opinion and lies, lies and lies

Israel's elections and U.S. Policy (Glenn Grenwald, February 9, 2009).

This is a country that has waged two brutal wars against largely defenseless neighbors in the past three years, that just banned certain Arab political parties from existing (a ban reversed by its Supreme Court), and that continues expansions on land that does not belong to it despite those expansions being universally condemned and declared illegal in numerous international tribunals. And now, it is turning to political leaders who believe that these measures have been insufficiently aggressive and who vow far more aggression and, in the case of Lieberman, even more internal repression of its own ethnic and religious minorities.

Israel, like all countries, has the right to choose what leaders it wants. But as is also always true, other countries have the right -- and, in the case of the U.S. as the enabler of virtually everything Israel does, the responsibility -- to react appropriately. It's bad enough that we have tied ourselves so blindly and inextricably to Israel as it has existed over the past several years. But an Israel led by Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman produces whole new responsibilities for the U.S. not to continue on this path of uncritical support for a government like that.

The election results are in, but undecided, but will be right-winged. Shout out to Antony Lowenstein where I first read this.

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I also found this on Antony's blog, from the Jeruselem Post (February 9, 2009, Encountering Peace: Spins and lies: Schalit, Hamas and Olmert,Gershon Baskin):

The war was supported by 94 percent of Israelis because they really believed it was a "war of no choice." Lies, lies and lies

I still hold that very few must read the news in Israel, or maybe this is tucked away in the darkest corners, or people have got used to the obsfucation.