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TechnoratiAmerican and Israeli War Crimes: Same Atrocities, Different Responses
In the last few days, both the Israeli military and the US military have fired missiles into homes, in an effort to target what they said were terrorists, in the process killing many innocent civilians.
But what a contrast we see in both the reporting on these events, and in the response within the two countries!
In the Israeli case, the IDF fired a missile into a family home in Gaza, killing a mother and her four young children, who were eating breakfast at the time. The children were aged 6 through 15 months. While the IDF and the Israeli government blamed the tragedy on Hamas, saying it operates in proximity of civilians and is thus responsible for their deaths, an Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, has caqlled for a criminal investigation into the killings, saying that Israel and the IDF have violated internation law by firing the missile in a densely populated area where civilian casualties would be likely. A spokesman for the group, Sarit Michaeli, says that Israeli claims that it is not responsible for such deaths are incorrect, and adds that under international law, "Even if you attack a legitimate military target, the anticipated damage has to be in proportion to the anticipated gain."
How does such a moral calculus apply to American military policy? The most recent example of US military tactics in this regard came yesterday, when American forces, in clear violation of international law regarding national sovereignty, fired a missile into a house in Somalia (a nation that the US is not at war with), reportedly killing an alleged leader of the Al Qaeda organization in Somalia, Aden Hashi Ayro, but also another nine people -- all unidentified. Reports suggest that many of those killed and another seven who were wounded, were innocent civilians who happened to be sleeping in the house in question.
To date, no American human rights group has protested this action as a criminal violation or a violation of international law. No member of Congress has decried the attack.
The AP story reporting the incident didn't even mention the possibility that the action could be a violation of law.
Nor is this an isolated incident. In Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Pakistan, in Somalia and elsewhere, the US regularly launches missiles, often from remote controlled drone aircraft, and drops large bombs on houses and even larger compounds, sometimes destroying whole villages at a time, in order to hit individual alleged terrorists. Often, it turns out on investigation that the target individuals weren't even present at the scene of these bloody massacres of civilians.
So commonplace are these wanton acts of violence by US forces that the US-installed leader of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has publicly called for a halt to them, because of the number of innocent Afghan citizens being killed. Iraqis too, are enraged at the number of innocent victims of US bombings in places like Sadr City, where the killing of innocent children by US bombs has become a deadly routine.
No one -- not one person -- in the US military, the Pentagon or the Bush administration has been prosecuted for war crimes or criminal violations for these atrocities.
It becomes clearer and clearer with the passing of time that Bush's and Cheney's so-called War on Terror is actually a War of Terror, being waged against the people of such places as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia.
At least in Israel, some citizens are willing to call such behavior criminal, and to demand a halt to it.
Dave Lindorff is a Philadelphia-based journalist and columnist. His latest book is "The Case for Impeachment" (St. Martin's Press, 2006 and now available in paperback edition). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net
34 Comments so far
Show AllRE: InjunTrouble May 3rd, 2008 10:11 am
"Israel has been killing innocent Palestinians 'by mistake' for the last 50 years. They always say they are sorry and keep on doing it. Most Israelis do no care and actually support the killings."
While true Isrealis have been killing people indiscriminately almost since given that country (and initiating terrorist bombings & false flag operations with malicious intent to deceive), I must take exception to your last sentence. Most Isrealis, by a margin of about 2 to 1, want a peaceful two state solution with Palestine, much like Americans, by almost an identical ratio, want us to get the hell out of Iraq. There is a common problem we share with Isreal, though, that being radical hard-liners are in control of both countries. To blame the Isrealis (people) for actions of their unscrupulous Mossad is as non-sensical as Americans being blamed for the actions of a highly secretive CIA. Only when Americans/Isrealis demand accountability & oversight of these two rogue groups, causing turmoil worldwide, will the majority of the populace be able to assert control over whether an undisclosed budget totalling tens of billions, psy-ops & black-ops, are really good investments or counterproductive to peace. Of course the neo-CONs & Zionists will fight tooth & nail to prevent yielding control, because when truth gains their lies & deviousness loses.
David Lindorff,
According to your boss, his holiness Alexander Cockburn, 19 Muslim Arab Terrorists armed with Boxcutters killed 3000 US citizens on 9/11 in plain sight. Right?
So, may be the war crimes and atrocities perpetrated by the US and Israeli government against terrorists are perfectly justified retaliations, following your boss's reasonning.
What are you complaining about? They killed us in plain sight, so we declare war on them and kill them, and rape them, and torture them and steal their riches and... Remember, they are born 'terrorists' and we are born innocent bystanders, God's Chosen People.
David Lindorff,
'At least in Israel, some citizens are willing to call such behavior criminal, and to demand a halt to it.'
Unless you are being provocative to prod greater protest, which is certainly justified, but if not, and you are being literal, then I take offense to your short-term memory.
Has not individuals on the internet, as this site as a perfect example, and yourself, within demonstrations, and at least some radio programmers made the case that US is engaged in systematic and systemic genocidal polices and massive war crimes worldwide?
The US has a strong history of antiwar activist, going back to Henry David Thoreau.
I have been a serious one since 1964 risking Leavenworth for sedition in the ranks! Have been jailed in opposition since then, as has thousands upon thousands of others.
Least we forget, some even burnt themselves to death in protest, one man in Chicago a couple years ago.
What activist can do effectively is talk to troops, their friends and family. After all they went to high school with kids who are now against the war, as is 70-80% of the US population! The link below is positively empowering and I urge everyone to use it, save-it, share it, and make it central to the antiwar argument.:
A Duty to Disobey All Unlawful Orders - An Advisory to US Troops: '... military personnel have an obligation and a duty to only obey Lawful orders and indeed have an obligation to disobey Unlawful orders, including orders by the president that do not comply with the UCMJ. The moral and legal obligation is to the U.S. Constitution and not to those who would issue unlawful orders, especially if those orders are in direct violation of the Constitution and the UCMJ...'
My e-mail: PureDemocracyWorld@gmail.com
David Lindorff,
'At least in Israel, some citizens are willing to call such behavior criminal, and to demand a halt to it.'
Unless you are being provocative to prod greater protest, which is certainly justified, but if not, and you are being literal, then I take offense to your short-term memory.
Has not individuals as on the internet, within demonstrations, and at least some radio programmers made the that the US is engaged in systematic and systemic genocidal polices, massive war crimes worldwide?
The US has a strong history of antiwar activist, I have been one since 1964, and gave gone to jail in opposition as has thousands and thousands of others, some even burnt themselves to death. You want to see another one to remind?
What activist can do effectively is talk to troops or they friends and family, and empower them by learning the following. And I could post several more, but this is the some important.:
A Duty to Disobey All Unlawful Orders - An Advisory to US Troops: '... military personnel have an obligation and a duty to only obey Lawful orders and indeed have an obligation to disobey Unlawful orders, including orders by the president that do not comply with the UCMJ. The moral and legal obligation is to the U.S. Constitution and not to those who would issue unlawful orders, especially if those orders are in direct violation of the Constitution and the UCMJ...'
Soon there could be "Peacekeeper' drones flying all over America, ready to slam Hellfire missiles into any 'crime scene' or 'bad guy' here. Got a bank robbery hostage situation? No problem. Robbers 'obliterated'... along with bank and hostages. Got an OJ in a car chase? Bam, that one didn't get away, sorry about the other hard-luck cars on the road. Got a prison riot? Not anymore, and don't have to worry about the fact there are no more prison walls, because there are no more prisoners either.
Got a pesky peace march or WTO protest? No problem. Crowd dispersed... into pieces. Got an activist writer 'holed up' at home with enabling 'family members'? Goodbye, terrorist-collaborators.
See how easy it is to enforce the 'laws' when you do not need to worry about those damn inconvenient civilians, or the borders of other so-called 'nations'. Just collateral damage. Adolf would have been so proud, and envious. Of both America and Israel. His bastard children.
So are we the good guys, or just some other gangs on the world-block? That is the question for the citizenry of both America and Israel to answer. Is there true justice, or is there just winning and losing? Because so far, despite the pleas of the righteous from both nations, the powers that now rule both have decided there is only winning and losing. And that there are no rules in this global rumble.
By the way, speaking of collateral damage, in conversing with an old Army Ranger of Vietnam, he indicated that the My Lai Incident was no isolated incident, but was in fact Standard Operating Procedure... wherein 'America's Assassins' (his words) obliterated Vietnamese villages down to the dirt, killing everything in them, every old man, woman, child, baby, dog, chicken... and then burned them all down.
Only My Lai got into the Press, which was insufficiently controlled at that point in time (now the press is cowed and awed, and lazy and bought-off and mislead and herded and targeted... the powers have learned the press is an enemy that needs to be subverted, along with the Constitution and Bill of Rights).
Apparently, this was the program, this 'Pacification' of villages, to win hearts and minds in Vietnam... it seems dead hearts and minds are 'friendly' ones, so dead people become 'friendlies', or in the nomenclature of the day, 'Pacified' (there's no more pacified a person than a dead one). Better dead than 'red'. Mission Accomplished!
Same kind of Pacification thing now going down in Iraq. Nation burned down, population terrorized, economy gone, nation breaking up, citizens walled-off in 'strategic hamlets', American gunships and snipers everywhere, oil under control. Check, check and check. Mission Accomplished! Israel, er, I mean, America wins!
Or maybe not.
I'm convinced that the neocons are engaging in assassination by drone throughout the MiddleEast out of a desire to provoke another 9-11-style response.
Look what they did to America on the strength of the last one.
Israel has been killing innocent Palestinians 'by mistake' for the last 50 years. They always say they are sorry and keep on doing it. Most Israelis do no care and actually support the killings.
However, the people in the US who protest US atrocities are far more in the number and more sincere. The reason US government never admits mistakes is they are afraid of liability and compensation in the courts.
Israeli governemnt will always say sorry, do nothing about it and keep on killing 'by mistake'
and I hope buy you a drink first as well
Israel and USA are the real axis of evil. Both are engaged in state sponsored terrorism and the root cause of global terrorism. Israel is an illegal occupier of Arab land and is continuing to violate international law and UN resolutions. And USA was founded on a massive genocide of Native Americans.
(By the way, voting for Obama or Hillary will change nothing in foreign policy. As one of the CD reader had pointed out earlier: both will screw rest of the word - the only difference is that the Dem wil use Vaseline)
I see the number of postings for stories like this are dropping off. It is like Common Dreams has to rehash this story about every 2 or 3 days, just to remind Americans how helpless they are. Myself and several others have said there is only one thing left and that is vote in Nov. If you feel that process is so corrupt it doesn't matter then don't vote. The ball is clearly in the Americans public court so take a swing at it or sit on the sidelines forever and just watch the world events take place.
International law only applies to countries that are not the US or Israel. Chances of politicians or military personnel of either country ending up in The Hague are zero. "Why do they hate us?" is a question that doesn't need an answer. Countries have been been bribed and bullied to protect Americans from the International Court and if any American were ever to end up there, the city would be invaded.
The predominant response to US and Israeli atrocities is the same. Lindorff is correct that Israeli human rights groups are more active and get more local press. The "influence" the Zionist lobby has on the US MSM has a lot to do with it, and the fact that Israel is located within Palestine, not more than an ocean away, has even more.
As much as they claim to be brave, and are occasionally forced to be, both the IDF and the US military demonstrate cowardice to the extreme on many an occasion.
This article makes a good point. The right-wing Israeli government commits atrocities, but there is a vibrant dissent movement both within Israel and the Jewish diaspora. One does not find the same extent of committment to human rights within the United States, although most of those who frequent this website are exceptions. Criticism of the Israeli government is not anti-Semitic, nor are accusations of Jewish monolithic support for its actions credible. Both extremes are wrong.
Here in America? You've got to be kidding!...I suppose next you'll be accusing Bush/Cheney and (all of Congress-Senate- and Free Press) maybe a few more, of instaling a "PRIVATE MILITARY" who answers to no one and is paid for with our taxes!!!! In this hip age I suppose one would call it "BLACKWATER!" -or- maybe there's hundreds of these paid mercenaries opening bases all over America. Garbage in/Garbage OUT NOW!
p.s.
Has anyone come up with a new name for what used to be The United States of America?
paulbk1977:
You're right. Except since WW II the technology now exists to totally end human life on this planet via direct violence and/or environmental degredation and we're horribly close to an end-game if we can't can't get our collective selves around that reality.
This kind of insanity has gone on for centuries, we really have not progressed very much in 2000 years, it is the same crap over and over again, and it is the innocent who bare the brunt of the brutality of the most powerful nations of the day. What is with these kind of people, they just do not care who they harm, they always think they are justified in killing, maiming and destroying lives, for "their" greater good. But they all fall down and collapse at some point, one after another, history shows their decline and demise for their stupidity, and callousness.
Peaceseeker67: right on .. and even better follow ups by elmysterio and TJ...
It is infuriating to hear govt and media heads alike assign a greater value of life to Americans, and Israelis than to other countries citizens. It is even more infuriating this is done to create the patriotic sense of brotherhood and comradery among citizens, when in reality it simply makes it easier and more 'justifiable' for govts to kill poor people of all races (i.e. useless eaters). I have learned to try control the instinct to take sides in these false conflicts and I get freakin sick to my stomach thinking about it every time.
But hey look on the 'bright side', we would not be able to have this conversation (internet) if it were not for the complete slaughter of those pesky Injuns, which eventually led to out of control capitalism and new and improved products, riiight?
Thanks to America and Israel, we are entering the Dark Ages again where the biggest sword rules. Yes, folks, the law of the jungle is back again so you'd better get in provisions and arms and get ready to protect yourself and your family!
Although how one protects him or herself from a missile is a tricky one. I guess you have to keep moving. But then they can get you with a drone that you can't even see! Eat in separate rooms seems the only option.
Life is Hell!
P.S. Hugo for President? www.dangerouscreation.com
You lay down with Zionist dogs, you get up with Zionsit fleas.
B'Tselem does terrific work, as does Gush Shalom, Rabbis Against Home Demolition and other Israeli peace activist groups.
And they have been entirely ineffectual in bringing justice to any of the IDF murderers. Whoever committed this war crime will walk, as always. The Israeli military will again investigate itself and decide it is completely innocent and that the Palestinians who died are responsible for their own deaths. Again. It's called "purity of arms" I believe.
Thanks for pointing out the jingoism of counting "American" deaths El mysterio. It's the same reason that I think American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are war criminals.
litt_wmn@yahoo.com
elmysterio:
great resource. here's another: http://members.aol.com/bblum6/American_holocaust.htm
The typical reaction of US citizens to US crimes can be surmised from the abuse heaped on Wright for exposing America's long history of terrorism and oppression. Not just unsayable - unthinkable in the land of the cast iron national narrative.
@kittyladyoregon
Don't despair. The efforts of those organization of which you are a part may sometimes seem fruitless on the home front. But they certainly do not go unnoted by the global community, and conveying the fact that a conscience does exist amongst the American public is not unimportant in itself. If nothing else, one can hope that it may help to keep the "us" in questions like "why do they hate us" focussed and targetted where it belongs.
These are acts of terrorism, pure and simple. Why are we not calling these assassinations that? How can we not call the latest US 'hit' in Somalia anything other than terrorism?
Peaceseeker67: Yes, you did miss a few... Here's a comprehensive list of US military interventions from 1880 to present.
http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/interventions.html
The only deaths that really matter are "American" deaths. So often you read an article that contains something like this: "70 people died, including 5 Americans"... Why is it necessary to quantify the fact that 5 of the dead were American? This happens all the frickin time.
War crimes; Collective punishment; Starving occupied populations.
01 May 2008 14:54:45 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Jonathon Burch
KABUL, May 1 (Reuters) - Struggling with food price rises of up to 100 percent, Afghans are beginning to benefit from U.N. food distribution this year, but the handouts end in July and no one is sure what will happen then, the U.N. said on Thursday.
US:Native Americans::Isreal:Palestinian
Birds of a feather ...
Flock together.
Kittyladyoregon,
I think everything you said was right on, except I don't think their insane quest is for a single "bad guy". I think they really like killing those they consider worthless or undesirable like Muslims who haven't been bought off, blacks, Indians, and poor people, etc... As Howard Zinn teaches us, "Your government is run by liars and killers", and "their interests are not your interests".
This is nothing new.
While the U.S. media, pundits and politicians make excuses for our atrocities. They condemn all others atrocities.
For example:
Anyone who attacks anything that is in the U.S. or a U.S. "territory", check out what territory means, it doesn't necessarily mean that the land is part of the U.S. willingly. It could very well be occupied, but that doesn't seem to matter. They are considered terrorist while anything and everything America does is reasonable and JUST.
Think Pearl Harbor.
To begin with, Hawaii was not a state at the time that our military was attacked in Pearl Harbor.
It was a U.S. territory because it had been an Independent kingdom overthrown, annexed.
Next, the Japanese attacked only military targets, no civilian.
So what did we do?
Firebombed Tokyo, killing over 120,000 civilians and destroying almost 300,000 buildings and resulting in more immediate deaths than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Not satisfied with this act, we drop the first atomic bomb, again on a city of civilians, killing 100,000, though not all immediately.
Still not satisfied with our killing and destruction of civilians and civilian infrastructure, we drop a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki two days later killing another 80,000, again not all immediately.
If we look back at our history as a nation critically, we must admit that we are a nation of terrorist actions.
Think what our fledgling nation did to the native people of this land.
Smallpox infested blankets
Trail of Tears
Wounded Knee
Etc, etc, etc.
PANAMA
NICARAGUA
PHILIPPINES
PUERTO RICO
KOREA
VIETNAM
LAOS
CAMBODIA
INDONESIA
LEBANON
And I'm sure many more that I have forgotten.
America is not the great savior but a terrorist state that condemns brutal actions of the little guy or a single person, while they perpetrate giant atrocities.
I have been protesting the killing of innocent civilians for so long, I have forgotten how long it has been. I am a member of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The US is the world's largest terrorist; US condones the killing of babies, children and women in its insane quest for a single person. Why can't we hire some detectives to look for the bad guys (if any) and let the police authorities take care of the jailing and prosecution of them? We do not need to drop 500 lb bombs on homes just simply because we have them and want to further enrich the company that makes the damn bombs.
Lindorff claims no US human rights group has protested incidents like this.
They have but the press refuses to print the protestations.
Just check the web sites.
At least in Israel, some citizens are willing to call such behavior criminal, and to demand a halt to it.
In fact, there is more open and extensively published criticism of Israel within Israel than there is in the United States. As for any publication of critical commentary within the US regarding USA Incorporated's own gross violations of international laws and standards of human decency, forget it. It's just not done.
For all of Israel's many faults, it must be said that it comes closer to approximating some underpinnings of a true democracy than does the self-proclaimed "greatest democracy on earth". On the other hand, that's not much of a compliment.