By Barry Rubin
Rockets from the Gaza Strip continue to pound Israel. And much of the Western media blames: Israel. I want to explain again how this system works.
What follows is a seven-point pattern that goes something like this: Someone shoots at your spouse, you punch the attacker, he yells, “Ceasefire!” then kicks you in the groin and takes some more shots at your spouse. You try to defend yourself. The police stand by doing nothing and then declare you to be the aggressor for breaking the ceasefire.
If this sounds like an exaggeration, I sincerely wish that it was! (Scholarly disclaimer: Of course many politicians and media outlets do see through this but the pattern discussed below is a very widespread one.)
1. Terrorist group attacks Israeli civilians.
2. As Israel seeks to retaliate, the group declares a ceasefire.
3. Western media announce ceasefire.
4. But rockets continue to be fired into Israel against civilian targets. Responsibility is usually taken by smaller groups allied with Hamas, like Islamic Jihad. This allows Hamas–and Western media–to deny that Hamas has any responsibility and thus there is no need to take actions against it. Nobody notes that Hamas is now allied with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the latter does not condemn the attacks but only condemns Israel.
(Note: Western media only report it when the PA condemns a terrorist attack and that at times gets more coverage than the attack and the Israeli victims.)
(Additional note: In late 2008, Hamas launched a war of rockets, missiles, mortars, and attempted cross-border attacks on Israel, breaking an existing ceasefire. When Israel retaliated, many accused Israel of aggression.)
(Another additional note: It is generally forgotten that because of Israel’s self-defense against the Hamas attacks the PA broke off negotiations with Israel and three years later, despite constant missreporting that the lack of talks is Israel’s fault, that policy continues.)
5. Israel retaliates against rocket-firing teams, weapons’ workshops, arms-smuggling tunnels, rocket storage places, and leaders of groups firing rockets. Some civilians are killed and this becomes the main point of Western media stories. Since the numbers and identities come from Hamas, they maximize numbers and civilians, concealing terrorists’ being killed and at times reclassifying terrorists as civilians. Note that when civilians are killed by Western airstrikes, as in Afghanistan or Libya, it is emphasized that these are regrettable accidents. With Israel it is implied that such action is purposeful or at least careless.
6. Western media report that Israel “broke” the “ceasefire.”
7. Continued attacks on Israel are thus blamed on Israeli action.
Think that’s an exaggeration? Here’s the Washington Post:
“A tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip was punctured Wednesday by a deadly Israeli airstrike that triggered rocket and mortar fire at Israel.”
Political result:
Anti-Israel politicians, media, and experts blame Israel for being aggressive and using “disproportionate force,” a phrase
that only seems to be applied to Israel in the world.
More moderate politicians, media, and experts decry the cycle of violence for which both sides are responsible.
Coming soon to a UN Near You: The September UN Scam! Here’s a wonderful indication of what’s going on:
A pro-Palestinian Oxford University law professor has warned the Palestinian leadership that it must do the unilateral independence declaration at the UN properly so it can claim all of Israel later.
It is not naivete on the part of the media it is pure anti-Israel bias. The media isn’t stupid it is antisemitic.The media knows quite well what is going on. The problem begins when the so-called friends of Israel pile on to this inanity.
Connect the dots.
Ever since Israel got married to Uncle Sam and his peace scam it’s been a terrible marriage.
The old pervert is always restraining Israel and letting the camel dung eaters attack and steal their land.
So when is the abused wife gonna wake up and get a divorce ?
The problem is Israel making weak leaders who are more fearful and worried about what the Gobbels media have to say. Screw the PR show where lies are King and TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS.Let the chips fall where they may.
Most of us know that when the Government media tell us that Islam is a religion of peace that they are lying. Those who haven’t figure that out yet,who cares what those imbeciles think except fearful Israel ?
Stop being afraid of man and get afraid of God and you will do fine.
It’s evident beyond any doubt that Israel is the naive one in this bad drama unfolding.
Their weak and apologetic leaders keep crawling and begging and having great misplaced faith that the West will have pity on ‘the poor Jew’.
This has always failed,but Israel does not learn the lessons.
Today the most dangerous man in Israel,Defense Minister Ehud Barak has given the green light for the Egyptian Army to flood into the Sinai an army that is no longer restrained from turning into a radicalized Islamic jihadist army like Hezbollah in the north.
Barak should be in prison along with his sidekick Netanyahu and Peres for the damage they continue to inflict on Israel with their ineptness and sell out to the foreign bully power.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it-
George Santayana
Excellent article in Ynet News on Ehud Barak and his litany deficiencies by author Moshe Dann. Very revealing and very compelling.
@ 1 beat me to the punch. I’d add only this: it’s naivete to call it naivete.
It’s not necessarily primarily antisemitism. It’s the Arab nations fighting Israel (which is antisemitism) by following the example of the Communist nations in battling the US: joining together & demonizing their opponent. The main difference is that the US is large & powerful, & Israel isn’t. Therest of the works in general is not just stupid, but in thrall to OIL, & so just goes along w/what the Arabs want (with the notable exceptions of nations like Canada & Germany – when they find it expedient). Sigh.
Where did the point of ‘proportional reaction’ came from anyway? It is a stupid notion, pure and simple. Who’s to say what is the “correct proportion” that Israel can take? New York Times? The Washington Post?
If Arabs from Gaza Strip don’t want to get hurt, they should keep their weapons concealed.
The media isn’t so much antisemitic as it is politically correct. It’s foreign oil we’re in thrall to, and the Saudis, et al, must be placated (in their cynical use of the Palestinians) to keep it flowing at a relatively reasonable price. One of these days the Israelis are going to cut their losses and bomb Gaza flat.
There are many contributory reasons for the media’s anti Israel positions, such as political, reporting what they think their readers and viewers want to see and hear,their innate lack of understanding and thereby altered perspective,etc.
Yes, the above and more contribute.
But there is a root cause,it is in their minds and hearts, in their fingers as they type and it comes out of their mouths when they speak.It has existed for centuries.
It is called Anti- Semitism.
I enjoyed most of the films on your list. A couple I might add would be Dr.Strangelove and Day of the Triffids.
Chanel taste on a coach budget-trying to dyi as much decor as possible but really looking forward to the DYI photobooth and dessert buffet!