From 2009:
It just makes you feel so proud to be an American, doesn’t it?
Detailed evidence has emerged of Israel’s extensive use of US-made weaponry during its war in Gaza last month, including white phosphorus artillery shells, 500lb bombs and Hellfire missiles.
In a report released today, Amnesty International listed the weapons used and called for an immediate arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian armed groups. It called on the US president, Barack Obama, to suspend military aid to Israel.
The human rights group said those arming both sides in the conflict “will have been well aware of a pattern of repeated misuse of weapons by both parties and must therefore take responsibility for the violations perpetrated”.
The US has long been the largest arms supplier to Israel; under a 10-year agreement negotiated by the Bush administration the US will provide $30bn (£21bn) in military aid to Israel.
As you may remember, use of white phosphorus (considered a war crime when used against civilian populations) was denied by the Israelis. Doctors treating wounded civilians blamed the shells for horrific burns.
The thing you need to know about white phosphorus (called Willy Pete by troops) is that it keeps burning on contact, all the way through your body. The victims have characteristic holes where shrapnel lands.
Our media covers it up, because no one wants to become a target of the Israel lobby.
We sell that to a lot of countries (I think Syria is using it now). We use it. We also sell (and use) depleted uranium shells, cluster bombs, and landmines. They’re all considered to be war crimes. If you want to see horrible pictures of children like the ones Obama is using to get congressional votes, just Google them. I warn you, though: You might get sick.
Yeah and let us not forget napalm. So we have a hold your fire moment while the rhetorical causus belli reloads. Remember the weapons inspection regime in Iraq and how it prevented war there? Just one question. When the negotiations or the execution of securing those WMD’s in a war zone breaks down and we want to punish Assad for that, doesn’t it mean we now have to neutralize his CW capability. What is the scale of that war?
Speaking of war crimes and “you might get sick,” Obama said recently that he was on “a path to ending the war in Afghanistan.” If that’s true then why is he leaving 9000 U.S. combat troops and 6000 allied combat troops behind when he “ends the war?” It seems that neo-cons (interventionist warmongers) like Obama, Hillary, and McCain relish killing people with drones and surreptitiously setting off armed conflicts in places like Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. These activities are ‘all’ international crimes by the way.
I read last week that the US, our government at least, sold huge amount of cluster bombs to the Saudis….
Maybe to replace those they sent to the jihadis fighting in Syria?
But, why would the Saudis need cluster munitions? Since the US does almost all of their fighting for them.
Dirty, dirty permanent war. The only ones benefiting are the 1% arms dealers, oil company execs and the media. Where would the nightly news be without the latest Near East atrocity to slake the thirst for war porn?