July 31, 2006

"Information Clearing House" -- -- George Bush and his vassal, Tony Blair, are no statesmen. They are war criminals. They claim to be pious Christians. They are the physical manifestation of the devil himself.

Interviewed by the BBC's political editor, Nick Robinson, on Saturday 30 July, Blair repeatedly declined to call for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.

"Give Israel time to do its job of destruction. Let Israel annihilate Hizbullah and, preferably, Syria as well. When this is done, we shall call for a ceasefire." This is the conclusion which any reasonable person watching Blair's interview would draw. Indeed, it is the conclusion which Nick Robinson himself drew - he said so himself in conversation with the television news presenter after the interview.

Well, Israel has done its job. At least 60 innocent civilians, including many children, were murdered on Sunday 30 July, the very next day after Blair's interview, when Israeli warplanes bombed the basement in which they were sheltering. And still, Bush's vassal will not call for an immediate ceasefire. The closest he would come to this is to call for a ceasefire "as soon as possible", i.e. when Israel has completed its job of murder and destruction.

If there is anyone out there who is still wondering why Arabs and Muslims view Britain and the United States as their implacable enemies, then look no further. To the analysts, experts and commentators, whether in the media or in academia, who are still befuddled as to why Arabs and Muslims are turning to "extremism" and terrorism, we say this: replay the images of murder in Qana, Tyre, Sidon, Beirut and Gaza, then listen again to the war criminal Bush and his poodle Blair resisting calls for a ceasefire, and you have the answer.

Bush and Blair have blood on their hands, oceans of Arab and Muslim blood! The innocents in Lebanon and occupied Palestine are paying a heavy price for the crimes of these two maverick Christian Zionists.

Sadly, many other innocents, not only in the Middle East, but also in Bush's and Blair's own countries will almost certainly pay a heavy price for the actions of these two criminals. For who can doubt that the images of murder in Lebanon and Gaza will inspire many Muslims all over the world to seek revenge? And the victims will almost certainly not be Bush, Blair or the militarist Zionist clique which rules Israel, but innocent people in Europe and the United States.

We urge our Arab and Muslim brothers and sisters not to let murder inspire you to commit murder in revenge, from which only Israel and its allies will gain. Instead, think strategically. Let the blood of the innocents in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq inspire you to mobilize to isolate Israel and its patrons, politically by seizing the moment and highlighting the reality of Zionism to Western publics, and economically by accelerating the campaign to boycott Israeli goods. It is this, not an eye for an eye, that will ultimately defeat Israel and its imperialist masters, as happened with apartheid South Africa before it. Revenge is a dish best served cold

Uri Avnery is an Israeli journalist, writer and peace activist.