DIPLOMACY FIRST OR WAR RIGHT NOW? THE BUSH-CHENEY DIVIDE

Israel by arresting some thirty of Hamas’ senior members in the West Bank is making a concerted effort to destroy Hamas and thus bring the Palestinian people to their knees. At the same time the US is trying desperately hard to intimidate Iran. And also at the same time the IAEA has released a report about Iran’s nuclear program that the US is going to pounce on despite the conciliatory tone regarding nuclear weapons generally (a tone incidentally that seems to have infuriated the US, Israel and their allies).
If one steps back a bit and takes a look at these events collectively one can see a bigger picture emerging – and it’s not one that bodes well for the people of the Middle East. The whole kit and caboodle is teetering on the edge of disaster.
A rift seems to be developing between the major players in the US/Israel hierarchy. On the one side are those who want to follow the President Bush path who would like to see Israel get what it wants by diplomacy and negotiation, and on the other side there are those who are less patient that want to follow the Vice-President Cheney path that prefer to see Israel get what it wants by war, starting with Iran. All of them are hawks but it seems that some are more hawkish than others and, if push comes to shove, it wouldn’t be too difficult to see the Bush team go over to Cheney thinking with Iran ending up getting attacked, followed up by an all-out assault by the Israelis on the Gaza, West Bank, Syria – if they don’t capitulate first – and Hizbollah in south Lebanon. What could happen beyond that scenario is anybody’s guess.
Suffice to say that whatever way it goes many more people will lose their lives and even more will lose their homes and country.
And all because the extreme right-wing Zionists of Israel and their supporters want to see a Greater Israel.