The Siege of Gaza
Monday, December 29th, 2008As bombs rain down on Gaza the Bush Administration, whose leader is holed up in Crawford Texas (why is he vacationing with just three weeks to go before he’s done?), has turned a blind eye to the actions of Israel. At a time when the American brand is so badly damaged in the Middle East it seems as if President Bush no longer cares about the dynamics of world politics. I guess we should not be surprised by any actions, or lack thereof, by these failed politicians. Any Israeli action in the Middle East is seen as an extension of the US because we provide the aid that Israel uses to bolster their military. The Arab-Israeli conflict is literally at the epicenter of Arab discontent. Since the US takes a pro-Israel stance on almost every issue (even the current operation in Gaza) the US is seen as complicit in the deaths of civilians carried out by Israel. After Iraq, the Gaza situation is the last thing the US needs. American credibility, already at historic lows in the region, has found another way to sink even lower. 
With Hamas radicals firing rockets into southern Israel, the crisis has no “good guys”. Both of the seats of power in the conflagration are wrong but for America to take a side is just plain poor foreign policy. If the US ever wants to again be an honest broker in the region it is imperative America display even handedness. With Israel taking off the gloves, the real winners among the Palestinians becomes the radicals. Innocent civilians are being killed and this further radicalizes the Strip and inflames the Arab and Muslim world. It is time we disassociate ourselves from the actions of Israel. Showing solidarity with the Jewish state as Palestinians are dying by the hundreds in Gaza is antithetical to our aims in the Middle East. In this regard Israel has become an albatross.
