Sunday, December 28, 2008

Moral Myopia and Hypocrisy Alert: World condemns Israeli action in Gaza


Where were they all when Gaza was shooting Kassams at Israeli civilians?

First, the predictable: Egypt, Jordan, Iran, and Turkey, plus a little Et Tu Brute action from Shirin Ebadi:

"Arab and Islamic leaders condemn deadly raids on Gaza," from DPA, December 27: . Cairo - Arab and Islamic leaders Saturday widely condemned the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, in which at least 155 Palestinians were killed.

Egypt condemned the wave of the Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip and announced it would open would its border crossing with Gaza at Rafah.

"Egypt condemns the Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip and blames Israel, as an occupying force, for the victims and the wounded," an Egyptian presidential statement read.

Remember, when Israel stopped "occupying" Gaza, it was supposed to be the dawn of a new era of peace. Some people knew better, of course, but no one was listening to them.

"Egypt will continue its contacts to prepare an atmosphere conducive to restoring the period of calm and achieving reconciliation between the Palestinian groups," it added. [...]

When was that period of calm again? It didn't end with Israel's action today. It ended long before that:

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Meanwhile, Jordan urged an "immediate" halt to the attack.

"Jordan strongly condemns the aggression on Gaza [and] urges Israel to stop immediately its military operations and the policy of collective punishment being carried out against Palestinian civilians," the Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communication Nasser Judeh said in a statement.

Judeh added that Jordanian King Abdullah II would be "involved in moves with the world's influential powers to ensure a cessation of the military operations".

The Jordanian Foreign Minister Salab Bashir summoned the ambassadors to Amman of the five UN Security Council members to relay Amman's protest.

The Jordanian official reaction was supported by hundreds of Jordanian trade unionists and opposition party members who also staged a demonstration to protest the Israeli attack. [...]

Tehran also condemned the Israeli raids calling them savage, inhuman and contrary to all human rights norms.

"This savage and inhuman act by the Zionist regime (Israel) just adds another chapter to its dark criminal and terrorist record and is the result of the painful silence by relevant international organizations," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said in a statement carried by ISNA news agency.

While calling on an urgent action by the United Nations Security Council and Organization of the Islamic Conference to stop the raids, the spokesman reiterated Iran's firm support for the Palestinian nation.

The head of parliament's foreign policy commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said within the same context that "the new crimes by the Zionists (Israel) reflect their savage nature and that of those countries claiming to be civilized and defend human rights."

Boroujerdi told ISNA that support by the United States and other Western powers has de facto encouraged Israel to commit crimes such as the latest raids in Gaza Strip.

Also Iranian Nobel peace laureate and lawyer Shirin Ebadi condemned the raids and told Fars news agency "what is happening today in Gaza hurts the heart of every human being and is contrary to all human rights' norms."

In the Turkish capital Ankara, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Israeli airstrikes were "primarily a strike against peace."

Erdogan said that he had cancelled a scheduled telephone conversation with Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, on account of the airstrikes.

The Muslim Brotherhood jumped on also: "Muslim Brotherhood Condemns Attacks on Gaza, Blames Arab Regimes," from Ikhwan Web via Huliq.com, December 27:

Muslim Brotherhood Deputy Chairman Mohamed Habib slammed the deadly attacks on Gaza that were launched by Israeli occupation on Saturday leaving dozens dead and wounded.

"The Israeli occupation forces are proving to the entire world their disrespect of all international treaties and accords, let alone the values of humanity and divine religions," Habib said in a statement.

"Where is Egypt"s role towards the massacres on Palestinian territories? Unfortunately Egypt and Arab regimes appear to be complicit in the Israeli occupation"s crimes against the Palestinian people by their shameful silence and failure to take action that would prevent these crimes," Habib added....

Plus Yemen: "Yemen denounces Israeli aggression against Gaza citizens," from Saba, December 27:

SANA'A, Dec. 27 (Saba)- An authorized source in the government stated that Yemen strongly denounces Israeli aggression and annihilation war it carries out against innocent Palestinians in Gaza.

The Yemeni government is following up very anxiously development of Israeli barbaric aggression and brutal genocides its army carries out against armless Palestinians in Gaza Strip that took life and injured hundreds, said the source.

Yemen demands quick and instant interference of the United Nation Security Council to stop these Israeli barbaric genocides, added the source. Yemen also calls on international community to take its responsibility to oblige Israel to stop its repeated aggression against Palestinian people, enable them all their rights and to establish their independent state.

And with such champions of human rights as Egypt, Yemen and Iran chiming in, could Sudan be far behind? "Sudan strongly condemns Israel's massacre against Gaza Strip," from KUNA, December 27 (thanks to Rudi):

KHARTOUM, Dec 27 (KUNA) -- Sudan on Saturday strongly condemned the Israeli brutal raids against the Palestinian people in Gaza, which killed more than a hundred of innocent people.

Sudanese foreign undersecretary Mutrif Siddiq said in a statement that his country calls for an emergency meeting at the level of the leaders of the Arab and Muslim countries to address this barbaric act of terrorism against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

He denounced the international silence over the killing of children, women, the elderly in addition to the unprecedented siege....

Then come the Eurodhimmis -- the EU: "EU calls for immediate end to violence in Gaza Strip," from DPA, December 27:

Paris - The European Union on Saturday called for an immediate end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip, following Israeli airstrikes on the territory which have left at least 155 people dead.

The EU also criticized what it called Israel's disproportionate use of force, in a statement from the current presidency of the union in Paris.

The French foreign ministry on behalf of the EU renewed its call for a permanent ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and said that there could be no military solution to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

All crossing points into Gaza should be opened, to allow the supply of food and fuel to the Strip, which has suffered under an economic and military blockade by Israel since 2007, the statement said.

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Plus Ireland:

"Martin condemns Gaza airstrikes," from The Press Association, December 27:

Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin has strongly condemned Israel's devastating air strikes against Gaza which have killed 155 people.

Mr Martin urged Israel to immediately halt its attacks and allow humanitarian agencies access to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory.

"I condemn in the strongest terms Israel's action in launching air strikes in Gaza against Hamas targets which have resulted in widespread civilian fatalities," he said. "These actions, far from ending the cycle of violence which has gripped both Gaza and southern Israel in recent weeks, are unfortunately only likely to escalate the situation and make the search for an effective ceasefire in Gaza even more difficult."

And a tragically short-sighted and one-sided Vatican official: "Vatican official: Israeli attacks set to increase hatred in region," from DPA, December 17:

Vatican City - Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip are likely to trigger more hatred in the region, the Vatican's chief spokesman said Saturday.

Father Federico Lombardi, speaking on Vatican Radio, said an Israeli reaction to the launching of rockets by Palestinian militants following Hamas' decision not to renew a ceasefire agreement, was 'expected'.

However, the scale of the raids and the number of victims has left a a strong 'impression,' Lombardi said.

'Certainly it has been a strong blow against Hamas. At the same time there will be... numerous innocent victims,' Lombardi said.

'Hamas is a prisoner of the logic of hatred. Israel (is the prisoner) of a logic that force is the best response to hatred. We have to try and find a different solution, even if this seems impossible,' he added....

And the rapacious Russian bear reiterated its opportunistic support for the global jihad: "Israel must stop large-scale operation against Gaza – spokesman," from Itar-Tass, December 27:

MOSCOW, December 27 (Itar-Tass) - Moscow believes Israel must immediately stop a large-scale use of force against the Gaza Strip, which has already resulted in numerous casualties and sufferings of the civilian Palestinian population, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said on Saturday.

“Early on December 27, the Israeli Air Force delivered numerous air strikes on different facilities in the Gaza Strip,” the diplomat informed. “According to media reports, the number of killed Palestinians is already about 120 people, and over 200 people were wounded,” he continued.

“Russia believes it is necessary to immediately stop a large-scale use of force against the Gaza Strip, which has already resulted in numerous casualties and sufferings of the civilian Palestinian population,” Nesterenko stressed.

“At the same time, we urge the HAMAS leadership to stop air strikes on Israel,” he added. “Moscow is confident that the most urgent thing for the present day is to stop an armed confrontation, restore truce and release civilians on both sides from horror and pain,” he stressed.

The diplomat pledged that “Russia will continue in different formats insistent efforts in order to break the vicious circle of violence as an indispensable condition for solving the existing problems through negotiations”.

Good luck with that.

Meanwhile, Israel's friend and ally, the U.S., issues a pious and hypocritical warning -- one that will play into the hands of those who wish to destroy Israel utterly in the name of Islamic jihad: "U.S. urges Israel avoid civilian casualties in Gaza," by Tabassum Zakaria for Reuters, December 27:

WACO, Texas, Dec 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Saturday urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in air strikes on Gaza but did not call for an end to the attacks in pursuit of Hamas targets that killed at least 155 people.

The White House said for the violence to end, Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organization, must stop rocket attacks into Israel.

Israeli warplanes and combat helicopters pounded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip killing at least 155 people in the bloodiest day for Palestinians in more than 20 years.

Palestinian militants responded with rocket fire that killed an Israeli, medics said.

"Hamas' continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Texas where President George W. Bush is on vacation at his ranch.

"Hamas must end its terrorist activities if it wishes to play a role in the future of the Palestinian people," Johndroe said. "The United States urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza."

The Bush administration has typically taken the position that Israel has the right to defend itself....

Mighty big of the Bush administration to "typically" take such a stance!

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