I all fairness to the Israelis, the latest escalation in their conflict with Palestine is not as bloody as previous escalations have been.
According to Palestinian sources, about 1,000 Palestinians have been killed so far by the nice civilised Isaelis, 75% of them civilians.
According to Israeli authorities, 42 Israelis have been killed by the evil Palestinian terrorists, 2 (a little under 5%) of those civilians.
However, the scale of destruction of the fabric of Gaza is still massive. Not only are the Israelis bombing residential areas into car-parks, but they are also deliberately bulldozing homes as well. Hitler would be proud of them.
They insist they are warning civilians in order to allow them them time to leave targetted areas, and this is true, however, in a territory only 30 miles long by 5 miles wide with the borders sealed off, where should the refugees go?
Those who do manage to find somewhere safe while Israel bombards the area return home to find them completely flattened. Those nice civilised Israelis really know how to make enemies and influence people.
In the meantime, Palestinian militants continue their completely futile fireworks party. Instead of investing in fireworks, perhaps they would make Israel a little more cautious if they spent their money on anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Saturday, July 05, 2014
Oh those brave Israelis....
Those nice, civilised Israelis have been clearing the streets of the
vicious Palestinian 15-year-old terrorists again. You can view the
bravery of the Israeli security forces here.
The same incident viewed from a different angle can be viewed here:
The Israelis have issued a statement effectively saying that the footage is biased, that the security forces were attacked by masked rioters, which presumably is enough to justify their response. This will be interesting, since the nasty 15-year-old terrorist was a US citizen in this case. They drag him off with his head hooded, the nice, brave, civilised Israelis wearing masks. I think I can explain the reference to masked rioters......
More details available from The Jewish Daily Forward
Edit: Those civilised Israelis really know how to look after their juvenile terrorist prisoners.
Image borrowed from http://www.theblaze.com click image to view a larger version.
The same incident viewed from a different angle can be viewed here:
The Israelis have issued a statement effectively saying that the footage is biased, that the security forces were attacked by masked rioters, which presumably is enough to justify their response. This will be interesting, since the nasty 15-year-old terrorist was a US citizen in this case. They drag him off with his head hooded, the nice, brave, civilised Israelis wearing masks. I think I can explain the reference to masked rioters......
More details available from The Jewish Daily Forward
Edit: Those civilised Israelis really know how to look after their juvenile terrorist prisoners.
Image borrowed from http://www.theblaze.com click image to view a larger version.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Machsom - Israeli women peace activists
Not all Israelis are bad. Machsom is an organisation of Israeli women peace activists who amongst other things, monitor the border crossings between the occupied Territories and Israel.
At their site there are a number of articles which highlight Israeli injustices against Palestinians.
One such example is that of Saddam, a 20-year-old Palestinian who has a mental age of only 3. He was detained for no legitimate reason with 3 other Palestinians. All four were released individually at different remote locations and had to make their own way back to their homes. Saddam wasn't found until the following day, when he was picked up by the Palestinian police.
Such examples of inhumanity perpetrated by the Israeli authorities are not unusual, more are catalogued at the links in this article.
At their site there are a number of articles which highlight Israeli injustices against Palestinians.
One such example is that of Saddam, a 20-year-old Palestinian who has a mental age of only 3. He was detained for no legitimate reason with 3 other Palestinians. All four were released individually at different remote locations and had to make their own way back to their homes. Saddam wasn't found until the following day, when he was picked up by the Palestinian police.
Such examples of inhumanity perpetrated by the Israeli authorities are not unusual, more are catalogued at the links in this article.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Prediction: Israel to mount new attack on Gaza
I anticipate that Israel is currently trying to provoke the Palestinians into providing Israel with a pretext for a further large-scale attack against Gaza.
According to Israeli journal "Haaretz", the Israel Air Force has carried out two strikes today, ostensibly targeting known terrorists who were about to launch an imminent attack on Israel.
I don't question that these were known terrorists, but I have grave doubts that they were about to launch an imminent attack. I strongly suspect that Israel is trying to provoke a reaction from the Palestinians in order that they can then use that as a pretext for an already planned military operation in Gaza. Palestinian militants are reported to have already launched an unsuccessful missile attack against Israel in response.
Then in another article at the same newspaper is the following little nugget:
According to Israeli journal "Haaretz", the Israel Air Force has carried out two strikes today, ostensibly targeting known terrorists who were about to launch an imminent attack on Israel.
I don't question that these were known terrorists, but I have grave doubts that they were about to launch an imminent attack. I strongly suspect that Israel is trying to provoke a reaction from the Palestinians in order that they can then use that as a pretext for an already planned military operation in Gaza. Palestinian militants are reported to have already launched an unsuccessful missile attack against Israel in response.
Then in another article at the same newspaper is the following little nugget:
Buckle up, Palestine, I think you are in for another rough ride, and don't expect any support from the 'civilised' countries.....Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz marked the three-year anniversary of Operation Cast Lead yesterday by hailing it "an excellent operation that achieved deterrence for Israel vis-a-vis Hamas." However, he warned, cracks have emerged in that deterrence over time, and a second round of fighting in the Gaza Strip is not a matter of choice for Israel.
Such a round must be initiated by Israel and must be "swift and painful," he said, adding, "I do not advise Hamas to test our mettle."
Monday, June 07, 2010
What all of the fuss is about...
The Israeli justification for the Gaza blockade is that they want to prevent the Palestinians from obtaining rockets or their components to launch against Israel.
Just what are these rockets, and what is their effect?
There are some excellent articles at Wikipedia on the topic, which I draw heavily from in this article, and links to the relevant articles are embedded in the text.
The term "rocket attack" is not entirely accurate. Many of the attacks were in fact mortar attacks which were reported in the media as rocket attacks. Nonetheless, there are similarities, I would prefer to call them 'missile attacks' but purists would say that such a term would also include stone throwing. Confusing, some of the Wiki articles do differentiate between rocket and mortar attacks.
The Weapons
Mortars
Details available at Wikipedia are fairly limited. There is no indication of their range, other than that they are primarily short-range weapons (I would estimate up to 5 miles, though I may be significantly wrong). I have been unable to find out what particular types of mortar are commonly used by the Palestinian militants.
A skilled operator can produce accurate fire from a mortar. The impression that I get is that mortar attacks are usually set up quickly, and not sustained for any length of time due to the likely speed of an Israeli response.
Qassam rocket
According to Wikipedia, the Qassam rocket has been in use by Palestinian militants since 2001. There are 3 variants, with the later models having increased physical size, explosive payload, and range.
They are manufactured from common materials including metal tubing and chemical fertiliser, and either home made or military or industrial grade explosive payloads.
They do not incorporate any guidance systems and are therefore highly inaccurate. They typically have a range of 3-10 km (2-6 miles)
al-Quds
Details of this type of home-made weapon are sparse at Wikipedia. It appears have verys similar characteristics to the Qassam rocket and has been in use since 2006. A video of a larger version, the Quds-4 has apparently been released by the Islamic Jihad group.
Military-grade rockets
Wikipedia reports that 122 mm military rockets similar to those used at ammunition by Russian Katyusha and Grad multi-barrelled rocket launcher systems (MBRL). Although these rockets have a much larger range (30-40 Kms, 18-24 miles) and generally more effective explosive payload, without the appropriate launching systems they are highly inaccurate.
The scale of the threat
Let's examine the scale of the threat. Information at Wikipedia is broken down as follows:
2001- January 2009
More than 8,600 rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza, resulting in 28 fatalities and "several hundred" injuries.
2009
566 rockets were fired during the year, most of these (406) during the Israeli invasion of Gaza which finished on 18th January that year. These figures do not include mortar attacks. I can find reports of 3 fatalities and 186 injuries as a result of these.
2010 (up to and including 3rd June)
A total of 88 missile attacks (40 mortar, 48 rocket) caused 1 fatality and 6 injuries. An additional 2 attempted rocket launches were prevented by Israeli action.
Totals, 2001 - June3 2010
Rocket attacks: 10,014
Fatalities: 32
Injuries: in the order of 1,000 or less
Analysis
As a military weapon, Palestinian militant rockets are ineffective. They have a kill-rate of 0.003% and an injury rate of in the order of 10%, i.e. 9 out of 10 rockets don't hurt anyone. There are two main reasons for the lack of effectiveness; the low-level of technology employed, limiting the accuracy and range of the weapons, and the Israeli 'colour red' missile warning system which provides communities with some notice of imminent attacks.
In some cases, rockets and mortar shells don't even reach Israeli territory.
There is however a psychological effect on Israeli (and Palestinian) communities in range of the missiles which should not be discounted.
By comparison to the 32 fatalities over a period of 9 years suffered by Israel due to missile attacks averages 3.55/year. Over a 28-year period, the IRA killed 1,800 people, an average of 64.28/year.
A note on the effectiveness of the Gaza blockade
As stated in the introduction, the Israelis use the rocket attacks as a justification for the blockade on Gaza. The blockade started in 2007. In that year, there were 1,639 rocket attacks. In the first 6 months of the following year, there were 2,378, after which the rate dropped drastically following the announcement of a cease-fire by Hamas. The implication is that the blockade has no effect on the incidence of rocket attacks against Israel.
Just what are these rockets, and what is their effect?
There are some excellent articles at Wikipedia on the topic, which I draw heavily from in this article, and links to the relevant articles are embedded in the text.
The term "rocket attack" is not entirely accurate. Many of the attacks were in fact mortar attacks which were reported in the media as rocket attacks. Nonetheless, there are similarities, I would prefer to call them 'missile attacks' but purists would say that such a term would also include stone throwing. Confusing, some of the Wiki articles do differentiate between rocket and mortar attacks.
The Weapons
Mortars
Details available at Wikipedia are fairly limited. There is no indication of their range, other than that they are primarily short-range weapons (I would estimate up to 5 miles, though I may be significantly wrong). I have been unable to find out what particular types of mortar are commonly used by the Palestinian militants.
A skilled operator can produce accurate fire from a mortar. The impression that I get is that mortar attacks are usually set up quickly, and not sustained for any length of time due to the likely speed of an Israeli response.
Qassam rocket
According to Wikipedia, the Qassam rocket has been in use by Palestinian militants since 2001. There are 3 variants, with the later models having increased physical size, explosive payload, and range.
They are manufactured from common materials including metal tubing and chemical fertiliser, and either home made or military or industrial grade explosive payloads.
They do not incorporate any guidance systems and are therefore highly inaccurate. They typically have a range of 3-10 km (2-6 miles)
al-Quds
Details of this type of home-made weapon are sparse at Wikipedia. It appears have verys similar characteristics to the Qassam rocket and has been in use since 2006. A video of a larger version, the Quds-4 has apparently been released by the Islamic Jihad group.
Military-grade rockets
Wikipedia reports that 122 mm military rockets similar to those used at ammunition by Russian Katyusha and Grad multi-barrelled rocket launcher systems (MBRL). Although these rockets have a much larger range (30-40 Kms, 18-24 miles) and generally more effective explosive payload, without the appropriate launching systems they are highly inaccurate.
The scale of the threat
Let's examine the scale of the threat. Information at Wikipedia is broken down as follows:2001- January 2009
More than 8,600 rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza, resulting in 28 fatalities and "several hundred" injuries.
2009
566 rockets were fired during the year, most of these (406) during the Israeli invasion of Gaza which finished on 18th January that year. These figures do not include mortar attacks. I can find reports of 3 fatalities and 186 injuries as a result of these.
2010 (up to and including 3rd June)
A total of 88 missile attacks (40 mortar, 48 rocket) caused 1 fatality and 6 injuries. An additional 2 attempted rocket launches were prevented by Israeli action.
Totals, 2001 - June3 2010
Rocket attacks: 10,014
Fatalities: 32
Injuries: in the order of 1,000 or less
Analysis
As a military weapon, Palestinian militant rockets are ineffective. They have a kill-rate of 0.003% and an injury rate of in the order of 10%, i.e. 9 out of 10 rockets don't hurt anyone. There are two main reasons for the lack of effectiveness; the low-level of technology employed, limiting the accuracy and range of the weapons, and the Israeli 'colour red' missile warning system which provides communities with some notice of imminent attacks.
In some cases, rockets and mortar shells don't even reach Israeli territory.
There is however a psychological effect on Israeli (and Palestinian) communities in range of the missiles which should not be discounted.
By comparison to the 32 fatalities over a period of 9 years suffered by Israel due to missile attacks averages 3.55/year. Over a 28-year period, the IRA killed 1,800 people, an average of 64.28/year.
A note on the effectiveness of the Gaza blockade
As stated in the introduction, the Israelis use the rocket attacks as a justification for the blockade on Gaza. The blockade started in 2007. In that year, there were 1,639 rocket attacks. In the first 6 months of the following year, there were 2,378, after which the rate dropped drastically following the announcement of a cease-fire by Hamas. The implication is that the blockade has no effect on the incidence of rocket attacks against Israel.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Europeans just don't understand...
I often see claims that Europeans can't understand the pressure that Israel is under. Well, there are at least 50 million British who do.
Here in the UK we had the Northern Ireland 'troubles' for at least 30 years, during which time over 3,500 people were killed, over 1,800 of which were civilians. There was a period when bombs were a daily occurrence in Northern Ireland, and the UK mainland was also bombed several times, even killing and maiming senior British politicians. There are still breakaway dissident groups prolonging the terrorism today.
To our disgrace, we tried internment (detention without trial) and there were incidents of torture and mistreatment of prisoners. We found that such methods increased the pool of willing volunteers for the terrorist groups.
We didn't bomb or invade the Republic of Ireland, deny food, water, fuel, or medical supplies to what were perceived (with some justification) as 'hostile' communities, use children as human shields, or demolish the homes of terrorist suspects' families. We didn't kill ten or a hundred times as many people as the terrorists did, nor did we violate international waters.
There is currently a fragile peace in Northern Ireland. If we had of done what Israel does, that peace would have been far harder to achieve.
During the troubles, there was a great deal of support (mainly for the republicans, but also for the loyalists) from the USA. The US Government made it difficult or impossible to extradite wanted terrorists to the UK. Only after 9/11 did that change when the USA discovered what it means to be a victim of terrorism.
The USA continues to support Israel. What will it take for them to realise that the sting would be taken out of extreme Islamic terrorism if they would just treat the Palestinians fairly and stop supporting Israel? Another 9/11?
Here in the UK we had the Northern Ireland 'troubles' for at least 30 years, during which time over 3,500 people were killed, over 1,800 of which were civilians. There was a period when bombs were a daily occurrence in Northern Ireland, and the UK mainland was also bombed several times, even killing and maiming senior British politicians. There are still breakaway dissident groups prolonging the terrorism today.
To our disgrace, we tried internment (detention without trial) and there were incidents of torture and mistreatment of prisoners. We found that such methods increased the pool of willing volunteers for the terrorist groups.
We didn't bomb or invade the Republic of Ireland, deny food, water, fuel, or medical supplies to what were perceived (with some justification) as 'hostile' communities, use children as human shields, or demolish the homes of terrorist suspects' families. We didn't kill ten or a hundred times as many people as the terrorists did, nor did we violate international waters.
There is currently a fragile peace in Northern Ireland. If we had of done what Israel does, that peace would have been far harder to achieve.
During the troubles, there was a great deal of support (mainly for the republicans, but also for the loyalists) from the USA. The US Government made it difficult or impossible to extradite wanted terrorists to the UK. Only after 9/11 did that change when the USA discovered what it means to be a victim of terrorism.
The USA continues to support Israel. What will it take for them to realise that the sting would be taken out of extreme Islamic terrorism if they would just treat the Palestinians fairly and stop supporting Israel? Another 9/11?
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Israeli ethnic cleansing continues
Once again, Israel ignores justice and continues its ethnic cleansing policy. According to The Jerusalem Post, two homes housing 53 Palestinians were seized by Israel and within hours were occupied by Jewish settlers. Reports are currently confused, but it appears that a further seven homes in East Jerusalem have suffered the same fate.
The seizures follow a judgement by the Israeli Supreme Court that although the buildings have been occupied by Palestinian families for over 50 years, they were originally owned by Jewish families. The Israeli law allows for Jews to make such claims going back to 1948, but does not permit Palestinians to make similar claims.
East Jerusalem is not a part of Israel, but is part of the occupied territories seized by Israel in 1967 and is not recognised internationally as Israeli territory.
Although this incident has gained international media coverage, it is not an unusual occurrence. According to the United Nations:
"This week, the Israeli Civil Administration demolished four Palestinian-owned structures, including three residential structures, in Al ‘Eizariya, just outside East Jerusalem, due to the lack of building permits. Twenty-five (25) people, including 15 children, were displaced. The demolitions occurred in Area C, in the vicinity of an area planned for the expansion of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement (E1). Since the beginning of 2009, OCHA has recorded the demolition of 17 structures in the same area, 11 of which were residential, leading to the displacement of 56 people.
Also this week, the Israeli High Court of Justice approved the demolition of a house in East Jerusalem on the grounds that it would serve as a “deterrent” measure, the second such decision taken by the Court in 2009. The house belongs to the family of a Palestinian who killed three Israelis while driving a bulldozer in West Jerusalem in July 2008. In February 2005, the Israeli Minister of Defense suspended this type of demolition after a military commission found that such demolitions did not constitute an effective deterrence. According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, between the beginning of the second Intifada and the 2005 suspension, Israel demolished over 600 housing units in the oPt on these grounds."
Ah, bless those nice Israelis, clearing those nasty Palestinian Ghettos - now those evil Palestinians can enjoy the health benefits of living under the stars.
Not all Israelis are bad however. There is an organisation "The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions", which makes an effort to repair an rebuild some of the demolished properties.
Israel's actions have been condemned by the United Nations, the United States State department, the British Consulate in Israel, and several other state representatives from around the world. Only last week the Israeli Ambassador to the US was summoned by the state department and told that Israeli expansion in the occupied territories must cease, drawing accusations by Israeli demonstrators that President Obama was a racist!
I think this is a case of Israel advancing their territorial expansion at the cost of the Palestinian people before sanctions are imposed by the US and the UN. When (if) sanctions are imposed, they will make a token gesture of handing some of their gains back in order to justify the removal of sanctions.
The seizures follow a judgement by the Israeli Supreme Court that although the buildings have been occupied by Palestinian families for over 50 years, they were originally owned by Jewish families. The Israeli law allows for Jews to make such claims going back to 1948, but does not permit Palestinians to make similar claims.
East Jerusalem is not a part of Israel, but is part of the occupied territories seized by Israel in 1967 and is not recognised internationally as Israeli territory.
Although this incident has gained international media coverage, it is not an unusual occurrence. According to the United Nations:
"This week, the Israeli Civil Administration demolished four Palestinian-owned structures, including three residential structures, in Al ‘Eizariya, just outside East Jerusalem, due to the lack of building permits. Twenty-five (25) people, including 15 children, were displaced. The demolitions occurred in Area C, in the vicinity of an area planned for the expansion of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement (E1). Since the beginning of 2009, OCHA has recorded the demolition of 17 structures in the same area, 11 of which were residential, leading to the displacement of 56 people.
Also this week, the Israeli High Court of Justice approved the demolition of a house in East Jerusalem on the grounds that it would serve as a “deterrent” measure, the second such decision taken by the Court in 2009. The house belongs to the family of a Palestinian who killed three Israelis while driving a bulldozer in West Jerusalem in July 2008. In February 2005, the Israeli Minister of Defense suspended this type of demolition after a military commission found that such demolitions did not constitute an effective deterrence. According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, between the beginning of the second Intifada and the 2005 suspension, Israel demolished over 600 housing units in the oPt on these grounds."
Ah, bless those nice Israelis, clearing those nasty Palestinian Ghettos - now those evil Palestinians can enjoy the health benefits of living under the stars.
Not all Israelis are bad however. There is an organisation "The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions", which makes an effort to repair an rebuild some of the demolished properties.
Israel's actions have been condemned by the United Nations, the United States State department, the British Consulate in Israel, and several other state representatives from around the world. Only last week the Israeli Ambassador to the US was summoned by the state department and told that Israeli expansion in the occupied territories must cease, drawing accusations by Israeli demonstrators that President Obama was a racist!
I think this is a case of Israel advancing their territorial expansion at the cost of the Palestinian people before sanctions are imposed by the US and the UN. When (if) sanctions are imposed, they will make a token gesture of handing some of their gains back in order to justify the removal of sanctions.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
What was achieved by the Israeli action?
Background
On 27th December 2008, Israel launched an all-out attack on the Gaza strip. Their objectives were supposedly to suppress Hamas offensive capability by destroying their tunnels used to import weapons, capture or destroy stockpiles of rockets, and to weaken the leadership of Hamas either by killing or capturing the leaders or undermining popular support for them.
Were these really their objectives, and have they achieved them?
Tunnels:
Within a few days of the ending of offensive Israeli action, the BBC filmed people reconstructing some of the tunnels and the International Herald Tribune reports:
If Israel are serious about wanting to prevent the movement of weapons through the tunnels, then they need to remove any popular support for the tunnels by allowing the free movement of fuel, food, medical supplies, and people through "official" border crossing points.
At the best of times, access into Gaza via the Israeli and Egyptian crossing points is laborious, bureaucratic, humiliating, and slow. As far as I am able to tell, the Egyptian crossing point has been effectively closed since June 2007. The Israeli crossing points are opened and closed at will by Israel - during 2008 they were closed in January, March, June, July, September, October, November, and December. There may well be more examples, I found the above by trawling the results of ten pages from a google search. The majority of these closures were in response to rocket attacks, but they had no effect on the rocket launches - they were a collective punishment on the Palestinians and therefore a breach of human rights.
Capture or destruction of Hamas weapons stockpiles:
There is little doubt that a significant quantity of Hamas weapons were destroyed, after all, if you lay waste to a region, you are bound to hit some military targets. I have not seen any Israeli propoganda displaying any captured rockets though.
The only way to tell whether or not this objective was achieved is if Hamas resume their rocket campaign, which I hope that they don't. In any case, with the failure of the tunneling objective, Hamas can resupply should they choose to do so, therefore this objective has also failed substantially.
According to an article on Wikipedia, the Hamas rocket and mortar campaign inflicted 8 Israeli fatalities during 2008, 4 of these after the Israeli offensive started. Israeli casualties during the offensive were 13 dead (including 3 civilians). Palestinian casualties are estimated to be at least 1,300 dead and 5,500 injured. The invasion cost more Israeli lives than were lost in the entire year due to rocket attacks, but Palestinian casualties soared.
Weaken the Hamas leaderhip
The Israelis did kill some prominent Hamas leaders, but these will be replaced. As for undermining popular support for Hamas, the operation has most likely had the opposite effect.
Hamas can't control the actions taken by the Israelis, only the Israelis can. People both inside and outside Gaza know this. It wasn't Hamas that destroyed the palestinian infrastructure, targetted UN buldings (including schools) or killed and maimed thousands of Palestinians, it was the Israelis. If anything, support for Hamas will now be much greater than it was before the offensive. Another Israeli failure?
The real reasons for the Israeli offensive.
Given that the Israelis failed to fully achieve any of the objectives which they were said to have set out to accomplish, it is reasonable to suspect that there were ulterior motives for the action.
Elsewhere in my blog I have laid out evidence that Israel is conducting a gradual programme of genocide. This action is yet another large step towards that "ultimate solution". On that basis, the Israeli action can be seen as a success, but I am sure it was not the only factor which determined the timing of the offensive.
Prior to the offensive, Likud (the main Israeli opposition party) was gaining ground in the run-up to the national elections on February 10th. The leader of Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu, was seen as more nationalist than the other Israeli party leaders. By carrying out the assault on Gaza, Olbert expects to garner support for his Kadima party from the more right-wing electorate. Incidentally, Arab political parties are now banned from taking part in the Israeli elections.
Additionally, Barak Obama was shortly due to be sworn in as President of the United States. Obama appears to be far more objective than Bush in respect to the Middle East, and according to The Times, supports a solution based on the 1967 borders. This is not to Israel's liking, and Obama is viewed as less malleable than Bush was. Given that, there was a possibility that carrying out the operation after the installation of Obama may have drawn unprecedented public criticism of Israel from the White House.
Whether the attack on Gaza will improve Kadima's fortunes in the coming election remains to be seen. If not, then the Israelis can still draw comfort from the 1,300 Palestinians which they killed as a consolation prize.
On 27th December 2008, Israel launched an all-out attack on the Gaza strip. Their objectives were supposedly to suppress Hamas offensive capability by destroying their tunnels used to import weapons, capture or destroy stockpiles of rockets, and to weaken the leadership of Hamas either by killing or capturing the leaders or undermining popular support for them.
Were these really their objectives, and have they achieved them?
Tunnels:
Within a few days of the ending of offensive Israeli action, the BBC filmed people reconstructing some of the tunnels and the International Herald Tribune reports:
These tunnels were no doubt used to import weapons materials, but they were also used to bring in necessities such as food and fuel because of the Israeli obstruction of border crossings. The tunnels will be rebuilt, and Israel may have to continuously repeat the operation to demolish them, only for them to be rebuilt again.RAFAH, Gaza Strip: It was Friday, the Muslim day of rest, but the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt was a hive of activity. Men scraped sandy soil out of holes that had served as tunnels for smuggling, and were one of the main targets of Israel's assault.
Now, less than a week after it ended, Gazans were back, plunging deep underground with lamps to carry rocky loads of soil out on pulleys.
"Everybody's busy rebuilding now," said a manager of one digging team. "In a month, it will be back to normal."
If Israel are serious about wanting to prevent the movement of weapons through the tunnels, then they need to remove any popular support for the tunnels by allowing the free movement of fuel, food, medical supplies, and people through "official" border crossing points.
At the best of times, access into Gaza via the Israeli and Egyptian crossing points is laborious, bureaucratic, humiliating, and slow. As far as I am able to tell, the Egyptian crossing point has been effectively closed since June 2007. The Israeli crossing points are opened and closed at will by Israel - during 2008 they were closed in January, March, June, July, September, October, November, and December. There may well be more examples, I found the above by trawling the results of ten pages from a google search. The majority of these closures were in response to rocket attacks, but they had no effect on the rocket launches - they were a collective punishment on the Palestinians and therefore a breach of human rights.
...I deplore the all-too-frequent breaches of international humanitarian law -- including rocket attacks against civilians, excessive uses of force in civilian areas, and collective punishment of the civilian population. It is vital that Israel ceases actions of collective punishment, and allows all legitimate and necessary humanitarian and commercial supplies to reach the population.However, the tunneling objective was already being worked on, and didn't require offensive military intervention at all according to the 'Slate' web site:
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, February 2008.
The Israelis failed in the tunnel part of their stated objectives - if it really was a serious objective in the first place.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is already working with Egypt on such a system. Recently, the United States allocated $23 million to Egypt for tunnel sensors. Two months ago, Ha'aretz reported that the corps was teaching Egyptian soldiers how to find tunnels using "instruments that measure ground fluctuations." Last week, the Washington Post said the corps was helping Egypt find tunnels with "sonar equipment." Apparently, what worked in Iraq is now being tried to Gaza.
Capture or destruction of Hamas weapons stockpiles:
There is little doubt that a significant quantity of Hamas weapons were destroyed, after all, if you lay waste to a region, you are bound to hit some military targets. I have not seen any Israeli propoganda displaying any captured rockets though.
The only way to tell whether or not this objective was achieved is if Hamas resume their rocket campaign, which I hope that they don't. In any case, with the failure of the tunneling objective, Hamas can resupply should they choose to do so, therefore this objective has also failed substantially.
According to an article on Wikipedia, the Hamas rocket and mortar campaign inflicted 8 Israeli fatalities during 2008, 4 of these after the Israeli offensive started. Israeli casualties during the offensive were 13 dead (including 3 civilians). Palestinian casualties are estimated to be at least 1,300 dead and 5,500 injured. The invasion cost more Israeli lives than were lost in the entire year due to rocket attacks, but Palestinian casualties soared.
Weaken the Hamas leaderhip
The Israelis did kill some prominent Hamas leaders, but these will be replaced. As for undermining popular support for Hamas, the operation has most likely had the opposite effect.
Hamas can't control the actions taken by the Israelis, only the Israelis can. People both inside and outside Gaza know this. It wasn't Hamas that destroyed the palestinian infrastructure, targetted UN buldings (including schools) or killed and maimed thousands of Palestinians, it was the Israelis. If anything, support for Hamas will now be much greater than it was before the offensive. Another Israeli failure?
The real reasons for the Israeli offensive.
Given that the Israelis failed to fully achieve any of the objectives which they were said to have set out to accomplish, it is reasonable to suspect that there were ulterior motives for the action.
Elsewhere in my blog I have laid out evidence that Israel is conducting a gradual programme of genocide. This action is yet another large step towards that "ultimate solution". On that basis, the Israeli action can be seen as a success, but I am sure it was not the only factor which determined the timing of the offensive.
Prior to the offensive, Likud (the main Israeli opposition party) was gaining ground in the run-up to the national elections on February 10th. The leader of Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu, was seen as more nationalist than the other Israeli party leaders. By carrying out the assault on Gaza, Olbert expects to garner support for his Kadima party from the more right-wing electorate. Incidentally, Arab political parties are now banned from taking part in the Israeli elections.
Additionally, Barak Obama was shortly due to be sworn in as President of the United States. Obama appears to be far more objective than Bush in respect to the Middle East, and according to The Times, supports a solution based on the 1967 borders. This is not to Israel's liking, and Obama is viewed as less malleable than Bush was. Given that, there was a possibility that carrying out the operation after the installation of Obama may have drawn unprecedented public criticism of Israel from the White House.
Whether the attack on Gaza will improve Kadima's fortunes in the coming election remains to be seen. If not, then the Israelis can still draw comfort from the 1,300 Palestinians which they killed as a consolation prize.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Genocide continues
Olmert.jpg)
Once again, the Israeli Fuhrer (Ehud Olmert, above) is impatient with the progress of his ethnic cleansing programme and has decided to accelerate it. Concentration camp Gaza corpse production has dropped off over the last few months and needs to be adjusted to meet the annual targets. To make things worse, those evil murdering Palestinian terrorists keep taunting the Vaterland with firework parties. He is reported to have screeched:
"Das ist nicht erlaubt! Jede muss wissen das unserer Feurwerken sind viel Grosser, lauter, und kraftiger als dieser scheisslich kleine dingern.etc, which roughly translated means:
Sieg heil! Sieg Heil! Sieg heil! Sieg Heil! Sieg heil! Sieg Heil!"
"Let's kill a few more Ay-rabs, they're breathing air which could be better employed by Israeli lungs! Those docile Americans and Europeans won't give a shit."Meanwhile, the only official body which does appear to have a working digestive system, the United Nations, released the following press statement:
Gaza, 27 December 2008
The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Karen AbuZayd, expressed her horror to the extensive destruction visited upon Gaza Strip today and her deep sadness to the terrible loss in human life. UNRWA, the United Nation’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, strongly urges the Israeli Government to heed calls for ceasing its bombardment on Gaza. Israel is a signatory to international conventions that protect non-combatants in times of conflict. These conventions are worthless if they are not upheld.
UNRWA will exert all efforts to respond as quickly as possible to relieve suffering and pain. The killings and destruction today followed weeks of a tight blockade that prevented UNRWA, and other humanitarian agencies, from assisting the population and mitigating the difficult economic situation. The population is paying the price from the prolonged blockade, absence of basic needs to 1.5 million persons and now a military escalation.
UNRWA recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns however, its actions should be in conformity with international humanitarian law and it should not use disproportionate force. UNRWA calls on Israel to guarantee humanitarian agencies unrestricted and secure access into Gaza and respect its obligations under international humanitarian law by ensuring the safety of the Palestinian civilian population.
-Ends-
Not an official document. For information only
For more information contact:
Chris Gunness at +972-54-2402659
Adnan Abu-Hasna +0599428061
Sami Mshasha at +972-54-317094
When will those silly Palestinian boys realise that setting off fireworks only provided a pretext for the NAZIs to justify their extension of the 'purification' of Palestinian territory in preparation for further expansion?
Let me give you some advice - if you want to hurt Israel, don't kill people or frighten them with fireworks - hit them where it hurts, in the pocket! Banks and stock markets are heavily reliant on networked computer technology. No-one in Europe or the USA is going to get too excited if some cables get damaged in Tel Aviv, but break one Israeli fingernail and that justifies whatever the NAZIs want to do! Use your brains if you have any.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Those nasty Palestinians..
The running totals for children killed in Palestine and Israel are both depressing and illuminating. 52 Palestinian children have been killed, nearly all of them by direct Israeli Defence Force action. A single Israeli child was killed, not by the Palestinians, but by the IDF. This child was an eleven-year-old called Mahmoud Ibrahim Mahmoud al-Krenawi, "a Bedouin with Israeli citizenship living in the first recognized Bedouin city in Israel, killed by IDF gunfire to his head and pelvis while picking figs at the home of his half brother during an incursion in Saida, near Tulkarem".
Now, remind me again, which one is the civilised, peace-loving, humanitarian state, and which one is the nasty, evil, terrorist, maniacal state?
Joe McGonagle
Now, remind me again, which one is the civilised, peace-loving, humanitarian state, and which one is the nasty, evil, terrorist, maniacal state?
Joe McGonagle
Collective punishment
Stepping-up the genocidal process, Israel decided to cut-off fuel supplies to Gaza last month. This wasn't the first time they have done this - in June, they did the same.
Due to Israeli blockades, there are frequent power cuts, affecting water and sewerage services and Palestinian business's. This can only be seen as a continuation of Israeli policy to keep Palestine poor, ignorant, and weak as a form of "acceptable" genocide.
This has drawn criticism not only from the EU, but from the Israeli justice system as well. In response, Israel has threatened to invade Gaza yet again.
Israel's pretext for this is the increased level of rocket attacks from Gaza. These attacks are futile, simply providing Israel with excuses to conduct their programme of Genocide. When will the idiots firing these rockets learn?
Joe McGonagle
Due to Israeli blockades, there are frequent power cuts, affecting water and sewerage services and Palestinian business's. This can only be seen as a continuation of Israeli policy to keep Palestine poor, ignorant, and weak as a form of "acceptable" genocide.
This has drawn criticism not only from the EU, but from the Israeli justice system as well. In response, Israel has threatened to invade Gaza yet again.
Israel's pretext for this is the increased level of rocket attacks from Gaza. These attacks are futile, simply providing Israel with excuses to conduct their programme of Genocide. When will the idiots firing these rockets learn?
Joe McGonagle
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Catching up..
It's been some time since I updated this blog. In the intervening time, a lot has happened, both in my personal life, and in relation to Palestine. Apologies to Judith for the lack of activity, but Judith is aware of my current circumstances.
There are now two Palestines - the West Bank, controlled by Fatah, and the Gaza strip, effectively under the control of Hamas.
This plays directly into the hands of those sympathetic to Israel, and the situation was actually induced by the USA and the EU by withholding aid from a duly elected Palestinian Government. One could be forgiven for thinking that the situation was deliberately engineered through collaboration between Israel, the UK and the USA. "Divide and Conquer" strategies have been taking place in Israel and the Occupied Territories since Roman times (See Ch. 8 para. 5 of "War of the Jews", Titus Flavius Josephus, 1st Century(AD)).
While the different Palestinian factions are busy fighting each other, Israel can relax and take the moral high ground - allowing them to conduct "business as usual" with the media attention distracted elsewhere.
The Poodle has been retired, but was rewarded with the post of "International Middle East peace envoy". Fatah (Israel and the USA's preferred government) approve, Hamas doesn't. This is the man who if he didn't actually sanction, turned a blind eye to the transport of war materials (mainly bombs and ammunition) from the USA to Israel via the UK for use by Israel during their last attack on Lebanon. Not an ideal qualification for a middle east peace envoy, is it?
Talking of Lebanon, American-based human rights organisation "Human Rights Watch" recently published two report based on investigation of events which took place during the war. The first, published last month, was "Civilians under Assault: Hezbollah’s Rocket Attacks on Israel in the 2006 War". This is highly critical of Hezbollah’s tactics of hiding close to populated areas, and indiscriminate rocket attacks. The second report (published last week) "Why They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon during the 2006 War" places the blame for excessive civilian casualties squarely on the Israelis. The only extract from the report that I will quote now is from the last paragraph of the section "Israeli Policies Contributing to the Civilian Death Toll" on pages 13/14 of the report.
Note the references to "war crimes" above. When victims of war crimes are European (Serbian, Bosnian, Kosovan for example) the perpetrators are hunted down, and if they are caught, they are tried at the European Court of Human Rights. I somehow don't think any Israelis will be tried for war crimes against Lebanon (or indeed Lebanese tried for war crimes against Israel).
When examining the morality aspects, consider the imparity between the two parties. The Israeli Defence Force is well equipped, disciplined, organised, trained, and funded. Hezbollah are poorly equipped, organised, disciplined, trained and funded. Which side ought to be better able to identify and punish war crimes?
A couple of final points before I reluctantly finish this update. There was a rocket attack on Israel from the Gaza strip yesterday, injuring about 70 Israeli soldiers, 4 of them seriously. These attacks do absolutely nothing to highlight the plight of the Palestinians, and actually damage any prospect of gaining international support. No doubt the Israelis will respond with their usual neglect for the safety of non-combatants.
Finally, 8 people were arrested in Israel on suspicion of conducting neo-NAZI attacks on homosexuals, drug addicts, and Orthodox Jews. When the victims are Jewish, it seems that Israel has no stomach for NAZIs, but when the victims are Lebanese or Palestinian, the Israelis are the NAZIs.
Joe McGonagle
There are now two Palestines - the West Bank, controlled by Fatah, and the Gaza strip, effectively under the control of Hamas.
This plays directly into the hands of those sympathetic to Israel, and the situation was actually induced by the USA and the EU by withholding aid from a duly elected Palestinian Government. One could be forgiven for thinking that the situation was deliberately engineered through collaboration between Israel, the UK and the USA. "Divide and Conquer" strategies have been taking place in Israel and the Occupied Territories since Roman times (See Ch. 8 para. 5 of "War of the Jews", Titus Flavius Josephus, 1st Century(AD)).
While the different Palestinian factions are busy fighting each other, Israel can relax and take the moral high ground - allowing them to conduct "business as usual" with the media attention distracted elsewhere.
The Poodle has been retired, but was rewarded with the post of "International Middle East peace envoy". Fatah (Israel and the USA's preferred government) approve, Hamas doesn't. This is the man who if he didn't actually sanction, turned a blind eye to the transport of war materials (mainly bombs and ammunition) from the USA to Israel via the UK for use by Israel during their last attack on Lebanon. Not an ideal qualification for a middle east peace envoy, is it?
Talking of Lebanon, American-based human rights organisation "Human Rights Watch" recently published two report based on investigation of events which took place during the war. The first, published last month, was "Civilians under Assault: Hezbollah’s Rocket Attacks on Israel in the 2006 War". This is highly critical of Hezbollah’s tactics of hiding close to populated areas, and indiscriminate rocket attacks. The second report (published last week) "Why They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon during the 2006 War" places the blame for excessive civilian casualties squarely on the Israelis. The only extract from the report that I will quote now is from the last paragraph of the section "Israeli Policies Contributing to the Civilian Death Toll" on pages 13/14 of the report.
"...they conducted numerous attacks that were indiscriminate, disproportionate, and otherwise unjustified. Such attacks are serious violations of international humanitarian law. To the extent such attacks were conducted with knowledge or reckless indifference to the civilian nature of those being attacked, then those who ordered these attacks would have the criminal intent needed for the commission of war crimes as defined by international humanitarian law. And to the extent that senior commanders or officials knew or should have known that war crimes were being committed, and were in a position of authority to stop the attacks or punish those responsible and did not do so, they would be responsible for war crimes as a matter of command responsibility under international humanitarian law."
Note the references to "war crimes" above. When victims of war crimes are European (Serbian, Bosnian, Kosovan for example) the perpetrators are hunted down, and if they are caught, they are tried at the European Court of Human Rights. I somehow don't think any Israelis will be tried for war crimes against Lebanon (or indeed Lebanese tried for war crimes against Israel).
When examining the morality aspects, consider the imparity between the two parties. The Israeli Defence Force is well equipped, disciplined, organised, trained, and funded. Hezbollah are poorly equipped, organised, disciplined, trained and funded. Which side ought to be better able to identify and punish war crimes?
A couple of final points before I reluctantly finish this update. There was a rocket attack on Israel from the Gaza strip yesterday, injuring about 70 Israeli soldiers, 4 of them seriously. These attacks do absolutely nothing to highlight the plight of the Palestinians, and actually damage any prospect of gaining international support. No doubt the Israelis will respond with their usual neglect for the safety of non-combatants.
Finally, 8 people were arrested in Israel on suspicion of conducting neo-NAZI attacks on homosexuals, drug addicts, and Orthodox Jews. When the victims are Jewish, it seems that Israel has no stomach for NAZIs, but when the victims are Lebanese or Palestinian, the Israelis are the NAZIs.
Joe McGonagle
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Israel 'human shield' suspension
The Israeli army says it has suspended a commander after the unit he led was accused of using Palestinians as human shields in a West Bank raid.
Pah!
Joe McGonagle
Amateur video footage shot earlier this week showed Israeli soldiers apparently forcing Palestinians to stand in front of their armoured jeep.
Israeli law forbids the military from using human shields.
The Israeli army said it was investigating the incident, which reportedly took place in Nablus.
[end quote]
This is a tactic used by the Israelis on a regular basis, the only unusual thing about this case is that they were caught in the act. When placed on the spot, the Israelis usually excuse their behaviour by saying that the Palestinians use similar tactics. This may be true, but I thought the Palestinians were bloodthirsty terrorists, and the Israelis were peace-loving, honourable, generous victims of the situation?Pah!
Joe McGonagle
The poodle yelps at LFI Annual Reception
Last September, Tony (poodle) Blair gave a speech at the Labour Friends of Israel. Again, he betrayed a total lack of understanding of the situation, concluding his speech with the following:
"...So it will not be easy but one thing for all the criticism over the past few months, I can tell you this. I have never actually found it hard to be friend of Israel, I am proud to be a friend of Israel."
It reminds me of the scene in "The Life of Brian" where the prisoner was espousing the virtues of his Roman captors.
I can't make up my mind if he is just deluded, uninformed, or morally bankrupt. The sooner he goes, the better, he is starting to sound more like GW Bush every day.
Joe McGonagle
"...So it will not be easy but one thing for all the criticism over the past few months, I can tell you this. I have never actually found it hard to be friend of Israel, I am proud to be a friend of Israel."
It reminds me of the scene in "The Life of Brian" where the prisoner was espousing the virtues of his Roman captors.
I can't make up my mind if he is just deluded, uninformed, or morally bankrupt. The sooner he goes, the better, he is starting to sound more like GW Bush every day.
Joe McGonagle
Palestinians carrying out Israeli objectives.
Much though I sympathise with the Palestinian cause, they are their own enemies much of the time.
BBC Journalist Alan Johnson is a good example. Alan was also sympathetic to the Palestinian people and in return for his efforts to expose the reality of Israeli oppression, he was rewarded by being kidnapped and probably murdered by the very people he was helping. The Israelis will be pleased because there is one less person to report on their actions, and also because it supports their projection of the Palestinians as brutal, ruthless murderers.
Another example of Palestinians doing the Israeli's work for them, is the conflict between Hamas and Fatah. If Palestinians go on killing other Palestinians, Israel will eventually be the uncontested "owner" of the occupied territories because there won't be anyone left to challenge them. Once again, Palestinian action lends support to the Israeli projection of Palestinians as bloodthirsty criminals.
The relatively recent flare-up of hostility between Hamas and Fatah was orchestrated by Israel, the USA, and Europe (especially the UK). By withholding financial support, social conditions in the West Bank and Gaza degenerated to such an extent that civil disorder was almost inevitable. This fact could not have been unexpected by the countries who withheld the aid, and they should be held accountable for their part in the humanitarian crisis which developed.
This does not excuse the stupidity of the Palestinians who fell into the trap that was set though. They should have realised that this was the objective of the USA and UK, and refused to carry out their dirty work.
Grow up Palestine and face the facts. Israel exists - no amount of denial will change that. Reluctance to acknowledge that fact and also recognise that they now have the right to exist by virtue of the fact that they have possession of the territory and the military might to hang on to it is like saying that men have the right to bear children, even though they do not have the necessary organs. History dictates that in these circumstances, the group with the power will prevail. What does Palestine stand to lose if they acknowledge the right of Israel to exist, and what do Palestinians stand to gain? Make the concession, gain strength, and when Palestine is in a position of power, wield that power. Just don't do so in the way that Israel is now doing.
Joe McGonagle
BBC Journalist Alan Johnson is a good example. Alan was also sympathetic to the Palestinian people and in return for his efforts to expose the reality of Israeli oppression, he was rewarded by being kidnapped and probably murdered by the very people he was helping. The Israelis will be pleased because there is one less person to report on their actions, and also because it supports their projection of the Palestinians as brutal, ruthless murderers.
Another example of Palestinians doing the Israeli's work for them, is the conflict between Hamas and Fatah. If Palestinians go on killing other Palestinians, Israel will eventually be the uncontested "owner" of the occupied territories because there won't be anyone left to challenge them. Once again, Palestinian action lends support to the Israeli projection of Palestinians as bloodthirsty criminals.
The relatively recent flare-up of hostility between Hamas and Fatah was orchestrated by Israel, the USA, and Europe (especially the UK). By withholding financial support, social conditions in the West Bank and Gaza degenerated to such an extent that civil disorder was almost inevitable. This fact could not have been unexpected by the countries who withheld the aid, and they should be held accountable for their part in the humanitarian crisis which developed.
This does not excuse the stupidity of the Palestinians who fell into the trap that was set though. They should have realised that this was the objective of the USA and UK, and refused to carry out their dirty work.
Grow up Palestine and face the facts. Israel exists - no amount of denial will change that. Reluctance to acknowledge that fact and also recognise that they now have the right to exist by virtue of the fact that they have possession of the territory and the military might to hang on to it is like saying that men have the right to bear children, even though they do not have the necessary organs. History dictates that in these circumstances, the group with the power will prevail. What does Palestine stand to lose if they acknowledge the right of Israel to exist, and what do Palestinians stand to gain? Make the concession, gain strength, and when Palestine is in a position of power, wield that power. Just don't do so in the way that Israel is now doing.
Joe McGonagle
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Labour Friends of Israel
In December 2006, I emailed a group called "Labour friends of Israel" as follows:
Guess what? No response.
Taking a look at the members list of LFI is reminiscent of the "cash for Honours" scandal. Elsewhere, I mentioned a reported scam whereby US grants to Israel were being filtered back to lobby groups and political parties in the USA. Could something similar be happening here? Let's hope the "cash for honours" investigation turns something up.
Joe McGonagle
Subject: B'Tselem annual report
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 07:01:13 +0000
From: Joe McGonagle
To: mail@lfi.org.uk
Hello,
Israeli civil rights organisation "B'Tselem" published it's
annual report two days ago. Some of the low-lights are:
* 660 Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces, at least
322 of which were not involved in active hostilities at the time,
and 141 of which were minors. This is in comparison to a total of
23 Israelis killed by Palestinians including 17 civilians, one of
which was a minor.
* Israel demolished in the order of 300 Palestinian homes,
rendering about 1,800 Palestinians homeless. The Palestinians
didn't demolish any Israeli homes.
The report can be read in all of it's gory detail at:
http://www.btselem.org/english/Press_Releases/20061228.asp
Please can you advise:
1) What pressure LFI is bringing to bear on Israel to curtail
their inhumane activities against the Palestinians?
2) Does LFI regard B'Tselem as a reliable source of information?
If not, why is that?
3) What are LFI's views about the contents of B'Tselem's annual
report?
Regards,
Joe McGonagle
(UK voter, Stoke-on-Trent)
Guess what? No response.
Taking a look at the members list of LFI is reminiscent of the "cash for Honours" scandal. Elsewhere, I mentioned a reported scam whereby US grants to Israel were being filtered back to lobby groups and political parties in the USA. Could something similar be happening here? Let's hope the "cash for honours" investigation turns something up.
Joe McGonagle
Israeli and Lebanese silence
In September last year, I sent a letter to the Lebanese Embassy, and emailed the Israeli Embassy and the British Foreign Office, requesting each of their perspectives on the incident which triggered the Israeli attack on Lebanon. I received the following from the UK FCO:
Joe McGonagle
I have had absolutely no response from the Lebanese or Israeli embassies. I find that difficult to understand - if either the Lebanese or the Israelis wanted to clarify the situation, this was their opportunity. I am inclined to put down the Israeli lack of response to embarrassment, but what of the Lebanese response? This really does call into question all of the rumours spreading about the trigger event, and I can quite understand why HMG take the view which they do in the absence of any official refutation from Lebanon.Dear Mr McGonagle
Thank you for your email of 30 September about the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah on 12 July.
The Israeli authorities are clear that the two Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers were abducted by Hizbollah from Israeli territory during an IDF patrol in Zar'it close to the Lebanese border. We are not aware of claims to the contrary by the Lebanese government. Once the soldiers were captured, some IDF personnel went into Lebanon in pursuit, some of whom were killed.
Steven [removed]
Head, Correspondence/Parliament Unit
Middle East Peace Process and Near East Teams
Arab/Israel and North Africa Group
Middle East and North Africa Directorate
W.2.80
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH
Email: [removed]@fco.gov.uk
Joe McGonagle
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Blair on Democracy in the Middle East
From a speech by our great leader to business leaders in Dubai on 20th December:
..."Our task is to mobilise that desire and harness it to ensure that all people here can have opportunities for safety, security, democracy, freedom and economic prosperity. Otherwise we allow the forces of extremism to win in the absence of a clear and constantly articulated alternative vision."...
The Palestinians exercised democratic freedom, and in return, Bliar and other Western countries withdrew funding from the Palestinians, crippling their economy, security, and rights to freedom and justice.
..."The lesson of all of this I see as startlingly real, clear and menacing. There is a monumental struggle going on worldwide between those who believe in democracy and modernisation, and forces of reaction and extremism. It is the 21st century challenge. Yet a great part of our own opinion either thinks there is no common theme to it all; or if there is, is inclined to believe that it is our - that is America and its allies - fault that this is so."...
The lesson as I see it is that the West is supporting a ruthless and corrupt state of Israel against a struggling society in Palestine. America and it's allies (including the UK) are complicit in supporting criminal genocidal policies being implemented by the Israelis. Is it any wonder that moslems generally see the UK and USA as bullying, hypocritical, self-interested parties that can't be trusted?
..."Here are elements of the Government of Iran openly supporting terrorism in Iraq to stop a fledgling democratic process, trying to turn out a democratically elected Government in Lebanon, flaunting the international community's desire for peace in Palestine - at the same time as denying the Holocaust and trying to acquire a nuclear weapon capability: and yet a huge part of world opinion is frankly almost indifferent. It would be bizarre if it weren't so deadly serious."...
Here are elements of the Government of the United Kingdom openly supporting Israeli terrorism and genocide, undermining a democratically elected Palestinian Government, ignoring the non-aryan desire for justice in Palestine.
More faces than a Dodecahedron... put the pooch out of his misery, for the sake of the next 600 victims of Israeli tyranny.
Joe McGonagle
..."Our task is to mobilise that desire and harness it to ensure that all people here can have opportunities for safety, security, democracy, freedom and economic prosperity. Otherwise we allow the forces of extremism to win in the absence of a clear and constantly articulated alternative vision."...
The Palestinians exercised democratic freedom, and in return, Bliar and other Western countries withdrew funding from the Palestinians, crippling their economy, security, and rights to freedom and justice.
..."The lesson of all of this I see as startlingly real, clear and menacing. There is a monumental struggle going on worldwide between those who believe in democracy and modernisation, and forces of reaction and extremism. It is the 21st century challenge. Yet a great part of our own opinion either thinks there is no common theme to it all; or if there is, is inclined to believe that it is our - that is America and its allies - fault that this is so."...
The lesson as I see it is that the West is supporting a ruthless and corrupt state of Israel against a struggling society in Palestine. America and it's allies (including the UK) are complicit in supporting criminal genocidal policies being implemented by the Israelis. Is it any wonder that moslems generally see the UK and USA as bullying, hypocritical, self-interested parties that can't be trusted?
..."Here are elements of the Government of Iran openly supporting terrorism in Iraq to stop a fledgling democratic process, trying to turn out a democratically elected Government in Lebanon, flaunting the international community's desire for peace in Palestine - at the same time as denying the Holocaust and trying to acquire a nuclear weapon capability: and yet a huge part of world opinion is frankly almost indifferent. It would be bizarre if it weren't so deadly serious."...
Here are elements of the Government of the United Kingdom openly supporting Israeli terrorism and genocide, undermining a democratically elected Palestinian Government, ignoring the non-aryan desire for justice in Palestine.
More faces than a Dodecahedron... put the pooch out of his misery, for the sake of the next 600 victims of Israeli tyranny.
Joe McGonagle
Israeli atrocities on the increase in 2006
Israeli civil rights organisation "B'Tselem" published it's annual report two days ago. Some of the low-lights are:
Joe McGonagle
- 660 Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces, at least 322 of which were not involved in active hostilities at the time, and 141 of which were minors. This is in comparison to a total of 23 Israelis killed by Palestinians including 17 civilians, one of which was a minor.
- Israel demolished in the order of 300 Palestinian homes, rendering about 1,800 Palestinians homeless. The Palestinians didn't demolish any Israeli homes.
Joe McGonagle
What started the war in Lebanon?
In an attempt to gain clarity about the events leading up to Israel's attack on Lebanon, I asked the Lebanese and Israeli embassies in London which version of the incident was correct. One version is that an Israeli patrol was attacked inside the Lebanese border, and another version is that the patrol was on Israeli soil at the time of the attack.
Several months have passed since I wrote to the embassies, but I have had no reply from either as yet. Perhaps the Lebanese and Israelis are both uncertain of the truth.
I also asked the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office which version they accepted, and why. They informed me that they accept the Israeli version, because the Lebanese Government has not denied it.
I am left little option but to assume therefore that the Israeli version is correct, unless any readers have some substantive evidence to the contrary?
Joe McGonagle
Several months have passed since I wrote to the embassies, but I have had no reply from either as yet. Perhaps the Lebanese and Israelis are both uncertain of the truth.
I also asked the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office which version they accepted, and why. They informed me that they accept the Israeli version, because the Lebanese Government has not denied it.
I am left little option but to assume therefore that the Israeli version is correct, unless any readers have some substantive evidence to the contrary?
Joe McGonagle
Cluster bomb casualties still occuring
In the last few hours of Israel's unwarranted attack on Lebanon, they increased their use of cluster bombs. These are notorious for failing to detonate, and have a similar effect to anti-personnel mines which are illegal. There was no tactical or strategic justification for the use of these weapons, especially at such a late stage in the conflict. The main effect of their use has been to impede the return of the civilian population and the delivery of vital aid to areas which are most in need.
According to a press report, 5 more lives have been claimed by these devices in Lebanon on Christmas eve, and two Belgian soldiers on mine-clearing operations have been injured according to a BBC news item yesterday. Fatalities due to cluster bombs since the official cease-fire on 14/8/06 stand at at least 28.
...and some deluded people still insist that the Israelis are just defending themselves???
Joe McGonagle
According to a press report, 5 more lives have been claimed by these devices in Lebanon on Christmas eve, and two Belgian soldiers on mine-clearing operations have been injured according to a BBC news item yesterday. Fatalities due to cluster bombs since the official cease-fire on 14/8/06 stand at at least 28.
...and some deluded people still insist that the Israelis are just defending themselves???
Joe McGonagle
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Religion - the font of madness.
There were some surprises in the The Times last Thursday (21/12/06). Starting with an article about Rabbi Ahron Cohen, a member of a Jewish anti-Zionist group called "Neturei Karta" who attended a bizarre conference in Iran.
Though I have the greatest respect for Rabbi Cohen's stance on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, and Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people, I think he made a very ill-considered decision to attend the conference. Also present at the conference was a former "Imperial Wizard" of the Klu Klutz Klan (David Duke, typo deliberate), and holocaust denialists such as Robert Faurisson and Fredrick Töben.
In an earlier article in The Times, Cohen is quoted as saying:
"There is no question that there was a Holocaust and gas chambers. There are too many eyewitnesses. However, our approach is that when one suffers, the one who perpetrates the suffering is obviously guilty but he will never succeed if the victim did not deserve it in one way or another. We have to look within to improve and try to better ourselves and remove those characteristics or actions that may have been the cause of the success of the Holocaust."
If we take his statement at face value, this would mean that the Palestinians deserve whatever they get, because God/Allah would have protected them if they were deserving. The same applies to any form of suffering on the planet. Is it only Christianity that (hypocritically) preaches forgiveness and tolerance?
Other aspects of the doctrine of Neturei Karta is that the very concept of a sovereign Jewish state is contrary to Jewish Law, and that they are the only "true" practitioners of Judaism.
What a crazy, mixed up world we live in - not only do we have Sunni, Druze and Shia Moslems tearing each other apart, Catholic, Protestant and plain whacky Christians, but the Jewish faith is also clearly splintered. On balance, the nature of any organised religion of any faith is chaos and killing. Remove religion, and the world would be a happier and safer place for all of us - or would we just find other ways to damage ourselves? Perhaps eye/hair colouring, or preference for certain foods would become new mass-movements to provide reasons for killing each other in addition to political beliefs, racial origin, sexuality, etc?
Joe McGonagle
Though I have the greatest respect for Rabbi Cohen's stance on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, and Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people, I think he made a very ill-considered decision to attend the conference. Also present at the conference was a former "Imperial Wizard" of the Klu Klutz Klan (David Duke, typo deliberate), and holocaust denialists such as Robert Faurisson and Fredrick Töben.
In an earlier article in The Times, Cohen is quoted as saying:
"There is no question that there was a Holocaust and gas chambers. There are too many eyewitnesses. However, our approach is that when one suffers, the one who perpetrates the suffering is obviously guilty but he will never succeed if the victim did not deserve it in one way or another. We have to look within to improve and try to better ourselves and remove those characteristics or actions that may have been the cause of the success of the Holocaust."
If we take his statement at face value, this would mean that the Palestinians deserve whatever they get, because God/Allah would have protected them if they were deserving. The same applies to any form of suffering on the planet. Is it only Christianity that (hypocritically) preaches forgiveness and tolerance?
Other aspects of the doctrine of Neturei Karta is that the very concept of a sovereign Jewish state is contrary to Jewish Law, and that they are the only "true" practitioners of Judaism.
What a crazy, mixed up world we live in - not only do we have Sunni, Druze and Shia Moslems tearing each other apart, Catholic, Protestant and plain whacky Christians, but the Jewish faith is also clearly splintered. On balance, the nature of any organised religion of any faith is chaos and killing. Remove religion, and the world would be a happier and safer place for all of us - or would we just find other ways to damage ourselves? Perhaps eye/hair colouring, or preference for certain foods would become new mass-movements to provide reasons for killing each other in addition to political beliefs, racial origin, sexuality, etc?
Joe McGonagle
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Child casualties of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict during September 2006
The folllowing information was obtained from www.rememberthesechildren.org.
Palestinian children killed by the civilised, compassionate, democratic state of Israel:
10 September 2006
Jihad Selmi Abu Snaima, 14 of al-Shouka village, east of Rafah Killed by shrapnel from an Israeli shell.
11 September 2006
Ma’ath al-Shayeb, 17 of Kufor Ne’ma village, west of Ramallah, Killed by an explosion of unknown origin. (Comment from Joe - Okay, it is possible that this one was making a bomb to kill the nice cuddly Israelis, but it is possible that he was killed by unexploded ordinance from Israeli action - maybe a cluster bomb?).
12 September 2006
Mohammed ‘Omar ‘Awad Shoriya, 13 of Rakhma village, southeast of Bethlehem, Shot in the back by Israeli forces. (Comment from Joe - those brave Israeli soldiers couldn't even look this 13-year-old terrorist in the eye when they killed him).
14 September 2006
Hanan Mohammed Isma’il Abu ‘Oudeh, 16 of Beit Hanoun, Gaza, Died in an Israeli hospital from gunfire wounds sustained on Sep. 2, when she tried to rescue the bodies of her father and brother during an Israeli ground offensive. (Comment from Joe - she must have deserved it, trying to save a terrorist).
21 September 2006
Ala Saqer Dahrouj Abu Dahrouj, 15, Zeidan Rafiq Mohammad Abu Rashid, 16, Mohammad Selmi Mohammad Masalha, 17 , all of of Jabalya, Gaza Strip, Killed by an Israeli surface-to-surface missile while herding sheep. (Comment from Joe - no doubt the "Sheep" were actually rocket launchers in disguise).
Israeli children killed by the ruthless, evil Palestinian terrorists:
None.
Joe McGonagle
Palestinian children killed by the civilised, compassionate, democratic state of Israel:
10 September 2006
Jihad Selmi Abu Snaima, 14 of al-Shouka village, east of Rafah Killed by shrapnel from an Israeli shell.
11 September 2006
Ma’ath al-Shayeb, 17 of Kufor Ne’ma village, west of Ramallah, Killed by an explosion of unknown origin. (Comment from Joe - Okay, it is possible that this one was making a bomb to kill the nice cuddly Israelis, but it is possible that he was killed by unexploded ordinance from Israeli action - maybe a cluster bomb?).
12 September 2006
Mohammed ‘Omar ‘Awad Shoriya, 13 of Rakhma village, southeast of Bethlehem, Shot in the back by Israeli forces. (Comment from Joe - those brave Israeli soldiers couldn't even look this 13-year-old terrorist in the eye when they killed him).
14 September 2006
Hanan Mohammed Isma’il Abu ‘Oudeh, 16 of Beit Hanoun, Gaza, Died in an Israeli hospital from gunfire wounds sustained on Sep. 2, when she tried to rescue the bodies of her father and brother during an Israeli ground offensive. (Comment from Joe - she must have deserved it, trying to save a terrorist).
21 September 2006
Ala Saqer Dahrouj Abu Dahrouj, 15, Zeidan Rafiq Mohammad Abu Rashid, 16, Mohammad Selmi Mohammad Masalha, 17 , all of of Jabalya, Gaza Strip, Killed by an Israeli surface-to-surface missile while herding sheep. (Comment from Joe - no doubt the "Sheep" were actually rocket launchers in disguise).
Israeli children killed by the ruthless, evil Palestinian terrorists:
Joe McGonagle
Israelis continue the killing following the Lebanon "withdrawal".
Towards the end of the recent conflict in Lebanon, Israel increased it's use of cluster bombs. There is no obvious military reason for doing so, other than to inflict more casualties _after_ the "end of hostilitities".
Cluster bombs are notorious for failing to detonate, and in effect become anti-personnel mines. As refugees start to return to the areas which they were forced out of by the Israelis, and relief agencies start to move in to the worst effected areas, it is inevitable that there would be more casualties. It is also inevitable that most of the casualties will be children.
In Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" an IDF commander expressed his concerns about the totally inappropriate use of these weapons:
So, why would Israel deliberately take actions which would indiscriminately continue killing Lebanese (or international relief workers) beyond the "official end to hostilities"? The only reasons that I can think of are:
1. To inhibit the deployment of relief to the effected areas, thereby increasing the risk of starvation and disease to returning refugees.
2. To increase the Lebanese casualties beyond the cease-fire agreed with the UN.
Are these the actions of a state that was genuinely defending it's citizens, or are they effectively further examples of genocidal policy in Lebanon? The answer should be clear to anyone reading this.
Joe McGonagle
Cluster bombs are notorious for failing to detonate, and in effect become anti-personnel mines. As refugees start to return to the areas which they were forced out of by the Israelis, and relief agencies start to move in to the worst effected areas, it is inevitable that there would be more casualties. It is also inevitable that most of the casualties will be children.
In Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" an IDF commander expressed his concerns about the totally inappropriate use of these weapons:
"What we did was insane and monstrous, we covered entire towns in cluster bombs," the head of an IDF rocket unit in Lebanon said regarding the use of cluster bombs and phosphorous shells during the war.
Quoting his battalion commander, the rocket unit head stated that the IDF fired around 1,800 cluster bombs, containing over 1.2 million cluster bomblets.
In addition, soldiers in IDF artillery units testified that the army used phosphorous shells during the war, widely forbidden by international law. According to their claims, the vast majority of said explosive ordinance was fired in the final 10 days of the war.
According to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (Jan Egeland):
So, why would Israel deliberately take actions which would indiscriminately continue killing Lebanese (or international relief workers) beyond the "official end to hostilities"? The only reasons that I can think of are:
1. To inhibit the deployment of relief to the effected areas, thereby increasing the risk of starvation and disease to returning refugees.
2. To increase the Lebanese casualties beyond the cease-fire agreed with the UN.
Are these the actions of a state that was genuinely defending it's citizens, or are they effectively further examples of genocidal policy in Lebanon? The answer should be clear to anyone reading this.
Joe McGonagle
Saturday, September 23, 2006
More faces than a Dodecahedron...
Last week I saw both Bush and his poodle Blair giving speeches. I couldn't believe what I was watching and hearing.
Firstly, both of them expressed a willingness to assist with a resolution to the "Palestinian problem". This in spite of the fact that both withdrew funding for the Palestinian territories after HAMAS was democratically elected by the Palestinian people to represent them.
Both of them expressed a desire to encourage democracy in the Middle East. Quite aside from the fact that it isn't up to them to decide what type of government administers any foreign state, when a government which they don't approve of _is_ democratically elected, they immediately withdraw support for it! Which states in the Middle East can credit either Blair or Bush with any sincerity when they rabbit on about democracy?
Blair also whined that he wants to help the Lebanese peope recover from the Israeli attacks. All well and good Tony, but how can you reconcile this with the tacit approval given to the USA to use British soil and airspace to resupply the Israeli war machine during the Lebanese conflict?
It is up to the American people to decide the fate of their President. For myself, I will not support any party that has a multi-headed Hydra for a leader. Labour, it is definitely time for a change of leader, not when the poodle decides it is time for "walkies", but now!
With so many faces, I wonder what the costs of cosmetics are for both Blair and Bush? It cost the Lebanon 1,600 lives and a legacy of thousands of crippled, deprived, and unhappy citizens. The Palestinians are still clinging to survival, in spite of the actions of Israel and British and American support of Israeli genocidal policy.
Joe McGonagle
Firstly, both of them expressed a willingness to assist with a resolution to the "Palestinian problem". This in spite of the fact that both withdrew funding for the Palestinian territories after HAMAS was democratically elected by the Palestinian people to represent them.
Both of them expressed a desire to encourage democracy in the Middle East. Quite aside from the fact that it isn't up to them to decide what type of government administers any foreign state, when a government which they don't approve of _is_ democratically elected, they immediately withdraw support for it! Which states in the Middle East can credit either Blair or Bush with any sincerity when they rabbit on about democracy?
Blair also whined that he wants to help the Lebanese peope recover from the Israeli attacks. All well and good Tony, but how can you reconcile this with the tacit approval given to the USA to use British soil and airspace to resupply the Israeli war machine during the Lebanese conflict?
It is up to the American people to decide the fate of their President. For myself, I will not support any party that has a multi-headed Hydra for a leader. Labour, it is definitely time for a change of leader, not when the poodle decides it is time for "walkies", but now!
With so many faces, I wonder what the costs of cosmetics are for both Blair and Bush? It cost the Lebanon 1,600 lives and a legacy of thousands of crippled, deprived, and unhappy citizens. The Palestinians are still clinging to survival, in spite of the actions of Israel and British and American support of Israeli genocidal policy.
Joe McGonagle
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Israel denies humanitarian aid to Palestinians
Here is evidence of the Israeli policy in respect to the Palestinians (keep them poor, keep them sick, keep them uneducated, and keep them weak).
Source: United Nations Relief and Works Agency
UNRWA PRESS RELEASE
Press Release No. HQ/G/15/2006
24 August 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Children Pay the Price as UNRWA Operations in Gaza are Grinding to a Halt
UNRWA warned on Thursday that the Agency’s Gaza operation is grinding to a halt because of the lack of access in and out of Gaza. The principal goods terminal, Karni, remains closed for the
seventh consecutive day. As a result, shortages of food, fuel and constructions supplies are jeopardizing every element of UNRWA’s Gaza operation at the moment. John Ging, UNRWA’s
Director of Operations in Gaza said that “the food distribution to 830,000 people will not commence as planned next week, unless Karni opens and a solution is found to get the containers quickly through the port of Ashdod, where there are also massive delays because of the fallout from the conflict with Lebanon.”
The Agency has just one week’s fuel supply remaining. Since the Gaza Power Plant was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in late June, the operation of UNRWA health clinics is heavily dependant on generator power. “If we run out of fuel, this will be extremely serious in terms of the storage of medical supplies and the operation of medical equipment at UNRWA’s 18 health centers throughout the Gaza Strip,” John Ging said.
As for construction supplies, UNRWA highlighted that almost none have entered Gaza since late June, which is a particular problem as the Agency prepares for the return of its 194,000 students next week. “The work to repair the schools damaged in the military operations over the past two months is not finished as supplies have run out,” John Ging said. The long-awaited extension to the UNRWA vocational training center in Gaza City is also half-finished and with no alternative accommodation available, UNRWA has been forced to postpone commencement of the seven technical courses involved until November. “Children are once again paying the price in this conflict,” Ging stated.
Ging described the overall humanitarian living conditions in Gaza, as “miserable, frustrating and still deteriorating.” He said that “the opportunities opened up by last year’s disengagement by Israel from the settlements in Gaza are fading. The prospects are very worrying as Gaza is now cut off economically from the outside world and even keeping our humanitarian operations going is an expensive struggle”.
UNRWA is now facing a bill of some 1 million dollars from its Israeli shipping agents in demurrage charges directly arising from the closures of Karni crossing.
For more information please contact:
Jerusalem: Gaza: Gaza:
Johan Eriksson Adnan Abu-Hasna Jamal Hamad
Office: +972-2-5890249 Office: +972-8-6777531 Office: +972-8-6777488
-5890408 Mobile: +972-599428061
Mobile: +972-542402632
Source: United Nations Relief and Works Agency
UNRWA PRESS RELEASE
Press Release No. HQ/G/15/2006
24 August 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Children Pay the Price as UNRWA Operations in Gaza are Grinding to a Halt
UNRWA warned on Thursday that the Agency’s Gaza operation is grinding to a halt because of the lack of access in and out of Gaza. The principal goods terminal, Karni, remains closed for the
seventh consecutive day. As a result, shortages of food, fuel and constructions supplies are jeopardizing every element of UNRWA’s Gaza operation at the moment. John Ging, UNRWA’s
Director of Operations in Gaza said that “the food distribution to 830,000 people will not commence as planned next week, unless Karni opens and a solution is found to get the containers quickly through the port of Ashdod, where there are also massive delays because of the fallout from the conflict with Lebanon.”
The Agency has just one week’s fuel supply remaining. Since the Gaza Power Plant was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in late June, the operation of UNRWA health clinics is heavily dependant on generator power. “If we run out of fuel, this will be extremely serious in terms of the storage of medical supplies and the operation of medical equipment at UNRWA’s 18 health centers throughout the Gaza Strip,” John Ging said.
As for construction supplies, UNRWA highlighted that almost none have entered Gaza since late June, which is a particular problem as the Agency prepares for the return of its 194,000 students next week. “The work to repair the schools damaged in the military operations over the past two months is not finished as supplies have run out,” John Ging said. The long-awaited extension to the UNRWA vocational training center in Gaza City is also half-finished and with no alternative accommodation available, UNRWA has been forced to postpone commencement of the seven technical courses involved until November. “Children are once again paying the price in this conflict,” Ging stated.
Ging described the overall humanitarian living conditions in Gaza, as “miserable, frustrating and still deteriorating.” He said that “the opportunities opened up by last year’s disengagement by Israel from the settlements in Gaza are fading. The prospects are very worrying as Gaza is now cut off economically from the outside world and even keeping our humanitarian operations going is an expensive struggle”.
UNRWA is now facing a bill of some 1 million dollars from its Israeli shipping agents in demurrage charges directly arising from the closures of Karni crossing.
For more information please contact:
Jerusalem: Gaza: Gaza:
Johan Eriksson Adnan Abu-Hasna Jamal Hamad
Office: +972-2-5890249 Office: +972-8-6777531 Office: +972-8-6777488
-5890408 Mobile: +972-599428061
Mobile: +972-542402632
Lebanon conflict - casualty statistics
There is a very good article at Wikipedia which attempts to provide statistics about casualties during the conflict. It is very difficult to obtain accurate figures; For example, Israel claims it killed 500 Hezbollah fighters, Hezbollah claim that only 74 were killed. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Because of the propoganda, only an idea of the true casualties can be obtained.
Whichever way you cut the figures, at least 66% of people killed by the Israelis were civilians, whereas only 25% of those killed by Hezbollah were civilians. Importantly, Hezbollah did not have the accurate technology which was available to the Israelis, if they did, their figure would probably be even less than 25%.
Against this, it has been argued (probably correctly to some extent) that Hezbollah sited their forces close to civilians. I still don't think that this argument justifies the differential, given the better technology available to the Israelis, the sparseness of the civilian population in Southern Lebanon (many of the civilians left the area quite early in the conflict), and the fact that the Israelis had the option as to whether or not to attack a particular target.
The only conclusion that I can reach is that Israel were negligent in their targeting policy, or else they were deliberately targeting civilians. Either way, it demonstrates that they considered Lebanese civilians as expendable (in the order of 1,600 were killed outright and 3,600 wounded).
The Israelis must be disappointed that they had to stop killing civilians before they managed to finish the job completely - just as Hitler failed to eradicate the Jews in WWII. Still, they have scope for more success in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, maybe they will manage to complete the task there (the West are still turning a blind eye to the Israeli attempts of genocide against the Palestinians).
Joe McGonagle
Whichever way you cut the figures, at least 66% of people killed by the Israelis were civilians, whereas only 25% of those killed by Hezbollah were civilians. Importantly, Hezbollah did not have the accurate technology which was available to the Israelis, if they did, their figure would probably be even less than 25%.
Against this, it has been argued (probably correctly to some extent) that Hezbollah sited their forces close to civilians. I still don't think that this argument justifies the differential, given the better technology available to the Israelis, the sparseness of the civilian population in Southern Lebanon (many of the civilians left the area quite early in the conflict), and the fact that the Israelis had the option as to whether or not to attack a particular target.
The only conclusion that I can reach is that Israel were negligent in their targeting policy, or else they were deliberately targeting civilians. Either way, it demonstrates that they considered Lebanese civilians as expendable (in the order of 1,600 were killed outright and 3,600 wounded).
The Israelis must be disappointed that they had to stop killing civilians before they managed to finish the job completely - just as Hitler failed to eradicate the Jews in WWII. Still, they have scope for more success in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, maybe they will manage to complete the task there (the West are still turning a blind eye to the Israeli attempts of genocide against the Palestinians).
Joe McGonagle
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Proportions
Since September 2000, 121 Israeli children have been killed in the course of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
In the same period, 779 Palestinian children have been killed.
So far this year, 1 Israeli child has been killed, and 73 Palestinian children.
What does this say about Israeli morality, political, and military policy? Israel is supposed to be the advanced, civilised state, and the Palestinians the nasty, murderous terrorists. This is not the situation reflected by the cold hard statistics.
www.rememberthesechildren.org is a site which tries to record the details of each child killed on either side. If you are religious, you might like to visit the site and say a prayer for the slaughtered innocents (and the potential terrorists). Whether you are religious or not, please circulate the link to raise awareness of the true situation.
Joe McGonagle
In the same period, 779 Palestinian children have been killed.
So far this year, 1 Israeli child has been killed, and 73 Palestinian children.
What does this say about Israeli morality, political, and military policy? Israel is supposed to be the advanced, civilised state, and the Palestinians the nasty, murderous terrorists. This is not the situation reflected by the cold hard statistics.
www.rememberthesechildren.org is a site which tries to record the details of each child killed on either side. If you are religious, you might like to visit the site and say a prayer for the slaughtered innocents (and the potential terrorists). Whether you are religious or not, please circulate the link to raise awareness of the true situation.
Joe McGonagle
End of the war?
Hostilities appear to have ceased in Lebanon, does this mean that the war is finished?
I think it is unlikely. Israel's actions have increased support for the very groups that they have tried to eliminate. There are now many more Lebanese widows, widowers, orphans, and people crippled or impoverished by the Israeli war crimes.
The attack on Lebanon has increased global awareness of the injustices being perpetrated by Israel (although incredibly many people still don't recognise them as such).
Regardless of what transpires in Lebanon, I shall continue to highlight Israeli injustice on this blog. The fact is, I am spoilt for choice when it comes to material. Items that I intended to place on the blog weeks ago are still crowding my inbox, and I am conscious that many readers have neither the time or the patience to thoroughly read and digest all of my postings here, so I intend to trickle-feed material so as not to present too large a volume for readers to consume in one sitting.
Joe McGonagle
I think it is unlikely. Israel's actions have increased support for the very groups that they have tried to eliminate. There are now many more Lebanese widows, widowers, orphans, and people crippled or impoverished by the Israeli war crimes.
The attack on Lebanon has increased global awareness of the injustices being perpetrated by Israel (although incredibly many people still don't recognise them as such).
Regardless of what transpires in Lebanon, I shall continue to highlight Israeli injustice on this blog. The fact is, I am spoilt for choice when it comes to material. Items that I intended to place on the blog weeks ago are still crowding my inbox, and I am conscious that many readers have neither the time or the patience to thoroughly read and digest all of my postings here, so I intend to trickle-feed material so as not to present too large a volume for readers to consume in one sitting.
Joe McGonagle
Monday, August 21, 2006
Go get 'em, George (Galloway)
Sorry for the infrequent updates recently, I don't have a lot of time so a more detailed update will appear at a later date.
I am no fan of George Galloway, I suspect his motives and his morals, but in this interview for Sky News (UK), I can't fault him - he speaks the truth, without pulling any punches, making a total fool out of the interviewer in the process. To view the interview, click on the following link (make sure you turn the volume down!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=249JaIaubVw
Thanks to Judith for the lead.
Joe McGonagle
I am no fan of George Galloway, I suspect his motives and his morals, but in this interview for Sky News (UK), I can't fault him - he speaks the truth, without pulling any punches, making a total fool out of the interviewer in the process. To view the interview, click on the following link (make sure you turn the volume down!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=249JaIaubVw
Thanks to Judith for the lead.
Joe McGonagle
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