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Organize opposition to war in Lebanon
By James Marc Leas, Burlington Free Press 8/4/2006
Many American Jews, like myself, are opposing Israel's brutal war against Gaza and Lebanon and demanding that Israel immediately stop the bombing and withdraw troops.As widely reported in the Israel press, the Israeli army was preparing for an attack on Gaza months earlier than its June 28 invasion. Those plans explain a series of Israeli provocations, including the June 8 assassination of a Hamas government leader and the June 13 shelling of civilians on a Gaza beach. The capture of the Israeli soldier by Palestinians the following week merely provided the pretext Israel long sought.Israel's attack on Lebanon follows the pattern of the attack on Gaza, with narrow pretext leading to bombing of apartment buildings, bridges, hospitals, and power plants. Far from its stated purpose of creating opposition to Hezbollah, bombing civilians intensified opposition to Israel. Could the real purpose be to drive out the civilian population so Israel can occupy Lebanese territory and provoke a war with Syria and Iran?Regarding the Israeli bombing, on July 19 the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights said, "Indiscriminate shelling of cities constitutes a foreseeable and unacceptable targeting of civilians." She suggested that Israel commits war crimes by failing to protect civilians.As 5,000 Jewish and Palestinian Israelis demonstrated together against this war on July 22 in Tel Aviv and as Israeli soldiers announced refusal to serve in Lebanon, we must organize opposition to United States collaboration with this illegal war.
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