The attacks in Gaza are highly controversial with a fierce tug and pull between the sides. LA’s Mayor Villaraigosa and NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg have both taken a pro-Israel stance, as well as the 390 members of Congress who this past week voted “aye” to the passing of House Resolution 34. The resolution “recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirms the United States’ strong support for Israel…” On the streets it seems most people are angry about the situation on the Gaza side, not necessarily pro-Hamas, but more aligned with a ‘pro-humanitarian stop the killing of innocent people’ stance.
I knew how I personally felt, but what I wanted to know is, “Is this a South Asian American issue? As desis, why should we care?” Short of learning that Gandhi was an anti-Zionist, there’s not too much out there on the matter. But at Saturday’s protest, there were many desis out walking the street in solidarity. So I hit the streets and asked them why they were there. This is what they had to say.
“A lot of people were here for the protest,” said Omar of the band Elephant with Guns. “I couldn’t find my friend so I just joined the people I was with and started playing[he starts beating a hand held drum and chanting] one, two, three, four, we don’t want your racist war. Five, six, seven, eight, stop the killing stop the hate.”“I thought it was great turnout and I was very inspired by it,” states Amy, a young professional. “It’s important for South Asians to be here because we need to show our solidarity. We went through it in India during our fight for independence.”
“I think that this is not particular to Arabs, to people of Middle East orgins, or to South Asian origin but I think that any community that has lived under any kind of occupation or the injustices of any type of colonization should be committed to this cause,” said Naaz, a PhD student at UCLA. “I’m from an Indian background. The types of atrocities that were committed under the British in India and the way that they systematically tried to divide people and divide Hindus from Muslims was unjust. We are still living with a lot of the scars of that British occupation…I think it’s about Western hegemony that is still continuing in the form of capitalism, and in new imperialistic projects, like Iraq, Afghanistan and maybe even Pakistan… As a community of color the west has been manipulating us for a long time.”
“South Asians tend not to be as connected to other communities in general,” said the Mad Guru, wearing an image he had designed pinned to the front of his shirt. “We can’t keep seeing problems as other people’s problems somewhere far away. I mean, you have to understand that if you don’t stick up for other peoples’ rights, then no one is going to stick up for your rights either.”
The protest was great, but there are other ways people in the South Asian community are showing support too. Some in the Sikh community jumped on board earlier this week. 
We are Sikhs who stand against the brutality of Israeli occupation and the ongoing siege, blockade, and massacre of Gaza. Now more than ever, we call on our Sikh sisters and brothers to think about what our faith and our Sikh identity really means. Why did Guru Nanak Sahib seek to abolish the caste system in South Asia? Why did Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib sacrifice his life for the sake of others’ (non-Sikhs) right to freely practice their religion and live free of persecution?…Because for Sikhs, fighting against all forms of tyranny and oppression is a spiritual obligation. [racewire]
It’s great to see so many people acting in solidarity, but it’s understandable that more people haven’t spoken out because the issue is so confusing and potentially so divisive. South Asian mag Samar posted a well researched myth-busting piece last week to clarify the politics around the issue.
We may disagree with the politics of Hamas, just as we may disagree with the politics of the British Labor Party, but it does not follow that we should condone the slaughter of all leaders and members of Hamas, their families, government employees, and random members of the Palestinian population which elected them to power, any more than we would condone the slaughter of all leaders and members of the Labour Party, their families, government employees, and random members of the British population which elected them to power. The fact that the US and EU cannot see this equivalence demonstrates that they are dominated by the same racism which allowed slavery to flourish and the indigenous peoples of North America and Australia to be exterminated. [samar]
Sure we can protest to express our solidarity but that is by no means the only nor most strategic tactic. I called my representative today to express my disappointment on his ‘aye’ vote on HR 34, and I will call him again tomorrow to ask him to co-sponsor Kucinich’s resolution on the humanitarian issues in Gaza. My office will be hosting a brown bag to learn more about the issue. I’ve been sending action alerts to my friends. I’m not saying you have to pick ‘my’ side on this issue, nor am I saying you have to be a gung-ho freedom fighting activist. But what I will say is this is an important issue. As South Asian Americans, this issue is relevant to us. Do your research and get educated on this complex situation. And if you feel moved by what you learn, do something about it.
I understand israel’s frustration and their retaliation. i also see the root cause of this as the failure of the israeli and the american leadership to recognize the democratically elected (hamas) government in palestine.
regarding the southasian participation in this – it’s more like enemy of my enemy of my enemy is my friend even if he is my enemy. i can see the same junta trot out in full force in support of the people of pakistan if india ever mustered the cojones to bomb LeT-JuD strongholds – leave alone the fact that the now suffering people abetted terrorists in their midst.
In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me  and by that time no one was left to speak up.
How about “south-asians” demonstrate for genuine south asian issues for which there is no publicity. Its easy to march for Gaza, a million people around the world are doing it already. How about a march for the people of Swat who are losing life and home away from the world media spotlight.
http://www.dawn.com/2009/01/15/top1.htm
2 · Fazgun said
there’s a story for every occasion. here’s one that’s a favorite among indians.
take a pick
personally, i am interested in this as a human and an individual, rather than as a desi. to me, my desi identity has no bearing as to why i should or should not be interested in the ME conflict. but, then, i take interest in conflicts around the world that are given relatively less importance by the general world community. on the other hand, one of my (jewish) colleagues told me the other day that i SHOULD be interested in the ME conflict. i asked him why, and he said that it’s very important to the western world. that sense of hierarchy of conflicts irritates me – so i told him that i should feel compelled to be interested in the ME conflict the day that he feels compelled to be interested in the pakistan-india conflict.
i caught this editorial in the guardian re american press coverage of the conflict.
Are there no South Asians who are pro-Israel? I have two allegiances – to India where I was born,and America where I live – Hamas hates both. In this case, Israel’s enemies are my enemies too and so regardless of the moral high ground, I want to see Israel win. All this pontificating about Israel’s brutality misses the point that the other side is extremely brutal also – I am perfectly willing to follow my self-interest here.
Hinjew-Brown Brother does your neighbor in America differentiate between you and a Arab. Do you get the brown treatment at the airport,etc. What exactly is your self interest?
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=156939
“Government employees, including policemen, teachers and LHVs, walk around with resignations in their hands. In case they are accosted by armed militants opposed to the government and to women working they can produce these resignations to avoid being kidnapped, killed or punished”
…
“in about the last three weeks targeted killings have also begun. The militants are killing people, slitting their heads and then keep their heads on their bodies and order that no one remove the bodies before midday. Policemen, social activists, ordinary citizens, political people and citizens have been killed.”
…
“Burning of schools was unheard of in Swat and over 200 have been torched.”
From the post, it sounds like you assume that most readers would be pro-Palestinian. Why?
Most Indians stance on the issue is that enemy of my enemy is my friend. Indians(as in desh) have been traditionally pro-palestinian. It also coincided with the general anti-us sentiment. But ever since the rise of kashmiri terrorism, Indians have been pro-israel. Even druing pro-PLO, days, India has maintained unoffical friendly relations with Israel. Indira gandhi was planning joint strikes with Israelis on Pak nuke facilities, though India didn’t recognize Israel at that point. Arafat was sympathetic to India’s stance on Kashmir & often the only one who spoke up in Indias defence at OIC.
I thought I mentioned this – I think it is in both America’s and India’s interest that Israel win over its extremist Muslim enemies.
Hinjew-Brown Brother is it win or win over. There is a difference and killing 500+ innocents does not win or win over.
While I am generally pro-Israel, I view current conflict as driven by Israel’s domestic politics rather than any serious threat to its security.
Adding my name to the growing list of comments about the relationship between Hindus and Muslims having a bearing on the Israel vs Gaza situation.
In my view, the possibility of Hindus being persecuted by these self-same activists (if & when they gain power) is very high. So, the only Hindus who support Muslim groups/causes (even token Muslims) in their fights vs non-Muslims are suicidical or delusional commies or both.
If they had tried to garner support without all the endless anti-Jewish bigotry things might be seen differently. Cuz they have the same level (or worse) of bigotry towards Hindus.
And I do not think it is in India’s interest. Maybe in the BJP’s and Hindutva’s interest but not in the national interest. Thank God for the Congress Party that knows not to overreact as did the Bush neocons.
5 · ak said
Word. That’s exactly how I feel and that’s why I didn’t blog about this issue, despite some really unproductive emails demanding that we cover it (even if the links they were including had no desi angle).
This is what is so great about the bunker. There are no assigned stories; you write about what moves you. And like all of you, we don’t all agree on every point about everything. Taz did the leg work of interviewing desis who showed up at a protest. That makes it topical AND interesting.
sounds like an urban legend. wiki says there were only two battles and nothing to say he was captured in the first, only that his army fled in defeat.
Fuck Hamas, Hizbollah or whatever they are called and send those europeans back to Europa!
All that over a fairy tale book with alot of imaginary friends.. gives you the right to Disneyland. Why is Israel in the Eurovisionens Melodi Grand Prix when they are geographically located in western Asia ?
What about posting something about Kashmir or something. You know brown related issues that the westen media loves to ignore!
o)
Well, it is certainly an American issue, so the answer to your question is yes. Given that the U.S. is Israel’s most important patron, Israel’s actions with American-supplied weaponry will come to reflect upon the U.S. As I’ve argued in the past, Israel tends to over-react to terrorism, while the Indian government does not react at all. Both approaches to terrorism are seriously flawed. Israel’s use of collective punishment upon Palestinians only improves the status of groups like Hamas or Hezbollah. OTOH, India’s impotence to either strike at Pakistan, or internally, implement modern law enforcement methods. Basically, terrorists targeting India face no downside.
Bear in mind, the most effective U.S. efforts in the Middle East came about when the U.S. was willing to crack some heads together, both Israeli and Arab. When Nixon gave aid to Israel in the Yom Kippur war, they also put pressure on Israel to not completely demolish the Egyptian army. Egypt, seeing America’s actions, realized that it could not beat Israel on the battlefield, and seeing the Soviets not do much on their behalf, chose to ally itself to the U.S. and make peace with the Israelis.
In the case of Jordan, King Hussein wanted to get back in America’s good graces after Gulf War I. Because of the high Palestinian population in Jordan, and Arafat’s idiotic support of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, Jordan sat that war out, while Saudi Arabia and Egypt provided support to the U.S. George H.W. Bush understood the king’s predicament, and while Israel originally opposed the Madrid peace talks, Bush forced the Israelis to show up.
Before the Iraq war, neocons argued that peace in Jerusalem has to first go through Baghdad. Then, they said it has to go through Tehran. It is clear that it goes through Washington.
It is very sad. I was at the protest on Saturday and Sunday as well. It was amazing to see that this isn’t just an issue that only Palestinians and Arabs care about. I stood protesting and marched with people of all religions and faiths, which in my mind gives this issue even more importance.
I actually have some of the same pictures as you, only a few peole away. I still don’t get how that guy climbed up on the street light though. –
Salman
We may disagree with the politics of Hamas, just as we may disagree with the politics of the British Labor Party, but it does not follow that we should condone the slaughter of all leaders and members of Hamas, their families, government employees, and random members …
When the British Labor Party starts lobbing missiles at Manhattan, then we’d have something to talk about.
if given the opportunity, Hamas and supporters of Hamas would have no problem putting non-Muslims to death. why would you be concerned about them…. you would have to be out of your mind to be upset over the poor Palestinians, especially when you know if the tables were turned, they would do far worse to you than anything being done right now. sadly, the heavy-handed tactics of the Israelis are the only thing the Arab Muslim world understands. Historically, they don’t seem to understand the concept of peace, and living in peace with one’s neighbors
17 · voiceinthehead said
like i said. take a pick of the story dat helps righteousness blossom in your breast.
btw – i do want israel to stop because my best friend through college is now at uGaza. so it’s an emotional issue and it’s stupid to try to rationalize this one way or the other.
18 · 3rdEye* said
last year, i worked with a couple of israeli philosophers, and we were all trying to figure out an explanation for this. also voieinthehead #10, i’m glad you raised the point about india-plo affinity since the NAM days. which has changed quite a bit these days. indian foreign policy and media have a decidedly pro-israel tilt these days, a relatively recent development.
So what should Israel do? Keep letting Hamas bomb them and kill there citizens (albeit a lot less in number). They have tried to blunt Hamas’ attacks and have been successful to a certain extent, but if they are continously being bombed, they have to do something. Not everyone is like us Indians in terms of terrorism tolerance.
Though the Gaza situation is very sad, but Hamas, being the elected government, should also think about lives of their own citizens. War is no solution to the mid-east conflict as much as it is not to the Kashmir conflict.
2 · Fazgun said
Population growth rate: (2008 est.) West Bank: 2.225% Israel: 1.71 United States: 0.88 Birth rate births/1,000 population (2008 est.): West Bank: 25.95 Israel:20.02 United States:14.18 Death Rate: /1,000 population (2008 est.) West Bank: 3.7 Israel:5.41 United States:8.27
There seems to be little danger of no-one being left. The demographics are against Israel and once it reaches a tipping point, well,… the Arab leaders have made it clear what they think of Israel’s right to exist. The Palestinians are literally F&*^ing Israel to death.
Once Israel increases the west bank death rate to ~1000 we’ll worry about them coming for someone else. Right now it is 3.7
21 · roger23 said
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I found that comparison in SAMAR problematic as well, which made me NOT want to read the article. I still will, I’m just sayin’…there are ways to educate and persuade people, and analogizing Hamas to Labor ain’t it. If we want to move beyond this “my stance is rooted in cement”/talking-past-instead-of-to-each-other impasse, we have to be excruciatingly careful about how we express ourselves.
i’m glad you raised the point about india-plo affinity since the NAM days. which has changed quite a bit these days. indian foreign policy and media have a decidedly pro-israel tilt these days, a relatively recent development.
The PLO of yore was a secular outfit fighting for a secular Palestine. With the islamisation of the palestinian independence movement over the last two decades, now you have muslims of Indonesia marching the streets in support of Palestine. Somehow, it has become the norm for a muslim in Kumbakonam to support this cause not as a human rights issue but as a muslim issue. I assume India’s official stance changed due to blowback from Kashmiri islamisation.
portmanteau said
Sorry but this is not South Asia’s fight. If anything, as an Indian we should be more supportive of Israel. From a purely “what have you done for me” standpoint, Israel provides weapons to India’s military, it provides sensitive border technology to keep watch of terrorists crossing into Kashmir, it helps advance Indian interests in the U.S., etc. Hamas comes from the same strain as Lashkar.
Israel is dedicated to a two state solution. When will Hamas remove the destruction of Israel as a state bit from its charter?
Emotions run high on both sides of the debate, of course. But for those observing the continuously unfolding trgedy, it is important not to over-identify with either side of the conflict, as doing so tends to muddy the waters even further.
In particular, the analogy often made between the Kashmir conflict and the Israel-Palestine conflict is spectacularly misguided. For starters, India and Pakistan are two sovereign states engaged in a conflict over a disputed territory. The situation in Israel/Palestine is much more complex. Half a century ago Islamofascist terrorism did not exist as a coherent movement. The “Big Bang” of the conflict in the Middle East was ignited in the maelstrom of European anti-semitism, neo-colonialism, guilt over the Holocaust, and 19th century notions of nationalism and nation-building. Before massive Jewish European immigration to Palestine in the 1930s and the UN’s creation ex-nihilo of the modern state of Israel, with blatant disregard for the sense of unfairness and abject violation that the Palestinians were bound to feel, Jews and Arabs lived together more or less peacefully in Palestine for a thousand years. You may be pro-Israel or antu-Israel and that is a perfectly valid option. But let’s not mischaracterize the original sources of the conflict.
And Fazgun, is the treatment I get at an airport supposed to somehow translate into support for a terrorist organization? I have been given shitty treatment at airports and good treatment. I was passed right through while some older white dude got the once over. The process is not random, but far more people I have met know the difference between an Indian and an Arab (maybe I don’t live in redneck areas) . But who cares. Your logic seems to be that becuase some people in the U.S. can’t tell the difference all billion Indian should be sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
26 · DizzyDesi said
if we’re going to talk numbers, are these comparable? if it turns out that israel is an ‘older’ society (ie has a lot more older people) than palestinians on the west bank, these numbers don’t mean anything. i don’t know about relative demographic profiles, but nevertheless, these numbers will not support a conclusion that israel is being destroyed. what must be compared are number of people dying because of targeted violence on each side. and once you make that comparison, quality of life also counts for something (which is why people use QUALYs or DALYs).
while on the one hand numbers do count for something, this problem seems insoluble because both parties have come to lack trust in each other (for good reason). i read this insightful (pro-israel) piece which makes a number of interesting points. unfortunately, i suspect a moderate palestinian can write a similar piece which highlights the recalcitrant and vehemence of hardline israelis.
30 · Ram said
again, empirically, this claim is not easy to make. what if india’s vehement support of israel further riles up kids in terror-camps our neighbors sponsor? and promotes radicalization within and just outside india’s borders? this issue shouldn’t be india’s fight at all. on an individual level, though, indians or ABDs can go on doing whatever their conscience desires. all i’m saying is, from a purely self-interest POV, it is hard to say what diplomatic stance is best for india, other than the usual ‘this is unfortunate for all parties concerned. we are sorry for your loss.’ israeli technology we’ll prolly get as long as we’re not cozy with the palestinians, and the us will continue the status quo with india. after all, they don’t want us to divert the attention of the pakistani military. which seems to be our only trump card these days. other than asking pakistan to take our dossier seriously, what else has the us done? the US has not set any deadlines, made any concrete demands for action, and they agree that nothing in the dossier proves that the pakistani govt/army/isi were involved in mumbai, only non-state actors. the us looks out for itself, and so should we. we should have working displomatic relations with the arab world at any rate: there are tons of indian citizens there and if we’re going to deal with stopping wahabbi funds from reachig our shores we’ve got to be able to talk to saudi arabia at the very least.
ram: just wanted to make clear that i agree that this is not india’s fight. but i just elaborated my own rationale @ 35.
29 · 3rdEye* said
actually, the thought of yet another desi singing show makes me sick 🙂
Actually, as a South Asian, I think this issue gets far too much attention, compared to, e.g., the Naxalites or the LTTE.
Flags flapped in the 75 degree perfect Californian weather, flags of Mexico, Philippines, and of course, Palestine. I was standing in front of the Federal Building in Los Angeles, in solidarity with thousands of people of all race, age, and religions. I was one of many who this past Saturday, congregated in their city centers to protest the attacks on innocent lives on the Gaza strip.
I hope the protest that you want to did not turn into death to Israel and other antisemtic comments that most of these rally’s turn into. But the funny thing is that the white liberal soymilk drinking elite types at these rally are standing next to the extreme islamists is something I have never understood.
This topic is so complex and convoluted. A few points I guess…
Israel IS the only representative republic surrounded by nations that do not recognize its right to exist.
People of palestine, particularly its leadership, have been used by the surrounding Arabic neighbors as tools of unconventional warfare against Israel. All the oil money and glitzy construction projects around the oil rich Arabic nations, yet the conditions that their “own” brethern live in is pitiful.
Israel shot itself in the foot by not only occupying, but settling the lands won in the 1967 war. It made their position static and inflexible. Not only are you defending yourselves from hostile nation states, but now you’re occupying land and settling, exposing your population even further. The recipe for the insurgency was set as soon as the first Israelies settled land in Gaza/West Bank.
Palestinian leadership have NOT served their people well. Short sighted decisions influenced by unreaslistic expectations, corruption, infighting, and getting involved in local disputes in other Arab nations by taking sides has resulted in reduced government support from Arab nations as they are weary that Palestinian insurgents will come to bite their regimes some day. I hope the people of Palestine demand more from their leaders than simply being neighborhood strongmen/thugs.
There is considerable conflict between Hamas and Fatah. If you are going to step into the role of governance, then one has to evolve with the job. Right now, Hamas and Fatah/PLO have split the territory between Gaza and the West Bank. The Fatah/PLO element is willing to negotiate with Israel, Hamas isn’t.
While the recent Lebanon conflict had wide ranging support from the middle east, particularly Iran’s support of Hezbollah, it doesn’t seem Hamas is as well liked by Arabs, therefore not recieving the same type of support. In essense, the Arab governments are condeming this on the surface, but in the background, everyone is working to undermine Hamas. On the Egyptian side, they are blowing up tunnels used smuggle arms into Gaza.
I don’t think Israel has a real strategic objective here. It is tactical in nature and focused against Hamas. Their goal is to show Hamas is weaker than Fatah/PLO and are thinning Hamas ranks.
What is true of every war, conventional or not, innocents will die. Leadership of all sides needs to re-evaluate their approach if betterment of the lives of ALL their people is what they’re seeking. This conflict has been going on far too long and people need to live with the reality that Israel isn’t going anywhere, nor are the conditions of Palestinians getting any better, or Israel being safer long term.
When was the last time Arab-Americans or for that matter, South Asian Muslims took to the streets to protest terrorism against innocent Indian children, women, and men? When was the last time Arabs or Muslims in America protesed on behalf of any cause except Muslim causes?
39 · Suki Dillon said
the enemy of your enemy…
32 · Ram said
You just hurt the feelings of many desi posters here who feel deeply flattered and validated whenever some ignoramus mistakes them for middle easterners. Any colored person with an alien name, such as Obama, can sometimes be mistaken for an arab by ignorant rednecks. There is also the fact that numerous indians were carried off as slaves by the muslim invaders to be sold in the slave markets of Samarkand, Bukhara, Baghdad, Cairo and other islamic cities, so for south asians to boast that they look like middle easterners is akin to africans claiming they look like americans because there are millions of americans who are descended from african slaves.
Within the error bars of accuracy of wikipedia articles loads and loads of revisionism all the comments above. I pick this one to respond. Why do Israel apologists conveniently forget the cold-war games to hide their selfish interests in the middle-east conflict ?
Yom Kippur war Aid to Israel On commencement of hostilities, American leaders expected the tide of the war to quickly shift in favor of the better-equipped IDF and that Arab armies would be completely defeated within 72 to 96 hours. [69] American supplies to Israel until then had consisted of ammunition, particularly AT and AA ammunition.[70] It became clear however on October 9 that no such quick reversal would occur, and that IDF losses were unexpectedly high.[41] On that same day, in response to the Soviet Union’s airlift to Egypt[61], President Nixon ordered the commencement of Operation Nickel Grass, an American airlift to replace all of Israel’s material losses.[71] Israel began receiving supplies on October 13. According to Abraham Rabinovich, “while the American airlift of supplies did not immediately replace Israel’s losses in equipment, it did allow Israel to expend what it did have more freely”.[72] By the end of Nickel Grass, the United States had shipped 22,395 tons of matériel to Israel. The Israeli National Airline El Al took part in the airlift and flew 5,500 tons of materiel.[73] The United States also conducted its own seaborne supply operation, delivering 33,210 tons to Israel by October 30.[74]
Nuclear alert In the meantime, Brezhnev sent Nixon a letter in the middle of the night of October 23–24. In that letter, Brezhnev proposed that American and Soviet contingents be dispatched to ensure both sides honor the cease-fire. He also threatened that “I will say it straight that if you find it impossible to act jointly with us in this matter, we should be faced with the necessity urgently to consider taking appropriate steps unilaterally. We cannot allow arbitrariness on the part of Israel.”[81] In short, the Soviets were threatening to intervene in the war on Egypt’s side. The Soviets placed seven airborne divisions on alert and airlift was marshalled to transport them to the Middle East. An airborne command post was set up in the southern Soviet Union. Several air force units were also alerted. “Reports also indicated that at least one of the divisions and a squadron of transport planes had been moved from the Soviet Union to an airbase in Yugoslavia”.[82] The Soviets also deployed seven amphibious warfare craft with some 40,000 naval infantry in the Mediterranean. The message arrived after Nixon had gone to bed. Kissinger immediately called a meeting of senior officials, including Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, CIA Director William Colby, and White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig. The Watergate scandal had reached its apex, and Nixon was so agitated and discomposed that they decided to handle the matter without him: When Kissinger asked Haig whether [Nixon] should be wakened, the White House chief of staff replied firmly ‘No.’ Haig clearly shared Kissinger’s feelings that Nixon was in no shape to make weighty decisions.[83] The meeting produced a conciliatory response, which was sent (in Nixon’s name) to Brezhnev. At the same time, it was decided to increase the Defense Condition (DEFCON) from four to three. Lastly, they approved a message to Sadat (again, in Nixon’s name) asking him to drop his request for Soviet assistance, and threatening that if the Soviets were to intervene, so would the United States.[83] The Soviets quickly detected the increased American defense condition, and were astonished and bewildered at the response. “Who could have imagined the Americans would be so easily frightened,” said Nikolai Podgorny. “It is not reasonable to become engaged in a war with the United States because of Egypt and Syria,” said Premier Alexei Kosygin, while KGB chief Yuri Andropov added that “We shall not unleash the Third World War.”[84] In the end, the Soviets reconciled themselves to an Arab defeat. The letter from the American cabinet arrived during the meeting. Brezhnev decided that the Americans were too nervous, and that the best course of action would be to wait to reply.[85] The next morning, the Egyptians agreed to the American suggestion, and dropped their request for assistance from the Soviets, bringing the crisis to an end.
I stand with Israel. There are no innocent civilians in Gaza as they host HAMAS in their homes and give aid and shelter. Israels’s enemies are mine. These are the people who celebrate 9/11 in the streets and are the same as the Mumbai terrorists.
39 · Suki Dillon said
I think this is from the same rally. And they wonder why real americans doubt their patriotism.
stop making an ass of yourself. you have no handle on the southasian dynamic if you are coming out with an ignorant comment like that. the condemnation of the mumbai attacks and the expression of sorrow was universal – including several editorials from the Dawn in Pakistan. do you read the newspaper?
Disclaimer: I fully sympathize with the grievances of Israel and US wrt to middle-east sponsored terrorism and don’t agree with the muslim neighbours refusal to recognize Israel.
Da*n. it’s so bitter cold here, my nose hair get icicles when i step out. how about you guys rally for a nosehair trimmer for me.
41 · Ram said
How about NEVER?
Gaza may be a “slum” compared to Israel and the West but compared to the nations of south asia it looks like a pretty well developed place. The palestinians all look very well fed, very well clothed and very well housed compared to subcontinental standards. When are these bangladeshi, pakistani, and indian muslims going to take to the streets to protest the oppressions of their fellow desi muslims by their own muslim leaders and elites? Or to protest the mistreatment of desi muslims in the arab nations?