Death in the Middle East

Oh.....

http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/politics-and-military/politics/the-american-senate-blocks-iron-dome-funding-6891

The American Senate blocks Iron Dome funding
Democratic Senator Harry Reid's Iron Dome funding bill has been blocked

Aug 01, 2014, 01:36PM | Yael Klein

An American news site reports that Democratic Senator Harry Reid's Iron Dome funding bill has been blocked. Members of the Senate are exchanging accusations of disloyalty to the closest ally.


The American Senate did not manage to agree upon transferring emergency funds to Israel, one of Washington's closest allies, reports the news site Politico. The senior Democratic Senator Harry Reid's bill was blocked by the republic members of the Senate, claiming that the funds deepen the national American debt. Along with the Israel funding bill, also the funding of assistance to California residents affected by the fires has been blocked.

Reid offered to provide a 2.7 billion dollar aid package, of which 225 million appointed to interception system Iron Dome, which has changed the form of the Gaza conflicted. Reid falsely assumed that the bill will pass for what he called the "tight connections (of the party members) with Israel".

“We’ve all watched as the tiny state of Israel, who is with us on everything, they have had in the last three weeks 3,000 rockets filed into their country,” Reid said, presenting Defense Minister Chuck Hegel's bill for 225 billion emergency funding. This funding is destined for Israel's arsenal's replenishment. "It’s clear that is an emergency, and we should be able to agree on that", added Reid unpersuasively.

Republic Senator Tom Coburn offered an alternative that would deliver money to Israel and the West and offer commensurate spending cuts to international organizations like the United Nations; though this bill was blocked. An argument arose when members on both sides were accusing each other in disloyalty to the "most loyal ally". "I want to fund Israel, however I also want to guarantee the future of our children", Coburn said.


Also here:

http://rt.com/usa/177260-us-senate-israel-congress/

US Senate votes down Israeli Iron Dome aid

An emergency spending bill that is intended to provide 0ver $200 million for replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system was rejected on the Senate floor, with domestic expenditures in the bill weighing it down.

Conservative right-wing hawks, fierce proponents of Israel, blamed the defeat on the Democrats for including pressing domestic initiatives among aid to Israel.

Chinese hackers obtained info on Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system - report

Partisan infighting over the emergency bill, which included $615 million to combat wildfires in the western US and $2.7 billion to provide assistance to the thousands of illegal aliens crossing into the United States via the Mexican border, threatens to delay desperately needed assistance for domestic crises.

The total cost of the proposals contained in the bill exceeds $3.5 billion.

More at link.

LL, am I hearing things? Has an Israeli officer just admitted that they were carrying on doing...whatever it is they do with tunnels during the cease-fire?

Does CEASE-FIRE and TRUCE mean something different in Tel Aviv?

Meanwhile, of the missing Israeli soldier:

http://news.sky.com/story/1311150/gaza-kidnapped-soldier-may-be-british-israeli

The Foreign Office is looking into reports that a soldier feared kidnapped by Hamas in the Gaza Strip is from a family of British-Israeli migrants.

The Palestinian militant group had apparently dragged 23-year-old Hadar Goldin into a tunnel as fighting broke out around two hours into a planned three-day ceasefire.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the clashes as the military searched for the missing second lieutenant from Kfar Saba.

The US and the United Nations had said the truce was aimed at "giving innocent civilians a much-needed reprieve from violence".

More at link.

LL, am I hearing things? Has an Israeli officer just admitted that they were carrying on doing...whatever it is they do with tunnels during the cease-fire?

Does CEASE-FIRE and TRUCE mean something different in Tel Aviv?

 I'm trying to do six things at once here, but I understand that, despite the so-called ceasefire, the IDF were still searching for, and blowing up, the tunnels.   LL

Peter Lerner, spokesman for the Israeli Army, speaking from Tel Aviv said the Israeli military was conducting an operation to destroy the tunnels in Gaza, when they came under attack by Hamas armed fighters.

Unbelievable! What does Israel think CEASE FIRE means?

This matter of the tunnels troubles me. Shots from inside them show a very sophisticated building system. Now the embargo on building materials being allowed into Gaza has been in place since before HAMAS took over, so I wonder, in passing, who actually built the tunnels. I found the answers to my questions here - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140721-gaza-strip-tunnels-israel-hamas-palestinians/ LL

Thanks, LL, that is fascinating, I hadn't realised just how enterprising the people in Gaza are; and I can't even begin to work out the odds against being eaten by a lion in a tunnel under Gaza...

This was hastily removed from the Times of Israel, but is still available on cache:

https://archive.today/RPf3M

OPS & BLOGS > Yochanan Gordon
When Genocide is Permissible

AUGUST 1, 2014, 5:36 PM


Judging by the numbers of casualties on both sides in this almost one-month old war one would be led to the conclusion that Israel has resorted to disproportionate means in fighting a far less- capable enemy. That is as far as what meets the eye. But, it’s now obvious that the US and the UN are completely out of touch with the nature of this foe and are therefore not qualified to dictate or enforce the rules of this war – because when it comes to terror there is much more than meets the eye.
I wasn’t aware of this, but it seems that the nature of warfare has undergone a major shift over the years. Where wars were usually waged to defeat the opposing side, today it seems – and judging by the number of foul calls it would indicate – that today’s wars are fought to a draw. I mean, whoever heard of a timeout in war? An NBA Basketball game allows six timeouts for each team during the course of a game, but last I checked this is a war! We are at war with an enemy whose charter calls for the annihilation of our people. Nothing, then, can be considered disproportionate when we are fighting for our very right to live.
The sad reality is that Israel gets it, but its hands are being tied by world leaders who over the past six years have insisted they are such good friends with the Jewish state, that they know more regarding its interests than even they do. But there’s going to have to come a time where Israel feels threatened enough where it has no other choice but to defy international warnings – because this is life or death.

Most of the reports coming from Gazan officials and leaders since the start of this operation have been either largely exaggerated or patently false. The truth is, it’s not their fault, falsehood and deceit is part of the very fabric of who they are and that will never change. Still however, despite their propensity to lie, when your enemy tells you that they are bent on your destruction you believe them. Similarly, when Khaled Meshal declares that no physical damage to Gaza will dampen their morale or weaken their resolve – they have to be believed. Our sage Gedalia the son of Achikam was given intelligence that Yishmael Ben Nesanyah was plotting to kill him. However, in his piety or rather naiveté Gedalia dismissed the report as a random act of gossip and paid no attention to it. To this day, the day following Rosh Hashana is commemorated as a fast day in the memory of Gedalia who was killed in cold blood on the second day of Rosh Hashana during the meal. They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over. History is there to teach us lessons and the lesson here is that when your enemy swears to destroy you – you take him seriously.
Hamas has stated forthrightly that it idealizes death as much as Israel celebrates life. What other way then is there to deal with an enemy of this nature other than obliterate them completely?
News anchors such as those from CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera have not missed an opportunity to point out the majority of innocent civilians who have lost their lives as a result of this war. But anyone who lives with rocket launchers installed or terror tunnels burrowed in or around the vicinity of their home cannot be considered an innocent civilian. If you’ll counter, that Hamas has been seen abusing civilians who have attempted to leave their homes in response to Israeli warnings to leave – well then, your beginning to come to terms with the nature of this enemy which should automatically cause the rules of standard warfare to be suspended.
Everyone agrees that Israel has the right to defend itself as well as the right to exercise that right. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has declared it, Obama and Kerry have clearly stated that no one could be expected to sit idle as thousands of rockets rain down on the heads of its citizens, placing them in clear and present danger. It seems then that the only point of contention is regarding the measure of punishment meted out in this situation.

I will conclude with a question for all the humanitarians out there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly stated at the outset of this incursion that his objective is to restore a sustainable quiet for the citizens of Israel. We have already established that it is the responsibility of every government to ensure the safety and security of its people. If political leaders and military experts determine that the only way to achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it then permissible to achieve those responsible goals?

===========

Israel has doomed itself.

British Jews protesting against the Israeli government today.

British Jews protesting against the Israeli government today. Not just Jews but Orthodox ones, see the sidelocks and black hats. Israel always says Orthodox Jews support them but not by the look of that. LL

http://www.nkusa.org/

They're often at the forefront of demos, LL:



IMO, it is important that people realise that Judaism and Zionism are NOT the same, and those bloodthirsty lunatics in Tel Aviv are getting everyone of the Jewish faith tarred with the same brush.

.... it is important that people realise that Judaism and Zionism are NOT the same, and those bloodthirsty lunatics in Tel Aviv are getting everyone of the Jewish faith tarred with the same brush.

For anyone who knows Jews, they understand the difference, but for the average Christian, for example, all Jews are the same. I have worked with Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews, and all the ones I know have always been anti-Zionist. They hate what Israel has become, that it is a pariah state, that it will kill anyone that stands in its way. For Chaim and his friends, Israel is fascism resurrected and the IDF rabid slaughterers of the innocent. Ny heart bleeds for the Gaza people and also for the Jews who believe in the fellowship of man and that we are all equal. LL

As is being widely pointed out, LL, the IRA did far more damage, and killed far more people, than these piddling rockets of Hamas have done. But the RAF didn't carpet-bomb Republican areas of Belfast and Derry - though Maggie Thatcher may have felt like it after they blew up her and her cabinet, and killed some of her friends.

The Israeli government is slaughtering innocent people, now in their thousands - and shame on America, and anyone else, that is enabling them.

If they want to fight Hamas, fine, go and fight Hamas - but fight like men, not bloody cowards bombing and shelling helpless people. And now they're crying because an Israeli soldier has been captured - when Israel has been holding Palestinians without reason or charge for months!

Perhaps Israel should have abided by ALL the cease-fire, instead of ignoring bits of it?

Can't fault either of you.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/us-accuses-hamas-gaza-truce-breach-20148120376379906.html

US president Barack Obama blamed Hamas for the swift collapse of the latest Gaza ceasefire, accusing the Palestinian group of launching a "barbaric" attack.

President Obama said on Friday it would be "very hard" to get another truce in the Gaza Strip unless Hamas showed it was serious about laying down its arms and could be trusted to keep its word.

"If they are serious about trying to trying to resolve this situation, that soldier needs to be unconditionally released, as soon as possible," Obama told a surprise press conference.

"I think it's going to be very hard to put a ceasefire back together again if Israelis and the international community can't feel confident that Hamas can follow through on a ceasefire commitment."

But Obama also insisted that the deaths of "innocent civilians in Gaza caught in the crossfire have to weigh on our conscience and we have to do more to protect them."

More at link.

Excuse me, but soldiers fighting other armed men is not 'barbaric'. Unfortunate and stupid, possibly, but it's between armed equals. And they wouldn't have been fighting in the first place if the IDF hadn't gone onto Gaza territory to do a spot of tunnel-destroying when there was supposed to be a cease fire.

'Barbaric' is women and children being blown to bits by Israeli bombs and tank fire. I do hope someone shows Obama a few pictures of that obscenity and educates him on what is 'barbaric'.

Gaza militants 'seize Israeli soldier' as ceasefire ends
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28606099

Gaza conflict: Hamas denies holding Israeli soldier
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28617909

Ex-minister Luff condemns 'brutal' Israeli Gaza attacks
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-28602017

Mondoweiss Editors on August 1, 2014 73

gordon

Earlier today the Times of Israel published the article “When Genocide is Permissible” by Yochanan Gordon. They have since taken it down but we are republishing it here as representative of part of the discourse in the American Jewish community. According to Gordon’s bio at the Times of Israel his father is the founder of The Five Towns Jewish Times in Nassau County, NY which is “committed to showing the best of our Orthodox Jewish community, while reflecting reality.” The article is still posted there.

 Update:

The article has been taken off the The Five Towns Jewish Times website with this explanation:

   "An article that was posted earlier today on our website dealt with the question of genocide in a most irresponsible fashion.  We reject any such notion or discussion associated with even entertaining the possibility of such an unacceptable idea.

   The piece should have been rejected out of hand by editors but escaped their proper attention.  We reject such a suggestion unequivocally and apologize for the error."

Gordon has reportedly ended his twitter account, citing security concerns. He has now also issued an apology for the article, but he doesn’t seem to get it:

  " I wish to express deep regret and beg forgiveness for an article I authored which was posted on 5TJT.com, Times of Israel and was tweeted and shared the world over.

   I never intended to call to harm any people although my words may have conveyed that message.

   With that said I pray and hope for a quick peaceful end to the hostilities and that all people learn to coexist with each other in creating a better world for us all."

When Genocide is Permissible by Yochanan Gordon

Judging by the numbers of casualties on both sides in this almost one-month old war one would be led to the conclusion that Israel has resorted to disproportionate means in fighting a far less- capable enemy. That is as far as what meets the eye. But, it’s now obvious that the US and the UN are completely out of touch with the nature of this foe and are therefore not qualified to dictate or enforce the rules of this war – because when it comes to terror there is much more than meets the eye.

I wasn’t aware of this, but it seems that the nature of warfare has undergone a major shift over the years. Where wars were usually waged to defeat the opposing side, today it seems – and judging by the number of foul calls it would indicate – that today’s wars are fought to a draw. I mean, whoever heard of a timeout in war? An NBA Basketball game allows six timeouts for each team during the course of a game, but last I checked this is a war! We are at war with an enemy whose charter calls for the annihilation of our people. Nothing, then, can be considered disproportionate when we are fighting for our very right to live.

The sad reality is that Israel gets it, but its hands are being tied by world leaders who over the past six years have insisted they are such good friends with the Jewish state, that they know more regarding its interests than even they do. But there’s going to have to come a time where Israel feels threatened enough where it has no other choice but to defy international warnings – because this is life or death.

Most of the reports coming from Gazan officials and leaders since the start of this operation have been either largely exaggerated or patently false. The truth is, it’s not their fault, falsehood and deceit is part of the very fabric of who they are and that will never change. Still however, despite their propensity to lie, when your enemy tells you that they are bent on your destruction you believe them. Similarly, when Khaled Meshal declares that no physical damage to Gaza will dampen their morale or weaken their resolve – they have to be believed. Our sage Gedalia the son of Achikam was given intelligence that Yishmael Ben Nesanyah was plotting to kill him. However, in his piety or rather naiveté Gedalia dismissed the report as a random act of gossip and paid no attention to it. To this day, the day following Rosh Hashana is commemorated as a fast day in the memory of Gedalia who was killed in cold blood on the second day of Rosh Hashana during the meal. They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over. History is there to teach us lessons and the lesson here is that when your enemy swears to destroy you – you take him seriously.

Hamas has stated forthrightly that it idealizes death as much as Israel celebrates life. What other way then is there to deal with an enemy of this nature other than obliterate them completely?

News anchors such as those from CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera have not missed an opportunity to point out the majority of innocent civilians who have lost their lives as a result of this war. But anyone who lives with rocket launchers installed or terror tunnels burrowed in or around the vicinity of their home cannot be considered an innocent civilian. If you’ll counter, that Hamas has been seen abusing civilians who have attempted to leave their homes in response to Israeli warnings to leave – well then, your beginning to come to terms with the nature of this enemy which should automatically cause the rules of standard warfare to be suspended.

Everyone agrees that Israel has the right to defend itself as well as the right to exercise that right. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has declared it, Obama and Kerry have clearly stated that no one could be expected to sit idle as thousands of rockets rain down on the heads of its citizens, placing them in clear and present danger. It seems then that the only point of contention is regarding the measure of punishment meted out in this situation.

I will conclude with a question for all the humanitarians out there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly stated at the outset of this incursion that his objective is to restore a sustainable quiet for the citizens of Israel. We have already established that it is the responsibility of every government to ensure the safety and security of its people. If political leaders and military experts determine that the only way to achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it then permissible to achieve those responsible goals?

http://mondoweiss.net/2014/08/collective-support-crimes.html

Collective fear, collective support for war crimes — it’s the ‘Time of Men’ in Israel
Hilla Dayan and PW Zuidhof on August 1, 2014 11


Coalition of Women for Peace demonstration in Israel

Two Israeli themes of the Gaza war have been the intense fears of attack inside Israeli society and the overwhelming support by Israelis for their government’s onslaught against Gaza. The New York Times conveyed the fears as if they are perfectly rational. Several websites have now picked up this letter about the mood inside Israel from Hilla Dayan and PW Zuidhof, a Dutch-Israeli couple who live in Amsterdam, reflecting on that society after a vacation. I’ve picked up most of the letter as posted by Jewish Voice for Peace:

Why do Israelis support a costly ground invasion of Gaza?

The summer in Israel was planned long in advance. Eager to go, our three small children were excited to start their Lego themed summer camp. We landed in Tel Aviv in steamy mid July, just when the current violence started. As a Dutch-Israeli family from Amsterdam that travels frequently to Israel we are used to being teased in calmer times about why, for our own sanity, we do not choose a real holiday destination instead of a conflict zone. Friends and relatives in the Netherlands are now worried. They inquire politely as to our safety and wellbeing. On facebook they see our shared images of dead and wounded children in Gaza, war horrors, anti-war demonstrations, international condemnations, outraged op-eds and petitions calling for immediate ceasefire. Pictures from home of smiling blond kids in green parks and sunny beaches are flickering in glaring contrast to the barrage of depressing feeds from our “vacation.”

Our family here knows we are appalled by the war and condemn the atrocities in Gaza but there is no point talking about it with them. As Israeli and Dutch citizens who want to see an end to the occupation our politics combined with the fact that we don’t live in Israel makes us outsiders, if not outright “traitors.” We are naïve if we don’t see that hitting Gaza hard is necessary in response to the existential threat of Hamas. The weight of the overwhelming support for the war descends upon us daily, heavy and inescapable like the 90% humidity in the air. In Kindergartens, Pilates studios, hairdressers, office building signs are posted as people collect goodies for packages to send to our soldiers in the front. Soldiers are on everyone’s mind since the first smiley profiles of dead young man appeared in the news. At night many Tel Aviv restaurants and bars are empty or closed. Summer events and music concerts are cancelled so our sister and sister-in-law doda (aunt) miki the producer has plenty of time to spoil our children. This is war…

Our war amounts to spending a few minutes in a friendly meet and greet in the staircase of the apartment building if we happen to be home with the children when the siren is on. At night we do not disturb the kids’ sleep and skip the neighborly meet and greet, like last night when the siren went off. It took us few rather disorienting days here to slowly come to the conclusion that the palpable collective fear is disproportionate to the actual threat.

Government propaganda, lies and deceptions to galvanize support for the war is relentless and the Iron Dome system, the system that intercepts Hamas rockets, is just part of it. An expert opinion according to which the Israeli population is almost 100% safe even without it because of the inferiority of Hamas’ weapons and the abundance of shelter infrastructure seemed credible. Deep inside, we believe, everyone knows that the chance something will happen to you here is statistically negligible. It can happen, like the chance of dying in a shocking aviation disaster as what happened this summer to hundreds of Dutch citizens, but it is very unlikely.

One commentator rightly said that Iron Dome functions as the Deus-ex-Machina of this war. Everyone but us is convinced it saves lives. We see it more as a psychological warfare device. Curiously, much of the explosion sound that gets people so worked up here is largely produced by the Iron Dome system itself. What is striking if not outright suspicious is that there is hardly any information in the aftermath of interceptions; we know nothing about it and nobody cares. The threat of warheads in any case gradually subsides as we write giving way to fear from terrorist infiltration from the Gaza tunnels. This shift happened within days from the ground invasion, which marked a notable decrease in the number of Iron Dome alarms.

How come everyone, even in our leftie circles, is so psychologically affected by this war? Why are they so afraid? Earlier rounds – the second Intifada with buses and markets exploding – were much more terrifying. Of course far too many are first and foremost afraid for the lives of their loved ones, soldiers and reservists in Gaza. In my family a distant relative was wounded; the brother of a friend is “inside”; The ex of a friend, who I know way back from our military service during the first Intifada, was drafted. With more than forty soldiers dead, it appears that the imaginary threshold of a war too costly to wage has not been crossed.

As we write this, carnage in Gaza and the death of scores of soldiers is authorized to continue. Why? The Israeli narcissism that concerns itself only with IDF casualties while hundreds of bodies pile up in Gaza is nothing new. The logic of war normality we experience here in Tel Aviv just confirms it. The soldiers die so that we can live “normally.” Violence is inevitable because Israel is under attack. One has to be here to understand fully that the legitimacy of this war is not just manufactured top down by the Israeli government. It is a genuine and widespread social reality. Everyone, even those few hundreds opposing the war, us included, take part daily in its production. Take for instance the dynamic of normal routine interrupted regularly by sirens. In no time, these interruptions themselves became a normal routine. We all got used to the “pending emergency” situation. We are all on an emergency-normality switch mode. People stop cars in the middle of the road to seek shelter in nearby buildings only to go back behind the wheel and honk impatiently at the other drivers as if nothing happened; In cafes people nervously react to suspicious sounds, jump from their seats to the sound of sirens, and return seconds later to their relaxed posture sipping their espressos and so on.

Many Israelis, including very young children, incessantly consume updates on strikes and interceptions through the “red color” app. The app with the red icon on their smartphones is decorated with a sound radiation sign resembling the nuclear danger logo. Authorities, institutions, employers, all heighten security procedures, producing signs, road signs and flyers with instructions on buildings “safe spaces”. Municipalities put on giant billboards with patriotic slogans, one more offensively patriotic than the other. We received a leaflet to parents from the kids’ summer camp advising us on how to maintain “emotional safe spaces” for our children. On TV mainly men talk: brain-dead, repetitive, militaristic tactic-talk. The blogger Idan Landau once aptly called this tsunami of public appearances at times of war zman hagvarim – “the time of men.”  At the same time, the witch hunt of dissenters has reached epidemic proportions, targeting many, and women especially, who dare speak their minds against the war. Orna Banai, Gila Almagor, Shira Gefen are famous celebrities who were vilified for speaking out; a Palestinian psychologist working for the Lod municipality and many like her got fired for what they posted on facebook.

The Open House LGBT organization in Jerusalem came under attack after Elinor Sidi, its director, took a stance against the war. In academia, university presidents published statements warning that they monitor staff and students expressions on social media and will resort to sanctions if they express “too extreme” opinions. This blunt assault is what happens publicly. In private, we know from our friends, many who are politically colored as unpatriotic or anti-Zionist pay a great personal price. Candidates for jobs are asked to write letters renouncing their political opinions. University presidents intervene personally to block “controversial” appointments. Ron Shoval, former leader of Im Tirtzu organizations called to put to use the boycott law, from its sinful inception no more than a dead letter law, to preemptively prosecute and jail human rights defenders. The idea is to prevent human rights organizations from reporting to an international investigation like the Goldstone commission after operation Cast Lead. This witch hunt did not begin yesterday, but the war made things much worse. We encounter both this white fascism running through the main echelons of Israeli society, and the street fascism, those small but well organized gangs of the extreme right who mobilize to beat and intimidate anti-war protestors when they take to the street. In the cultural war raging here it is the Mizrahi face of the extreme right chanting “death to Arab” on the street that grabs all the attention. Haaretz is covering this Mizrahi extreme right extensively. Indeed, it is perceived by lefties especially as menacing, as the “sewage” flooding civilized Israel. But, the white fascism of university presidents or Im Tirtzu is far worse, far more dangerous. One Ron Shoval is more effective in crushing dissent than a thousand street gangs. Those are the people who really hold the key to a complete breakdown of the façade of Israeli democracy.

We attempted to describe the regime of manufactured fear and psychological support for the war, penetrating all aspects of life in all directions. For the vast majority of the country this fear is disproportionate to the actual threat. We described also a climate of threat of violence and violence directed against any form of dissent. In an atmosphere of pending emergency dissent is forbidden and any government action addressing the collective paranoia from the threat of Hamas is seen in a positive light. Needless to say, the government does nothing to curb the climate of violence against dissenters. Instead it incites it with reckless disregard to its potentially disastrous consequences. We do not fear to go and demonstrate, we are still able to do that with reasonable safety, but staying safe on the street is a slightly more complicated task than calculating where the nearest building entrance is in case of a siren alarm. This regime of collective fear and collective mobilization in support of the war is so intense, that our “war vacation” is starting to feel like we took the wrong flight and landed in North Korea.

“They are all animals,” a tattooed man in his 30s muttered in our direction as we just got up to pay for our coffee. “Are you sure ALL of them are?” one of us replied later contemplating the stupidity of a casual response that could have easily provoked violence. Hamas is seen as a mortal, inhuman enemy, which must be crushed, decimated. In line with Prime Minister Netanyahu it is for many heir to Amalek in ancient times and Hitler. This is no apology but Israelis have been traumatized by the savage campaigns of suicide bombings of Hamas beginning in the 1990s, and so it is psychologically impossible for many to acknowledge that however criminal the actions of military resistance to the occupation sometimes are, in fact as soon as Hamas took power over Gaza in 2006 it became an intimate strategic partner of the militant Israeli government. Mash’al and Bibi are caught like lovers on an airplane about to crash in a deadly embrace for their own survival. Although the IDF now deals Hamas a military blow, the government is in fact desperate to keep the organization somehow alive. Military sources said from the outset of the operation that the purpose of the invasion this time is not to “break Hamas.” Hamas’ demands for a ceasefire in turn reflect just how addicted it became to the crumbs falling from the Israeli government table. The script for a ceasefire was already written before the ground invasion began. It is a matter of ending the bloody spectacle with a mere semblance of two sides mutually bettering their positions. The tragedy of course is that so many stand-ins and movie extras must die so spectacularly in vain for the status quo of occupation-resistance to continue. It may sound crazy, given all that we have said so far about Israel in the grip of fascism, but right to left people understand perfectly well the futility of the bloodshed. They already talk about the next round as inevitable. Depressed and helpless to stop it many express confusion and are simply torn between their instinct of victimization and sense of horror at the high price in human life. What is entirely lost or powerfully sublimated is the consequence of being implicated in and authorizing crimes against humanity. Israelis consider the war of position between Hamas and their government to be an existential war, and the conduct of their enemy, they feel, absolves them from any accountability. In their battle of survival, real and imaginary, it only makes sense to let the enemy die and verify the killing (vidu hariga). In this savage place no laws of war apply.

Our children’s renewed Israeli passports arrived just before the ground invasion. Staring at their pictures, Israeli IDs and passport numbers, the thought crossed our minds – why can’t they be spared this terrible burden? Why should they carry an identity associated with cruelty, horrors, war, occupation, apartheid, crimes against humanity? They are Dutch kids after all, fluent in Hebrew but with a thick Amsterdam accent. Why can’t they just sleep in their beds safely without their parents agonizing about children killed in their name? We should go home to Amsterdam or join our relatives vacationing in la Palma, a Canary island. This war vacation and the summer disaster in the Netherlands made us aware of our fragility, temporariness, and inability to control what is happening in our environment. It also sharpened our differences. At times like these mom is better off here in this normal-savage place where she is from, and where she directly partakes in efforts to stop the war. For dad it is crazy to be here, where he is surrounded by supporters of war crimes, who seem superficially normal and go about their normal lives. The kids, they just soak up the sun and enjoy themselves tremendously, their family and friends keep them happy. Their happiness and safety is comforting, but what would we say when they start asking us: mom, dad, what is war, who is doing it, and why can’t you stop it?

Hilla Dayan and PW Zuidhof

Thank you, LL, some excellent material there.

On TV mainly men talk: brain-dead, repetitive, militaristic tactic-talk. The blogger Idan Landau once aptly called this tsunami of public appearances at times of war zman hagvarim – “the time of men.”

Time of men? Time of stinking cowards, more like. There's nothing heroic about blowing women and children to bits from a distance while being scared to fight armed men.

Israel really showed the monster beneath with this:



This isn't a 'war', it IS genocide.

The part about social media is interesting - the posts being made by Israeli on twitter, FB, etc., are vile, racist and sadistic, and teenage Israeli girls seem to be the worst.



Mondoweiss @Mondoweiss
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Photo: Message on Israeli shell to #Gaza, 'Thats for canceling the Backstreet Boys, U scum!' http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/israeli-canceling-backstreet.html …

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/message-on-israeli-shell-to-gaza-reads-thats-for-cancelling-the-backstreet-boys-you-scum-9640590.html


Message on 'Israeli shell to Gaza' reads: 'That's for cancelling the Backstreet Boys, you scum!'



The American pop group were forced to cancel for safety reasons, as the tensions between Israel and Gaza grew

It will be shocking if this image, tweeted by Israeli BDS campaigner (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Against Israel) Ronnie Barkan and picked up by Israel-Gaza news site Mondoweiss, is the genuine article.

The photograph depicts a mortar shell with the words 'That’s for cancelling the Backstreet Boys, you scum!' inscribed on its shaft in Hebrew.

The author, who appears to be a member of the IDF and a strident Backstreet fan, would have been referring to the recent rescheduling of the boyband’s first ever string of dates in Tel Aviv, which were set to start yesterday (30 August).

The American pop group were forced to cancel for safety reasons, as the tensions between Israel and Gaza grew and the Israeli government launched an aggressive offensive against the strip.

The source of the photograph appears to be a pro-Israel Defence Forces Facebook page, called ‘Standing By IDF’, which has notched up over 30,500 likes since it was founded on 23 July.

The forum encourages Israeli girls to send in messages of support to the IDF troops by posting scantily clad images of themselves posing in underwear with "<3 IDF" scrawled onto their bodies in paint and ink.

According to Barkan, the images are heavy on wordplay. The Hebrew name for the military operation, he claims, known to most as "Protective Edge", actually translates to "Hard Rock" or "Firm Cliff" – hence the bottom and breast shots.

[pic of some female's bare backside and kisses to IDF]

The picture of the shell was uploaded to the same page, and appeared in several user comments.

Again, without being able to locate said shell, we have no real way of authenticating whether it exists or whether the Hebrew message has been photoshopped onto it.

What we do know, however, is that the comments underneath the image appear to be from forum users requesting similar dedications.

"We want the same dedicated to us!" a translation of the first comment underneath the picture reads.

And it might not be the first time messages had been scrawled on IDF mortar shells.

This image has been claimed to depict an Israeli girl writing onto a shell during the Israel-Lebanon conflict in 2006.

Of course, the rising death toll in Gaza - which has so far seen over 1200 Palestinians, many of whom are civilians and many under the age of 17, perish compared to 43 Israelis - lends a particularly dark tone to the entirely trivial Backstreet Boys inscription. As does the tone of the posts created on the ‘Standing By IDF’ Facebook page.

So here’s hoping it’s a fake after all.



Sadly, it isn't, there are more slappers and sickos on the page:

https://www.facebook.com/StandingWithIDF