Recently I came across a very interesting analysis in the Wall Street Journal, adapted from Mr. Douglas J Feith’s (Under Secretary of Defense for Policy - July 2001 till August 2005) memoir - “War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism”. As per Mr. Feith’s analysis – “between September 2002 and 2003, President Bush delivered nine major talks about Iraq. There were, on an average, approximately 14 paragraphs per speech on Saddam’s record as an enemy, aggressor, tyrant and danger, with only three paragraphs on promoting democracy. In the next year – from September 2003 to September 2004 – Mr. Bush delivered 15 major talks about Iraq. The average number of paragraphs devoted to the record of threats from Saddam was one, and the number devoted to democracy promotion was approximately 11”. Clearly indicating the double standards of President Bush and his Administration on the Iraq issue!
However, it is not just with Iraq. President Bush has been maintaining almost similar double standards for Palestine as well (the entire Middle East region)! So while on the one hand he maintains the ‘democracy’ rhetoric for the region, on the other he has been silently supporting Israel’s campaign for Palestine! It is no secret that America has been morally and financially (it is reported that the total aid from US to Israel since 1973 has been a whopping USD 140 billion!!) supporting Israel in their bid to capture Palestine. And it is also a known fact that the way President Bush has gone about supporting Israel’s cause, probably no other American President has done it ever. In fact on the contrary ex American President Jimmy Carter has been extremely critical of Israel’s stance, terming it as a humanitarian crisis and had been advocating a two state solution for the region. Even American mainstream media and other civil activists have been reporting time and again on how the US has been financing Israel’s occupation in the West Bank.
In one of the most interesting cases, it has been reported that President Bush has supported Israel to build a 400 mile wall in Palestine, to protect Israel from the Palestinians!! It does not stop at that, and in fact for all his keenness to bring about democracy in the Middle East region, President Bush had rejected the democratically elected Hamas (since Israel brands Hamas as a terrorist outfit) revealing the double standards of the President! The fact is that American support has made the situation so bad since the second intifada (i.e the second Israel–Palestine conflict that started in September 2000) almost 5,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 30,000 injured. A report by the UN states that almost 40 per cent of the West Bank has been taken over by Israel, and for the residual territory it has been broken it in dozens (with a staggering 612 checkpoints and roadblocks) in such a manner that they stand clearly separated from each other, all by American support! UN also states that things are getting bad to worse as the Palestinian population is on an explosion, growing almost thrice of that of Israel. And being on a perpetual receiving end, most of the new generation Palestinians are in no mood of any peace process or talks.
In fact, even Israel has also lost a lot in this war. It is estimated that almost 1,000 Israelis (soldiers and civilians put together) have lost their lives since 2000. But then what is most unfortunate is the manner in which American had been a mute spectator and the way President Bush had been supporting and almost sponsoring this bloody war! No wonder that it is just on account of American support that Israeli policies towards Palestinians has been subjected to more than 62 UN resolutions, yet they manage to escape!! It is on record that they have been constantly violating UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, and they can do that only on account of American support. This is just one another case wherein America has been blatant in terms of violating UN resolutions without showing any respect towards it!!
I’m sure that just like the rest of the world, even America knows that the only solution to the Israel- Palestine conflict is the formation of two states as was decided during the Oslo Accord in 1993! Even researches state that majority of Israeli population also support the peaceful formation of Palestine. But then looking at the way things have been happening in the region, it clearly gives an indication that resolution of the conflict is definitely not in America’s interest, otherwise they would not have kept the conflict alive. So as the Palestine conflict grows bigger, more cities get bombed and more bodies fall and we see more of American double standards…
However, it is not just with Iraq. President Bush has been maintaining almost similar double standards for Palestine as well (the entire Middle East region)! So while on the one hand he maintains the ‘democracy’ rhetoric for the region, on the other he has been silently supporting Israel’s campaign for Palestine! It is no secret that America has been morally and financially (it is reported that the total aid from US to Israel since 1973 has been a whopping USD 140 billion!!) supporting Israel in their bid to capture Palestine. And it is also a known fact that the way President Bush has gone about supporting Israel’s cause, probably no other American President has done it ever. In fact on the contrary ex American President Jimmy Carter has been extremely critical of Israel’s stance, terming it as a humanitarian crisis and had been advocating a two state solution for the region. Even American mainstream media and other civil activists have been reporting time and again on how the US has been financing Israel’s occupation in the West Bank.
In one of the most interesting cases, it has been reported that President Bush has supported Israel to build a 400 mile wall in Palestine, to protect Israel from the Palestinians!! It does not stop at that, and in fact for all his keenness to bring about democracy in the Middle East region, President Bush had rejected the democratically elected Hamas (since Israel brands Hamas as a terrorist outfit) revealing the double standards of the President! The fact is that American support has made the situation so bad since the second intifada (i.e the second Israel–Palestine conflict that started in September 2000) almost 5,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 30,000 injured. A report by the UN states that almost 40 per cent of the West Bank has been taken over by Israel, and for the residual territory it has been broken it in dozens (with a staggering 612 checkpoints and roadblocks) in such a manner that they stand clearly separated from each other, all by American support! UN also states that things are getting bad to worse as the Palestinian population is on an explosion, growing almost thrice of that of Israel. And being on a perpetual receiving end, most of the new generation Palestinians are in no mood of any peace process or talks.
In fact, even Israel has also lost a lot in this war. It is estimated that almost 1,000 Israelis (soldiers and civilians put together) have lost their lives since 2000. But then what is most unfortunate is the manner in which American had been a mute spectator and the way President Bush had been supporting and almost sponsoring this bloody war! No wonder that it is just on account of American support that Israeli policies towards Palestinians has been subjected to more than 62 UN resolutions, yet they manage to escape!! It is on record that they have been constantly violating UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, and they can do that only on account of American support. This is just one another case wherein America has been blatant in terms of violating UN resolutions without showing any respect towards it!!
I’m sure that just like the rest of the world, even America knows that the only solution to the Israel- Palestine conflict is the formation of two states as was decided during the Oslo Accord in 1993! Even researches state that majority of Israeli population also support the peaceful formation of Palestine. But then looking at the way things have been happening in the region, it clearly gives an indication that resolution of the conflict is definitely not in America’s interest, otherwise they would not have kept the conflict alive. So as the Palestine conflict grows bigger, more cities get bombed and more bodies fall and we see more of American double standards…
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