Why does it take Annie Lennox, Mick Jagger and Alexei Sayle to condemn these Israeli atrocities? Where is Gordon Brown's voice? Tony Blair? As Robert Fisk has said, not a bloody word. Blair a Middle East Peace Envoy? Is there a bigger sham of a human being in the world than him?
Powerful coverage by the Independent (graphic):
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The bbc is reporting today that the US and Israel have signed a deal to stop arms smuggling in Palestine. The US and Israel have had a deal for a long time in the Mddl East. A deal against the Palestinians
ReplyDeleteAnnie Lennox's statement to the press relating to the Gaza war is surprising by its total disregard for Israeli suffering.
ReplyDeleteIsraelis have had to submit to hundreds of terrorist attacks, ie. attacks against their civilian population for over 40 years now. In a recent eight day period, 300 missiles were sent into Israel with missiles at times hitting southern cities, towns and villages. The constant psychic toll of never knowing if a missile will claim you is a staggering demand to make of any individual.
As Canadian Nobel prize for literature nominee, Irving Layton once put it, "Why should they be expected to sit there like clay ducks in a shooting gallery?"
And as we speak of Canada, Canada has not been hit even once by a terrorist attack and yet it has enacted legislation that allows for "security certificates", ie. the right of Canadian enforcement agencies to detain and charge anyone suspected of planning to commit a terrorist act, without them knowing what the charges are. If Canada can go that way without even one attack, surely Israel has the right to properly defend itself considering the kind of long history it has had to endure relating to attacks against its civilian population.
The war in the Falklands was a British war over a wisp of a land mass in the middle of nowhere in the Atlantic over a very questionable British possession. In effect the war was fought for ego reasons alone, but approx. 300 Argentinian sailors were blown out of the Atlantic by the British navy. Where was Annie Lennox? Did she protest? In contrast Israel is fighting for the survival of its population and its towns and villages.
Is part of the truth that: Annie Lennox knows who's buttering her bread in the U.K. ; that it's ok to kick the Israelis but that to keep one's nose clean in Britain is imperative. I checked Ms. Lennox's website forum sub-section, "Activism". Actually her scope for activism is puzzlingly restricted for someone so vocal and passionate in her attack against Israeli force. There 's not a sign of any activism to fight British Petroleum, known to be not only corrupt in its predation but a company with one of the world's worst pollution records (which other Brits have protested); or British presence in Iraq (incl. abuses) (which other Brits have protested); or the refusal by British museums to allow for repatriation of iconic heritage cultural art treasure heirlooms by the African countries of origin , from whom they were stolen during days of "Empire"(which other Brits have protested).
Although Ms. Lennox is a Scotswoman, it's clear she has been infected by English sanctimonious finger pointing hypocrisy, and is cow-towing to it.
Alexie Sayle (an English Jew), Harold Pinter (an English Jew), and Annie Lenox ( a woman married to an Israeli )have all needed to "make penance" for the sins of Israel. They have no need to make pennance for days of Empire. Neither Sayole or Pinter or Lennox have ever protested BBC TV drama programming that glorifies the days of the British Empire, an Empire that enslaved hundreds of thousands of Africans , that pillaged their resources and art treasures and hung signs on their whiskey cocktail lounges saying, "No entrance to natives".
They make penance while Israelis wonder where and when the next missile is coming.
What I'm really ranting about is not her expression of compassion for Gazans. That's totally understandable. It's her Calvinist dualist view that makes her blind and does not allow her to stand up at the same news conference and show some compassion for the Israeli side.
Yes, I confess that though Ms. Lennox is an admirable artist, I will NEVER AGAIN PURCHASE any of her recordings.
"I am battling against the worst of the English vices: hypocrisy" - Oscar Wilde
"We live in a country with structured hypocrisy" - John LeCarre
I hope to see a LOT of "israeli suffering" in the coming years.
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Nazi filth from the sewer!
Not the words I would have chosen myself, Max. But the Israelis have a lot to answer for even in relation to their own tribulations as anonymously ranted about above. A thought for you - the 'special relationship' between the US and the UK is a myth. The only special relationship America has is with Israel with disastrous results for the world at large.
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ReplyDeleteSo strange, this ardent concern for Israeli transgressions with never a mention of darfur, Tibet, Chechnya or Sri Lanka etc. Why is that. Could it be because Israel is a jewish collective? Oh No! Look in the mirror Britain. Britain has no moral standing when it comes to its historical treatment of minorites...and most people can see exactly what motivates this obsessiion with Israel.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you mean about 'most people can see exactly what motivates this obsession with Israel', Anonymous. Part of it is that not many other governments are dropping white phosphorous on civilian populations. But you are right about about Britain's moral standing after Iraq, which is zilch.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping U.S bring peace in Israel and Palestine.
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