|
It was the greatest miscalculation in the country's history.
I have already observed it achieved none of its stated objectives even the
later watered down ones. Rockets are still being fired from Gaza although
Hamas says it is Fatah sympathizers working for Israel.
Israel prohibited all foreign journalists and their own from entering Gaza
during the fighting. The only news was from Israeli press briefings. Almost
the only ...
Turns out Al Jazeera had a news production crew in Gaza. It broadcast from
Gaza 24/7 for the entire 22 days of the slaughter. Nothing but the Israeli
death and destruction was shown -- what else was there to show? And they
played up the human interest side to the hilt.
Things we only read about (maybe, you had to look for it) were covered live.
When the children, near death from hunger and thirst were found with their
dead mothers it was covered. When Israel ordered people into a building and
then shelled the building it was reported in real time. There is much more.
Whatever Israel's excuse/justification/rationale no one in the middle east
is buying it. In Europe the sell is nearly as hard. The TV and newspaper
coverage in Europe was not pro-Israel censored at all as ours was. In some
countries they could almost call up a riot demanding prosecution of Israelis
for war crimes. Even in Israel lower ranking officers appear on TV with
their faces blurred out like pedophiles and their names cannot be released
for fear of prosecution. A reserve Colonel canceled his lecture tour and
left England after a warning he was going to be arrested for war crimes.
Even Israeli organizations are putting together war crimes charges for many
actions including using human shields. There is much more.
The legendary "Arab street" is not calming down. Iran contacted Saudi (they
hate each other, Shia and Sunni respectively) and suggested as the leader of
the Arab people it should take the lead against Israel and offered full
cooperation. Egypt had to use live fire on one demonstration.
Hamas WAS generally viewed as an extremist organization that caused its own
problems by most of the middle east. That has changed. No matter how bad
they are they are getting support from that Arab street.
And the Arab street is for real. Instead of democracy they have a
family/clan/tribe hierarchy where advice filters upwards. While this is not
democracy facts filter upwards faster than the years between elections. It
works for them. It filtered up to the Saudi royal family two weeks into the
war and a week before it ended Israel was being condemned.
Turkey (not an Arab country) has had to come out against Israel and decades
of cooperation are near an end. Israel has already said as much. The
president of Turkey was greeted as a national hero on his return from Davos.
He called Israelis murderers in a public discussion.
Making it worse Israel is going to the polls on the 10th of this month. With
war fever in the air the candidates are publicly trying to out do each other
in threats against every country in the middle east and crowing about having
taught Hamas a lesson. Inside Israel this refers to their censored news.
Outside Israel this refers to the Al Jazeera coverage.
French diplomats tried to enter Gaza after Israel left but were stopped.
They were fired at by Israel's army. They tried to get urgently needed water
treatment equipment into Gaza but were not permitted to. France is pissed.
France was its first ally after independence.
Spain has opened a war crimes case against Israel going back to a 2002
event.
Most of Europe has remained silent instead of supporting Israel. What little
support has been pro forma not real.
The US is the only "friend" it has left but has also remained silent.
Mitchell is there. His mother was Lebanese. What I have read he has been
told by Israelis has been to rub it in that they ignored him eight years ago
and intend to continue to ignore him no matter what he says. The politics of
the upcoming election require this.
Back on the home front 79% of jewish Americans support the entire Gaza
operation. Of course all they saw was the censored news carried by the US to
maybe they are just ignorant. Were it not antisemitic I would observe all
the censored national news sources in the US are owned by Jews and the
majority of their staffs are jewish.
Anyone can choose to believe Al Jazeera made it all up. It does not matter.
It only matters who believes it really happened.
|