The FCNL Gaza Report Back

By Geoffrey Cook, MMNS

Washington–Gaza has pretty much been taken off the mainstream American press’ sightings.  In fact, with the articles I have written, and the material I have acquired, I hope to be able to create a small book about the crisis.  Thus, I shall be following the denouement of the calamity.  There are other issues critical to the Islamic world about to come upon our radar screen for which I have material, so I may drop Gaza for a period, but I plan to go back to it from time to time.

The chatter in the media first came from the Special Envoy for the Quartet’s negotiator for an Arab-Israeli agreement over Palestine last week, the former English Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was attempting to have international donors finance the rebuilding of Gaza.  The point missed here is, Israel, as the aggressor, and a rich country owes reparations to the Gazans!  As the international courts are looking into criminal cases against Israelis (as they are against Americans for Iraq), civil prosecution should be examined against the government of Israel for human and infrastructure damage as well.
Your critic has put this item together from a conference call a month ago on a Report Back of the Legislature Secretary for Foreign Policy for the Friends (a.k.a. Quakers’) Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) after a trip to the West Bank and Gaza. Many Muslims would most likely be comfortable with their outward spiritual expression, for their theology is simple yet direct to the divine.  It is most unchristian-like, and many Christians do not consider them fully Christian.  Yet – like many Muslims – they emphasize social justice as a way to the Numen.

At that time, and now, too, the ceasefire looked doubtful of holding.  The FCNL is working with the United States government (as the key player in supporting Israeli aggression) to promote the two-State solution within our mutual Holy Land.  In fact, Obama himself is a strong advocate for this resolution.  Unfortunately, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will probably fight against recognizing Hamas or even talking to them behind the scenes.  Of course, the previous junior Senator from New York, could not have opposed the Jewish State and hoped for re-election.  We can only trust she will be better balanced conducting the foreign policy of the United States of America, but her statements on Hamas and the Palestinian people as a whole were most discouraging at her confirmation hearings.  So far, Obama himself has talked to the Palestinian Authority and the criminal Israeli government, but refused to contact anyone in the Gazan Administration! 

Massachusetts’ junior Senator Kerry considers the best option is rigorous regional diplomatic engagement.  It is all up to President Barack Obama.  The Settlements must be rolled back.  A large number of Israeli citizens favor the two-State solution, but, within Tel Aviv’ left; there is little hope that their regime will have a sort of an “epiphany” on the matter.
At the time of the meeting it appeared as though the Right-wing Likud leader, Netanyahu, would become the next Prime Minister of Israel, but after the brutal battering of Gaza the Laborite Barack Ehud is a in a much better position of winning those elections.  For improvement in the overall Israeli-Palestinian imbroglio, Washington would have to positively put pressure on both parties.  (This is the assignment [former] Senator George Mitchell has been given.)  For any hope for a final arrangement, a Gaza settlement is a prerequisite.  There has to be open borders between Gaza and Egypt and Israel plus overland to the West Bank and Israel itself. 

Unlike the opinion expressed in last week’s article, a two-State answer is still a prospect.  Before that can be discussed the (Israeli) Walls have to be torn down.  These barriers appropriate terrain and natural resources for the (Jewish) Colonies.  To oppose the Israeli Juggernaut, Ramallah and Gaza City must call for political will between themselves and their often secretive backers.  (Still, at the same time Palestinian realists themselves, are talking more in terms of a one-State solution.) 

Iran is the second great element for peace, for they “control” influence over Hezbollah and Hamas, and hold hegemony over Syria; so, both D.C. and West Jerusalem will have to accept Tehran as diplomatic partner in any strategic peace discussions over the Fertile Crescent.  The outgoing Bush Administration rejected Samaria’s request for bunker buster bombs to allow Tel Aviv to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.  (Iran’s nuclear supplies are well insulated in the depths of the earth whereas Israel’s are constantly being moving about on railway tracks.  That means that Israel’s fissile materials are soft targets whereas Esfahan’s are hard.  As far as nuclear stratagem, a direct hit upon the IDF weapons armory would not only destroy Israel’s capability to decimate most of the rest of their Region, but would incinerate both Arabs and Jews:  Truly MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) does not operate in the region to the detriment of the Islamic States!  A diplomatic way out has be found for all the Abrahamic religions within the Middle East.  This would involve Israel stepping back to a reasonable nuclear deterrent to the threat they find themselves under.

The Foreign Policy Secretary of the Friends Committee on Legislation alleges that “Obama will not achieve [anything]…without improving relations with Iran.”  He urged us to keep our communications coming into our legislatures and other U.S. governmental decision makers.  We need diplomacy all over the zone as well as other vicinity locales.  “Peace has to be multi-faceted,” too.  He feels (on what has become of) Representative Kucinch’s Resolution H (66) on Gaza humanitarian aid has a good chance, at the same time; there is another (disastrous) House Resolution (H-Cong. 29) that is trying to block that aid from those who need it most by discouraging the U.S.’ U.N. dues to the amount due for the relief operation.

AIPAC (American Israel Affairs Committee) and the Christians Unified for Israel (a highly political Fundamentalist Christian Zionist organization) are powerful, but not all powerful.  There has been an emergence of a dynamic (anti-Zionist) counter-Lobby (such as J-Street, a liberal American Jewish Political Action Committee [PAC]). 

“There are cracks…on Israel[’s propaganda] in the United States.”  Americans should desire a fresh U.S.-Israel edifice from the pristine North American Administration!

Whatever, “We have to change American of policy of excluding Hamas,” for “The human situation is unacceptable!”

The District of Columbia should be initiating talks to reconcile Fatah and Hamas.  It is a fact during the late U.S. Executive, Hamas made peace overture to both to us and Tel Aviv, but were rebuffed by the U.S.A, and its client State.  “There is little question in the Mideast on all sides our [the U.S.’ influence] is important…All Parties are asking for our involvement…Gaza is as much a part of ancient Judah and Samaria as [part of] Israel.”  As (former U.S.) President Jimmy Carter has brought out, we should not marginalize the Palestinians there although, unfortunately, Gaza is part of the Israeli Right’s conception of a “Greater Israel.”  There is a grave danger that could portray this horrendous Gazan conflict as a proxy War with the Iranian Islamic Republic to the rather naïve American general public.  Israel is trying to draw the U.SA. into a major military encounter with not only Tehran but Damascus, also, for Tel Aviv’ strategic advantage.

Barack Obama has been trying to maintain the strong links to our traditional Saudi allies in the Deserta Arabia by encouraging the Kingdom’s peace initiative for far Western Asia.

In the U.S.A. the erstwhile George W.’s Presidency stoked the bellows  of Americans against our own Muslim citizens and foreign Islam for his War against Islam (Terror?), our new-found President, the  grandson of Muslims (i.e., his middle name is Hussein) is opening a hand out to the Islamic world.  Gaza is his first challenge.  Can he put right that which is truly broken?

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