Commentary on Uri Dromi's article in the Guardian

I thought I would take some time to post a commentary paragraph by paragraph of some of the lies that Israel's professional propagandists wheel out just after Israel has killed more people. Uri Dromi is writing an article for the Guardian and thoughtfully tells us why Israel had to kill all those people and that it regretted doing so, but it had no choice. Here is why I think he's talking absolute rubbish.

In the wake of the Israeli operation in Gaza, aimed at putting an end to years of Hamas harassment of the south of Israel, there are now media reports about the possible use by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) of white phosphorus and flechette shells. Now Amnesty International issues a report reiterating these claims.

This is not true, Hamas had been observing a ceasefire with the Zionist state, which was continuing its policy of assassination and destruction throughout. In addition, the Israeli state had maintained a two year seige on Gaza and continues to do so along with its Egyptian allies.

Some words about these weapons.

White phosphorous is a chemical substance dispersed in artillery shells, used primarily to conceal the movement of troops. It burns on contact with oxygen and creates a smokescreen to mask the military manoeuvre. Unfortunately, it may have a negative side effect: when it comes into contact with people, it causes severe burns.

Flechettes are an anti-personnel weapon designed to strike a large number of enemy men. Basically, they are tiny metal darts packed into120mm shells. These shells explode in mid-air and scatter many flechettes in a conical pattern over an area around 300 metres wide and 100 metres long.

As frightening as they sound, these weapons are not banned by international law. Therefore, when the Israeli army used them in Gaza, it did nothing unprecedented. Peter Herby, the head of the Red Cross's mines-arms unit, told the Associated Press: "In some of the strikes in Gaza, it's pretty clear that phosphorus was used." However, he added: "It's not very unusual to use phosphorus to create smoke or illuminate a target. We have no evidence to suggest it's being used in any other way."

As for flechettes, whether we like it or not, they are standard weapons for most armies. Again, international law doesn't prohibit their use. Even so, the IDF established a commission of inquiry to investigate whether there were cases in which flechettes and white phosphorous were misused.

This is all true.

Amnesty International, however, didn't wait for any such investigation. Quick as ever to blame Israel, the organisation paid lip service to the launching of thousands of rockets by Hamas on Israel during the last years, aiming intentionally to kill innocent civilians. It hardly denounced them and then went on to conclude that it was Israel that had committed "war crimes".

Your army did kill over 1300 civilians, many of them children, over a period of over 30 days of sustained bombing in the most heavily populated area on the planet. A little perspective please.

Alas, war is a messy business. In urban areas, where the enemy is elusive and is using women and children as human shields, war is even messier. Remember Fallujah in Iraq, in 2004, when during Operation Phantom Fury US forces destroyed one out of every four dwellings of this 40,000-home city, killing 1,350 fighters and an undisclosed number of civilians. No one blamed the US for war crimes, and no one dared threaten to drag American generals to tribunals at The Hague. When it comes to Israel, however, double standards reign.

War is indeed a messy business, but you only say this when you kill Palestinian civilians, it doesn't seem to occur to you that since you are at war with the entire Palestinian people, some of your own civilians will get killed too. The same argument can and has been used that almost the entire Israeli civilian population is involved with the Zionist military establishment or industry which supports it, and since your country is on stolen Palestinian land, there are no cities or areas which are not embroiled in this war.

Does this man really think that anybody has forgotten what happened in Fallujah? He might as well have been an Italian fascist claiming precedence with the Luftwaffe and Guernica. Both of these countries will be held to account for what they have done, sooner or later. As for double standards in dealing with the United States and Israel, the phrase a pot calling a kettle black comes to mind.

Go explain to Amnesty, or to the world media, that Israel, in trying to hit Hamas operatives only, took extraordinary steps not to harm civilians. Millions of leaflets were scattered over Gaza, warning the locals to evacuate certain areas before they were attacked. Phone calls were made to specific residents to leave their homes, because Hamas terrorists operated from there and thus turned them into military targets (yes, read again: you call your enemy and you implore him to leave the area so he is not hurt). Last but not least, after exhausting all those warning measures, the IDF fired close to such homes and gave the residents enough time to leave them safely, before the houses were hit.

This is rubbish, Hamas has been warning the Israelis and the settlers not to occupy Palestinian land for years. It has also warned that any attempt at expansion of settlements, or invasion of Gaza, will be met with retaliation. Needless to say, the Israeli settlements have continued growing, Israelis have continued living on Palestinian land and the Israeli army launched a massive invasion attempt into the Gaza strip. No resistance group in the world would even bother giving an invading army an ultimatum before striking it and yet the Israelis time and again think that they can reside in Palestine with impunity and then have the temerity to complain that they are coming under rocket attack from the people whose land they stole. This is double standards to the extreme if ever there was any.

No other army in the world goes to such lengths to try not to hurt civilians. Yet once a military operation is launched, and especially in a heavily populated area such as Gaza, things happen. Was there a disproportionate use of force? The IDF is checking it. Was there misuse of white phosphorous or flechettes? Again, Israel, as a vibrant democracy, is investigating the matter thoroughly. In the meantime, foreign journalists who entered Gaza when the operation was over reported that the initial stories about the damage were grossly exaggerated.

The same holds true for Hamas attempts to dislodge both the Israeli army and Israeli settlers from their land. It is admirable how serious the self titled Israeli "Defense" Forces take any allegations of disproportionate force or the use of phosphorous and flechettes. I am assured that Hamas has also heard of the allegations made against it and will leave no stone unturned in their investigation of what happened, since they too are part of a vibrant democracy and were elected by the Palestinian people in free and transparent elections. Other foreign journalists who entered Gaza when the operation said that initial stories about the damage were grossly minimised but what is your point exactly?

Last but not least, the Israeli use of force must be put in context. Only after exhausting its patience vis-a-vis an onslaught of Qassam rockets did Israel decide to use its military power, in the most justifiable act of self-defence. If there is one commodity in short supply among the Hamas leaders, it is accountability. Hamas brought on the people of Gaza the wrath of the IDF – white phosphorous and flechettes included. Now its supporters are pointing fingers at Israel.

The Israeli use of force took place after it forced a seige on the people of Gaza for two years, during which time it continued to fire missiles into the territory in spite of Hamas adhering to a ceasefire. In terms of accountability, one thing these people are not in short supply of is that. They are of the people of Gaza themselves and are not some foreign body within the civilian population. It is the leadership, their colleagues, neighbours and very own families who are at the front line. Entire families have been wiped out in missile strikes, the very own families of these Hamas men he speaks of. Let us stop fooling ourselves that Hamas have brought this on the people of Gaza, they are the people of Gaza and they were elected by the people of Gaza.

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Video clips are emerging from Gaza showing Hamas operations against the Israeli occupation forces, just as Hezbullah used to do during the 2006 war. The first showed a sniper eliminating one of the Israeli soldiers, his colleagues only notice a few moments later and they appear visibly shaken. In another clip, Hamas assault a residential apartment which has been taken over by Israeli forces. The clip shows what appears to be a direct hit by an RPG on one of the soldiers on a balcony, then gunfire and more explosions as the Hamas fighters enter the residence and again, eliminate the remaining Israeli targets. In another clip, a journalist with Russia today spends a night with the resistance as they prepare to go on operation against the Israeli forces. They appear disciplined, well supplied and focused and this is clearly not the first or the last of many missions they have carried out. You will not see this in Western news media, Arabs fighting against an invading modern Western army and inflicting grave damage. This is day 20, and the Israelis are still unable to overrun Gaza.

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Some tidbits

The Guardian reports, "Israeli troops enter Gaza". They are not the first to use this phrase, though it is interesting to contrast this with how they described Russia's "entry" into Georgia last year.

Also, the Israeli propaganda machine is in full swing, here is a story on the rabidly Zionist Jerusalem Post,"A Golani soldier managed to single-handedly foil an attempt to kidnap him during nocturnal operations in the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, Israel Radio reported."

Whilst there are rumours that news of Israeli casualties is being withheld, another lesson learnt from the Israeli defeat in 2006. If you want to see news directly from Hamas, their website is here.

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News updates

The Vichy-like Palestinian Authority has banned any pro-Hamas demonstrations in the West Bank.

Also, the Israeli's appear to have learnt one lesson from their 2006 defeat, underpromise and overdeliver to their people, "The aim isn't to topple Hamas".

(Thanks Serene for both links)

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The age of defeats is over...

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Ongoing protests in London

Please circulate widely and try to make it if you can, (more information on other locations here)

LONDON
Tuesday 30 December, 2 - 4pm outside Israeli Embassy, Kensington High Street, London, W4. Nearest tube Kensingston High Street (turn right out of tube station and walk along the main road.

Wednesday 31 December, 2 - 4pm outside Israeli Embassy

Thursday 1 January 2 - 4pm outside Israeli Embassy

Friday 2 January 2 - 4 pm. Outside the Egyptian Embassy, . 26 South Street, London, W1K 1DW. Call for Egypt to open the border immediately.

SATURDAY 3 JANUARY. DEMONSTRATION AND RALLY. Assemble 2pm Parliament Square, W1. Nearest tube Westminster

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International Federation of Journalists: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today warned that journalists and media staff face serious risks during Israeli military operations the Gaza strip after a local photographer died of wounds sustained in an air attack two weeks ago.

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London protests

From an e-mail I received today:

According to reports, ten people were arrested on 28 December 2008, after clashes with police in a London protest over raids in Gaza. Up to 4000 people reportedly joined the demonstration outside the Israeli embassy yesterday, and gathered with placards reading “End the Siege in Gaza ” and “Free Palestine.”

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) is very concerned about the clashes in yesterday’s protests and would request any participant affected by or who witnessed these clashes to contact IHRC with their experience. By recording individual experience, IHRC would like to assess the severity of the situation and make official complaints about the police’s heavy-handed approach with the demonstrators.

The IHRC operates in a confidential manner and will keep private, unless given permission, all information that may be provided.

Please contact the office on 020 8904 4222 or email massoud@ihrc.org and aishaabbas1@hotmail.com.

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Gaza massacre

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"Study finds long-term use of cannabis, heroin, and cocaine more prevalent among Arab teens than Jewish. No extensive program offered at Arab schools, says criminologist."

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This is the pathetic Mufti of al Azhar...(the picture was on AngryArab).

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My translation:"The Culture of Grovelling for Peace"

The Culture of Grovelling for Peace
Abd al Bari Atwan

27/11/2008

History has shown us, from the experiences of previous nations, and the Arab in particular, that countries are liberated and regain their sovereignty only through resistance, in all its forms, but the military in particular. But we have never heard of countries that were liberated through grovelling and begging, as is currently being done by the Palestinian Authority and its lawmakers in Ramallah.

Two days ago, we were surprised to see full page advertisements being taken out in Arab and international newspapers, in all languages, with the entire text of the Arab Peace Initiative, signed by the Arab League and alongside a statement regarding the full support of the organisation of Islamic Conferences, with the two flags, Palestinian and Israeli, side by side on the top of the page and the flags of the Islamic countries on either side of it.

The surprise was mainly due to the fact that it was the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah which was the one behind this concerted and worldwide advertising campaign, and that it was being paid for directly out of its own budget, a cost that surely ran into the realm of millions of dollars.
What is so ironic is that these vast amounts of money were being wasted on an advertising campaign at a time when one and a half million Palestinians in Gaza are unable to find a loaf of bread, a litre of petrol, firewood for cooking food, or even food, due to the unjust Israeli siege which is being perpetrated in collaboration with the Arab countries.

Perhaps we might have excused these ‘lawmakers’ who were behind this campaign if they had spent these millions (the cost of one full page advert in a few of the British and American newspapers is approximately $150,000) in order to produce figures on the hundreds of thousands of children in the strip who are suffering from anaemia or malnutrition, or the martyred patients who have died due to the electricity cuts or shortages of medical supplies, or the pollution due to the lack of any chlorine for purifying water..or...or...but their promotion of the Arab Peace Initiative, and spending millions on it? That is just incomprehensible.

At first they said that they were publishing these advertisements on the Initiative in the three main Hebrew newspapers in order to inform Israeli public opinion and breakthrough the imposed news blackout carried out by their government and some politicians, such as Benjamin Netanyahu the head of the Likud party, now that their parliamentary elections are looming. But is the Arab citizen also ignorant of this initiative, to such an extent that the Palestinian Authority resort to buying whole pages in the Arab newspapers in order to promote it and in the naive manner that we witnessed?

Does the citizen of Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or of Lebanon really not know that this initiative was first proposed six years ago? That the newspapers and satellite channels had scrutinised and discussed every detail of it? That they devoted entire programmes to it, inviting dozens of commentators, analysts and officials? Or that Mr Amr Mousa, the Secretary General of the Arab League, held tens of press conferences, on occasion and without occasion, to proselytise about it and the benefits it will flood the region with? Did these people not know of the initiative and not heard of it had the Palestinian Authority not bought, with the money of the besieged and hungry, whole pages in the Arabic newspapers to announce it? I admit that I have studied media and politics both in the English and the Arabic languages over a period spanning twenty years uninterrupted, and in various universities worldwide. I have also worked in the media for over thirty years but I find myself unable to understand this unprecedented and unique media phenomenon. There is no doubt that the owners of these Hebrew, Arabic and Western newspapers, where the advertisements were published, would have ‘burst out laughing’ at this Arab and, in particular Palestinian, brand of stupidity.

The entire Palestinian people look up to their innovators, martyrs, intellectuals and journalists, and the huge sacrifices made, the incredible bravery, and the record number of graduates and students that come from amongst them. But it seems that we are now living in a different Palestinian era, completely contradictory to what has preceded it and, in fact, completely destroying this unique cultural heritage.

The Israeli’s will not understand this Arab Peace Initiative even if it was injected directly into their minds, thus they will never respond to it because they are capable of understanding only one language, and this is the one that threatens their security, their interests and their economic prosperity in particular. As for this language of begging and soliciting, it has proven through prior experience that it only increases their stubbornness, pride and arrogance. The president Mahmoud Abbas met with Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, over twenty times, and a slightly less number of times with Condoleeza Rice and the US president George Bush, and nearly all the European officials. Has this dismantled even one settlement, or removed one military barrier from the West Bank, or led to the release of over eleven thousand prisoners in the Israeli prisons and camps?

Whosoever watches “Television Palestine”, run by the authority in Ramallah, and the music and dance shows that it broadcasts, at a time when the inhabitants of Gaza resort to eating animal and bird fodder in order to stay alive, will not be too surprised by such bizarre behaviour which is alien to the Palestinian political dictionary of resistance.

I had hoped for just one programme which sympathised with the besieged and starved inhabitants of Gaza to appear in the three weeks since water, medicine, fuel and food were cut off from them. But I was to be faced with a huge disappointment; as if these were not even Palestinians we were talking about, nor even human! The media genius which lies behind the television screen and defines its policies is the same one behind the insulting and naive advertising campaign that we see in the paid advertisements published in Arab and world newspapers.

I never imagined I would see the day that Palestinians would speak to their own enemy in such an idiotic way, but in this awful age for Palestinians everything is possible. Perhaps the coming weeks will hold further surprises which are even stranger and more provocative than this.

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Todays cartoon from al Quds al Arabi

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From Adalah-NY: Despite Ban, Leviev to Sell Jewelry at Grand Opening of Atlantis Hotel in Dubai

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"Not all settlers are inherently violent"

Seth Freedman insulting our intelligence on the Guardian. I suppose the same argument could be said for all the nice people who moved to the "New World" in the hope of a better life. After all, they did not kill any Indians or evict anybody from their land. Somebody else did that a long time ago no? It is like saying not all jackals are carnivores. By your very nature, as a settler in Palestine, you are a violent aggressor. Stop asking the world to feel sorry for you.

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Sami Moubayed's recent article titled "Women of Valour" on Mideastviews.com (no I won't link) elicited two reactions in me. The first was to throw myself out of the nearest window, but luckily I resisted and instead went on to my second, a strongly worded letter. For those who care, here it is:

Sami,
I write to you with reference to your article "Women of Valour" to express my surprise with your conclusions. It is in the nature of man to aspire for the good but the problem has always been in identifying this good. A child would begin identifying this good with that which suits her own interests. However it is maturity, knowledge, and experience which make the young woman realise that there is a good which is beyond her interests and that is higher, nobler and finer to aspire to. Man is by nature a political animal, that means that the narrow interpretation of interests expands beyond those of the self, and into family, friends, tribe and country. This nobler and highest of goods makes it worthy of the greatest sacrifice when it is threatened, and morality rightly praises those who are prepared to undertake this. For an individual to hide behind their self-interest by invoking a sham that is abstract and which criminally disregards the reality of occupation, daily oppression and indeed, slow genocide, then we are compelled by morality to condemn such behaviour. The West has forgotten this lesson philosophically, politically and socially by institutionalising political liberalism and capitalism and thus murdering the souls of it's own people. Millions see this, see the West for what it is, yet you let down your own students, your own country -which you profess to love- and yourself by writing an article which insults the memory of these outstanding individuals who have, in their deaths, done more than a million living cowards for their nation. To sacrifice this for theatrical effect in your lectures and articles only adds insult to injury and I sincerely hope that you review your position in future.

Regards,
Wassim

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Note: I mentioned earlier that Netanyahu had no connection with the military when in fact he did serve his military service and served as a commando captain.

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I don't expect Kadima to survive once Olmert is ousted from power. The ill omen of Ariel Sharon's stroke almost at the very start crippled Kadima whilst Olmert, a manager more than a leader, has been disastrous for Israel. If Sharon awoke now from his coma he would probably ask to be put back into it if he sees the state that Israel is now in. One thing, the return of Netanyahu will have an interesting effect on this so-called Syria-Israel peace discussion which is being brokered by Turkey. Like Olmert he is not a leader but rather a manager and the closest he's been to the military is his dead brother Yonatan. The bull is about to enter the china shop...the Israeli china shop that is...

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No to Zionism. Full stop

After the humiliation of Syrian intellectuals Moubayed, Seifan and al Taqi (they did not perform ablutions before attempting to supplicate to AIPAC) I recommend we put forward Maysoon Shaladi, the latest contestant to leave Big Brother and who has said that she is not Syrian anymore regardless of her parents nationality. As well as disowning her heritage, she has also posed for photography shoots wearing flimsy underwear, something which would have been catastrophic for the first three heroes to do but which puts her at a distinct advantage for pimping Syria to the West.

No to peace with Israel and no to the liberalisation of our economy. One recent article on the appalling Syria Comment blog boldly claims that "Syria is Ready for Peace". Syria does not have to be "ready" for anything and certainly has no right to think it can sue for peace with the Zionist state. Most of the jokers commenting on his article had (at the time) the most atrocious things to say about this Syrian challenge to the so-called "Cheney" plan for the Middle East, in fact they did not even accept that there was such a plan at the time and were obsessing with rubbish such as a Sunni/Shia split in the region or with "terrorism". Israel has lost its kings and warriors, America is wounded and Britain is like a poodle that's lost its owner. Credit should be where it is due but also a grave opposition to the gradual selling out of Syria for short term gains. The focus now should be on organising a collective refusal of such selling out rather than sitting back and patting ourselves on the back.

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The three Syrians were expecting to be speaking in front of AIPAC. Sami Moubayad, Samir Seifan and Samir al Taqi were willing to go speak to Zionists. This is not a breakdown of tabboos, this is not groundbreaking, this is unacceptable. This is what we can expect from Syria's neo-bourgeoisie.

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