Israeli voices condemn 'war of a new kind'

[Ed Barrow]

Last week's raid has received overwhelming backing within Israel, where reaction has also focused on a perceived international ''hypocrisy offensive''.

As pressure mounts on Israel to establish a multinational commission of inquiry into the events surrounding the raid, several leading commentators have warned of a growing ''anti-Israel coalition'' abroad.

''We are not facing an offensive, but rather a war of a new kind against the state of Israel, which began in the <2006> Second Lebanon War,'' wrote retired General Amos Gilboa in the leading daily Maariv.

''The long-term goal of this war is to remove the state of Israel from the map of the world, or at least, to cause the state of Israel to cease to be a sovereign Jewish state.'' According to General Gilboa, the base for this coalition was centred in Britain and was composed of organisations that shared nothing in common save the destruction of Israel.

He said the coalition included international media outlets such as Al-Jazeera, and extremist left-wing and right-wing organisations around the world. ''Hundreds of 'human rights' and 'charity' organisations, and other 'non-governmental' international organisations, including environmental organisations, and organisations of students and lecturers in Western universities,' he said.


http://www.smh.com.au/world/israeli-voices-condemn-war-of-a-new-kind-20100607-xqv1.html

[PDJane]

1. More propaganda.

Israeli journalists and some parliamentarians have been almost overwhelmingly against the offensive. This is sheer nonsense.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Typical sociopathic response by Israel's defenders

It is everyone's fault but your own!

[B Whale]

3. Israel is becoming a military Junta! This is simply

pathological Lying, blatant lying, or paranoid delusion.

''The long-term goal of this war is to remove the state of Israel from the map of the world, or at least, to cause the state of Israel to cease to be a sovereign Jewish state.'' According to General Gilboa, the base for this coalition was centred in Britain and was composed of organisations that shared nothing in common save the destruction of Israel."

Complete and Total Bullshit! Utter fucking nonsense. They're not even believable anymore. "this coalition is centred in britain? WHAT THE FUCK??? that is simply plainly offensive and fucking mad mad mad!. they're just pissed off cos the brits kicked their ambassador out for stealing british passports to kill some guy in dubai.

Britain has been a great friend of israel, they are becoming delusionally paranoid, which would be fine if they weren't a nuclear armed power, but they must be stopped!

[shirleym]

4. There have been protests against the Israeli raid INSIDE Israel. nt

[RZM]

5. I don't know

I think that 'to cause Israel to cease to be a sovereign Jewish state' is in fact the goal of a lot of people around the world. This is one reason why the S. Africa references have picked up so much in the last few years -- not only is it a reference point that people understand, but the fate of S. Africa is one that Palestinians and their supporters would like to replicate in Israel -- don't divide the land, but instead turn power over to the repressed (and numerically dominant) group. From what I know, the 'two state solution' is more the purview of mainstream Westerners and liberal Zionists. Much of what I've read from other perspectives takes it as an article of faith that there should not be a state with a 'Jewish character' located in the region.

IMO, this is one of the reasons the problem is so intractable -- Israel, with its monopoly on force and broad political consensus that supports the notion of a state with a Jewish character (though there's plenty of disagreement over the details) will never, ever, voluntarily yield either of these statuses, even in the face of overwhelming international opprobrium. Like it or not, Israel has the power, which is why I (as a mainstream Westerner) think that two states with 1967 borders is the most fair outcome we can hope for.

[depakid]

8. Almost everyone that I've spoken with in Australia has used South Africa as a reference point

and have questioned the both the viability and the moral implications of the present state of affairs.

[JuniperLea]

6. We must accept their right to exist while they deny others that right...

Israelis should stay right where they are... so should the Palestinians.

My super duper ancient text says so, and it supersedes your super duper ancient text.

[provis99]

7. Do these nuts take their cue from Lyndon LaRouche?

If Israel were full of these kooks, I really wouldn't care what happened to the country. Israel needs to split into two countries, Israel for the insane right-wingers, and Judah for the normal people of Israel. Let history repeat itself.

[peacetalksforall]

9. I often speak of the arrogance of the leaders of Israel, but this writer is demonstrating extreme

naivity. It appears the General thinks that the world should have approved what Israel did to Lebanon. If he thinks that about Lebanon, then it is the same for Gaza or worse.

I really resent the stances that pushes the idea that no one wants Israel to survive. I have given up on Israel making a breakthrough for peace and I'm pushing for Israel's neighbors to be the heroes and the first to make breakthrough - the first thing they could do is stop saying that Israel should be destroyed.

[MisterP]

10. sounds a little--Salvadoran, don't it? saying that the media, HR orgs, aid workers, humanitarians

are all part of this faceless lefty conspiracy and thus totally illegitimate and ready for rape and a swift execution

Israel of course was at the center of Bonzo's Great Commie and Muslim-Killin' Krusade, with theaters in Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Afghanistan, and Lebanon and arms and aid going to Pakistan, Turkey, Israel, Iran, and Iraq, and friendship to Apartheid South Africa and "Zimbabwe Rhodesia" to keep the fighting going. friggin' Ariel Sharon went to Honduras to play along with the WACL Taiwanese and Argentineans training the Honduran military and the Contras for repression and covert war

[EFerrari]

11. That's what authoritarians do, instill fear in their followers

of the other daddy, the evil omnipotent and ubiquitous one.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

12. In what sense is it a "war"?

Yes, I think that Israel ceasing to be Jewish state and becoming a non-racist state through peaceful means would be a wonderful thing, and a fair number of pro-Palestinian/pro-peace activists would agree, while a fair number would disagree.

That's an entirely legitimate democratic opinion (unlike the desire for Israel to continue to discriminate on grounds of ethnicity), not an act of war.