The
Times Of Israel has removed a provocatively-titled blog post
after huge blowback, denunciations, and ridicule across social media.
The post - "When Genocide Is Permissible" (in full below) -
concludes, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly stated at
the outset of this incursion that his objective is to restore a
sustainable quiet for the citizens of Israel. We have already
established that it is the responsibility of every government to
ensure the safety and security of its people. If
political leaders and military experts determine that the only way to
achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it then
permissible to achieve those responsible goals?"
Removal or not, we are sure this will do nothing to endear Israel to
the world.
When
Genocide Is Permissible (authored by Yochanan Gordon)
Judging
by the numbers of casualties on both sides in this almost one-month
old war one would be led to the conclusion that Israel has resorted
to disproportionate means in fighting a far less- capable enemy. That
is as far as what meets the eye. But, it’s now obvious that the
US and the UN are completely out of touch with the nature of this foe
and are therefore not qualified to dictate or enforce the rules of
this war – because when it comes to terror there is much more than
meets the eye.
I
wasn’t aware of this, but it seems that the nature of warfare has
undergone a major shift over the years. Where wars were usually waged
to defeat the opposing side, today it seems – and judging by the
number of foul calls it would indicate – that today’s wars are
fought to a draw. I mean, whoever heard of a timeout in war? An NBA
Basketball game allows six timeouts for each team during the course
of a game, but last I checked this is a war! We
are at war with an enemy whose charter calls for the annihilation of
our people. Nothing, then, can be considered disproportionate when we
are fighting for our very right to live.
The
sad reality is that Israel gets it, but its hands are being tied by
world leaders who over the past six years have insisted they are such
good friends with the Jewish state, that they know more regarding its
interests than even they do. But
there’s going to have to come a time where Israel feels threatened
enough where it has no other choice but to defy international
warnings – because this is life or death.
Hamas
has stated forthrightly that it idealizes death as much as Israel
celebrates life. What
other way then is there to deal with an enemy of this nature other
than obliterate them completely?
News
anchors such as those from CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera have not missed an
opportunity to point out the majority of innocent civilians who have
lost their lives as a result of this war. But
anyone who lives with rocket launchers installed or terror tunnels
burrowed in or around the vicinity of their home cannot be considered
an innocent civilian.
If you’ll counter, that Hamas has been seen abusing civilians who
have attempted to leave their homes in response to Israeli warnings
to leave – well then, your beginning to come to terms with the
nature of this enemy which should automatically cause the rules of
standard warfare to be suspended.
Everyone
agrees that Israel has the right to defend itself as well as the
right to exercise that right. Secretary
General Ban Ki Moon has declared it, Obama and Kerry have clearly
stated that no one could be expected to sit idle as thousands of
rockets rain down on the heads of its citizens, placing them in clear
and present danger. It seems then that the only point of contention
is regarding the measure of punishment meted out in this situation.
I
will conclude with a question for all the humanitarians out there.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly stated at the outset of
this incursion that his objective is to restore a sustainable quiet
for the citizens of Israel. We have already established that it is
the responsibility of every government to ensure the safety and
security of its people. If
political leaders and military experts determine that the only way to
achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it then
permissible to achieve those responsible goals?
I
wish to express deep regret
and beg forgiveness
for an article I authored which was posted on 5TJT.com, Times of
Israel and was tweeted and shared the world over.
I
never intended to call to harm
any people
although my words may have conveyed that message.
With
that said I pray and hope for a quick peaceful end to the hostilities
and that all people learn to coexist with each other in creating a
better world for us all.
Yochanan Gordon
* * *
Well that's ok then...
No sooner said than done..
Who Is Behind Gaza's Mass
Execution?
Piled in one room in the Gaza war zone are rotting bodies— and shell casings marked “IMI,” short for “Israel Military Industries.”
KHUZAA,
Gaza — In a small bathroom on the edge of the Gaza town of Khuzaa
there are the haunting signs of what looks like the summary execution
of several Palestinians. This once vibrant village near the border
with Israel sits on the edge of the city of Khan Younis, but it is
well within the 1.8-mile “buffer zone” that Israel has turned
into a no-man’s land. It has been inaccessible for weeks as Israeli
bombardment and troops try to take out heavy guerrilla resistance.
Now all that’s left is rubble, bombed-out buildings and the
all-encompassing, sickening smell of death.
The
temporary ceasefire announced Thursday night was supposed to give the
residents of places like this time to return home, take stock of the
damage and collect belongings. But the “72-hour” ceasefire broke
down after 90 minutes, and as I walked through the main street, where
pieces of humans were visible beneath homes and stores, the constant
thud of exploding Israeli shells grew closer and closer.
As
I reach the berm of sand, tile and stucco that marked a kind of front
line, bodies are being piled on carts in the street. Near the ruins
of a demolished store, the black ammunition vests worn by Palestinian
fighters lie in tatters as if hastily stripped off. There are no
bodies or weapons nearby.
Suddenly
journalists and local residents are shouting from a house on the edge
of the front. The small family home is still intact but the stench of
rotting flesh that comes from inside is overpowering.
A
barefoot corpse in camouflaged khakis is being carried into the
street, partially wrapped in rug, as I enter the house. His
partly burned and partly decomposing face is unrecognizable as anyone
who was ever alive and breathing. Witnesses say there were at least
six bodies piled together inside this one tiled room where the air is
poisonous with decay.
People
recovering the last body from the room where villagers say the mass
execution has taken place. (Lazar Simeonov for The Daily Beast)
Blood
and blackened remnants are caked on the bathroom floor. The walls
have been drenched in blood and they are pocked with scores of bullet
holes that look as if they were fired from an automatic weapon at
waist level. Some of the bullet holes are in line, as if the gun were
sweeping across its targets. There is also soot staining the tiles,
suggesting the bodies were burned or there had been a small blast.
Several tiles have fallen away from the wall. The house is filled
with casings from the bullets used in assault rifles. They are marked
on the bottom as “IMI” (Israel Military Industries).
What
happened here? It is the kind of place and the kind of incident that
may be studied for years. We may hear that the Palestinians were
executing suspected collaborators, or that a lone Israeli soldier
went mad and started murdering prisoners. It could be that members of
an Israeli army unit at the center of the fighting decided to take
out their rage on those they captured. There may be many theories.
All I can tell you is what I saw and heard at the scene this day.
Twenty-one-year-old
Naban Abu Shaar told me he was one of the first to find the bodies.
He said they looked as if they were “melted” and piled on top of
each other.
“When
we entered the bathroom, I found the bodies of people slumped on top
of each other in the corner,” he said, staring into the distance as
if disconnected from his words. The owner of the house, Mohammad Abu Al Sharif, said he couldn’t recognize the bodies but believed, because of their clothes, some of the dead may have been from his family. He did not say if any of them were fighters. The house had nine members living in it before Abu Al Sharif, his wife and four daughters escaped Khuzaa 20 days ago. He lost contact with those who stayed, he said.
In
the streets around, some residents pulled clothes and blankets from
the crushed concrete of obliterated homes while others used farming
tools to unearth the dead. Shell-shocked women stumbled down the
pulverized road, wiping sweat and tears with their hejabs as they
cursed—to no one in particular—both Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi
for not protecting them from Israel.
The
signs of the panicked flight almost three weeks ago were apparent
everywhere in town. Neatly hung laundry still dangled over the main
street from the second-floor balcony of an apartment above a
blown-out storefront.
Khalid
al Najar, 27, was half dazed as he walked back toward Khan Younis
with a plastic bag of clothes. This is his first time returning
home since he fled nearly three weeks ago. “I’m from a place that
used to be called Khuzaa,” he told me.
People
recovering the last body from the room where villagers say the mass
execution has taken place. (Lazar Simeonov for The Daily Beast)
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