Israel/Palestine

umpteenth time that when a publication with an agenda or lean is sourcing from others it is that outside sourcing that is of interest and scrutiny. Do not think for one minute that I take on face value anything from Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, The Times of Israel, Naharnet etc.

When an article like I put up is excerpted to reference something I point to for possible awareness and discussion it is precisely that and not every other nook and cranny or reference in an article. The excerpts were in direct reference to the supposed "Commission" of the Americans and the French charged with monitoring and enforcing the ceasefire. Especially important in light of accusations of violations from both Israel and Lebanon. So the excerpts also included a reference to that as well.

I had not seen this reference to this Commission in the previous discussions leading up to the ceasefire and so this would seem to be an important detail quite worthy of discussion regardless as to the source. Are the US and the French now far deeper into being committed in Lebanon and to what limits? What resources? What deployment of personnel? What rules of engagement? Why so behind the curve to the actual ceasefire date?

But in some eyes apparently if a news source you don't like says there's been an accident that is now blocking traffic then they would ignore that information and keep driving rather than saying "Hmmm......I didn't know that maybe I should think about this and check it out further."

As far as the issue of the "Commission" being so behind the curve it is valid to ask ourselves "If they thought it was such a good idea why didn't they have this ready to go?" Instead of polishing the car prior to the wedding wait until the rice is thrown and then a month later polish the car? Planning and readiness anybody?

On the whole subject of this "Commission" I'm curious as to how this came about and why it wasn't a very open part of discussions. I for one do not want the US drawn further and further into this madness because none of the state parties anywhere in the Middle East can be trusted in the slightest. I would put a great deal of apprehension out there about the French as well given over 100 years of their history in the region. Between the French and the British they should have swung from a yardarm long ago for their treachery in the region.

But now my tax money, military resources used etc. to clean up after the disingenuous, dishonest governments and their actions. As always it will be US tax money that goes to try and clean up the aftermath. It sure as hell won't be the governements of Israel or Iran sending their money to hospitals trying to fit children with artificial limbs and to pay for patching up horrendously burned bodies. What those two governments will do instead is to spend their money continuing to arm themselves and plot for how to further go at each other.

Yet someone wants to question why US citizens should be concerned about being drawn in deeper and deeper and the source that has the information that spurs the discussion? Well I am not afraid of discussion of topics because of the source that spurs the thought. I am intellectually secure enough to be able to read from many sources and not be afraid that I'm not able to think for myself.

So I make no apology to anybody nor should I because if someone is afraid of reading something because they aren't able to filter the bias and take something useful from the reading then that weakness is on them. They should improve themselves rather than relying upon some selected organization to tell them who to read.

If someone is incapable of seeing that the subject of making the US in any way responsible for monitoring and enforcement is setting the US up to take the blame when these parties keep going at it. Just like was done with UNIFIL. Did the American people who hoped for a ceasefire and peace know they were signing up to be the new UNIFIL? I highly doubt it. It might in fact be different if any of the state actors in the region could be trusted. But over 100 years of actions shows that none of the parties have demonstrated they should be trusted including the major Western governments.