The escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict presents a clear and present danger to the peace and stability of the region and to the long-term grave detriment of the security and image of the United States and its citizens worldwide. It threatens to deteriorate into a wider conflict in which the United States, by its unchanging, long-standing support of the Israeli apartheid regime, risks being drawn at great future cost in American lives, treasure, and world standing.

The silence of our political class is deafening, only broken by US administration spokesmen blaming Hamas.

Over a century ago, here in Paris, Emile Zola took on his government over the Dreyfus affair with the phrase j'accuse--I accuse.

As a private American citizen, I choose to do the same, hereby exercising my right of free speech and dissidence--as hopefully still guaranteed by the United States Constitution which I many years ago unreservedly swore to defend and uphold when proudly commissioned
as a United States Army officer.

In consideration of the ongoing brutal assault against the Palestinian people in Gaza by Israeli armed forces, in violation of the standards, the spirit, and intent of international law, I hold the Israeli regime responsible for provoking the conflict and for the for the casualties on both side. Israel provoked the conflict by:

• Illegally blockading Gaza for a protracted period, depriving the population of basic necessities, livelihood, and humanitarian resources, basic rights and liberties, particularly of movement, and of the pursuit of happiness.
• Using said blockade as collective punishment and reprisal against the Palestinian people for choosing Hamas as the true representative of their aspirations and resistance to Israeli occupation and state terrorism. Thereby forcing Hamas as duly elected representative of the Palestinian people and resistance to occupation, to defend its people by the sole available means to attack the Occupant's territory if not military forces: inaccurate rockets of proven ineffectiveness.
• Attacking Gaza with disproportionate force, causing massive civilian losses and infrastructure destruction totally disproportional to the comparatively minimal Israeli losses resulting from Palestinian Resistance rocket attacks.
• Continuing to occupy territories seized extra legally in 1967, if not 1949, by ethnic cleansing and held by all means of repression amounting, by strict definition, to state terrorism.

I wish to express my greatest concern and indignation at the long-time support the United States continues, at its own detriment, to provide the Israeli regime and of its complicity with the latter and member states of the international community in stripping the Palestinian Resistance of means of defense. I especially deplore the failure of successive US administrations to endorse, if not initiate and lead, a United Nations intervention commensurate with the extent of the problem. I therefore accuse the United States government of complicity with a country which, by its format and behavior, sustained by might alone, qualifies as a rogue state.

I therefore request that the United States government:

• Demand immediate cessation of Israeli military operations in Gaza, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and all Palestinian territories.
• Hold the Israeli regime responsible for the conflict as the aggressor, for creating conditions leading to the conflict, for any resulting civilian losses on both sides, and for the degradation of the humanitarian situation in the region.
• Stop all military and strategic support to Israel and impose an immediate and total embargo pending a change of regime.
• Recognize Hamas as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people under occupation.
• Initiate and offer to lead a United Nations resolution for a Chapter VII-VIII peacemaking force intervention in all territories to the conflict, including that defined as Israel by the Israeli regime. The mandate should be modeled on the Yugoslavia intervention and include an Israeli regime change toward the formation of a multiethnic state out of what is today called Israel and Palestine. A US Army Corps, approximately 100,000 troops coming out of Iraq, could provide the American contingent to the mission.

JF Angevin-Romey
US Army, Retired
Paris

I appreciate your sentiment. However, I think the opposite will result from Israel's invasion of Gaza.

I used to be under the illusion that Kadima and particularly labor would be preferable to Likud. However, I would rather have a Likud government. Likud does not need to prove it is tough like the other two parties and would have taken much more limited action in Gaza.

Hamas will not be weakened. Unfortuately, it will be strengthened. It was Hamas who defended the Gazans. It is the Gazans who resisted the invasion. Israel's invasion has severely weakened Abbas and he will be blamed (rightfully or wrongfully) for not defending the Palestinians.

I like Barak Obama, but I don't see any real leadership from his administration in this matter. Too many "Old Hands" from the Bush and Clinton administration are running his Mid-East foreign policy. He will continue to offer the same formulac statements regarding "fighting terrorism", but I don't see him being an "honest broker" anymore than Clinton was.

Expecting anything from the Arab regimes is the biggest fantasy. Their people was really angry and will even less supportive of peace with Israel. Ironically, if democracy was present in the Arab world, Israel would face much more hostility.

One Israeli once said, "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." However, the same can be said about the Israeli government. It never fails to make a bad situation worse. It only encourages its enemies. It released hundreds of Hizbollah fighters for a few bones, yet it would not release more that a few to Abbas, who was not killing Israelis. It withdrew from Gaza unilaterally, giving a victory to Hamas, while not negotiating with Abbas and allowing him to take credit for the withdrawl. Only belatedly, has it released some prisoners to help Abbas and it continues to build settlements. It continues to take more Palestinian land and can not understand why Abbas grows weaker in power.

1.)Barak being the maggot who orchestrated this genocide and Livni being the spokesperson for it is clearly going to be in the minds of the Palestinians and the world. Everyone is aware they started this gruesome attack so any negotiations with those sitting at the table are impossible.

2.) Hamas will gain support thru sympathy and behind the rallying cries of all the Palestinians. The whole notion that Israel thinks that people will turn on Hamas over these attacks is false. Everyone is aware of who sent the helicopters, fighter jets and tanks it. This is probably just going to garner more support for Hamas thru out the region.

3.) President Obama has showed that change is not coming to foreign policy of the United States. During the Russian-Georgia conflict he was out and opens on the issue and making all sorts of statements. This situation is much more severe and the fact that he is going to hide behind the “one president at a time” statement is just a reflection that nothing will change. His speech at AIPAC conference was a clear indication about where he stands on this issue.

4.) The Arab “leadership” (mainly Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan) has proven it is useless and worthless in times of crises. With the exception of making weak one line statements where they mainly blamed Hamas for this mass murder their lack of effort is defending the Palestinians will be in the minds of all the people in these regions. The Arab leaders will not be taken seriously anymore on this issue and have proven they are what everyone always suspected they were to begin with, a fraud. This has only increased Iran's influence in the region because they were the most adamant in supporting the Palestinians and continue to do so. Any hopes of an Israeli Syrian peace talks are done and over and the days of turkey serving as a mediator for Israel are over.