A lot of people are appalled by the Gaza onslaught. Even the Jewish community is in secret agony over it. Israel supporter David Rothkopf recognizes the "odiousness" of the war, Michael Walzer its "awfulness." Why then do you have to go 20 paragraphs into this Times story on the Israeli government's whitewash of the war–"Israeli Military Says Actions in Gaza War Did Not Violate International Law"–before you get this paragraph:
Israeli and international human rights groups rejected the Israeli
military’s internal investigations as inadequate. Human Rights Watch
called Wednesday’s statement by the military “an insult to the
civilians in Gaza who needlessly died.” The army leadership, the group
said, is “apparently not interested, willing, or able to monitor
itself.”
Why wasn't this in the second or third paragraph? Did Sarajevo's explainers ever get the benediction of the Times? Jim Crow's? Notice that Human Rights Watch is such an exemplary organization that on the Times editorial page today, the editors urge that lobbyist regulations be eased so that a former HRW staffer can join the Obama administration. Is HRW not worthy of extensive quotation? And this was not some minor gaps-and-lacunae criticism by HRW. "…an insult to the civilians who needlessly died." Wouldn't you want to hear more from them about this gov't report? Isabel Kershner, the reporter, is in Jerusalem; she could have waddled in (sorry–I need to quote Jane Harman) to Talpiot neighborhood to the offices of B'tselem and asked them why they see this as a "problematic" investigation. B'tselem. From Genesis: And God created human beings in his image. I want to see a profile of B'tselem! (Thanks to James North for the thinking here.)
