AronT on March 26th, 2009

As a follow up to yesterday’s post, one might ask why does this type of news article only appear in the UK’s Guardian? Is it not fit to print in the New York Times?
Israel’s military fired white phosphorus over crowded areas of Gaza repeatedly and indiscriminately in its three-week war, killing and injuring civilians and [...]

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AronT on March 25th, 2009

It never ceases to amaze me how the New York Times allows itself to serve as a mouth piece for Israeli propaganda. Considering the outcry, the paper couldn’t help to cover this story about Israeli soldiers admitting to happily participating in war crimes. Instead of focusing on the soldier’s testimonies, most of the article is [...]

Continue reading about Feature: “We Don’t Shoot, We Don’t Cry”

AronT on March 6th, 2009

Amira Haas, whose writing often appears on this blog, interviews Gaza residents:
n the midst of all of this were plastic bottles of urine and many closed bags – in some houses, olive-colored ones – of excrement. People assumed that the commanders stayed there. There are houses where excrement was smeared on the walls, or where [...]

Continue reading about How IDF troops Vandalized Gaza Homes

AronT on February 1st, 2009

Last week a Spanish court opened a war crimes investigation into the Shehada bombing incident. Ehud Barak said “Anybody calling the liquidation of a terrorist a ‘crime against humanity’ is living in an upside-down world.” But of course, the investigation is not about the killing of Shehada himself. The investigation is about dropping a one [...]

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AronT on January 21st, 2009

In my previous post I asked a question: does Hamas’ war crimes justify Israel’s? Apparently the answer is yes, for most Israelis. This article recently appeared in the New York Times. In it you find a remarkable insight into the Israeli mind:
The Israeli theory of what it tried to do here is summed up in [...]

Continue reading about Mad Dog of the Middle East [Updated]

AronT on January 19th, 2009

When I was a high school student, the poem by Robert Southey, After Blenheim, was a standard part of the English curriculum. Now that a cease fire has come into effect in Gaza, little Wilhemene’s comment and little Peterkin’s question seem quite relevant:
They say it was a shocking sight
After the field was won;
For many thousand bodies here
Lay rotting in [...]

Continue reading about ‘Twas a Famous Victory [Updated]

AronT on January 18th, 2009

Gideon Levy, whose writing often appears on this blog, responds to A.B. Yehoshua’s criticism:
When one employs tanks, artillery and planes in such a densely populated place one cannot avoid killing children. I understand that Israeli propaganda has cleared your conscience, but it has not cleared mine or that of most of the world. Outcomes, not [...]

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AronT on January 16th, 2009

A debate between Neve Gordon and Lany Davis on the war in Gaza. An earlier interview with Neve Gordon may be found here.

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AronT on January 15th, 2009

Yesterday’s New York Times had an article about how the current Gaza war has overwhelming support in Israel. I have no doubt that is true. But, except for serving as a vehicle to get the “Israeli viewpoint” across, this article is not newsworthy.

Continue reading about Rally Around the Flag, Boys!

AronT on January 13th, 2009

Despite all the evidence out there that the Israeli army consistently resorts to lies and disinformation to justify its actions (cf. the Shehada story), many US media outlets continue to quote Israeli army spokespeople as if they are Moses conveying God’s own truth. However, for anyone with the slightest bit of objectivity, the Israeli army MO is [...]

Continue reading about Anatomy of a War Crime