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Demonstrators arrested at anti-Israel protest
By adamg on Thu, 01/08/2009 - 3:43pm
Four arrested on charges of trespassing and disturbing the peace at the Israeli consulate in Park Plaza this morning.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's office says all four were released on personal recognizance but ordered by a Boston Municipal Court judge to stay away from the consulate. They are due back in court on Feb. 9.
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Comments
Photos and names of the arrested protesters
Here.
engage by brokering peace
The US should resolve to engage by brokering a peace process, which may include a two state solution plus Israel out of settlements in occupied territories, a moratorium on the use of military force, and aerial rocket bombardment, and suicide attacks and all other acts of war.
The solution probably also involves providing sufficient incentive for Gazan Palestinian's to vote out Hamas and choose Fatah or the Palestinian Authority as their leadership.
Israel’s use of lethal military force in Gaza is the second time during Bush’s presidency when Israel has mounted a war against her neighbors. Israel has unleashed massive lethal force on military and civilian populations. First she devastated Lebanon and now Gaza.
In both cases, the US vetoed ceasefire in the UN Security Council enabling further civilian bloodshed. That is our mistake, that is our shame. We have choosen to stand with our special friend, Israel, even when they are wrong. It is time for the US to chart a course based of her own interests and not act as though Israel is the 51st state.
Israel took military action against Gazan Palestinians including Hamas and civilians on our election day. And Israel plans to complete its most devastating use of force in Gaza on our inauguration day. A central aspect of their operation is to limit the exposure of their actions to US citizens. As well, Israel’s policy is to prohibit news organizations from covering the war from within Gaza.
Israel’s war plans were designed to minimize the effect of this brutal war on US public opinion. What more proof do you need that US public opinion is a critical factor in their actions? We give massive financial and military aid to Israel. As such, we have some culpability in how they apply it.
More importantly, US citizens are opposed to Israel’s use of military force in Gaza by an overwhelming margin, 71%. It is only our elected officials who take campaign money from AIPAC that unquestioningly support Israel’s foreign policy towards Gaza. I urge Americans to examine the policies AIPAC advocates and the policies J Street advocates and choose the one you think is reasonable. Also, be mindful of which politicians you vote for and who they take PAC money from.
Our unquestioning singular support for Israeli policies, our massive military aid to Israel, our use of our security council veto to enable more Israeli lethal force in Gaza, are all factors that reasonably turn world opinion against the US. Now is the time for the US to follow reason, not blind alliance. I urge Congress not to resolve to approve of Israel’s use of force in Gaza. Rather, take a position in which both sides have valid grievances (and they do.) Engagement is the path to a peace.
Accountability on all sides must be faced up to.
While there is much in your post with which I agree, including my firm support for the two-state solution, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers/settlements from West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, the stoppage of house demolitions and roughing up and killing innocent Palestinians civilians, etc. However, I also believe that the leadership on both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides is quite poor, and neither side has gotten past the accusatory finger-pointing stage and faced up to their accountability in this whole conflict.
If one really looks at the history of this conflict, they'll find that both sides have a long history of bloodshed and wrongdoing, and the persistant refusal of the leadership on both sides to openly and squarely face up to their accountability in the conflict, plus the hijacking of any peace engagement by extremists on both sides, plus the Arab states' refusal to face up to their responsibility in this whole conflict, are also a big obstacle to peace in the region. That being said, I believe that the seemingly small step of all parties in the conflict coming out and openly and squarely facing up to their accountability in this decades-old conflict would be a rather crucial step in the right direction.