Obsessing About Gaza, Ignoring Syria (and Most Everything Else)

[King_David]

The responses to what I write about the Hamas war fall into several categories. My least favorite sort of response is the kind that invokes Hitler in some way. Here is an e-mail that is representative: “I hope Hitler kills you and your family.” (Yes, it was written in the present tense.) Then there are the messages from those who seek the elimination of Israel. These run along the lines of, “Jeffrey wants blood, give him more Palestinian blood!” (I’m not sure if this tweet was riffing off the blood libel or not.) Like many people, I am legitimately shocked (not “shocked, shocked” but actually shocked) by the level of grotesque anti-Jewish invective seemingly (though not actually) prompted by the war, particularly in Europe. I’ve been getting mail like this for a long time, so it is the intensity and volume, rather than the content, that is so surprising.

One of my other least-favorite types of responses comes from the opposite end of the spectrum, from people who ask me why the media is so biased against Israel, and then cite the work of this reporter or that reporter—in this war, usually someone currently stationed in Gaza—who appears, to my interlocutor, to have an anti-Israel agenda. It’s a question I’ve seen for years, and it is usually asked by people who believe that Israel only has public relations problems, as opposed to actual problems, in addition to public relations problems.

http://m.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/07/obsessing-about-gaza-ignoring-syria-and-most-everything-else/374898/

[King_David]

1. The second reason is audience interest. Stories about Israel, and about Jews,

The second reason is audience interest. Stories about Israel, and about Jews, almost automatically rise to the top of the Times’ “most-emailed” list. Stories about Miramshah or Fallujah, not nearly as much. I’m guessing this is true for other American outlets as well. And then there is a sound political reason why this conflict becomes the focus of so much coverage. Israel is a close ally of the U.S., and a recipient of American military and non-military help. This may make you very happy, or very unhappy, but the fact of it is incontrovertible. Therefore, the U.S. has a direct relationship with one of the players in this conflict (both, actually, because the Palestinian Authority is the recipient of a great deal of American aid as well). There is also the issue of double standards, which I wrote about here at length, but in short, Israel is a Western-style democratic state and so reporters are more apt to be interested in its behavior, and judgmental about its behavior, than in the behavior of despotic regimes.



http://m.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/07/obsessing-about-gaza-ignoring-syria-and-most-everything-else/374898/

[S.A.M]

6. Sorry golem dreck!

As A Jew, you do not represent me nor millions of other Jews. Like Benny Netanyahu the graub. Do not assume you speak for Jews because you do not! Only your stupid ego speaks for Jews. עבור לישראל מזויפת

[King_David]

7. As a Jew I'm sure I certainly don't speak for you

What a strange assumption .

I don't want to speak for you and nor do I want to and I don't understand your post either .

Cheers.

[King_David]

11. Heres an organization that may interest you though

They have quite a few dozen members, I can not find their website as I have no time today to search.

Jewish Anti-Zionism? Not in Our Name


http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/19915/jewish-anti-zionism-name/#gDJ6EKoqTQ05uWjZ.97

[King_David]

22. Are you calling me a shmuck?

Schmuck (pejorative)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Schmuck or shmuck in American English is a pejorative meaning one who is stupid or foolish; or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word entered English from Yiddish (‏שמאָק, shmok), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but its original meaning in Yiddish is penis.[1][2] Because of its vulgarity,[3] the word is euphemized as schmoe, which was the source of Al Capp's cartoon strip creature the shmoo.[4] Variants include schmo and shmo.

In Jewish homes, the word was "regarded as so vulgar as to be taboo."[5] Lenny Bruce, a Jewish standup comedian, wrote that the use of the word during his performances in 1962 led to his arrest on the West Coast "by a Yiddish undercover agent who had been placed in the club several nights running to determine if [his] use of Yiddish terms was a cover for profanity."[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmuck_(pejorative)

[Mosby]

17. your personal attack made it past the jury 3-4

you might not be so lucky next time.

[still_one]

29. A view is being stated. Where is the assumption that you assume. Also why are you personally

Attacking the op by calling him dreck? Sounds to me you are the dreck by personally attacking the op for an opinion you disagree with

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. I know dave, it's truly horrible.

Israel only murdered thousands of Palestinians, many of whom were children (448) so there really is no reason for those evil anti-Semite reporters to expose the colonial apartheid state in such a manner.


But seriously, dave, have you ever considered that when you post these"poor us" articles, while ignoring all those innocents just murdered by Israel that you come accross as not only being callous and uncaring but also oblivious to the suffering of others?

You are, IMHO, the one who has been obsessing about three murdered Israeli settlers yet you turn a blind eye to Israeli atrocities: which dwarf anything in comparison.

[kjones]

3. Yeah, kinda low to try to hide behind other atrocities.

Kinda treating deaths in Syria and Iraq as...I don't know, human shields for their
own wrongdoings?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

4. It just turns into so much white noise, but that

is the objective.

The hasbaristas can't really justify the murder of children so they...

1. first try to blame the victims

2. then they blame somebody else

3. then they try to shift the narrative that they didn't murder that many..."It could have been worse"

4. then they try to look for sympathy "We're the victims" calculating that some forget they just wasted a few thousand people in cold blood

5. and don't forget the old tired and true: criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism.

[Shaktimaan]

30. White noise, huh?

Considering how you failed to guess the content of the article correctly it seems apparent that you don't bother reading articles like this. It's unsurprising then that I didn't see a single one of your points mentioned in the op at all.

Perhaps these discussions would seem less like white noise to you if you'd attempt to read them before offering criticism.

[bravenak]

31. Everything he said was true.

And you know it.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

32. Sorry, but I can't hear you through your #6...

[Scootaloo]

5. Well, there are no pro-Assad King_David's yelping about the indisputable sanctity of Assad's regime

There are no pro-syria Itamar marcuses, Chuck Schumers, Charles Krauthammers, Andrew Cuomos, Barack Obamas, Bill Kristols, or Joan Rivers demanding we fund and arm Syria against the people under Syrian rule. There are no pro-Syria Wolf Blitzers or Chuck Todds or Chris matthews or Bill Mahers filling our airwaves with hate-filled invective that necessitates the obliteration of entire segments of the syrian population. There is no Ameican-Syria political Action Comittee dedicated to funneling US donations to the Syrian military while lobbyign the US government hard to continue unquestioning, blindly loyal support for the marauding of the Assad regime. There is no pro-syrian The Arlantic, CNN, Fox News, Algemeiner, BBC, or MSNBC to make the news revolve around syria, and hten whine about how we're talking about Syria and not Azerbaijan.

So when Israel pulls itself out of our collective asshole, stops robbing our schools, our infrastructure, and our populace in order to fund its war-habit, and when you and the rest of the garble-mouthed sycophantic Arab-hating knuckleheads pipe the fuck down about the essential need of arming and defending the world's 11th military power against the cameras and opinions of the people it kills every time its parliament has a mild crisis, then maybe Syria will be on the big screen.

[King_David]

8. Good post

Didn't quite understand the jist of it but sounded impressive.

[whosinpower1]

9. Post of the day!

Excellent response, and perfectly understandable.

[King_David]

12. Hey welcome to DU and IP

Hope you stick around in our group.

[Mosby]

21. close call scoot, vote was 3-4

that would have been a time out for you if the vote was reversed.

Maybe you should think about stopping with the personal attacks.

[Scootaloo]

23. it's not a "personal attack" to note what someone is doing, Mosby

[King_David]

24. I took it as one,

Never alerted though.

[Mosby]

25. you called him an "arab hating knucklehead"

Even if you believe that to be true, it's still a personal attack in clear violation of DUs community standards.

[King_David]

27. It's definitly not true

Imagine if I called someone that or even a Jew hating knucklehead .

[Spider Jerusalem]

10. You know...

when the US government is funding Syria to the tune of $3 billion a year, and when the US Senate passes a unanimous resolution in support of Syria? When a host of bloviating conservative columnists pen essays defending the Syrian government, and when Syria has a vocal constituency of influential and well-financed lobbyists whose goals are specifically to move US policy in a pro-Syria way? Then you can make some sort of comparison. Why is there a focus on Gaza? In part it's because of Israel's strident defenders who unleash a blitzkrieg of newspaper columns and magazine pieces asserting "Israel's right to defend itself" every time there's another military incursion into Gaza. It's because the US Senate passes meaningless resolutions with the same end. How many of them devote a fraction of the time they spend promoting Israel to condeming Assad?

[King_David]

13. Clinton backs Israel against criticism over Gaza

http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/39841-140810-clinton-dismissive-of-obama-s-foreign-policy

[Spider Jerusalem]

14. And?

I fail to see how that's relevant to this, really. Nor does it actually address anything I've said. You don't seem to have any actual responses.

[King_David]

15. Is she a 'a host of bloviating conservative columnists' ?

[Spider Jerusalem]

16. I'm sorry you can't read

since I didn't specifically focus on "conservative columnists".

[King_David]

18. Ahh OK just read again,

Skimmed it the first time around.

Apologies.

[enid602]

26. radar

It's interesting that bibi chose the present time for his operation. Guess he thought he'd fly under the radar given crises in Ukraine and Iraq. Some ally.

[still_one]

28. This post should be posted in general discussion since it appears to me almost anything to do with

Israel or the Palestinians is now being posted in the general discussion forum