U.S. Gov't Considers Quashing General's Report

.

from Democracy Now!:

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/23/headlines#6

Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reports the Bush administration is debating whether to silence a forthcoming high-level report critical of Israel’s conduct in the Occupied Territories.

The report is written by the top US official there, retired general James Jones.

According to the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, Jones has written a “scathing” report criticizing both the Israeli government and the White House. Israeli officials who met with Jones said they expect the report to be “very harsh, and make Israel look very bad.”

Jones is said to be particularly critical of Israel’s claim to have security interests to justify its large settlement blocs on Palestinian land. Top administration officials are said to be so upset by the report they are debating blocking its release.

===END ARTICLE===

How is it that every time someone studies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, whether they be a retired American general, a sitting U.S. Supreme Court judge (Harry Blackmun), or American university students, the conclusion they come to - if they are not under political pressure to conform to the American/Israeli party line - "makes Israel look very bad"?

It is amazing. I've witnessed this several times in my own life, as well, as classmates from my university days all came to roughly the same conclusions regarding the conflict.

If it's so one-sided and obvious as to who is responsible for starting and continuing the conflict - as confirmed by numerous UN Security Council Resolutions and General Assembly Resolutions, as well as opinions of professors of international law and rulings of the International Court of Justice - how is it that the conflict is presented as a "complex, debatable issue" in our American media, a "muddled mess" that is impossible to get to the bottom of?

#