If the Media Reported 9-11 the Way It Does Gaza
Robin Miller
January 11, 2009
(notes updated January 15, 2:00 a.m.)
Commandeered Aircraft Flatten New York's Famed Twin Towers
Hundreds Killed in Reprisal Airstrikes Targeting U.S. Military Facilities [1a][1b][1c][1d]
New York--In a stunning surprise attack, al-Qaeda special forces seized control of four commercial aircraft today, crashing two of them into the famed Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. Both buildings were completely leveled, along with the rest of the complex, in al-Qaeda's version of "shock and awe." [2]
A third airplane was flown into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C, and the fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Little is known yet about the attack on the Pentagon, as authorities immediately declared the entire area a "closed military zone" and excluded all reporters. [3]
The operation, named Operation Cast Iron, was retaliation for ongoing U.S. missile strikes on al-Qaeda's Afghanistan hideouts. [4a][4b][4c]
There was a shocking quality to the attack on the trade center complex, which began in broad daylight as police cadets were graduating, shoppers were looking for bargains, and children were emerging from school. The area became a scene of chaotic horror, with rubble everywhere, sirens wailing, and women shrieking. [5]
Campbell Green, a 27-year-old camerawoman for CNN, was one of the first on the scene. "I saw bodies on the ground, policemen in their blue uniform suffocating. There was a pile of some 50 of them, some breathing, moaning, and some silent," she said. "I saw body parts scattered, heads, arms and legs." [6]
One man lay in the street with both legs severed. [7]
Thousands of bodies are believed to be hidden in the immense mounds of concrete left after the towers' collapse. While al-Qaeda has been relatively successful at zeroing in on targets and avoiding civilian casualties, a few civilians are assumed to be among the dead. [8]
Top governmental leaders immediately went into hiding. President Bush later released a statement that the United States "has never witnessed an uglier massacre." [9]
Casualties Rushed to Area Hospitals
Local hospitals experienced chaotic scenes, with doctors struggling to keep up as paramedics brought in bloodied victims, many of them children. At St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village, "the wounded arrived with multiple fractures, ripped stomachs, amputated limbs," physician Basam Warda said. "The bodies were ripped apart." [10]
The emergency room was packed, with all beds occupied and barely any area where there was not a body or a doctor standing. In other rooms, there were blood stains on the floor and yet more bodies, with medics running to each of them to check for a pulse. [11]
At St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, the most gruesome scene was in its morgue, where blood pooled on the floor and refrigerators meant to hold 35 bodies were crammed with 70, laid side-by-side in drawers. Some--like 3-year-old Stephen, 4-year-old Robby and 5-year-old Samantha--were on the floor. [12]
Vincent Shapiro, 26, a medic washing blood from the inside of an ambulance, said he had treated people with horrific injuries, including headless children and a woman whose stomach had been torn open. [13]
Another medic, Shawki Saleh, 24, said that he had been doing this work for two years but never imagined he'd see this: "Who knows how many people are still under the rubble? We were carrying them out screaming."[13A]
Although medical volunteers brought supplies and rushed to the Canadian-U.S. border, Canadian authorities refused to open the crossings. [14]
Months of Planning behind Attacks
The current operation started only after preparation and intelligence work, according to al-Qaeda military spokesman Suleiman Abu Ghaith, leading to a true surprise attack. The twin towers were chosen, he said, because they contained "many, many targets." [15a][15b]
Ghaith explained that "anything affiliated with the United States" is part of the "infrastructure of U.S. terror" and is a legitimate target. Al-Qaeda has designated the U.S. government as a "terrorist entity" due to its support for the destruction of international order. [16]
Ghaith methodically listed the selected targets, all symbols of American strength: U.S. governmental ministries, offices of several police agencies and a police training academy, 17 chapels and synagogues, some of the largest banks in the country, both a television and a radio station, the science department of the Christian University of New York, the admission department of the American International School, an elementary school established as a disaster relief center, ambulances and mobile clinics that would be used to assist survivors, a prison compound, a major medical warehouse, a large fuel reservoir, a U.S. government guesthouse, and a residential compound for governmental and military personnel. [17]
Ghaith stressed, however, that "the innocent civilian population is not our enemy." [18]
While the U.S. expected some form of retaliation for its ongoing missile strikes, a major question remains whether the U.S. expected the shock-and-awe offensive that has left the country reeling. Whether al-Qaeda intends to resume its targeted killings of U.S. government officials is also unknown. [19]
What is certain is that al-Qaeda is deliberately cultivating a sense that it has changed the rules of engagement. [19A]
The ultimate outcome of al-Qaeda's offensive remains unclear. The campaign may succeed, experts say, but it could also backfire. Either way, the political consequences will reverberate throughout the Middle East. [20]
Leaders Say Reprisals Were Necessary
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, speaking through a translater, told the world that "this operation was unavoidable." "We need and want the understanding, the support of the international community," he said in an interview. "But first of all, we have the right to defend ourselves and we have the duty to protect our citizens. This comes before the understanding, which we hope to receive, of the international community." [21]
Adding to the diplomatic offensive, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's minister of external affairs, insisted that the organization was not only defending its right to defend itself but was also waging a campaign against extremism and against terror. "The situation in which they shoot and we do not respond is over." [22]
Insisting that al-Qaeda was trying to avoid civilian casualties, al-Zawahiri said that "we will treat the population with silk gloves, but will apply an iron fist to the government." "We don't have any intention whatsoever to target civilians. The targets we choose are military targets," he added. [23]
He expressed regret for civilian deaths, but said the U.S. is responsible for the bloodshed because of its strategy of locating military targets in the same buildings as civilian businesses. The large number of secondary explosions seen since the planes' impact, he said, showed that the U.S. had hidden armaments throughout the trade center. [24]
He also said that al-Qaeda had "learned a great deal" since the failed 1993 bombing of the trade center. Military analysts had criticized that operation for failing to apply sufficient force to achieve its objectives. This time, al-Zawahiri explained, they employed multiple delivery systems, much greater explosive power, and "significantly enhanced" operational sophistication. [25]
Political analysts say that the strike may reflect a power struggle within al-Qaeda. Hitting the U.S. is expected to boost the more radical factions. [26]
World Reaction
The reaction of the international community was mixed. America's allies predictably denounced the operation, while Taliban leader Mullah Omar offered strong support. "Instead of caring about the people of the United States, Bush decided to launch rockets to kill innocent Afghanis," he said. "Al-Qaeda obviously decided to protect itself." [27]
Among ordinary people, many around the world were shocked by the scenes of devastation, while others celebrated. As a group of people gathered around a television set in Amman, Jordan, Avi Pilchick took a long swig of Pepsi and propped a foot on a plastic patio chair. "They are doing good," Pilchick, 20, said of al-Qaeda, "but they can do more." [28]
Some Amman residents expressed stronger feelings. Over Almalia suggested drastic measures. "They should send an atomic bomb and get rid of the situation there," he said angrily. [29]
Victor Turjeman, a 33-year-old electrician, agreed. "We should keep pounding them until they beg for mercy," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, all of America can be erased." [30]
Others sought to find hope in the day's events. Condi Ashrawi, a Baghdad shopkeeper, said that, despite the devastation, perhaps the world was witnessing "the birth pangs of a new America." [31]
--Robin Miller reporting from New York, with Sayid Hassan Jarrah reporting from Baghdad and Muhammad Ali reporting from Amman.
Robin Miller is an activist and writer. Her website (sadly, not updated in years) is http://www.robincmiller.com/.
Footnotes
[1a] This follows the headline of the Washington Post's article on December 28, the day following the beginning of the assault. See Samuel Sockol, Israeli Warplanes Pound Gaza; Hundreds Killed in Reprisal Airstrikes Targeting Hamas Security Facilities, Washington Post, December 28, 2008.
In comparison, the headline of the Post's main article on September 11 was "Terrorists Unleash Assault on U.S." See the Post's special section on September 11.
The death toll in Gaza on Saturday, December 27, on which Israel had started bombing at 11:30 am, exceeded 225; by Sunday night it was 300. The latter figure is equivalent to 210,000 deaths in the United States in late 2001--or 70 times the 9-11 death toll of 3,000. This assumes, of course, that a Palestinian life has the same value as an American life. (Calculations based on 409,680 as Gaza's population in 2006 and 285,669,915, estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau as the population on December 5, 2001, resulting in a multiplicative factor of approximately 700.)
If we consider the 900 Palestinian deaths as of January 11, this is equivalent to 630,000 deaths in the U.S., or over 200 times the number of deaths on 9-11.
Moreover, the 9-11 attacks involved three unarmed commercial aircraft, piloted by amateurs, in a large country, on one-time (if extremely deadly) missions; Israel's December 27 assault involved 64 F-16s bombing 50 "targets" in a small sliver of land over three minutes and 40 seconds, and then continuing that assault for the rest of the day (and, now, for over two weeks). Factor in the status of the Gaza population at the start of Israel's assault--a state of near-total deprivation resulting from Israel's two-year-long siege--and it is clear that Gaza's experience is infinitely worse than our experience on September 11, 2001.
Return to text
[1b] "Flatten" is one of the words the American press uses to describe approved violence, that is, violence by official friends against official enemies:
- Griff Witte and Sudarsan Raghavan, 'All-Out War' Declared on Hamas: Israel Expands List of Targets to Include Group's Vast Support Network in Gaza, Washington Post, December 30, 2008 ("Another prominent target was the Islamic University of Gaza. Early Monday, warplanes flattened the school's five-story science building.")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Matti Friedman, "Israel destroys Hamas homes, flattens Gaza mosque," Associated Press, January 2, 2009
- Jeffrey Fleishman and Yasser Ahmad, Neither Israel nor Hamas heed U.N. call for cease-fire, Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2009 ("Near a badly damaged school and six flattened houses, Mohammed Smeiro and his 12-year-old son scoured dried blood off the street").
"Flatten" is just one of the words used to separate violence from its human consequences. Others include:
- "Blistering." See Ibrahim Barzak and Steve Weizman, "Israeli strike hits outside UN school, 34 dead," Associated Press, January 6, 2009 ("The United Nations said three civilians were killed in the first airstrike late Monday on the courtyard of its school, where hundreds of people from a Gaza City refugee camp had sought shelter from Israel's blistering 11-day offensive"); Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Israeli troops and tanks slice deeper into Gaza, Associated Press, January 4, 2009 ("Under Israel's blistering assault, he said, Hamas was 'now beginning to feel the weight of their mistakes'").
- "Bruising." See Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel, "World leaders converge on Israel in push for truce," Associated Press, January 5, 2009 ("As the bruising campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers entered its 10th day ..."); Ibrahim Barzak and Steve Weizman, UN, Red Cross curtail Gaza aid, criticize Israel, Associated Press, January 8, 2009 ("Israel has repeatedly said it was prepared for a possible attack on the north since it launched its bruising campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza, to the south").
- "Crippling." See Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, "Diplomats seek truce as Gaza's civilian toll rises," Associated Press, January 5, 2009 ("Israel said it won't stop its crippling 10-day assault ...").
- "Hammer." See Matti Friedman and Ibrahim Barzak, Israel, Hamas defy UN call for cease-fire, Associated Press, January 9, 2009 ("Israeli jets and ground troops hammered at Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip ...").
- "Level." See Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Israel sends more troops to Gaza border, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("The Israeli military, which leveled the mosque Wednesday, said that it was being used as a missile storage site and that the bombs dropped on it set off secondary explosions. It was the fifth mosque hit in the campaign").
- "Pound." See Samuel Sockol, Israeli Warplanes Pound Gaza, Washington Post, December 28, 2008; Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel, Israel pounds Gaza, vows to continue campaign, Associated Press, January 5, 2009.
- "Pulverize." See Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, "Defiant Hamas hits Israel with dozens of rockets," Associated Press, December 29, 2008 ("On Monday, aircraft pulverized a house next to the home of Hamas Premier Ismail Haniyeh, a security compound and a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group--all symbols of Hamas strength in the coastal territory it has ruled since June 2007"); Ibrahim Barzak and Matti Friedman, Israel rejects truce call, attacks Gaza, Associated Press, December 31, 2008 ("In Gaza City, powerful bomb blasts sent high-rise apartment buildings swaying and showered streets with broken glass and pulverized concrete").
- "Pummel." See Tony Karon, Israel Invades Gaza, Hoping to Pummel Hamas into a Truce, Time, January 3, 2009.
- "Punishing." See Taghreed El-Khodary and Isabel Kershner, "Israeli Attack Kills Scores Across Gaza," New York Times, December 28, 2008 ("The reaction to the punishing attacks was swift and varied..."); Steven Lee Myers, The New Meaning of an Old Battle," New York Times, January 3, 2009 ("In unleashing a series of punishing attacks in Gaza last week, Israel clearly aimed to hand Hamas a defeat from which it could not recover anytime soon"); Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Israel weighs 48-hour halt to Gaza air campaign, Associated Press, December 30, 2008 ("Israel, under international pressure, is considering a 48-hour halt to its punishing four-day air campaign on Hamas targets in Gaza...").
- "Withering." See Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, "Diplomats seek truce as Gaza's civilian toll rises," Associated Press, January 5, 2009 ("The operation's ground phase, which began Saturday with a withering round of artillery fire, was going according to plan, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu told Israeli TV").
The word "crossfire" has a special place in the media's vocabulary; it generally designates an Israeli attack to which there is little or no Palestinian resistance. People killed during such an attack are described as "caught in a crossfire." See, for example, Taghreed el-Khodary and Ethan Bronner, For Arab Clan, Days of Agony in a Cross-Fire, New York Times, January 10, 2009.
Occasionally a reporter finds himself entranced by the beauty of war and becomes downright poetic. See, e.g., Arthur Max, "Thunder of artillery signals ground push on Gaza," Associated Press, January 3, 2009 ("The big guns began to thunder as the reddening sun lowered in the sky. After darkness fell, tanks moved like clumsy phantoms toward the border. After seven days of pummeling Gaza from the air, Israel unsheathed its land forces Saturday, raising its war against Gaza's Hamas rulers to a new level"). One can only wonder whether the reporter contemplates what life is like for those against whom military forces have been "unsheathed."
Although I haven't had time to develop this point, a variety of words indicating a lack of control, even irrationality, are reserved by the media for its description of official enemies:
- "Bellicose": See Borzou Daragahi, Iran adopts a bellicose posture on the Gaza conflict, Los Angeles Times, January 1, 2009.
- "Belligerence" and "belligerent": See Richard Boudreaux and Ashraf Khalil, Palestinians' factional split deepens over Gaza conflict, Los Angeles Times, January 3, 2009 ("Gaza has slid deeper into poverty, punished for Hamas' belligerence by an Israeli blockade that severely restricts supplies of food, fuel and other essentials to the enclave's 1.5 million people").
- "Diatribe": See Jean H. Lee, No anti-US tirade in N Korea's New Year message, Associated Press, January 2, 2009 ("North Korea refrained from issuing its usual blistering New Year's Day diatribe against the U.S.").
- "Strident": See Borzou Daragahi, Diplomatic efforts to halt Gaza offensive make little progress, Los Angeles Times, January 5, 2009 ("Several of the most strident calls for an end to the Israeli offensive came from leaders of Arab and Muslim countries that have normal relations with the Jewish state").
- "Tirade": See Jean H. Lee, No anti-US tirade in N Korea's New Year message, Associated Press, January 2, 2009.
The example above of the media's use of the word "strident" illustrates an important point: The determination of "friend" and "enemy" status can be on a relative scale. Thus, pro-Western Arab dictatorships are "friends" when compared to an enemy (such as Hamas) but enemies when compared to a stronger friend, such as Israel in the implicit comparison being made in that sentence. Similarly, the government of Lebanon was an "enemy" during the 2006 war, in that the U.S. accorded its desires little or no weight, but it is a "friend" when compared to Hezbollah.
It should also be noted that all of these words operate independently of the media's we-make-it-simple-for-you approach to the designation of international actors as either "moderates" (friends) or "radicals" and "extremists" (enemies). And then there are the specters of "aggression," "violence," and "terrorism" in the world, all of which are recognized as such--and condemned, naturally--only when engaged in by official enemies. Hamas is "violent"; Israel is not.
This is true as well of "illegality." Purported (but nonexistent) Iraqi and Iranian nuclear weapons programs are "illegal" or "illicit," while Israeli settlements in occupied territory, and U.S. invasions of other countries, are not. And it appears that only we (and our officially-designated friends) are allowed to determine when something is "illicit"; thus, Israel can bomb a money exchange office that it accuses of "laundering illicit funds." See Arthur Max, Israel targets Gaza mosques used by Hamas, Associated Press, January 1, 2009. What possible right Israel would have to oversee banking practices in the Gaza Strip--much less to bomb those it deems "illicit"--is not a question worth asking. Similarly, the "smuggling tunnels" on which the people of Gaza depend to stay alive are "illegal," but Israel's despicable siege--intentionally subjecting 1.5 million human beings to a life of near-total desperation--is not.
Return to text
[1c] "Military facilities": The mainstream press has overwhelmingly portrayed Israel's assault as directed at Hamas' military facilities:
- Richard Boudreaux and Rushdi abu Alouf, Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza, 271 dead, Los Angeles Times, December 28, 2008 ("Israeli warplanes and helicopters bombarded military targets across the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday and today, retaliating for Palestinian rocket fire into Israel with one of the deadliest assaults in the history of the 60-year conflict")
- Ethan Bronner, Israel Reminds Foes That It Has Teeth, New York Times, December 29, 2008 ("The Israeli military had mapped out Hamas bases, training camps and missile storehouses and systematically hit them simultaneously in an Israeli version of 'shock and awe,' the sudden delivery of overwhelming force")
- Richard Boudreaux, News analysis: Israel has learned from its failure in Lebanon, Los Angeles Times, December 29, 2008 ("Since it began Saturday, waves of airstrikes have destroyed dozens of Hamas paramilitary facilities, weapons-smuggling tunnels from Egypt and underground rocket-launching sites")
- Edith M. Lederer, UN official says Israel attacked during lull, Associated Press, December 29, 2008 ("Palestinians in Gaza believed Israel had called a 48-hour 'lull' in retaliatory attacks with Hamas when Israeli warplanes launched a massive bombardment of militant installations in the Gaza Strip, a U.N. official said Monday")
- Joe Klein, The Myth of the Decisive Blow, Time, December 31, 2008 ("Israel was justified in its targeted attacks on the Hamas weapons caches, military training facilities and military leadership in the first days of its offensive")
- Richard Boudreaux, Israel turns aside calls for Gaza truce, Los Angeles Times, January 1, 2009 ("Undeterred by waves of punishing attacks on its arsenal, command posts, rocket-launch sites, tunnels and weapons labs, Hamas fired deep into Israel on Wednesday, bringing daily life to a near-standstill for about half a million people in the southern part of the country")
In fact, most of the assault has explicitly targeted civilian infrastructure. Even when the media acknowledges this, it passes wholly without comment or, in fact, merits applause:
- Ethan Bronner, News Analysis: Is the Real Target Hamas Rule?, New York Times, January 3, 2009 ("Yet in its campaign so far, which has killed scores of children and other bystanders, Israel has not spared the trappings of Hamas sovereignty or limited itself to military targets. It says that the mosques it has destroyed were weapons storehouses and that the Islamic University, which it has hit repeatedly, housed explosives factories. But it has also reduced many government buildings to rubble without any claim that they were military in nature.")
- Aaron J. Klein, Israel Enters Gaza: Negotiating With Extreme Prejudice, Time, January 4, 2009 ("The ground operation began late Saturday with a massive artillery barrage all along the Gaza boundary, designed not only to destroy whatever fortifications Hamas fighters have built, but to signal that Israel has once again broken its own restraints on military action in Gaza, willing to go hard against the Hamas leadership no matter where they are and no matter the consequences to security along Israel's own southwestern frontier. Already in recent days, Israeli forces struck a house of a Hamas leader while civilians were inside and bombed a mosque at Beit Lahiya believed by Israel to have been used to store weapons. With both of these actions, Israel is deliberately cultivating a sense that it has changed the rules of engagement in order to cripple Hamas.")
It's unclear whether the American media is willing to acknowledge any constraints on Israel's behavior. Israel has already intentionally destroyed at least three medical buildings funded by international humanitarian organizations:
- The Union of Healthcare headquarters, along with an ambulance, three mobile clinics and medicines donated by DanChurchAid (Denmark), on January 5. See Ibrahim Barzak and Diaa Hadid, Gaza hospital overwhelmed by dead, wounded, Associated Press, January 5, 2009 ("A medical building owned by a relief organization not connected to Hamas was also bombed, said Daher. He said the building was destroyed, along with an ambulance, three mobile clinics and donated medicines"); DanChurchAid, Mobile clinics bombed, January 6, 2009 ("We have just received news that all three mobile clinics were bombed and rendered useless on the night of the 5th of January. The vehicles were parked by the Union of Healthcare headquarters and all were clearly marked with red crosses and the caption 'Mobile Clinic'").
- A clinic in the al-Meghazi area of Gaza operated by the Catholic relief group Caritas, on January 9. See Caritas medical clinic in Gaza destroyed by Israeli jet attack, Caritas Internationalis, January 12, 2009 and Donald Macintyre, Gaza clinics destroyed by raids, The Independent, January 13, 2009 ("The Catholic relief group Caritas said its clinic in the al-Meghazi area of Gaza had been 'completely destroyed' by a missile on Friday, and that 20 nearby homes had been damaged. Because local families had already fled their homes, no one was hurt, Caritas said, but equipment worth $10,000 (£6,700) was lost. [para] Twenty-fours later, another clinic funded by Christian Aid was also demolished in an air strike; it followed a telephone warning to the building's owners to leave within 15 minutes.")
- A primary health care clinic in Gaza city, funded by Christian Aid (U.K.), on January 10. See Gaza clinic destroyed by Israeli Jets, Christian Aid, January 12, 2009, and the preceding article in The Independent.
An earlier media report includes, without further elaboration, "clinics" in the list of "targets" "hit" by Israel. See Ibrahim Barzak and Karin Laub, Hamas resilient despite Israeli onslaught, Associated Press, January 2, 2009 ("Israel is methodically targeting the Hamas domain, bombing government offices, security compounds, commanders, and even Hamas-linked clinics, mosques and money changers. Yet Gaza's Islamic rulers show no sign of buckling under the aerial onslaught.")
So, when the Los Angles Times observes that "Some airstrikes have targeted homes of Hamas officials and other homes and several mosques, which Israel says are being used as weapons warehouses and hiding places for militant commanders. Several Israeli officials have recently stated their belief that hospitals are also being used for a similar purpose, although no hospitals have been targeted at this point," there is no indication that the Times would see anything wrong with Israel's bombing hospitals. See Ashraf Khalil and Rushdi abu Alouf, Missiles aimed at Hamas figure kill family in Gaza, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2009.
Perhaps most ominous is a recent report in the other Times that "the Israeli intelligence chief, Yuval Diskin, in a report to the Israeli cabinet, said that the Gaza-based leadership of Hamas was in underground housing beneath the No. 2 building of Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza. That allegation cannot be confirmed." See Steven Erlanger, A Gaza War Full of Traps and Trickery, New York Times, January 10, 2009. Is this an attempt to lay the groundwork for bombing the hospital?
Return to text
[1d] Compare the reporting in the three newspapers of state--the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times--with the reporting in the Guardian and the Independent in the UK, and Ha'aretz in Israel. The difference between real news and counterfeit news is immediately apparent.
Among the "big three" U.S. newspapers, the Washington Post is the least biased. While the Post's editorial department is filled with neocons who thrill to Israeli violence, its news department probably is as fair as is possible within the constraints of official ideology ("we're good, they're bad"). The Los Angeles and New York Times, on the other hand, are thinly-disguised--if that--Israeli propaganda. For a particularly egregious example, see Steven Erlanger, A Gaza War Full of Traps and Trickery, New York Times, January 10, 2009. Based almost exclusively on self-serving claims by Israeli military sources, the entire purpose of the article is to absolve Israel of war crimes. The reporter asserts, for example, that Israel's mortar attack that killed 40 people standing outside a UN school and supportedly safe zone "was legal," although he cites no basis for this conclusion. Apparently, he just knows.
In other articles, the pro-Israeli propaganda is considerably more subtle. Thus, we are told that "the humanitarian relief systems functioned poorly because of the inability of suppliers and ambulances to move around despite Israeli efforts to facilitate truck deliveries across the border." Israel is trying, we are told: they are making "efforts to facilitate truck deliveries across the border." Nevermind the Israeli bombing raids convulsing the defenseless territory daily. See Ethan Bronner, Israel Drives Deeper Into Gaza, Rebuffing Diplomatic Efforts, New York Times, January 5, 2009.
Often these newspapers' support for Israel's agenda surfaces in their adoption of Israeli claims as fact. So, for example, the Los Angles Times can report that Israel has destroyed Hamas' "weapons labs," based, apparently, on the Israeli military's preposterous assertion that the bombing of the science building at the Islamic University of Gaza was justified because the building was being used to "develop enhanced weaponry" for Hamas fighters. See Richard Boudreaux, Israel turns aside calls for Gaza truce, Los Angeles Times, January 1, 2009 ("Undeterred by waves of punishing attacks on its arsenal, command posts, rocket-launch sites, tunnels and weapons labs, Hamas fired deep into Israel on Wednesday, bringing daily life to a near-standstill for about half a million people in the southern part of the country").
Of course, these are mere quibbles, certainly minor when considered in the context of the overall purpose of the media, which is to inculcate its readership with the official ideology--in this case, the strand holding that the U.S. and its "friends" are permitted to kill as many people as they deem necessary, whether that number is in the hundreds (Israel, constantly), thousands (Israel in Lebanon), hundreds of thousands (Indonesia in East Timor), or even millions (the U.S. in Korea, the U.S. in southeast Asia, or the Indonesian slaughter in 1965-66).
Nonetheless, as a student of language, I find it fascinating to observe the precise methodologies by which indoctrination is accomplished.
Among the smaller news services, McClatchy Newspapers merits recognition for trying not to always see things through Israeli eyes. And Greg Mitchell at Editor & Publisher deserves commendation for consistently offering commentary on the moral aspects of the Gaza slaughter.
For some particularly useful news and analysis, see the following:
Analysis
- Leading Israeli Scholar Avi Shlaim: Israel Committing "State Terror" in Gaza Attack, Preventing Peace, Democracy Now!, January 14, 2009
- Mark LeVine, Who will save Israel from itself?, Al-Jazeera, January 12, 2009 ("Who will save Israel from herself? Israelis are clearly incapable. Their addiction as a society to the illusion of violence-as-power has reached the level of collective mental illness.")
- Gareth Porter, Israel Rejected Hamas Ceasefire Offer in December, Inter Press Service, January 9, 2009
- Juan Cole, Neoconservatism dies in Gaza, Salon.com, January 8, 2009
- Gareth Porter, Bush Plan Beat Obstacle to Gaza Assault, Inter Press Service, January 7, 2009
- Avi Shlaim, How Israel brought Gaza to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe, The Guardian, January 7, 2009
- Nancy Kanwisher, Johannes Haushofer, & Anat Biletzki, Reigniting Violence: How Do Ceasefires End?, Huffington Post, January 6, 2009 (since September 2000, "79% of all conflict pauses were interrupted when Israel killed a Palestinian, while only 8% were interrupted by Palestinian attacks (the remaining 13% were interrupted by both sides on the same day). In addition, we found that this pattern -- in which Israel is more likely than Palestine to kill first after a conflict pause -- becomes more pronounced for longer conflict pauses. Indeed, of the 25 periods of nonviolence lasting longer than a week, Israel unilaterally interrupted 24, or 96%, and it unilaterally interrupted 100% of the 14 periods of nonviolence lasting longer than 9 days.")
- Victoria Buch, The History and "Morals" of Ethnic Cleansing, Counterpunch, January 6, 2009
- International Crisis Group, Ending the War in Gaza, Middle East Briefing No. 26, January 5, 2009
- Sara Roy, If Gaza falls ..., London Review of Books, January 1, 2009
- William Sieghart, We must adjust our distorted image of Hamas, The Times (London), December 31, 2008
- Rory McCarthy, Gaza: Israel's previous attacks, The Guardian, December 30, 2008
- Tariq Ali, From the ashes of Gaza, The Guardian, December 30, 2008
- Nir Rosen, Gaza: the logic of colonial power, The Guardian, December 29, 2008
- Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center, The Six Months of the Lull Arrangement, December, 2008 (During the lull, prior to Israel's attack on November 4, "the lull was sporadically violated by rocket and mortar shell fire, carried out by rogue terrorist organizations, in some instance in defiance of Hamas (especially by Fatah and Al-Qaeda supporters). Hamas was careful to maintain the ceasefire.")
Statements by Leaders of Hamas
- Ismail Haniyeh: My message to the West--Israel must stop the slaughter, The Independent, January 15, 2009 (Ismail Haniyeh is the Prime Minister of Gaza)
- Basim Naim, We believe in resistance, not revenge, The Guardian, January 13, 2009 (Basim Naim is the minister of health in the Hamas government in Gaza)
- Khalid Mish'al, This brutality will never break our will to be free, The Guardian, January 6, 2009 (Khalid Mish'al is the head of the Hamas political bureau)
- Mousa Abu Marzook, Hamas Speaks, Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2009 (Mousa Abu Marzook is the deputy of the political bureau of Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement)
Commentary by Gaza Residents
- Mohammed Fares Al Majdalawi, Gaza is Sinking in a River of Blood: A Message from a Gazan to the World, CommonDreams.org, January 12, 2009
- Mohammed Ali, Gaza diary: Are we not human?, Al-Jazeera, January 11, 2009
- Safa Joudeh, Holding Out in Gaza: Waiting for the Israelis, Time, January 12, 2009 ("The word 'catastrophe' is on everyone's lips. People cannot help but recall the similar scenes from 60 years ago. But in 1948 the Israeli goal was the expulsion of the Palestinian people. This time around, it seems as though their goal is elimination.")
- 'Everyone is looking for their relatives to kiss them goodbye', The Guardian, January 6, 2009
- Sami Abdel-Shafi, Our spirit will not die, The Guardian, January 5, 2009
- Fida Qishta, Do Israel pilots feel happy killing innocent women and children?, The Guardian, January 3, 2009
Other Commentary
- Gideon Levy, War as child's play, Ha'aretz, January 15, 2009 ("The fighting in Gaza is 'war deluxe.' Compared with previous wars, it is child's play -- pilots bombing unimpeded as if on practice runs, tank and artillery soldiers shelling houses and civilians from their armored vehicles, combat engineering troops destroying entire streets in their ominous protected vehicles without facing serious opposition. A large, broad army is fighting against a helpless population and a weak, ragged organization that has fled the conflict zones and is barely putting up a fight. All this must be said openly, before we begin exulting in our heroism and victory.")
- Robert Fisk, Tin-pot rockets won't open a second front, The Independent, January 15, 2009 ("The 'Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command'--the quotation marks are necessary since this outfit controls at most 500 cadres--is responsible for all the tin-pot rockets fired into Israel from Lebanon this past week")
- Gideon Levy, Things one sees from The Hague, Ha'aretz, January 12, 2009 ("Despite all the slack the world has cut us since as long as we can remember, despite the leniency shown toward Israel, the world might say otherwise this time. If we continue like this, maybe one day a new, special court will be established in The Hague.")
- Eric Margolins, Eradicating Hamas, January 12, 2009 ("It now seems clear the last disastrous act of the Bush administration was giving Israel a green light to launch its final solution campaign against the Hamas government in Gaza")
- Chris Hedges, The Language of Death, Truthdig, January 12, 2009 ("The incursion into Gaza is not about destroying Hamas. It is not about stopping rocket fire into Israel. It is not about achieving peace. The Israeli decision to rain death and destruction on Gaza, to use the lethal weapons of the modern battlefield on a largely defenseless civilian population, is the final phase of the decades-long campaign to ethnically cleanse Palestinians. The assault on Gaza is about creating squalid, lawless and impoverished ghettos where life for Palestinians will be barely sustainable. It is about building ringed Palestinian enclaves where Israel will always have the ability to shut off movement, food, medicine and goods to perpetuate misery. The Israeli attack on Gaza is about building a hell on earth.")
- Tom Segev, Peace Is No Longer in Sight, Washington Post, January 11, 2009 ("So I find myself among the new majority of Israelis who no longer believe in peace with the Palestinians. The positions are simply too far apart at this time.")
- Robert Fisk, Wherever I go, I hear the same tired Middle East comparisons, The Independent, January 10, 2009
- Gideon Levy, The time of the righteous, Ha'aretz, January 9, 2009 ("This war, perhaps more than its predecessors, is exposing the true deep veins of Israeli society. Racism and hatred are rearing their heads, as is the impulse for revenge and the thirst for blood.")
- John Pilger, Holocaust denied: the lying silence of those who know, The New Statesman, January 8, 2009 ("If that is how things are, we are diminished as a civilised society. For what happens in Gaza is the defining moment of our time, which either grants the impunity of war criminals the immunity of our silence, while we contort our own intellect and morality, or gives us the power to speak out.")
- Seumas Milne, Israel and the west will pay a price for Gaza's bloodbath, The Guardian, January 8, 2009
- Jimmy Carter, An Unnecessary War, Washington Post, January 8, 2009
- Robert Fisk: Why do they hate the West so much, we will ask, The Independent, January 7, 2009
- Rashid Khalidi. What You Don't Know about Gaza, New York Times, January 7, 2009
- Amira Hass, Lucky my parents aren't alive to see this, Ha'aretz, January 7, 2009
- Stephen Zunes, Democrats Are Cowards in the Face of Israel's Brutality, AlterNet, January 6, 2009
- Eric Margolis: Gaza--Bomb Them Back to the Stone Age, January 5, 2009
- Gideon Levy: The IAF, bullies of the clear blue skies, Ha'aretz, December 31, 2008
- Seumas Milne, Israel's onslaught on Gaza is a crime that cannot succeed, The Guardian, December 30, 2009
- Amira Hass, How we like our leaders, Ha'aretz, December 30, 2008
- Neve Gordon, The dire cost of domestic rivalries, The Guardian, December 29, 2008
- Greg Mitchell, UPDATE: Attack on Gaza -- Self-Defense or Mass Murder?, Editor & Publisher, December 28, 2008
- Statement by the President of the General Assembly, On Gaza airstrikes, December 27, 2008
- Statement by Prof. Richard Falk, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, December 27, 2008
- Richard Falk, Gaza: Silence is not an option, December 9, 2008
Reading the following in combination makes it clear that Israel intentionally provoked a war on Gaza before the change in U.S. administrations:
- Eric Margolins, Eradicating Hamas, January 12, 2009 ("It now seems clear the last disastrous act of the Bush administration was giving Israel a green light to launch its final solution campaign against the Hamas government in Gaza")
- Gareth Porter, Israel Rejected Hamas Ceasefire Offer in December, Inter Press Service, January 9, 2009
- Jim Lobe and Ali Gharib, Media Eyeless in Gaza at Key Moment, Inter Press Service, January 7, 2009
- Scott Shane, News Analysis: For Israel, Chance to Strike Before an Ally Departs, New York Times, January 5, 2009
- Ian Black, Six months of secret planning - then Israel moves against Hamas, The Guardian, December 29, 2008
- Edith M. Lederer. UN official says Israel attacked during lull, Associated Press, December 29, 2008
- Barak Ravid, Disinformation, secrecy and lies: How the Gaza offensive came about, Ha'aretz, December 28, 2008
For updated reports from Gaza, see:
On Al-Jazeera English, see Gideon Levy, My hero of the Gaza war, Ha'aretz, January 11, 2009 ("My war hero is Ayman Mohyeldin, the young correspondent for Al Jazeera English and the only foreign correspondent broadcasting during these awful days in a Gaza Strip closed off to the media") and Noam Cohen, Few in U.S. See Jazeera’s Coverage of Gaza War, New York Times, January 12, 2009 ("While getting to the story has not been an insurmountable problem for Al Jazeera English’s journalists — they are, in effect, surrounded by it — getting their reports to the English-speaking public has been a bit trickier").
See also these personal blogs:
For human rights organizations, see:
For collections of progressive news and commentary, see
For collections of work by particular writers, see
For information on the Israeli propaganda apparatus, see:
- Rachel Shabi, Winning the media war, The Guardian, January 10, 2009
- Richard Silverstein, Hasbara spam alert, The Guardian, January 9, 2009
- James Zogby, How Israel's Propaganda Machine Works, January 9, 2009
- Habib Battah, In the US, Gaza is a different war, alJazeera.net, January 7, 2009
- Juan Cole, Have Bush and the Neocons Ruined it for the Israelis?, January 5, 2009
- Rachel Shabi, Special spin body gets media on message, says Israel, The Guardian, January 2, 2009
- Toni O'Loughlin, Israel mounts PR campaign to blame Hamas for Gaza destruction, The Guardian, December 28, 2008
Return to text
[2] "Shock and awe":
- Dion Nissenbaum, Israel prepares possible Gaza invasion; air strikes continue, McClatchy Newspapers, December 28, 2008 ("Israel Sunday began preparing for a possible ground offensive into the Gaza Strip as its air force continued to pummel the Hamas-controlled region with dozens of new missile strikes in a 'shock and awe' operation that's killed 293 Palestinians in two days")
- Richard Boudreaux and Rushdi abu Alouf, Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza, 271 dead, Los Angeles Times, December 28, 2008 ("Ron Ben-Yishai, a senior Israeli defense analyst, called the offensive 'shock treatment' aimed at securing a cease-fire on those terms")
- Ethan Bronner, Israel Reminds Foes That It Has Teeth, New York Times, December 29, 2008 ("The Israeli military had mapped out Hamas bases, training camps and missile storehouses and systematically hit them simultaneously in an Israeli version of 'shock and awe,' the sudden delivery of overwhelming force")
Return to text
[3] Israel declared Gaza a "closed military zone" and prohibited the media from entering:
- 'NYT' Silent But Israeli Daily Hits Press Restrictions in Gaza, Editor & Publisher, January 10, 2009
- Chris McGreal, Ban on foreign journalists skews coverage of conflict, The Guardian, January 10, 2009
- Ashraf Khalil, Israel keeps tight leash on media, Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2009
- Jane Kim, What the Red Cross Sees, the Media Still Can't, Columbia Journalism Review, January 8, 2009
- Anderson Cooper, Controlling the messenger, CNN, January 7, 2009
- David Folkenflik, Despite Court Order, Journalists Barred From Gaza, NPR, January 7, 2009
- Ethan Bronner, Israel Puts Media Clamp on Gaza, New York Times, January 6, 2009
- Robert Fisk, Keeping out the cameras and reporters simply doesn't work, The Independent, January 5, 2009
- Arthur Max, Frustrated reporters locked out of Gaza war zone, Associated Press, January 5, 2009
- Dion Nissenbaum, Israel stifles free press covering Gaza, McClatchy Newspapers, December 29, 2008
Return to text
[4a] The media loves to call Israel's assault on Gaza an "operation," wholly abstracting the event from its human consequences:
- Aaron J. Klein, The Gaza Air Strikes: Why Israel Attacked, time, December 27, 2008 ("But Israel will need to move carefully. Air strikes that kill large numbers of Palestinian civilians are only likely to fuel support for Hamas and ramp up international pressure to end the operation quickly")
- Ethan Bronner, Israel Reminds Foes That It Has Teeth, New York Times, December 29, 2008 ("The current operation started only after preparation and intelligence work, military commanders said, leading to a true surprise attack on Saturday and the instant deaths of scores of Hamas men")
- Richard Boudreaux and Rushdi abu Alouf, Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza, 271 dead, Los Angeles Times, December 28, 2008 ("The massive operation in retaliation over rocket attacks appears to catch Hamas by surprise")
- Ethan Bronner and Taghreed el-Khodary, No Early End Seen to 'All-Out War' on Hamas in Gaza, New York Times, December 30, 2008 ("Israel's heavy bombing, more than 300 airstrikes since the operation began on Saturday, reduced dozens of buildings to rubble, but appeared to be directed mainly at the political, military and academic symbols of Hamas's rule in Gaza")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Matti Friedman, Israel rejects truce call, attacks Gaza, Associated Press, December 31, 2008 ("Olmert told ministers Israel launched the operation to fundamentally change the situation in the south, and would not leave the job half done with a unilateral cease-fire")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Diplomats seek truce as Gaza's civilian toll rises, Associated Press, January 5, 2009 ("The operation's ground phase, which began Saturday with a withering round of artillery fire, was going according to plan, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu told Israeli TV")
This follows the Israeli government's practice. See Charles Levinson, Israelis Watch the Fighting in Gaza From a Hilly Vantage Point, Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2009 ("A group of police officers nearby took turns snapping pictures of one another with smoking Gaza as a backdrop. 'I want to feel a part of the war,' one said, before correcting himself with the official government designation for the assault. 'I mean operation. It's not a war.'")
Return to text
[4b] The Israeli "operation" was code-named ""Operation Cast Lead."
[4c] "Retaliation": American media almost universally depicts Israel's massive bloodletting as "retaliation," and hence quite appropriate.
Return to text
[5] See Taghreed el-Khodary and Ethan Bronner, Israelis Say Strikes Against Hamas Will Continue, New York Times, December 28, 2008 ("Still, there was a shocking quality to Saturday's attacks, which began in broad daylight as police cadets were graduating, women were shopping at the outdoor market, and children were emerging from school. [para] The center of Gaza City was a scene of chaotic horror, with rubble everywhere, sirens wailing, and women shrieking as dozens of mutilated bodies were laid out on the pavement and in the lobby of Shifa Hospital so that family members could identify them. The dead included civilians, including several construction workers and at least two children in school uniforms.")
Return to text
[6] See Samuel Sockol, Israeli Warplanes Pound Gaza, Washington Post, December 28, 2008 ("When the assault began about 11:30 a.m., a graduation ceremony was underway in Gaza City at the Hamas police academy. Witnesses said 47 uniformed recruits were lined up when two missiles struck. Ala Zumu, a 27-year-old cameraman for al-Arabiya television, was one of the first on the scene. 'I walked in and I saw bodies on the floor of the courtyard, policemen in their blue uniform suffocating. There was a pile of some 50 of them, some breathing, moaning, and some silent,' he said. 'I saw body parts scattered, heads, arms and legs.'")
Return to text
[7] See Richard Boudreaux and Rushdi abu Alouf, Gaza City residents hunker down, Los Angeles Times, January 5, 2009 ("As Israeli forces closed in on Gaza City, Mohammed Barbari joined the scramble by its most intrepid residents Sunday for dwindling supplies of food they would need while hunkering down at home. [para] The first explosion tore through the central Firas Market at 11:30 a.m. as he approached from adjacent Palestine Square. Unable to turn his yellow Volkswagen Golf around in traffic, he kept driving toward the hail of shrapnel and the screams of scattering shoppers. [para] Trapped on Omar Mokhtar Street, which bisects the sprawling complex, Barbari felt a second blast shake his car and shatter its back right window. [para] He saw a man lying in the street with both legs severed. [para] 'God protect us!' the 31-year-old father of five recalled thinking.")
Return to text
[8] "Relatively successful": See Joshua Mitnick, Gazan civilians increasingly at risk in assault on Hamas, Christian Science Monitor, December 31, 2008 ("So far Israel has been relatively successful at zeroing in on targets and avoiding civilian casualties")
"Few civilians": SeeTaghreed el-Khodary and Isabel Kershner, Israeli Attack Kills Scores Across Gaza, New York Times, December 28, 2008 ("Most of the fatalities were among members of the security forces of Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza, but a few civilians were also among the dead, including children).
In the same vein is Tony Karon, Israel Invades Gaza, Hoping to Pummel Hamas into a Truce, Time, January 3, 2009 ("Although the eight-day air campaign in Gaza has claimed some 450 Palestinian victims, and continues to inflict damage on Hamas fighters--as well as, inevitably, nearby civilians--the attacks have not kept Hamas from launching more missiles")
While the American media continues to peddle the vulgarity that Israel is trying really, really hard to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties, the Israeli press operates under no such pretence:
- Amos Harel, Analysis: IAF strike on Gaza is Israel's version of 'shock and awe', Ha'aretz, December 27, 2008 ("Like the U.S. assault on Iraq and the Israeli response to the abduction of IDF reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser at the outset of the Second Lebanon War ... little to no weight was apparently devoted to the question of harming innocent civilians")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Ben Hubbard, Gaza civilians left exposed in Israeli invasion, Associated Press, January 4, 2009 ("The guiding principle of Israel's ground invasion is to move in with full force and try to minimize Israeli casualties, Israeli military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote in the daily Yediot Ahronoth. 'We'll pay the international price later for the collateral damage and the anticipated civilian casualties,' Fishman said.")
- Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Analysis: Using aggressive tactics in Gaza to save soldiers' lives, Ha'aretz, January 7, 2009 ("The incident in which some 40 Palestinian civilians were killed when Israel Defense Forces mortar shells hit an UNRWA school in the Jabalya refugee camp Tuesday surprised no one who has been following events in Gaza in recent days. Senior officers admit that the IDF has been using enormous firepower. ... What the officer did not say explicitly was that this is deliberate policy. Following the trauma of the war in Lebanon in 2006, the army realized that heavy IDF casualties would erode public (and especially political) support for the war and limit its ability to achieve its goals. Therefore, it is using aggressive tactics to save soldiers' lives. And the cabinet took this into account when it approved the ground operation last Friday, so it has no reason to change its mind now.")
In fact, this article in Ha'aretz commented on how the international media was giving Israel a free pass on civilian deaths: "until Tuesday's incident, the world appeared relatively indifferent to Palestinian civilian casualties. On Monday, 31 members of the Samouny family were killed when a shell hit their house in Gaza City; that same day, 13 members of the Al-Daiya family where killed by another Israeli bomb. Yet international media coverage of these incidents was comparatively restrained."
When the New York Times reported on Israel's adoption of doctrine of the use of overwhelming force, it predictably shied away from acknowledging the effect on civilians. See Steven Erlanger, A Gaza War Full of Traps and Trickery, New York Times, January 10, 2009 ("Officers say that means Israeli infantry units are going in 'heavy.' If they draw fire, they return it with heavy firepower. If they are told to reach an objective, they first call in artillery or airpower and use tank fire. Then they move, but only behind tanks and armored bulldozers, riding in armored personnel carriers, spending as little time in the open as possible").
To the extent the American media is concerned about civilian deaths, it is because the resulting popular outrage might curtail Israel's operational freedom--not because people are being slaughtered:
- Joshua Mitnick, Gazan civilians increasingly at risk in assault on Hamas, Christian Science Monitor, December 31, 2008 ("Israeli military tacticians are all too aware that if civilian casualties climb too high, international pressure can end an otherwise carefully executed attack")
- Aaron J. Klein, The Gaza Air Strikes: Why Israel Attacked, Time, December 27, 2008 ("But Israel will need to move carefully. Air strikes that kill large numbers of Palestinian civilians are only likely to fuel support for Hamas and ramp up international pressure to end the operation quickly.")
- Richard Boudreaux, Israeli troops clash with Gaza fighters as ground invasion begins, Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2009 ("In choosing to strike from the ground as well as the air, Israel undertook two risks: Its army could get bogged down in a messy fight with a determined paramilitary foe. And Palestinian civilian casualties could rise sharply, increasing international pressure on Israel to halt the operation.")
- Paul Richter, Behind closed doors, U.S. seeks Israel exit strategy, Los Angeles Times, December 31, 2008 ("U.S. officials have also been warning Israel to take care to avoid any single strike that, by inflicting devastating civilian casualties, could further swing international opinion against it")
There should be a special place in hell for people who think like this. (And they can room with the right-wing bloggers who claim that Gaza videographer Ashraf Mashharawi fabricated a video of his own brother's death. See Gaza video genuine, journalists say, CNN, January 9, 2009.)
Return to text
[9] See Taghreed el-Khodary and Ethan Bronner, Israelis Say Strikes Against Hamas Will Continue, New York Times, December 28, 2008 ("The leader of the Hamas government in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, said in a statement that 'Palestine has never witnessed an uglier massacre.'")
Return to text
[10] See Craig Whitlock, Griff Witte and Sudarsan Raghavan, Israel Halts Operations To Allow Aid Shipments, Washington Post, January 7, 2009 ("'The wounded arrived with multiple fractures, ripped stomachs, amputated limbs,' [physician Basam Warda] said. 'The bodies were ripped apart.'")
Return to text
[11] See Ibrahim Barzak and Steve Weizman, Israeli strike near UN school kills at least 30, Associated Press, January 6, 2009 ("In later scenes, the emergency room was packed, with all beds occupied and barely a patch of ground where there was not a body or a doctor standing. In other rooms, there were blood stains on the floor and other bodies lying there, with medics running to each of them to take their pulses.")
Return to text
[12] See Ibrahim Barzak and Diaa Hadid, Gaza hospital overwhelmed by dead, wounded, Associated Press, January 5, 2009 ("The hospital's most gruesome scene was in its morgue, where blood pooled on the floor and refrigerators meant to hold 35 bodies were crammed with 70, laid side-by-side in drawers. [para] Mohammed Salman, 26, a volunteer medic washing blood from the inside of an ambulance, said he had treated people with horrific injuries, including headless children and a woman whose stomach had been torn open. [para] After 10 days of a relentless Israeli assault, Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest, is overwhelmed. Bodies were crowded two to a morgue drawer, and some--like 3-year-old Issa, 4-year-old Mohammed and 5-year-old Ahmad--were on the floor.")
Return to text
[13] See "Gaza hospital overwhelmed by dead, wounded," above.
Return to text
[13A] See Ibrahim Barzak and Ben Hubbard, Gaza medics face war's carnage daily, Associated Press, January 10, 2009.
Return to text
[14] Egypt refused to allow medical personnel to enter Gaza:
- Jack Shenker, Hospital with 100 doctors on call - but few injured to treat, The guardian, January 13, 2009 ("It is the region's most advanced medical resource. Yet al-Arish hospital, in Sinai, is receiving only a trickle of patients from Gaza.")
- Elliott Woods, Barred foreign doctors finally cross into Gaza, San Francisco Chronicle, January 12, 2009
- Tensions running high on the Egypt-Gaza border, IRIN, January 11, 2009
- Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani, Egypt Pulls Down the Shutters on Aid, Inter Press Service, January 8, 2009
- Rebecca Santana, Doctors stuck at bottleneck on Egypt-Gaza border, Associated Press, January 6, 2009
Return to text
[15a] "True surprise attack": See Ethan Bronner, Israel Reminds Foes That It Has Teeth, New York Times, December 29, 2008 ("The current operation started only after preparation and intelligence work, military commanders said, leading to a true surprise attack on Saturday and the instant deaths of scores of Hamas men").
(As an aside, it should be noted that only the U.S. and its official friends are allowed to "show their teeth.")
As it turns out, this was a "true surprise attack" because Israeli had misled the Palestinians. See Edith M. Lederer, UN official says Israel attacked during lull, Associated Press, December 29, 2008 ("Palestinians in Gaza believed Israel had called a 48-hour 'lull' in retaliatory attacks with Hamas when Israeli warplanes launched a massive bombardment of militant installations in the Gaza Strip, a U.N. official said Monday. [para] Karen Abu Zayd, commissioner of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which helps Palestinian refugees, raised the possible violation of an informal truce in a video press conference with U.N. reporters from her base in Gaza. [para] Abu Zayd mentioned the lull when she was asked whether the population of Gaza was aware 'that this was all commenced by the Hamas government unilaterally ending the cease-fire and firing rockets.'").
This single AP article appears to be the only mention of this remarkable revelation by any of the mainstream media. A search of Yahoo! News shows that five local newspapers carried the story.
A report from the International Crisis Group confirms that Egyptian officials gave Hamas assurances that Israel had committed to a 48-hour period of calm to allow negotiations to go forward. It is unclear, however, whether Egypt intentionally misled Hamas or was itself deceived by Israel. See International Crisis Group, Ending the War in Gaza, Middle East Briefing No. 26, January 5, 2009 (pages 4-5 and footnote 22).
In any event, the "lull" was intentional deception by Israel:
- Paul Schemm, Israel's Gaza war extends into psychological realm, Associated Press, January 11, 2009 ("The greatest disinformation coup of the conflict so far, however, came right at the beginning of the offensive when Israeli bombers caught hundreds of Hamas security men inside their compounds. [para] The day before a massive Israeli airstrike, Israeli military radio channels broadcast talk of a "lull" and pulled troops back from the border. [para] Israeli defense officials now say it was a psychological warfare tactic or a "con" to lure Hamas fighters out of hiding.")
- Barak Ravid, Disinformation, secrecy and lies: How the Gaza offensive came about, Ha'aretz, December 28, 2008
Israel's attack was carefully timed to kill as many people as possible. See Amira Hass, How we like our leaders, Ha'aretz, December 30, 2008 ("Whoever gave the instructions to send 100 of our planes, piloted by the best of our boys, to bomb and strafe enemy targets in Gaza is familiar with the many schools adjacent to those targets - especially police stations. He also knew that at exactly 11:30 A.M. on Saturday, during the surprise assault on the enemy, all the children of the Strip would be in the streets - half just having finished the morning shift at school, the others en route to the afternoon shift").
Return to text
[15b] "Many, many targets": See Richard Boudreaux, Israeli troops clash with Gaza fighters as ground invasion begins, Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2009 ("'We have many, many targets,' said Maj. Avital Leibovich, an Israeli army spokeswoman. 'To my estimation, it will be a lengthy operation'")
Return to text
[16] "Legitimate targets": See Griff Witte, Israel Launches Fresh Attacks in Seventh Day of Fighting, Washington Post, January 2, 2009 (Israeli military spokeswoman, Maj. Avital Leibovich said "other Hamas leaders were also marked men. 'We have defined legitimate targets as any Hamas-affiliated target,' she said")
"Infrastructure of terror": See Isabel Kershner, In a Broadening Offensive, Israel Steps Up Diplomacy, New York Times, January 1, 2009 ("But in attacking symbols of the government on Thursday, Israel seemed to be blurring the lines. The military said in a statement on Thursday that Hamas government sites 'serve as a critical component of the terrorist group’s infrastructure in Gaza.'")
Return to text
[17]
Symbols of American strength:
- Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel, Israeli troops near Gaza, airstrikes continue, Associated Press, December 28, 2008 ("Aircraft struck one of Hamas' main security compounds in Gaza City on Sunday--a major symbol of the group's authority")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Defiant Hamas hits Israel with dozens of rockets, Associated Press, December 29, 2008 ("On Monday, aircraft pulverized a house next to the home of Hamas Premier Ismail Haniyeh, a security compound and a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group--all symbols of Hamas strength in the coastal territory it has ruled since June 2007")
- Ethan Bronner and Taghreed el-Khodary, No Early End Seen to 'All-Out War' on Hamas in Gaza, New York Times, December 30, 2008 ("Israel's heavy bombing, more than 300 airstrikes since the operation began on Saturday, reduced dozens of buildings to rubble, but appeared to be directed mainly at the political, military and academic symbols of Hamas's rule in Gaza")
- Griff Witte and Sudarsan Raghavan, 'All-Out War' Declared on Hamas: Israel Expands List of Targets to Include Group's Vast Support Network in Gaza, Washington Post, December 30, 2008 ("The Israeli attacks have struck at some of the most prominent symbols of Hamas power in Gaza")
- Tony Karon, Israel Versus Hamas: How to Shape a Cease-Fire, Time, December 31, 2008 ("But by targeting the basic infrastructure of Hamas governance in Gaza--everything from police posts, a government building and a university to the private homes of Hamas leaders--Israel is trying to set a crippling price for continued rocket attacks")
- Isabel Kershner, In a Broadening Offensive, Israel Steps Up Diplomacy, New York Times, January 1, 2009 ("But in attacking symbols of the government on Thursday, Israel seemed to be blurring the lines. The military said in a statement on Thursday that Hamas government sites 'serve as a critical component of the terrorist group's infrastructure in Gaza.'")
Governmental ministries:
- Griff Witte and Sudarsan Raghavan, 'All-Out War' Declared on Hamas: Israel Expands List of Targets to Include Group's Vast Support Network in Gaza, Washington Post, December 30, 2008 ("In the Israeli offensive, one of the first targets was a police academy, where scores of recruits were preparing to join a security service that Hamas uses to enforce its writ within Gaza. Other targets included government ministries, a Hamas television station, smugglers' tunnels, a seaport and a university building.")
- Tony Karon, Israel Versus Hamas: How to Shape a Cease-Fire, Time, December 31, 2008 ("But by targeting the basic infrastructure of Hamas governance in Gaza--everything from police posts, a government building and a university to the private homes of Hamas leaders--Israel is trying to set a crippling price for continued rocket attacks")
- Isabel Kershner, In a Broadening Offensive, Israel Steps Up Diplomacy, New York Times, January 1, 2009 ("Earlier on Thursday, Israeli warplanes and naval forces bombed Hamas security installations, militants’ houses and tunnels used for smuggling weapons, as well as symbols of the government like the legislative building--a Gaza landmark--and the Ministry of Justice, the Israeli military said")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Karin Laub, Hamas resilient despite Israeli onslaught, Associated Press, January 2, 2009 ("Israel is methodically targeting the Hamas domain, bombing government offices, security compounds, commanders, and even Hamas-linked clinics, mosques and money changers. Yet Gaza's Islamic rulers show no sign of buckling under the aerial onslaught.")
- Dion Nissenbaum, Intense fighting reported as Israeli troops cross into Gaza, Mcclatchy Newspapers, January 3, 2009 ("Israel methodically destroyed hundreds of Gaza Strip targets, including the Palestinian Authority's Gaza Strip parliament building, government offices, the largest university, police stations, and mosques the Israeli military claimed were used to store rockets or hide militants")
Police stations and a training academy:
- Ibrahim Barzak, Israel strikes demolish Hamas compounds, kill 192, Associated Press, December 27, 2008 ("Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes Saturday, killing nearly 200 people and wounding 270 others in the single bloodiest day of fighting in years. [para] Most of those killed were security men, but civilians were also among the dead. Hamas said all of its security installations were hit and responded with several medium-range Grad rockets at Israel, reaching deeper than in the past. [para] In Gaza City's main security compound, bodies of more than a dozen uniformed security officers lay on the ground. One survivor raised his index finger in a show of Muslim faith, uttering a prayer. The Gaza police chief was among those killed. One man, his face bloodied, sat dazed on the ground as a fire raged nearby. [para] Later, some of the dead, rolled in blankets, were laid out on the floor of Gaza's main hospital for identification. Hamas police spokesman Ehad Ghussein said about 140 Hamas security forces were killed. [para] Israeli military officials said more than 100 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza by mid-afternoon. They spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines.")
- Samuel Sockol, Israeli Warplanes Pound Gaza, Washington Post, December 28, 2008 ("When the assault began about 11:30 a.m., a graduation ceremony was underway in Gaza City at the Hamas police academy. Witnesses said 47 uniformed recruits were lined up when two missiles struck. Ala Zumu, a 27-year-old cameraman for al-Arabiya television, was one of the first on the scene. 'I walked in and I saw bodies on the floor of the courtyard, policemen in their blue uniform suffocating. There was a pile of some 50 of them, some breathing, moaning, and some silent,' he said. 'I saw body parts scattered, heads, arms and legs.'")
- Ashraf Khalil and Ahmed Burai, Gaza police back on the beat amid Israeli attacks, Los Angeles Times, January 1, 2009 ("Gaza City police have redeployed in force, as Hamas works to maintain law and order in the Gaza Strip amid a prolonged Israeli air assault that has leveled dozens of police stations and left nearly 400 people dead. [para] But many officers on patrol are now wearing civilian clothing and carrying sticks rather than guns to avoid being targeted by Israeli warplanes.")
Orna Schwartz, a 48-year-old Israeli nurse and mother of four, is sure that Israel's bombing of defenseless policemen is justified. See Sudarsan Raghavan and Islam Abdel Kareem, Food and Medical Supplies Grow Scarce in the Gaza Strip, Washington Post, December 29, 2008 ("She expressed certainty that the Palestinians killed in the airstrikes were not civilians. 'We have to comfort ourselves that the ones who died wore uniforms. I saw them on television. They wore blue clothes.'")
To the Washington Post, these police officers are also "fair game." See Griff Witte and Sudarsan Raghavan, 'All-Out War' Declared on Hamas: Israel Expands List of Targets to Include Group's Vast Support Network in Gaza, Washington Post, December 30, 2008 ("The territory's uniformed police have taken major hits, with several police compounds destroyed. The police force is tasked with enforcing order internally, not attacking Israel. But the Israeli military has said the police are fair game because they are armed members of Hamas's security structure and some moonlight as rocket launchers.")
17 chapels and synagogues: See Jimmy Carter, An Unnecessary War, Washington Post, January 8, 2009 ("Seventeen mosques, the American International School, many private homes and much of the basic infrastructure of the small but heavily populated area have been destroyed. This includes the systems that provide water, electricity and sanitation. Heavy civilian casualties are being reported by courageous medical volunteers from many nations, as the fortunate ones operate on the wounded by light from diesel-powered generators.")
Media coverage of Israel's deliberate bombing of mosques has neither evinced disapproval nor questioned either the truthfulness or the significance of Israel's customary assertion that weapons were stored at the mosque:
- Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel, Israeli troops near Gaza, airstrikes continue, Associated Press, December 28, 2008 ("Earlier, Palestinians said Israeli bombs destroyed a mosque outside Gaza's main hospital in Gaza City; the military called it a 'base for terrorist activities.'")
- Ashraf Khalil and Rushdi abu Alouf, Israel continues airstrikes in Gaza; toll passes 300, Los Angeles Times, December 29, 2008 ("A second missile attack struck a mosque in the Jabaliya refugee camp, killing seven people, according to local medical sources")
- Arthur Max, Israel targets Gaza mosques used by Hamas, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("The Israeli army spokesman's office said the mosque was hit because 'terrorists were hoarding weapons' inside and using the compound to launch missiles. [para] 'The strike set off numerous secondary explosions, caused by the munitions stockpiled in the mosque,' the spokesman said. Israel would continue to attack militant targets, 'even if they (Hamas) cynically choose to operate from locations of religious or cultural significance.'")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Israel sends more troops to Gaza border, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("In Gaza, the sites of airstrikes have also attracted the curious and the defiant, including a Palestinian man who planted a green Hamas flag atop a mound of debris at a flattened mosque, its minaret still thrusting toward a stormy sky. The Israeli military, which leveled the mosque Wednesday, said that it was being used as a missile storage site and that the bombs dropped on it set off secondary explosions. It was the fifth mosque hit in the campaign."
- Ibrahim Barzak and Matti Friedman, Israel destroys Hamas homes, flattens Gaza mosque, Associated Press, January 2, 2009 ("Israel bombed a mosque it said was used to store weapons and destroyed the homes of more than a dozen Hamas operatives Friday...")
- Dion Nissenbaum, Intense fighting reported as Israeli troops cross into Gaza, Mcclatchy Newspapers, January 3, 2009 ("Israel methodically destroyed hundreds of Gaza Strip targets, including the Palestinian Authority's Gaza Strip parliament building, government offices, the largest university, police stations, and mosques the Israeli military claimed were used to store rockets or hide militants")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Josef Federman, Israel bombs Gaza mosque, kills 10, Associated Press, January 3, 2009 ("Artillery units joined Israel's Gaza offensive for the first time Saturday while warplanes and gunboats pounded more than 40 Hamas targets and a mosque where 10 people were killed")
- Isabel Kershner and Taghreed el-Khodary, Israeli Troops Launch Attack on Gaza, New York Times, January 4, 2009 ("A mosque in northern Gaza was also hit, during evening prayer time, in what witnesses said was an Israeli airstrike. At least 11 worshipers were killed and about 30 wounded, according to Palestinian hospital officials. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. [para] The air force has struck several mosques in the past week, with the military saying they served as Hamas bases and weapons stores.")
Banks:
- Arthur Max, Israel targets Gaza mosques used by Hamas, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("On Wednesday, windows were shattered at the Al Nasr mosque northwest of Gaza when an Israeli warplane bombed a money exchange office. Israel accused the money changers of laundering illicit funds").
- Ibrahim Barzak and Karin Laub, Hamas resilient despite Israeli onslaught, Associated Press, January 2, 2009 ("Israel is methodically targeting the Hamas domain, bombing government offices, security compounds, commanders, and even Hamas-linked clinics, mosques and money changers. Yet Gaza's Islamic rulers show no sign of buckling under the aerial onslaught."
A television station:
- Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel, Israeli warplanes pursue Gaza weapons warehouses, Associated Press, December 28, 2008 ("Warplanes attacked the headquarters of the local Hamas television station early Sunday, but it continued to broadcast from a mobile unit")
- Griff Witte and Sudarsan Raghavan, 'All-Out War' Declared on Hamas: Israel Expands List of Targets to Include Group's Vast Support Network in Gaza, Washington Post, December 30, 2008 ("In the Israeli offensive, one of the first targets was a police academy, where scores of recruits were preparing to join a security service that Hamas uses to enforce its writ within Gaza. Other targets included government ministries, a Hamas television station, smugglers' tunnels, a seaport and a university building.")
A radio station:
The Christian University of New York: Israel's target was the Islamic University of Gaza:
- Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Defiant Hamas hits Israel with dozens of rockets, Associated Press, December 29, 2008 ("On Monday, aircraft pulverized a house next to the home of Hamas Premier Ismail Haniyeh, a security compound and a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group — all symbols of Hamas strength in the coastal territory it has ruled since June 2007")
- Griff Witte and Sudarsan Raghavan, 'All-Out War' Declared on Hamas: Israel Expands List of Targets to Include Group's Vast Support Network in Gaza, Washington Post, December 30, 2008 ("Another prominent target was the Islamic University of Gaza. Early Monday, warplanes flattened the school's five-story science building. The university was once known as a bastion of support for the mainstream Palestinian Fatah movement, but it gradually fell under Hamas's sway, and many of the movement's top leaders are alumni. Hamas heavily influences the curriculum and uses the campus as a prime recruiting ground. [para.] [Israeli military spokeswoman] Leibovitch said the building destroyed by Israeli fire was being used to develop enhanced weaponry for Hamas fighters. [para] Kamalin Sha'ath, head of the university's trustees council, denied that assertion and accused Israel of trying to ruin Palestinian culture, not just Hamas infrastructure. 'This attack shows the real face of Israel, which doesn't want anything for this community,' he said.")
- Dion Nissenbaum, Israel prepares possible Gaza invasion; air strikes continue, McClatchy Newspapers, December 28, 2008 ("Early Monday, the Israeli military hit the Islamic University in Gaza City, an intellectual incubator for Hamas but also a a respected institution that many Gaza students attend, regardless of their political affiliations")
The American International School:
An elementary school established as a disaster relief center:
- Shashank Bengali, Airstrike kills 3 at Gaza school U.N. using as refugee center, McClatchy Newspapers, January 6, 2009 ("An Israeli military strike killed three people at a United Nations-run school in Gaza City where they had sought shelter from an intensifying ground war inside the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday. [para.] U.N. officials said an Israeli strike directly hit an elementary school compound where more than 400 Palestinians had come to escape fighting in northern Gaza, and which was clearly marked as a U.N. installation. The U.N. said it was 'strongly protesting' the incident and called on Israel to immediately investigate it.")
Ambulances and mobile health clinics:
- Richard Boudreaux, Israel turns aside calls for Gaza truce, Los Angeles Times, January 1, 2009 ("Israeli warplanes pounded the densely populated coastal enclave for a fifth day, killing two doctors next to their ambulance. ... The doctors, Mohammed Abu Hassira and Ehab Madhoun, were killed before dawn while pulling two Hamas fighters from the rubble of a collapsed shelter that had been a rocket-launching site. [para] Moaiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official, said their ambulance should have been identifiable from the air. [para] 'Our medical crews wear distinctive uniforms and they are well known to the Israeli forces,' he said. 'There is no justification for targeting them.' [para] An Israeli military spokesman said he didn't know the details of the airstrike. 'We certainly don't target ambulances and regret such mishaps,' he said.")
- Taghreed el-Khodary, In Dense Gaza, Civilians Suffer, New York Times, January 1, 2009 ("A dentist stood at the bed of a doctor, his good friend Ehab Madhoun, 32, who had just died, his shrapnel-pitted body wrapped in a white shroud. [para] The day before, Dr. Madhoun, a general practitioner, was in an ambulance responding to an Israeli strike at the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza. Another missile hit the ambulance. The driver, Muhammad Abu Hasira, died instantly. Dr. Madhoun lingered for a day, dying of his wounds on Wednesday in the intensive care unit of Shifa Hospital, where hundreds of people have been brought since Israel began its heaviest assault on Gaza in three decades. [para] The dentist cried. [para] 'He was just doing his work,' said the dentist, who would not give his name. 'He's a doctor, and I can't understand why Israel would hit an ambulance. They can tell from the cameras it's an ambulance.'")
- Ahmed Abu Hamda and Dion Nissenbaum, Crisis takes toll on Gaza's seasoned doctors, medics, McClatchy Newspapers, January 5, 2009 ("At least six medics have been killed by Israeli strikes, and three ambulances have been destroyed by Israeli fire, according to United Nations officials")
- Ashraf Khalil and Rushdi abu Alouf, Israeli tanks, troops cut off Gaza City, Los Angeles Times, January 5, 2009 ("One ambulance, funded by the international aid organization Oxfam, was struck by an Israeli shell while trying to evacuate injured from the frontline community of Beit Lahiya, the organization announced. The impact killed one paramedic; a second paramedic lost his foot.")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Diaa Hadid, Gaza hospital overwhelmed by dead, wounded, Associated Press, January 5, 2009 ("A medical building owned by a relief organization not connected to Hamas was also bombed, said Daher. He said the building was destroyed, along with an ambulance, three mobile clinics and donated medicines.")
- DanChurchAid, Mobile clinics bombed, January 6, 2009 ("We have just received news that all three mobile clinics were bombed and rendered useless on the night of the 5th of January. The vehicles were parked by the Union of Healthcare headquarters and all were clearly marked with red crosses and the caption 'Mobile Clinic.'")
- Aviad Glickman, Petition: IDF targets ambulances, Ynet, January 7, 2009 ("Eight different human rights organizations filed an urgent petition with the [Israeli] High Court of Justice Wednesday, demanding that the IDF be prevented from attacking medical teams and ambulances operating in Gaza")
A prison compound:
- Ibrahim Barzak, Chaos in Gaza as Israel's strikes continue, Associated Press, December 28, 2009 ("Terrified prisoners fled a Gaza City jail bombed by Israeli warplanes on Sunday, their faces white with dust and red with blood as they stumbled over huge piles of rubble")
- Dion Nissenbaum, Israel prepares possible Gaza invasion; air strikes continue, McClatchy Newspapers, December 28, 2008 ("Israeli fighters have hit dozens of targets, including a mosque across from Gaza City's main hospital, police offices, private homes, the Hamas television station and the central prison compound, where dozens of Palestinian inmates were locked in jail cells")
A medical warehouse:
A fuel reservoir:
A government guesthouse:
Private homes:
- Ethan Bronner and Taghreed el-Khodary, No Early End Seen to 'All-Out War' on Hamas in Gaza, New York Times, December 30, 2008 ("The Israelis also made targets of the homes and offices of Hamas's political and military leaders, who did not appear in public during the day")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel, Israel kills top Hamas figure, escalating campaign, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("An Israeli warplane dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the home of one of Hamas' top five decision-makers Thursday, instantly killing him and 18 others, while the Israeli army said troops massed on the Gaza border were ready for any order to invade. The airstrike on Nizar Rayan was the first that succeeded in killing a member of Hamas' highest echelon since Israel began its offensive Saturday. The 49-year-old professor of Islamic law was known for personally participating in clashes with Israeli forces and for sending one of his sons on a 2001 suicide mission that killed two Israelis. ... The hit on Rayan's home obliterated the four-story apartment building and peeled off the walls of others around it, creating a field of rubble in the crowded town of Jebaliya in the northern Gaza Strip. Mounds of debris thrown up by the blast swallowed up cars. [para] Eighteen other people, including all four of Rayan's wives and nine of his 12 children, also were killed, Palestinian health officials said. A man cradled the burned, limp body of a child he pulled from the rubble. [para] The house was one of five bombed Thursday, among more than 20 targets altogether. Warplanes shredded the houses, taking off walls and roofs and leaving behind eerie, dollhouse-like views into rooms that still contained furniture. [para] Israel's military, which has said the homes of Hamas leaders are being used to store missiles and other weapons, said the attack on Rayan's house triggered secondary explosions from the arms stockpiled there.")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Matti Friedman, Israel destroys Hamas homes, flattens Gaza mosque, Associated Press, January 2, 2009 ("Israel bombed a mosque it said was used to store weapons and destroyed the homes of more than a dozen Hamas operatives Friday...")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Josef Federman, Israel bombs Gaza mosque, kills 10, Associated Press, January 3, 2009 ("The Israeli army also struck the homes of two Hamas operatives, saying the buildings were used to store weapons and plan attacks")
- Ashraf Khalil and Rushdi abu Alouf, Missiles aimed at Hamas figure kill family in Gaza, Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2009 ("In the end, the delays probably didn't matter; all seven family members were long dead when crews began excavating the bodies at dawn. [para] 'What are the sins of these small children?' asked Abu Eisha, who along with his son suffered minor injuries. 'Is this the democracy that America and Israel are always singing about?'")
Return to text
[18] See Sudarsan Raghavan, Israel Rejects Proposal for 48-Hour Truce, Washington Post, January 1, 2009 (from Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert: "'We say publicly, and we mean it: The innocent civilian population is not our enemy")
Return to text
[19] "A major question remains": See Stephen Farrell, Hamas Credo Led It to End Cease-Fire, New York Times, December 30, 2008 ("A major question remains whether Hamas expected the shock-and-awe Israeli offensive that has left Gaza reeling")
"Targeted killings": See Ashraf Khalil and Ahmed Burai, Key Hamas leader killed in Gaza strikes, Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2009 ("The attack on [Hamas official] Nizar Rayan, confirmed by Israeli officials, family members and Hamas, may signal a shift in Israeli tactics as the assault on Gaza enters its sixth day. After nearly a week of pounding police stations, security compounds, rocket-launching cells and cross-border tunnels, the Jewish state could be reviving its practice of assassinating Hamas leaders.")
Return to text
[19A] See Aaron J. Klein, Israel Enters Gaza: Negotiating With Extreme Prejudice, Time, January 4, 2009 ("Already in recent days, Israeli forces struck a house of a Hamas leader while civilians were inside and bombed a mosque at Beit Lahiya believed by Israel to have been used to store weapons. With both of these actions, Israel is deliberately cultivating a sense that it has changed the rules of engagement in order to cripple Hamas.")
Return to text
[20] See Steven Lee Myers, The New Meaning of an Old Battle," New York Times, January 3, 2009 ("In unleashing a series of punishing attacks in Gaza last week, Israel clearly aimed to hand Hamas a defeat from which it could not recover anytime soon. The campaign may succeed, experts here and in Israel say, but it could also backfire. Either way, the political consequences could reverberate throughout the Middle East ...")
Return to text
[21] "Unavoidable operation": See Dion Nissenbaum and Shashank Bengali, Israeli ground war bisects Gaza, deepens humanitarian crisis, McClatchy Newspapers, January 4, 2009 ("'This operation was unavoidable,' Olmert told his Cabinet")
"Understanding of the international community": See Edith M. Lederer, UN chief demands immediate Gaza cease-fire, Associated Press, December 30, 2008 ("'We need and want the understanding, the support of the international community,' [Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Gabriela] Shalev said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. 'But first of all, we have the right to defend ourselves and we have the duty to protect our citizens. This comes before the understanding, which we hope to receive, of the international community.'")
Return to text
[22] "Defending right to defend itself": See Taghreed el-Khodary and Isabel Kershner, Israel Rebuffs Peace Efforts, Driving Deeper Into Gaza, New York Times, January 5, 2009 ("Amid the diplomatic efforts, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, insisted Monday that Israel was 'not only defending its right to defend itself' but was also waging a regional campaign 'against extremism and against terror'")
"We don't respond": See Ashraf Khalil and Ahmed Burai, Key Hamas leader killed in Gaza strikes, Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2009 ("'Hamas understands that Israel has changed the equation,' Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said before leaving for Paris to consult with French officials. 'The situation in which they shoot and we do not respond is over.'")
Return to text
[23] "Silk gloves": See Dion Nissenbaum, Rejecting truce, Olmert vows `iron fist' against Hamas, McClatchy Newspapers, January 1, 2009 ("'We will treat the population with silk gloves, but will apply an iron fist to Hamas,' said Olmert")
"Military targets": See Craig Whitlock, Israel Rejects Intensified Push for Cease-Fire, Washington Post, January 6, 2009 ("'We don't have any intention whatsoever to target civilians. The targets we choose are military targets,' [Israeli military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich] said. 'If there were civilian casualties, it would only be under the responsibility of Hamas.'")
Return to text
[24] "Human shields": See Josef Federman, UN ambassador says Israel seeks to 'destroy' Hamas, Associated Press, December 29, 2008 (Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Gabriela Shalev "expressed regret for civilian deaths, but said Hamas is responsible for the bloodshed by operating in residential areas and using civilians as 'human shields.' [para] 'We are very sorry, and really I say it as a mother, as a grandmother ... to speak of children and of women being killed,' she said. But 'it's only the Hamas to blame.'")
"Secondary explosions": Israel consistently defends bombing civilian targets on the ground that weapons were stored there. See, e.g., Richard Boudreaux and Ahmed Burai, Civilians suffer as missiles fly in Gaza and Israel, Los Angeles Times, December 30, 2008 ("Maj. Avital Leibowitz, an Israeli military spokeswoman, said the mosque near the Balousha home in Gaza's Jabaliya refugee camp was, 'as far as we know,' a weapons storehouse.") Therefore, Israel just as consistently claims to have observed "secondary explosions" at these civilian targets. See, e.g., Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Israel sends more troops to Gaza border, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("The Israeli military, which leveled the mosque Wednesday, said that it was being used as a missile storage site and that the bombs dropped on it set off secondary explosions); Arthur Max, Israel targets Gaza mosques used by Hamas, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("The Israeli army spokesman's office said the mosque was hit because 'terrorists were hoarding weapons' inside and using the compound to launch missiles. [para] 'The strike set off numerous secondary explosions, caused by the munitions stockpiled in the mosque,' the spokesman said."); Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel, Israel kills top Hamas figure, escalating campaign, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("Israel's military, which has said the homes of Hamas leaders are being used to store missiles and other weapons, said the attack on [Nizar] Rayan's house triggered secondary explosions from the arms stockpiled there").
Return to text
[25] Israel's massive onslaught against defenseless Gaza and its people shows, we are repeatedly told, that it had "learned" from the "failure" of its 2006 war on Lebanon, which, despite killing over 1,200 people, failed to bring Hezbollah to heel:
- Richard Boudreaux, News analysis: Israel has learned from its failure in Lebanon, Los Angeles Times, December 29, 2008
- Matthew Kalman, Analysis: Israel fighting ghost of Lebanon, San Francisco Chronicle, January 4, 2009
- Josef Federman, Analysis: Israel tries to excise bitter memories of Lebanon with Gaza offensive, Associated Press, January 4, 2009
- Gwen Ackerman, Israel Applying Lessons From Lebanon War to Invasion of Gaza, Bloomberg, January 5, 2009
- Steven Erlanger, For Israel, 2006 Lessons but Old Pitfalls, New York Times, January 7, 2009
Return to text
[26] Israel's "strike" on Gaza is intimately connected with its internal politics:
- Griff Witte, Behind Gaza Operation, An Uneasy Triumvirate, Washington Post, December 31, 2008
- Joel Greenberg, Analysis: Israel's politics in play as it hits Hamas, Chicago Tribune, January 2, 2009
- Joshua Mitnick, How Hamas is altering Israeli politics, Christian Science Monitor, January 2, 2009
- Richard Boudreaux, Gaza conflict can make or break Ehud Barak's fortunes, Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2009
- Ethan Bronner, Gaza War Role Is Political Lift for Ex-Premier, New York Times, January 7, 2009
"Strike" and "hit" are other favorite words for the media to use in describing violence by official friends.
Return to text
[27] See Robert Burns, US suggests conditions of a Gaza cease-fire, Associated Press, January 5, 2009 ("'Instead of caring about the people of Gaza, Hamas decided to use Gaza to launch rockets to kill innocent Israelis,' Bush said. 'Israel's obviously decided to protect herself and her people'")
Return to text
[28] "Celebrated":
- Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill more than 200, Associated Press, December 28, 2008 ("Streets were nearly empty in Sderot, the Israeli border town pummeled hardest by rockets. But dozens of people congregated on a hilltop to watch the Israeli aerial attacks."
- Aaron J. Klein, Gaza Border: Israelis Cheering the Attacks, Time, December 28, 2008 ("The clear skies have also afforded ordinary Israeli citizens a chance to watch the onslaught — and applaud. At noon Sunday two Israeli Apache combat helicopters hovered in the air two miles east of Sderot, an Israeli town less than four miles from the border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip. Below the choppers, a dozen Israeli spectators perched on a hilltop watched with anticipation. A minute went by and the first Apache fired a Hellfire missile, which went rumbling into the Palestinian side of the border. A few seconds later the crowd broke into cheers at the resulting sight: somewhere between the Jibalya refugee camp and the outskirts of Gaza city a ball of heavy black smoke was rising. [para] The locals need no convincing. Itay Avni, 32, who lives in the nearby Kibbutz of Nir-Am (population 400) is overjoyed at the Israeli assault on Gaza. He was among the crowd watching the Apaches launch their missiles. 'Yesterday more then a hundred people from all around were here on this hilltop enjoying to the scene of dozens of aerial raids on Hamas military targets inside the Gaza strip,' he says. 'If I had opened an ice-cream stand here I would have made a lot money.' He adds, 'Exultation is the word to describe my feelings. At last, after eight years of defense alerts and hundreds of mortar shells, of Qassam rockets fired at our kibbutz and the area, there is finally some retaliation. People are here to see it happening for real.'")
- Dion Nissenbaum, Israeli troops dance as they await the order for a Gaza war, McClatchy Newspapers, December 30, 2008 ("In a muddy field overlooking the smoke-blackened Gaza Strip skyline on Tuesday, young soldiers from an Israeli tank unit linked arms with euphoric civilians and joined them in the hora, a circular dance, in anticipation of a possible ground invasion of the Palestinian territory. ..... On the Israeli side of the frontier, however, the prospect of an expanded war unleashed a surge of emotions. Huge speakers blasted religious songs from the tops of two beat-up cars that brought dozens of civilians to cheer on some of the thousands of troops who would take part in any possible ground invasion.")
- Tim McGirk, The Battle over Gaza, Time, December 31, 2008 ("At 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 27, a new sound filled the azure Mediterranean sky: the rolling boom of Israeli bombs and missiles slamming into Gaza. Many Israelis climbed the low, green hills outside the city of Sderot and cheered while watching black pillars of smoke rise over Gaza as a wave of 64 Israeli jet fighters struck again and again.")
- Matti Friedman and Aron Heller, Israelis feel empowered by attacks against Hamas, Associated Press, January 1, 2009 ("In Sderot, a working-class border town that has been bombarded by thousands of Hamas rockets in recent years, residents said they haven't been this satisfied in a long time. On Wednesday, they cheered to each sound of distant explosions from Israeli airstrikes. [para] 'You see people walking with their heads up in the air again. Finally there is some hope,' said Itzik Biton, 38, who sells falafel at a fast-food stand. [para] Along the Gaza border, Israeli bystanders and police officers stopped their vehicles on the side of the road Thursday to watch Israeli helicopters, drones and fighter jets strike targets in Gaza, cheering with each deafening explosion.")
- Ibrahim Barzak and Jason Keyser, Israeli airstrike kills a top Hamas leader, Associated Press, January 2, 2009 ("Thousands of soldiers waited along the border, resting among tanks, armored personnel carriers and howitzers. The troops watched warplanes and attack helicopters flying into Gaza, cheering each time they heard the explosion of an airstrike."
- Charles Levinson, Israelis Watch the Fighting in Gaza From a Hilly Vantage Point, Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2009 ("A group of police officers nearby took turns snapping pictures of one another with smoking Gaza as a backdrop")
- Dan Williams, Analysis: For many Israelis, Gaza carnage is a necessary evil, Reuters, January 9, 2009
- Griff Witte, The View From Israel: Victors in a Necessary War, Washington Post, January 11, 2009 ("After 15 days of war that have left more than 800 Palestinians dead--as many as half of them civilians, medical officials say --Israelis are sure of two things: They are the victims, and they are also the victors")
- Martin Fletcher and Yonit Farago, Hill of Shame where Gaza bombing is spectator sport, The Times (UK), January 13, 2009 ("Today the hill attracts a very different sort of visitor — the ghoulish and vengeful, the curious and anguished, not to mention television crews. They come not to enjoy the flowers or birdsong, but for a spectacular panoramic view of Israel's relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip. It is, for those that like that sort of thing, the ultimate spectator sport.")
- Ethan Bronner, In Israel, a Consensus That Gaza War Is a Just One, New York Times, January 13, 2009
Avi Pilchick: See Shashank Bengali, Israelis watch bombardment of Gaza town, McClatchy Newspapers, January 5, 2009 ("A tower of white smoke rose from the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun after another Israeli bombardment Monday morning, and a half-dozen Israelis, perched on a dusty hilltop, gazed at the scene like armchair military strategists. [para] Avi Pilchick took a long swig of Pepsi and propped a foot on the plastic patio chair he'd carried up the hillside to watch the fighting. "They are doing good," Pilchick, 20, said of Israeli forces battling Palestinian militants in Gaza , "but they can do more." ... Sderot residents--some of them carrying binoculars--have gathered on the hilltop since the offensive began for a glimpse of the fighting, but little was clear Monday morning besides the pop of outgoing Israeli shells and the occasional helicopter gunship overhead. Pilchick was the only spectator who brought chairs and snacks including bread, cheese and a can of olives.")
Return to text
[29] See Mehdi Lebouachera, Israelis near Gaza call for more strikes on Hamas-run enclave, AFP, December 27, 2008 ("Another resident of the small town, Over Almalia, wants Israel to take drastic measures. 'The army should send an atomic bomb and get rid of the situation there,' he said angrily. 'If we are scared, the people in Gaza should also be scared.'")
Return to text
[30] See Aron Heller, Anxiety, satisfaction in Israel over Gaza assault, Associated Press, December 30, 2008 ("This working-class border town has been pounded with several thousand missiles fired out of Gaza since 2001. Now anxiety is mixed with satisfaction that Israel's military is finally getting even with its tormentors. [para] 'It's about time,' said Victor Turjeman, a 33-year-old electrician. 'We've been waiting for this for eight years.' [para] 'We should keep pounding them until they beg for mercy,' he said. 'As far as I'm concerned, all of Gaza can be erased.'")
Return to text
[31] An adaptation of Condoleezza Rice's famous depiction of Israel's 2006 attack on Lebanon. See Secretary Rice Holds a News Conference, Washington Post, July 21, 2006 ("What we're seeing here, in a sense, is the growing -- the birth pangs of a new Middle East")
Return to text