Proxy Revenge

In today's news it  was  revealed that 800 officials in 12 countries, including the U.S., Great Britain and the EU, have signed a letter protesting their governments' policies regarding Israel's war in Gaza. The governments of these various countries have been either passive or in full support of the genocide the settler state Israel is perpetrating in its occupied territory.

It is a curious thing, official backing  for genocide, though not  unprecedented.  When the Nazi Holocaust was going on countries looked the other way, refused entry to fleeing Jews (the U.S.), and in some cases helped the Nazis round up Jewish citizens (Holland and France come to mind.) Now European countries are constrained by their history, and need to assuage their guilt by supporting the Jewish state that they helped create.

I don't buy it for a second. It's all politics. The "leaders" of these governments are following the path of least resistance. Though their citizens may no be so genocide-friendly, presidents, prime ministers, kings and other government officials risk being accused of  being antisemitic if they support  a cease-fire or  basic human  rights  for the Palestinians.

When I heard that the government of Germany announced plans to intervene in support of Israel in South Africa's allegation of genocide in Gaza I sent an email to the German government suggesting Deutsch government officials might not be the most credible arbiters of what constitutes genocide. It came back undeliverable, though I sent it to the address they provide. I can post it here, though:

From: John Hamilton 

To: poststelle@bundesregierung.de-mail.de
Sun, Jan 14, 2024 at 4:08 PM

Greetings

I served in FRG decades ago, part of the U.S. force in NATO (OTAN). Back then I attended a rock fest at the Heidelberg Thingstätte. Times change. Now the Deutsche government is proclaiming to the world that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza. 

One would think a lesson had bean learned over the past 80 years-or-so. The track record of Germany in euphemizing and/or denying genocide is a bit flawed and lacking credibility. It is not for you to say what is and what is not genocide. You will not erase the past by supporting a new genocide.

Worthy of mention is that during my time in Germany I went on a three-day pass to Paris. It was great, but when I returned to Germany it felt like home. A Germany that supports genocide wouldn't feel like home to me now.

John Hamilton

Madison, Wisconsin

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I wasn't expecting much anyway in the way of a response, but I thought I would register my dissent. I lived in Germany for 2 1/2 years when I was indentured to the U.S. Army, from February 1969 to July 1971, and I still have some affinity for the country. I got to know some students towards the end of my time there, and crossed paths with a few young radicals, who, in retrospect were likely early members of the Baader-Meinhof Gang. I didn't have anything to do with the radicals - they were friends with some G.I.s I knew casually. I didn't like their vibe. An exchange group between my Army unit and some German students, though, was a positive experience. The upcoming generation of Germans held great promise, and I was encouraged for the country's future.

I'm still encouraged, for Germany and many other countries around the world, where massive demonstrations are being held against the Gaza  genocide on a continuing basis, and they are making their "leaders" very embarrassed and uncomfortable.

That includes the United States, though our "leader," Joe Biden, is likely neither embarrassed nor uncomfortable. He, the 100% politician, is concerned only about how his support for genocide might affect his reelection chances. Morally and ethically he doesn't know his elbow from a hole in the ground, and by extension everything in between. He is latest example of the proverbial "lesser of two evils" in the  upcoming presidential election, but not by much.

Meanwhile, Israel has announced its plans to attack Rafah, the last refuge for Palestinians fleeing the siege. Israel, begun as an imposed settler state displacing the existing citizens of Palestine, is now a genocide state, supported by Genocide Joe and U.S. money.

Something should be mentioned, though, about Germany's support for Israel's genocide. Given the rage and zeal for revenge that is being expressed by Israelis almost universally, I wonder why they never directed their rage towards the country that tried to do what they are attempting with the Palestinians: Deutschland, the perpetrator of the greatest genocide in human history. Could it be that German leaders fear that Israel, a nuclear power, could turn its eyes towards the land of the death camps, crematoriums, gas chambers and medical experiments. They surely haven't forgotten. Maybe it's just to easy to kill all the Palestinians, who live right next door. They will do as a proxy. And we pay the bills.

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Here's a song. Here's another. Creedence. Jefferson Airplane.