|
15 November 2012 By Stephen
Lendman Gaza rockets respond defensively
to provocative Israeli bombing and shelling. Blame the
victim articles and commentaries follow. It's standard Western media
practice. Haaretz knows better. More below on woeful coverage. Since Saturday, Israeli air
strikes killed at least seven Palestinians, injured
dozens more, and damaged or destroyed civilian
property. Israel committed war crimes. Media reports
ignored them. War winds blow ominously. In early November, Israel dropped
leaflets on Gaza. Palestinians were warned about
popular resistance militancy. They were also told not
to approach border areas on their own land. In January 2009, post-Cast Lead,
similar leaflets were dropped. Gazans were told not to
come within 300 meters of the border. Security forces
would target anyone trying. Israel's buffer zone strategy is
lawless and belligerent. It's enforced to provoke
conflict. Farmers are shot in their fields. So are
children there for any reason. Soldiers kill them for
target practice. Fishermen are accosted at sea. Some
are killed. Palestinians are maliciously
targeted for whatever reasons Israel chooses. Doing so
provokes responses. Under international law, the right
of self-defense is sacrosanct. Israel calls it
terrorism. Bombing, shelling, and at times war
follow. A week before the latest Israeli
attacks, Israelis near Gaza's border wrote Netanyahu
and Defense Minister Barak, saying: "We, members of 'The Other Voice'
from the communities near the Gaza Strip, urge the
Government of Israel to stop playing with our lives,
and immediately open diplomatic contacts with the
Hamas government!" "We are tired of being sitting
ducks in a shooting range serving political interests.
Missiles from there and bombing from here do not
protect us." "This country has tried long
enough, over years, the games of war and of brute
force. Both sides have paid, and are still paying, a
high price of suffering and loss." "It's time to talk and strive for
long-term understandings which will enable citizens on
both sides of the border to live a normal life." "Other Voice" residents live in
Sderot. It's close to Gaza's border. They maintain
contact with Palestinians. They promote good relations
and dialogue. They call for "creative action"
for long-term solutions. They want civilians on both
sides of the border safe from ongoing conflict. They hope one day regional calm
and peace will replace confrontation and violence.
They recognize and reject Palestinian suffering. They
believe both sides can find solutions. "The shared pain and shared hopes
are the building blocks upon which we can stop the
vicious circle of fear and suffering and build a new
and better future." They urge Israeli and world
leaders to work for peace and "bring hope back into
the lives of" ordinary Palestinians and Jews. Human tragedy accompanies
conflict. Media reports ignore it. Israeli missiles,
shells and bullets killing Palestinian children get
scant attention. Thirteen year old Hamid Abu Daqqa
died a few hours after being shot in the head. His
offense was being in the wrong place at the wrong
time. In the past week, Israel killed six other
Palestinian teenagers. Haaretz prioritized other
reporting. On November 13, it headlined "Between
violence on Gaza border and Syria tension, Israel
mulls next move," saying: "It seems Netanyahu would rather
avoid a significant operation in the Strip, which is
why the logical course of action for him would be to
increase aerial strikes." Israel plans new "offensive
measures against Hamas and the other Palestinian
militant groups in the Gaza Strip, amid continued fire
from the coastal enclave…." Targeted air strikes and
assassinations are likely. Israeli military and
government officials met to consider options. "(S)ignificant military action
can be expected in the near future….(The) moment of
truth is drawing closer." Netanyahu said the "world has to
understand that Israel has the right and the duty to
defend its citizens. We will not sit idly by. We will
act to stop this situation." Premeditated aggression is called
self-defense. Haaretz failed to notice. Instead it
said "Israeli action would be to restore quiet to the
Gaza border…." A Haaretz editorial was no
better. Headlined "The limits of deterrence," it
said: "The State of Israel is not
entitled to let thousands of its citizens live under
fire." Ignored was that rocket fire
follows Israeli provocations. Self-defense is
inviolable. Haaretz stressed the limits of
blockade, border fences, bombing and shelling, as well
as targeted killing. These and other measures haven't
"deterred the Gaza terrorist organizations from
attacking Israel…." Like Western media, Haaretz calls
Palestinian resistance fighters "terrorists." It knows
better but does it anyway. It also doesn't call Israeli
force lawless aggression. At the same time, it
advocates alternative options to achieve "a more
submissive enemy." Hamas is Palestine's legitimate
government. It wants the same rights as other
sovereign states. So do all Palestinians. They're
entitled to them. Harsh occupation, siege, and
provocative Israeli belligerence deny them. Like
Western media, Haaretz blames the victims. So does the Jerusalem Post (JP).
It's more hardline. An op-ed headlined "Living under
Hamas's rockets." JP calls Hamas leaders
"terrorists." They "crave power….It isn't their own
sons they send on suicide missions….(A)narchy in the
Strip would bode ill for Israel…." "Not a day goes by without
(southern Israel) being attacked from within the
Strip." "Hamas (has) the best of both
worlds - terror attacks continue, and its power isn't
threatened." This is what passes for most
Israeli journalism. Ugly distortion and lies
substitute for vital truths. More bombing, shelling
and perhaps Cast Lead 2.0 is suggested to stop
"terror." Many, perhaps most, Israelis support it. A JP editorial headlined
"Explaining Gaza," saying" Israel should enlist
international community support before launching
another major military operation. Gaza rocket fire was
called "unprovoked." Israelis live under "constant
fear." Gaza "terrorists" bear full
responsibility, said JP editors. It's "not the first
time (they) purposely target(ed) Israeli civilians." Netanyahu and likeminded
officials plan escalated deterrence. Israel "has a
moral obligation to protect its citizens from
terrorist aggression." JP editors invoked the
"responsibility to protect (R2P)" canard. Imperial
powers use it to wage wars. JP barely stopped short of
urging it. If it's planned, it said, world support
should be enlisted in advance. On November 13, Israel National
News headlined "Barak: It's not Over," saying: "Defense Minister hint(ed) that
IDF plans action against Gaza, (but) won't give
details." Following a "situation assessment" meeting,
Barak said: "A proper, professional and
systematic operation is being undertaken here, in
which the Hamas and terror organizations in Gaza are
being hit hard, but the matter is definitely not over
and we will decide how and when to act once the need
arises." "I do not want to discuss the
date nor the means, because it would be wrong to
supply this information to the other side." "Under no circumstances do we
accept the harm to the way of life of civilians on our
side of the border, and we intend to bring back
deterrence and strengthen it in a way that will make
it possible to act along the perimeter fence, in a way
that will better ensure the safety of the soldiers who
operate on all sides of the Gaza Strip." "Hamas, in our eyes, is
responsible for everything that happens in Gaza, even
when it is carried out by other organizations, and it
will not get away with this." Western media ignored a near
declaration of war or military action perhaps
approaching it. Consider the timing. On November 29,
Abbas will seek non-member UN observer status. He'll
likely get it. Israel is in full battle mode
against it. So is Washington. Both countries threaten
retaliatory measures. Bombing and shelling
provocations called self-defense may be part of
Netanyahu's strategy. Israeli leaders often escalate
violence to serve state interests. Each time
self-defense is claimed. Sabotaging Palestine's UN bid
is prioritized. Israel may wage war to prevent it. Days earlier, US ambassador
Michael Oren called upgraded Palestinian UN status
Israel's top immediate concern. "We regard this with
the utmost seriousness," he said. He and other Israeli officials
are pressuring world leaders for support. Palestinian
UN observer status would be "calamitous," said Oren. At issue is greater potential
clout if Palestinian leaders wish to use it. Israel
could be sued in the Hague for war crimes. Someone other than Abbas would
have to do it. He's a longtime Israeli collaborator.
He's also aging and plans to retire. When is unknown.
Perhaps sometime next year. Israel takes no chances. Expect
anything to maintain occupation control. Bombing and
shelling Gaza ahead of greater belligerence may be
planned. Western media barely notice. Days
of bombing and shelling got scant coverage.
Palestinians are blamed for Israeli provocations. Dismissively, The New York Times
referred to "growing volatility along the border
between Israel and Gaza." A confrontational atmosphere
"simmer(ed) for months." Hamas, other "radical groups,"
and "several militants inspired by Al Qaeda" are
blamed. Inflammatory buzzwords demonize Israeli and UN
enemies for propaganda purposes. Vital truths are
suppressed. Western media report this way in
lockstep. State-controlled BBC is no better. On
November 12, it headlined "Israel hit by fresh volley
of rockets from Gaza." Distorted coverage followed. What
readers, listeners and viewers most need to know is
suppressed. BBC is notorious for its pro-Israeli bias.
So is virtually the entire Western media
establishment. Truth is willfully suppressed.
Victims are called terrorists. Willful aggression is
reported as self-defense. Most people believe lies
repeated often enough. Media scoundrels feature them
ad nauseam. Stephen Lendman lives in
Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces
America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and
Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his
blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on
the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive
Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are
archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour |
Add Comments