Israel has Crossed Over a Moral Boundary

[Violet_Crumble]

by Rabbi Michael Lerner
July 10, 2006

In 2003 I was prevented from speaking at a large demonstration protesting the impending war in Iraq because I was deemed too pro-Zionist by one of the sponsoring organizations. My sin then, as now, is that I believe that both sides have acted with insensitivity and have been oblivious to the needs of the other, and both sides need to repent.

I still believe that now, and as late as last week was calling on the tens of thousands of readers of www.tikkun.org to insist to the Palestinians that they would be far more effective if they were to adopt the non-violent strategies of Gandhi, King, and Mandela rather than to imagine themselves capable of militarily defeating Israel. And just as I've critiqued the state terrorism against civilians that the IDF brings to the West Bank occupation, so I've always critiqued the terrorism of some sectors of the Palestinian population.

But this week it's impossible as a Jew and as an American to not notice that a new human rights violation by Israel has taken place which manages to surpass many of its previous violations in cruelty and in the outrage it has generated.

Anyone has ever faced the crippling heat of the desert-like conditions of southern Israel or the Gaza strip knows the desperation for water that comes each summer. So when Israel bombed and destroyed the electricity system for 1.2 million Gazans and thereby made all electric pumps inoperable, they inflicted a collective punishment on the entire Gazan population.

The alleged justification was a desire to punish Palestinians for electing a Hamas government, and more immediately to retrieve a soldier who had been "kidnapped" (the quotes because this was not a civilian but a soldier in uniform, so if Israel sees itself as at war with Hamas, then the only possible description is that their soldier was captured by the other side). The Hamas government, however, has publicly urged the "kidnappers" whom it does not control to free the captured soldier.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=107&ItemID=10550

[bemildred]

1. Props for Mr. Lerner.

The loons are really running the show now.

[rodeodance]

2. Israel: No targets in Lebanon are immune

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060713/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_lebanon_military;_ylt=AnF.NiN6KnrCsJgekt4irfes0NUE

Israel: No targets in Lebanon are immune

2 hours, 55 minutes ago

JERUSALEM -
Israel's air force is prepared to strike anywhere in Lebanon, including the capital of Beirut, if the Lebanese government fails to rein in Hezbollah guerrillas, the Israeli army chief said Thursday.
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Brig. Gen. Dan Halutz noted that all senior Hezbollah leaders live in and have offices in the southern Beirut neighborhood of Dahiya. He said Beirut could be included among the targets if Hezbollah rockets continue to hit northern Israel.

"Nothing is safe (in Lebanon), as simple as that," he said.

He said the residents of Dahiya should understand the situation and draw the proper conclusions if concerned about their safety.

[bemildred]

3. Halutz is one of the weasels driving this, on the Israeli side.

And Dichter. You would think after 60 years it would dawn on them that this shit isn't going anywhere good.
:puke: