'Wars On Gaza Have Become Part Of Israel's System Of Governance': An Interview With Yotam Feldman

[Purveyor]

'Wars on Gaza have become part of Israel's system of governance': An interview with filmmaker Yotam Feldman

In his new documentary, ‘The Lab,’ Yotam Feldman explores how Israel’s weapons industries interact with the country’s politics, economy and military decision-making. Israeli weapons, military technology and know-how become more valuable because they have been field-tested in its wars and combat against Palestinians and neighboring countries. A conversation with Yotam Feldman about his film, arms dealers and Israel’s war economy.

By Ofri Ilani, translated from Hebrew by Ofer Neiman

Perhaps we should start with the question of Israel’s international standing. In recent years it is often termed as “growing global isolation.” This isolation may diminish at times, but there is a wall-to-wall consensus about Israel becoming less popular with every war and military operation. You say that in fact the opposite is true. In your film, one can see officers from armies the world over coming to Israel to purchase arms – from Europe, India, Latin America, and of course – the U.S. So is this talk of criticism and isolation a show in which everyone partakes? Or is this criticism another force that we need to take into account?

I think that a view of Israel as an unrestrained savage that resides in a brutal neighborhood and therefore has to exercise excessive/immense albeit necessary force, has taken hold. It follows that this view is usually condescending-forgiving. More importantly, I believe that Israel’s security marketing succeeds where Israeli Hasbara [advocacy] is less fruitful. Many people fail to make the connection between Israel’s hi-tech weapons and the unrestrained military force about which one can read in reports by human rights NGOs. People think of these as two disparate phenomena merely existing in spatial and temporal proximity. If you read the Goldstone Report about the bombing of the ceremony at the police academy in Gaza on the first day of Cast Lead, and then read a marketing brochure of Rafael about the operational experiment involving “Spike 4″ (the missile used by Israel in that incident), some effort is required in order for you to realize that these are different accounts of one historical event. The same goes for the drones used for assassinations in Gaza. On the other hand, It is possible that the Europeans understand all this and simply don’t care.

In the previous decade, following operation Cast Lead, there was a feeling that this cannot go on, that in this constellation, Israel would have to go to a third, fourth, fifth and sixth Gaza war, and perhaps on other fronts as well – but also that it cannot really be involved in so many wars.

After the disengagement (from Gaza) a process noticed only by a few outside the army occurred. War has stopped being an extraordinary, unexpected and dramatic event in the life of the nation, and has become a periodic activity which is a part of that national life. Thus, at any given time, Israel is either in the midst of a Gaza war or awaiting the next one. Between the 2005 disengagement and “Cast Lead,” we had “Summer Rains”, “Hot Winter” and several other Israeli military operations in Gaza. Yoav Galant, the commander of the southern front between the disengagement and Cast Lead, who can be seen in the film, played a major role in the formulation of this doctrine. He employed the metaphor of a lawn mower to describe it: war as routine, periodic maintenance beyond the borders.

MORE...

http://972mag.com/wars-on-gaza-have-become-part-of-israels-system-of-governance-an-interview-with-filmmaker-yotam-feldman/71957/

[oberliner]

1. 927mag double shot!

Just what the doctor ordered.

It's been way too long.

[delrem]

4. Absolutely!

It's 972mag, by the way.

972 is a welcome change from MSM. It just is.

[Ken Burch]

14. The story was written by an Israeli.

Therefore, it doesn't matter if it's from 972mag.

[Scurrilous]

2. K & R

[azurnoir]

3. Interesting article - thanks

I remember people getting at the very least comments hidden for suggesting that something like this was going on

[pelsar]

5. did i miss something?

not a word about the rockets and border attacks coming out of gaza .......

other than that, the article completely ignored why in fact there are mini wars and no longer the larger "once a decade" full blown wars with little skirmishes in between. Ignoring the geopolitical aspects is essential for his thesis designed for the ideological simple minded view point.

Infact he is so intent in creating a scenario where Elbit and friends virtually create/need these wars that he has to ignore the Palestenians and their friends and reduces them to at best manipulated bit actors...(since they're not even mentioned.)

can we call him a racist for reducing the Palestenians and their need for "justice: to "non entities"?

[delrem]

6. Perhaps you're missing the entire thrust of the article/interview.

This is an interview with a film maker about his documentary.

I haven't seen the documentary but it's clear from the interview that it isn't about assigning blame, nor is it about "Jews" or "race".

From what I gather, the documentary is about the intersection between the military industrial complex, politics and war. Feldman is "following the money" in fields immediately related to war, not so much taking sides as explaining that certain economic sides do in fact exist. There is much that Feldman doesn't mention, e.g. the question of who "wins" in the allocation of natural resources after these wars, etc. And as you say, he doesn't mention "rocket attacks".

Yotam Feldman is obviously very smart - someone I'll put on my "follow" list.

[pelsar]

7. I am aware of the simplicity of the "follow the money"

and i'm also aware of his creating a simplistic environment that ignores one of the greater motivations for the unarmed vehicles and elbit's and others increased activities.

the IDF/Israeli govt prefers to use technologies that saves the lives of its citizens, our chlldren rather than using them as cannon fodder.....And the govt pushes for those technologies as it should.

I dont know about his kids, but l like the idea of mine have modern protective gear, communications systems that cant get jammed, real time info on force locations.....if it brings my kids back home in one piece that i'm all for it. Seems he forgot the human element as well.....

as far as the connection between the military industrial complex and the govt he might as well as mention the food industry as well as the banking industry since israeli economics is lopsided in that aspect, where just the top few families own the country with the military being a part of, not a seperate entity.
__

like i wrote..its a simplist piece made for those who need a punching bag "the military industrial complex" while ignoring why the israeli citizens actually like those very products.... (as do the politicians as do those who work wiithin the machine)

Iron Dome being the obvious example of the "military industrial complex" in israel actually providing an answer to murder attempts from gaza.....technology that may very well be sold to other countries that may need it.

had the Palestenians decided to make gaza a "club med" the military industrial complex would have had little need to develop such a system and wouldn't have...his ignoring that aspect of it, is telling of his agenda...
____

this is not the US...where the "elites" kids dont endanger themselves and where the congressmen are in bed with those very industries .....our kids and us parents actually need those products....I believe he forgot to mention that fact

[delrem]

8. A familiar mix of bombast, diversion and spin.

Last edited Tue May 28, 2013, 12:34 AM - Edit history (1)

you:
"I am aware of the simplicity of..."
" i'm also aware of his creating a simplistic environment"
"its a simplist piece made for those who need a punching bag "the military industrial complex""

me:
OK, I get it, illiberal liberals like you aren't satisfied by "simplistic" theses, especially when you can't understand them.

you:
"the IDF/Israeli govt prefers to use technologies that saves the lives of its citizens, our chlldren rather than using them as cannon fodder.....And the govt pushes for those technologies as it should."

me:
*cough cough", the IDF/Israeli govt is overseeing an occupation, siege, population transfer and annexation of Palestinian land. It is also overseeing a population transfer of Palestinian peoples within Israel, most visibly in the Negev. It is *this* project that the Israeli MIC has developed specialized techniques for. That the IDF/Israeli govt wishes to do this with the least disruption to the lives of Jewish Israeli citizens is tacitly understood. pelsar is not required to explain it, and the author hasn't made it the focus of his article.

you:
"as far as the connection between the military industrial complex and the govt he might as well as mention the food industry as well as the banking industry since israeli economics is lopsided in that aspect,"

me:
That wasn't the focus of his thesis. It's another thesis entirely to show the effects of economic control/warfare and seige warfare on the people of Gaza.

you:
"had the Palestenians (sic) decided to make gaza a "club med" the military industrial complex would have had little need to develop such a system and wouldn't have..."

me:
You're correct, if Gaza were a "club med" environment, the situation would be quite different (oddly enough, some illiberal liberal Israelis suggest that Gaza is exactly that, and that Gazan complaints about the siege tell a false story). However, the thesis wasn't focused on "would have been" "could have been" counter-factuals, or on the kind of political spin that depends on keeping them alive.

finally, you:
"this is not the US...where the "elites" kids dont endanger themselves and where the congressmen are in bed with those very industries .....our kids and us parents actually need those products....I believe he forgot to mention that fact"

me:
When you want to spin an issue, you have to actually touch the issue. This thesis wasn't about some putative difference between the "elite kids" of the US vs Israel.

[pelsar]

10. you got one point right

OK, I get it, illiberal liberals like you aren't satisfied by "simplistic" theses, especially when you can't understand them.


very true...simplistic views and opinions in this conflict that ignore the larger environment (motivations etc) have little place and your right I dont understand how intelligent people, who arent religious (or claim that they aren't) can so easily drink the kool-aid.

___

btw, what you call spin....is simply my view on the larger environment..if there is something you would prefer that i focus on, you can always ask directly. Just because you dont understand why i write something hardly means its a "spin" it more likely means that your dont understand it and instead of asking about it, you prefer to show your narrow mindedness...

but then progressives, I have learned aren't really known for their tolerance.....

[delrem]

12. I agree 100% with that post! nt

[azurnoir]

9. perhaps you should refer us to M. Barg for further reference

the person who wrote this stunning OP

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113442163

[pelsar]

11. glad u read it...

i get the impression that you disagree with his opinion.....one of those Palestenians who is sharing his opinion about the western left and their "help."

perhaps you might expand upon it, in that thread?