Senate Approves Resolution Backing Israel in Hamas Conflict

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Bloomberg

Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution expressing support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, while the House of Representatives prepared to act on a similar measure tomorrow.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said the measure “expresses vigorous support” for Israel.

“The Israelis have every right to defend themselves against these acts of terrorism,” said Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Israel is in its 13th day of military operations against the Islamic militant Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip in an effort to stop rocket attacks against southern Israeli towns.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aUhdubfcXlOE&refer=politics

[bobd0]

1. Thank you AIPAC. nt

[subsuelo]

24. honestly AIPAC has little to do with it

If the corporate fascist elite in the United States wanted a different outcome, they could have it, and AIPAC would be unable to stop it.

[bstender]

48. bwahahahahahaha !

sounds like someone's had a little too much Chomsky in their diet.

and what exactly does the _corporate_fascist_elite_ gain from this little bloodbath?

[Trillo]

68. Stopping the oil price decline. n/t

[bstender]

74. nice of Israel to help out!

too bad it has no chance of working.

[elleng]

114. war.

then, power.

[stephinrome]

64. well, they certainly seem to be grateful...

They've provided a way to "thank" your senators:
http://capwiz.com/aipac/issues/alert/?alertid=12397296&type=CO

And here's the text of the bill as published on the AIPAC site
http://aipac.org/Publications/SourceMaterialsCongressionalAction/SenateRes.pdf

[Doctor_J]

AIPAC had nothing to do with this?

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Stop, you're killing me

[LeftishBrit]

162. While I would use different terminology...

I think you are right here. The American Right has a lot more influence over foreign policy than any 'furriners' or their friends. And America influences Israel far more than the other way around. America is bigger *and* holds the purse strings.

And in response to your critics, I would much rather have an overdose of Chomsky than an overdose of Walt and Mearsheimer, or worse, an overdose of Ron Paul.

[bstender]

2. that should help

the Palestinians to understand their place in the human hierarchy

[subsuelo]

25. as victims of the worst terror groups in the world?

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[proud progressive]

41. there you go. in fact, let's add cuba, mexico, half of so amer, france, africa, middle east,.....

indonesia, spain, and anyone in the rest of the world who somehow believe that we, and by extension, israel, DO NOT OWN THE FUCKING WORLD!

[Name removed]

72. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[goforit]

92. Have a Superiority Complex,eh?

[fascisthunter]

95. sarcasm?

[bstender]

109. sarcasm, yes. i posted that already

answering the first response, but it got deleted without explanation. i can't for the life of me imagine what i said that was objectionable. i try to be fair minded and avoid hyperbole, and i typed like two sentences. but obviously the moderator disagreed.

i thought the sarcasm was obvious, but i sometimes forget how text can be a tricky medium for dry humor.

SARCASM for sure :/

[fascisthunter]

158. lol... I at first thought you were serious

then, I read another post of yours down thread and realized I had better replace my response to your sarcasm with something else....

[bstender]

163. phew

i failed to imagine that there was any chance that it would not be seen as sarcasm until i saw that response that took it seriously. it's hard to remember that there are people who actually believe that some (other) human beings are 'untermenschen', but clearly they're out there. many apologies!

how does one evoke the dripping sarcasm thingy? i'm from the days of 2400 baud.


oh looky there, smilies lookup table, how convenient:bounce:

[Barack_America]

3. So the Senate approves of attacks on UN convoys...

And the denial of aid and medical assistance to children?

That's fantastic.

[subsuelo]

27. Yes, a big thumbs up to bombing children and to terrorism, generally

Way to go, U.S. Senate. Way to go.

[elleng]

115. And the House tomorrow.

.

[No Elephants]

135. CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY.

[KansDem]

4. It appears the "Bush Doctrine" will be with us for a little while longer...

Why am I not surprised that Israeli state terrorism apes US state terrorism?

[subsuelo]

37. Obama better not be going along with this shit, once he gets in there

If Obama starts praising Israel's terrorism and defending their war crimes, I am done with the Democratic Party.

[ellisonz]

119. Bye!

:hi:

[Fumesucker]

127. Peace will come when Israelis love their children more than they covet Palestinian land..

[ellisonz]

141. Which is way Hamas is dedicated to the extermination of the "Zionist entity"

It's not the Israelis who aren't willing to make a deal!

[hack89]

153. Or when Hamas loves their children more than they covet Israeli land. nt

[fascisthunter]

159. yes indeed

[spotbird]

130. His Secretary of State supports it

so it is very unlikely that we are approaching a new policy.

[Window]

136. "Obama better not..."

:wow:

[totodeinhere]

156. Good riddance to you. n/t

[bowens43]

5. disgusting. nt

[rateyes]

6. Chickenshit enablers.

Fuck Reid, Pelosi, and the rest of the bastards on Capitol Hill. Not ONE Senator with the guts to vote against a piece of shit resolution like that?? How about a resolution of support for the innocent children of Gaza?? When is that coming??

I won't hold my breath.

[Barack_America]

7. No doubt. I think they should also pass a measure of support for Bush's handling of Katrina.

After all, he denied food, shelter and medical care to civilians, just as Israel is doing to the Palestinians in Gaza.

If the Senate is so damned pleased with Israel's moral right in this issue, why not stand up and praise Bush as well?

[rateyes]

31. It would be only fair, wouldn't it??

[Rayander]

46. What about a resolution of support for the innocent old folks in the old-age facility?

Six Katyushas Strike Northern Israel, IDF RetaliatesAt least four Katyusha rockets hit northwestern Israel, in the area of the coastal city of Nahariya, around 7:35 a.m. Thursday morning. One of the missiles hit the roof of an old age facility in Nahariya. Two elderly people from the old-age facility are being treated in Nahariya Hospital for light shrapnel wounds in the legs, and four others are being treated for shock. The Home Front Command has ordered residents to enter shelters. Hizbullah has smuggled in from Syria three times more rockets than it possessed before the Second Lebanon War two years ago. It has not taken responsibility for the rocket attacks, which may have been initiated by another terrorist group with the approval of Hizbullah. Israeli media reported that the rockets were older models and probably were fired bya small terrorist group.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rateyes]

83. How about a resolution supporting all the innocents

in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza?

[thewiseguy]

8. Take that "vigorous support" and shove it up your ass Harry

[Jefferson23]

9. I am truly heartbroken at this and sickened by them beyond words.

I e-mail them and it does no good, they don't give a damn at all. I don't honestly know how they sleep at night.

[elleng]

117. Have you written your Senators and Rep?

I'm working on it.

Marches planned in DC and maybe NYC, but 'we' should be confronting 'our' members, imo.

[Howardx]

10. dance for your pennies monkey congress n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

57. Senators like Ted Kennedy do not need 'pennies'

He must have some other reasons for this.

[Marrah_G]

66. Yes he must

As much as I love my senators, I think they are incredibly, incredibly wrong on this.

[Freddie Stubbs]

67. Perhaps they actually thin supporting this resolution is the right thing to do

[subsuelo]

78. supporting War on Children is not the right thing to do.

[Freddie Stubbs]

82. Perhaps they view this a defensive war rather than a "War on Children"

[subsuelo]

90. No sane person paying the slightest bit of attention views it as a "defensive war"

[Freddie Stubbs]

91. Does that mean the Ted kennedy is insane?

:shrug:

[subsuelo]

99. One has to wonder...

... about anyone supporting Israel's terrorist war crimes

[elleng]

118. The 'resolution' is very careful not to say anything untoward;

what it FAILS to say is the shocking part.

[Marrah_G]

125. And if they do, then I am very disappointed in them

[SOS]

101. It was a voice vote

Was Kennedy there today?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

93. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nancyr]

12. Repulsive.

If they manage it correctly they can get us mired down before Bush leaves. Still time left for WW3!

[ShadesOfGrey]

13. I am so ashamed of my country right now...

this move is absolutely heartbreaking. :cry:

[balantz]

14. Partners in terrorist war crimes n/t

[subsuelo]

28. Exactly

[AlbertCat]

15. The Greatest Foreign Policy Blunder of the 20th century...

....the creation of Israel....will still be the gift that keeps on giving as it has since 1949.

I wonder what would have happened if back then they had decided to make Texas a Jewish State?

We all know they really aren't fighting over religion (they're fighting over the only decent oasis in the stinking desert), but religion determines the flavor of the conflict. Remember, Palestinians are Semites too!

If Bush had really wanted to establish a Jeffersonian Democracy in the Middle East, why didn't he ask our friends to do it before trying to force our enemies at gun point to do so? Why didn't he ask Israel or Saudi Arabia to change?

I'm so sick of the wretched Middle East, I can't stand it!

[marshall]

80. People weren't thinking straight after WWII

After what has come to be known as the Holocaust, people acted with their hearts and not their brains and rewarded the remnants of the "chosen people" with some land in the desert.

[mitchum]

116. In all fairness, the guilt gift should have been along the banks of the Rhine

[ellisonz]

122. Because the Germans were just so tolerant!

You should take a long walk to...a Holocaust museum.

Most Jews did not accept the prospect of remaining in Europe...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%27erit_ha-Pletah#A_community_dedicated_to_its_own_dissolution

[mitchum]

139. I don't believe the Germans were in very much of a position...

to make make further demands or further exert their intolerance.
They lost the war, y'know...

[ellisonz]

142. So you would have supported the forcible removal of German familys?

Yeah, that's a path to peace!

Your argument is counter-factual and deprives Jews of any agency...

[mitchum]

145. German Nazism was driven by a crazyass mythology and fanatic nationalism

Sound familiar?

Also, do you support the forcible removal of Palestinian families?
Yeah, that's a path to peace!

[ellisonz]

148. The history of Israel-Palestine conflict is a lot more complex than that...

[mitchum]

150. That is true; cousins often fight...

but that doesn't mean I should finance any part of that bloody family squabble.
Let their mythical skygod sort it out for them.

[ellisonz]

121. That's like blaming the Slaves for Jim Crow...

[mitchum]

151. No, that would be like giving the slaves...I dunno...Egypt...instead of Louisiana

[ellisonz]

120. 1914.

[LeftishBrit]

133. Yes, obviously, much worse than two fucking WORLD WARS!!!

:sarcasm:

And a lot of states were created after the end of British and French colonialism, and not all of the decisions worked well. The Partition of India and Pakistan resulted in a LOT more violence, massive relocations, and deaths than anything to do with this I/P conflict.

[Turborama]

16. I'm sorry...

...but what did we just vote for?

I was ready to wait until the 20th in the hope that things might change, but I'm starting feel quite disillusioned right now...

I'm also beginning to think Rev. Wright was onto something.

[No Elephants]

137. What did Wright say that was factually incorrect?

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. Unanamous? That means Boxer, Feingold, Sanders, and Kerry supported this

[rateyes]

33. Not to mention Biden and Clinton. nt

[The Stranger]

34. It means that every single one of them is wrong.

I am surprised Russ Feingold supported this, as he voted against the Iraq War Resolution and has taken a stand in the past.

[NikolaC]

42. It's Just Palestinian Lives,

no one really cares what happens to them. They are not important or human :sarcasm:.

[ellisonz]

123. Feingold Statement on Gaza

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

"No country should tolerate terrorism and Israel has every right to protect its citizens from Hamas missile attacks. But I am concerned that the military operations in Gaza could backfire and lead to more violence. In addition, every effort must be made to allow innocent civilians in Gaza to receive humanitarian assistance. I hope a ceasefire can be reached as soon as possible so that serious progress can be made toward a two-state solution. To achieve that, there must be sustained diplomatic efforts including the appointment of a high-level U.S. official to work on this issue every day until a resolution can be reached.”

http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=306409

[karynnj]

94. It likely means it was a voice vote

brought up on the Senate floor by the leadership with no objection made by any of the people then on the floor - it may well be that the vast majority of the Senators were not even there.

(there are no votes this session listed in Thomas - there is a Vitter resolution backing Israel in Thomas introduced on the 1/6, that was referred to the SFRC - which has not yet met this year - unless I missed something. )

[Mudoria]

18. I'll send a note of thanks to my Senators n/t

[Wizard777]

19. Nobody ever notices the conflict until Palestine starts shooting back.

I hate to say it. But if you change the word Liberal to Israel. Ann Coulter is absolutely right. (Please don't shoot or ban me!) They are agressors that always play the victim. They bomb Gaza and play victim when Hamas starts firing rockets in defense.

[subsuelo]

35. I see your point, but.... don't go there

I don't ever want to read the words "Ann Coulter is right" here at DU again.

[Wizard777]

53. It isn't any fun writing it either.

I had to wash my hands and keyboard with bleach. :puke:

[specimenfred1984]

20. Ka-ching, country with torture camps backs civilian killing for $$$$$

Now let's all talk about how great the South is, how we should all just offer war criminals redemption, how we should all "reach across the isle". BARF.

[Gregorian]

21. The Senate is corrupt.

And this is what is wrong with America. A pathetically uneducated voter population has enabled a group of evil men to rule over the country.

Sorry if that's incorrect, but it's my simplistic observation. A group of wealthy men is not what we want in office. They don't serve well.

[RCinBrooklyn]

22. And so, the USA is now sucked into the conflict. Coming up next: More Bombings.

[SOS]

23. Senate unanimously supports the killing of 218 Gazan children

The lackeys have outdone themselves this time.

[eagertolearn]

26. This makes me so sick. I used to feel sorry for the people of

Israel but now i just feel disgust. I do not want another dollar (or another gun) to go over there from our taxes. I'm sorry but "Israel needs to protect itself"???? I don't like the idea of Hamas taking radical measures in the name of "helping" the Palestinians but Israel has been making it hard for the Palestinians to live in the small piece of land they have left and those in Gaza are fighting for their basic needs to live. This is why Hamas was able to take over. We should only give countries help if they are willing to negotiate for peace and come to an understanding over the land. Helping Israel is just as bad as helping Iraq. We just want a foot hold over there! This is only going to cause another problem with people hating the Jews and we've come to far for that! This could end up causing another Holocaust. This makes me just feel so sick to my stomach. How could are Senate do this? The Oregon senators better not of voted for this! Anyone have a list of who didn't support it?

[rateyes]

36. The vote was unanimous.

[stranger81]

89. there's not even ONE person of conscience on our side of the aisle?

That's even more disturbing.

[eagertolearn]

110. Sorry I read that wrong. n/a

[mimitabby]

29. i can't believe it.

can i just leave the country now? sheesh

[cali]

30. Shameful. Just shameful.

[subsuelo]

32. My question - how can *Democrats* support this?

Democrats should know better.

Democrats should support human rights, not terrorism.

Democrats should have a conscience, or at least some semblance of empathy for victims of terrorist war crimes.

Instead, we have pathetic war-mongering cowards representing this party.

God dammit it's TIME FOR CHANGE. But WHEN????????

[byeya]

38. Time to Change to, or form, a new party if

this is all we're going to get.

[Freddie Stubbs]

47. I'm not sure home many votes Hamas or Hezbollah would get in most swing districts

[Freddie Stubbs]

45. It is the official policy of the Democratic Party to support Israel

[subsuelo]

54. you left out the word 'blindly'.

[SOS]

61. Only 31% of Democrats support the Israeli attack on Gaza

The lackeys in Congress are 100%.
The actual party members, 31%.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/americans_closely_divided_over_israel_s_gaza_attacks

[ShadesOfGrey]

75. Israel is out of control. It's time to drop that policy. nt

[Doctor_J]

102. The Dems get lots of money from AIPAC too

that's how

[totodeinhere]

157. "Democrats" have always supported the State of Israel.

There has been great bipartisan support for Israel ever since Democratic President Harry Truman helped to form Israel. Every Dem president since then has followed suit.

But that's not good enough for some radicals who wish to destroy the Democratic Party by abandoning Israel and standing by and watching while the enemies of Israel drive her into the sea.

[McCamy Taylor]

39. Fuck the US Senate and the House, too.

[NikolaC]

40. WTF????

:grr:What about the children, civilians and UN workers? This is beyond disgusting and sick. I love how they just voted to support mass murder. Twisted, self centered, ignorant, complicit and complacent idiots:argh:! This is sure to go a long way towards repairing our reputation around the world:sarcasm:.

[Libertas1776]

43. ...

And then a few years down the road, or hell, even sooner
we get attacked again by terrorists.

A terrorist no doubt influenced by America's indifference to Palestine's plight and absolute blind support of Israel. There are plenty of orphaned children in Gaza right now who are filled with anger and ready to be indoctrinated. And then these fuckers in Congress wonder why did we get attacked? Its because they hate us for our freedom, they hate us for our freedom :sarcasm:

No! you shit for brains' its because of your fucking racist indifference to the killing of "brown" people and your policy of shoving your collective head up Israel's ass. Nuff said.

[robcon]

44. Thank you, Senate.

Recognizing this is a defensive move by Israel against Palestinian rockets is the right thing to do.

[ShadesOfGrey]

50. So what if they kill hundreds of children and innocents...

as long as they get one rocket shooter?

I'm sickened by that type of reasoning...

:thumbsdown:

[ellisonz]

124. They're getting way more than one terrorist...

[ShadesOfGrey]

128. ... and the babies are future terrorists so it's no biggie, right? nt

[ellisonz]

143. It's not like Hamas goes to great lengths to protect the civilian population...

...they started this shit. Every civilian death is a tragedy.

How about you go strap some explosives to your chest and detonate yourself in an Israeli cafe? No?

[ShadesOfGrey]

146. Wow! I should kill myself and innocent Israelis because ???

Sorry, I care about ALL innocent people. The Israeli government not so much. I use to hold them to a higher standard than Hamas. How foolish of me.

[ellisonz]

149. That's what you're defending!

[bstender]

51. and here is the proof

i never realized the size and power of those Hammas rockets before seeing the pictures for myself:

http://palestinian.ning.com/forum/topics/the-other-side-of-the-story

[ShadesOfGrey]

55. Thanks! Bookmarking that page. nt

[eagertolearn]

63. Thank-you for sharing that. we have to see this so this can eventually stop!

[Hugabear]

86. Those damned dirty Palestinians! The horror of those pics!

Yes, I can see clearly why Israel is justified in "defending" itself from those rockets! Gotta kill every single one of those Palestinian bastards! Why, those Hamas rockets are capable of inflicting hundreds of dollars worth of damage!

[mbperrin]

103. Thank you! I have asked many war apologists on these boards

to name even one person killed by those rockets, and all I have ever gotten is silence.

Now I see why. These really are somewhat overgrown nuisance hobby rockets....

[fascisthunter]

160. WOW

[The Stranger]

70. Did you forget the sarcasm indicator?

Are you lost?

[Name removed]

73. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[stranger81]

88. There's nothing "defensive" about what's going on in Gaza. . . . .

it's pretty fucking offensive, IMHO.

This latest move by Senate Dems is, frankly, disgusting and not worthy of our party. And I don't care what generalities our party platform might contain.

[Barack_America]

96. Yes. Thank you, Senate, for supporting the killing of 257 innocent children.

Children represent 1/3 of the dead Palestinians thus far (over 750 total).

14 Israelis have died, mostly soldiers.

Defensive, my ass.

[Romulox]

49. But "the votes aren't there" for a Resolution in support of American working people!

:puke:

[peace13]

60. Times2 !

These people are spineless wimps and need to get on the next plane to Gaza. We have more chicken *hit politicians ordering up bombs and war for others than is imaginable. Let them think what they want to but why was a formal resolution of this nature needed. Obama better have a huge set of balls pinned on on january 20th because this is not a direction this county needs to be going in !

[SOS]

62. Exactly

Our economy will be destroyed in 2009 because the Congress is in the pocket of Wall Street.
They support whoever will grease them and keep them safe in their seat.

[Irishonly]

52. Disguisting

[High Plains]

58. All hail the Single Unified Capitalist War Party!

This is part of the reason I'm an independent, not a Democrat (or Republican).

[slipslidingaway]

65. Well this is interesting, does anyone want to make some calls...

the offices of Biden and Sanders say there has not been a vote yet, Lautenberg's office says the vote is scheduled for later on today, the Bloomberg article says there was a unanimous vote in favor of the resolution.

:shrug:

posted here, but full post is above
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4790077&mesg_id=4790911

[slipslidingaway]

69. Vote taken already per Reid's office S.Res. 10 - sorry for any

confusion.

[Zhade]

71. Disgraceful partisanship.

NT!

[Turborama]

76. Why is the U.S. so beholden to Israel...?

Also, why does AIPAC seem to have such a stranglehold on America's political leaders?

Israel is a very expensive friend. Expensive in more ways than simply the billions of dollars and military hardware that just get given away to her every year. As we all know, in many (if not most) countries around the world, Israel is seen as America's kid brother and the US will stand behind them no matter what they do.

Why?

I have been trying to figure it out for sometime now but I can't seem to come up with a conclusive answer.

Is it really just simply having a 'friend in the Middle East'?

Is Israel essentially an American military foothold in the region?

Is it a kind of continued guilt for not stopping the holocaust?

Is it an embedded Judeo-Christian belief in bible prophecies?

Is it to ensure votes from the Jewish Americans during general elections?


Is it some of the above combined?

Is it all of the above combined?

If it's some or all of the above but something is missing, what else could it be?

[ShadesOfGrey]

81. When you get an answer...

please let me know too. Something is seriously wrong here! How can ANYONE turn a blind eye on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza? What the hell is more important human lives?

[bstender]

85. here is the most comprehensive scholarly analysis of that complex question

the very carefully worded scholarly analysis by profs. mearsheimer and walt published by the JFKennedy school of govt. at Harvard; "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" also expanded into a best selling book by the same name:

http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/research/wpaper.nsf/rwp/rwp06-011

[LeftishBrit]

144. Right now, the American government uses Israel.

They are allies - or pawns - in the fight against the Muslim world in general and Iran in particular.

Britain plays a similar role in a somewhat different context.

Not that Hamas aren't absolutely disgusting, but the American politicians would do better to press both sides for peace, than to egg one side on.

I hope Obama will encourage real peacemaking.

[Junkdrawer]

77. For every Gazan killed in this invasion, 1,000+ Iraqis were killed by the US invasion...

True, our "action" took 5 1/2 years and had the help of a Sunni/Shiite civil war, but to think that our Congress could, with a straight face, condemn Israel's actions is ludicrous.

Our Moral Authority, if we ever had it, is dead.

[SOS]

98. True

but at least on that catastrophic sell-out, 23 Senators had the guts to say NO.

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

79. WTF? I thought we were trying to repair our image in the world?

This isn't a great start for the democratic congress/senate.

[subsuelo]

100. I thought we had half a sense of humanity

[Turborama]

84. Jakarta Post: Israeli strikes will only fuel radicalism

Even though it's a week old, I thought this might be an appropriate place to post this. I'm an expat in Indonesia and I have to say that I'm more than just a little bit worried about what could transpire...

Israeli air raids on Gaza that killed more than 300 Palestinians will further hurt relations between the West and Islam, with radical groups using the strikes as a pretext for revenge, a coalition of religious groups warned Tuesday.

The moderate coalition, including the Wahid Institute, the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP), the Maarif Institute, Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) youth wing Anshor, the Bishop Council of Indonesia (KWI) and the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI), condemned both Israel and Hamas for resorting to violence to achieve their respective goals.

“We condemn both Israel and Hamas for using violence. It only breeds more violence. It must never be used for any reason,” ICRP executive director Siti Musdah Mulia said at a press conference.

Wahid Institute executive director Ahmad Suaedy said the Israeli attacks would serve to consolidate radical Islamic groups in Indonesia and abroad, and warned they could use Israel’s strikes as a pretext for revenge, thus leading to an escalation in violence for many years to come.

“The unproportional Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip will anger many Muslims. With the United Sates and the EU refraining from condemning it, the Muslim community will consider those countries in support of the attacks,” he said.

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has demanded the UN issue a resolution condemning Israel and forcing it to stop the attacks.

Many observers, however, say the United States would veto such a resolution, because it wanted Hamas, still on its list of terrorist organizations, “destroyed in the attacks”. The Bush administration has dubbed Hamas “thugs” for provoking the offensive by firing rockets into Israel from Gaza.

Both Musdah and Suaedy also criticized U.S. president-elect Barack Obama for not making any statements on the attacks.

“As the U.S. president-elect, Obama can issue a statement condemning the Israeli attacks. He has promised to build a more peaceful and humane world, but his inaction casts doubt over his words,” Suaedy said.

Musdah added the world would not be able to distinguish an Obama presidency from the current Bush one if the former did not take a firm stance against the attacks.

She also warned hard-line Indonesian Islamic groups against sending jihadis (fighters) to Palestine, saying it would only exacerbate the situation.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda also rejected the plan, saying sending aid to Palestinians would be more useful than dispatching fighters to the stricken area.

Several groups in Indonesia said they were recruiting volunteers to help fight Israel in reaction to the air strikes that began on Saturday.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/12/31/israeli-strikes-will-only-fuel-radicalism-faith-groups.html

[Pastiche423]

87. Can anyone find this mentioned in any other news?

Maybe I'm news googling this incorrectly?

[elleng]

111. Not I.

Heard on car radio; looked in WaPo and NYT; didn't google.

HORRIBLE shame/crime that this is not being reported; good for Bloomberg, which includes comments from pelosi etc.

'Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said they had personally spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to express their support.

“We support the state of Israel, very strongly as a national policy, because it is in our national interest to do so,” said Pelosi, a California Democrat. “We also defend any country’s right to defend itself.”'

Their statement contains all the 'niceties,' and ignores the horrors. I'm horrified by this.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aUhdubfcXlOE&refer=politics

[Pastiche423]

112. If it isn't being reported eslewhere - why not?

Was there a vote or wasn't there? (Not directing the questions to you, elleng.)

[elleng]

113. u.s. public largely being kept in the blind

about the Gaza horrors; we can speculate why and by whom, but I think this will become an example of serious malfeasance by the u.s. govt.

As to 'was there a vote,' well it may be one of their convenient 'rules' games, a mere 'resolution.'

"The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution expressing support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, while the House of Representatives prepared to act on a similar measure tomorrow."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aUhdubfcXlOE&refer=politics

Thanks for being here, Pastiche.

[fascisthunter]

97. Congress Doesn't Represent US Citizens

it represents multi-national power elites....

They have proven that.

[Elidor]

104. They don't care what we think

Not for long. We are not their true constituents. The only power bases that matter are all located on The Hill. Harry & Nancy both have massive constituencies in thier respective chambers, massive enough that they don't care what any of us think about much of anything. They are safe.

The slaughter will continue until morale improves.

[anonymous171]

105. Conyers is against Gupta but apparently voted for this?

[Elidor]

106. This is the Senate

There is a House resolution along the same lines coming up, but it hasn't been voted on yet.

Don't worry: they'll disappoint you in the House, too.

[anonymous171]

107. My bad.

All this stink over his comments gave me the impression that he was a senator.

[Name removed]

108. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Blue_Tires]

126. ugh...you stay classy, congress....

so much for the 'new' way of doing things in washington

[No Elephants]

129. Besides making radical Muslims even more likely to attack us, what is this non-binding

resolution supposed to actually accomplish? Anyone?

[harun]

132. Give right wing Jews and neo-con's a warm and fuzzy.

[No Elephants]

134. Great. That's really worth provoking people who enjoy killing us and/or raising the price of oil on

us, isn't it?

Call your legislators and yell at them!

[OneBlueSky]

131. the problem with Obama's promises of change is that . . .

some things never, ever change . . . and this country's blind support of everything Israeli is one of them . . .

others of note are a healthcare system run by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, foreign policy dictated by the needs and wants of the oil industry and "defense" contractors, and elections in the hands of private Repulican corporations . . . all in drastic need of immediate substantive change, and all so entrenched that real change will be impossible . . .

unless . . . UNLESS . . .

unless Obama breaks with corporate American and puts the peoples' interests above those of business and industry . . . while that's not his natural inclination, events and a good dose of reality may force him to do just that . . . we shall see . . .

[No Elephants]

138. CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY! Then email your Senators and tell them you are angry.

[Marie26]

140. Change you can believe in! nt

[Doctor_J]

147. Thus declaring war on the rest of the world

i hate republicans

[burrowowl]

152. But! But!

use of white phosphorous is a war crime!

[okiru109]

154. well, they do have an army, navy, airforce and nukes

some may say you would have to be insane to put your money on the other horse.

[IndianaGreen]

155. My message to my Congressman, Andre Carson

I am extremely disappointed that you did not join Dennis Kucinich, Maxine Waters, Ron Paul, Nick Rahall, and Gwen Moore in opposing HR34, the resolution endorsing Israel's genocide in Gaza.

In today's column John Pilger wrote about the silence of those that know:

" They know that the horror now raining on Gaza has little to do with Hamas or, absurdly, "Israel's right to exist". They know the opposite to be true: that Palestine's right to exist was cancelled 61 years ago and the expulsion and, if necessary, extinction of the indigenous people was planned and executed by the founders of Israel. "

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=917&Itemid=199

The American media is sanitizing the slaughter in Gaza. The British press has no such restraints: the use of white phosphorus by Israel on civilian population, the targeting of aid convoys and foreign reporters, the 18-month deliberate starvation of Gazans by Israel, etc.

Britain's The Independent is carrying this story tonight:

Massacre of a family seeking sanctuary

The Samounis claim they were guided to a safe haven by Israeli troops – only to be cut down by shells.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/massacre-of-a-family-seeking-sanctuary-1297577.html

Israel is committing crimes against humanity in Gaza. The United States must stop enabling Israeli crimes against humanity. Congressional resolutions such as HR34 do nothing but hurt the long term interests of the American people, as well as make us all complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Speaker Pelosi saw to it that impeachment of Bush and Cheney remained off the table, despite their gross violations of the Constitution and American law, such as FISA which Bush publicly admitted he broke. Now the Congress has decided that international law matters none at all, as it surrenders our sovereignty to the Israel Lobby.

[JCMach1]

161. WTF is all I can say