Back to Back - Israel/Palestine
[Reading through my accumulated mail today I find the following contrasting views on the current outbreak of violence surrounding Israel. Hank Roth, a former White House security person, warrior in the '67 engagement, head of Florida's Jewish war veterans, and long-time "internut" progressive with various on-line publications and discussion groups: http://pnews.org/
versus
Palestinian Marwan Bishara: http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/marwan_bishara writing in the current Nation. I have taken an excerpt from Hank's longer piece. One can find or sign up for his postings at the PNEWs site and Bishara's full piece is at the Nation website.
I agree with Madeleine Albright that the Bush administration is now facing a "perfect storm" in the international sphere. I hope that they do not allow this particular one to escalate into an even more catastrophic whirlwind. Ed Kent}
........................................
Hank Roth
Post Script
I don't support wars, any of them. I believe all war is evil in the purest sense of the word. They are indiscriminate about killing in spite of the intent of the so-called warriors and it corrupts them, all of them. They can easily lose their sense of humanity - (or they can find it). But sometimes a war is unavoidable no matter how much one hates it. That is the case with the war in Israel. I have never met an Israeli who likes war. I've never met an Israeli who doesn't hate the war with Arabs. But when Israel is attacked by countries or groups like HAMAS or Hezbellah, what choice is there but to strike back harder than those trying to kill Jews? There is none. If you could put yourself in their place you would know that. Maybe you already do. Never forget though that one side doesn't mind this war because for many of them they will become martyrs and they will have salvation for their killing Jews. And the other side will only experience death and that is what they must avoid at all costs, but the cost most especially to those who do not mind the killing; they can't otherwise be reckoned with. They don't fear death. Sometimes there is no choice but death and to kill in a war of survival.
...........................
Marwan Bishara
The Israeli government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has exploited the
capture of Army Corporal Gilad Shalit to restore the country's
diminished deterrence against militant Palestinian factions, to break
the elected Hamas government and to impose its unilateral territorial
solution on the West Bank. But, as Marwan Bishara writes
<http://lists.thenation.com/t?ctl=54DD:5447F> , when the dust finally
settles, Israel's offensive against the besieged territories--and now
Lebanon--will have left the region with more destruction and death and
the Israeli government with the same strategic deadlock.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
versus
Palestinian Marwan Bishara: http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/marwan_bishara writing in the current Nation. I have taken an excerpt from Hank's longer piece. One can find or sign up for his postings at the PNEWs site and Bishara's full piece is at the Nation website.
I agree with Madeleine Albright that the Bush administration is now facing a "perfect storm" in the international sphere. I hope that they do not allow this particular one to escalate into an even more catastrophic whirlwind. Ed Kent}
........................................
Hank Roth
Post Script
I don't support wars, any of them. I believe all war is evil in the purest sense of the word. They are indiscriminate about killing in spite of the intent of the so-called warriors and it corrupts them, all of them. They can easily lose their sense of humanity - (or they can find it). But sometimes a war is unavoidable no matter how much one hates it. That is the case with the war in Israel. I have never met an Israeli who likes war. I've never met an Israeli who doesn't hate the war with Arabs. But when Israel is attacked by countries or groups like HAMAS or Hezbellah, what choice is there but to strike back harder than those trying to kill Jews? There is none. If you could put yourself in their place you would know that. Maybe you already do. Never forget though that one side doesn't mind this war because for many of them they will become martyrs and they will have salvation for their killing Jews. And the other side will only experience death and that is what they must avoid at all costs, but the cost most especially to those who do not mind the killing; they can't otherwise be reckoned with. They don't fear death. Sometimes there is no choice but death and to kill in a war of survival.
...........................
Marwan Bishara
The Israeli government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has exploited the
capture of Army Corporal Gilad Shalit to restore the country's
diminished deterrence against militant Palestinian factions, to break
the elected Hamas government and to impose its unilateral territorial
solution on the West Bank. But, as Marwan Bishara writes
<http://lists.thenation.com/t?ctl=54DD:5447F> , when the dust finally
settles, Israel's offensive against the besieged territories--and now
Lebanon--will have left the region with more destruction and death and
the Israeli government with the same strategic deadlock.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
posted by Ed Kent at 7:36 AM
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