CodewordsIsrael and Palestine
How can we tell if this is news, reporting, analysis, opionion or simply propaganda? One key is the "Code words" used to describe the event ... don't use "assassinations" (they're banished under US presidential decree), no "walls" (sounds too simlilar to Berlin War), "self-defense" (an Israeli prerogrative in the settlements (notice -- not "colonies"), "terrorist" (any Palestinians who resists), "resistance" (used in Arab press but rarely seen in US media). Who is allowed to use what words and
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Illegal vs. unhelpful: United States newspeak on settlements
Excite - News: "U.S. Does Not Expect Israeli Settlement Response Yet Sep 23, 2:04 am ET
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday he did not expect the Israeli government to respond to U.S. pressure on West Bank settlements until the Palestinian Authority cracks down on militants.
The international community considers the settlements illegal but Israel disputes this. The United States once said they were illegal [for 25+ years] but now calls them unhelpful."
Excite - News: "U.S. Does Not Expect Israeli Settlement Response Yet Sep 23, 2:04 am ET
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday he did not expect the Israeli government to respond to U.S. pressure on West Bank settlements until the Palestinian Authority cracks down on militants.
The international community considers the settlements illegal but Israel disputes this. The United States once said they were illegal [for 25+ years] but now calls them unhelpful."
Friday, September 12, 2003
Disputed, rather than occupied: After 11 resolutions and numerous US State Dept reports AP cannot no longer say "occupied"
Excite News| Palestinians Seek Security Council's Help | Sep 12, 3:28 PM (ET)By EDITH M. LEDERER
UNITED NATIONS (AP) ... "One contentious issue in the draft is a call for the protection under the Geneva Convention of civilians during war or under occupation. Israel claims the convention does not apply to territory it seized in the 1967 Middle East war. It says the land is disputed, rather than occupied. "
Excite News| Palestinians Seek Security Council's Help | Sep 12, 3:28 PM (ET)By EDITH M. LEDERER
UNITED NATIONS (AP) ... "One contentious issue in the draft is a call for the protection under the Geneva Convention of civilians during war or under occupation. Israel claims the convention does not apply to territory it seized in the 1967 Middle East war. It says the land is disputed, rather than occupied. "
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Transfer ... a.k.a. Ethnic Cleansing
The Logistics of Transfer, Boris Shusteff, GAMLA, July 2002
The goal of Zionism was always the return of Jews to Zion and the creation there of a Jewish state. This goal has remained unchanged and is no less urgent today (Ariel Sharon's stated aim of attracting another million Jews to the Jewish state is completely in line with it). The problem arises when one tries to define what is meant by 'a Jewish state.' In reality, however, the term itself is pretty self-explanatory - it is a state for the Jews. To put it differently, it is an ethnically homogeneous state, not unlike many of the European countries (though even this definition is somewhat inaccurate, since Jews are not a distinct ethnic group per se). Let us not be afraid to be accused of racism. This idea has nothing to do with any claims of racial superiority of Jews versus non-Jews, if only because 'Jew' is not a racial characteristic, and skin color is not a defining trait of Jews
...
Those who suffer from pangs of acute liberal sensitivity should keep in mind that an ethnically homogeneous state is not a dirty word and does not constitute a threat to mankind. Many such states already exist. Falling most precisely into this category are Japan and Finland.
...
The issue of transfer is a taboo topic in Israel. It is assumed a priori that transfer is impossible, unachievable and immoral to boot. Even to touch upon the subject is politically incorrect ...
...
... Actually it is simply enough to take note of a speech made by American (gentile) Senator Jim Inhofe, who put all Jewish Zionists to shame when in a March 4 speech in the U.S. Senate, he declared that Israel has complete rights to the lands of Yesha and demanded that America support these rights. He said, in particular,
I believe very strongly that we ought to support Israel; that it has a right to the land. This is the most important reason: Because God said so. _Look it up in the book of Genesis. It is right up there on the desk_ In Genesis 13:14-17, _where God appeared to Abram and said, "I am giving you this land," - the West Bank. This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.
...
Meanwhile, any attempts on the part of the Arabs to carry out sabotage or terrorist activity must be immediately suppressed in the most brutal way. It is possible, for example, to implement a suggestion by Harvard Professor Alan Derschowitz, an American liberal lawyer. With slight modification, it works as follows: Israel issues a warning that, in a response to any terrorist attack, she will immediately completely level an Arab village or settlement, randomly chosen by a computer from a published list. The essence of the idea is to make the Arabs completely responsible for their own fate, and to make it clear that terrorism will not be merely tolerated, but will be harshly punished. Along with the world community, the Arabs will know precisely what will result if they attack Jews.
The Logistics of Transfer, Boris Shusteff, GAMLA, July 2002
The goal of Zionism was always the return of Jews to Zion and the creation there of a Jewish state. This goal has remained unchanged and is no less urgent today (Ariel Sharon's stated aim of attracting another million Jews to the Jewish state is completely in line with it). The problem arises when one tries to define what is meant by 'a Jewish state.' In reality, however, the term itself is pretty self-explanatory - it is a state for the Jews. To put it differently, it is an ethnically homogeneous state, not unlike many of the European countries (though even this definition is somewhat inaccurate, since Jews are not a distinct ethnic group per se). Let us not be afraid to be accused of racism. This idea has nothing to do with any claims of racial superiority of Jews versus non-Jews, if only because 'Jew' is not a racial characteristic, and skin color is not a defining trait of Jews
...
Those who suffer from pangs of acute liberal sensitivity should keep in mind that an ethnically homogeneous state is not a dirty word and does not constitute a threat to mankind. Many such states already exist. Falling most precisely into this category are Japan and Finland.
...
The issue of transfer is a taboo topic in Israel. It is assumed a priori that transfer is impossible, unachievable and immoral to boot. Even to touch upon the subject is politically incorrect ...
...
... Actually it is simply enough to take note of a speech made by American (gentile) Senator Jim Inhofe, who put all Jewish Zionists to shame when in a March 4 speech in the U.S. Senate, he declared that Israel has complete rights to the lands of Yesha and demanded that America support these rights. He said, in particular,
I believe very strongly that we ought to support Israel; that it has a right to the land. This is the most important reason: Because God said so. _Look it up in the book of Genesis. It is right up there on the desk_ In Genesis 13:14-17, _where God appeared to Abram and said, "I am giving you this land," - the West Bank. This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.
...
Meanwhile, any attempts on the part of the Arabs to carry out sabotage or terrorist activity must be immediately suppressed in the most brutal way. It is possible, for example, to implement a suggestion by Harvard Professor Alan Derschowitz, an American liberal lawyer. With slight modification, it works as follows: Israel issues a warning that, in a response to any terrorist attack, she will immediately completely level an Arab village or settlement, randomly chosen by a computer from a published list. The essence of the idea is to make the Arabs completely responsible for their own fate, and to make it clear that terrorism will not be merely tolerated, but will be harshly punished. Along with the world community, the Arabs will know precisely what will result if they attack Jews.
Martyrdom genocide terror
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Some crude comparisons : Friday April 12, 2002
The barbarity of the language used to describe the crisis in the Middle East is a reflection of the crudeness of the conflict itself, writes Derek Brown
...
The crudeness of the deeds is matched by that of the language: Palestinians ranting about martyrdom and genocide; Israelis overdosing on the word 'terror' and its derivatives.
The last point is not as trivial as it may appear. 'Terror' is spoken and written in Israel so frequently, in the context of Palestinians, that it has become a label for an entire people. It is used as a self-justifying word, and a dehumanising one.
Thus, Israel is not smashing its way through the West Bank; rather, it is defending itself against terror. The mounting casualties - death toll, some would say - are not innocents, but terrorists and those they use as human shields.
Repeating a phrase over and over has a hypnotic effect. It is likely that many Israelis have heard the words "dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism" so often that they may believe it to be true. "
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Some crude comparisons : Friday April 12, 2002
The barbarity of the language used to describe the crisis in the Middle East is a reflection of the crudeness of the conflict itself, writes Derek Brown
...
The crudeness of the deeds is matched by that of the language: Palestinians ranting about martyrdom and genocide; Israelis overdosing on the word 'terror' and its derivatives.
The last point is not as trivial as it may appear. 'Terror' is spoken and written in Israel so frequently, in the context of Palestinians, that it has become a label for an entire people. It is used as a self-justifying word, and a dehumanising one.
Thus, Israel is not smashing its way through the West Bank; rather, it is defending itself against terror. The mounting casualties - death toll, some would say - are not innocents, but terrorists and those they use as human shields.
Repeating a phrase over and over has a hypnotic effect. It is likely that many Israelis have heard the words "dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism" so often that they may believe it to be true. "
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
Terrorism ... a.k.a Resistance
The Bombing Of The King David Hotel | July 22, 1946
The King David Hotel explosion of July 22, 1946 (Palestine), which resulted in the deaths of 92 Britons, Arabs and Jews, and in the wounding of 58, was not just an act of "Jewish extremists," but a premeditated massacre conducted by the Irgun in agreement with the highest Jewish political authorities in Palestine-- the Jewish Agency and its head David-Ben-Gurion. According to Yitshaq Ben-Ami, a Palestinian Jew who spent 30 years in exile after the establishment of Israel investigating the crimes of the "ruthless clique heading the internal Zionist movement," ...
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The following is a statement made in the House of Commons by then British Prime Minister Clement Attlee: On July 22, 1946, one of the most dastardly and cowardly crimes in recorded history took place. We refer to the blowing up of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Ninety-two persons lost their lives in that stealthy attack, 45 were injured, among whom there were many high officials, junior officers and office personnel, both men and women. The King David Hotel was used as an office housing the Secretariat of the Palestine Government and British Army Headquarters. The attack was made on 22 July at about 12 o’clock noon when offices are usually in full swing. The attackers, disguised as milkmen, carried the explosives in milk containers, placed them in the basement of the Hotel and ran away."
The Bombing Of The King David Hotel | July 22, 1946
The King David Hotel explosion of July 22, 1946 (Palestine), which resulted in the deaths of 92 Britons, Arabs and Jews, and in the wounding of 58, was not just an act of "Jewish extremists," but a premeditated massacre conducted by the Irgun in agreement with the highest Jewish political authorities in Palestine-- the Jewish Agency and its head David-Ben-Gurion. According to Yitshaq Ben-Ami, a Palestinian Jew who spent 30 years in exile after the establishment of Israel investigating the crimes of the "ruthless clique heading the internal Zionist movement," ...
...
The following is a statement made in the House of Commons by then British Prime Minister Clement Attlee: On July 22, 1946, one of the most dastardly and cowardly crimes in recorded history took place. We refer to the blowing up of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Ninety-two persons lost their lives in that stealthy attack, 45 were injured, among whom there were many high officials, junior officers and office personnel, both men and women. The King David Hotel was used as an office housing the Secretariat of the Palestine Government and British Army Headquarters. The attack was made on 22 July at about 12 o’clock noon when offices are usually in full swing. The attackers, disguised as milkmen, carried the explosives in milk containers, placed them in the basement of the Hotel and ran away."
Monday, September 08, 2003
Terrorism
Key differences behind similar acts of terrorism Posted 8/22/03 Daily Herald
In the newspapers on Wednesday - and on TV on Tuesday - the two bombings in the Middle East got almost equal attention. They had much in common - both suicide attacks, both directed at civilians and both resulting in about the same number of victims. It seemed, as George Bush has always said, that terrorism is terrorism, whether in Baghdad or Jerusalem. That, though, is not the case.
...
The difference between Israel and Iraq is palpable. The Islamic militants who are suspected in the U.N. bombing are mostly coming from elsewhere. They do not represent a national movement.
...
Israel is in a different position. It unmistakably squats on land that was once Palestinian - never mind its international right to do so. That grievance, particularly when it comes to the West Bank, is not likely to be mollified by turning on lights or giving everyone a food blender. The Palestinian grievance is real and ongoing, exacerbated by Israel's encroachment on West Bank territory.
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The two brands of terrorist are not the same. The Palestinian ones are indigenous, coming from the very communities that Israel occupies. What's more, some of the suicide bombers are not religious militants, but merely people who in their own way are saying they can't take it any longer. The trick for Israel is, as always, to pull out of the territories, build its defensive fence - and wait for a new generation to accept the status quo.
Key differences behind similar acts of terrorism Posted 8/22/03 Daily Herald
In the newspapers on Wednesday - and on TV on Tuesday - the two bombings in the Middle East got almost equal attention. They had much in common - both suicide attacks, both directed at civilians and both resulting in about the same number of victims. It seemed, as George Bush has always said, that terrorism is terrorism, whether in Baghdad or Jerusalem. That, though, is not the case.
...
The difference between Israel and Iraq is palpable. The Islamic militants who are suspected in the U.N. bombing are mostly coming from elsewhere. They do not represent a national movement.
...
Israel is in a different position. It unmistakably squats on land that was once Palestinian - never mind its international right to do so. That grievance, particularly when it comes to the West Bank, is not likely to be mollified by turning on lights or giving everyone a food blender. The Palestinian grievance is real and ongoing, exacerbated by Israel's encroachment on West Bank territory.
...
The two brands of terrorist are not the same. The Palestinian ones are indigenous, coming from the very communities that Israel occupies. What's more, some of the suicide bombers are not religious militants, but merely people who in their own way are saying they can't take it any longer. The trick for Israel is, as always, to pull out of the territories, build its defensive fence - and wait for a new generation to accept the status quo.
Terrorism ...dismantle the infrastructure of terror
Ha'aretz - Article Before we blame the Palestinians By Hillel Schocken Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Defining the Palestinian war of liberation as "terror" is incorrect, despite being widely accepted among us and in the United States. Terror, as distinguished from war, is when part of a group uses fear and violence to influence another part of the group. The din rodef (a rabbinic pronouncement of guilt) voiced by some of the Yesha (West Bank and Gaza) rabbis against the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, was an act of terror successfully designed to force on the nation's leadership a political direction different than that chosen by a democratic authority. Blowing up the King David Hotel, on the other hand, was an act of war by a people seeking to liberate itself from a foreign regime and demanding self-determination.
The demand that the Palestinian Authority "dismantle the infrastructure of terror" is ridiculous and designed to thwart any future agreement. How would the Va'ad Leumi [in pre-state Israel] have responded to a similar demand to dismantle the infrastructure of the [Jewish underground groups] Etzel, Lehi, and Palmah? We dismantled our "terrorist infrastructure" (an erroneous term here, as noted) only after we achieved our goal and established our state.
Ha'aretz - Article Before we blame the Palestinians By Hillel Schocken Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Defining the Palestinian war of liberation as "terror" is incorrect, despite being widely accepted among us and in the United States. Terror, as distinguished from war, is when part of a group uses fear and violence to influence another part of the group. The din rodef (a rabbinic pronouncement of guilt) voiced by some of the Yesha (West Bank and Gaza) rabbis against the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, was an act of terror successfully designed to force on the nation's leadership a political direction different than that chosen by a democratic authority. Blowing up the King David Hotel, on the other hand, was an act of war by a people seeking to liberate itself from a foreign regime and demanding self-determination.
The demand that the Palestinian Authority "dismantle the infrastructure of terror" is ridiculous and designed to thwart any future agreement. How would the Va'ad Leumi [in pre-state Israel] have responded to a similar demand to dismantle the infrastructure of the [Jewish underground groups] Etzel, Lehi, and Palmah? We dismantled our "terrorist infrastructure" (an erroneous term here, as noted) only after we achieved our goal and established our state.
Murder ... Casualities
Our foppish self-righteousness By Shulamit Aloni Ha'aretz - Article Thursday, July 24, 2003
Since the start of the intifada, more than 800 Israelis, mostly civilians, have been killed by Palestinians. We, justifiably, call it 'murder.' Some were killed by suicide bombers and the rest with other instruments of death. At the same time, more than 2,200 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis - some as armed suspects, and almost all from soldiers' fire. We don't call these casualties 'murdered.'
But perhaps these deaths should also be referred to as murders. All the instruments of death that came from the sky, and the tanks, and the snipers were aimed at 'the enemy' as the chief of staff says, or in 'wartime operations' as Judge Advocate General Menachem Finkelstein says; and so there's no need to interrogate soldiers and prosecute the killers of civilians.
Furthermore, adds the law-abiding JAG, 'It is impossible to conduct 2,000 investigations into 2,000 deaths' (Haaretz, July 10).
But he didn't conduct investigations when there were only 50 cases of murdered Palestinians or when there were 100. So why put murderers and abusers on trial now when there are so many? Wait, he did, finally, find eight cases to investigate, for shooting incidents.
And of course, there's no comparing Jewish blood to Palestinian blood. Palestinians, after all, use the terrible weapon of suicide; while on our side, everything is aesthetic and elegant: Bombs fall out of the sky and the pilot goes home safely; the tanks fire flechettes; and our skilled snipers always hit their target. Of course, nobody ever asks which target.
...
The writer is a former MK [Member of the Knesset] and minister from Meretz
Our foppish self-righteousness By Shulamit Aloni Ha'aretz - Article Thursday, July 24, 2003
Since the start of the intifada, more than 800 Israelis, mostly civilians, have been killed by Palestinians. We, justifiably, call it 'murder.' Some were killed by suicide bombers and the rest with other instruments of death. At the same time, more than 2,200 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis - some as armed suspects, and almost all from soldiers' fire. We don't call these casualties 'murdered.'
But perhaps these deaths should also be referred to as murders. All the instruments of death that came from the sky, and the tanks, and the snipers were aimed at 'the enemy' as the chief of staff says, or in 'wartime operations' as Judge Advocate General Menachem Finkelstein says; and so there's no need to interrogate soldiers and prosecute the killers of civilians.
Furthermore, adds the law-abiding JAG, 'It is impossible to conduct 2,000 investigations into 2,000 deaths' (Haaretz, July 10).
But he didn't conduct investigations when there were only 50 cases of murdered Palestinians or when there were 100. So why put murderers and abusers on trial now when there are so many? Wait, he did, finally, find eight cases to investigate, for shooting incidents.
And of course, there's no comparing Jewish blood to Palestinian blood. Palestinians, after all, use the terrible weapon of suicide; while on our side, everything is aesthetic and elegant: Bombs fall out of the sky and the pilot goes home safely; the tanks fire flechettes; and our skilled snipers always hit their target. Of course, nobody ever asks which target.
...
The writer is a former MK [Member of the Knesset] and minister from Meretz
Saturday, September 06, 2003
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Transfer
The growing clamor for ethnic cleansing: "'The logistics of transfer,' penned by Boris Shusteff last July 3. The mass ethnic cleansing of every Palestinian, the author argues, is 'the only possible solution' to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and is 'substantiated by the Torah.' (www.gamla.org.il/english) Gamla receives tax deductible contributions from a New York-based charity that claims that its goal is greater Arab-Jewish tolerance. "
The growing clamor for ethnic cleansing: "'The logistics of transfer,' penned by Boris Shusteff last July 3. The mass ethnic cleansing of every Palestinian, the author argues, is 'the only possible solution' to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and is 'substantiated by the Torah.' (www.gamla.org.il/english) Gamla receives tax deductible contributions from a New York-based charity that claims that its goal is greater Arab-Jewish tolerance. "
Assassination, Preventive Strike, Surgical Strike
Ha'aretz - Article: "The long and imbecilic arm of Israel
By Yoel Marcus
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Where are the days before the IDF word-laundry turned 'assassination' into 'preventive strike'?
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When 180 people, including women and children, are killed or wounded in a "surgical strike," it's clear they weren't in bed with Salah Shehadeh. They are among the hundreds of people who live in tin shanties nearby.
Ha'aretz - Article: "The long and imbecilic arm of Israel
By Yoel Marcus
...
Where are the days before the IDF word-laundry turned 'assassination' into 'preventive strike'?
...
When 180 people, including women and children, are killed or wounded in a "surgical strike," it's clear they weren't in bed with Salah Shehadeh. They are among the hundreds of people who live in tin shanties nearby.
Terrorism
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | CNN chief accuses Israel of terror: "CNN chief accuses Israel of terror
Oliver Burkeman in New York and Peter Beaumont in Jerusalem ... Tuesday June 18, 2002 ... The Guardian
Ted Turner, the billionaire founder of CNN, accuses Israel today of engaging in 'terrorism' against the Palestinians, in comments that threaten to lead to a further decline in the news network's already poor relations with the Jewish state.
'Aren't the Israelis and the Palestinians both terrorising each other?' says Turner, who is vice-chairman of AOL Time Warner, which owns CNN, in an exclusive interview with the Guardian.
'The Palestinians are fighting with human suicide bombers, that's all they have. The Israelis ... they've got one of the most powerful military machines in the world. The Palestinians have nothing. So who are the terrorists? I would make a case that both sides are involved in terrorism.' "
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | CNN chief accuses Israel of terror: "CNN chief accuses Israel of terror
Oliver Burkeman in New York and Peter Beaumont in Jerusalem ... Tuesday June 18, 2002 ... The Guardian
Ted Turner, the billionaire founder of CNN, accuses Israel today of engaging in 'terrorism' against the Palestinians, in comments that threaten to lead to a further decline in the news network's already poor relations with the Jewish state.
'Aren't the Israelis and the Palestinians both terrorising each other?' says Turner, who is vice-chairman of AOL Time Warner, which owns CNN, in an exclusive interview with the Guardian.
'The Palestinians are fighting with human suicide bombers, that's all they have. The Israelis ... they've got one of the most powerful military machines in the world. The Palestinians have nothing. So who are the terrorists? I would make a case that both sides are involved in terrorism.' "
