If I’m in the mood for some relatively violent entertainment, I can watch Broncos game films (until the Holy Ellipsoid Orb returns). For even more violence, I can turn on the fights, where sometimes a hockey game breaks out. Or for the most violence of all, there are children’s cartoons on network TV. But fans of Butcher Ben Netanyahu get to enjoy a front rows seat where they can cheer the rain of Israeli bombs killing Palestinian children.
As the sun begins to sink over the Mediterranean, groups of Israelis gather each evening on hilltops close to the Gaza border to cheer, whoop and whistle as bombs rain down on people in a warzone hell a few miles away.
Old sofas, garden chairs, battered car seats and upturned crates provide seating for the spectators. On one hilltop, a swing has been attached to the branches of a pine tree, allowing its occupant to sway gently in the breeze. Some bring bottles of beer or soft drinks and snacks.
On Saturday, a group of men huddle around a shisha pipe. Nearly all hold up smartphones to record the explosions or to pose grinning, perhaps with thumbs up, for selfies against a backdrop of black smoke.
Despite reports that millions of Israelis are living in terror of Hamas rockets, they don’t deter these hilltop war watchers whose proximity to Gaza puts them within range of the most rudimentary missiles. Some bring their children… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Raw Story>
In my opinion, Israel is perpetrating war crimes while the violate their treaty obligations under the Helsinki accords. The Prime Minister of Turkey, our NATO Ally, calls Israel’s actions a threat to world peace.
I fully agree with him. Furthermore, unequivocal US support for Israel, out of the fear of losing the Jewish vote, threatens our own national security. When the UN agrees to sanction Israel, but can do nothing because the US uses our Security Council veto to prevent it, that creates enemies around the world. Instead, we’ needs to cut off Butcher Ben’s supplies of money and weapons until such time as he becomes willing to stop the slaughter and negotiate in good faith. Otherwise, I can guarantee you that Americans will die at the hands of family members or sympathizers of these murdered children, who are seeking revenge against Israel’s enablers.
12 Responses to “Entertainment from Butcher Ben”
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The Israelis are reprehensible; in forgetting their history, they've become the very assholes that tried to wipe them out. History does indeed repeat itself.
Israel is clearly committing war crimes.
But then what else can you expect from a nation that flouts International Laws with continuously building West Bank settlements?
Nameless and others are right – Netanyahu is a war criminal. As for the report in Raw Story – just when you think you have plumbed the depths of human callousness and sadism, they go and produce a new low – I am quite literally nauseated… excuse me – back later hopefully…..
It truly is creepy how throughout recorded history the Jewish people have consistently been the whipping boys of every society in which they happened to be. I realize one excuse for that has been that the Jews supposedly killed Christ, but even aside from the fact that the Jews didn't any more kill Christ than we all did, that's pathetic excuse for hate. Besides, the hatred of Jews goes MUCH farther back in history than that. They were hated just for being Jews.
In an ideal world, as several have said, these expweriences would lead to a prople of increased compassion, and determination never to mimic their persecutors. Unfortunately, it is not an ideal world, amd instead some have become paranoid about being persecuted and chosen to lash out in every possible way at what they see as persecution. That may be understandable, but it is not an excuse. It is also no more truly Jewish than supply-side Jesus is Christian. "The stranger in your midst you are to welcome as one of yourselves, for you were all strangers in Egypt."
What difference, except possibly in degree, is there beteen this paranoia and that of American "Christians" who, for example, sceream "War on Christmas!" if someone innocently says "Happy Holidays!" Unfortunately, every society, every group, is going to have its very own Republicans, and particularly if, as research come closer and closer to saying, some of the differences between righties and lefties are hard wired.
I am not saying there is any excuse for people who behave this way. I am saying not every Israeli, not every Jew feels like this, amd that is true worldwide. I am not Jewish, but Jewish Voices for Peace lets me sign their petitions deploring Israel's behavior.
American politicians seeking the "Jewish vote" need to learn what the "Jewish vote" really is. It is definitely NOT unthinkingly pro-Israel.
The big money donated to our politicians keeps our country silent on the atrocities being committed in Gaza against the Palestinians. All because they rejected a deal proposed by the Egyptians???
For anyone like me who has no sound for this video, here is a possible transcript that was with the video on YouTube:
Turkish leaders have strongly condemned an Israeli ground operation into Gaza that has killed scores of civilians, declaring the Israeli administration a "threat to international peace."
While President Abdullah Gül warned Israel that its military actions could have dangerous repercussions in the region, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Israel of committing "genocide" against the Palestinians. Gül and Erdoğan met with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the developments in the wake of Israeli aggression.
"Particularly, this noncompliant aggression of Israel is spreading the seeds of hate throughout the whole world, not just in Palestine," Gül said July 16, "Israeli attacks have come to a very dangerous phase. I want to warn Israel once more. If they do not stop, the outcome will be massive."
Gül has urged Israel to end its military operations in the Gaza Strip, warning against "massive consequences," and called on the U.N. Security Council to make a "cogent decision to end the Israeli offensive."
Erdoğan's reaction against Israel was much blunter. Talking to reporters following Friday prayers in Istanbul, Erdoğan accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people and terrorizing the region.
"Israel is a country threatening the world's peace. It's a country that threatens the Middle East peace. [Israel] has never pretended to be pro-peace. It has always tormented [the Palestinian people], and today it is continuing to do so," Erdoğan said, stressing that good relations with Israel were impossible under the current circumstances.
"The government and I will never look positively [at Israel] as long as we are in power … [Israel] may seem like the winner for now. But it will eventually be defeated," Erdoğan added.
He also blamed the United States, Russia and other world powers for being passive in condemning Israel's actions.
"They want to progress [but they only] express their concerns [over the situation]. It's impossible to get somewhere by only expressing concerns," the prime minister said, adding the United Nations was undergoing a test over its role as the world's "peacekeeper."
'Israel knows best how to kill children'
Erdoğan also underlined that the attacks by Israel were not related to the death of the three Israeli children whose bodies were found in June. "These are all lies. Israel is the country that best knows how to kill children. I said it before at the Davos Summit. They shot children on the beach at that time. Now they are killing children on the beaches with bombs.",
Both Gül and Erdoğan refuted claims made by Israel and Egypt that Turkey prevented a truce between Hamas and Israel with Gül calling these assertions "ridiculous and remorseless." Erdoğan also criticized the Egyptian leadership, saying, "[President Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi is himself cruel."
Abbas in Istanbul
Both Gül and Erdoğan held talks with Abbas, who paid a short visit to Turkey on July 18. Abbas informed the Turkish leaders about the developments in Gaza and exchanged views about how a cease-fire could be reached. Abbas said Israel's objective was to try to nix the efforts of Hamas and Fatah to form unity in Palestine. "We count Turkey as our fundamental partner in our Palestine cause," he said.
Meanwhile, Ankara called on the U.N. Security Council, Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and U.N. Commission on Human Rights to stage an emergency meeting over Israel's ground offensive on Gaza, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said.
"We vehemently condemn the ground operation launched by Israel on Gaza last night following its inhuman murders by air strikes," Davutoğlu announced on his Twitter account early July 18.
"Humanity's conscience is being tested once again with the Palestinian issue," he added.
During a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry late July 17, Davutoğlu said he explained to Kerry the "indignation in Turkey and the Islamic world over Gaza."
"We exchanged views with the aim to immediately reach a lasting cease-fire that can be accepted by Palestinians," he said.
"I expressed our demand for the immediate halt of Israeli attacks," the minister said. Davutoğlu also talked with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah and OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani late July 17. Turkey's discussions with Hamas and Fatah officials are also continuing, Davutoğlu said.
In a separate statement, the minister said Turkey conveyed an official proposal to open U.N. Security Council extraordinary meeting.
A joint communiqué issued by the Human Rights Investigation Panel of the Parliament also condemned Israel, claiming that Israel's main target was to eradicate all of Palestine. "We have lost our hopes with governments and international organizations. We call all people of conscience of the world to show their democratic and humane reactions," the communiqué read.
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogrom
Throughout the past 2,000 years plus, there have been pogroms involving Jews. Kristallnacht is probably the best known today and lead to the holocaust.
With that history, one might understand why the israelis fight as they do. But I don't. I would expect the longtime events to make the Israelis more aware of the adverse affects of persecution. Apparently not!
I think the US, Great Britain, Canada and others must stop mollycoddling Israel and demand change in their focus. I was reading earlier about the enmity between Netenyahu and Kahlid Mischal, leader of Hamas, in an online article in Vanity Fair (http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2014/07/netanyahu-mishal-gaza-israel). According to that article, King Hussein of Jordan, who had signed a peace pact with Israel, took Netenyahu to task when he sent Mossad after Mischal while Mischal was in Jordan. Netanyahu was forced to publicly "eat crow" by giving an antidote to the poison used on Mischal, and to release some Palestinian prisoners. The US was asked to intercede with Jordan on behalf of Israel, but refused to. It is time for that same kind of action again. It is time for the world to stop enabling Israel. Part of me wonders if this is Butcher Ben's way of retribution for having to "eat crow" after the failed attempt to assassinate Mischal. Is his ego that big?
Israel must turn back its settlements in the Palestinian lands it stole and return the land to the Palestinians. It must stop all aggression, as Hamas must also do.
Looking at the picture at the top of the article, I almost expect a barker to pass through calling out "Peanuts, popcorn, crackerjacks!" Truly sick to see the attempted genocide of an entire people perceived as entertainment!
Before I am accused of being anti-semetic, may I point out that
Jews and Arabs are both semetic peoples; and
I am neither anti Israel nor anti Palestine, but I am pro people, and it is the everyday people, the men, the women and the children that are being murdered, especially on the Palestinian side of the conflict.
That is a deeply disturbing picture, people watching others being killed as though it were a sporting event. I think this situation is all about money, just as things go here, Israel wants the land, the developers want to build, so they are going to keep it. No, Matter.What. You know, all of us who posted tonight are a minority. Almost everyone I have talked to about this has said Israel is just defending itself.
Thanks all. Kudis to Lynn. Rushing.
I'm hopeful for a cease fire… ❓