| Straight Talk on Gaza: Targeting Civilians is Israel’s Specialty!

Targeting Civilians: Israel’s Specialty ~ Stephen Lendman.

Bullies choose easy adversaries to pummel. Equal fights are shunned. It’s the same in schoolyards or battlefields.

America and Israel operate this way. They avoid foes able to give as much as they take. Rogue governments never say they’re sorry.

During Cast Lead in January 2009, Professor Jeremy Salt wrote “A Message to the brave Israeli Airmen.” His comments apply to what’s now ongoing.

What’s it like firing missiles at people you can’t see, he asked?

Does it help being unable to see who you’re killing?

Is your conscience eased by inflicting disproportionate force on people unable to fight back and civilian infrastructure?

Are you comfortable about slaughtering civilian men, women, children, and infants?

Does this weigh on your conscience, or are you at ease?

Do you sleep well or have nightmares about men, women and children you killed at home, in beds, kitchens, living rooms, schools, mosques, at work, or at play?

Do farmers in their fields, mothers with children, teachers in classrooms, imams in mosques, children at play, the elderly, frail or disabled threaten your security?

Do you ever question what you’ve done and why?

Have you no shame, no sense of decency, no idea of the difference between right and wrong?

Do you know the law? If so, why do you violate it? Doing so makes you complicit in crimes of war and against humanity? Do you know that?

Do you blindly follow orders or have a mind of your own?

Have you murdered civilians before?

Will you do it again if ordered?

Will you keep following orders blindly or do the right thing?

“Brave” Israeli airmen, soldiers, sailors, and other security force personnel are cowards. They’ve acted lawlessly for decades.

Palestinian suffering is a way of life. Imagine living every day not sure if you’ll live or die. Imagine young children growing up this way. Do Israeli children know what Palestinian ones endure? Are they told? Do they care? Do their parents?

Israel’s moving thousands of troops and heavy weapons to Gaza’s border. Mossad-connectedDEBKAfile said:

“Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and the high IDF command are pushing for the ground operation, Stage B of the Pillar of Cloud operation, to start without delay. The prime minister and defense minister prefer to wait.”

Another potential holocaust looms. Civilians always suffer most. Israel and America willfully target them. It part of the imperial strategy of both countries. Human lives don’t matter, just conquest, dominance, and exploitation.

Cast Lead took a terrible toll. Missiles, bombs, shells, and illegal weapons were used against defenseless people. Mass slaughter and destruction followed.

Horrific crimes of war and against humanity were committed. Responsible officials remain unaccountable. Security Council no-fly zone protection wasn’t ordered.

Over 1,400 Gazans perished. More than 80% were civilians. Over 300 were children. Around 5,300 were injured. Over 1,600 were children or infants. Israel willfully targeted them.

Neighborhoods, schools, universities, mosques, hospitals, UN facilities, fishing boats, civilian factories and workshops, municipal buildings, charitable foundations, civilian infrastructure, and other noncombatant sites were bombed and shelled.

Farmland was bulldozed. Power facilities and irrigations systems were destroyed. International leaders were indifferent about human slaughter and suffering. Only three low-level Israeli soldiers received punishments too minor to matter.

The al-Samouni family lost 27 members. Salah Talala al-Samouni saw his mother blown apart. Rocket and shell fire killed his two-year old daughter, father, aunt, cousin, and entire family. Media scoundrels said nothing. They support Israel’s worst crimes.

Under siege, Gazans haven’t recovered from Cast Lead. Now they face the prospect of more war perhaps worse than 2008-09.

International leaders share culpability through silence, indifference, and/or complicity. Washington is involved in all Israeli wars. Weapons, munitions and funding are supplied. Political support is given.

Obama told Netanyahu, go ahead and bomb and shell at will. Call it “self-defense” and pretend no one knows it’s not. On November 15, the Senate unanimously passed a non-binding supportive resolution. Not a single profile in courage expressed opposition.

AIPAC thanked Obama and Senate members for supporting Israel. Gazan civilians and resistance fighters are maliciously called terrorists. They’re heroes, not criminals.

On November 14, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) national director Abe Foxman expressed support for Israeli bombing and shelling, saying:

“Israel has shown tremendous restraint in the face of the unceasing rocket and mortar fire launched from Gaza. This operation is directly targeting the leadership responsible for these attacks, as well as the warehouses and facilities housing their weapons.”

“No country in the world would stand by and tolerate such attacks on more than a million civilians.”

“The international community has a clear obligation to condemn these attacks and to support the actions taken by Israel against Hamas and other terror organizations operating in Gaza as Israel carries out its basic duty to defend its civilian population.”

For almost a century, ADL fronted for Jewish supremacy. It backs occupation harshness. It’s mindless about Palestinian suffering. It conducts smear campaigns against critics.

Its entire history is loathsome. Israeli crimes are called self-defense. It plays the same blame the victim game as Israel, Washington, AIPAC, and other Zionist organizations. Only Jewish rights matter. Palestinians are criminalized for defending themselves.

Israel agreed to halt military operations during Egyptian Prime Minister Hersham Kandil’s visit. He and Egyptian cabinet ministers arrived in Gaza Thursday. He’ll return Friday. Israeli attacks continued.

At Al Shifa Hospital, Kandil visited victims. He denounced Israeli attacks, saying: “This tragedy cannot pass in silence, and the world should take responsibility for stopping this aggression.” Cairo will try to mediate a truce, he added.

Since Saturday, over 40 Palestinians were killed. Hundreds more were injured. Many are in serious condition. Dozens of air strikes continue. Death and injury numbers may rise exponentially. Current figures underestimate the toll because some victims lie beneath rubble.

The International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) said Israel conducted 30 sorties in less than 30 minutes on Friday. At 10PM Thursday, the IDF said it struck 70 targets in the previous hour.

Civilian sites and government buildings were bombed and shelled. Two UN schools were struck. Heavy damage was reported. The Ahrar Center for Detainees’ Studies said a church under construction was targeted.

IMEMC
said, “Children, infants, women and elderly are among the casualties, including children whose bodies were severely mutilated and burnt due to Israeli shells. A pregnant woman and her unborn fetus are among the killed.”

Gazan resistance fighters said they won’t honor truce conditions as long as Israel keeps killing Palestinian men, women, children, infants, and the elderly. On Thursday evening, a Beit Hanoun home was bombed. Three children died. One was nine years old.

A 10-month old infant was killed when another home was struck. Through early Friday morning, at least eight children, a pregnant woman, and two elderly men died.

Thirty thousand IDF reservists were called up. Military leaves were cancelled. Tanks, armored vehicles, and troops are mobilizing on Gaza’s border. Invasion looks ominously likely.

On November 16, Mathaba said the Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) War Crimes Commission (KLWCC) “received numerous complaints on the atrocities and possible war crimes committed against the Palestinian people.”

On November 20 and 21, two days of open hearings will be held.

Commission members include former Magistrate Musa Ismail, former Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Dean Zulaiha Ismail, Center for Global Research Director Michel Chossudovsky, and two former Iraq UN humanitarian coordinators – Hans von Sponeck and Denis Halliday.

On November 16, Alternative News.org headlined “No safe haven: Civilians under attack in the Gaza Strip.” An eyewitness visited Al Shifa Hospital. Many injured Gazans are in serious condition.

Forty-year old Salem Waqef suffered brain injury. He’s in a coma on a ventilator. It’s unclear if he’ll survive.

Ten-month old Haneen Tafesh was admitted unconscious. She suffered a skull fracture and brain hemorrhage. She’s also in a coma on a ventilator. Doctors said her condition deteriorated since admitted. Hours later she died.

Ahmed Durghmush suffered brain trauma. Shrapnel penetrated his skull. Brain matter protruded from his head wound. His condition also deteriorated after surgery.

Throughout Thursday, emergency room staff were handling numerous arrivals. Injuries range from easily treatable to severe to life threatening.

Justice Ministry public information director, Khalid Hamad, was at home when shelling targeted a neighbor’s house. Israel “targeted civilians deliberately,” he said. “The Israeli forces don’t make mistakes.”

Thirteen-year old Duaa Hejazi was brought in “bleeding a lot.” She sustained upper body shrapnel wounds. Pieces are still embedded in her chest. She sent a message to other Gazan children, saying:

“I say, we are children. There is nothing that is our fault to have to face this. They are occupying us and I will say, as Abu Omar said. If you’re a mountain, the wind won’t shake you. We’re not afraid. We’ll stay strong.”

Al Shifa director general Dr. Mithad Abbas explained the dire conditions under which hospital staff must cope, saying:

“When those cases arrive at our hospital, it is not under normal circumstances. They come on top of the siege, the blockade, which has resulted in a lack of vital medicines and required medical supplies.”

Al Shifa lacks essential medicines, some equipment and supplies. They include antibiotics, IV fluid, anesthesia, gloves, catheters, external fixators, Heparin, sutures, detergents and spare parts for medical equipment.

Power outages exceed 12 hours daily. Small amounts of fuel maintain operations at those times. Dr. Abbas said his supply will be exhausted in days if current conditions continue.

He doesn’t know where the next missile or shell will strike. Perhaps Al Shifa will be targeted. Israel considers all civilian sites fair game.

On November 15, the Global BDS Movement issued the following statement in part:

“Stop a New Israeli Massacre in Gaza: Boycott Israel Now!”

Despite biased Western media reports, Israel “initiated and escalated this new assault on the eve of its upcoming parliamentary elections, underlining the time-honored Israeli formula of Palestinian bodies for ballots.”

“Israel will continue its belligerence, aggression and state terrorism unless it is made to pay a heavy price for its crimes against the Palestinian, Lebanese and other Arab peoples.”

“It is high time for BDS against Israel. This is the clearest path to freedom, justice and equality for Palestinians and the entire region.”

At issue also is a pending November 29 vote on Palestinian UN non-member observer status. Israel and Washington have gone all out to subvert it. Member States have all the more reason to support Palestine. In less than two weeks we’ll know.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urged Arab leaders to use all means to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza.

“No one is telling Arab countries today, ‘Please go open your borders and begin the operation to liberate Palestine.’ What we want is to end the attack on Gaza.”

This is everyone’s battle…We’re not asking you for a solution. We’re asking for effort.”

“Some say the Arabs don’t have the courage to stop oil production. Decrease your oil exports or raise the price a little and you will shake the United States. You will shake Europe.”

“Brothers, if you can’t cut off oil, decrease your production or raise the price. Put on some pressure. No one is calling for armies or tanks or planes.”

Nasrallah called Israel’s Gaza attack “criminal aggression.” Multiple crimes of war and against humanity are committed.

Much is at stake in Palestine, the region and beyond. Washington’s aggressive wars continue. New ones are planned. Israel’s a key partner. Both countries have imperial agendas. War features prominently in achieving them.

Michel Chossudovsky calls attacking and invading Gaza “part of the broader US-NATO-Israel military agenda.” Based on what’s happened post-9/11, expect the worst ahead.

___________________________________________________________

Straight Talk on Gaza ~ Stephen Lendman.

Palestine’s democratically elected government is targeted. West Bank coup d’etat authority has no legitimacy. Abbas’ term as president expired in January 2009. Israel rigged his 2005 election.
What’s ongoing is illegal aggressive war. Israeli provocations caused it. Israel’s entire history reflects belligerence. It lives by the sword. It’s a modern-day Sparta.
Operation Pillar of Cloud was planned months ago. All military campaigns take many weeks or months of planning. Attacking Gaza coincides with Israel’s January elections.
Netanyahu hopes war will ensure his reelection. On January 22 he’ll know. Also at issue is subverting Palestine’s November 29 UN non-member observer status bid. Israel and Washington are going all out to sabotage it. As of now it looks certain.
More on what’s ongoing below, what’s at stake, and why it matters.
Hundreds of global protests condemn Israel’s naked aggression. Many thousands across the Middle East, Europe, North America, and elsewhere denounce Israel’s cold-blooded premeditated murder.
Innocent civilians are being slaughtered and injured. Hundreds of sorties caused widespread destruction. Mostly non-military sites were targeted.
They include residential neighborhoods, schools, mosques, government buildings, factories and workshops, fishermen, agricultural areas, an electricity transmitter, UN facilities, and civilian infrastructure.
Cuba condemned Israel’s attacks. So did Russia, Malaysia, Egypt, other regional leaders, and Venezuela.
Hugo Chavez denounced Israeli aggression. “Barbarism” he called it, saying:
“Another aggression against the Gaza strip has begun. Savage, savage: the state of Israel bombing the Gaza strip again.”
Chavez always supported Palestine. He’s a rare leader who says what he means and means what he says. Vice PresidentNicolas Maduro said Venezuela will vote for Palestine’s UN upgrade.
He stressed his government’s support of “the long march of the Palestinian people towards full recognition of having a state, as an independent nation, the right to peace, and their ancestral territories.”
Press TV said Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries strongly censured Israel. On November 15, a unanimously approved statement said:
“The Non-Aligned Movement strongly condemns the recent military actions against the Palestinian people and believes that the Israeli regime’s aggression and its resort to bullying against defenseless people requires the immediate attention of the international community.”
Security Council action was urged. Washington’s veto assures resolutions condemning Israel never pass.
Western leaders and media scoundrels support Tel Aviv’s worst crimes. They’re always in lockstep with Israeli crimes of war and against humanity. Lost civilian lives, widespread destruction, and human suffering don’t matter.
Israel’s imperial ambitions count most. Middle East hegemonic status is sought. Tel Aviv wants all regional rivals removed. War is prioritized when other ways fall short.
Western leaders and media scoundrels ignore key issues. Collective punishment is policy. So is targeting civilians in all Israeli wars. It’s called “Dahiya.”
It’s named after the Beirut suburb destroyed in Israel’s 2006 Lebanon war. Then Northern Command General Gabi Eisenkot explained, saying:
“What happened in the Dahiya quarter of Beirut in 2006 will happen in every village from which Israel is fired on.”
“We will apply disproportionate force at the heart of the enemy’s weak spot (civilians) and cause great damage and destruction.”
“From our standpoint, these are not civilian villages (towns or cities). They are military bases. This is not a recommendation. This is a plan. And it has been approved.”
Israel’s former chief of staff Dan Halutz said Lebanon would be “turn(ed) back 20 years.”
In October 2008, Col. Gabriel Siboni said:
“The idea is to use enough “disproportionate force (to inflict) damage and met(e) out punishment to an extent that will demand long and expensive reconstruction processes.”
“With the outbreak of hostilities, the IDF will need to act immediately, decisively, and with force that is disproportionate to the enemy’s actions and threat it poses.”
“The strike must be carried out as quickly as possible, and must prioritize damag(ing) assets….be aimed at decision makers and the power elite (and at) economic interests and the centers of civilian power.”
Former Southern Command General Yoav Galant led Israel’s Cast Lead war. Strategy he said was to “send Gaza decades into the past.”
The Goldstone report discussed Israel’s military doctrine. It “views disproportionate destruction and creating maximum disruption in the lives of many people as a legitimate means to achieve military and political goals.”
Retired General Giora Eiland’s war strategy was quoted. It reflects Israeli policy in all wars. It prioritizes eliminating military threats. It’s also to destroy “the national infrastructure and (inflict) intense suffering among the population.”
What kind of country operates this way and calls itself civilized? How can democratic credentials be claimed? How can mass slaughter and destruction be justified? Israel and America claim it all the time.
Dahiya tactics are prioritized in all Israeli wars. Crimes of war and against humanity follow. Cast Lead was Israel’s most barbaric conflict since 1948. Reports suggest what’s now planned will exceed its savagery.
Israel’s cabinet authorized calling up 75,000 reserves. Mobilization is accelerating. Israeli forces and heavy armor positioned along Gaza’s border. Invasion, full-scale war, mass slaughter, and widespread destruction loom.
IDF spokesman General Yoav Mordechai said Israel is “in the process of expanding the campaign.” At least 30,000 troops are positioned to invade. Others may follow.
Gazans are terrified. Young children are traumatized. The sights, sounds, and smell of death permeate the Strip. A November 16 Mondoweiss article headlined “Dead mothers, teachers and babies in Gaza yet media overwhelmingly focus on rocket fire into Israel.”
It’s minor by comparison. Few casualties were reported. Gaza is isolated under siege. It’s been bombed and shelled mercilessly for days. Reports are that white phosphorous and other illegal weapons are used. Hundreds of sites were struck. Now ground invasion looms.
Days earlier, Israel assassinated Ahmed Jabari. He led Hamas’ Qassam Brigades. He was also important politically. A previous article said killing him had a purpose.
Peace was at hand. A draft truce agreement was consummated. It included ways to establish ceasefires in future flare-ups.
Israel abhors peace and stability. It depends on conflict and violence. Jabari was murdered to assure what was planned.
Killing him, a 12-year old boy, and others assured retaliation. Israel planned it that way. Hamas and other resistance groups responded defensively. Blame the victim followed.
Self-defense is inviolable under international law. Israel calls it terrorism. So do Western leaders and media scoundrels. They support lawless aggression and denounce defensive actions.
Israel and America benefit from conflict and violence. Both claim added justification for large-scale regional military readiness.
Peace and stability are easily attainable. Achieving them subverts imperial aims. Enemies are invented to stoke fear. Conflict follows. Victims are blamed. 
The same destructive cycle repeats. Israel and Washington prioritize it. Middle East tensions are on the boil. Full-scale Gaza war looms. Others rage across the region. 
Israel and America assure permanent conflict. A cycle of violence is perpetuated. Gaza now shares regional ground zero status with Syria. How this ends who knows. 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net . His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War” http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

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