timelines are all part of the middle easts myths

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/custom/2006/07/12/CU2006071200913.html

where does one start in a timeline with the palestian/israel coinflict, this one begins where the Israelis say that it started. It ignores the beginnings of the current conflict, the deaths on a beach of a palestinian family from Israeli artillery fire which caused Hamas to call off its truce, leading to the capture of two Israeli soldiers. The Israel perspective wins the war on history again and no one bats an eyelid.


Where is the moral equivilance or fairness when the NYT can devote numerous columns to the deaths of 9 israelis in Haifia, then brush off the deaths of over 70 civilians in Lebanon with barely a line.

"They yesterday heard an Israeli Radio broadcast of an ultimatum, demanding the evacuation of southern Lebanon.

"We hear shells and aeroplanes and bombing on the village and we don't know what's happening outside, if people are being killed or houses are being destroyed. We can't move," she told The Age last night.

"(Bang) Can you hear that? (Bang) That's bombing. If we leave by car, they will shell the car. That's what they did to the 20 people from Marwahin. You feel that you're not safe, even if you leave the house.

"(Bang) Can you hear that? It's within the village, within 500 metres of our house.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/conflict-comes-close-to-home/2006/07/16/1152988412334.html

know that the answers are not cut and dried, but to declare one side guilty while ignoring the abuses on the other as GW did at the G8 summit smacks of fairly typical hypocrisy that has become a natural hallmark of the US position in the middle east. The US is marginallized in this whole affair because the Israelis will simply ignore any calls for restraint (and the calls from the US asre about as meek as one can imagine), knowing that they will receive unconditional backing no matter what they may do, where as Arab/Palestinian calls will be roundly rejected. To then tie this all into the continueing call for military action against Iran (and from some Syria) smacks of the Iraq misadventurre all over again. The road to peace in the middle east did not lie through Bagdhad, it has always been through the rubble strewn, blockaded checkpoints of the Westbank and Gaza.

For Condellese Rice to say over the weekend that that area is simply in flux is too gruesome for words, and for her to also say that the Iraq invasion has made the area safer, more stable and that these current events are just long awaited deck chair rearrangements that needed to be carried out is just, to use her word, "grotesque"

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/TW-Conis-Iraq-Israel.wmv

from the "anti-semetic" BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5066496.stm

http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/06/20/israb13595.htm

search through a pro-israel, lets go in all guns blazing daughter of samuel huntingon type for the usual distortions on a distorted situation

Israel can wipe out the surrounding countries, turn thier cities into "rubble" but doesnt because of its inate kindness, yet faces "genocide"? which is it?

http://www.melaniephillips.com/diary/?p=1283

"There has never been a single instance where the accuracy of MEMRI’s translation of Arabic documents has been called into question. "

a simple check will find that this statement is blatantly untrue.

http://www.juancole.com/2004/11/bloggers-respond-weblogging-community.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEMRI

I know, a lazy mans excuse for fact checking, but I am working and the world is moving fast.

I just find the instant resort to accusations of anti-semetism by anyone who critises Israels actions and policies to frustrating for words and such a slander on so many good journalists and critical thinkers. The waters are muddy enough without these bullshit merchants.

.....................................................

Is it a war crime?

To deliberatly target civilian infrastructure under the geneva convention

"It is prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population "

In both Gaza and Lebanon Israel has done just that. But then if Sharon can get away without having to ever face justice, why shouldnt Olmert.

The IDF proclaim that they only shoot terrorists, therefore anyone the IDF shoots is a terrorist. Are Canadians terrorists:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/07/16/lebanon-canadians.html