Basra and Gaza
By Ted Belman
When it comes time to conquer Gaza, the GoI should follow the precident of the Brits and the Yanks in retaking Basra.
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The US air strikes have left scores of Iraqi civilians dead and a large number wounded since March 25.
On April 19, Reuters reported that the Hayaniya district in Basra was taken by Iraqi troops, “backed by a thunderous bombardment by U.S. warplanes and British artillery.” An Iraqi interior ministry spokesman told the news service, “Out troops deployed in all the parts of the district and controlled it without much resistance. Now we are working on house-to-house checking. We have made many arrests.”
First the bombs then the troops.
“The US air strikes have left scores of Iraqi civilians dead and a large number wounded since March 25.”
No, this could not be true. Otherwise it would be headlines of the New York Times and other newswothy sites. I’ve not read anything like this.
I’ll get you the links.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/uk/British-bombard-the-enemy-in.4000988.jp
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=52265§ionid=351020201
“Hayaniyah, a stronghold of supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, has seen firefights since March 25 when Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered a crackdown on them in the southern port city.
“Since then US warplanes have carried out several air strikes in the district targeting what they call extremists. Scores of people including women and children have been killed.”
– http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=52265§ionid=351020201
I’m not surprized that the American Leftist press doesn’t carry this. They have already decided what they want to report: “Helpless American GIs being slaughtered in a senseless war.” Anything that doesn’t fit that picture is rejected — like Americans kicking butt and winning battles. The coverage of Israel is meant to paint quite the opposite picture — of brutal Israelis oppressing helpless “Palestinians”.
With this in mind, The Israelis will win no “press points” by mimicking the Americans. The Israelis simply need to do what is tactically and strategically correct, and say “to hell” with the press coverage. No matter what the Israelis and Americans do, the press will paint its own fantasy picture; but EVERYONE loves a winner. The sooner the Israelis learn that, the better.
Shalom shalom
Good insight as to why it wasn’t reported. I agree entirely that Israel will be accorded a different coverage.
BlandOatmeal, Yes, we should do what is tactically correct the biggest problem here are twofold maybe threefold: Political will(courage) Fear of America and the UN,EU etc. Fear of our ultra leftist Supreme Court and a Cadre of middle to Senior Army Officers that do not believe we can win such a conflict, they have since Oslo been indoctrinated into this mindset and are always looking to safeguard political short term goals than to attempt to defeat an asymmetrical enemy. The fear of making mistakes for non politically correct results that can force either lack of promotion or censure are what is holding back much of IDF success in the field. Our professional Officer Corps are more concerned with their careers than protecting the country as we saw in last Lebanon conflict. The Israeli Left have succeeded in weakening the IDF from within. Ethics of warfare are a joke but these fools believe in this bullshit and are proud of not doing the unpolitical correct thing.Promotions are based on playing the game according to Garp and that means don’t do anything that your superiors might be upset about and this includes the Political echelon.
The late Ephriam Kishon wrote a book/play after the 6 day war called Sorry we won the war! There was a song written along these lines as well. We apologized to the world for screwing up their antisemitic stereotype of the suffering cowardly Jew. Israel as a winner will instill respect with some and fear in others, But they the gentile world will hate us even more and do every thing to reverse any gains the Jews make. Jews as winners destroys not just gentile stereotypes of Jews but screws up their religious dogmas requiring Jews to suffer outside of the land of Israel. Nothing the Jews or Israel can do to mitigate such beliefs so we might as well do what we have to do and screw the rest of the world.
This is what it all boils down to. Fear of America. The “international repercussions”. Condi , Bush – to them we bow. It is the sin of our times – a sin that religious Jews are no less guilty of. Sure, there is a God, and He is the Omnipotent One – but when it comes to “tachlis” – Bush is the relevant one. Only fear of the world stops Israel from liquidating Arab terror once and for all. It is only fear of the gentile reaction which turns our infantry soldiers into cannon fodder as they are denied the necessary air cover, lest we kill “innocent Arabs”. Instead of instilling the message that we must believe in God and not Bush, we see the national camp encouraging the very opposite message. asking Bush’s permission to continue the war against the terror. Pathetic efforts are made to show that Israel and America are in the same boat. The idea that “Israel and America are leading the free world in the war against terror” comforts us. Indeed, it may sound nice, and there might even be short-term benefits in comparing PLA to Bin-Laden, or paralleling America’s struggle against the Taliban with Israel’s struggle against the PLO. But the long term effects of this message are disastrous. It conditions us to think that the fate of the Jewish People is tied to our relationship with America. It conditions us to think that George Bush is greater than Burning Bush.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LWC_7kTeWc&mode=related&search=
I’ll get you the links.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/uk/British-bombard-the-enemy-in.4000988.jp
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=52265§ionid=351020201
Comment by Ted Belman — April 22, 2008 @ 5:31 pm
I see. It looks like American and British forces killed and wounded many civilians, women and children, you are right.
From another earlier article, I repost the following to Bill Narvey:
Bill, I do not generally refer to Mr. Bush as an anti-Semite, in large part because there is no positive way of determining what is and is not in the man’s heart. I am thereby compelled to listen to the president’s anti-Israel statements, as well as observe his anti-Israel actions.
I believe Yamit correctly states, Mr. Bush is no less anti-Semitic than any previous U.S. president and I might add, perhaps no more anti-Semitic.
For me, Jew-hatred and anti-Semitism are relative terms. On this I agree with Abe Foxman — one of the few instances whereby we agree. According to Foxman, there are degrees of anti-Semitism. For instance, not every anti-Semite wakes up in the morning vowing, “Today I’m going to get a Jew.” I suspect this is the case with this president.
Yet there is no escaping the fact, George W. Bush has NO sympathy for Jewish suffering. I will never forget, nor forgive all the scoldings and condemnations from the Bush White House, pre-September 11, 2001, in the midst of some of the bloodiest suicide bombings we had seen in years against the Jews of Israel. We heard condemnations of “excessive and disproportionate” responses to terrorism — often Sharon bombed empty buildings — and demands for restraint in the face of horrific jihadist atrocities in buses, open markets, restaurants, discos, etc. After 911, we continued to hear these condemnations from Bush, Powell, Rice, White House spokesmen and State Department officials, sprinkled with the occasional “Israel has a right to defend herself.”
I personally consider Bush’s callousness to Jewish death and suffering a form of anti-Semitism. Don’t you? If you don’t, may I ask why you do not consider it anti-Semitism? Are you a Jew Bill? How can you tolerate this callousness to Jewish death on the part of Mr. Bush if you are indeed a Jew? I cannot.
You refer to “Palestinian mis-steps, lies, empty promises and Jew hatred….” Wouldn’t Mr. Bush disagree with your characterization of “Jew-hatred” on the part of the Palestinians? Mr. Bush calls arch-terrorist and Holocaust denier, Mahmoud Abbas, a “man dedicated to peace,” not a man dedicated to hate. Bush says Palestinian mothers want the same things for their children as Jewish mothers want for their children. What gives? Why does Mr. Bush lie to the American people about our enemies since obviously this is not in any way the case?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LWC_7kTeWc&mode=related&search=
Very good. Thanks.
Some very insightful commentary.
I agree with much of what Yamit states in commentary #6; however, I blame Israeli leadership more than American leadership for the problems that Israel now faces.
Israel is a sovereign nation. She is not a bannana republic or the 51st state of the Union.
Israel’s interests frequently do not coincide with American interests.
One of the feckless techniques that Israeli politicians use – especially the left leaning politicians, but also the right leaning politicians as well – is to convey a perception nationally and internationally OF AMERICAN PRESSURE to push a plan and/or agenda.
“We must abide by this or that promise or agreement. Our friends and allies in the U.S. are counting on us… etc.” In this manner, politicians are able to ‘exonerate’ themselves from unpopular decisions and plans while pushing and pursuing their unpopular agenda(s).
This obsession with pursuing a “peace” agreement with Palestinian Nazis is but the latest such example.
Israel needs to do what is best for Israel on the military, economic and trade fronts.
Globalization and becoming part of the ‘family of nations’has been and continues to prove disasterous for Israel. An involuting, appeasing and retreating Israel is ripe for decimation by the Muslim hordes.
The same disease that has infected the West – including the Israeli Defense Forces (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS) –
remains the albatross around Israel’s neck.
No military force can thoroughly and completely vanquish its opponent given today’s military rules of engagement (employed by the IDF vis a vis its war with the Palestinians and employed by the U.S. military vis a vis its wars with insurgent, rebel Islamists in Iraq and Afghanistan).
Political Correctness – and her sister doctrine of moral equivalence – must be put to death – Especially on the BATTLEFIELD!
Jeff (sanderzack@yahoo.com)