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Indybay Feature

Call for "ceasefire" without Israeli withdrawl is unacceptable

by Aaron Aarons
Amnesty International has called for a "Lebanon/Israel Ceasefire Vigil" in San Francisco and Santa Cruz this evening (Monday). They fail to call for the withdrawl of Israeli troops, thus objectively siding with the U.S. and French imperialists' pro-Israel proposal. Anti-imperialists should attend these actions, but carrying signs that at least include the demand for Israeli withdrawl from Lebanon, and perhaps mentioning Gaza and the West Bank as well.
Amnesty International has called for a "Lebanon/Israel Ceasefire Vigil" in San Francisco (see http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/08/03/18294477.php) and Santa Cruz (see http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/08/06/18295214.php) this evening (Monday), and for similar vigils in other places. But there is nothing in their call about the necessity of an Israeli withdrawl from Lebanese territory. Without such a withdrawl, a cease fire would reward the Zionists for their criminal attack on Lebanon and leave them in a stronger position than they were before -- which is why the U.S. and French imperialists have joined to push for such a cease fire and why virtually all Lebanese are rejecting it.

Anti-imperialists must reject calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and/or their removal from Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is the only force in the Arab world that has inflicted defeats on Israel, as well as on the U.S. and France. (It drove the latter two out of Lebanon in 1983.) Whatever one thinks of their politics in other respects, their armed resistance to Israel and the other imperialists must be supported!

Anti-imperialists should attend the vigils called by Amnesty International, but carrying signs calling for ceasefire AND immediate Israeli withdrawl -- from Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank.
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by Aida
condipetition.pdf_600_.jpg
From the petition circulated by Amnesty International to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice,
"We the undersigned support Amnesty Internation's call on the United States and other world governments to work towards an immediate, full and effective ceasefire to protect civilians..."

The operative descriptor in the above phrase is "effective" when describing "ceasefire." Of course you couldn't have an effective ceasefire without requiring a full withdrawl of Israeli troops. Amnesty International has been tracking the human rights situation of the Occupied Territories for years now and have compiled many, many human rights abuses there at the hands of the Israeli military. There is NO WAY that anyone could construe their nonpartisan call for an "effective ceasefire" as somehow endorsing more occupation by Israeli forces.

It is important to to be intellectually honest, but please, let's focus on the very immediate human needs now and nitpick and argue later! Your refusal to work with other groups is only weakening the call to end the fighting now. How many more babies must die?
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