Closer to Peace?

While the war against Lebanon ravages, the United States and its accomplice Britain are working round the clock to “end the hostilities”. Rice was in the region again, doing her best to get a deal, meeting with officials, having fancy lunches, conducting press conferences…etc. Basically, checking up on how the “birth pain of a new Middle East” is going along.

“U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will press on Sunday for Israel and Lebanon to strike a deal on an international force to end a 19-day-old war, after Hizbollah threatened to strike deeper into Israel.” July 30, 2006.

Surely, we must commend all the efforts of this administration to end the conflict. Behind the scenes, they are doubling their efforts to end the conflict. As such:

“British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has protested to the US about its use of Prestwick Airport in western Scotland to transport bombs to Israel.
Amid the Lebanon crisis, she said it seemed the US was ignoring procedure, and she registered her concerns with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
SNP leader Alex Salmond claimed the UK government must decide whether to “be an aircraft carrier” for the US.
…Opposition parties have reacted angrily to a report in the Daily Telegraph newspaper that two chartered Airbus A310 cargo planes filled with laser-guided bombs landed at Prestwick en-route to Israel from the US.” July 27, 2006.

Emmm, surely their efforts will succeed. After all, the weapons that they are sending urgently will make it clear that violence is not the answer and that the only way out of all of this is negotiations.

Keep your prayers to yourself! Let us have a cease-fire!

“U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Tuesday that Americans were praying for Lebanese civilians amid the conflict with Israel…”And I want you to know that we’re not only working very hard, but we’re also praying for the people of Lebanon,” she was quoted as saying.”
(Source: Naharnet).

We don’t need your prayers! Those won’t prevent the killing of over 300 civilians and the exodus of over 500,000 people from the South…Your prayers dear Condie won’t prevent the air, sea and land blockade that has held an entire nation hostage and it won’t do much to appease the families of the 1,000 people wounded.

What we need is an immediate and unconditional cease-fire! What we need is condemnation for the brutality and inhumanity of the Israeli government! What we do need is reparation from this murderous state!

Images of Beirut from the Associated Press

Cartoon courtesy of Brazilian activist Latuff