Israeli, U.S. Violence Continues to be Placed Out of a Historical Context

In a brief two-part interview, Noam Chomsky lays out how recent escalations in military aggression on the part of Israel has important historical roots and serious consequences for the future. Chomsky points out the practice of kidnapping civilians and claiming they are members of so-called terrorist organizations by Israel, with the full support of the U.S., occurred well before recent captures of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon. These acts received little press coverage in the U.S. and failed to prompt calls for extended military attacks against Israel. Independent journalist Dahr Jamail's recent article on the rise of Hezbollah points to how this continued military aggression by the U.S. and Israel is only increasing the popularity of the group. It seems clear that the initial goal of the recent Israeli campaign to embarrass Hezbollah out of power in southern Lebanon has radically backfired. Not surprisingly, the Bush administration continues to blame Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria for the "unwanted war" while Hezbollah has decalred it will abide by a U.N. sponsored cease-fire.