In one sense, Israel's current atrocity is just one more entry in a long history of violence. But the massacre Israel is executing now in Gaza with such cold, methodical efficiency feels somehow qualitatively different. This is an attack on a population that's been subjected to degradation, siege warfare, and psychological torture (in varying degrees) for years—and the victims are people who had already been singled out for a century's worth of discrimination, dispossession, ethnic cleansing, and much worse by the Israelis and their Zionist forebears. It's an act of unmitigated evil and almost unimaginable cruelty, and I have a feeling that the ultimate repercussions may be far out of proportion to the attack itself, in many ways and on many levels.
Most of those are anywhere from awful to horrific, but there are exceptions. Just one example: the damage that's being done to Israel's international support. Here's how the EU foreign affairs commissioner summed it up:
"We have come to Israel in order to advance the initiative for a humanitarian ceasefire and I will tell you, Mr President, that you have a serious problem with international advocacy, and that Israel's image is being destroyed," EU foreign affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told Israeli President Shimon Peres during the visit of an EU delegation in the region.
This is what the Vatican's justice and peace minister had to say:
"Defenceless populations are always the ones who pay. Look at the conditions in Gaza: more and more, it resembles a big concentration camp," said Cardinal Martino.
And these kinds of reactions are the rule, not the exception:
Israel has taken a battering in the global propaganda battle over its war with Hamas, despite deploying all the latest weaponry from YouTube videos to Twitter blogs and an overworked spokeswoman.
Governments worldwide have slammed the Israeli military onslaught on the Gaza Strip, with the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, condemning attacks near UN schools that killed dozens and foreign media angry at being kept out of the Palestinian territory.
"Israel's image is being destroyed" is a nuclear bomb in terms of diplomatic language, and the fact that the EU's representative was willing to say it publicly speaks volumes. This could turn out to be a genuine turning point in the way Israel is viewed by other nations, not just another flare-up of anger that dies away once the bombs stop—and if that's true, it could have far-reaching effects down the road. We'll see.
UPDATE: Here's a quote from a "European ambassador stationed in Israel":
"The international organizations in Gaza are talking about 200 dead children," he said. "I don't know how to explain these things to myself, never mind to my government," added the ambassador. "Your action is brutal and you don't realize how much damage this is causing you in the world. This is not only short term. It's damage for years. Is this the Israel you want to be?"
Yes, this is the Israel they want to be—and given that fact, I'm glad that more people in the world are finally waking up to it.
The Distant Ocean 
You know, I can’t help but feel that the effort Israel put into arranging for Maxim magazine to do a “Women of the IDF” photo spread is now all for nothing…
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Hilarious. I missed that at the time, but apparently that’s just the latest front for hasbara.
And as much as I’m in your debt for bringing that to my attention, I think it was a terrible oversight not to link to the full photo set. I feel strongly that heterosexual males who want to understand the Israel/Palestine issue should closely study this material.
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Clearly, your googling skills are superior to mine. I bow before the master.
Seriously, I know that government flacks are mostly insane, but does it seem possible that there was a time when Israel’s PR problems were seen as being so “manageable” that they could be mitigated by something like this? If that was ever true, it’s not true now. Coming soon: a bill in Congress to offer a multi-billion dollar bailout to the struggling Israeli tourism industry.
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I’d say it’s more along the lines of: what’s the harm? It makes horny Western audiences say, hey, they’re just like us, and it underscores the earnest desire of Israelis to be counted as honorary Westerners (at least) or Europeans (at best), despite their geographical location.
You often see this kind of thing from groups that have decisively won their ideological battle—e.g. pro-corporate organizations that destroyed welfare and gutted social programs, and were so thoroughly in control that they could move on to the stuff further down the list like school vouchers, tweaking environmental laws, etc. On our side we’ve got all we can do just to keep the roof on the house as the hurricane blows through, but in their neighborhood they’re applying gold finishing paint to the latticework and poodle-trimming the hedges.
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From people at Jewish Voice for Peace, and, other Jewish peace orgs., as well as a few I know in the Jewish community, they are quite puzzled by the lack of oppostion in the community…could it be that we are becoming so de-sentitized to it, from our own genocides??
We MUST prosecute Bush et al, to show the world, and, our own citizens, that this is NOT accepatble!
Your comment about the EU, is made even more relevant,when you consider that the European Commission had just signed a HUGE coroparate contract with Israel, for, I think, cellphones! They are going to give it up! Bravo!
Naomi Klein wrote an good aricle on Common Dreams (I know), that proposes to boycott Israeli goods,although I am not sure which ones, or, what they are…she has given up her book contract there…
I need to go check out those pics, out of curiosity…are they real?
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OMG!!! You werent kidding!
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I’m sure the heterosexual males will especially appreciate Gal:
“I taught gymnastics and calisthenics,” says this flawless former Miss Israel. “The soldiers loved me because I made them fit.”
Fit where? I’ll bet she did! Haw haw haw!
Naomi Klein also has an article urging sanctions against Israel at The Nation: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090126/klein?rel=hp_currently
Maybe it’s the same one.
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My local food co-op has red bell peppers from Israel, at only $5.99 a pound. Buy one of these beauties, each flown here and thus easily producing its own weight – or more – in C02 emissions, and you can support the murder of Palestinians and polar bears at the same time.
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regarding a turning point: I’ve been thinking it’s a possibility and oh I hope so…but for it to be so, i think we palestine solidarity activists and organizers need to really take advantage of this potential widow of opportunity. i don’t know exactly what that would look like, but it’s on my mind.
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sadie–me too…no matter what happens now, though, the damage is being done everyday.
The duopoly will never be held to account for it. With the uS actions in the uN SC, and, the Dems (and gOP) vote on the “suport everything Israel does” bill–we just cannot support anyone in the Dem Party who voted for such a thing…
Those that voted against it are :Kucinich, Moore, Paul, Rahall and Waters.
Many abstained, or didnot vote at all, but that is not acceptable anymore. This is how Obama avoided having a conservative (or liberal) record, until he got elected…
The Israeli govt has shut down all Jewish anti-draft sites, and, are prosecuting the kids for war crimes..can you believe it? They may be open again now–the websites..
sorry about typos–RA is acting up.
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sadie: I don’t think there’s much we can do besides what we’ve already been doing. But I don’t mean that in a belittling way at all, because I also think it’s important to recognize that what we’ve already been doing is one of the many contributing factors to the turning of the tide. It’s hard to see it from the ground view, but every little bit helps, and Palestine solidarity activists have played a small but important role by keeping the honest narrative out there, pushing the range of acceptable criticism, and being willing to endure (and fight) the predictable “anti-semitism” slur—which gives other people the space to be more critical themselves.
KDelphi: And I wonder how Obama would have voted on the let-Israel-kill bill, if he’d still been in the Senate? Gosh, what a mystery.
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