Watching Gaza: "The Genovese Syndrome".

[Tom Joad]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070606J.shtml
By James J. Zogby
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Thursday 06 July 2006

Today I thought of Kitty Genovese.

Some of you won't remember her, but many in my generation will recall the horror and shame they felt after hearing the story of how she was raped and stabbed to death on a New York City street in 1964. What shocked the nation was the fact that 37 witnesses heard Kitty's cries but did nothing to help. Years later, social scientists, studying this disturbing passivity, termed it the "Genovese Syndrome."

That's how I feel about what is happening in Gaza today. Israel is getting away with murder and the world is letting it happen.

I can hear my critics bellow, "But what about Gilad Shalit (the Israeli soldier captured and held since June 25th)?" "What about Hamas and Islamic Jihad?" "What about the Qassam missiles?"

My response is simple: the kidnapping of Shalit was wrong and I have repeatedly condemned the evil and stupid tactics used by those groups who target innocent Israeli civilians. Having said that, I must add two observations: there is no moral or political justification for the collective punishment which Israel has imposed on Gaza's entire population; and Gaza's humanitarian crisis began long before the June 25th capture of Shalit.

Reports issued before May of this year describe Gaza's situation in dire terms. In one of the most densely populated areas on earth, two-thirds of Gaza's population live below the poverty level. There are acute shortages of food, fuel and water. Malnutrition and disease are rampant among the young and, for the most part, only basic medical services are available.

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I was just quoting a few days ago the old song that talked about the Kitty Genovese, satire by the late, great, Phil Ochs.

Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends
By Phil Ochs

Look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends....

[Jim Sagle]

1. Viciously one-sided and hypocritical diatribe.

Zogby forgets how this started - with the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.

Remind me never to trust any of his polls (not that I ever did). :puke:

[peacebird]

3. a soldier was kidnapped. Now Palestinians are killed in revenge

Tell me - chicken or egg? which came first?

The killing of Israeli's or Palestinians?

Does not the blood on BOTH sides matter?

Neither side is innocent, but it seems the Israelies have ratcheted up the response to this kidnapping in a way that makes no sense.... It is not a proportional response.

[Jim Sagle]

6. They've ratcheted it up because they don't know what else to do.

Negotiations (under Clinton) turned sour. Occupation wasn't working. So they tried unilateral withdrawal. They must be stumped for options. I know I am.

I'd be less inclined than you to call it revenge. They basically want their soldier back.

Yes, all deaths matter. But why won't Hamas give that soldier back? That might end this standoff in a hurry.

[DELUSIONAL]

2. Kick -- for the children living in Gaza

[MrPrax]

4. Good point...

The economic screws were tightened well before any kidnapping.

“It's like a meeting with a dietician. We have to make them much thinner, but not enough to die," said the prime minister's adviser Dov Weissglas.
CSMonitor

[Tom Joad]

5. Note to Dov. Some of the children are dying.

[pelsar]

7. note to tom..

your "article is BS"

"Malnutrition and disease are rampant among the young".......link please?

reminds me of your previous one of how israel targeted the water supply....

is this one of those keep slinging enough mud and something will stick, even if its temp?

[Scurrilous]

8. uh pelsar...

UN Probe Israel's Gaza Violations

http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2006-07/06/03.shtml

<snip>

"The United Nations Human Rights Council decided on Thursday, July 6, to send a fact-finding mission to the occupied Palestinian territories to report on Israel's grave rights violations in the occupied lands, which claimed at least twelve innocent lives in today alone.

The mission will be headed by John Dugard, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said a resolution adopted by the council and cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP)."

<snip>

"Israel's conduct is morally indefensible," said the envoy who last visited the area in June.

Israeli war fighters have knocked out the Gaza Strip's main power plant, three main bridges, water pipes, schools, universities, football pitches and tombs."

[pelsar]

9. accuracy....

pipes were knocked out, no electricity means no pumping water...etc.

slight difference from that then than toms previous post of israel Targeting the water supply (which he could not verify) as he cant verify the "rampant malnutrition and disease.

that word always has trouble here:

targeting means you specifically want to destroy something, that was not the case here, though it was obvious that when bombs blow up, some pipes are destroyed

[Tom Joad]

10. Scurri, if g*d herself had a chat with some of these folks,

nothing would change.

Still, i encourage others to look here:
http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/Gaza%20Strip%20OCHA%20sitrep_4July06.pdf

[pelsar]

11. facts are bothersome?

be accurate and i would love to chat...make up stories, exagerate, and i will simple ask about them.

so you never did get back about israel intentionally destroying the water supplies?......any new info? (your UN report link seems to disagree)


and how about the rampant disease? which ones? your link above mentions nothing of "rampant diesese or malnutrition.

so come clean...why do write such "non truths".....do you hate israelis so much and their elected govt that you have to make up stuff to show how evil and ruthless we are?...(and do remember all IDF combat solders are volunteers, the govt is duly elected every 2,3,4 years and actually represents the population)

so why?...why make up stuff (and please if you cant show a decent link, not electronicintifadas fairytales)...its reasonable to assume its just made up by some hatemonger.

[Tom Joad]

12. Scurri gave you a link to the fact that water pipes have been destroyed.

There is no dispute that many Palestinians are not getting regular access to water. I do think that is mostly due to targeting power plants, rather than attacks on the water wells.

The quote about rampant diseases is in the original article above.

Maybe later i will dig up stuff quoting public health surveys about the deteriorating situation, that's been developing over years, really. There is enough to make Dov W. keel over in laughter.

[pelsar]

13. so there is a difference?

yes the electrical plants were targeted...NOT the water supplies as you earlier noted..(the question still remains why you wrote it)

you UN article mentions nothing of rampant diseases, infact it mentions the potential problem-case closed another story made up.

deteriorating situation is very different from "rampant diseases"....same question is in the air: why the exaggeration?

more so, the hamas has been in power for over 6 months, Egypt and Gaza share a border, importing medical supplies via egypt seems never to have been on any ones agenda, why? Outside of 156 trucks of donated supplies by the egyptians that entered via Rafah, little has been done...why?


and of course you have yet to answer my earlier questions....why do you "make up stuff" or quote from sources that obviously do?..or cant you tell the difference?


and the article?...am i really suppose to take an article seriously that writes:
(the assinations)....These attacks were met by daily Qassam rocket attacks on an Israeli city just beyond Gaza's borders ANYbody who has followed the events of the last months of the withdrawal, knows very well the chronology of events: withdrawal, kassams, israel assassinations, kassams, israel artillary....

so why do the author have to make up this stuff as well?

[pelsar]

15. tom?...

i would love the hear an answer for the above post....i could be that your so disgusted by israel that you 'cant help yourself"...just got to print anything that shows how bad we are...could be that you actually believe the stuff you link to, even though its easily disproven..and then you link to another one....

perhaps your addicited to anything that shows us in the "evil light"....

i admit to a curiosity...both the rampant diseases, malnutrition, targeting water supplies which you seem to back, are false......so why dont your write that they are false as opposed to "agreeing with such simplistic lies?

[cali]

16. I've oftem thought that

those God might like a little word with are those who are supremely self-righteous. A little doubt is a very good thing sometimes. Along with a little humility and an understanding about the individual lenses through which we view the world.

[pelsar]

17. me too....

it would be great to see the look upon their faces as she welcomes them to their new home...

[Totallybushed]

14. It is easy to resolve

this situation. The Palestinians who hold the soldier release him unharmed. israel withdraws until once more forced to come in by violentPalestinain attacks.

[Mazz]

18. er, dude

they won't release him, some of them want a fight which allah will grant them the victory
the qassam's are part of their plans. this is their strategy to make isreal do what will turn every muslim to join the fight. tell me, how is this plan not working?
Look at Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi. they will fall to the militants if isreal doesn't stop
they are also exploiting our weakness to oil addiction they have got us by the balls

Who has the wisdom to put human life first and how do we get them in power?

Mazz

[Totallybushed]

19. Of course. I didn't

say they would do so. Only that this would resolve the immediate situation. Which it would. I'm not trying to solve the whole Middle Eastern equation here. Alexander the Great might be able to do it. God certainly could. But for the rest of us, only the small stuff is workable.

On edit: I realize that I didn't answer your question "how is this plan not working". Well, if stirring up trouble is the goal, they are doing so. But they will never kick Israel into the sea. And Israel should start by taking something away from them every time they do something stupid. Unless they are made to pay for their misbehavior, it will continue.