that
illegal invasion.
History, George,
does not start two weeks or two months ago. You must read about
past U.S. Presidents who, at least, sent high-level emissaries to
quell similar border fighting. It worked and prisoners were often
exchanged.
You are doing
and saying nothing about what the rest of the world believes is a
hugely disproportionate attack against innocent adults and
children in violation of the Geneva Conventions, the UN Charter
and other treaties and federal statutes. You've sworn to uphold
these laws. Do so. Because of the Israeli government's
overwhelming military power, the imbalance of terror against
civilians and their property has always been to its advantage. As
has its occupation of Palestine and confiscation of land and water
sources.
4. You can't
take sides and be an honest broker. Just about all our
knowledgeable retired military, diplomatic and intelligence
officials believe resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is
the key to deflating other agitations in the region. Freedom and
justice for the Palestinian state and security and stability for
the Israeli state must both be achieved.
You have turned
your back on the courageous and prominent Israeli peace movement
which normally reflects the positions of half of the Israeli
population. You've never met with any of its leaders - even those
in the Knesset or former officials in the military, intelligence
and Justice Ministries. Hundreds of reserve combat officers and
soldiers of the IDF have refused, in their words, "to fight beyond
the 1967 borders to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an
entire population." They pledged only to fight for Israel's
legitimate defense. (www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp)
5. Once in a
while, ask your aides for a sample of Israeli opinion that rejects
the notion that there can be a military solution to this conflict,
despite the military imbalance. For example, reports and
editorials in Haaretz, arguably the most respected newspaper in
Israel, would educate your judgment. In a recent editorial,
Haaretz argued that the present Israeli government has "lost its
reason" through the brutal incarceration, devastation and
deprivation of innocent people in Gaza.
In another
Haaretz commentary dated July 16th, Gideon Levy writes:
In Gaza, a
soldier is abducted from the army of a state that frequently
abducts civilians from their homes and locks them up for years
without a trial - but only we're allowed to do that. And only
we're allowed to bomb civilian population centers.
6. One final bit
of advice could come from Papa Bush's circle. If the Israeli army
decides to invade Lebanon with troops, your support of the
aggression can possibly unleash a domino of warring actions and
reactions over there. As is it, Americans are increasingly fed up
with the Iraq quagmire.
Moreover, we
know they don't like many of your domestic policies favoring the
wealthy, the post-Katrina debacle, exporting jobs, and among our
conservative base, your enormous deficits. So our Republican
Party's control of government is at stake in November. Don't you
have your hands full with Iraq whose invasion we all urged you to
avoid in 2003?
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0718-33.htm
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