CONTENTS:
PHILLY & PA ACTION:
America Votes invites you to a grassroots activist training in
Philadelphia.
[NN]Mayoral Candidates' Event
Democrats Sue Green Candidates in Pennsylvania
The Herbal Medicine Cabinet
Celebrate Labor Day
Declaration of Peace Delegations
InterActivist Community Partnership Opportunity
--------------------
NATIONAL * INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
LEBANESE TEACHERS' UNION APPEAL
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation Glover, Conyers, Buttu to
Attend National Conference
Camp Democracy: Volunteer Now!
Jewish Alliance for Peace - Brit Tzedek's Position on Current Mideast
Crisis
ELECT A HEALTHY CONGRESS
The Declaration of Peace - Nationwide
--------------------
COMMENTARY:
The Lebanon War and the Failed UN Resolution By Phyllis Bennis
Ralph Nader on Lamont's Antiwar Win in Connecticut Primary and
Lieberman's Vow to Run as an Independent
Time Warner's NY1 Bars New York Senate Candidate From TV Debate
Fmr. Israeli Air Force Captain Reports Israeli Pilots Deliberately
Missing Targets Over Concerns of Civilian Casualties
===================
PHILLY & PA ACTION:
America Votes invites you to a grassroots activist training in
Philadelphia.
Spend the weekend learning from top political operatives and veteran
campaigners and gain the skills you
need to be successful activist. Topics will include: Voter Contact,
Volunteer Recruitment, Targeting, and
What is at Stake in Pennsylvania in 2006.
Please RSVP by emailing Carlos "Charlie" Ramos at
cramos@americavotes.org or via phone at 215-701-6106.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Remember, together we can make change happen.
When Saturday, August 12,
2006 9 AM - 2 PM
Where Solutions for
Progress, 728 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
_________________________________________________________________________________
[NN]Mayoral Candidates' Event
Please come meet them, ask questions, suggest issues of
importance and let them know that we exist, are growing and need our
members' concerns addressed.
Our first one
will be , Tuesday, August 15 from 7-9 pm
The back
dining room of The Irish Pub, 2007 Walnut Street.
Come meet Jonathan Saidel and Michael Nutter. Order drinks and
dinner if you so desire. Tell your friends and neighbors.
Come one, come all. This is an important first step in having
contact with the next administration. We look forward to your
participation.
Gloria Gilman, Chair, Neighborhood Networks Telephone:
(215) 568-4990 - e-mail: gmgilman@igc.org
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Democrats Sue Green Candidates in Pennsylvania
Democrats have sued our candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, and
Lt. Governor. They are using their war chests to prevent voters
from choosing anti-war, pro-choice Greens in November. They are
taking us to court to get us off the Pennsylvania ballot. The cost
of the Democratic court challenge is huge...for them...and for us.
But the Democratic Party has great wealth. Casey is a
millionaire.
Green candidates are not millionaires and the Green Party of
Pennsylvania is David against the Democratic Goliath.
This is how the corporate parties like it. This is why the
Republican tax cuts for the rich and corporate welfare work so well
for the Democratic Party Machine.
For the sake of ordinary people and democracy, help all Greens stay
on the ballot this November. Write a check today to the Green
Party
of Pennsylvania for legal fees.
Send donations to:
Steve Baker, Treasurer, Green Party of Pennsylvania, P.O. Box 11962,
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1962
Thank you, Isabelle Buonocore, Membership Secretary, Green Party of
Philadelphia
_____________________________________________________________________________
August 21st 6:30-8:00pm: The Herbal
Medicine Cabinet
Dorene will be discussing the healing qualities of plants for common
health issues and easy preparations to keep in your medicine
cabinet. The workshop will be held at Roxborough Free Library,
6245 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, 215.685.2550
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* Labor Day Parade Monday, September 4,
10 AM from the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall on Delaware
Ave.
_________
Celebrate Labor Day
Out of Iraq - Republicans Out of Congress/ Support the 2006 Fund Drive
People's Weekly World/Nuestro Mundo Picnic
Monday, September 4, 2:00 to
6:00
5519 Morris Street,
Philadelphia, (215) 848-9343
$5 Donation: Includes one platter.
Additional Food & Drink for Sale- Call (215) 242-9066 for
Information
People's Weekly World, 4515 Baltimore Ave., Phila., PA
19143
____________________________________________________________________
Declaration of Peace Delegations
August 16, Gather at noon, Phila. City Hall, west side, 15th &
Market
Sts., for music, poetry, speakers, and the Phila. DECLARATION OF PEACE
"Special Delivery" delegations to offices of PA Senators
Santorum (Widener Bldg., south side of Phila. City Hall) and Specter
(Phila. Federal Bldg., 6th & Market Sts.).
Prior to the Center City DECLARATION OF PEACE Walk and "Special
Delivery"
of the DoP Congressional Pledge to the U.S. Senators, "Special Delivery"
delegations will make vigiling visits during the AM hours to the local
offices of Phila. Area U.S. Congresspeople (i.e.: Representatives Robert
Brady, Chaka Fattah, Alyson Swartz, Curt Weldon, Rob Andrews, etc.) with
the Congressional Pledge.
Join a DECLARATION OF PEACE Congressional Pledge "Special Delivery"
delegation, .For more information:
Brandywine Peace Community, P.O. Box 81, Swarthmore, PA 19081
610-544-1818
brandywine@juno.com www.brandywinepeace.com
{ See more, below in National & International Action}
___________________________________________
InterActivist Community
Partnership Opportunity
As the only professional theater company in
Philadelphia whose mission it to present plays that explore the social,
political, and cultural issues of our time, we would like to invite
your organization to join us as a community partner.
At InterAct, we believe that playwrights are the true
chroniclers of todays world, and that an important way to expose the
public to a critical issue, or a current event, or another culture is
through stories of extraordinary individuals living in extraordinary
times. The plays we select invite audiences to delve into the lives of
people who are facing some of the worlds most pressing and fascinating
conflicts. They are plays that ask vital questions without offering
quick and easy answers. At InterAct we offer the human story behind or
beneath or within the news story. But we need partnerships to help our
audiences go one step further!
What is an InterActivist Community Partnership?
At InterAct we strive to cultivate active, on-going
partnerships with social and political action organizations in the
community. Our mission is to assert theatres role as a viable
difference-maker in the social/political arena. Once we get our
audiences talking about the issues invoked in our plays, we then turn
to our community partners to offer audiences a chance to go further,
delve deeper, learn more, take action and get involved with the
organizations who are making a difference in our community.
Who are our audiences?
Whether they are traditional theatre-goers or not,
our audiences share many of InterActs values (raising social
consciousness, affecting social change, taking artistic risks,
embracing cultural diversity) and interests (global affairs, other
cultures, social and political issues, new ideas) as reflected in the
content of the plays in the main stage season. See the attached
brochure or visit our website www.interacttheatre.org.
Who are our community partners?
Organizations like Amnesty International,
International House, American Civil Liberties Union-Pennsylvania,
Planned Parenthood, Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict,
The White Dog Café, and American Friends Service Committee.
We want to explore a similar relationship with your
organization,
whereby we would create mutually beneficial exchanges
that foster awareness of each others work. Below are some of the
benefits of becoming an InterActivist Community Partner. If you have
any questions or would like to arrange for a meeting with the staff at
InterAct Theatre Company, please call Dave Brown at 215.568.8077 or
dbrown@interacttheatre.org.
===============================
NATIONAL * INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
LEBANESE TEACHERS' UNION APPEAL
Education International, representing teachers' unions around the
world, has issued an urgent action appeal in support of requests for
humanitarian assistance from two Lebanese teachers' unions. You can
make donations securely (PayPal) online using your credit or debit
card: http://www.labourstart.org/docs/en/000351.html (More info is available on this page.)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation Glover,
Conyers, Buttu to Attend National Conference
5th Annual National
Organizers' Conference
Dearborn, MI, September 1-3
Conference Update http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?list=type&type=161
Hundreds of activists from dozens of organizations will
be attending this year's annual conference. In light of the
current crises in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the conference will be an
important forum to network, strategize, and prioritize our work for the
next year.
Register today! http://www.endtheoccupation.org/modinput4.php?modin=93
______________________________________________________________________
Camp Democracy: Volunteer Now!
On September 5th, Camp Democracy will gather thousands of Americans on
the National Mall in Washington D.C. to fight for peace, justice and
impeachment.
For more information about Camp Democracy, click here:
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/epEG0NRAfx0UMI0BLBm0EM
Last summer,
Cindy Sheehan and other patriotic Americans set up Camp
Casey in Crawford, Texas, to request a meeting with President Bush
during his vacation. This year, Camp Casey will move from Crawford,
Texas to Washington, D.C. and create a much larger camp focused on
ending the occupation of Iraq. They could use your help to make the
event a success.
Click here to volunteer at Camp Democracy:
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/epEG0NRAfx0UMI0BLBn0EN
_______________________________________________________________________
Jewish Alliance for
Peace- Brit Tzedek's Position on the
Current Mideast Crisis - in a Nutshell
It is a relief to see that
Brit Tzedek is calling for an immediate
ceasefire and something less than a "middle of the road approach" to
bringing
about peace. Recently, I was asked why I continued to be a
member when I was calling
for a stronger response from Jews in the United States to the
Occupation of Palestine.
I had forwarded a CNN poll which asked if folks were in agreement with
the
Israeli government's bombing in Lebanon. One PZA (Philadelphia, Brit
Tzedek) member emailed me to say he did respond to the poll. "He agreed
with the Israeli
government policy."
Why do I make mention of this? Because I believe too many of my Jewish
brethren feel the need to support any and all decisions in support of
Israel, no matter
how destructive to Israelis, Palestinians or the Lebanese people. I am
reminded of a
statement that Kissinger made relating to US support of Somoza, the
Nicaraguan dictator. "He may
be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch." Because I am
Jewish, I hold my own to a
standard which was evident during the Civil Rights Era. It was
right to demand equality &
civil rights. It was right to support Martin Luther King's call
to end the US war on
Vietnam and it is right to say, "Stop the Occupation in Palestine. I
call upon my government to
support an immediate cease-fire in Palestine and Lebanon.
Thank God, the Philadelphia branch is finally willing to recognize
"- The real way to reduce the threat from Hezbollah is through an
immediate ceasefire, intelligent diplomacy, the installation of an
international peacekeeping force, and renewed support for the
democratic Lebanese government."
In peace with justice,
Marlena Santoyo
---------------
Jewish Alliance for
Peace - Brit Tzedek's
Position on theCurrent Mideast Crisis in a Nutshell
- Brit Tzedek is calling for the US government, in concert with the
international community, to achieve a real and immediate multi-lateral
ceasefire to the ongoing Mideast Crisis
- Such a ceasefire should followed by intense diplomacy to return the
kidnapped Israeli soldiers, stop the rocket attacks on Israel, end the
Israeli air strikes and ground incursions in Lebanon and Gaza, and
install an international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.
A real and immediate ceasefire is very different from the Bush
Administration's policy of seeking a "sustainable" ceasefire
- We believe that the Administration's conditions for a "sustainable"
ceasefire (near complete disarmament and removal of Hezbollah from
southern Lebanon) will allow the violence to continue for weeks.
- Continuing the conflict until Hezbollah is entirely disabled is
strategically naïve and not in Israel's interests. All
reports are
showing that Israel's military campaign to root out Hezbollah is
facing far greater challenges than expected.
- The real way to reduce the threat from Hezbollah is through an
immediate ceasefire, intelligent diplomacy, the installation of an
international peacekeeping force, and renewed support for the
democratic Lebanese government.
A real and immediate ceasefire is in Israel's interest
- The Lebanese people, who largely rejected Hezbollah at the outset of
this crisis, are now almost unanimously standing behind Hezbollah in
their attacks on Israel, with anti-Israel sentiment quickly increasing
throughout the Middle East. This is the true threat to Israel's
long-term peace and security.
- With heavy damage to civilian lives and infrastructure (such as
Israel's targeted destruction of the Gaza power plant and Beirut
airport), the existing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has gotten steadily
worse, while a second crisis has developed in Lebanon (now over 800
dead and 1,000,000 displaced). Under such circumstances, moderate
pro-peace forces are weakening and extremist anti-Israel views are
gaining in popular support - at great risk to long-term Israeli
security.
- The continuation of hostilities threatens Israeli civilians with
further rocket attacks, it places the three kidnapped Israeli soldiers
in yet greater jeopardy, and it pushes the region daily closer to
all-out war.
*WE ASK: Send a letter to Bush calling for an immediate ceasefire now.
Send a letter to Bush calling for the administration to strengthen all
activities for an immediate ceasefire that is workable for all parties
involved.
Why is Brit Tzedek focusing on the conflict in Lebanon?
- Brit Tzedek's commitment to Israel's well-being through a negotiated
two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is part of our
larger vision of achieving an Israel that is strengthened and secured
through peace with all its neighbors. Thus, we seek an immediate and
peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in Lebanon as well as in
Gaza.
- We recognize that Israel's conflicts with the Palestinians and
Hezbollah are distinctly different. Though we condemn all acts of
terror against Israel, the bloodshed in Gaza is rooted in the lack of
credible peace process geared toward a two-state solution, whereas the
fighting in Lebanon is the result of Hezbollah's unprovoked breach of
an internationally recognized border.
- In addition, the ongoing violence in Lebanon moves Israel and the
Palestinians yet further away from a negotiated two-state settlement,
the only scenario that offers a chance for long-term peace and
security for Israel. We believe that a two-state resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict would seriously undermine many extremist
groups, such as Hezbollah, who rely on the Palestinian issue as a
rallying cry
From: PZA@yahoogroups.com [mailto:PZA@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Iden
Sent: 2006 August 10
Thursday 2:04 AM
Take Action! Tell Bush and Congress: US Diplomacy Now http://ga3.org/campaign/mideast_crisis/
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Healthcare NOW -- Election year 2006
is the beginning of change -- OUR time!
Our new campaign is to "." Two things for you to do:
Confront, call, visit and invite to candidate forums -- all of the
candidates in your Congressional District and the Senate.
Go wherever they are speaking. Carry signs. Ask them to
commit support for a national single payer healthcare system such as
H.R. 676 and to reject funding from the insurance and pharmaceutical
drug companies. Look at our website. And order our
new booklet on "How Improved Medicare for All (Single Payer) Would
Work." It is free to people who join Healthcare-NOW.
Number three:
ORGANIZE! ORGANIZE! Give us a call at Healthcare-NOW to find out
how. 1-800- 453-1305.
For more information on how single payer would work:
www.healthcare-now.org or email us info@healthcare-now.org
.........Marilyn Clement,
National Coordinator, Healthcare-NOW
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Declaration of Peace - Nationwide
Thousands of people across the U.S. are signing The Declaration of Peace
pledge, a commitment to take action if Congress does not pass
legislation for a comprehensive plan for peace in Iraq by September 21,
The International Day of Peace.
From September 21-28, just days before Congress adjourns for the fall
elections, Declaration signers will take part in nonviolent action to
declare peace at the U.S. Capitol and in cities and towns across the
U.S.
A National Call for Congressional Visits
An important step in the Declaration of Peace campaign is to call on our
US Congressional Representatives and Senators to legislate a
comprehensive plan to end the war. Local organizers are urged to
schedule visits between August 4-Labor Day to invite your Congressional
members to sign the Congressional Pledge [PDF]. Given that many
Congresspersons will be campaigning during August, you might deliver the
Congressional Pledge during a scheduled Candidates Forum or Town Hall
Meeting. To read more on the National Call for Congressional Visits, go
to: Congressional Visits.
Search our Local Organizer List and contact an organizer to see if
Congressional visits are planned in your community.
In related news, an August 1 Washington Post article highlights a shift
within the Democratic leadership in Congress to a unified position
calling for withdrawal from Iraq to begin by the end of 2006. We need to
call on all members of Congress to legislate a bipartisan plan by
September 21. See Washington Post article. For an analysis of this
development, see Tom Hayden's article in Common Dreams.
Nonviolence Trainers Directory
The Declaration of Peace online directory of nonviolence trainers is now
available. Schedule a nonviolence action training today to help prepare
for your September actions. Visit http://declarationofpeace.org/trainers
to find a trainer near you.
Resources for Trainers
Visit our Trainer Resources section where you can find a downloadable
nonviolence training agenda framework. Fill out the survey if you want
to join the Nonviolence Trainers Directory.
To see the complete list or to visit the endorsers' websites, visit:
http://declarationofpeace.org/endorsements
For More Information: http://www.declarationofpeace.org
2501 Harrison St., Oakland, CA 94612 - Phone:
773-777-7858 E-mail: info@declarationofpeace.org
Take the Next Steps to
Declare Peace!- Connect with The Declaration of Peace in Your Area
Attend or Organize Declaration of Peace Signing Events- Call on
Congress to Sign the Congressional
Declaration of Peace Prepare for Action--Take Nonviolent Action
Training - Take Action!===========
============
COMMENTARY:
UFPJ Talking Points - 44 The Lebanon War and the Failed UN Resolution
By Phyllis Bennis - 7 August 2006
The draft resolution on the Lebanon crisis to be discussed by the UN
Security Council this week is very much Washington's resolution. The
draft does not call for a ceasefire; it is qualitatively discriminatory
between the two sides; it has already been rejected by the government
of Lebanon as well as by Hezbollah; and even if implemented it will not
bring peace. An AP story released even before the full text was
released recognized the agreement as a "major victory for the U.S. and
Israel."
Passage of the resolution will not lead to a ceasefire, or even a
significant reduction in violence; Condoleezza Rice said she did not
expect the resolution to bring about an immediate end to the violence,
and noted that "these things take a while to wind down." Israel's
justice minister Haim Ramon told the New York Times that Israel would
continue its attacks and that its forces would remain in Lebanon "until
the international force arrived." Since the current draft does
not even call for creation of such a force, mentioning it only as a
future goal to be addressed in a subsequent resolution, Israel's
announcement is a clear warning of continuing war.
One of the still-unanswered questions is why France reversed its
earlier position and collapsed under U.S. pressure to accept the draft.
As AP described it, "France and many other nations had demanded an
immediate and halt to violence without conditions as a way to push the
region back toward stability." It is virtually certain that at
least part of France's decision (and that of other European governments
backing the draft) was based on the need to respond to a widespread
public demand in Europe for governments to do something to bring about
a real ceasefire. Paris may have assessed that claiming to
support a ceasefire, even in the context of a resolution that will not
bring it about, is politically less risky than acknowledging that U.S.
power is paralyzing the Security Council.
Certainly at least part of the resolution will have the effect of
forcing the government of Lebanon to oppose it, as they have so far,
thus positioning Lebanon along with Hezbollah as the "rejectionist"
party. But it could turn out to be even worse - it is possible
that the French capitulation to the U.S. no-real-ceasefire approach may
be tied to Paris believing it can succeed at coercing Sinioria and his
minions to actually support the resolution, perhaps with some
"modifications". So far the Lebanese prime minister Fuad
Sinioria, who came to power with full U.S. backing in the wake of
Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon last year, has made powerful statements
resisting Israel's assault. But Sinioria described the U.S.-French
draft resolution as "not adequate," while his cabinet spokesman went to
great lengths to explain that the government had not rejected the draft
entirely, believing that it "goes some way, but has weaknesses."
It was left to Lebanon's speaker of the parliament and top negotiator
with France and the U.S., Nabih Berri, to make clear that the
resolution agreement was based on "dictation, not negotiation." It was
based, he said, on "Israel's requirements, but not Lebanon's
needs." A similar position, voiced by Arab League General
Secretary Amr Moussa, will significantly shore up Lebanon's
rejection. Iran and Syria both quietly rejected the resolution,
but without fanfare or new threats.
Problems in the proposed resolution:
1) The first operative paragraph (after the preamble) sets the
stage. It calls for "a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in
particular, the immediate cessation by Hizbollah of all attacks and the
immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military
operations." So right from the beginning there is no mutual
ceasefire; Hezbollah must immediately cease "all" attacks, while Israel
is only required to stop "offensive" military activity, with no
definition of what Israel might consider "defensive" and therefore
acceptable under the terms of the resolution. There is no
identification of what agency (the UN, UNIFIL, the Lebanese army,
whoever) might play a role in determining what is offensive and what is
defensive. Nothing in the resolution requires an Israeli
withdrawal of its occupying forces from Lebanon.
2) Overall the resolution is consistently one-sided, holding
Hezbollah responsible for all actions and requiring action largely from
Hezbollah, while failing to acknowledge any Israeli
responsibility. This includes origins of the conflict: the
resolution defines the hostilities beginning with "Hizbollah's attack
on Israel on 12 July 2006," ignoring Israel's role in transforming a
border skirmish into a full-scale regional war. It implies parity
between the vastly disparate levels of death and destruction on the two
sides, even failing to identify Israeli war crimes in the legalistic
language of being "disproportionate."
3) The resolution ignores the link between the Lebanon war and
Palestine - in fact it does not mention Gaza at all. In asserting
as the only cause for the current war the Hezbollah attack of July 12
(when the two Israeli soldiers were captured), the resolution delinks
the Lebanon war from Palestine, and implicitly continues Israel's
U.S.-granted green light to continue its on-going assault in Gaza.
4) On the question of prisoners, there is no reference to a
prisoner exchange. There is a specific demand for the "unconditional
release of the abducted Israeli soldiers," but in relation to the
Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, there is only a reference to
"encouraging the efforts aimed at settling the issue of the Lebanese
prisoners detained in Israel." That means no actual pressure on
Israel at all. There is no mention of the 9,400 Palestinian
prisoners held by Israel, whose release (at least that of the 300 or so
children and 125+ women among them) was part of the first demand by
Hezbollah in exchange for the captured prisoners.
5) There is no reference to Israel's use of
internationally-designed illegal weapons. The resolution does call on
Israel to turn over to the UN maps of its mine fields in south Lebanon
(remaining from its 18 years of occupation) but there is no requirement
that it cease its current use of prohibited cluster bombs (which become
land mines when they do not detonate immediately) and white phosphorous
ammunition.
6) The resolution describes what a future permanent ceasefire
might look like, but does not call for an immediate and unconditional
ceasefire now. It raises the future intention of the Council to
authorize creation and deployment of a "UN mandated international force
to support the Lebanese armed forces and government in providing a
secure environment and contribute to the implementation of a permanent
ceasefire and a long-term solution." Left unclear is whether this would
be an actual UN "blue helmet" peacekeeping operation, created by and
accountable to the UN, or a UN authorization for a so-called
"coalition" that would be made up of a number of countries operating
under a UN grant of legitimacy, but without actual UN oversight or
control. The reality on the ground, of course, would look
suspiciously like a re-occupation of southern Lebanon carried out by
Washington's NATO allies rather than by Israeli troops directly. The
only possible hopeful sign of this aspect is the staged separation into
two resolutions before trying to create the "international force." The
current draft resolution is NOT taken under Chapter VII -- the
follow-up resolution referred to would be under Chapter VII, necessary
to authorize the use of force. France has taken the position that
it would not send troops until after a ceasefire is in place AND until
Hezbollah as well as the Israeli and Lebanese governments had agreed --
something that's not likely to happen any time soon. Absent that
agreement, it is likely France would refuse to go forward.
7) There is no reference to the seven-point plan proposed by the
government of Lebanon, which begins with an immediate and unconditional
ceasefire, and includes a set of conditions after such a ceasefire.
That would include Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon, UNIFIL (the
UN's peacekeeping monitors on the ground) to monitor the withdrawal,
the Lebanese army to take over control of the southern part of the
country, and more. Lebanese officials stated that the two Hezbollah
ministers within the Lebanese cabinet agreed with the call for a single
national army under government control, and thus an end to their
independent militia, but only if the entire package, beginning with an
immediate and unconditional ceasefire, was acceptable.
As of now, the danger for civilians caught up in the war is mounting.
If the proposed resolution passes, it will likely do so over the
rejection of Hezbollah, and possibly over the resistance of the
Lebanese government itself. It would call on Hezbollah to carry out an
immediate and essentially unilateral ceasefire, something certain to be
rejected, and Hezbollah will therefore not be bound by its terms.
Israel will see the resolution as legitimating continued attacks on
Lebanon, in the name of "defense." If the resolution fails, the
war will continue, but there will likely be a major propaganda
offensive designed to undermine the global consensus that this is
Israel's and Washington's war - and instead to project Hezbollah and
Lebanon itself as the rejectionists of peace.
For the global peace movement, the demand must continue for (1) an
immediate, unconditional ceasefire. Anything less - a "cessation of
hostilities" set for some time in the future, a one-sided ceasefire
imposed on Hezbollah but not on Israel - set the stage for the war to
continue, and for more civilians to be killed.
(2) We must continue to educate and mobilize against this war as an arm
of Washington's effort to re-map a "new Middle East." The
destruction of Iraq, the U.S.-led international sanctions and embargo
against Palestine in the context of an escalating Israeli military
assault in Gaza, and Israel's current war of annihilation against
Lebanon, all are part of a linked U.S.-Israeli strategy to eliminate
all resistance to their regional domination and control. The Bush
administration is not supporting Israel because its resident neo-cons
are more loyal to Israel than to the United States, but because their
vision of a strategically unchallenged U.S. drive towards global
empire, in which no nation or group of nations anywhere in the world
even imagines it could match or surpass U.S. economic or military
might, requires a militarized, expansionist Israel to play that same
role on a regional level in the Middle East
_____________
Phyllis Bennis is a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies in
Washington and the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. Her newest
book is Challenging Empire: How People, Governments and the UN Defy
U.S. Power.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* Ralph Nader on Lamont's Antiwar Win in
Connecticut Primary and Lieberman's Vow to Run as an Independent *
Three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman lost Connecticut's Democratic primary last
night in one of the most closely-watched races in the country. He was
defeated by Ned Lamont, a wealthy a telecommunications executive who
has run
largely on an antiwar platform. Lieberman has vowed to run as an
independent
candidate. We speak with former independent presidential candidate
Ralph Nader.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/09/1421254
* Time Warner's NY1 Bars New York
Senate Candidate From TV Debate *
Time Warner news station NY1 has refused to set up a debate between
Senator
Hillary Clinton and Democratic challenger Jonathan Tasini because Tasini
hasn't spent enough money on the race. The channel requires that
candidates
poll at least 5% and have spent or raised $500,000. Tasini is polling
at 13%
but his campaign has only raised $150,000.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/09/1421259
* Fmr. Israeli Air Force Captain
Reports Israeli Pilots Deliberately Missing Targets Over Concerns of
Civilian Casualties *
Former Israeli Air Force Captain Yonatan Shapira reports at
least two
Israeli fighter pilots have reportedly deliberately missed bombing
targets
in Lebanon because they were concerned they were being ordered to bomb
civilians. Yonatan's brother refused to serve in Lebanon earlier this
week, and was sent to jail.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/09/1422204