They’re Throwing Deadly Cinderblock Size Rocks; Not Just Little Pebbles

Rocks being utilized as deadly weapons have a long and storied history in the Middle East and throughout the ancient world. Armies had divisions of archers and slingers which were equal threats in the course of combat and wars. One of the most famous and well known confrontations from ancient times pitted a young smallish shepherd boy against a giant of a man in heavy armor and the young shepherd proved victorious using a fair sized rock and a sling. The battle is, of course, the Biblical confrontation between the Philistine Goliath and the Israelite David told in the Book of Samuel. If one were to go through the effort to review the photo and video evidence of these confrontations between Palestinians throwing rocks and Israeli IDF soldiers armed with rifles they would come across evidence which points to the standoffs as not being anywhere near as disparate as the media likes to portray these events. Often one will see evidence of Palestinians using slings in order to add more force to their projectiles though many of the photographers attempt to avoid having such throwers in their frames of reference as their intent is to display the maximum advantage to the IDF in order to make the Palestinians appear the victim of a great and horrendous inequality of force. Much of the more liberal Israeli press such as Haaretz is also to blame as they tend to downplay if they even bother to cover these attacks unless there are serious injuries or even deaths. There have been numerous rock attacks which have been covered by Arutz Sheva which is located in Beth El in Samaria where the Israeli victims have required Emergency Room care or even Hospitalization and surgery which were not covered in the majority of the rest of Israeli news services thus also never being picked up by the leading news sources around the world. If the potentially fatal rock throwing were to be covered whenever there was substantial damage or serious injury then the world would be reading about them on a weekly basis multiple times and even daily during the more active periods. The world would also be familiar with one especially dangerous type of rock attack utilized by the Palestinians where they use a car at high speed on one of the narrow two lane roads in Judea and Samaria and launch their cinderblock sized rocks or cement projectiles aiming for the driver’s side of the windshield of an oncoming vehicle thus having additional force equal to the additive speed of the two vehicles to maximize the potential for penetrating the windshield and killing the driver and possibly everyone else in the vehicle should the car lose control and careen off the road crashing into trees or overturning. But these attacks are rarely covered in any of the world’s major news services while every time the IDF responds to these deadly attacks they are front page news depicting them as bloodthirsty monsters.

 

The world media lack of coverage of the often life threatening rock attacks by Palestinians upon Israeli civilians should not come as any surprise as the world media does not cover the literally thousands of rockets fired out of Gaza by Palestinian terrorists belonging to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al-Qaeda in Gaza, Popular Resistance Committees and any other terrorist groups targeting Israeli civilians almost exclusively with deadly intent. The only times the news services give coverage to the rocket attacks is when Israel responds with an offensive of their own such as Cast Lead and Pillar of Smoke, the actual translation of the latest Israeli response to the rocket attacks which was mistranslated as Pillar of Defense which gave a more ominous sound to the Israeli actions and avoided any reference to the Exodus in the Bible where the Israelites were led through their trek out of Egypt by a Pillar of Smoke by day and a Pillar of Fire by night. Even when the rocket attacks are covered they are contrasted against the Israeli response which makes them appear to simply be the Palestinian response to Israeli aggressions and often the coverage makes only minor references to the steady daily attacks by the terrorists in Gaza often going two, three, or even more weeks without having one day pass without at least one rocket attack. The coverage also will report the number of Palestinians who are killed often not differentiating and identifying that the largest numbers of these casualties are actual terrorists or their supporters. They also contrast that while the Israeli intervention is resulting in Palestinian fatalities that the Israelis rarely are killed by the rocket attacks and that this makes the Israeli efforts unfair and disproportionate. There is almost never any reflection or explanation of why the disparity between the two sides concerning casualties. The fact that in Gaza the terrorists demand that the civilians allow the storage of munitions and supplies within their homes, their Mosques, their Hospitals, their schools, and their public areas including shopping centers and markets with the threat of immediate execution as a collaborator if anyone should have the audacity to refuse is not reported. The rockets are almost exclusively fired from near schools, between houses, on hospital roofs, and often with children gathered around the launcher to guarantee the Israelis will not fire on the launch positions.

 

The reason that the Israelis have such a low casualty count is also hardly ever mentioned. Israel has built shelters throughout the regions which are within range of the majority of the rockets fired by the terrorists in Gaza. They require all new housing to be built with a safe room which meets structural requirements that make it able to withstand even a direct strike by the majority of rockets. The Israeli government has also reinforced schools, hospitals and people’s homes without charge for those who are unable to afford such upgrades. The Israeli government periodically offers to contribute or even to completely pay to have shatterproof reinforced windshields, rear window, and side window for the vehicles of people who live in areas prone to the rock attacks in order to keep the people safe or at least safer. Providing such services is an expensive endeavor but the Israelis having a great respect and love of life believing it is worth any price to keep the people safe. This respect for life is even seen when the Israelis must turn to using military force as they go to great extremes in attempting to avoid civilian casualties including calling off attacks if civilians are present and could possibly be placed in danger. Yes, sometimes there are mistakes which then are trumpeted by the world media endlessly for weeks, months even. One example was the massacre that never was in Jenin. Even despite the fact that the United Nations investigation into the so-called Jenin massacre proved that no such massacre took place and that of the casualties that the vast majority were combatants and there was no massacre but still there are speeches condemning the Israelis for the Jenin massacre held on college campuses during Israeli Apartheid Week and references to the Jenin massacre every year in the United Nations General Assembly recognition of the plight of the Palestinians held every year on November 29^th under the title “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People”.

 

Simply ask yourself how many times you have heard about the rock attacks on Israelis by the Palestinians both in Judea and Samaria and even within the Galilee in the mixed towns, villages, and farm lands. There was one such attack just yesterday which resulted in tragedy. After an attack by Palestinians on vehicles, individual cars, buses and trucks, there were a number of resulting accidents one of which resulted in very serious wounds to a mother and her three daughters. Where the two oldest daughters and the mother are in serious condition in Beilinson Hospital, her infant one year old daughter is barely holding on to life and doctors are concerned and have reported to be doing everything in their abilities to save her delicate little life. This attack took place at the Gitai Avisar Junction where additional injuries have been reported. The wife of a former Minister of the Knesset was moderately injured when a rock crashed through the windshield of the bus in which she was a passenger shattering the glass some of which hit her face and slivers embedded in her eyes. She too is in the hospital receiving treatments and is expected to recover and retain her sight. Also, the bus driver was injured with broken glass striking his face and eyes yet somehow managed to take control of the bus and drive it beyond the ambush zone before pulling over and stopping. There were a number of other injuries at this location which continued until the Border Police and the IDF arrived on scene.

 

This was far from an isolated incident or something new, but most do not realize this as these attacks are rarely reported and when they are the coverage tends to minimize the severity and danger these attacks pose. Israeli former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was quoted giving some reference with which to frame this deadly attack by Palestinian terrorists stating, “The first victim who was killed by rock-throwing Arab rioters was soldier Esther Ohana, who had a rock thrown at her vehicle, hit her head and lost consciousness, and died two weeks later.” Lieberman was speaking about an attack which occurred in January of 1983. He added that since the murder of Ohana thirty years ago “dozens of others were hurt and seriously wounded by Arab rock-throwing rioters in Judea and Samaria.” It has possibly been the fact that such attacks have become commonplace enough that the Israeli and world press no longer sees any need to report them any longer. The problem this causes is that when Israel finally does respond to these many different, various but still consistent attacks, be they rocks or rockets, is that the heavy-handed blame Israel for the violence reporting becomes believable as the listeners have no reference or context of the months of terror attacks which forced the Israeli response. The public is left with the impression that the Palestinian rock, rocket or any other form of terror or assaults only occur in response to Israeli military actions. There is little history and reporting over the long buildup which necessitated the Israeli aggression so the Israeli response appears to have come out of the blue without any provocations. This is an injustice and only serves to discredit Israel and grant credibility to those who accuse Israel of needless violence against the poor innocent Palestinians who are cast as not being able or inclined to raise a finger against their oppressors, Israel. The truth is almost daily there are provocations where Palestinian terrorists threaten Israeli lives; destroy Israeli property, crops, vehicles, structures, homes and shops; fire rockets aiming at Israeli neighborhoods, shopping centers, synagogues, schools, buses, or anyplace that Israelis congregate; or sling rocks of varying sizes at Israeli individuals, cars, busses, light rail, and other forms of conveyance all of these disparate forms of violence intended to take Israeli’s lives or at least make their lives as difficult and treacherous as possible. While I have no illusions that the news reporting will change, I hold hope that the Israeli government will assign at least one Minister of the Knesset to publicize the violence and assaults aimed at the Israeli people and possibly begin to balance the reporting so that the people of the world can make fair and informed opinions and put an end to the propaganda and unbalanced reporting which by design makes the Palestinians victims and Israelis victimizers. The lie must be revealed and placed in the light of truth and allow the reality to be placed before the world and then when all the facts are in the open the people of the world can decide. It may not change a single opinion, but that is a different problem for another time. One calamity at a time, I cannot handle them in bunches.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Prisoners, Politics, Policies, Perceptions, Principles and Pardons

Once again the news is filled with denunciations, demands, pleas and outright indignations all demanding Israel release or commit to actions which will alleviate the reasons, conditions and complaints in order to mollify and end the hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners. It is not a new set of circumstance as this exact scenario has been played out before much to the delight and satisfaction of those who constantly call for Israeli surrender no matter the reason, situation or possible deleterious results which will be caused. The last time there were hunger-striking terrorist prisoners, we add the modifier terrorist in order to clarify exactly the kind of people and the reason for their detention as such is important, the world, or at least the Europeans and their cohorts from the left, made a set of demands with attached admonitions which revealed their duplicity. Now that the precedent and full consequences for particular actions have been established, this time around only the bald demand need be voiced as the rest of the limitations are understood. But what are the demands and the options the Israelis may utilize in addressing this situation?

The initial picture is a select number of Palestinians held due to their ties to terrorist activities. Some are under what is known as Administrative Detention, a charge left from the British Mandate legal system where those responsible for planning, arming, or other direct means of assisting terrorist activities were placed in custody for the increased safety of the peoples as a whole. Such incarcerations usually have an upper limit to the length of time such a prisoner may be held though there is no limit as to how many times they may be held or the frequency. Neither of these latter conditions applies to those currently involved in the hunger strikes and many of the strikers are imprisoned for actual terror acts. The one part of this entire affair which will never likely be explained are the limitations placed on the country or other administrative body under whose jurisdiction the hunger-striking prisoners are held. They are required to have a neutral physician determine the rationality and sanity of the prisoner and if they are found to be of sound mind, then they must be advised that their actions are harmful to their general health and could, if carried to its logical end, result in death. This is the limit in which the government may intercede concerning the hunger-striking prisoner. If the prisoner should expire as a result of their refusal of nourishment the state is not seen as being responsible. Should the state intervene and force-feed the hunger-striking prisoner, the act is viewed as a denial of the prisoners’ rights and such actions may lead to sanctioning the state. In a nut shell, Israel is left powerless to act in any manner to provide sustenance as long as the prisoner is deemed rational. So, if Israel were to force-feed any of the hunger-strikers, they would very likely find themselves charged with crimes against humanity as they would have denied the prisoner their human rights. If Israel followed international law and allowed the hunger-striker to starve and die, the firestorm that would follow would be beyond any such outrage ever before seen. That leaves Israel with only one option, to capitulate to the demands of the hunger-striking terrorist prisoners and release them to resume their organizing, assisting and implementing terror attacks against Israeli civilians. This is the unspoken desired result those protesting Israeli lack of actions in preventing the adverse effects of starvation from inflicting the hunger-strikers.

The real problem Israel is currently facing is a direct result of their former actions. Many, ourselves included, advised not to give in to an early release or any other demand made by the initial hunger-striking terror prisoners. This is not to say that Israel should have allowed the prisoners to starve themselves to death. There is a technicality which can be applied to make a kind of end-run around the noninterference clause within the applicable international law. The law states that if a prisoner should be determined to be in an impaired state of mind and possibly not fully cognizant of the imminent danger their actions are causing, then the prisoner may be hospitalized and fed. The only qualifying requirement is the documentation of their limited capacity by two neutral physicians. It is highly doubtful that two such physicians could be procured to make such a determination and thus allow Israel to address the threats of prisoners starving themselves to death while not surrendering to the demands for release or any other demands. No doubt Israel would probably be called to account for their actions for feeding terrorist prisoners against their declared intentions and will to starve themselves to death in order to bring condemnations upon Israel. It is not too late for Israel to implement this method for addressing such protestations in a way which will blunt the indignations from the world’s busybodies while also rendering hunger-strikes as an ineffective ploy robbed of its impact and denying the intended result. Sometimes it becomes dizzying witnessing the lengths and depths many in the world will travel simply to condemn Israel.

On another front of this situation, Israel should refuse to allow any advantages to come of not only the hunger-strikers but also those rioting and attacking security forces in supposed support of the hunger-strikers. We say supposed support as it is a relative call as to how much of the current increased violence is directly due to the prison hunger-strikers and how much is simply instituted in order to attempt to interrupt the joys and revelry associated with the joyous Purim celebrations throughout Israel this week. If Israel were to react with panic and surrender to increases in violence perpetrated by the Palestinians, the result would be a never ending spiral of increased violence. This has been the exact reaction to apparent Israeli restraint in the face of violence perpetrated against her citizens in the past. When Israel attempted to simply wait out increased violence of previous intifadas instead of mobilizing and restoring order; their lack of action was perceived as weakness and resulted in more violence, increased destruction, higher death toll, additional casualties and a greater intervention in order to restore order and calm. Each time Israel has appeased such pressure tactics such as these hunger-strikes which are coordinated with allied NGOs, leftists, and other anti-Israel and anti-Zionist groups and governments, Israel has simply guaranteed more similar actions with ever increasing demands attached. In every instance where some act was initially met with Israeli compliance and surrendering before coordinated world demands, the action would be repeated and escalated with demands eventually surpassing even the ability of the most permissive and tolerant of Israeli society to agree it was necessary to meet the demands in the hopes of restoring peace and order. This use of escalating threats tied to ever increasing demands has become the normal operating procedure of the Palestinian Authority with its preconditions, Hamas and their rocket barrages and has even spread to the anti-Zionist allied groups in Europe, the Middle East and world-wide. Since Israel gives in to some minor action and continues to capitulate through numerous and ever-increasing escalations; whenever Israel finally refuses and takes whatever actions are necessary to restore order, the result is the same calamitous cacophony of shrill denunciation thrust upon Israel for having the audacity to defend her people, country and even existence. The intent of the most minor act of defiance should be treated the same as the eventual escalation of such similar act if Israel can ever expect to live with the same peace and tranquility afforded other nations. It is not as if the boisterous cacophony if indignations would be any more or less than when after numerous escalations Israel finally resists the blackmail that is at the heart of the terrorist onslaught faced by Israel daily. The friendship of the world which is offered before every demand for Israeli concessions, usually land for the promise which matters not as it will never be met, will likewise not be forthcoming but withheld with yet another concession brought forth as the new parameter necessary for their friendship. The friendship of much of the world will remain denied to Israel until she learns that the world only loves those who demand their respect. Capitulation begets further demands, standing one’s ground is the only path which eventually leads to respect, the first requirement for friendship. Simple stated, capitulators will capitulate themselves to death, both literal and figurative, while the steadfast will dictate the terms and gain respect and be the ones whose friendship is sought. Israel needs to soon choose which side of this fence they will be found, lying helplessly defeated and trounced on the side of the capitulators or standing strong with pride among the recognized nations of the world. Let us hope and pray they choose to stand among the nations.

Beyond the Cusp

What is the Real Message of Israeli Ultimatum?

Israel announced a thirty-six hour ultimatum after which the IDF will widen its offensive in Gaza should Hamas not ceases firing rockets and smuggling arms into Gaza according to IDF Radio Monday morning. The question this raises is exactly for whom is this ultimatum intended? It cannot be actually intended for Hamas as Israel is fully aware that Hamas is both unwilling and unable to end the rockets being launched into Israel. Hamas cannot itself actually capitulate as to do so would be a sign of weakness and surrender, something Hamas has sworn it will never do. Secondly, even if Hamas were to flinch and cry “Uncle,” the other terror groups who have been contesting to wrest control from Hamas would not end their firing of rockets into Israel, something Hamas has proven unable to truly control. Islamic Jihad and the Salafists head the pack of ravenous murderers who wait for the right moment to portray Hamas as weak and beaten and claim they are the true representatives of the cause and leaders over Gaza. So, even should Hamas claim they have had enough, without allowing for some Israeli assistance they are incapable of preventing other terrorists from continuing the offensive and allowing Israelis to assist in preventing such would be the end of Hamas in Gaza. Israel also has to know this, so why the thirty-six hour ultimatum?

Thus far Israel has had the support, even if at times tepid, from Europe, Canada, the United States and others outside of the Muslim world and those who they hold sway. This ultimatum is Israel’s way of notifying those who have been supporting their defensive moves but have already announced their limit of tolerance of Israeli self-defense to not include any ground offensive placing Israeli IDF troops in Gaza. This has been made eminently clear by the British, French, and European Union for starters. The United States has not drawn a line ruling out such support but has also advised against such a move. Much credit goes to Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper whose support for Israel has been unequivocal and complete. Prime Minister Harper has proven time and again to be a true and dependable friend to Israel and as such should be given great credit and kudos. It is for those who have leaned or announced that their support for Israel has limits and that Israeli defense and protection of her citizens should also be limited to certain actions that should be left by Israel to these other “wiser and more noble” deciders of what Israel is allowed to perform in defense of her people.

What, one may ask, does Israel hope to gain by making such a statement announcing when they would initiate the next phase of their plans? Certainly announcing the hour at which the IDF would presumably begin a ground assault has to be counterproductive. All of that may prove valid, but there has been a reason that this time the Israeli defensive actions have met with any approval by the usual suspects, namely European governments, the European Union, and just about anybody who has come out with a limited and cautious support for Israeli actions thus far. Perhaps this would be the time to note that the New York times, predictably, has not been among those to support any of the Israeli actions and has on their editorial pages portrayed Israeli actions as the cause of the rockets being fired on Israeli civilians rather than the truth that the rockets have been terrorizing increasing sections of the Israeli people ceaselessly since the completion of the Gaza disengagement and Hamas taking control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority by force. Meanwhile, the reason that the Israeli defensive offensive, Pillar of Defense, has achieved the levels of support which the previous Israeli actions in Gaza called Cast Lead which began in December 2008 and continued into January 2009 has been due to a careful and measured buildup leading into the Israeli actions. Israel began preparing the groundwork and her potential supporters for this action through months of petitions to the United Nations and other loud protestations about the rockets being fired over an ever increasing area of her population. As Hamas began to increase the numbers of rockets Israel increasingly made the appropriate complaints and filed the necessary complaints attempting to use every supposedly available avenue to put a stop to the rockets. Yes, of course the Israeli leadership knew that the United Nations and the rest of the world would yawn and ignore their petitions, but they went through all the appropriate and necessary meaningless steps. Israeli leaders laid the groundwork and gave the world and all its supposed peace agencies time and opportunity to do what was required. As expected, nothing was done and nobody lifted a finger or even seemed to turn an approving ear to entertain the Israeli complaints. Then Israel took the somewhat unprecedented step of inviting the Ambassadors of every country which has an Embassy or Consulate in Israel to a briefing where the Israeli plans were spelled out in plain and calm language and a final notice was basically placed before the world, stop Hamas and make the south of Israel safe allowing her citizens to live normal lives or else Israel would take it upon herself to do so. Nobody did anything and that is how Israel and the world got to this point.

Despite likely making the Israeli case for possibility of a ground assault during the meeting with the ambassadors and such, Israel still apparently had not convinced everybody that such could be a necessity. This thirty-six hour ultimatum is also for those who have stood warning Israel that she must limit the protection she affords her citizens that Israel will claim and take the same exact steps and go as far as is necessitated, just as any of her detractors would in the same situation, and such steps will be made available for use in thirty-six hours. Those who believe that telegraphing when the IDF may begin ground assaults is insane and likely compromises any possibility for Israeli success apparently have never paid close attention to how the Israelis fight their enemies. Israeli enemies use some of the most despicable tactics available by launching their attacks not at military targets but almost exclusively on unarmed citizen noncombatants. They do this while surrounding their weapons emplacements with civilians, often women and children, in order to maximize the number of civilian casualties they can parade before a world that will champion their cause and take their propaganda and amplify it to the world as a means of condemning Israel. Systematically Israel has revealed her enemies use of hospitals, schools, peoples’ homes, Mosques, and any type of presumably protected buildings under the rules of warfare as places from which to launch attacks and place and store their weapons and means of war. Despite all the proof that has been displayed depicting such actions, the world continues to denounce any Israeli efforts at self-defense as barbaric and against all that is permissible under the rules of engagement if her enemies make even the wildest and most absurd of claims.

Case in point was what is still referred to as the Jenin Massacre where claims were as high as five-thousand Palestinian civilians killed and an entire city destroyed. These claims were picked up by virtually every major news source on the planet and broadcast repeatedly for weeks. Eventually, the United Nations conducted an investigation which revealed that there were less than one-hundred-fifty Palestinian casualties and the greater part of those killed were combatants despite virtually every house in the Jenin Refugee Camp having been set as a trap with explosives and other devices and the Israelis resorting to a ground offensive to minimize collateral casualties, even at a higher risk to their own forces, rather than utilizing airpower as almost any other country would have done and simply leveling the entire camp and actually killing many innocents. Despite a United Nations report detailing the truth and vindicating the IDF of any crimes and actually lauding them for taking such extreme measures to limit casualties to combatants, the world still insists that the actions by the IDF were wholesale slaughter of innocents in Jenin.

Once again, in this defense of her citizens, thus far in the attacks under the Pillar of Defense initiative, Israel has utilized munitions with limited explosive charges in order to minimize collateral damage and casualties, targeted sorties which are called off even if it means deflecting a round already fired into an area where it does little if any damage if civilians should enter the targeted area; something often done by Hamas and the other terror entities to guard against Israeli targeting though Israel has used a measured approach where the level of threat is also included in decisions, decisions most countries would never even consider; and is now considering engaging ground forces in order to seek out the hidden underground rocket launchers and all munitions storage centers in lieu of a broadened campaign using indirect fire such as missiles, guided artillery, and guided bombs all of which would greatly increase the collateral damage caused. Opposite Israel’s detractors, the instigation of IDF ground forces is not done in order to increase the collateral damage or to endanger further the lives of the civilians living in Gaza, something that Israel has already been accused of perpetrating even before any ground forces have been implemented, but to keep the civilians even more safe than if airpower and indirect fire were utilized in place of the IDF ground troops. For a first-hand report of an inquiry of the Israeli Defense Forces actions during the past Gaza often condemned actions during Cast Lead, please take a moment and listen to the testimony by a retired officer if the British military who has commanded troops in numerous other places including Afghanistan, the Gulf War, and other combat zones, Col. Richard Kemp. This is the reason that the IDF is sent into harm’s way instead of simply bombing all suspected targets back to the Stone Age. This is also why Israel has literally announced when she may decide that the time has come to use a finer instrument to decrease collateral damage and casualties, to implement the use of IDF ground troops which are amazingly even more precise and practiced in the use of force while minimizing all forms of collateral casualties and damages. This move is all part of the Israeli military concept that they are to inflict only the amount of force and do only the amount of damage that is necessary and to otherwise leave as much as allowable undamaged while still completing their mission.

Beyond the Cusp