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Watching a disaster unfold.....

"The Israeli government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has exploited the capture of Army Corporal Gilad Shalit to restore the country's diminished deterrence against militant Palestinian factions, to break the elected Hamas government and to impose its unilateral territorial solution on the West Bank. But when the dust finally settles, Israel's offensive against the besieged territories--and now Lebanon--will have left the region with more destruction and death and the Israeli government with the same strategic deadlock. That's why instead of lashing out against their neighbors, Israelis must end the vicious cycle of provocations and retaliations, and pursue meaningful negotiations to end the occupation".

So writes Marwan Bishara in a very up to date piece in The Nation Magazine.

As the Middle East seemingly explodes, once again, one has to wonder where Isreal thinks its actions will lead. With the attention of the world diverted to North Korea and Iran - and knowing it's an election year in the US - Israel probably believes it has free-reign to do as it pleases. Who is going to openly condmen Israel's actions? And what can they do about it anyway? There is always the now somewhat hoary proposition that Israel is protecting itself from terrorists for Israel to fall back on in justifying its actions.

Read the full The Nation piece here.

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