This morning's Times has the news of the strikes on Gaza killing over a hundred, and on the same front page there is this review of Ari Folman's movie, Waltz With Bashir, "Inside a Veteran's Nightmare," that raves about this "altogether amazing film."
This is complete and utter cognitive dissonance. As Folman said yesterday (on the Leonard Lopate show), the people who were stirred the most by his movie during its recent screenings were the people of Sarajevo. They know what it is to go thru a siege like the one he memorializes in his film, of Beirut in 1982. He told Robert Siegel (also on NPR yesterday) that his father told him not to make the movie; he would be hunted like a dog in Israel. Well, no, Folman said, everywhere he goes, the Israeli embassy hosts him and throws events for him. They are so proud of him, for the international attention he is getting. For the prestige he is gathering for Israeli arts and free speech.
Ari, brother, I know it's a beautiful movie, I can tell from everything I've heard. Wonderful, convulsive, I can't wait. I was about to blog about your honest about Sabra and Shatila. Electrifying. Now go out and spend some political/artistic capital. Denounce the siege and collective punishment of Gaza. Do it outside one of these fabulous events. And New York Times, find the live wires that connect art and life, discover the tragic hypocrisy between culture and reality. Americans: wake up.
From Reuters –
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN GORDON JOHNDROE:
"Hamas' continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop. Hamas must end its terrorist activities if it wishes to play a role in the future of the Palestinian people.
"The United States urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza."
————
1. Even though the kill ratio is — as usual — 100-to-1 in favor of the Israelis, the U.S. first condemns Hamas's feeble, random bottle-rocket attacks.
2. The loaded word 'terrorist' is applied to Hamas, as it was earlier to deny their legitimate democratic election victory. But the term 'war crimes,' which could surely be applied to Israel's collective punishment of a civilian population, is nowhere to be found.
3. The central myth of U.S. military doctrine — that 'surgical' air strikes can spare civilian targets — is cheerfully extended to the indiscriminate Israeli bombing of a city. This is a disgraceful, bald-faced lie.
Over to you, Mister President-Elect.
'Change we can believe in'? Or just the same old mealy-mouthed complicity in Israeli war crimes, using the same tiresome formula of 'balance' in the face of gross asymmetry?
Probably the most meaningful thing Americans can do is to strongly insist, 'NO MORE THREE BILLION A YEAR FOR THE MURDEROUS ISRAELI APARTHEID REGIME.'
From Bloomberg –
'The Israeli army said the “operation will be continued, expanded and intensified as much as will be required,” according to an e-mailed statement.'
There's an icy, inhuman, Prussian quality to this statement. It reminds us of the early 20th century German origins of many of the founders of the zionist state, don't it.
As usual phil sees only the surface, the superficial. I saw the film in Israel last month, and it is amazing, but it has almost nothing to do with Israel. It's about memory trauma, being a soldier. Ari folman is no peacenik.
Post no. 3 starting with 'As usual' isn't mine; it's from the impersonator moron.
From Haaretz –
'Prior to the operation, Israel sought to catch Hamas off guard by luring it into a false sense of security through certain measures, including the opening of Gaza border crossings on Friday.'
Bestial …
The Gaza war seems to have a parallel in the "Haygood War" here on the Mondoweiss! One thing I'm confused about, though, does the "still anti-Israel Haygood" also claim to have just returned from Israel, or is that only the "born-again pro-Israel Haygood?"
This attack will preempt any peace talk from the incoming Obama admin.. as if there would have been any in the first place. This however just kills any possibility. But i'm willing to give the great Obama a chance.. lets see how he responds..
******************************************
Obama on Gaza: ‘No Comment’
by Justin Raimondo @ antiwar.com
"There was no immediate comment on the Israeli air strikes on Gaza from Obama, who is vacationing with his family in Hawaii, or his staff."
This is how our incoming President has reacted to the worst attack on the Palestinian people in 20 years – by not reacting at all.
The Bush White House, of course, has responded as we all know they would: Israel-has-the-right-to-defend itself, let the killing begin, etc., ad nauseum…………
ENTIRE POST – link to news.antiwar.com
PS. Isn't it a shame that Rahm is 'on safari' in Africa!
Israel is 'conditioning the political battlespace' for the incoming Obama administration. They know damn well that this kind of attack will do nothing to break Hamas. Let's see, Israelis invaded and conquered Gaza, expelled Gazans off of 40% of their (best arable) land upon which they planted colonies of lunatics (what kind of twisted moral freak brings their children with them during the commission of an armed robbery? Honey! Grab the kids! LET'S go ethnic cleansing!), and sealed the rest inside the world's largest open-air concentration camp. Hamas (and others, e.g. Fatah elements not corrupted by collaboration) fought back, and with violence, not talk, expelled Israeli colonists from their land. This is just 'targeted assassination' escalated up a notch, and is penny ante compared to the suffering Gazans have already endured. Make no mistake, the objectives behind this attack have nothing to do with sending Hamas a message. Hamas already understands Israel all too well, and Israelis know it. P-E Obama is the mark.