Dan Fleshler, who knows the progressive Zionist world as much as anyone, has an amazing post in which he imagines the conversation between an American Jewish leader who is trying to spin Gaza, and an Israeli consulate official. The importance of this post is that Dan knows how hasbara (pr) works and he is revealing the crisis of the soul that is rolling thru American Zionism right now, even while our politicians are spewing garbage. Emphases mine.
Q [American Jew]: I get that. Most people understand that. You don’t want rockets
in southern Israel. Americans can relate to that. But what is this
specific operation going to accomplish? What’s the end game?
A [Israeli consulate official]: We are striking at Hamas’ infrastructure to bring an end to the
rocket firings on Israel, and to stop terrorist attacks from the Gaza
Strip.
Q: ….But you bombed the Hamas radio station. You bombed a jail
and a police station. You bombed Islamic University. Are they part of
the infrastructure that is firing rockets? Those people weren’t
ordering the rocket attacks, or helping, were they?
A: It is hard to separate the Hamas’ military wing from its political one.
Q: But how did killing those particular people, and the women and
kids who may have been nearby when the bombs fell, protect Sderot and
Ashkelon from rocket attacks? Just tell me. I want to help.
A: We appreciate that very much.
Q: …I heard that Haim Ramon said on Israeli TV
that the goal of the operation was to topple Hamas, not just destroy
the military infrastructure and stop the rockets… And just now I read that Barak said you have launched “an all-out
war on Hamas and its kind” and you are fighting a “war to the bitter
end.” That doesn’t sound like a man with a limited goal. It sounds like
he wants to wipe them all out. I’m supposed to say that on Channel 4
tonight? Is that the goal? A war to the bitter end? Or do I say we want
regime change?
