临时天堂

巴以冲突最近出现新动向，一个是哈马斯愿意停火，并同意分三批释放以色列人质，同时希望以色列能完全从加沙撤军；另一个，是以色列在收到哈马斯的停火条件后，仍认为“没有达到以方要求”，继续对加沙最南部的拉法发起攻击，并切断了国际社会对加沙难民唯一的援助通道。实际上，外界不难看出，以色列这就是有意不停火，因为此前攻进加沙，就是打着“解救人质”的旗号，如今哈马斯答应放人了，以色列却不收手。    PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- The military next week plans to begin draining fuel from World War II-era underground fuel tanks in Hawaii, nearly two years after the massive facility sickened 6,000 people when it leaked jet fuel into a Pearl Harbor drinking water well.Removing the fuel is a key step toward shutting down the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility as demanded by the state of Hawaii. The November 2021 spill poisoned the Navy's water system serving 93,000 people in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The leak continues to threaten an aquifer used by Honolulu's municipal water utility to serve 400,000 people on Oahu.“I want the community to know that my team and I understand the enormity and the significance of this mission,” Vice Admiral John Wade, the commander of Joint Task Force-Red Hill, said at a news conference.Work to drain the 104 million gallons (394 million liters) remaining in the tanks was scheduled to begin on Monday. Each tank is 250 feet (76 meters) tall and 100 feet (30 meters) wide. Gravity will feed fuel into fuel lines connected to the lower part of the tanks. The fuel will then flow downhill through pipelines for 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) to a tanker ship waiting at Pearl Harbor pier. It will take more than two days to fill each tanker. Wade said it would take three months to remove 99.9% of the fuel. Then, work will begin to remove a residual amount of an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 gallons that will have accumulated in low-point drains and bends. That work is expected to be finished in the spring. The moment is bittersweet for Lacey Quintero, whose Navy family was among the thousands who suffered health problems after drinking contaminated water in 2021. She's happy the fuel is being removed but the operation has stirred memories as the two-year anniversary of the spill approaches. “The timing of it, coupled with the dangers that are present during defueling — there’s fear,” she said. She's concerned that more fuel could spill into the Navy's drinking water well and poison the aquifer. She's also worried about possible explosions. Quintero and her husband, who is in the Navy, and their two children moved to Hawaii in November 2021 from California. They fell sick soon after moving. Her youngest, who was then 3 years old, vomited uncontrollably. The entire family complained of diarrhea and itchy skin. Quintero's arms and legs went numb and she struggled with chronic fatigue. Her husband is still stationed in Hawaii but they have moved to private housing off base which uses Honolulu municipal water. Yet she still suffers from stomach pains, migraines and skin issues. She has PTSD.“I have flashbacks of feeding my daughter this poison soup and watching her vomit it up,” she said.Quintero is one of 6,750 claimants seeking compensation from the U.S. government for what they experienced. Their attorney, Kristina Baehr, said claims for the first group of six plaintiffs were due to go trial in March. The state of Hawaii ordered the military to drain the tanks after the 2021 spill, saying they posed an imminent threat to the aquifer underneath. The Department of Defense challenged that order in court, but eventually acquiesced. It's spent the past year repairing the tanks and pipes so the fuel can be safely removed without additional leaks. For years the military said the tanks were vital to national security and resisted calls to close the facility or to move it. Military officials repeatedly reassured the public that Oahu's water was safe — even though the tanks had a history of leaks.The spill upset a broad cross-spectrum of Hawaii, and precipitated a crisis for the military in the islands. Many Native Hawaiians have been angered given the centrality of water in Hawaii’s Indigenous traditions.A Navy investigation pinned the cause of the spill on a series of mistakes. First, operator error caused a pipe to rupture on May 6, 2021, when fuel was being transferred between tanks. This caused 21,000 gallons (80,000 liters) of fuel to spill. Most of it flowed into a fire suppression line and sat there for six months, causing the line to sag.Then on Nov. 20, a cart rammed into the sagging line, releasing 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters.) A team thought they recovered all of this fuel, but they missed about 5,000 gallons (19,000 liters) which flowed into a French drain and from there into the drinking water well.The Navy reprimanded three now-retired military officers for their roles in the spill but didn't fire nor suspend anybody.。

在这样的背景下，一直无条件支持以色列的美国，也有些犯急了。据观察者网报道，5月8日，美国防长奥斯汀对外证实，五角大楼已经叫停了对以色列的部分军援，包括1800枚2000磅重量级炸弹、1700枚500磅重量级炸弹。同一天，美国总统拜登首次公开警告以色列，如果以色列军队大规模入侵加沙南部城市拉法，美国将停止向其提供武器。

拜登还承认，以色列在加沙使用美国的武器杀害平民。对此，有美国媒体称，美以关系“正达到前所未有的紧张程度”。那么，真的是这样吗？大家好， 我是躬耕牛，下面我们通过两个议题，来简单解读一下。

B |

第一个，美国此举，或只是为了敲打以色列，让以方顾及一下美国的感受。

巴以新一轮冲突爆发后，美国是以色列最为重要的支持者，总统拜登来过，国务卿布林肯来过，防长奥斯汀也来过，除了用“亲临”表达支持外，美国还将两艘航母，两艘两栖攻击舰部署到了中东地区，直接给以色列撑腰。在这样的背景下，中东其他国家没有一个敢出面军事对抗以色列，以色列在加沙的军事行动，实际上是想怎么打就怎么打。

一来是军事优势实在太大，二来是以色列的报复心太重——死一个以色列人，往往要十条巴勒斯坦人的命来还。进入加沙后，以色列就开始“无差别攻击”，攻击居民点、医院、学校、清真寺成了家常便饭。不到半年，加沙平民死亡就超过30000，而且多为妇女和儿童，这也让无条件支持以色列的美国脸上无光，因为以色列是打着“消灭哈马斯”、“自卫”的旗号进的加沙，如今却干着惩罚平民的事。

在国际社会强烈要求停火的背景下，美国一直在安理会否决相关提案，完全充当了以色列的“帮凶”。无奈之下，美方多次要求以色列控制伤亡，或与哈马斯达成停火，拜登在与以总理内塔尼亚胡通话时，甚至划下“红线”，但以色列根本不听，因为占领和控制加沙才是以色列的最终目的，“打哈马斯”不过是个借口。

美国当然明白这一点，不然也不会在安理会一票否决“巴勒斯坦入联”提案。但是，美国或是认为以色列做得太过了，应该顾及一下自己的感受，虽然战争总会死人，但这也死得太多了，而且都是平民，这让美国在国际社会还如何支持以色列？在这样的背景下，美方做出停止供武，严厉警告这些“敲打以色列”的动作，就是给国际社会看的——以色列的做法，我们也不认同，我们也在努力。

以色列是美国豢养在中东地区的“牧羊犬”，无论沙特、埃及这些盟友，还是伊朗、叙利亚这些对手，都需要以色列“盯”着， 不能出现美国掌控不了的局面。

C | 比如，此前沙特和伊朗在中国斡旋下，成功实现和解，并快速开放大使馆，实现高层互访，以至于后来对巴以冲突达成共识，美国扬言要“打击伊朗”时，沙特等阿拉伯国家还不许美军过境等，都是让美国不满的。

D |

也正因为如此，美国向以色列提供的武器，是与美军现役同步的，这一点，哪怕是美国的北约盟友们，也达不到这个级别，可见以色列有多“特殊”。

E | 在政治上，美国甚至给阿拉伯国家做工作，让以色列与阿联酋、巴林等国家实现关系正常化，不再被阿拉伯国家孤立。那么，美国这样帮以色列，最为重要的目的是什么？

因为中东是全球能源最大的供给地，而美元是跟石油这样的大宗商品是直接挂钩的，看好了中东，相当于稳定了美元，这才是最为关键的。美国是全球霸权，但霸权也得靠美元支撑，无论对外战争还是拉拢盟友，都离不开美元。

F | 而以色列对美国来说，就是一个平衡中东局势的“节拍器”，根本不可能直接放弃，这一次以色列做得太过，美国才不得不出来装一下，实际上就是跟以色列“唱双簧”。