‘Commentary’ seeks to discredit charge that Gaza attack was ‘disproportionate’ without even citing casualty figures

by on February 28, 2009 13
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I just got my March issue of Commentary. It's not online yet. It includes a long article by Yiddishist Ruth Wisse called "Now, About That 'Proportionality'" which of course says that Israel was right to destroy Gaza. There is something risible about the article. It goes on for four pages and not once states that more than 1300 Palestinians were killed, including over 350 children (per B'tselem's Maya Sabatello), and that 13 Israelis were killed. Even the Jerusalem Post gives the numbers. Charges of disproportionality from my side all cite these numbers: they are a glaring reflection of the difference in strength between the threat and the response.
Some other highlights: Wisse is angered by "involuntary anti-Semitism," by which she presumably means critics of Israel who don't understand that they are hurting the Jews. And in attacking Jewish critics of Israel, she asks if there's "ever been a comparable effort at national self-delegitimation on the part of Palestinian or Arab thinkers or scholars?" This is ethnocentrism talking. The answer is, Of course, yes. Read Ali Abunimah/Saeb Erekat calling for a democracy between the Jordan and the Mediterranean.
Also in the March Commentary: a feverish attack on Taghreed El-Khodary's reporting from the Gaza slaughter for the New York Times, by Rick Richman. A repugnant piece, it blasts her for being upset about the destruction to the city she lives in on a CNN interview.

About Philip Weiss

Philip Weiss is Founder and Co-Editor of Mondoweiss.net.
Posted in Beyondoweiss, Gaza, Neocons, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics

{ 13 comments... read them below or add one }

  1. Richard Witty says:
    February 28, 2009 at 4:07 pm

    Democracy between the Jordan and Mediterranean would be most justly fostered by two states.

  2. Richard Witty says:
    February 28, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    Who knew that you were a financial contributor.

  3. Jamie D. says:
    February 28, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    "involuntary anti-Semitism"

    Orwellian phrase of the week.

  4. chris berel says:
    February 28, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    What has the casualty count to do with proportionality? Regardless, which law states that israel response must be proportional to Hamas' genocidal attacks? Should Israel have made a genocidal attack in return, seeking to kill 1 million civilian Gazans, as Hamas desired to kill 1 million civilian Israelis?

    Exactly what idiocy are you advocating?

  5. DICKERSON3870 says:
    February 28, 2009 at 6:19 pm

    *Breaking research finds US weapons in Gaza?

    *From: Amnesty International USA (alerts@takeaction.amnestyusa.org)

    “A new report … reveals that U.S.-made white phosphorus artillery shells among other U.S. weapons were found throughout Gaza. When white phosphorus munitions are used in densely-populated civilian areas as Israel has, it violates international humanitarian law’s prohibition on indiscriminate attacks and amounts to a war crime.

    In light of this new finding, we are urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to immediately call for:
    > an investigation into Israel’s use of U.S. arms in Gaza
    > a suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel and
    > to urge the United Nations to impose an arms embargo on all parties in the conflict…..

    Urge Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to immediately call for an investigation into Israel’s use of U.S. arms in Gaza and a suspension of military aid.….”

    TO SEND AN E-MAIL –
    link to takeaction.amnestyusa.org

  6. MX says:
    February 28, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    Zionists like to steer the discussion of the Gaza Massacre into this debate about proportion. That way the question is no longer, "Why did you kill them?" Instead becoming, "Why did you kill so many of them?" The implication being that we approve of a certain amount of killing, and are just concerned about the excess.

    This is, of course, absurd. It's a massacre. That's what a massacre is, it's disproportionate. There is no smaller or bigger massacre. It's a massacre.

  7. Julian says:
    February 28, 2009 at 7:04 pm

    "The answer is, Of course, yes. Read Ali Abunimah/Saeb Erekat calling for a democracy between the Jordan and the Mediterranean."

    Calling for an Arab State and the destruction of Israel is self-delegitimation?
    Nobody is being fooled by your call for a "democratic one state" solution. By the way, there is no such thing as a democratic Arab country.

  8. Jim Haygood says:
    February 28, 2009 at 7:22 pm

    'By the way, there is no such thing as a democratic Arab country.'

    Uh huh. So after nullifying the results of the Jan. 2006 Palestinian election in Gaza, you lecture the victims that they have no democracy?

    Man … Talmudic logic is such a hoot. From the folks who coined the word 'chutzpah' … y'all remind me of the definition given to me by a Japanese guy of their word 'koganmuchi' (I quote exactly) — 'such thick face skin, and no feeling of shameful.'

    ah ha ha ha … AH HA HA HA … I guess 'koganmuchi' is Japanese for 'chutzpah.'

  9. LeaNder says:
    February 28, 2009 at 8:23 pm

    Who knew that you were a financial contributor.

    ??????

    Commentary subscription? Well, that's something we know about for quite some time now.

    Or is there a sarcastic undercurrent, well if you pay them you are co-responsible for what they write?

    Something completely different?

    A strictly private dialog from friend to friend?

    If not please let us in on your thoughts.

  10. Yael says:
    March 1, 2009 at 8:10 am

    If you want to play the numbers game, then you should mention the number of rockets shot into Israel over the number of years. You should also mention the number of Jews forcibly expelled from Gaza by the Israeli government in order that the strip be rendered Jew-free, since otherwise the Arabs wouldn't have accepted the gift of it in the first place. Included in that number should be the number of dead Jews that had to be dug up and moved out of Gaza for fear of Arab desecration of their graves and their remains. And to be fair, you should mention the number of synagogues that were torched after the Jews left, and the number of acres of greenhouses that were destroyed. And if you truly have compassion for the downtrodden, you might mention the number of expelled Jews who are still without homes or employment nearly four years later. Finally, if you are so interested in publishing all the numbers, you should include the number of Israelis within rocket range of Gaza, the number of bomb shelters they have had to build and the number of seconds they have to run to them when the Red Alert sirens go off. And btw, there were six terrorist attacks on Israel yesterday, and one Grad missile hit a school. Zero children and teachers were killed because the school was closed for the Sabbath, which as you may know, is the seventh day of the week.

  11. Richard Witty says:
    March 1, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    It definitely was sarcastic.

    Phil contributes to the occupation by using Intel processors, and financing Commentary.

    He could go to a library.

  12. Chris Berel says:
    March 1, 2009 at 6:36 pm

    I do have a problem with the basis of the Commentary article. At no time was the Hamas argument of a lack of proportionality ever relevant. Hence, there was no need for an article to combat another whine from Hamas.

    They would have been better off sending Hamas a case of cheese.

  13. LeaNder says:
    March 1, 2009 at 7:22 pm

    Phil contributes to the occupation by using Intel processors

    How do you know his processors are from Israel? Mine are from Oregon.

    I don't quite see why subscribing to Commentary supports the Israeli occupation. Don't you think that's a bit a forced argument?

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