As in cite for Americans rejoicing over Iraqi deaths.
Sorry, thought you were being witty.
Various and sundry individuals that I have had social contact with.
It was toward the end of October when I overheard a group of American men at my club talking about a recent Israeli attack on the Nusseirat refugee camp. At least a dozen innocent civilians died in that chapter-and-verse, retributive playbook raid.
This boisterous conversation was an intellectual one and would not have warranted scorn had it not been framed with outright mirth and the attitude of “necessary requital.” The five men, over drinks, were openly gleeful about the use of excessive force as a deterrent and were positing a successful deployment of such tactics in Iraq. The consensus, as it were, was the Palestinians – like Iraqis – require violent shows of strength.
Israel did, in fact, employ excessive force in their somewhat indiscriminate missile attack on Nusseirat, then lied about the weaponry. Further, under unprecedented pressure from their public, Israel acknowledged its dissimulation in publishing its original reports on the raid.
In this thread, it has been previously mentioned that America is to borrow from the Israeli tactical playbook. Are we to believe our current administration will aspire to a redacted version?
I’m afraid I can’t give you a cite, but I have good reasons to believe that the whole story with the weaponry in Nusseirat really is a result of a) Stupidly using a “classified” weapon in an attempt to lower civilian casulalties and then b) Stupidly trying to avoid “declassifying” said weapon by lying about it.
Not exactly a turn of events to be proud of, but also NOT an attempt to cover up the use of some kind of particularly horrible weapon - actually at least somewhat the opposite.
I know it is unsatisfying and unconvincing for you to see my arm-waving here - but it really is the best I can do in this case.
As to the glee over the killing of civilians: Sure, some Israelis feel this way, too - but on the whole, most Israelis (present company included) feel a pang of horror and sorrow when innocents die (even if we feel it is unavoidable, in order to prevent our own innocent from dying instead). We also realize that each of these cases is likely to make the Palestinians hate us even more. It is a question of now Vs. tomorrrow - if we ease up on our attempts to reach the Terrorist Leaders, we may gain something in the long run (or at least lose less) in terms of the attitude of the Palestinian man-in-the-street. But the cost now may well be another bomb going off in Tel-Aviv or Jerusalem.
All I can say is that there are many, many tactical, strategic and moral dillemas here - and I’m glad I am not in a positions where I might have to make these decisions, which will always be wrong - at least in some respects - no matter what is done.
Dan Abarbanel
answers:no, no and huge.
I am not surprised by the aricle, and certainly the emulation of Israeli “extrajudicial executions” courtesy of “death from above” has become obvious. Talk about the blind leading the halt.
Israel’s ongoing “tactical successes” in planting and defnding outlying settlements will back their ass into the United Semitic People’s Republic. A massive strategic blunder, kinda like invading Iraq.