There is a concerted media ploy to change the narrative on the massacre of hundreds of women and children in Gaza, on the grounds that it is Hamas’ fault for breaking the ceasefire. The Israeli account of the ceasefire breakdown is parroted relentlessly.
I have put some effort into discovering why the ceasefire broke down, including contacting sources in Gaza itself. What is plain is that there were multiple incidents shortly after the ceasefire deadline, of violations by both sides. This is actually normal – such ceasefires usually take a few hours to take hold as fighting in hot progress and operations under way get stopped. At leasy eleven Palestinians were killed by shellfire in the first hour after the ceasefire.
The media has however focused solely on a single incident, that which featured missing Israeli Lieutenant Goldin. What appears to have happened here was that the Israelis were continuing with their destruction of tunnels, as the ceasefire provisions allowed. They came across a group of Palestinian fighters sheltered in the tunnels, and not surprisingly the Palestinian fighters did not interpret the ceasefire as meaning the Israelis could kill them but they were precluded from fighting. In the ensuing firefight some on both sides were killed and injured, while Lt. Goldin has disappeared.
Incidentally it is worth noting that my information is that Hamas’ statement that the incident was a deliberate ambush, and occurred before the ceasefire, is also untrue.
The Israelis immediately called in massive shellfire and missile attack. It is not improbable Goldin was killed or wounded in the firefight – or possibly just hiding – and he and his body destroyed by an Israeli shell or missile. It is a sad norm of warfare that sometimes there is no recognisable body.
Why we are supposed to be more concerned about Goldin than about the twenty Palestinian children who have been killed since he vanished, is beyond me. But you see, killing those children is now OK again, because Hamas broke the ceasefire. The media have a nice narrative mapped out for them – and boy, are they milking it.
California Ben
“My flechette appendage speaks for itself. Walk softly but carry a big stick.”
_____________________
An inappropriate quotation in my opinion, Ben.
You talk loudly and carry a twig.
And now go and smoke another one. 🙂
Fedup
The tone of your offerings since your return to this blog inclines me to think that you have been unable to find employment since leaving clink.
You are very angry and disturbed. It’s understandable, of course.
Am I warm?
“STOP THE SLAUGHTER. STOP THE CRIME. FREE! FREE PALESTINE!”
__________________
That last bit reminds me of when the leftie students and other idiots used to march around chanting
HO! HO! HO CHI MIN!
Harry said:
At most in total misinterpretation, and misconstruction’s; a fire starter fantasising arson, but given that he is nowhere near the area, and does not have so much as a box of matches on him, this is pushing it really hard, even in the thought policed times!
On the other hand self inflicted prophet as ever suffering a sugar hangover goes on;
A crude attempt in coercion the zionist scum fashion, just like those zionist scum who were punched in the Berlin punch up and called the anti terror police!
Resident Dissident
“Yet again Lady Dorking uses the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza to drop the nicety of the distinction she normally employs between anti-zionism and anti-semitism. And Habba and I are the ones she calls slimeballs.”
___________________-
Yes indeed.
The mask slips when Baroness Indignation of Gaza is under pressure.
The pressure in this case having been, I suspect, my comment correcting her at 09h42 – a mere 2 hours before. 🙂
Fedup
Yes, the expression used by Harry Law (what was his former handle on here?) was “burnt to the ground” and not “bombed” – my mistake.
The verb “should be” in Harry’s sentence smacks of a recommendation and even an encouragement.
After all, he could have written “might be” or used a different expression in order to make it clear he wasn’t recommending or proposing or encouraging a certain course of action.
Don’t you agree with me, Fedup?
Max Keiser on Twitter a few minutes ago
“The reason I quit my BBC show; got strict orders not to mention Israel in any context. This kind of censorship leads to #Gaza horror.”
https://twitter.com/maxkeiser/status/495984703284199425
Max “Mad” Keiser used to have a show on the BBC?
Any more revelations like that and I’ll start agreeing with Baroness Mary of Gaza on the urgent need to abolish the Beeb!
The man is a fruitcake.
“Prosecuting a crime against peace (otherwise known as a crime of aggression) depends on one of two factors: its status before the International Criminal Court (ICC) or its status in domestic law.
The Rome Statute, which established the ICC, determines (Article 5.2) that the Court
shall exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression once a provision is adopted in accordance with articles 121 and 123 defining the crime and setting out the conditions under which the Court shall exercise jurisdiction with respect to this crime.”
– See more at: http://www.arrestblair.org/legal-status#sthash.sB3hAejO.dpuf
Maybe he and Bush can be cell-mates, or butt-buddies so they can renew their relationship.
California Ben
“Maybe he {ie, Blair }and Bush can be…. butt-buddies”
________________
Your comments gain in sophistication by the day, Ben.
Frustrated?
You can make your schoolyard jibes at me (and your pal too) but please do not take the name of Gaza in vain. The place, the people and their little ones crammed tight in there are in the greatest torment imaginable.
I am off for some convalescence as I am not in a good place following my operation and my spirits are low because of what is happening there so goodbye for a while.
I am not commenting on the following thread. Seeing the very name turns my stomach.
In 1973 Israel hijacked a civilian airliner
http://www.unsco.org/Documents/Resolutions/S_RES_338(1973).pdf
and was censured by the UN. Curiously, mention of this incident is omitted from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_hijackings#1970s
“The place, the people and their little ones crammed tight in there are in the greatest torment imaginable.”
On that we can agree – blaming Marks and Spencer’s CEOs is not the answer however in my opinion.
I get the feeling that the child-killers might have overstepped the mark this time. The media may have an Israeli bias and most politicians are too frightened of the bogeyman (or in cahoots with it) to speak up, but I think the mass murder of children (this time around) has provoked such revulsion that something has to give.
If not actual punishment, then I think the child-killers may find themselves inhabiting a very lonely place. If you cannot imprison or displace a brutal regime that murders children while they sleep, what is the alternative?
Answers to Ban Ki Moon, if you please.
“A Friday night’s dream on Saturday told, Is due to come true be it never so old” …
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/concentrate-and-exterminate-israel-parliament-deputy-speakers-gaza-genocide-plan
Electronic Intifada 08/03/2014
“Concentrate” and “exterminate”: Israel parliament deputy speaker’s Gaza genocide plan
“There are no two states, and there are no two peoples. There is only one state for one people.”
by Ali Abunimah
Debunking Israel’s self-defense argument
Operation in Gaza is aimed at maintaining its illegal occupation
July 31, 2014
by John Dugard
Israel claims that it is acting in self-defense in Gaza, thereby portraying itself as the victim in the present conflict. President Barack Obama and both houses of the U.S. Congress have endorsed this justification for the use of force. But is it an accurate assessment?
Gaza is not an independent state like Lebanon or Jordan. Israel accepts this but instead sees Gaza as a “hostile entity,” a concept unknown to international law and one that Israel has not sought to explain.
/..
http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/7/gaza-israel-internationalpoliticsunicc.html
John Dugard is emeritus professor of international law at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and former U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Well, Mary, the child-killers can make up their own laws to justify what they do. Who’s going to oppose them?
I think we should replace the word ‘Israel’ with ‘child-killers’ from now on, in case we forget what the bastards have done. Then when someone says ‘I’m going on holiday to child-killers this summer’, or somesuch, they’ll remember, and won’t go.
Child-killers. Nice and simple. And entirely accurate.
Have I mentioned that Israel have murdered hundreds of children?
Damn, I’ve broken my own rule. Silly me!
Having said that, ‘Have I mentioned that child-killers have murdered hundreds of children’, is perhaps a clumsy construction, so apply that rule with care now folks !!
Mike; Let’s be culturally appropriate.
Child murderer; קינד מערדער
Good, Ben, but that extra syllable confounds me!
A nice hard ‘k’ in ‘killer’ as well, to add some punch.
But use whatever you think is appropriate. It’s the sense of it that matters. You know, the sense of a monstrous military force deliberately targeting the most vulnerable and defenceless members of the people they regularly use as a punch-bag.
As long as it communicates that, who’s to complain?
“Most important, Prime Minister Netanyahu has now removed his mask. At a recent press conference, after implying Secretary Kerry and General John Allen were naïve about Israel’s security, he proclaimed that any Palestinian state contiguous to Israel constituted an unacceptable danger. Therefore, he said, such a state must have indefinite Israeli military occupation, not only in the Jordan Valley but throughout all of its territory. It appears that the alleged supporter of two states envisions a sovereign Palestinian state – but under Israeli occupation.”
Full article
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.608673
A sovereign state under occupation. How’s that for doublethink.
Only a psycho like Bibi could come up with that.
Peacewisher,
“Israel now accepts that “kidnapped” soldier is dead. Looks like you guys were right…”
So – if the guy was kidnapped – then this is a reason to escalate the war – now is it that Israel got the body back – transmutation.
@Courtenay:
You know as well as I do. Of course it’s lies “but we win anyway”. This raises cynicism to new levels, otherwise they would be at least apologising for killing all those people unnecessarily and proclaiming they made an honest mistake to the UN.
More “off the scale” cynicism:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/gaza/11008770/Ed-Miliband-accused-of-undermining-Gaza-peace-effort.html
In summary, UK Government Justice Secretary (!?) accusing Ed Miliband of messing up the peace process by being “ultra critical” of Israel.
And the real reasons for Conservative quietness about Gaza (party funding, when an election is near):
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/03/david-cameron-dilemma-criticising-israel-gaza-offensive
Still doesn’t explain quietness on the other side of the coalition…
Peacewisher,
And here am I thinking that peacewisher might be dumb. Then he/she sends me this missive:-
” You know as well as I do. Of course it’s lies “but we win anyway”. This raises cynicism to new levels, otherwise they would be at least apologising for killing all those people unnecessarily and proclaiming they made an honest mistake to the UN.”
Now shiver me timbers; blow me down – and I am the dumb one blown over…
“In a bid to legitimize Israel’s violence in Gaza, Washington continues a disturbing pattern of baselessly blaming Hamas,” Max Blumenthal wrote on August 2, 2014. He also added that to avoid further military humiliation, Israel is working on an exit strategy.
On Friday, Netanyahu met his war cabinet. After 5-hour deliberation, they decided not to attend Cairo Ceasefire Forum arranged by their brotherly ‘criminals-in-arms’, American John Kerry and Egyptian military dictator Gen. Sisi – both Crypto Jews. They also decided to call-off further Israeli military aggression in Gaza. In other words, the situation in Israeli occupied Palestinian territories (Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem) will stay same as were before Israel “Unilaterally” invaded Gaza Strip 26 days ago.
The Zionist regime has called its decision “Unilateral Stop of War”. What a “catchy” tile, don’t you think so? A war which was started by Israel “unilaterally” is now being stopped “unilaterally” by Israel.
http://rehmat1.com/2014/08/04/israel-defeated-in-gaza-looks-for-exit-strategy/
Mary
“..but please do not take the name of Gaza in vain. The place, the people and their little ones crammed tight in there are in the greatest torment imaginable.
I am off for some convalescence as I am not in a good place following my operation and my spirits are low because of what is happening there so goodbye for a while.”
_____________________-
You are right.
Wish you a speedy recovery.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said on Saturday that Israel’s military action would continue for as long and with as much force as necessary to stop Hamas rocket attacks, even though the army has said its stated mission of destroying tunnels was virtually complete.
He also blamed the Palestinian casualties – which on Sunday stood at more than 1,800 dead, compared with 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel – on Hamas, the Islamist group that dominates Gaza.
“Hamas wants the residents of Gaza to suffer and be hurt and thinks that the world will blame Israel for their suffering.,” he said. “There are many people in the world who understand exactly what Hamas is.
“But, unfortunately, there are other voices and to them I say: Terrorism has no borders.
“Will you stand alongside Israel, a democratic and moral state which is acting to defend its citizens?”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/11009393/Gaza-school-attacked-as-children-queue-for-sweets.html
Democratic and moral, huh!? I don’t think so. Disgraceful, more like.