As of this writing – and matters are tenuous at best – the bombs have stopped falling on Gaza. Not soon enough for the nearly 2,000 dead, many thousands injured, 10,000 left homeless, and an entire society cast into a kind of pre-industrial darkness, with very little energy, bad or nonexistent water, and less hope than ever. This rampage by the Israeli government was breathtaking in its ferocity, but not without precedent. Netanyahu blames Hamas for not surrendering earlier … just the kind of jibe you would expect out of a tin-pot invading general. Tell it to the Hague, BiBi. Tell it to the Hague.
No fear, right? We won’t see Netanyahu in the dock, because if he lands there, our leaders would be right behind him for their crucial support of his atrocities. The ICC may sound like a good idea, but make no mistake: it’s not for powerful countries; it is for defeated leaders from the developing world who have gotten on the wrong side of the United States in one way or another. You might see a Milosevic or a Sri Lankan general facing justice, but never the George Bushes, Dick Cheneys, Don Rumsfelds, Barack Obamas, Tony Blairs, or BiBi Netanyahus of the world. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s mere victor’s justice, and therefore no justice at all.
Anyone who reads this blog knows where I stand on Israel / Palestine. I happen to believe that pre-June 1967 Israel is just as legitimate and illegitimate as any other nation state. I also share the nearly universal conviction that the only workable solution to this decades old crisis is a two-state settlement based on pre-June 1967. But even more crucially, I believe it’s important to recognize that lack of accountability for massacres of this type merely encourages repeat performances. Any nation allowed to act in such a way without fear of consequence will behave like Vlad the Impaler – it’s as reliable as gravity. If there is no accountability, Israel will “mow the lawn” in Gaza again and again, perhaps starting this weekend.
There is a way to stop this. Our government holds the key, but they refuse to use it. Now that the bombs are falling again (damn it!), we need to press them to do the right thing, because that’s the only way they ever will. Just say, hey, Barry … if you’re looking for some children who are easy to save, try Gaza. No bombers necessary – all you need to do is make a freaking phone call.
luv u,
jp
