Obama Fiddling while Gaza Burns (The Nation)

[Welcome_hubby]

The Nation criticizes President Obama's non-reaction on the recent Israel-Palestinians conflict, wondering if he will do nothing while people die, just like George W. Bush did. Excerpt:

"It may be too much—okay, it is too much—to expect an American administration to condemn a war started by Israel. But the best bet for Obama, otherwise, is to work with Egypt and Turkey to use the crisis to establish a stable cease-fire, one that would allow normal commerce from Gaza to Egypt and vice versa, some sort of international monitoring of the Israel-Gaza conflict, and an agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt the tit-for-tat attacks. That might be a basis, then, for a second-term Obama effort to deal seriously with the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Right now, though, it’s not looking good"

Read all: http://www.thenation.com/blog/171303/obama-fiddling-while-gaza-burns#

[liberal N proud]

1. I am so sick of this shit about Obama not reacting to violence between other countries

WE ARE NOT THE WORLD POLICE!!!!

The sooner we realize that, the better off we will be. Look what Afghanistan got us. 2000+ DEAD Soldiers.

[hrmjustin]

3. +1

[Welcome_hubby]

4. Obama supported revolutions in Lybia, Egypt, which was good

We are world police in certain cases. It is unclear whether you criticized his support in those cases.

[liberal N proud]

6. We never sent troops into either region

Support vs act?

[Welcome_hubby]

8. Did you read what The Nation is asking Obama to do?

Or not. Did it include sending troops?

[Enrique]

7. it is completely different with Israel

we give them so much military aid that it is very much our business what they do with it.

[ejbr]

36. + 1 n/t

[Cali_Democrat]

23. Well said!!

I feel the same way.

[sabrina 1]

2. It's obvious that that conflict needs to be taken over

by someone. UN troops are in Haiti, and other areas of conflict that have less potential to drag other countries into their conflicts.

This conflict has the potential to spread across the region and clearly neither of the two parties are capable of handling the situation.

[hack89]

25. Hard to imagine either Israel or Hamas permitting UN troops

on their territory. It is also hard to imagine any country risking their soldiers by putting them between the IDF and Hamas.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

35. The UN has failed miserably in Lebanon...

I suggest we not waste the lives of more people there

[babylonsister]

5. This is 'our' problem why? Aren't people just plain

tired of entering into other country's conflicts?

[Enrique]

10. that is a radical RW position

let Israel do what they want, stop tying their hands.

[BlueCaliDem]

19. No. The radical RW position is to join Israel in a war

as fast as they can collect the promissory notes from the MIC.

The Republican Party's OLD position was to stay out of other countries' wars.

Neocon Bibi wants to draw the United States into another war that President Obama has been reluctant to do. This is why he was closer with Willard than he's ever been with PBO. This is why Neocon Sheldon Adelson gave tens of millions to Republicans in the last campaign and Duhbya's old Neocon buddies all rushed to be with Willard. They want war.

[Enrique]

21. with Iran, yes

with the Palestinians, the refrain we hear is "Stay out of Israel's business!"

[BlueCaliDem]

37. Yes, with Iran and the way to Iran is through Palestine.

Or haven't you heard how the Israelis have been telling everyone that Iran is funding and supplying the uprising in Palestine?

I don't want the U.S. involved. I don't want anymore war. I want us OUT of war already, but Bibi is hellbent on getting us involved in their war and he'll do every sneaky thing he can toward that end.

Jeezus! What were the Israelis thinking, voting for this neocon?

[babylonsister]

30. You're telling me not entering into another

conflict is a radical r/w position? I rather thought the r/w welcomes conflicts.

[Enrique]

31. you are talking like this is about military intervention

the Nation is not asking Obama to go to war against Israel, just to pressure them to end their assault on Gaza.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

9. Another reason I'm glad

I didn't renew my subscription to The Nation.

[BlueCaliDem]

20. Hear! Hear! When they went FireDogLake on PBO, I didn't renew

my subscription. I don't need to read a bunch of wailing against President Obama that I can get online, on every television and cable station, and on just about every radio program, for free.

I refused to cut my nose to spite my face and have Willard win the election by default. Good thing that the majority of Mexican-Americans don't partake of our media. That has won us many an election!

[Sekhmets Daughter]

22. Exactly...I swear FDL is a conservative front...rather like Third Way....

I know Jane does work for conservatives....

[BlueCaliDem]

32. I lost love for Jane when in 2009, right after PBO's inauguration,

she went into full attack mode while he hadn't done anything yet!

Then I read she wanted to team up with Sarah Palin and that just solidified my deep disenchantment with her and her blog.

I used to admire her, but now I wonder why I ever did.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

33. There are some people who when given a platform and a voice

just abuse it for their own self-aggrandizement... Palin is one such...Jane is another and I suspect Katrina is falling into the same trap of self-importance.

[Wait Wut]

11. Are they tapping the President's phone?

I doubt our President is 'doing nothing'. He's just not 'doing anything' to appease the public. The situation in Gaza is more than a news story.

[kelly1mm]

28. He is doing something - condemning Hamas. Here is the money quote:

"We strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, and we regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence. There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel. We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately in order to allow the situation to de-escalate"

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Not to worry. Obama will seek to establish sanctions against Israel any moment.

Our foreign policy is to be against aggression....isn't it?

[spanone]

13. seems President Obama has been rather busy to me.

[Control-Z]

14. And they know

the president is not reacting, how?

[elleng]

15. because The Nation knows SO MUCH about what the administration is doing,

hour by hour, day by day, right?

[Welcome_hubby]

16. Here's what the White House said

The people wondering why The Nation says what it says don't even know what the White House has said over the issue (I.e. blame one side):

"We strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, and we regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence. There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel. We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately in order to allow the situation to de-escalate.

In…conversations [with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi], the president reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s right to self-defense. President Obama also urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties.

Hamas claims to have the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart, yet it continues to engage in violence that is counterproductive to the Palestinian cause. Attacking Israel on a near-daily basis does nothing to help the Palestinians in Gaza or to move the Palestinian people any closer to achieving self-determination."

Link: Already given.

[chille1]

17. We cant even police ourselves let alone the World !

Always the outcry about what to do on Foreign soil ,What about the thousands who die right here every year ,every month ,every day!Israel and the Palestinians have been at war since forever,We should try to negotiate some sort of peace absolutely ,But we need Nation building here and we need it now.its time for America to be Americas priority ,we have generations being wiped out in our backyard ,but since its not front page very few show outrage . And Lastly the latest headline shouldn't be our priority!

[Welcome_hubby]

18. So stop sending arms to Israel?

Not a bad idea.

[sabrina 1]

29. Agreed. So we need to stop supporting these countries with money

and weapons. So long as we continue to do that, we are part of the problem.

How much money and arms does the US send to the Palestinians?

Seems to me we support Israel no matter what it does. That is getting involved.

Just withdraw all support and let them fight it out the way other nations have done throughout history. Until then we support one side of this conflict.

[Mosby]

34. the us gives the palestinians about 1/2 billion per year

And we give the egyptians 1.5 billion per year.

Including all sources of funding the Palestinians through direct aid and unrwa get a couple billion per year.

Given that Palestinians have been granted inheritable refugee status, the cost of unrwa will continue to grow exponentially. Consider that in 1950 there were 750K refugees, now there are 5 million plus.

[Mosby]

24. Israel didn't start anything - Hamas did

Note this is not my opinion. The fact is that Hamas is firing hundreds of rockets into Israel and the government had to do something.

I find it bizzare that so many progressives can't deal with this simple fact.

[2naSalit]

27. Interesting that you think that...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel#Muslim_rule

[2naSalit]

26. That country has had much

of our government by the short hairs since its inception, since we helped create it. In much the same way we continually removed the indigenous peoples of this continent from their homelands and dumped them on top of the homelands of other established indigenous peoples, so have we done that there by dumping the people who now rule that place on those who were there originally. We just drove them out and let the folks who are there now move in. Then, when the rest of the region complained, we gave said transplants all kinds of guns and money to let them do what they will with all of it. You can't say anything about it or you will be shut down on so many levels by their watchdog cabal who file SLAPP lawsuits that you can't afford, claiming defamation or libel or both.

They have been rewarded for being constant bad actors and antagonists (prime example would be the past 24 hours), it's time we stopped enabling them. There are still thousands of refugees in the desert who were run off their land 60 or so years ago... still there. And any attempt to facilitate any kind of minor justice for them is thwarted by neocon/religion zealots. Just look at recent peaceful flotillas and the violence they received for their troubles. Not to mention constant, illegal encroachment on what little they have left that hasn't been bombed, bulldozed, burned and dried to a crisp from being denied water that is rightfully theirs. This is one of the main causes of our troubles in that region and it's a ten million, kazillion ton elephant sitting on and eggshell. But no one dare speak ill about it if they recognize it at all. Shhh.

[Hekate]

38. Could it be he's negotiating behind the scenes? Is he supposed to send troops?

Is he supposed to drop bombs, send paratroopers, launch drones? What would make The Nation et al. happy?

Based on President Obama's history in office so far, isn't it just possible that he is using his words rather than hitting people? And that since he's the president and not a playground bully, perhaps this is behind the scenes because sometimes it's more effective that way?

Just how many wars are we supposed to send our people to die in, and for what reasons?

Christ on a trailer hitch, I am so sick of this kind of bitching.

[brokechris]

39. I'm sure Obama

has it under control. It will all be clear if we are patient.