One of the more appalling aspects of the news coverage of this conflict is the pervasive cover-up of Hamas’ true nature. In their interviews with Arab/Muslim specialists (like Reza Aslan) who misrepresent Hamas without challenge, in their questions to Israelis, in their own characterizations of the matter, Hamas comes off as perhaps an extremist and difficult group, but nonetheless a legitimate player, someone that Israel needs to negotiate with.
The climax of this attitude is Annie Lennox’s startling and impassioned response when asked about Hamas’ desire to destroy Israel: “people need to sit down and have a dialogue…” And Jimmy Carter’s “they were defensive tunnels…”
The difference in coverage that might ensue from a serious understanding of the nature of the apocalyptic enemy would, I think, be massive. Towards that end, MEMRI has put out a collection of some of the stuff Hamas says in Arabic (not in English to Yimmy).
it’s no use — the world just don’t want to hear about the true nature. they just want the jews to go away.
Comment by oao — January 9, 2009 @ 12:41 am
Bleh, got to this through a wrong Google search (I wanted Hercules) but felt compelled to comment.
Basically, it’s simply embarrassing to continue to portray your enemies as subhuman creatures in this fashion - and more, it’s wearing thin.
Perhaps you think the rest of the world has not noticed that you inevitably kill far more Arabs than they kill you, but you are wrong.
The murder rate in Israel is lower than the US. People live longer there overall than in the US. They have socialized medicine, which we do not here.
*Most* Americans, often people like myself who have generally supported Israel for years, simply don’t want to be involved in the Middle East any more. You guys are the Ubermensch and are beset by these subhuman Arabs? Fine, go to it - but don’t take my tax dollars to do so. Why should you have perks at my expense that I don’t get? Why should we have endless terrorist attacks on this country over this one single cause?
If Israel somehow had any vestige of moral high-ground, it’d be one thing. But you blew that away years ago. Rachel Corey was the last straw for me. You couldn’t pick this girl up and arrest her - for peacefully protesting *the bulldozing of people’s houses* - instead you ran a bulldozer over her legs and killed her - and the guy who did it got promoted. And you did this with my tax money.
But frankly, I’d been pretty ashamed of my support of Israel for years before that.
You’re again at war. We’ve noted that you, again, were the ones to break the cease-fire - but more, that you have gone out of your way to degrade these people further with every blockade, every refusal of medical help. I’m of European origin, I have no particular kinship with the Palestinians - but the fact is that Israel is a rich, powerful country where people are safe and live a long time (on average, yes, I’m really am sorry that a few of you get offed by missiles, but the fact is you have enviable safe lives), and yet within it you keep the people who within living memory were living on the territory you now possess, you keep these people in camps and ghettos and provide them with hatred and contempt as their daily bread, and you do this with huge amounts of money and weapons from America and, as I have noted, from my taxes.
So have fun with with “Joe the Plumber” (really, have you gotten to that level?) but there are millions of people like me and unless Israel starts taking the moral high ground (which you could still do!) there’s going to be a day sooner rather than later where a bankrupt US will no longer want to fund you and you will be out in the cold.
Comment by Tom Human — January 9, 2009 @ 1:18 am
#2 tom,
i do not understand what you mean by your statement about continuing “to portray your enemies as subhuman creatures in this fashion”.
is playing actual genocidal quotes of terrorists “portray your enemies as subhuman creatures”? what makes this supposed portrayal “subhuman”? moralizing from you about revealing their genocidal incitement, but silence about the ones actualizing the bloody doctrine.
frankly, as a former resident of ashkelon fled because said terrorists were TARGETING ME AND MY ARAB FAMILY (you know, the same supposed subhumans that israel is now fighting to protect), i am offended and hurt by your callous, mean, and unfair portrayal above. shame on you.
i’d think that if you really cared about palestinians in gaza, you’d want israel to win. it’s not my opinion but of those gazans who pine about the “good old days” of the oh, so “brutal” israeli occupation. what do you make of that, i wonder?
Comment by abu yussif — January 9, 2009 @ 3:16 am
abu,
you are wasting your time. to conduct a meaningful exchange a minimal amount of knowledge and ability to reason is required. tom possesses neither.
just one example: the pals are calling jews the sons of apes and pigs, but it’s us/israel the ones who treat them as subhumans. idiot.
no matter how much he likes to hear himself talk, there is nothing that approaches reality in his rant.
he has bought lock stock and barrel the crap that the MSM has fed him.
alas, one thing is true, though: there are millions like him. which is why the west — now headed by the US — is collapsing.
there is nothing i wish more for the toms of the world than to personally experience jihad and sharia, live as subhuman dhimmis.
Comment by oao — January 9, 2009 @ 4:01 am
http://pryce-jones.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YTBiNTVhMzM2YTBlNGM4ZjlhNDc3OTRlYzY0MTUyNTg=
see what i mean about the west? it’s made of toms.
Comment by oao — January 9, 2009 @ 8:21 pm
just one example: the pals are calling jews the sons of apes and pigs,
Is this a case of projection?
Comment by Cynic — January 10, 2009 @ 10:21 am
Is this a case of projection?
there is no question that when they complain about what the jews are doing to them they project what they know they would do to the jews if they could.
Comment by oao — January 10, 2009 @ 9:58 pm
oao,
When sharia comes it will be the Toms of the world bowing and scraping and saying thank you for every kick in the butt.
They are the ones to run tattling to the commissar
about what Mommy and Daddy said.
Comment by Cynic — January 11, 2009 @ 8:13 am
When sharia comes it will be the Toms of the world bowing and scraping and saying thank you for every kick in the butt. They are the ones to run tattling to the commissar about what Mommy and Daddy said.
yup. after all history is full of such, isn’t it? they are not the first but perhaps they’ll be the last — i don’t see these idiots coming out of under sharia.
Comment by oao — January 12, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
hey, tomtom,
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-about-wiconsin-plan-for.html
here’s where your money has been going. now tell me it’s
been a better investment than israel.
what an idiot.
Comment by oao — January 13, 2009 @ 10:58 pm
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