Israel’s Other War

[Karee 4,191]

In the past week I’ve seen and heard the popular statement “let the I.D.F. win” more and more frequently. It’s been posted on social media, spray-painted on walls, and chanted in demonstrations. Lots of young people are quoting it on Facebook, and they seem to think it’s a phrase that arose in response to the current military operation in Gaza. But I’m old enough to remember how it evolved: first formulated as a bumper sticker, and later turning into a mantra. Of course, this slogan is not addressed to Hamas or to the international community—it’s intended for Israelis, and it contains within it the twisted world view that has been guiding Israel for the past twelve years.

The first erroneous assumption it contains is that there are some people in Israel who are preventing the Army from winning. These supposed saboteurs could be me, my neighbor, or any other person who questions the premise and purpose of this war. All these weirdos, daring to ask questions or raise concerns regarding the conduct of our government, tying our military’s capable hands with nagging op-eds and defeatist calls for humanity and empathy, are allegedly the only thing separating the I.D.F. from a perfect victory.

The second, much more dangerous idea that this slogan contains is that the I.D.F. actually could win. “We’re prepared to receive all these missiles non-stop,” many southern-Israelis keep saying on the news, “as long as we can finish this, once and for all.”

Twelve years, five operations against Hamas (four of them in Gaza), and still we have this same convoluted slogan. Young men who were only first-graders during Operation Defensive Shield are now soldiers invading Gaza by land. In each of these operations there have been right-wing politicians and military commentators who pointed out that “this time we’ll have to pull all the stops, take it all the way, until the end.” Watching them on television, I can’t help but ask myself, What is this end they’re striving toward? Even if each and every Hamas fighter is taken out, does anyone truly believe that the Palestinian people’s aspiration for national independence will disappear with them? Before Hamas, we fought against the P.L.O., and after Hamas, assuming, hopefully, that we’re still around, we’ll probably find ourselves fighting against another Palestinian organization. The Israeli military can win the battles, but peace and quiet for the citizens of Israel will only be achieved through political compromise. But this, according to the patriotic powers running the current war, is something that we’re not supposed to say, because this kind of talk is precisely what’s stopping the I.D.F. from winning. Ultimately, when this operation is over and the tally is taken of the many dead bodies, on our side and theirs, the accusing finger will once again be pointed at us, the saboteurs.

In 2014, in Israel, the definition of legitimate discourse has changed entirely. Discussion is divided between those who are “pro-I.D.F.” and those who are against it. Right-wing thugs chanting “death to Arabs” and “death to leftists” on the streets of Jerusalem or Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s call to boycott Arab-Israeli businesses protesting the operation in Gaza are considered patriotic, while demands to stop the operation or mere expressions of empathy about the deaths of women and children in Gaza are perceived as a betrayal against flag and country. We are faced with the false, anti-democratic equation that argues that aggression, racism, and lack of empathy mean love of the homeland, while any other opinion—especially one that does not encourage the use of power and the loss of soldiers’ lives—is nothing less than an attempt to destroy Israel as we know it.

At times it seems that there are two wars going on. On one front, the military is battling against Hamas. On the other, a government minister, who called Arab colleagues “terrorists” on the floor of the Knesset, and hooligans who intimidate peace activists on social media, jointly persecute “the enemy within”: anyone who speaks differently. There is no doubt that Hamas is posing a threat to our safety and to our children’s safety, but can the same thing be said about entertainers such as the comedian Orna Banai, the singer Achinoam Nini, or my wife, the film director Shira Geffen, all of whom were vilified in hateful and menacing ways when they publicly expressed dismay about the deaths of Palestinian children? Do the extreme attacks against them constitute another defense necessary for our survival, or are they merely a dark outburst of hate and rage? Are we really so weak and scared that any opinion that differs from the consensus must be muted, lest it provoke death threats against not only those voicing it, but their children as well?

Many people tried to convince me not to publish this piece. “You have a little boy,” one of my friends told me last night. “Sometimes it’s better to be smart than to be right.” I’ve never been right, and I must not be too smart, either, but I am willing to fight for my right to express my opinion with the same ferocity that the I.D.F. is now showing in Gaza. This war is not about my own personal opinion, which may be wrong or pathetic. It’s for this place where I live, and which I love.

On August 10, 2006, near the end of the Second Lebanon War, the writers Amos Oz, A. B. Yehoshua, and David Grossman held a press conference in which they urged the government to reach an immediate ceasefire. I was in a taxi and heard the report on the radio. The driver said, “What do those pieces of want, huh? They don’t like the Hezbollah suffering? These ####### want nothing more than to hate our country.” Five days later, David Grossman buried his son in the military plot at the Mount Herzl cemetery. Apparently that “piece of ” wanted a few other things than to hate this country. Most importantly, he wanted his son, like so many other young men who were killed in those last, superfluous days of fighting, to come home alive.

It’s an awful thing to make a truly tragic mistake, one that costs many lives. It’s worse to make that same mistake over and over again. Four operations in Gaza, an immense number of Israeli and Palestinian hearts that have stopped beating, and we keep ending up in the same place. The only thing that actually changes is Israeli society’s tolerance for criticism. It’s become clear during this operation that the right wing has lost its patience in all matters regarding that elusive term, “freedom of speech.” In the past two weeks, we’ve seen right wingers beating left wingers with clubs, Facebook messages promising to send left-wing activists to the gas chambers, and denunciations of anyone whose opinion delays the military on its way to victory. It turns out that this bloody road we walk from operation to operation is not as cyclical as we may have once thought. This road is not a circle, it’s a downward spiral, leading to new lows, which, I’m sad to say, we’ll be unlucky enough to experience.

Source: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/israels-other-war?utm_source=tny&utm_campaign=generalsocial&utm_medium=facebook&mbid=social_facebook

[Jacque67 7,328]

Lebanon used to be beautiful too.

[rlogan 2,036]

Yeah, the demonization of anyone recognizing Palestinian rights within Israel has the same urgency as demonizing anyone recognizing Palestinian rights outside Israel.

On the other thread one of them is busy with multiple attempts to play the racism card: You disagree because you hate Jews.

It's universal across nations. Look how anyone speaking up against invading Iraq was demonized. An Al Qaeda sympathizer. And now Al Qaeda or its look-alike anyway is running a huge portion of Iraq when they were nonexistent before.

And with Israel, these uber-war mongers are just as wrong. War is not bringing them peace nor security and the only way to end that war is to start off by recognizing Palestinian rights.

[Karee 4,191]

Look how anyone speaking up against invading Iraq was demonized. An Al Qaeda sympathizer. And now Al Qaeda or its look-alike anyway is running a huge portion of Iraq when they were nonexistent before.

The irony of that just hit me like a brick.

[OriZ 3,157]

I've known Ashraf for 14 years. Since I started working as a reporter for Palestinians / Arabs in 2000, he accompanied me in my journeys in Gaza, until in the beginning of 2007 Israeli journalists got banned from entering Gaza for fear of their lives. Still, for seven years we managed to accumulate quite a few shared experiences in Gaza.

In some cases it was life-threatening, that Ashraf knew how to rescue me from them, but there were also, of course funny experiences, visits to the family home in Beit Hanun, iftar meals and more. In recent days we were in constant touch and he told me that his family left town near the border with Israel for fear of being hit and moved to a different neighborhood, deep into Gaza. As did tens of thousands more from the town. Today, a few hours into a humanitarian truce I hoped he would not call me. Somehow I knew that if he would call during these hours it means that something has happened to the house. And the call came.

"The house is gone," he said. "My house and my sister's house that was near. Totally destroyed it. Completely." I heard the tears in his voice and did not know what to say. How to comfort him. "Where do I go? Have no idea what to do now. We are here at a friend and I have nowhere to go. Everything in the house went. Furniture, bedroom. Souvenirs, children's games. Understand? all in the rubble. Have nothing to do at the moment., I'm on the street.

"Ten days ago we were informed the Israeli army is going to go into Gaza. Heard the message, I took my wife and nine children and moved to UNRWA schools. The whole family, 60 people in all. My parents, me, my sister, my brothers, with their children and grandchildren, my children and grandchildren. At UNRWA school we sat for three days, but the agency had nothing to give us. Then we moved south. During ten days I was away from home. Yesterday night, we heard the army hit hard in the Al-Mitzri clan area. Today we were told there is a cease fire. Then I went there to find everything destroyed. Nothing is left. All three stories went. It seems that the house was damaged in the bombing and then came a bulldozer and finished the work. All our things were there. Why did they destroy my house? during the first war (Operation Cast Lead) and second (Pillar of Defense) we left home but no one came to shoot from our houses cause they knew not to mess with us. If this time somebody tried to do that, why punish me, I blame Israel, not anyone else.

I do not have the ability to rent a home now. I can not even buy or build. We have no money for food. We are men of peace, we never had a problem. I work with Israeli and foreign journalists for years. You were in my house, you know us. Why did they destroy my house? ".

Indeed Photos coming out today from sg'aaih, Beit Hanoun, Hzaa and many other places, tell us what was known in advance: Palestinian citizens are paying the highest price following the adventure, which Hamas chose to enter. Entire neighborhoods were destroyed, dozens of bodies were found in the rubble and tens of thousands were left homeless, without shelter. Appearance of an earthquake. Residents stunned from the horror discovered before them, and so are journalists who came to the scene, trying to digest and understand what to do now. If Israel was looking to produce the "Dahiya effect", it did succeed, perhaps beyond expectations, perhaps several times more than it should.

The problem is that the concept of deterrence is fluid, ethereal. At some point if you hit the opponent too badly it already may become indifferent to the pain and only foster greater hatred and motivation for revenge. Israel may have crossed the line here. Nearly 1,100 dead, 5,700 wounded, mostly civilians, according to the Ministry of Health of Hamas. This is a disaster, no less. The Gazan Consciousness has been burned, so it seems. The Population (much of it - I have to say - supports Hamas) curse the day when this escalation began. The huge destruction may cause Hamas to think very carefully before going for another future armed conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip. The problem at the moment at least, before the fighting ended, it could lead to public pressure on Hamas not to stop until it gets real benefits.

What about Hamas? Meanwhile it has already announced tonight that it does not intend to maintain the ceasefire after eight o'clock at night and resumed firing at Israel. Hamas seems indifferent even moreso than Israel, to the suffering of people in Gaza. The Head of the organization's political bureau, Khaled Meshal, sitting in a luxury hotel in Qatar, preaches away to the military arm to fight and so to the residents of Gaza. He went further, saying he is willing to die for the Gaza blockade to be lifted. All this as stated, far away from Israeli shells and a threat to his life, near the mini bar and hookah.

Not for nothing, apparently, opted Mashaal not to stay in Gaza after his visit in December 2012. The Problem of Hamas leader is that even the organization no longer perceives him favorably. Last Tuesday, according to Arab and Palestinian sources, Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip agreed to a ceasefire according to the U.S. layout. Who had held the answer of the organization and ultimately said no to the proposal, was Mashaal. Hamas officials in Gaza, it seems, knew Mashaal's speech on Wednesday is expected to be radical and deny the offer of a ceasefire for seven days. In their desperation (and also perhaps because technically they struggled to make contact with Mashaal wiretaps free), they turned to a familiar Fatah member, to try to convince Mashaal not to be over-zealous. That did not work.

Indeed, people who came in contact with Mashaal last week tell a sad story about a corrupt leader and a hedonist who with the backup and encouragement of Qatar, urges his people not to agree to a ceasefire. So far - at least in perception, the military wing was problematic not willing to stop the fire. However, according to Arab and Palestinian sources, Meshal, or "Abu al - Walid", along with Qatar, foiled the cessation of hostilities with their own hands.

http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/4998/2769473&m=1

[OriZ 3,157]

I'm done apologizing for Israel.

It's tiring to apologize over and over. Instead, I've decided to come clean: I am a progressive American rabbi who leans left pretty hard. I've been engaged, as a US faith leader, in work to reform gun laws, extend LGBT rights around the world, grant refuge to illegal immigrants, protect women's reproductive choice, and more. Paint me blue.

So, when it comes to Israel, many of those with whom I engage in social reform expect me to react to Israel's military actions in Gaza with scorn and criticism. To be fair, there are times when I do. My Zionism demands I speak out on behalf of the Israel that remains, in my world-view, the most ambitious project-in-process of the Jewish People. Whereas Israel's 66 short years have witnessed strength and resilience that have redefined Jewish identity in profound ways, the global Jewish family remains interwoven with Israel. If you question this, scan the last week's news for anti-Israel rallies in Antwerp, Los Angeles, Paris, Boston, and elsewhere that featured widespread anti-Semitic chants and violence against Jews.

So I'm a progressive US faith leader. I'm a Zionist in Berkeley, CA. I'm a Jew in the world, worried for my family. So here is my response to those criticizing Israel this week.

To those who suggest that Prime Minister Netanyahu is over-reacting to the missiles, I offer this response which I have now shared regularly at campus and communal conversations:

Israel is treating wounded Palestinians during this conflict, risking Israeli lives in surgical strikes to destroy weapons-smuggling tunnels created with building materials Israel allowed into Gaza for infrastructure projects to benefit Palestinian society. Just for a moment, consider the deaths that would result from Israel wishing harm on Palestinian civilians. In just the last 48 hours, Israel has allowed over 10 tons of goods into Gaza. During the past weeks, Israel has agreed to two humanitarian cease-fires. In the first hours of those ceasefires, Hamas rained down over 70 missiles onto Israel civilians.

I ask: What do Israel's enraged critics truly desire? How is it possible to hear indignant claims of human rights violations in the context of Syrians slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands, state-sanctioned terrorism around the globe, and young immigrants treated like chattel by the US and other? Israel is doing its best, sacrificing its own children to preserve the lives of Palestinians.

I also ask, regarding the world's seemingly acceptance of Hamas' tactics as the only remaining option left for a desperate leadership:

Were Hamas to truly lead its people forward to a life of stability and peace, wouldn't it use building materials for schools instead of smuggling tunnels? Wouldn't Hamas stop stockpiling weapons in mosques and transporting them in UN ambulances? Wouldn't Hamas stop firing missiles from civilian population centers if it valued Palestinian lives as much as Israel does? If Israel weren't so concerned for Palestinian lives, wouldn't it respond to Hamas' horrific decisions in kind?

I ask the enraged critics of Israel's defensive responses to Hamas: Would you have us not respond to this monstrosity? Do you think it's not worth losing the PR battle to retain our humanity and save as many lives as possible? What country would stand by when thousands of terrorist missiles assault its citizens? I, a Jew, have lost 20 of my sons in the last three days, because I will not lose my humanity and stage a careless ground war in Gaza that would cause mass casualties. Though I fight monsters, I will not become one.

My response has changed these last few weeks, in which three Jewish teens were murdered by Arab terrorists and Palestinians celebrated by distributing sweets to children and an Arab teen was murdered by Jewish terrorists and the Jewish world condemned the hatred. I am done trying to apologetically explain Jewish morality. I am done apologizing for my own Jewish existence.

Some will call this needless hyperbole. But, having watched in this last week anti-Semitic "die-ins" in Boston, violent assaults against Jews in Los Angeles and Antwerp, and an almost pogrom at a synagogue in Paris, I'm done mincing my own words.

We will do what we must to protect our people. We have that right. We are not less deserving of life and quiet than anyone else.

No more apologies.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-menachem-creditor/im-done-apologizing-for-i_b_5606650.html

My only problem with him is how progressive he is...lol

[OriZ 3,157]

btw the statement "let the idf win" is more directed towards the leaders, not towards other people...obviously the writer doesn't realize that.

Qatar's investment authority may be slowly taking over the world; and the Western world is indirectly funding Hamas because of it. Isolated and almost alone in the Arab world, Hamas has one sponsor left and that is the world's richest country, on paper at least.

• Follow Ynetnews on Twitter

Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JNS that Qatar is "believed to be the primary financier of Hamas." And the Islamist group, which is currently at war with Israel in Gaza, is reported to have estimated annual expenses of some $1 billion.

In 2012, then Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became the first head of state to visit Gaza since Hamas seized power there in a bloody 2007 battle with Fatah. Al Thani, who was driven around Gaza by themn Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, pledged some $400 million to the strip. His son, the British-educated Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, took over as emir following his father's abdication last year, and is known to look on Hamas just as favorably.

Former Qatari emir Al Thani and Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza in 2012 (Photo: AP)

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is the one of the most ambitious and fast-growing in the world. Over the years, it has moved in on many well-known companies and landmarks, including many of Britain's most iconic ones.

Last week, former president Shimon Peres slammed Qatar as "the world’s largest funder of terror," stating that it should not provide money that is used for rockets and tunnels meant to kill civilians, and if it wants to help, it should build, "but should not be allowed to destroy."

The public may be surprised to find out just how much it is indirectly funding Hamas.

According to Bloomberg, the QIA, which already owns over $100 billion worth of assets, said it’s prepared to increase investments in the UK, after claiming shares of and buying out major companies such as supermarket giant Sainsbury's, the exclusive Harrods department store and leading bank Barclays Plc, among others.

Ahmad Al-Sayed, chief executive officer of the Qatari wealth fund, told Bloomberg that the QIA has its eye on Britain as a major investment opportunity, as it has "great systems, great regulations."

He also told Bloomberg that since its purchase of Harrods in 2010, the QIA has invested approximately $413 million in the business, gaining major revenue.

Additionally, Qatar has shares in a number of oil companies, such as Total SA, as well as Volkswagen, Porsche Automobil Holding SE, and Glencore plc. Meanwhile, the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is the sponsor of FC Barcelona, and the QIA owns Paris Saint-Germain.

Qatar also has a strong history of buying US-made weaponry. Business Insider reported last week that the country has recently bought $11 billion worth of Patriot missile batteries and Apache attack helicopters.

John Kerry being welcomed to Doha in June (Photo: State Department)

But here lies the dichotomy, according to Schanzer, Qatar depends on the US as an ally, and invests lots of money there, but on the other hand Doha also has strong ties to Hamas.

"Just miles away from (the US airbase in Qatar), you can find the head of Hamas (Khaled Mashal), and there was even a Taliban embassy there for a while too. All of these things make for a foreign-policy anomaly," Schanzer said.

Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin refuted all claims that Qatari money had been used to fund Hamas terrorist activity. That money, he argued, came from revenue from the smuggling tunnels.

"Let (me) correct some common lies," Baskin wrote Tuesday on Facebook. "Most of the money Hamas used for building tunnels and rockets came from the revenues from smuggling tunnels - the underground economy of Gaza which was created because Israel and Egypt cut them off from the world yielded multi-millions a month for the Hamas government in taxes and fees for using the tunnels. Since 2012 Hamas has received very little financial support from anyone."

The funds provided by Qatar, the veteran activist said, was used solely for construction.

"Qatari money went directly for fuel and for building a couple of neighborhoods and a few tower buildings in Gaza. Iranian money stopped. the so-called experts who talk about using donor funds provided for Gaza for rockets and tunnels are lying and repeating lies. Cement coming from Egypt cost 1/5 the price of Israeli cement. Fuel from Egypt costs 1.60 NIS per liter as opposed to the Israel 7.5 NIS.

"The economic blockade of Gaza is what created the revenues for Hamas, not donor funds."

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/507352-israels-other-war/

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Yeah, the demonization of anyone recognizing Palestinian rights within Israel has the same urgency as demonizing anyone recognizing Palestinian rights outside Israel.

You are the only person who has demonized anyone in any of these threads. You.. just you. Well.. technically I am demonizing you for demonizing others but other than that...

"Disagree with ME?? You must want all Palestinians DEAD!"

Also the OPs article is off base.. The "let the IDF win" mantra is a call by those who support the current actions to those that are giving the orders to not tie the hands of the military. Give them an objective and let them execute it.

[OriZ 3,157]

You are the only person who has demonized anyone in any of these threads. You.. just you. Well.. technically I am demonizing you for demonizing others but other than that...

"Disagree with ME?? You must want all Palestinians DEAD!"

Also the OPs article is off base.. The "let the IDF win" mantra is a call by those who support the current actions to those that are giving the orders to not tie the hands of the military. Give them an objective and let them execute it.

Exactly. By curbing what the army can do all the time and making them just stand still inside a military zone all you are doing is endangering soldiers. You need to let the IDF do what the IDF knows how to do, much better than any politician.

[_Simpson_ 250]

War is not bringing them peace nor security and the only way to end that war is to start off by recognizing Palestinian rights.

You are foolish if you think this is about Palestinian rights. Most of the countries in the middle east don't give a damn about the Palestinians, they want the Jews gone. Hamas wants the Jews gone, this NOT about the Palestinian's rights. Unfortunately Palestinians are just pawns in this never ending nonsense.