# Israel is developing a weapon targeting Arabs **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 2, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146 "2006-09-02T01:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/41 "2006-09-02T04:10:40Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] Pardon me in advance for appearing as such a common simpleton in front of an audience full of such infallible sages, but are there not genetic differences between ethnic Jews and your typical Palestinian, just as there are between white, blacks, Asians, and yes even Aleuts? [/QUOTE] Sure, but we’re not nearly at the stage where one can examine a DNA sample and say “Ding! Palestinian!” A weapon designed to target Palestinians wouldn’t get all of them and could easily target large segments of the Jewish population, plus random members of the surrounding population and, indeed, persons worldwide. Frankly, it’d be easier to just use conventional weapons to engage in good ol’ wholesale slaughter or, as I’ve suggested numerous times, teach every Palestinian woman to read, which hopefully improve their standards of living and reduce their birth rates. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/42 "2006-09-02T04:13:35Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] Well, you _might_ be able to work out something based on dietary or behavioral differences between the two groups, eg design a bug with a toxin pathway that’s only switched on in the presence of lectins from the fruit of a Baghdad date palm cultivar or some such. It’d be a lot of work, but perhaps not truly impossible. [/QUOTE] I’m way out of my depth re molecular differences in Israeli & Palestinian diets and how this might relate to pathogens, but I’d suspect the diets of Israeli Jews (many of whom aren’t all that observant dietary wise) and Palestinians, are a lot more similar than dissimilar in any meaningful way. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/43 "2006-09-02T04:45:07Z")
That would explain why the mostestest orthodox rabbis living are pissed about the popularity of falafel stands in Israel (look it up your own damned selves). A little modification of the chickpea genome and everybody who eats them is dead. Of course, that is nothing like what the OP describes, which was probably originally an April Fools joke that only he didn’t get. I mean, dude, you’ve been here five years AND paying for it for two and you STILL don’t have a clue? Here’s a buck. Buy one. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/44 "2006-09-02T04:56:28Z")
[QUOTE=astro] I’d suspect the diets of Israeli Jews (many of whom aren’t all that observant dietary wise) and Palestinians, are a lot more similar than dissimilar in any meaningful way. [/QUOTE] But all you’d need would be one critical difference. Sure, you’d probably spend years looking for it in the solitude of your island volcano laboratory, but if you want to take over the world, you’ve _got_ to do the grunt work. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/45 "2006-09-02T05:02:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m thinking about boning Allison Hannigan right now. Does that make everyone “concerned?” Well, it might upset Allison Hannigan for one. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/46 "2006-09-02T05:06:11Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] That would explain why the mostestest orthodox rabbis living are pissed about the popularity of falafel stands in Israel (look it up your own damned selves). A little modification of the chickpea genome and everybody who eats them is dead. Of course, that is nothing like what the OP describes, which was probably originally an April Fools joke that only he didn’t get. I mean, dude, you’ve been here five years AND paying for it for two and you STILL don’t have a clue? Here’s a buck. Buy one. [/QUOTE] That’s what I love about this board…even when we’ve piled on for 40-something posts, we can still act indignant, surprised even, at the level of paranoid suspicion on the internet. Let’s get over it and find a GD thread worth shouting over, hm? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/47 "2006-09-02T05:06:49Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] But all you’d need would be one critical difference. Sure, you’d probably spend years looking for it in the solitude of your island volcano laboratory, but if you want to take over the world, you’ve _got_ to do the grunt work. [/QUOTE] [Palestinian Cuisine](http://www.whats4eats.com/4rec_palest.html) Baba Ghanoush (Eggplant dip) Falafel (Fried chickpea patties) Hummus bi Tahini (Middle Eastern chickpea & sesame dip) Kefta (Spiced meatballs) Maqluba (Rice & eggplant casserole) Musaka’a (Eggplant baked with tomatoes & chickpeas) Pita (Pocket bread) Taratour (Sesame sauce) Yogurt (Cultured milk) [Israeli Cuisine](http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART/israelifood.html) dandelion soup (sephardic) orange & tequila grilled chicken Israeli coffee chicken Grilled tuna with mixed fruit tzimmes Jewish honey candies Persian Pecan Torte Chocolate Passover Torte passover rolls winter fruit salad ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/48 "2006-09-02T05:10:40Z")
I forgot to add: **dropzone** , I’m not calling you out specifically. I meant to delete the quote and forgot. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/49 "2006-09-02T05:34:10Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] [QUOTE=Clothahump] Riiiiigggghhhhtttttt. Practicing a religions changes ones DNA. Riiiiigggghhhhtttttt. [/QUOTE] So, the Holocaust was _not_ an act of genocide? [/QUOTE] Without even getting into the whole “Are Jews an ethnic group, a religion, or both?” can of worms, we can safely say that the Holocaust was an act of [genocide](http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/p_genoci.htm): > [@](#): > > …genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:… ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/50 "2006-09-02T05:37:05Z")
In other news, Israel also has a long standing program designed to place closet-monsters and under-the-bed-monsters in every single Palestinian home. This massive monster attack is a clear violation of the 4th Geneva Convention. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/51 "2006-09-02T05:50:53Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] So let’s review who we know has been thinking about this. \*\* 1. Xan\*\* So far, that’s it. [/QUOTE] Well, there was a short story published in _Asimov’s_ back in 1999 (and reprinted in _Year’s Best SF 5_, which is where I first read it.) “Written in Blood” by Chris Lawson. Basically, the idea is that a scientist came up with a way to encode the entire Koran in the white blood cells using a specific crib sheet. It is mentioned, though nothing of the sort ever happens, that this could be the marker needed to actually make an “ethno-bomb” (though in this case it would target anyone who had had it done.) ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/52 "2006-09-02T05:56:08Z")
[QUOTE=Xan] According to [Wired News](http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,16272,00.html) And what do we call this class? Genocide. Yes, that’s right Israel is going to try to commit genocide. This disgusts me. [/QUOTE] I only have read the OP. I am not going to read the rest of the replys because the only thing that makes any sense to me is to say, “Bawashahahahhaha” ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/53 "2006-09-02T06:04:53Z")
[QUOTE=FinnAgain] In other news, Israel also has a long standing program designed to place closet-monsters and under-the-bed-monsters in every single Palestinian home. This massive monster attack is a clear violation of the 4th Geneva Convention. [/QUOTE] My people staunchly deny these accusations. We **Monstres** have committed no such mass attack. …yet… ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/54 "2006-09-02T06:20:36Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I’m thinking about boning Allison Hannigan right now. Does that make everyone “concerned?” (Not you, honey. Really. It was just a mental exercise. Ow! Stop hitting!) [/QUOTE] You better have a kosher wiener. Skinned and flayed circumferentially. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/55 "2006-09-02T06:28:15Z")
I’m circumsiced… I long for my for my foreskin. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/56 "2006-09-02T06:52:09Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] I’m circumsiced… I long for my for my foreskin. [/QUOTE] You’re circumscribed? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/57 "2006-09-02T08:26:39Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] So let’s review who we know has been thinking about this. \*\* 1. Xan\*\* So far, that’s it. [/QUOTE] IIRC South Africa at one point was trying to make a bioweapon targeted at blacks, but gave up. David Drake wrote a novel where such a bioweapon was a central plot point; don’t recall the title. Wing Commander IV ( I think that’s the one ) had a programmable bioweapon that could be used for for that IIRC, among other things. A more practical near term version is to simply vaccinate your own people, release the virus upon the folk you don’t like, and ignore the plight of third parties. ---
**Author:** ![Chotii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Chotii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chotii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/58 "2006-09-02T08:59:36Z")
This reminds me a little too much of the recent accusation against Israel, during this aborted Israel/Hezbollah war, that they had a horrible new weapon that killed Muslims and turned their bodies black. Here is the article I read, complete with a video taken from German television (with English subtitles, rather poor): [Little Green Footballs](http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=22246&only) And all this goes to prove is that you can’t believe everything you read in print these days. Especially when it’s accusing Israel and Jews of horrific and improbable war crimes. C’mon, at least get Germans to analyze it for you first. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/59 "2006-09-02T11:30:03Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Also, impossible. Do you often get this worked up thinking about impossible evils? Do you ose a lot of sleep over the Unicorn Genocide of 1476? Have you donated to the Pixie Relief fund? Many Pixies have been deplaced due to ethnic unrest in Never-Never Land. It’s all terribly tragic and nonexistant. [/QUOTE] What?? some bastard killed all the Unicorns…for shame, for shame. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146/60 "2006-09-02T12:34:04Z")
Well what would you expect?! The Jews are also killing Palestinian children so they can harvest their eyes and other organs. or something… Didn’t they also put something in the water to render them infertile? Remarkable unsuccessful with that though. Now what on Earth made Wired print such a foolish article? I haven’t read so much from them, but it never occurred to me they would try to one up the National Enquirer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-is-developing-a-weapon-targeting-arabs/371146.md?page=4)