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Ear to the Ground

Israel Presses U.S. for Delivery of Antipersonnel Rockets

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Posted on Aug 11, 2006

America is likely to send Israel a shipment of antipersonnel rockets whose broad and indiscriminate blast characteristics could inflict civilian casualties. The State Dept. is trying to delay delivery.

New York Times:

Israel has long told American officials that it wanted M-26 rockets for use against conventional armies in case Israel was invaded, one of the American officials said. But after being pressed in recent days on what they intended to use the weapons for, Israeli officials disclosed that they planned to use them against rocket sites in Lebanon. It was this prospect that raised the intense concerns over civilian casualties.

During much of the 1980?s, the United States maintained a moratorium on selling cluster munitions to Israel, following disclosures that civilians in Lebanon had been killed with the weapons during the 1982 Israeli invasion. But the moratorium was lifted late in the Reagan administration, and since then, the United States has sold Israel some types of cluster munitions, the senior official said.

Officials would discuss the issue only on the condition of anonymity, as the debate over what to do is not resolved and is freighted with implications for the difficult diplomacy that is under way.

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By CCHUCK, April 18, 2012 at 8:47 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Israel is already using these rockets. Here is a link to pictures of the rockets exploding in Gaza. http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1869438_1820700,00.html

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By FuriousAtIsrael, August 12, 2006 at 1:41 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Once again, we find a way to make ourselves even more repulsive in the eyes of all the world, by cuddling even closer to our murderous Israeli “friends”.

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By Aaitje, August 12, 2006 at 12:27 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

The headline should read: “The ZIONISTS in the Israeli Government Presses the U.S. for Delivery of Antipersonnel Rockets”

These are the same zionists that falsified intelligence to get us into water-rich Iraq (Israel is notoriously dry); the same group with global aspirations that are fueling anti-Semitism around the globe to force French, Italian, and American Jews to return to Israel.

And all those Jewish people need room to live and prosper.

You need to ask yourself just why the Israeli government can even attempt to “press” the U.S. Government for cluster munitions that are notoriously indiscriminate when ignited; killing hundreds of people.

Are we speaking American-funded genocide of the Arabs in the ME now?

America should outright REJECT delivery of these weapons of mass destruction, and force Israel to withdraw from Lebanese lands, and return to the pre-1967 boundaries.

America was right in returning the Jewish people to their lands in 1948, but America would be wrong to allow land-hungry Zionists to “press” us for weapons that would annihilate hundreds of thousands of innocent Arabs, or we must be prepared to face generations of terrorists we helped create.

If Israel is unable to live on pre-1967 lands, then the experiment that is Israel has failed, and it needs to be scrapped, and give Israelis land here in the U.S.

For the U.S. taxpayer, we would save billions of dollars a year that we’re now giving to Israel, for one, and two, the Arabs can go back bashing each other instead of having Israel, and America as their scapegoats.

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By Hilding Lindquist, August 11, 2006 at 8:49 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Well, Israel does appear to be losing the fight against Hezbollah ... and is headed to being held hostage in Southern Lebanon once again (not just her two soldiers) ... unless of course she can get the international community to bail her out ... even though Israel defies the international community by not withdrawing from occupied lands to the 1967 borders, returning prisoners, and working out a deal to share Jerusalem ...

So we will HAVE to escalate the conflict to CONVINCE the international community to adopt a resolution Israel approves ... while Israel thumbs her nose at the resolutions she does not approve!

And then castigates Hezbollah for thumbing its nose at resolutions Hezbollah does not approve ...

Tit for tat or a pissing contest a la Kipling ...

“Whatever happens we have got/the Gatling gun and they have not” [sic]

And then we sit around wringing our hands ‘cuz North Korea has nukes and Iran is trying to get ‘em ... while we continue to develop more sophisticated nuclear weapons ...

Who is being irrational?, I ask.

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By Todd, August 11, 2006 at 8:33 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

The article says that the sale of these munitions has not been completed and, in fact, is still being debated by the US Government.  So how are you able to place a headling that states, “US to Arm Israel With Rockets, Civilian Casualties Likely.”

Or have you already made up your mind of what the “facts” are?

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By kevin99999, August 11, 2006 at 8:31 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Since when the U.S. has worried about civilian casualties? Like everything else, to voice concern for civilian casualties is just a publicity stunt.

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By harald hardrada, August 11, 2006 at 8:25 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

our glorified chickenhawk leaders are hell-bent on creating terrorists that sooner or later will attack us at home [unless you believe 9/11 was organized by a bunch of cave-dwellers that our military let escape from tora bora on purpose]

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By Collin, August 11, 2006 at 7:32 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Of course there will be civilian casualties.  The choise is not if but whose.  It is in the natural interest of Israel to protect itself.

Collin

http://evangelicalperspective.blogspot.com

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