Obama on the Attack on Gaza
by Joshua Frank

As President-Elect Barack Obama vacationed in Hawaii on December 26, stopping off to watch a dolphin show with his family at Sea Life Park, an Israeli air raid besieged the impoverished Gaza Strip, killing at least 285 people and injuring over 800 more.

It was the single deadliest attack on Gaza in over 20 years and Obama’s initial reaction on what could be his first real test as president was "no comment." Meanwhile, Israel has readied itself for a land invasion, amassing tanks along the border and calling up 6,500 reserve troops.

On Sunday’s Face the Nation, Obama’s Senior Adviser David Axelrod explained to guest host Chip Reid how an Obama administration would handle the situation, even if it turns for the worst.

"Well, certainly, the president-elect recognizes the special relationship between the United States and Israel. It’s an important bond, an important relationship. He’s going to honor it ... And obviously, this situation has become even more complicated in the last couple of days and weeks. As Hamas began its shelling, Israel responded. But it’s something that he’s committed to."

Reiterating the rationale that Israel’s bombing of Gaza was an act of retaliation and not of aggression, Axelrod, on behalf of the Obama administration, continued to spread the same misinformation as President Bush: that Hamas was the first to break the ceasefire agreement, which ended over a week ago, and Israel was simply responding judiciously.

Aside from the fact that Israel’s response was anything but judicious, the idea that it was Hamas who broke the six-month truce is a complete fabrication.

On the night of the U.S. election, Israel fired missiles on Gaza that were aimed at closing down a tunnel operation they believed Hamas was building in order to kidnap Israeli soldiers. The carnage left in the wake of Israel’s bombing of Gaza over the past six weeks has killed dozens of Palestinians.

"The escalation towards war could, and should, have been avoided. It was the State of Israel which broke the truce, in the 'ticking tunnel' raid ... two months ago," the Israeli peace group Gush Shalom wrote in a press release. "Since then, the army went on stoking the fires of escalation with calculated raids and killings, whenever the shooting of missiles on Israel decreased."

Over the last seven years only 17 Israeli citizens have been killed by Palestinian rocket fire, which makes it extremely difficult for Israeli politicians, which are in the midst of an election, to argue that their response has been proportionate or defensible in any way.

The asymmetry of the conflict leaves an opening for harsh criticism from the soon-to-be president Barack Obama. He has every right to oppose Israel’s belligerence. The international community and the majority of public opinion are on his side. Certainly he knows Israel’s disproportionate response has inflicted insurmountable pain on Palestinians as well as what the blockade has done by keeping vital medical and other supplies from reaching Gaza, where hundreds have died as a result of inadequate medical treatment.

While bombs fall on a suffocating Palestinian population and Israeli forces prepare for a ground invasion, Obama is monitoring the situation from afar after a talk with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other Bush administration officials. This isn’t leadership; it’s a continuation of a policy that has left Palestinians with little recourse, let alone hope for lasting peace.

"The president-elect was in Sderot last July, in southern Israel, a town that’s taken the brunt of the Hamas attacks," David Axelrod told Chip Reid on Face the Nation. "And he said then that, when bombs are raining down on your citizens, there is an urge to respond and act and try and put an end to that. So, you know, that’s what he said then, and I think that’s what he believes."

If Axelrod is correct, and Barack Obama does indeed support the bloodshed inflicted upon innocent Palestinians by the Israeli military, there should be no celebrating during Inauguration Day 2009, only mass protest of a Middle East foreign policy that must change in order to begin a legitimate peace process in the region.

December 29, 2008

On the night of the U.S. election, Israel fired missiles on Gaza that were aimed at closing down a tunnel operation they believed Hamas was building in order to kidnap Israeli soldiers. The carnage left in the wake of Israel’s bombing of Gaza over the past six weeks has killed dozens of Palestinians

looks like Israel is implementing..." The Bush Doctrine "...

"Over the last seven years only 17 Israeli citizens have been killed by Palestinian rocket fire, which makes it extremely difficult for Israeli politicians, which are in the midst of an election, to argue that their response has been proportionate or defensible in any way."

I love this stupid rationale. In my eyes, one is too many. "ONLY..." to whom? Hey, as long as it wasn't the opiners family, it's all good, right??WTH? I do not know enough to support or justify either sides' actions, but this mentality is way screwed up.

And, yes, it will be interesting to see how Obama really works this whole situation. He's been busy with other things in order to prepare for being president, but at this point he's abstaining from remark or action with regard to this. He will be getting the reality check of how politics really go on this one, for certain, and likely feel his wings as they are clipped. He's only a cog in a wheel as would ANY president be.

I think its disgusting that Israel gets away with murdering civilians the way they do.

Oh war,,, Let the man at least take office before you condemn him.. LMAO Dang Republicans...



In Iraq, about 1,000 backers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr staged a protest Monday in Baghdad demanding Israel immediately stop its air assault. The political party of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the attacks and called on Islamic countries to cut relations with Israel.

It is criminal what Israel gets away with.

Question it and you are an anti-Semite though don't forget that.

Most Americans know very little about the connection between the Christian Right and Israel and the Palestinians. I didn't know it until a couple of years ago. It amazes me that the news rarely covers any of this information, and it's every scarier that the Christian right is more focused on bringing back their Messiah than about peace and an end to the blood shed..

The following is a fascinating story. http://mazinx.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/palestine-in-the-american-imagination-religion-politics-and-media/

I don't know how much Obama knows of this connection...

Feel free to correct me if you think this is inaccurate.

Thats your mindset,,, but its cool for almost every country there to want to destroy them like Hitler tried to,,, so a small country that aint scared to defend what it fought to get,, thats a bad thing,,,

Only 17 dead on their side speaks to the effectiveness of their operations.

seems like they should stop poking them with a stick if they do not want smashed with a hammer

if i remember correctly this area wa captured after egypt attacked them in 1967 they gave it back not long ago and now they keep poking them with a stick from there. i bet if they would leave them aLONE THEY WOULD NOT BE SHOOTING at them.

they are a small country surrounded by those that say they should be wiped off the face of the earth. they need to show major power. if they do not want them to defend themselves they should quit aggravating them.

I hear ya

if ya poke a bear with a stick

is it the bears fault when it attacks you?????????

Does anyone know why Gaza is so strategic to Israel's security? To me you have to know that answer to understand Israel's position....Religious reasons or not..

Human lives mean something to me.They arn't just a number.

They mean something to me too. All I wanted was for people to look at the geographics and not the religious aspects.

dp

Almost 400 have been killed so far

I think there has been a major overreaction on the part of Israel .

You could be right. Im sure theres alot we dont know. We never know the whole story about anything.

if israel has control of gaza it makes the missle needed ti hit innere country to be next class larger if i remember correctly

it also increases response thime for income attack on them as well. if an air strike is heading to israel they need that extra time to get their fighters in the air