Accomplice to a massacre

When the 100 or so villagers from Qana sought refuge under the rubble of a recently demolished building on Saturday night, they must have believed in the notion that “lightening never strikes twice.” How wrong they were. By the early hours of Sunday, dozens of bodies were being pulled from under the same rubble after another Israeli attack, mostly women and children, as has been the case since the bombing of Lebanon begun 19 days ago.


The toll has now risen to more than 650 Lebanese civilians, with hundreds of thousands rendered homeless, thousands injured, many disabled for life … yet not a whimper from 10 Downing Street.


Following the news on Saturday night that US shipment planes carrying arms and ammunition bound for Israel, had used British airports to refuel, allegedly without knowledge of the British government – and I say allegedly, because in all honesty, would anyone actually think that this prime minister would object had he known – simply adds to the ludicrous nature of this whole immoral episode.


Not only is Britain in one way or another, directly or otherwise, an accomplice in the massacre of Qana through its refusal to back a call for an immediate ceasefire, it is increasingly isolating the country from the international community which has overwhelmingly expressed outrage as to the bombing of Lebanese towns and villages and demanded an immediate stop to all military operations.


More and more, and while the Israeli killings go on in Lebanon on a daily basis, the prime minister appears irrelevant to Britain and British national interests. Since the incredible G8 conversation between Bush and Blair, few can doubt exactly where Britain figures in this “special relationship” with the US: on its knees and in an entirely unwholesome posture.


This is not just adding fuel to the already blazing fire around the world, which has become far more dangerous and blood-torn than merely a few years ago, it is also causing serious damage to our moral and ethical standing as a country and as a people, besides the obvious threat to our national security through further possible terrorist attacks.


As we continue to observe Israel sticking up the proverbial finger or two to the world, we must begin to ask whether or not Tony Blair is conducive to the country’s national and international interests. In my mind, I have not a shadow of a doubt that Blair shoulders a significant responsibility in every drop of blood spilt in Iraq and Afghanistan, as
it was he who backed ideologically driven Bush all the way regardless of what everyone, including his own country, said. In the case of Lebanon, his responsibility and his role in the death and destruction caused by the barbaric and criminal Israeli Forces, is even greater.


I hope that Tony Blair saw the images of emergency crews pulling out the shredded body of a child wearing a pink top of some sort, and then calling out for her legs to be put in the same bag. I hope he realises that he could’ve kept her alive. I hope he knows that this little girl will be a permanent mark on his legacy as leader of this country. I hope
he looks his own children in the eye, and then hangs his head in shame.