Is the US on the Side of Justice?
The current Bush administration has decided to allow Israel to virtually set our policy in the mid-east going forward, regardless of the cost or consequences to the US. Many view that as unwise. However, is it also immoral?
If you are an American who gets most of his news from American news sources, the only answer you can give is that "you don't know". You don't know because the US news sources have stopped reporting on Israeli persecution of Palestinians.
There are many small website deticated to reporting on the problems faces by the Palestinians including Stand for Justice and If Americans Knew.
Acts committed by Israeli settlers range from harassment to property destruction and physical violence.
Based on this report, however, we are not informed about Palestinian deaths at anything near the rate we are informed about Israeli deaths. No doubt this disparity trickles down to others acts against Palestinians.
The implication is that Americans must make their decisions regarding middle east policy in the dark. The US may be pushing the absolutely wrong buttons when trying to solve the conflict, and thereby contributing to escalation rather than peace. Said another way, the US may, at least in the short term, be backing the party that is morally in the wrong.
It is obvious that we need to find out why so much of the world is opposed to our policies in the Mideast. It is also obvious that you can't do that when you obtain your news from major American media sources.
[UPDATE: I will say that Israel proper does not set US policy in the Mideast, but rather pro-Israeli Americans (and dual citizens) including self identified neocons, who push policy according to their own vision of what benefits Israel, and who no doubt consult well connected Israeli to make sure they are not making gross mistakes.]
If you are an American who gets most of his news from American news sources, the only answer you can give is that "you don't know". You don't know because the US news sources have stopped reporting on Israeli persecution of Palestinians.
There are many small website deticated to reporting on the problems faces by the Palestinians including Stand for Justice and If Americans Knew.
Acts committed by Israeli settlers range from harassment to property destruction and physical violence.
Based on this report, however, we are not informed about Palestinian deaths at anything near the rate we are informed about Israeli deaths. No doubt this disparity trickles down to others acts against Palestinians.
The implication is that Americans must make their decisions regarding middle east policy in the dark. The US may be pushing the absolutely wrong buttons when trying to solve the conflict, and thereby contributing to escalation rather than peace. Said another way, the US may, at least in the short term, be backing the party that is morally in the wrong.
It is obvious that we need to find out why so much of the world is opposed to our policies in the Mideast. It is also obvious that you can't do that when you obtain your news from major American media sources.
[UPDATE: I will say that Israel proper does not set US policy in the Mideast, but rather pro-Israeli Americans (and dual citizens) including self identified neocons, who push policy according to their own vision of what benefits Israel, and who no doubt consult well connected Israeli to make sure they are not making gross mistakes.]
posted by Brian at 6:09 AM
2 Comments:
Want some fun?
Go over to DKos, and see the shitstorm I started by posting a dairy called:
"Israeli Senators Smith and Shays on Israel."
Yes, I was incorrect, Shays is a Congressman.
And THAT alone voided everything THEY stated.
Woo wooo, who knew, I was anti-semetic for cut and pasting THEIR words on Israel and the Arab world.
We have become "The Jewnited States"!
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