Why are we allowing our weapons to be used against civilians in Gaza?

January 14, 8:00 PMForeign Policy ExaminerAimee Kligman

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There's a real problem in Gaza. And it relates to the use of not only white phosporus bombs, but a relatively new weapon called DIME which severely maims its victims. DIME is an acronym for dense inert metal explosives and was developed by the United States Air Force in 2006.

DIME is an offshoot of the bunker buster technology developed by the U.S which relied initially on depleted uranium (DU) which had already been used in other weapons. Uranium, radioactive,  - what are we really talking about here, and is it legal?

Here is a video created to explain DU and how it affects humans. Please be warned that this video contains content and images that some readers might find objectionable. The description sounds much like the after effects of nuclear fallout. Is that the legacy we are leaving the inhabitants of Gaza?

Dr. Mads Gilbert, who just returned from a Gaza hospital, was being interviewed this afternoon. He described what he saw as amputations caused by blasts with no evidence of shrapnel.

"On the contrary, they have torn apart their legs, often one or two or even three limbs, their arm also. Some of them are beyond salvage, because the amputations are so high and so fierce that it also affects the lower part of the body. Some are survivable. But typical for these amputations is that there is no sign of metal fragments or shrapnel. It is only this very brutal amputations caused by some extreme power and small rice grain, rice, corn, pieces of some kind of substance, not metal, but—you know, the DIME weapon is a mixture of metals, nickel and cobalt, in a composite cast, not in a metal cast. And that’s explaining why you don’t see shrapnel".

His detractors have called him a "Hamas apologist" and have found that he has been active for the Palestinian cause since the 1970's. Does this justify the crime?

Americans need to rise up and say to their government "Not in our name", just like the Jews who oppose the Gaza war have told Israel. America will see this foreign policy backfire just like so many other instances. The next time there is an Al Qaeda or Taliban attack on Western interests, let's not feign surprise when they ask for American passports and torture, then slaughter Jews. At this very moment, millions of Arabs are watching the pain and suffering inflicted on Gaza civilians, and what they see, aside from Israel's aggression, are American F-16's, and now, American weapons of the caliber of DIME.

And they've read the headlines, whether they are accurate or not is a moot point. In the last couple of days, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been flaunting that he controls George W. Bush, and was seen speaking in Hebrew at a conference, telling his audience that he convinced Bush to veto the UN resolution, which forced Condi Rice to backpedal.

Mike Mullen called for a "demilitarization of our foreign policy" and it might behoove the next president to pay close attention.  At the same time today, a leading Israeli scholar and Oxford professor, Avi Schlaim, stated unequivocally that the solution in Gaza is far from military, and will not be resolved with intervention by any third party. He speaks quite authoritatively when he says that Israel will have to face Hamas to come to a resolution. Perhaps Israel is so acutely aware of this fact that it has decided to weaken Hamas as much as possible before the negotiations begin.

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