The Israeli invasion of Gaza is turning into a rerun of a show that was horrible the first time. Comparisons to the 2006 Israeli war in Lebanon abound. One of the current story lines is whether the U.S. is working for a cease fire or trying to prevent one. Ha'aretz reports "U.S. quashes Arab-backed Gaza cease-fire resolution in UN Security Council meet":
Sunday to persuade the UN Security Council to call for an immediate
ceasefire in Gaza after Israel launched a ground invasion, diplomats
said.
Several council diplomats told reporters that the U.S. refusal to
back a Libyan-drafted demand for an immediate truce at a closed-door
emergency session had killed the initiative, since council statements
must be passed unanimously.
The last time the U.S. derailed a ceasefire agreement to end Israeli aggression was the 2006 Lebanon War when Secretary Rice said, "What we're seeing here, in a sense, is the growing — the birth pangs of a new Middle East and whatever we do we have to be certain that we're pushing forward to the new Middle East not going back to the old one." In that case the U.S. argued that Israel needed more time to accomplish its goals against Hizbollah. Those "birth pangs" led to southern Lebanon being decimated and Hizbollah emerging stronger than ever.
Interestingly, Ha'aretz is also reporting "Sources: U.S. truce efforts have yet to address Israel's needs." So maybe the U.S. is trying to broker a cease fire although the article doesn't make it clear what exactly the U.S. truce offer is lacking, or what exactly Israel needs, other than more time to destroy Gaza. The article ends,
ability to realize the regional objectives it has set for itself in
launching Operation Cast Lead," a senior official in Jerusalem told
Haaretz on Saturday.
Another source said he estimated Israel had "several days" to
pursue these goals. Over the weekend, Israel has continued to its
diplomatic efforts to stave off international pressure to stop the
Israel Defense Forces action in Gaza.
Its difficult not to see this as the U.S. once again trying to build the diplomatic cover for Israel to continue another ill fated military adventure.
Also similar to Lebanon the goals for the attack seem to be changing midstream. Originally the goals of the Israeli attacks on Gaza were to end the missiles being fired on southern Israel. Now the "regional objectives" are increasingly being articulated as removing Hamas from power. A goal the New York Times adds "almost no one familiar with Gaza and Palestinian politics considers .. realistic."
And most tragically, Gaza is now being flattened as Lebanon was. I hope someone in the press asks Secretary Rice again to explain her policy and again to justify the level of destruction the U.S. is yet again bringing to the Middle East. And to ask, as the New York Times finally has, at what human cost?
