No US Objections to Impending Gaza Invasion

The long-promised Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip seems set to begin at any time, some reports suggest it could be a mere matter of hours. And while in his weekly radio address tomorrow President Bush is going to claim the United States is “leading diplomatic efforts to achieve a meaningful ceasefire,” the United States seems perfectly willing to stand aside as Israel launches the ground invasion, with White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe saying “those will be decisions made by the Israelis.”

Indeed, the United States has supported the Israeli attack from the start, both by providing weapons and using its UN Security Council seat to block an Arab League-backed resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. As Israel’s attacks have killed hundreds of Palestinians (scores of them children), the administration continues to insist that Hamas is solely responsible for the fighting.

And if America is leading the diplomatic efforts, the chances of ending the attacks any time soon don’t look promising. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who one would assume would be leading America’s “leading” efforts, sees “no end in sight” to the violence, and isn’t planning to visit the region. Towing the Bush line of holding Israel blameless for the carnage in Gaza, she added that Hamas has “held the people of Gaza hostage ever since their illegal coup.” 1.5 million hostages, and they’re all in the line of fire.