Old policy, new violence

Last Friday's shooting at the Seattle Jewish Federation was contingent upon decades of violence and complicated alliances.

Gunman Naveed Haq called for the United States to stop sending weapons to Israel. Interesting that no one seems to have been asking why America began sending Israel weapons in the first place.

During the initial period of conflict between Israel and Palestine, a relatively short time after Israel's independence, the United States leaned toward supporting Palestine.

Here's where it gets complicated: Egypt's President Gamal Abdal Nasser, who supported a Pan-Arab movement similar to communism, was receiving Soviet weapons and opposed Israel. Cold War logic required that the United States support Israel on the basis that it was an enemy of Egypt (and thus the Soviets and communism.)

President Dwight D. Eisenhower may not have known it then, but this decision was the root of long-term Israeli-American relations and billions of dollars in military aid.

Little has changed during the past half-century. In the face of air strikes from Hezbollah, a terrorist outfit stronger than the Lebanese army, Israel is once again attacking Lebanon's soil, and the United States is still silently supporting Israel because of a policy that died with Cold War logic.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice kept her mouth shut when she had an opportunity to call for a cease-fire last week in Beirut.

It's been pointed out that by attacking Lebanon and Hezbollah, Israel is doing the United States' dirty work. Hezbollah is strongly anti-American, and the United States would benefit greatly by an end to the organization.

What's interesting is for all that's been happening halfway around the world, violence came full circle last week in Seattle.

As long as the United States keeps pursuing unpopular policies and involving itself in unpopular wars, we have to keep wondering when -- not if -- it will happen again.