http://www.labournet.net/
Against the US-Israeli War On Lebanon
Report by Jimmy Kelly
Chairman, General Executive Council, Transport and General Workers Union
Published: 21/08/06
*15 Aug 2006*
With the murderous Israeli assaults on Gaza and Lebanon over the last
number of weeks, the veil has finally slipped from US foreign policy in
the Middle East and that of its closest ally in the region.
Israel has slaughtered over 1,000 mostly innocent civilians and forced
well over half a million to flee their homes in terror.
Israel’s assault on Gaza and Lebanon has nothing whatsoever to do with
the capture of three of their soldiers.
Israel’s decision to collectively punish the entire Palestinian
population for electing Hamas was encouraged by the US, UK and EU who
refused to recognise the Palestinian Government and removed all aid from
them knowing this would inflict desperate suffering on the already
impoverished and suffering Palestinians.
In the attempt to blame Hizbollah for the current conflict, what is
forgotten is that Hizbollah only came into existence in response to the
murderous invasion and occupation of Lebanon from 1982 until 2000. It is
also not mentioned that Israel holds Lebanese prisoners that Hizbollah
have asked to be released and had warned they would capture Israeli
soldiers for the purpose of prisoner exchange if Israel refused. Israel
has exchanged prisoners with both Hizbollah and Palestinians in the
past. So the claim that the hostage taking or Hizbollah’s incursion into
Israel justified this devastating attack on civilians and civilian
infrastructure just does not stand up. In reality, just like Weapons of
Mass Destruction in Iraq, the hostages issue is a pretext for a war that
Israel and it’s backers in the Bush and Blair administrations had
planned for some time before.
Direct US support for the atrocities being committed by Israel is
confirmed by the US rushing an emergency shipment of bombs to Israel to
help bolster up the assault.
Finally, here in Ireland, we must point once again to the ongoing
complicity of the Irish Government in facilitating tens of thousands of
US troops at Shannon Airport and strike a blow against the war machine
by forcing an end to that complicity.
Jimmy Kelly
Chairman, General Executive Council, Transport and General Workers Union.
