America is Primarily at Fault for the Conflict in Gaza

If you're a conservative reading this, I know what you're thinking - typical liberal. Part of the blame America first crowd. How could this war between the Israelis and Palestinians be America's fault?

First, I love America. I chose to be an American. I think this is the greatest country on earth. And part of what makes it great is that it is self-correcting. It can take criticism and use it to make itself better. It is a country confident enough to not shout down dissenters.

So, let me offer you something you hardly ever hear in the American media. The American government had a great deal to do with the outbreak of violence in the Gaza Strip right now. The Bush administration demanded - against the advice of nearly every expert in the field and the Israeli government - that the Palestinians hold elections. They did. Hamas won.

When Hamas won, we could have pulled them in toward the direction of political action and reconciliation. Instead, we chose to isolate them, start a coup against them (read this terrific article in Vanity Fair about our attempt to overthrow Hamas) and further radicalize them. We made a mockery of the idea of democracy. We proved to them that we never meant a word of the so-called Freedom Doctrine. We only wanted elections in which our guys won.

This kind of hypocrisy has consequences. It sends a message that democracy and voting doesn't work. And our botched coup against Hamas had the effect of sending the message that violence is the answer. If you don't get your way, the proper course of action is to try to change the results through use of force.

We should have never insisted on the elections that everyone - but the inane Bush team - realized Hamas was going to win. It's not that elections are a bad idea, but it was too early in this instance. We should have laid the groundwork for Palestinians to vote in a direction that would have led to more constructive solutions. Instead, as usual, Bush was lazy and insisted on getting his way right away.

And if we were going to have elections, we absolutely, positively should have recognized the legitimate results of those elections and dealt with the consequences. In fact, this might have pulled Hamas into a governing role that demanded more pragmatism and a less radical outlook. It's easier to be a radical when you don't have to get anything done.

And on the Israeli side, we never urge caution. We always encourage over-reaction. Before Israel started this assault on Gaza, there was one Israeli casualty since the end of the cease-fire. Within the first couple of days of the Israeli assault, there are already 64 Palestinian civilians killed. And five more Israelis killed from more - not less - rocket fire from Gaza.

So, the attack has not accomplished its objective of stopping the rocket fire from Hamas - in fact, it's made it worse - and it has also killed a disproportionate number of civilians in Gaza. I do not find the argument that these civilian deaths are just "collateral damage" persuasive. It's easy to call them collateral damage when they are not your kids.

Which American would stand by and let another country bomb our cities, kill our children and then accept the excuse that the enemy was targeting military complexes but they just killed our kids as simple collateral damage? Would that sound persuasive to you if you lost your family members? Your wife? Your grandfather? Your daughter?

The US government's immediate reaction was to say all of this was Hamas's fault and that Israel was 100% justified in retaliating in any way they saw fit. And it wasn't just the Bush administration; Democratic leaders put out nearly identical talking points.

So, what does this lead to? More bombings from Israel and a further escalation of the circle of violence. We are not doing Israel any favors by encouraging their most hawkish instincts. Violence begets violence. They will never have peace of mind as long as these seemingly endless cycles of violence continue.

Of course, Hamas and Israel are also responsible for their own actions. It would be absurd to claim otherwise. But we can give them the right incentives and disincentives or the wrong ones. We can either push them toward reconciliation and settlement or we can push them toward more violence, war and mayhem. We have done the latter, for which we must take responsibility.

No doubt the next time a Muslim fanatic attacks American interests, we will say, "Why do they hate us?" The answer is very clear. We have pushed them toward it. They are ultimately responsible for their actions. But we must also be responsible for our own.

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Take a Poll on This Issue (Who is Most Responsible for the Violence) on AOL Right Now

Comments

[Michale32086]

@RudyV

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America isn't a terrorist nation? Apparently you haven't heard of a little group that has repeatedly committed atrocities around the world in the name of the good ol' USA called the CIA. Their death toll is truly, truly stunning, and their tactics horrific enough that we should be grateful that every Third World resident hasn't vowed to burn the USA down to the ground in retaliation.
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What acts do you consider "TERRORISM"???

Please note that "terrorism" is NOT defined as any act that you disagree with...

Just so you know..

Michale....

[holyhandgrenaid]

Maybe not terrorism sensu stricto, but assassinations, funding rebellions against democratically elected governments, and selling weapons to barbaric dictators until we no longer need them is has cost millions more civilians their lives than all the terrorists this world has seen to date combined.

[Michale32086]

OK so we are agreed it wasn't terrorism...

That's all I wanted to clarify..

Michale.....

[siegfried]

Perhaps if we elected politicians who were more loyal to the United States than to Israel, we would have a foreign policy based on what is good for the United States.

[TJCole]

Bingo..!

[Ramus]

Who would lose money if peace were to break out in the MidEast? That would be General Dynamics, Halliburton, Bechtel..our economy, such as it is, is dependent on the business of killing people. The U.S. corporations and their shareholders who make money from war do not want peace. War is the object.

[Ogedi]

The issues in the Mideast are far too complex to be reduced to saying "America is at fault".
However, Mr. Cenk, you hit on a very simple and practical point that has eluded idiots like Bush, Condi Rice and Dick Cheney....Democratizing a region that is culturally and politically at odds with Western societies, yields disastrous results. Hamas was proven to be more popular than Fatah, and such will be the case in Iraq if the Shia are allowed to choose their own government (aligned with Iran). "We only wanted elections in which our guys won" as you state, is the reason the US has lost its stature around the world. The Bush/Rice policy reflects a fundamental lack of understanding of the region and contributes to the problems, while it is harsh to say America is at fault, the mistakes made over the last 8 years by Bush/Rice policy have contributed to the problems and made the US weaker economically and less safe. The only solution for the region must come from within the region. The number of people that hate Western values grows faster than the number of people we kill as we try to convince them that democracy is their only salvation.

[Michale32086]

@Eclectic_Radical

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I'm pretty sure the rocket attacks would have to actually cease before the IDF stopped anything.
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Yea, probably..

Although having Hamas publicly state that Israel has a right to exist would be a BIG admission for Hamas..

I think that the Israeli government might belay further attacks for 24-48 hours just based on the public announcement..

But, if Hamas reneged, the Israel could (and probably would) unleash hell...

Michale....

[valkyrie607]

Right on, Cenk!

It seems blindingly obvious to me (neither Christian nor Jewish nor Muslim) that Israel has all the power in this situation. Whether Hamas was wise or right to fire rockets on civilians is an interesting question, but ultimately immaterial, because Israel holds the keys to the conflict. They can destroy to destroy anything and anyone in Gaza. They can choose to end the siege. They can choose to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza or not. They can choose to open talks with Hamas or not. They made the choice to isolate and marginalize Hamas.

For the US to continue to blame Hamas and tell them that it's their fault that Israel is bombing Gaza to smithereens defies understanding. Israel chose to start the bombing. They can stop it anytime. They are not the hapless playthings of Hamas. I wish the American government would stop pretending that Israel is so powerless, and Hamas has all the power, when in fact the opposite is true.

[UltraClassic]

Cenk, that's it in a nutshell. You state the obvious and the lack of opinions like yours in the MSM is one more example of the media not doing it's job.

[kimleehan]

Its obvious to me that Israel is trying their best to force Obama into committing to their cause, they keep bringing up what he said about his two daughter and his house being bombed. It does'nt look like Obamas having anything to do with it though, Like I say its obvious that , that was their whole plan from the start and since it did'nt work, they now want to have a truce the only thing is Hamas isnt buying it eather and why should they ,they got the world on their side. I bet the reason why the truce is not working is because Hamas refuses to give up their vow to take out retribution on Israeli officials.

[Michale32086]

@Twinkie7

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Michale, Hamas is the democratically elected government of the Palestinian people.
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Actually, you are wrong. Representatives of Hamas were elected to the Palestinian government. Hamas as a group violently siezed control of Gaza from the TRULY elected "government", Fatah.

Regardless of that, it doesn't change the fact that Hamas is still a terrorist organization.

Regardless of THAT, it would simply indicate that the Palestinian people share a measure of responsibility in the terrorist actions of Hamas..

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Their actions might be terrorist to you, but they are a legal government.
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Their actions ARE terrorism. Period. Even if they WERE a legal government, which they are not.

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America's legal (kind of) democratically elected government is considered terrorist by many peoples of the world.
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And Mickey Mouse is considered a terrorist in Iran.. Doesn't make it so...

Someone calling someone else a terrorist doesn't make it true.

It's Hamas' ACTIONS that determine that they are a terrorist group.. Not mine, the US's or anyone else's label...

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There are no lower classes of human being.
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Sorry, the KKK is a terrorist organization.. I no more care what the KKK wants than I would care what the Aryan Nation or Hezbollah wants.

They are terrorist vermin who should be put down as quickly as possible... They are not even human beings...

Michale.....

[valkyrie607]

Technically, Israel is also a terrorist organization. They are using military tactics against a civilian population in order to affect political change. Technically, you can say the same about the USA. Both governments, of course, protest that they aren't TRYING to hit civilians, but they always do, and this never stops them, so what's the difference?

Terrorism is a military tactic used by the weak against the strong. It will never disappear; it is too effective; witness Israel's disproportionate response to Hamas' few rockets. There is nothing about terrorism vs. conventional warfare that renders the deaths of civilians more or less morally outrageous.

[RudyV]

America isn't a terrorist nation? Apparently you haven't heard of a little group that has repeatedly committed atrocities around the world in the name of the good ol' USA called the CIA. Their death toll is truly, truly stunning, and their tactics horrific enough that we should be grateful that every Third World resident hasn't vowed to burn the USA down to the ground in retaliation.

[jdenham]

Cenk you are correct we are at fault. But like our current President may Americans would rather blame someone else rather than look at cold hard facts and take responsibility. Bush pushed for the elections, even when everyone told him it was a bad idea. Like it or not Hamas is the elected government of Gaza.

And as the Decider Bush has been the modern day incarnation of Calamity Jane. And as a country we are responsible for the actions of our President.

[daffey]

First, the headline is wrong. According to the story, it is Bush"s fault, not America"s. Let"s be honest. Nevertheless, the article itself is wrong. The reason there continues to be a conflict is because, at the end of the day, there is a significant number of Palestinians, as well as Arabs as a whole, who want the total annihilation of Israel. Nothing less. As long as that is in the equation, you won"t have peace. You can"t. Clinton found that out at the 2000 Camp David Summit. It"s what we found out at Munich in 1938. When one party wants something at the expense of others and will accept nothing less, it makes any negotiation futile. When Clinton pushed (against warnings from Middle East "experts") for a final agreement in 2000, several warned that this could ignite panic among the "Death to Israel" base within the Middle East. And it did. The violence we see today is simply one branch on a big, ugly tree (that particular episode of violence breaking out before Bush was elected). Presidents have come and gone. Ideas have been tried and retried. Yet, in the end, until the "Death to Israel" contingent is admitted and dealt with, there will not be real hope for peace in the Middle East, and America will only be to blame if we ignore that truth.

[RoloTomassi]

Yup, keep it up; there can never be enough Zionist propaganda in the world.

Your entire premise is based on a LIE that is really nothing more than misdirection from the facts; apparently the only Jewish/Israeli opinion on this issue that counts is the one presented by the zionists, as there are plenty of Jews in this country and in Israel who will actively dispute this entire storyline.

Unfortunately, most of the US has fallen for this zionist fiction hook, line & sinker.

[Eclectic Radical]

If there were not a significant number of people in the Palestinian Territories who agreed with Hamas's agenda (which very specifically IS the destruction of Israel and the prevention of /any/ lasting Israeli/Palestinian peace) then Hamas would not have won the elections that landed them in control of Gaza. To say otherwise is intellectually dishonest, to believe otherwise is silly. As for the idea that the US has fallen for 'Zionist propaganda' 'hook, line, and sinker', read American news sometimes. It is nearly always sympathetic to the Palestinians and critical of Israel, sometimes to the point of nearly absolving Hamas of their own actions.

How many Americans, after September 11, were against the invasion of Afghanistan? Extremely few. People felt the government had to do something to punish someone. A lot of Israelis /do/ feel that way about having rockets fall on their homes. This understandable human anger is a bigger bar to peace than Zionist propaganda or conspiracies.

[daffey]

It's not 'Zionist propaganda'. It's common sense. You can only have peace if both parties want peace. They may not want the same results, and that is where diplomacy comes in. But as long as there is a not too silent group of folks who want the total destruction of Israel, any and all attempts to reach an agreement will come to naught. After all, there wasn't much more Israel could do that it didn't do in 2000, and that simply caused the 'death to Israel' gang to lash out and stir up trouble. Why? Because peace is a threat to their cause. The last thing they want is for Palestinians or other Arab nations to work something out with Israel. They want Israel gone. And with Hamas being none too willing to sit on the 'death to Israel' folks, it's tough to ask Israel to do much more than it has. And that, of course, is what those who want Israel gone want. So the question is, are we willing to push for everyone to trounce the ones who want Israel gone, or are we going to pretend like they aren't there, and keep chasing a dream.

[silverball]

....recognition by both sides has ALWAYS been at the core of this conflict.....solving...or at least, working towards....a solution....solutions......is the key....

knowing the decades of effort...some very serious......the cowboy....after 7 years of attitude......blusters that he will "get 'er dun" within a year....as delusional as always.....

[SolarPowerGuy]

"[T]here is a significant number of Palestinians, as well as Arabs as a whole, who want the total annihilation of Israel... It's what we found out at Munich in 1938."

Munich, 1938? Huh?

I don't remember anything significant happening in Munich in 1938.

Could you possibly be trying to refer to the 1936 Olympics held in Munich? There was a lot of Nazi flag-waving at that event. But there were no Israeli-Arab political issues aired at the 1936 Olympics -- because Palestine didn't exist at that time, nor did Israel!

Could you possibly be referring to the 1972 Munich Olympics? Well, that's different, of course.

I may answer the rest of your argument at another time. In one sentence: like most extremists seeking self-justification, you cast a myopic eye at your opposition, and claim that you simply can't tell the baby from the bath water.

[daffey]

It is known as the Munich Agreement. Hitler went ahead and took all of Czechoslovakia, even though he was supposed to behave himself if everyone signed on (because, you know, his designs weren"t for peace, but for conquest - my point). Certainly you have heard of this and were just being silly. I would hate to think we are commenting on events in the world when one of the most infamous agreements ever signed in human history, an agreement that held back those insisting Hitler was dangerous and had to be dealt with until he was strong enough to launch a full scale war, is unknown. It was September of 1938, one year before the outbreak of war. It was the one Chamberlain is famously quoted as saying 'there will be peace in our time.' He was wrong by the way.

[Realisticat]

So, according to you; this latest outbreak is America's fault for refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of terrorists (Hamas) AND Israel's propensity to over-react. Hmmmm.... And you place little or no blame on uncontrolled terrorists (as governors, Hamas's responsibility) that operate from Gaza and lob rockets and mortars into Israeli neighborhhoods on a daily basis?

You, like most that have the access to front page blog here, are over-analyzing the situation. Terrorists are like street gangs. Without conflict, they have no meaning or purpose. If the rockets hadn't been fired, there never would have been an Israeli retaliation. If the rockets stop now, the Israeli response would cease. However, if Israel ceased their operation, the terrorists rocket attacks would continue. So, WHO really controls the violence? Those that revel in it - the terrorists and the terrorists organization Hamas.

Thankfully, Obama doesn't appear to be a terrorist apologists like many here or that voted for him.

[Michale32086]

Hear, hear..

Very well said..

As I have stated previously, Hamas is in COMPLETE control of the IDF insofar as stopping the attacks are concerned.

Hamas can get on the air and publicly state that Israel does have the right to exist and that the rocket attacks will cease. At this point, the IDF and the IAF will stand down.

It's THAT simple...

Michale.....

[Eclectic Radical]

I'm pretty sure the rocket attacks would have to actually cease before the IDF stopped anything.

[BCubedReg]

The difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is whichever side of the line you are standing on.

You totally missed the argument in this article. Cenk elequently put forth the notion that by the U.S., without forthought of the repucussions, pushing for elections within Palestine, we helped cement Hamas' rise to power in a fully democratic process know as elections.

Since Hamas was duly elected, we should have respected the decisions of the palestinian peoples vote and not tried to isolate or subvert their elections through a coup. This shows hypocrisy in American democracy and incites untoward violence against America.

And I don't see Cenk as being a terrorist apologist but as someone willing to take a rational view from both sides of the "line".

This is also why I have applauded Obama for not making a knee-jerk-reaction statement to this crisis as the current administration and congress have. Obama is more concerned with understanding the situation before commenting on it.

[michiganfan]

"You know, you have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that it's almost embarrassing to listen to you."

I love that line by Brzezinski. It is useful in so many situations, like this one.

Did you even read the article?!? We DEMANDED they hold elections, and when the elections didn't turn out the way we wanted them to, we refused to recognize the legitimate winners of the election, and even ATTEMPTED A COUP TO REMOVE THEM FROM POWER!!!

With those actions, how in the world could we NOT bear some responsibility for the current situation?!?

[Michale32086]

Did the US force Hamas to wrest control of Gaza from Fatah by force of arms??

No??

Then what is your argument??

Michale....

[Realisticat]

michiganfan said: Did you even read the article?!? We DEMANDED they hold elections, and when the elections didn't turn out the way we wanted them to, we refused to recognize the legitimate winners of the election, and even ATTEMPTED A COUP TO REMOVE THEM FROM POWER!!!

Realisticat asks: And this is justification for hamas to lob rockets and mortars into Israeli neighborhoods how?

Also, while the content of my posts may embarrass you, at the very least they're my own material. Brzezinski's line is amusing, do you have any of your own thoughts that are?

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

Cenk you act as if someone in the Bush Administration COULD HAVE FORSEEN Hamas's victory. Or anything else for that matter.

[Michale32086]

@mystic

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Hamas does not want Israel to exist, but Israel does not Hamas to exist.
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The big difference is that Hamas is a terrorist organization and Israel is not..

That's like claiming that the US Government doesn't want the KKK to exist and the KKK doesn't want the US Government to exist.

WHO CARES what the KKK wants or does not want???

Michale.....

[RoloTomassi]

"The big difference is that Hamas is a terrorist organization and Israel is not.."

More rightwing revisionist history, and the absurd notion that OUR definition of who is and isn't a TERRORIST is anything more than a self-serving policy postion.

[Twinkie7]

Michale, Hamas is the democratically elected government of the Palestinian people. Their actions might be terrorist to you, but they are a legal government. America's legal (kind of) democratically elected government is considered terrorist by many peoples of the world. And many Palestinians consider the occupation by Israel to be terroist. Words like terrorist do not serve any purpose.
Oh, and all true Americans should care what the KKK wants, at least as far as their freedom to believe what they want. That is one of the great things about America. We may hate what they say, but if we want the freedom to speak our minds, then we have to allow that freedom to everyone. There are no lower classes of human being.

[Eclectic Radical]

The KKK may have the freedom to believe what they want and speak their minds, but they do not have the freedom to rob banks, assassinate radio talk show hosts, bomb churches, or kill civil rights workers.

Words like 'terrorist' do have real meaning, even if they are misapplied. Hamas is a terrorist organization that only exists because hardliners were opposed to the peace process. Hamas made its bones planning suicide bombing attacks against Palestinians, to force Arafat to crack down on his own people and lose support for the peace process. Its whole reason for existence is to make sure Israelis and Palestinians kill each other so that peace does not happen.

There are no 'legitimate' Palestinian leaders. Fatah is a corrupt crime syndicate, Hamas is an essentially Nazi organization, and the 'peaceful' activists enable Hamas by defending them against the international community and calling Israel evil and Hamas heroic.

[slurrrrpee]

I think the fault is really on Greece for inventing Democracy.