I can name that tune in...

When I heard Israel singing this song...:

Israel has said it will hold Gaza's Hamas rulers responsible for all attacks launched from the coastal territory, and had warned of a stronger response to the killing of a soldier on Tuesday in an explosion by a Gaza border fence.

...(and a few more bars)...:

Senior officials said on Tuesday evening that they see Hamas as solely responsible for the attack, and have no intention of playing along with its scheme to evade responsibility.

...I wondered: where have I heard this tune before?  And then it came to me:

Sharon went on national television Monday evening to hold Arafat “directly responsible” for all attacks against Israel, calling them part of a concerted crusade to destroy the Jewish state.

That familiar old refrain:

Police say at least 15 people are dead and dozens wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up in the northern Israeli coastal city of Netanya. The Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the bombing. [...] Israeli government spokesman Ra'anan Gissin blamed the bombing on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is currently consulting with top Israeli officials regarding a possible response.

It just never goes out of style, does it?

As usual, the Israeli government held the PA and Arafat directly responsible. A spokesman called the attack "a continuation of the terrorist campaign against Israeli civilians, women and children, committed by terrorist organizations with the passive or active encouragement of the Palestinian Authority."

That's the great thing about the classics: you just change a few words and it's like you've got a whole new song.

Comments

[Save the Oocytes]

The "it came to me" link is badly broken.

[KDelphi]

The more things CHANGE--the more things remain the same...

I watched Lanny Davis of The Israel Project on c-span today! Good gawd!! How could one possibly negotiate with such a bearer of the absolute truth of the universe!

What an a-hole..."IDF's do not target civilians. That is a fact". That cannot ever be a 'fact", as we have no idea what is going through any one soldier's mind at any one time.(he also denies that theree were ANY civilians in the uN school--ca-mon, !!) "...back in 1948....1967....that is a fact!". Gawd, broken-record -itis! "Truman...blah, blah"

"What is the break the bone strategy" "never heard of it" "White phosphorus..." "Within UN guidelines". Bullshit.

It is hopeless, unless Jewish people decide to find a rep. with an more open mind....

"B-b-b-but if the Palestinians, which there is no such person, wouldve...Arafat, PLO, we were always against Hamas..." "It is no open democracy, only Israel can offer that to the uS..." Wha???

It was revolting. How can we move forward? Also, Gates just declared Pakistan an open military zone, more or les--"If we think that there is any Al Qaeda there..." Wow. That leaves a lot of wiggle room...

[John Caruso]

Thanks, StO. Yes, that link was broken—and Reuters also went and changed their article out from under me. I hate it when that happens.

KDelphi, yeah, I've seen Lanny Davis making the rounds as well. He's good at what he does (namely: lying for Israel) since he comes across as polite, reasonable, and non-dogmatic. If only South Africa had had spokespeople that effective.

[KDelphi]

http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=3587015&content_id={D4EB7FBB-FEF4-42CC-AF0D-E7D75313D018}¬oc=1

c-span.org/Lanny Davis

I saw Davis on c-span Wash. Journal this AM--I cannot imagine negotiating with such a self-righteous, know it all . From the site, The Israel Project:.

"It is a documented fact that Israeli Defense Forces continually tried to prevent civilian casualties while still defending themselves from these terrorist attacks. They sent tens of thousands of text messages and cellular phone calls to Gazans — to warn civilians to evacuate areas used by Hamas for launching rockets; they called off attacks when they saw Hamas pushing women and children up front as shields; and they used targeted weapons and "smart" bombs to avoid civilian casualties as best as they could. Yet when the IDF’s weapons unintentionally caused civilian deaths, leaders of the United Nations and “human rights” groups call for war crimes investigations. And there are few, if any, counter voices challenging the United Nations at least to be even-handed and demand war crimes investigations of Hamas and Hezbollah. (including the Secretary General, who has not been hesitant to criticize Israel but strangely silent about Hamas).
Then there is the accusation that Israel committed war crimes by using “excessive” force and causing “disproportionate” civilian deaths compared to the number of Israelis who died due to Hamas rockets.

What would have been the reaction of most Americans (or most of the civilized world, for that matter) if someone had made the charge that the U.S. and its military forces were guilty of war crimes after Sept. 11, 2001, because, while bombing Al Qaeda and the Taliban government harboring them in Afghanistan, “excessive” numbers of civilians were tragically but inadvertently killed — because the number killed exceeded the 3,000 people who died on 9/11?" (unquote Lanny Davis)

This is always the excuse, right? Wwll, worldwide opinion would say that BOTH 9/11 and out civlian bombing in Afghansitan were war crimes. So would I. As long as we continue our crimes, our cries of the war crimes of others will go unheard.

I posted this to Truth Dog--it's been "disappeared", although there are plenty of truly anti-semetic diatribes there. (not anti-Zionist, although there are Zionist views as well)

[John Caruso]

I realize it's a typo, but I like "Truth Dog" much better.

[KDelphi]

Ha!!! I love that--I am being summarily hated and attacked now--I will have to shut off the "reply" from TDE---people are being so HATEFUL!!

What is with these people? HOW are they "helping" Jews or, even, Israel??

Good lord...