Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Eric Yoffie a proposito di Gaza

azz, e non parla più della divisione di Gerusalemme. Sono anche
sparite le consonanze col Meretz (del cui nvo segretario non si può
che lodare l'eccellente profilo) - non è strano?
http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c40_a5414/News/Israel.html#
Preparing U.S. Jews For Assault On Gaza
Reform leader argues that Israel will soon be forced to drop its
'restraint' policy.
by Eric H. Yoffie
Special To The Jewish Week
A few weeks ago, I sat with a Jewish delegation that met with some
important Protestant leaders here in the United States. The
conversation quickly turned to events in Gaza. In a perfunctory
sentence or two, our Protestant colleagues said that of course they
condemned the rocket fire directed at Israeli cities, but in their
view the real problem was the suffering of the Palestinian population
in Gaza and the wildly disproportionate nature of Israel's response to
Palestinians attacks.
Deeply pained and angry, I replied: You are absolutely right.
Israel's response has been wildly disproportionate because it has been
far more restrained than what would be expected from any other
civilized, democratic government.
Did they understand that since 2001, more than 7,000 rockets had been
fired from Gaza at civilian targets in Israel? Did they realize that a
"proportionate" response would involve 7,000 Israeli rockets fired at
civilians in Gaza?  Did they appreciate that the relatively small
number of civilian casualties in Israel resulted not from the
humanitarian intentions of Hamas but from the crudeness of their
weapons, and that those weapons were now improving? Did they know that
the traumatized children of Sderot lived in constant fear? On what
basis, I asked, did they expect Israel to tolerate these attacks?
And what would their congregants be saying if their churches in
Michigan had been subjected to seven years of hostile fire from across
the Canadian border? Would church leaders be calling for "restraint"
from the American government in these circumstances? And did they
really expect that any American president would show such restraint?
What followed, of course, was the suggestion that the "occupation" was
responsible for the rocket fire. I replied:  Excuse me, but Prime
Minister Sharon pulled out of every inch of Gaza in 2005, and his
successor was elected on a platform calling for unilateral withdrawal
from most of the remaining territories. And yet there has not been a
single day of quiet following that withdrawal.  Indeed, rocket strikes
significantly increased after it was completed.
Yes, I assured them, I shared their concern for Palestinian suffering
in Gaza. But the simple fact is that if terror and rocket fire were to
come to an end in Gaza, the suffering of her people would end as well.
There was nothing surprising in these exchanges, but they reminded me
of how much American Jews have yet to do to educate their fellow
citizens about Israel's current plight.
And there is some urgency in this task because I have little doubt
that Israel's restraint will soon come to an end.
During my recent visit to Jerusalem, I met with the prime minister and
more than a dozen Knesset members from across the political spectrum.
Virtually all of Israel's political leaders are reluctant to escalate
the military conflict with Hamas; they fear the uncertain results of
such an escalation, as well as heavy casualties on both sides.
Nonetheless, from most of those to whom I spoke, what I heard was that
there would soon be no alternative to a more aggressive military
posture.
The reason for this is simply that the attacks on Sderot threaten
Israel's very existence.
Once again, most of the world has found a way to take an utterly
intolerable situation -- nearly daily attacks on Israeli civilian
centers -- and turn it into something that is both tolerated and even
routine. And as the accuracy of the rockets increases along with the
Iranian role in supplying Hamas forces, the circle of cities under
attack has begun to expand.
It is only a matter of time before Hamas cells in the West Bank begin
firing rockets as well.
The result is that it is now possible to imagine a scenario under
which Israel, without ever losing a war, would cease to be a viable
state.
As a result, there is a strong likelihood that in the months ahead,
Israel will move against Hamas forces in Gaza. With or without an
invasion, her army will likely target all of Hamas' military
installations, institutions and leaders. Since for years Hamas
fighters have hidden themselves in civilian centers such as schools
and hospitals, Palestinian civilian casualties are certain to grow.
But Israel will almost surely decide that it can no longer protect
Palestinian civilians at the cost of sacrificing the well being of her
own.
This is not a welcome scenario.  It would be preferable by far if
international diplomacy could arrange a ceasefire that would end the
rocket fire without allowing Hamas to build up her forces for future
attacks. But chances for such a diplomatic resolution are small, and
Israel must prepare for the worst.
Israel must also continue to support American diplomatic efforts to
advance what is left of the peace process. President Bush hopes for a
diplomatic breakthrough this calendar year, and while he is unlikely
to succeed, he has earned, by word and deed, the trust of Israel and
the American Jewish community. Surely, as he pursues this diplomatic
course, he is entitled to the goodwill and cooperation of Israel's
government.
In that regard, we should keep in mind that an Israeli attack on Gaza
is certain to unleash a barrage of international criticism. American
support will be essential if Israel's military is to have the time it
needs to complete its mission.  For that reason, current tension
between Israel and the American government over Israel's settlement
policy is a potential disaster.
An unpopular president who is being asked to take the heat for support
of an unpopular Israeli military operation is entitled to some
consideration from Israel's leaders. Whatever the differences, Israel
needs to get its settlement policies in line with American
expectations and to do so now.
With all this said, the responsibilities of American Jews are clear.
A centrist Israeli government has done everything within its power to
escape a military confrontation.
Nonetheless, confronted by challenges to its sovereignty, by expanding
attacks on its civilian population, and by the unrelenting hatred of
an anti-Semitic, religiously fanatic regime, it is moving toward the
military action in Gaza that it had desperately hoped to avoid.
Let us remember, then, that the Jewish state came into being for just
such a time as this, when Jewish lives are in danger and no one but a
Jewish army will come to their rescue. And let us remember too that
our task now is to support Israel in her time of need, to make her
case to our fellow citizens, and to do all that we can to rally the
Jewish people and good people everywhere to her side.
Rabbi Yoffie is president of the Union for Reform Judaism

 azz, 
che dice?
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che lodare l'eccellente profilo) - non è strano?
E' un tipino molto delicato Oron..oggi  oltre ad aver rifiutato
l'offerta di Kadima e Labor.
Asked if an Oron-led Meretz would be more Left than it has been under
Beilin, Oron said, "What do you mean, more Left? Should we divide
Jerusalem in four and not in two?"
Purtroppo Ran Cohen ha perso...e Meretz IMHO a sto giro fa il botto.
MMAX
-- 
http://bloggoanchio.splinder.com

 e Meretz IMHO a sto giro fa il botto.
nel senso che riesce a riempire DUE cabine telefoniche? (Perché
immagino che tu, avendo visitato Israele innumerevoli volte, sappia
identificarle, queste cabine...)

nel senso che riesce a riempire DUE cabine telefoniche? 
No esattamente il contrario.
Oron č la persona sbagliata, Ran Cohen IMHO sarebbe stato l'unico in
grado di risollevare sorti e immagine di Meretz.
MMAX
-- 
http://bloggoanchio.splinder.com

 identificarle, queste cabine...)
spirito maligno di Antola, esci da questo corpo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TSGVIOL744