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Heaven On Earth
Monthly Archives: June 2010
The Obsession with Israel
Right now videos are doing a great deal to bring people to a realization that the situation in the world has been deeply distorted by the obsession with Israel. In some senses, the Flotilla Debacle has begun to shake even committed leftists from their slumber.
I’ve emphasized repeatedly the dangers of this obsession.
Here’s a good example of a major comeback in the cognitive war. Maybe, ironically, the idiocy of world response to the Flotilla will be a turning point. If so, something like this can help.
Please see two important posts that deal with this issue:
Shrinkwrapped: The New Millennial Mania
Sad Red Earth: Obsessive-Compulsive Israel Disorder (OCID) and Mass Hysteria.
They’re so Smart cause we’re so Stupid: “We Con the World…”
Lots of people have asked me what the feeling is in Israel today. Nothing says it better than this video clip from Latma (“whack”).
Laugh till you cry.
And then read this.
And then weep.
Suicide Activists: The MSNM has spawned a monster
Shraga Simmons sent me this excellent piece of commentary.
From the conclusion:
“I call these people suicide activists. Their ultimate weapon is not a bomb belt, rather the media is their weapon, and they’re willing to be killed to use the media as the weapon to delegitimize and demonize Israel. And this week, the media fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.”
I’ve started a new category entitled, “suicide activists.”
When Madness Strikes a Civilization: Norman Cohn on millennialism
There exists a subterranean world where pathological fantasies disguised as ideas are churned out by crooks and half-educated fanatics for the benefit of the ignorant and superstitious. There are times when this underworld emerges from the depths and suddenly fascinates, captures, and dominates multitudes of usually sane and responsible people, who thereupon take leave of sanity and responsibility. And it occasionally happens that this underworld becomes a political power and changes the course of history.
Norman Cohn, Warrant for Genocide: the Myth of the Jewish World-Conspiracy and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, p. 18
As applied to now, see the brilliant reflections of Edwin Bennatan, “World Gone Mad” (HT/TB)
What 2 minutes means depends on which side of the bathroom door you’re on: Thoughts on the Marmara Boarding
The best definition of the “relativity of time” is the title of this piece. Inside, you’re reading comfortably, time flies; outside you’re groaning with discomfort and moments seem like an eternity. It’s not about clock time; it’s about experiential time.
I say this because one of the more curious aspects of the “incident” on the Mave Marmara has gone largely unnoticed. According to some accounts, the Israeli SEALS who landed with their paintball guns and the loaded pistols and orders not to use lethal weapons unless absolutely necessary, waited forty minutes before actually firing. Given that they were attacked immediately, that’s forty minutes on the other side of the door of “comfort,” that’s forty minutes of taking a vicious beating from street fighting Jihadis who would be proud to kill them and die in the process.
A friend of mine (one of the folks I consider touched by MOS), wrote me a letter about your average person, viewing the footage that came out two days ago, with the following comment.
[Warning: it's typically exaggerated (even he is aware, note the [sic]), and therefore difficult to listen to, but nonetheless well worth pondering.]
I’m writing to tell you that when I saw this video, it was obvious to me that just about anyone in America or Europe who is even vaguely neutral, uninformed, or “disinterested” on the subject, is going to view this video as EXTREMELY damning to Israel.
This is his typical rhetorical hyperbole (I did say he was a touch MOS), but we have to consider the possibility that he’s right about some important percentage or responses among the general public, what he calls: “anyone in America or Europe who is even vaguely neutral, uninformed of “disinterested” on the subject.”
On the other hand, note the excessive language, which suggests a snap judgment – the “obvious” implies “immediately” – i.e., I saw it right away. Presumably, this is some kind of “blink” test in which the consensual wisdom of the collective should count.
I know this might sound surprising to you, but I’m afraid I have some quick-and-dirty evidence that I’m entirely [sic] correct: All four people came back with an almost identical reaction to the video. Basically, that far from showing that the Israeli soldiers were “attacked,” it clearly showed the Israeli soldiers, in full combat uniform, rappelling from a helicopter to ATTACK and commandeer the ship, followed by a mob of people on the ship all using what they had at hand to fend off the attack.
No better text illustrates the power of narrative to shape perceptions. We all see Israeli soldiers land on board and get attacked. Everything after is narrative to make sense of what’s happening, including sequence of events and motives. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a “pre-pomo” who thinks we must stick only to the “facts” and be “objective.” Attribution of motive and reconstruction of sequence are critical to a story. They’re also subjective, especially in the case of motive. But we want our judgments to be as accurate as possible, and we need to take into account anomalies.
On the nature of Hierarchy
I’ve written at length about the role of zero-sum relations and their role in establishing prime divider societies. Here’s a nice illustration of the kinds of relations that both produce rigid hierarchies, and determine their dynamics. (HT/YK)
It’s meant as a spoof of current business relations. I suspect that if the author of this drawing (another Scott Adams?) had to experience this kind of treatment in a real prime divider society, he’d realize how well off he is, wherever he is.
But then again, I may be wrong and American culture today is every bit as mean-spirited and oppressive as the world my medieval folks inhabited. My students tell me to watch The Office and that there are significant differences between the American and English versions. I’m betting the British version is closer to this illustration, and the French version would be even closer. As for the Arab one, n’en parlons pas.
My point is that this kind of behavior is universal as a tendency, against which people at all levels have to fight in whatever small measure, starting with a kid coming home from being bullied in school dealing with younger siblings. In some cultures, the resistance is weak, and the sh%# piles up more than in others.
High(er) Definition footage of the battle on the Mavi Marmara
Turkish CNN Footage from boat during fight 31.05.10: highest definition available, you can see soldier being swarmed with sticks, stabbed near a door, and a soldier with face wound.
Israeli thermal footage of battle on top deck 31.05.10: taken from above.
Israeli thermal footage of the attack on IDF soldiers 31.05.10: taken from boat alongside before dawn. you can see one soldier thrown down to the lower deck, lots of sticks beating soldiers.
Cartoon (Ir)realities: Guardian publishes Steve Bell Cartoon, Augean goes with Ellen Horowitz
From CIF Watch:
I’m not sure it’s anti-semitic (a term I give specific meaning to), but it does distort.
I’m about to use a cartoon from Ellen Horowitz that I asked her to design. It gets at the unreal nature of perceptions surrounding this. She can amend it if anyone has suggestions (say on how to portray the MSNM in all this).
Gili Explains it all.
From someone with long experience planning “operations.”
- The preparation could not have been worse. Rather than thinking through the matter from the perspective of the opponent, they expected far less resistance than they got, and they played into the hands of the boat militants.
- They should have approached with a boarding party from the sea (which they also did), but also gunmen with rubber bullets on higher boats who could keep the gangs on board at a distance. Instead those boarding from the sea couldn’t board.
They went so far out into international waters because they didn’t want the boarding to happen in daytime when there would be cameras. In fact, the lack of footage of the violence against the IDF is hurting Israel. - They had paint guns because they were expecting possible light resistance; and pistols which they weren’t authorized to use unless “necessary” – which took at least 10, by some accounts 40 minutes.
- This was not an operation for soldiers, but rather units from the SWAT Police, who have more experience with this kind of resistance, than Navy Commandos. But because it was beyond territorial bounds, the Police had no jurisdiction.
- They could have just disabled the boat by jamming to the propeller and rudder.
Now some of this may be Monday morning quarterbacking. But what is crystal clear now to those not blinded by the “human rights” halo that these groups claimed, and the MSNM adopted, is that this was an ambush. On one level, if Israel had anticipated it, they would have been accused (as they are now, but with no real substance) of provoking the confrontation – of coming in with guns blazing. On another, the lack of preparation for really violent aggression – street fighting if you will – has to surprise anyone paying attention to the chants and swagger of those on the Mavi Marmara.
I personally think that the planners, even as they denounced these folks as terrorists, actually bought into the MSNM narrative about “human rights” activists who would use only “passive resistance.” It’s ironic, but because Israeli military saw the enemy through the medias (deeply distorted) lens, they actually behaved exactly as their enemies wanted. It’s as if the IHH had sat at the table and developed the plan with the Israeli army.
As a result, as one Israeli commented: “We’re shit in the midst of deep shit.”
The operation was, as the Arabs would say, a major fadiha (a nice synonym for f***-up), or as the French put it so delicately, “une bavure” (a drool).
Richard Lightbrown on the Flotilla Fadicha
Richard Lightbrown, with whom I do not agree on many things, including our reading of intentions, as well as the symbolic meaning of events, sent me this. Readers please comment substantively and not polemically. Useless comments will be removed. (It’s perfectly legitimate to question his readings, just don’t call him a… you get the point.)
The specialists in the commando game are saying Israel screwed up. You go in fast and hard and take control quickly. That way maybe one or two people get shot, hopefully not lethally. I’ve seen the briefing where the vice admiral tells the commandos they might get cigarettes thrown at them, spat at , dirty looks and insults. They took the five small ships with a bit of violence on one boat. With the Mavi Marmara they used the wrong techniques to get on board (and I don’t know what the right techniques are) did not get enough guys on deck quick enough and were surprised by the intensity of the attack with clubs, knives, chairs. The catapults probably were not used, I’m certain any activists’ use of guns would have been ones taken from Israelis. (The reason that Free Gaza was denying all this is because it was strictly against their planning, training, instructions and they honestly did not believe it. The people involved were perhaps 5-7% of the passengers and probably none of the crew.)
Israel has kept firmly under wraps the film showing how they took control. It seems that having lost control of it their forces, probably from the helicopters, just sprayed the deck probably with automatic fire. This is why the casualty list is so high and this is why the Mavi Mamara will be the Palestinians equivilent to the Exodus. How many dead? How many wounded? I don’t know and Israel is not helping itself by hiding this information from us. It also does not help that the number of injured commandos keeps going up. Surely it is simple enough to count how many have reported injured? (If you run out of fingers use your toes, anyone with an IQ over 23.5 should be able to do this.)
America has got the UNSC condemnation watered down a bit but everyone on the council condemned the siege. With the ICRC, UN and WHO saying that the siege is a humanitarian disaster I can’t see anyway the blockade can be considered legal. If the blockade is not legal the attack on the vessels is tantamount to piracy and the activists had every right to defend themselves, even using violence. Hitting someone already on the floor hard with a club (with intent to kill?) is probably outside of their legal rights.
Fair use of this information? Remember the context. 90+% of the passengers were not involved. The illegal siege does change the legality of this operation. Also Israel started the rough stuff under Netanyahu when they rammed, heavily and deliberately, the Dignity, probably with intent to sink it. This was 50 miles of the coast, winds force 4-5, two people could not swim. It was remarkable it did not sink or that people were drowned (and there was no activist violence on that occasion). The boat sent out a mayday and the two Israeli warships not only watched but threatened to open fire. Israel has not paid any compensation for this nor for the theft of the Spirit of Humanity. It’s true that Israel offered to take the stuff off and take responsibility for its delivery, but I would never believe them on that either. Much of the stuff from the Spirit of Humanity, including toys(!) never arrived in Gaza. If you want the job done properly you have to do it yourself.
The question remains as to what will happen to the Rachel Corrie and the other vessel still at large. If it was me I would certainly want to carry on towards Gaza. What will Israel do? Danny Ayalon would probably nuke them, but what influence does Ben-Eliezar and other moderates have at this time of crisis for Israel?
You can blog this if you want – no editing of course!
Of course. Although comments like “Ayalon would probably nuke,” hardly gives credibility.
Joel Fishman: The Morning After Hangover
Joel Fishman, a research fellow at the JCPA writes the following morning-after analysis. (Posted with his permission)
Israel’s Interception of the Turkish Flotilla: The morning-after Hangover
Early in the morning of 31 May, the Israeli navy intercepted a Flotilla, sailing from Turkey to Gaza, with the professed aim of bringing humanitarian aid and moral support to the Gazans. Since its inception, the Hamas regime has waged war against Israel, firing thousands of rockets on population centers in the south of the country. Responding to this aggression, Israel placed Gaza under siege and carried out Operation Cast Lead. Given the fact that there is a state of war, Israel is legally maintaining a blockade of Gaza for the purpose of preventing it from building a military infrastructure, importing advanced missiles, and, not the least, preventing outsiders from bringing in new forces and dangerous know-how, such as bomb-making and the preparation of explosives. Such necessities as food and medicines reach Gaza on a regular basis and are not lacking. Their delivery is currently supervised.
For its part, Hamas wants to break the blockade so that it can have a channel to import weapons and materiel on an unsupervised basis. In order to wage war against Israel, they need to have a sanctuary where they can operate freely, import weapons, and stage new offensive attacks. During the Vietnam War, Cambodia and the Ho Chi Minh Trail served this purpose. In short, Hamas, badly wants to break out. Although the Israeli navy was not totally prepared for the confrontation, it maintained the blockade and defended its sovereignty.
There is another dimension which must be appreciated. Turkey has developed a new strategic vision of its place in the world and is seeking to expand its influence. Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, is the engineer of this new approach. His idea has been to establish a Pax Ottomana in this region. He does not seek to rebuild the Ottoman Empire but to expand the influence of the Islamic Turkish state as peacemaker and arbiter. In our times, the expansion of influence may bring considerable benefits. This explains Turkey’s intense desire to push its way in as the peacemaker between Syria and Israel. Within a larger perspective, it is possible to say that after the European Union closed the door on Turkey, it decided to construct a similar enterprise with Islamic Turkey as the central player, combined with improved relations with Iran, Syria, and the Hamas. Turkey has invested money in the improvement of Gaza port, and if Turkey were able to send shipments of men and materiel to Gaza, it would automatically develop a presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. As Bernard Lewis succinctly put it, “Turkey flipped.”
It is necessary to take a careful look at the sponsors of the aid flotilla. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Fighel of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (IDC) wrote a fine article which examined the Turkish IHH Insani Yardim Vakfi, Humanitarian relief fund” This radical Islamic organization which was established in 1992 was prominent among the coalition of organizations participating in the aid flotilla. Col. Fighel described some of its activities: “IHH has a broad program of important activities in distressed areas. They include sending food and support to orphans, establishing educational institutions, hospitals and clinics, programs for vocational education, supplying medicines, building mosques and preventing the violation of human rights in various Islamic locations throughout the world. In recent years it has begun widening its activities to European countries, in part by establishing branches which bear its name.” Fighel also pointed out that “in the past IHH provided logistical support and funding to global jihad networks.” In addition, he reported that there was evidence which linked this group with terrorism, anti-western incitement, and the transport of weapons.
This brings us to the main point. The Israeli navy did not know the enemy, although it should have. Anyone who knew the activities of Turkish IHH could have foreseen the distinct possibility that some of the passengers were seasoned fighters, some of whom may have seen action in the Balkans. It is shocking that since the identity and activities of the sponsoring organization were known, the navy sent its commandos into battle with paintballs. To assume that these people were genuine “peace activists” represents a serious intelligence failure.
In this context, we cite the writing of the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu who, in his classic, The Art of War, wrote the following in c. 500 BCE:
Know the enemy and know yourself;
In a hundred battles you will never be in peril.When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself,
Your chances of winning or losing are equal.If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself,
You are certain in every battle to be in peril.It is the responsibility of those who send soldiers into battle to know the enemy. Their failure to fulfill this responsibility – in light of abundant information in the public domain – explains what really went wrong.
When an army that is vastly superior, but neither wants to be killed nor kill, meets an vastly inferior enemy who wants to kill and be killed, it behooves both participants and observers to understand why things go awry.