Gaza Cease Fire Diary - 1 August 2014

Frank Luntz wrote a paper for his fellow Zionists a few years back.  In this paper he specified the kind of language to be used in public utterance for the purpose of eliciting a conditioned response from the American public.  For example Israeli PWs should always be described as having been "kidnapped,"  "abducted," or as being held "hostage."  This trickiness is intended to create a mental image of innocent, indeed childlike IDF soldiers who have been victimized by criminals. This is clever.  Today Martin Fletcher and Blinken from the NSC were all over Morning Joe using this language to describe an IDF soldier taken prisoner.  Blinken demanded that Hamas release this "hostage. " At the same time the point is made that this "abduction" was perpetrated against a group of IDF engineers who were demolishing tunnels inside Gaza DURING THE CEASE FIRE.  Lordy! Lordy!  How dare the Hamasniks do such a thing!  Have they never heard of the rules of Israeli Warfare?

Rule 1 - We do what we please but you must not imitate us, because we are "special" and we want to WIN!! 

Ariel Sharon once infamously conducted a major armored offensive operation during a cease fire that Israel had accepted.  This was during the Battle of the Chinese Farm in 1973.  He defeated the Egyptian Army who stupidly were abiding by the UN sponsored cease fire, and Sharon WON! He won because he was "SPECIAL," but don't you think for a minute you Palestinian terrorists that you can do the same.  NO, NO NO!  You are not "special."  pl

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/israelgaza-conflict-the-secret-report-that-helps-israelis-to-hide-facts-9630765.html 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolution_338

 

Comments

[eakens]

They used to refer to GATT as the general agreement to talk and talk. I'm afraid the UN is worse. It's is beyond me that the majority continue to participate in this organization and a larger more concerted effort to create a parallel organization has not been sought by those countries not possessing veto power. It's time the world has threatened tin earnest o Isolate the USA over Israel.

[Cee]

Thanks for this reminder. I just saw a headline about the capture of the POW with the headline BRAZEN capture of an Israeli soldier. I had to laugh out loud.

This IS war. I've also read that this soldier was captured before the so-called ceasefire.

[Poul]

The report from Luntz can be found here. (Adobe Flash required to download)

http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/no-it-isnt-the-pentagon-papers-but-heres-a-small-sign-that-the-msm-is-finally-going-to-take-on-the-b.html

[oofda]

In today's events, the IDF is reporting that a soldier was captured by Hamas. The IDF is now mounting an operation to try to find him.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.608331

[Bandolero]

All

If I may I'ld like to add links to some statements for whatever they are worth.

Al-Manar seems to spin that the capture of the IDF soldier happened at 6:30am, 1.5 hours before the ceasefire should have gone into effect. Quote Al Manar:

Golani Officer Captured by Palestinian Resistance in Gaza

... In a statement released by Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades announced “We have carried out an infiltration operation behind the lines of the occupation forces who were penetrating in eastern Rafah at around 6:30 (3:30 GMT).” ...

Source:

http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=163535&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=18&s1=1

A Palestian doctor in Gaza tweeted:

8.03 am. The ceasefire should be effective now, but I still hear artillery. #GazaUnderAttack

Source:

https://twitter.com/Belalmd12/status/495072332335960066

IMEMC cites a Hamas statement carrying a similar massage. Quote:

... 1. The army, several tanks and armored vehicles, invaded Rafah earlier on Friday morning, advancing more than 2400 meters; the resistance exchanged fire with the invading vehicles and soldiers. The clashes continued until after the temporary ceasefire started. ...

Source:

http://www.imemc.org/article/68710

So, let's see what will come out of all this and where the blame will fall.

[Denis]

Poul
The Mondoweiss link gives a link to the original 2009 Newsweek article on Luntz's Hasbara manual -- but that Newsweek link is long dead.

Trying to find a .pdf of this 116 pg Zionist instruction manual on Machiavellian communications for winning over Americans has been a challenge b/c most sources seem to have been taken down. Here is one source:

http://logophere.com/LogoPhere%20Docs/israel-projects-2009-global-language-dictionary.pdf

I am only about 2/3 through it, and I find it amazing. You can see it at work every time Oren or Regev or Mickey Rosenfeld open their mouths.

Here's what Luntz advises GoI officials say when GoI is accused of killing women and children:

"We may disagree about politics and we may disagree about economics. But there is one fundamental principal that all peoples from all parts of the globe will agree on: civilized people do not target innocent women and children for death."

How many times have we heard that in the last 3 weeks? But apparently some violent Zionists like Knesset member Ayeley Shaked and popular Israeli academic Mordechai Keder didn't get the hasbara memo on this point before they recently publicly advocated killing Palestinian mothers and raping Palestinians' sisters and daughters.

http://logophere.com/Topics/14-07/Jul22-14-WTF.htm

IMO there are three documents out of that 2009 period that have been extremely helpful in understanding GoI/IDF, their objectives, shortcomings, and the way they operate. 1) Luntz's Hasbara Bible, 2) the Goldstone Report, and 3) pl's observations on the IDF's lack of senior/career NCO's and the comments to that post, which was recently re-published here.

BTW, that Republican darling, Luntz, is one toxic dude. Check him out at Wiki. Recipient of PolitiFact's Lie of the Year award, &c.

[Poul]

Denis.

You can still download the paper from Mondoweiss but you need to have Adobe Shockwave Flash active. There is a plug-in which gives you the option of downloading the paper.

Look under this bit of text in the article.

"Thanks to Martin Wales for the fossicking here. The pdf: "

The download button is on the top right corner. If you see a grey box then Adobe Flash is not active.

Hope it helps.

[Matthew]

If the capture of a soldier on a battlefield is "barbaric," how about attacking a hospital? See http://mondoweiss.net/2014/08/military-announce-hospital.html

[James Doleman (@jamesdoleman)]

When genocide is permissible

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/when-genocide-is-permissible/

[Andrew]

Al-Shifa hospital, "All the advanced surgical departments building have been evacuated after Israeli threats to bomb it.
THIS might be my LAST TWEET
pray for us"
https://twitter.com/DrBasselAbuward

[David Habakkuk]

All,

It seems to me that Luntz and his 'Israel Project' colleagues may not adequately appreciate that those who live by PR may die by it.

The results of his poll indicated that over 78% of Americans supported a two-state solution. Accordingly, Luntz advised that 'when you're talking to Americans, you need to know that when you don't support a two-state solution you risk having a major public relations challenge in America and Europe.'

There is nothing distinctively Zionist about this approach. The habit of regarding one's fellow citizens in the way an intelligent Martian might regard human beings, if he or she arrived as a colonist, is a common feature of modern marketing, both in politics and in business. However, it may have both distinctive advantages, and distinctive dangers, for Zionists.

The general approach is, as Luntz's paper brilliantly brings out, based upon an understanding that people, commonly, are all too ready to be gulled. If it makes them feel good about themselves, many people are all too happy to swallow any kind of half-truth or even outright lie. Time and again, those who treat their fellows as 'mug punters' win out over those who attempt to persuade them with rational arguments.

Over the past few years, however, Netanyahu has done more or less everything he could have done to make clear that he has no intention whatsoever of conceding any kind of meaningful two-state solution. In so doing, he has drawn attention to the fundamental fact that the enthusiasm of all Israeli governments since 1967, whatever their political complexion, for colonising the West Bank should have indicated long ago that Zionist talk of a 'two-state solution' was, in large measure, a PR exercise.

It is often the case that one can get away with treating people as 'mug punters' for a very long time. Perhaps Luntz and those who parrot his words can succeed in diddling the American 'goyim' indefinitely.

The danger they court is that 'mug punters' who come to realise they have been diddled sometimes become resentful -- and indeed, may be all the more resentful because they do not want to recognise their own complicity in being taken for a ride.

[confusedponderer]

For a rather obvious reason the post by the worthy Yochanan Gordon was removed, also in the google cache.

My hunch as to why it was removed may have had to do with the closing argument:

"Judging by the numbers of casualties on both sides in this almost one-month old war one would be led to the conclusion that Israel has resorted to disproportionate means in fighting a far less- capable enemy. That is as far as what meets the eye. But, it’s now obvious that the US and the UN are completely out of touch with the nature of this foe and are therefore not qualified to dictate or enforce the rules of this war – because when it comes to terror there is much more than meets the eye.

I wasn’t aware of this, but it seems that the nature of warfare has undergone a major shift over the years. Where wars were usually waged to defeat the opposing side, today it seems – and judging by the number of foul calls it would indicate – that today’s wars are fought to a draw. I mean, whoever heard of a timeout in war? An NBA Basketball game allows six timeouts for each team during the course of a game, but last I checked this is a war! We are at war with an enemy whose charter calls for the annihilation of our people. Nothing, then, can be considered disproportionate when we are fighting for our very right to live.

The sad reality is that Israel gets it, but its hands are being tied by world leaders who over the past six years have insisted they are such good friends with the Jewish state, that they know more regarding its interests than even they do. But there’s going to have to come a time where Israel feels threatened enough where it has no other choice but to defy international warnings – because this is life or death.

Most of the reports coming from Gazan officials and leaders since the start of this operation have been either largely exaggerated or patently false. The truth is, it’s not their fault, falsehood and deceit is part of the very fabric of who they are and that will never change. Still however, despite their propensity to lie, when your enemy tells you that they are bent on your destruction you believe them. Similarly, when Khaled Meshal declares that no physical damage to Gaza will dampen their morale or weaken their resolve – they have to be believed. Our sage Gedalia the son of Achikam was given intelligence that Yishmael Ben Nesanyah was plotting to kill him. However, in his piety or rather naiveté Gedalia dismissed the report as a random act of gossip and paid no attention to it. To this day, the day following Rosh Hashana is commemorated as a fast day in the memory of Gedalia who was killed in cold blood on the second day of Rosh Hashana during the meal. They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over. History is there to teach us lessons and the lesson here is that when your enemy swears to destroy you – you take him seriously.
Hamas has stated forthrightly that it idealizes death as much as Israel celebrates life. What other way then is there to deal with an enemy of this nature other than obliterate them completely?

News anchors such as those from CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera have not missed an opportunity to point out the majority of innocent civilians who have lost their lives as a result of this war. But anyone who lives with rocket launchers installed or terror tunnels burrowed in or around the vicinity of their home cannot be considered an innocent civilian. If you’ll counter, that Hamas has been seen abusing civilians who have attempted to leave their homes in response to Israeli warnings to leave – well then, your beginning to come to terms with the nature of this enemy which should automatically cause the rules of standard warfare to be suspended.

Everyone agrees that Israel has the right to defend itself as well as the right to exercise that right. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has declared it, Obama and Kerry have clearly stated that no one could be expected to sit idle as thousands of rockets rain down on the heads of its citizens, placing them in clear and present danger. It seems then that the only point of contention is regarding the measure of punishment meted out in this situation.

I will conclude with a question for all the humanitarians out there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly stated at the outset of this incursion that his objective is to restore a sustainable quiet for the citizens of Israel. We have already established that it is the responsibility of every government to ensure the safety and security of its people. If political leaders and military experts determine that the only way to achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it then permissible to achieve those responsible goals?"

http://pastebin.com/F71kw7Ee

Indeed: Genocide - the responsible thing to do for Israel! Who could not agree?

The only comfort I take after having read his bile is that someone else had the good sense of deleting it. Not so Mr. Gordon.

Assuming Mr. Yochanan Gordon's suggestion is being taken up by his country's leaders, he can probably, as a true Mensch, be counted on to then never forgive the Palestinians for having forced Israel to have killed their children, all of'em.

And then, after the deed is done, Israel would probably weep, and the desert will blossom from their tears. Indeed, it would hurt Israel more than the Palestinians!

And when they're done, they'll still be a couple million short of the Nazis; does that not look good comparably?

The bit I took away from reading about the holocaust, that genocide is an ultimate crime, and fundamentally evil, is lost on Mr. Gordon, just like the point that the Nazis did all that murdering for "Lebensraum", territorial expansion.

Mr. Gordon is a very, very confused man.

[Matthew]

DH: When the Times of Israel runs an op-ed entitled, "When Genocide is Permissible," you know the wheels have come off the hasbara chariot. See https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/media

[Matthew]

CP: I'm waiting for his Ludendorf moment: "The UN stabbed us in the back."

[John Adamson]

Frank Luntz & Ron Dermer

Frank Luntz hired the current Israeli ambassador, Ron Dermer, as an assistant who helped him produce the 1994 Republican "Contract With America."

Mr. Dermer then went to Israel and ended up as "Bibi's Brain."
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/12/bibis-brain-comes-to-washington-ron-dermer-netanyahu-100561.html?hp=pm_2

If you start looking, it's amazing the connections you find between Israel, and America's government, politics, and media.

They have all sides covered.

[Medicine Man]

He doesn't seem confused at all, CP. Quite the contrary. Sick and blind perhaps, but not confused.

[Andrew]

Today: They are inhuman, there are no limits to their evil "... artillery fire and aerial bombardment of Rafah, killing more than 50 Palestinians, many of them children, and wounding more than 200, according to local health authorities. Reports from the town's al-Najar hospital described bloodied bodies lying on stretchers and across the floor, as family members searched frantically for missing relatives."
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/01/israel-bombards-rafah-soldier-disappears-gaza-ceasefire-collapse

[Lee]

Looks like the author did re-post it on his Facebook wall.

https://www.facebook.com/yochanan.gordon.3

Screenshot here:
http://imgur.com/tDABSGu

[robt willmann]

The Global Language Dictionary for the Israel Project can also be found here--

http://www.stopdebezetting.com/documents/pdf/090713Hasbara%20handboek_tip_report.pdf

It is 116 pages long, but reading it is very important to do, since it reveals how words and language are used intentionally to manipulate you, regardless of what reality or facts may exist.

And of course this approach to manipulation is not limited to the desires of the government of Israel or Zionists. This is done by politicians to try to get elected. It was done by using the word and concept "terrorism" and related language to get new federal laws passed by Congress, to manipulate federal judges to influence their rulings, and to neutralize and co-opt state and local law enforcement in and after 2001. I think it was Mr. Luntz who advised Republicans (after being paid, most likely), to use the words "security" and "safety" in connection with their political pitches.

Some common talking points have been condensed down into an amusing Hasbarah bingo card--

http://www.conniptions.org/?20140725

[marcus]

This isn't a war its a ghetto uprising and group punishment. If modern electronics weren't watching the Israelis would probably 10-100 more people--decimation--similar to what resistors suffered under Roman rule. The abused child becomes the abuser.

[Denis]

Mr. Gordon is a very, very confused man.

Yes, sir. It takes a very confused man to write:

"Everyone agrees that Israel has the right to defend itself as well as the right to exercise that right."

That's like saying a person has a right of free speech as well as a right to talk.

Maybe they are starting to buckle mentally under the stress of their own evil. A person can rationalize their own evil, but they can't escape the reality that they are evil. Sort of paraphrasing Any Rand here -- I think she said one can ignore reality, but one cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.

[Andrew]

A call to genocide from Irwin E. Blank: "G-d might be meant to illustrate that voice of the people-the vox populi. In this case, G-d had demanded that Saul (or the “prime minister”) enter into battle with the Amalekites (Hamas and its savage partners) and destroy them utterly even if that means to the last child, cow and goat. As cruel as this appears, it is a lesson that teaches a nation in terrible danger that it has a legitimate obligation to put a definite end to a substantial threat. The end of such a conflict must make it impossible for that enemy to rebuild and continue to vex one’s nation forever.
...It’s time to take heed of the words of the L-rd, it is time to do what the people of Israel demand, it is time to kill Agag."
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/1-samuel-1518/#ixzz39AIQIcls

[shepherd]

Sorry, I always feel compelled to correct this one. The Romans did not decimate defeated peoples. Decimation was a punishment for their own troops for mutiny.

[Lee]

This made my stomach turn:

'Welcome to Gaza Heights': Where babies play with grenades
Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry's latest animation in online battle over Gaza offensive.

http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201408011113-0023998

[James Doleman (@jamesdoleman)]

Mr Genocide really sorry if anyone thought he was calling for, er genocide

pic.twitter.com/8n93eKdZWt

Phew