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Letter from Ralph Nader to President George W. Bush
July 17, 2006
Dear President Bush:
You have been a weak president, despite your strutting and barking, when it
comes to doing the right things for the American people within the Constitution
and its rule of law. This trait is now in bold relief over the Israeli
government’s escalating war crimes pulverizing the defenseless people and
country of Lebanon.
With systematic efficiency, the Israeli government has already destroyed
innocent homes and basic public facilities—ports, airports, highways, bridges,
power stations—which are critical to delivery of food, medicines, health care,
ambulances, water and other essentials for a civilian population. This
bombardment, by U.S. made bombers, military vehicles, ships and missiles with
American taxpayer subsidies, places an inescapable responsibility upon your
shoulders which does not mix with your usual vacuous messianic rigidity.
As the leading player in official Washington’s puppet show, it is time for you
to assert the interests of the American people and those of the broad Israeli
and Palestinian peace movements, by standing up to the puppeteers. For without
this conflict, Hezbollah would not be in today’s news.
The time has come for you to return to Texas for a private meeting with your
father, his former national security advisor, Brent Scowcroft and his former
Secretary of State, James Baker. You need to say to them ‘I can’t trust my
advisors anymore; there have been so many tragic blunders. What do you advise me
to do about the destruction of a friendly nation by the world’s fifth most
powerful military?’
Here is what I think they should say to you:
1. Take personal command of an immediate rescue effort for the tens of thousands
of Americans trapped in Lebanon by Israel’s calculated blocking of air, land and
sea escape routes. You’ve said the safety of Americans is your top priority.
Prove it by using the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy facilities to immediately
evacuate all our people desperate to escape the terrorization of Lebanon.
2. You have been so docile and permissive to Israeli demands that any modest
deviation from this posture will make your next move credible. Announce that you
are sending two prominent negotiators—perhaps James Baker (Republican) and
former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (Democrat) to Israel and Lebanon
to arrange for a cease fire between the combatants.
Announced at a televised White House news conference with your two envoys, you
can punctuate your seriousness by raising the questions of violations of the
Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act. Using U.S. supplied
weapon systems to commit civilian atrocities on homes and fleeing vehicles with
children and to inflict collective punishment on mass civilian populations are
not using these weapons for legitimate self-defense and internal policing, as
our federal law requires. Israeli planes have even fire-bombed wheat silos and
gasoline stations in Lebanon. More mayhem is on the way.
3. Stop acting like an impulsive, out-of-control West Texas Sheriff and start
reading, thinking and listening for a change. When Israel, Britain and France
violated international treaties against aggression in 1956, and invaded the Suez
Canal, President Dwight Eisenhower used his influence to make them withdraw from
Egypt.
In 1982, following a year without any PLO skirmishes over the Lebanese-Israeli
border, Israeli armed forces invaded Lebanon anyway. They created a path of
destruction all the way to Beirut and militarily occupied south Lebanon for 18
years before they withdrew, except for retaining Shebaa Farms. In 1982, the New
York Times reported “indiscriminate bombing” of Beirut by Israeli planes. At
least 20,000 Lebanese civilians lost their lives in that invasion and many more
were injured. From that conflict Hezbollah was born, composed of many people
whose relatives were casualties in that illegal invasion.
History, George, does not start two weeks or two months ago. You must read about
past U.S. Presidents who, at least, sent high-level emissaries to quell similar
border fighting. It worked and prisoners were often exchanged.
You are doing and saying nothing about what the rest of the world believes is a
hugely disproportionate attack against innocent adults and children in violation
of the Geneva Conventions, the UN Charter and other treaties and federal
statutes. You’ve sworn to uphold these laws. Do so. Because of the Israeli
government’s overwhelming military power, the imbalance of terror against
civilians and their property has always been to its advantage. As has its
occupation of Palestine and confiscation of land and water sources.
4. You can’t take sides and be an honest broker. Just about all our
knowledgeable retired military, diplomatic and intelligence officials believe
resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the key to deflating other
agitations in the region. Freedom and justice for the Palestinian state and
security and stability for the Israeli state must both be achieved.
You have turned your back on the courageous and prominent Israeli peace movement
which normally reflects the positions of half of the Israeli population. You’ve
never met with any of its leaders – even those in the Knesset or former
officials in the military, intelligence and Justice Ministries. Hundreds of
reserve combat officers and soldiers of the IDF have refused, in their words,
“to fight beyond the 1967 borders to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an
entire population.” They pledged only to fight for Israel’s legitimate defense.
(www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp)
5. Once in a while, ask your aides for a sample of Israeli opinion that rejects
the notion that there can be a military solution to this conflict, despite the
military imbalance. For example, reports and editorials in Haaretz, arguably the
most respected newspaper in Israel, would educate your judgment. In a recent
editorial, Haaretz argued that the present Israeli government has “lost its
reason” through the brutal incarceration, devastation and deprivation of
innocent people in Gaza.
In another Haaretz commentary dated July 16th, Gideon Levy writes:
In Gaza, a soldier is abducted from the army of a state that frequently abducts
civilians from their homes and locks them up for years without a trial – but
only we’re allowed to do that. And only we’re allowed to bomb civilian
population centers.
6. One final bit of advice could come from Papa Bush’s circle. If the Israeli
army decides to invade Lebanon with troops, your support of the aggression can
possibly unleash a domino of warring actions and reactions over there. As is it,
Americans are increasingly fed up with the Iraq quagmire.
Moreover, we know they don’t like many of your domestic policies favoring the
wealthy, the post-Katrina debacle, exporting jobs, and among our conservative
base, your enormous deficits. So our Republican Party’s control of government is
at stake in November. Don’t you have your hands full with Iraq whose invasion we
all urged you to avoid in 2003?
-- Source: www.nader.org
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