I really enjoyed reading your very well informed debate! Thank you to all contributors. For myself, I strenuously participated in the anti war movement and feel that I will certainly not be supporting Tony Blair during our next General Election. The general sentiment in the UK was that the 'arguments' for the war have been one spin too far, and I think any of us who reflect on the human cost of this enterprise should and would be saddened. This is not to say that Saddam should not have been removed, but it is to criticise the manner in which this was brought about. I agree with Tony Benn who has argued for many years that an inclusive and Middle-East wide solution is needed.
Two points that occured to me while enjoying this debate:
(1) For all its faults, the US electoral system is a good deal better than
our system here in the UK, where a government could in theory be elected by
a little over 25% of the voting public.
(2) I am a strong supporter of the State of Israel's right to exist, but I
unreservedly stand against Ariel Sharon's, as indeed in general the State of
Israel's before him, policies towards the Palestinians. Many things are
forgotten. For example, the original mandate for the foundation of Israel
accorded equal rights to Israeli Jews and Israeli Palestinians which are not
much in evidence there today. On the other hand, some Palestinians chose to
fight a war against Jewish-Israelis. No doubt, had those Palestinians won
this war, the consequences would have been as bad as they have been with the
formation of an essentially Jewish Israeli state, albeit with the Jewish
Israelis, perhaps, as the victims.
Most importantly I think it is important, while recognising Israels' quite legitimate security to concerns, to also acknowledge that the Israeli government is oppressive in the extreme towards the Palestinian groups that fall under its control--only a part of this constitutes military action that is reported in our on-the-whole-inadequate media. Isreal is today, and has for some time been, in breach of more UN Resolutions than Saddam Hussein ever was. Most of these resolutions have been drafted to address the Palestinian situation. I can only imagine that those among us who are prepared to simply write off the Palestinian crisis and cause because of its association with terrorism can do so only because they have no real comprehension of the human rights abuses the Palestinians have suffered over the past forty years. The issue of "terrorism" can only and must be seen as a factor not unrelated to these human rights issues. The campaign fought by Jewish "freedom fighters" who fought for the foundation of the State of Israel was not, in many respects, dissimilar to aspects of the Intifada. In both cases these struggles rose from the ashes of oppression and violence.
Best wishes,
Jon.
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