Comments on: Israel Empathizes as the US Mourns After Newtown Shooting http://www.theworld.org/2012/12/israel-empathy-newtown/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israel-empathy-newtown Global Perspectives for an American Audience Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:49:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Institute for Research: Middle http://www.theworld.org/2012/12/israel-empathy-newtown/comment-page-1/#comment-26913 Institute for Research: Middle Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:49:00 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=152487#comment-26913 Like the previous two commentators, I found this report to be beyond ridiculous.  Canada might have provided some useful juxtaposition.  But Israel only raises red flags. Like the previous two commentators, I found this report to be beyond ridiculous.  Canada might have provided some useful juxtaposition.  But Israel only raises red flags.

]]> By: Amin Odeh http://www.theworld.org/2012/12/israel-empathy-newtown/comment-page-1/#comment-26911 Amin Odeh Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:45:00 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=152487#comment-26911 Your conversation yesterday re Israel/Newtown was terrific hasbara for the Jewish democratic state, though I'm pretty sure you have no idea you are performing this service; I imagine it's just second nature. The world view you project has Israel as the victim in a conflict whose only salient feature seems to be that victimhood. Gone is all context. No illegal occupation, no 80%-of-adequate-diet regime in Gaza, let alone state terror, including the assault on Gaza of just a couple of weeks ago that killed 105 civilians, including 28 children and 13 women. Of course, no 1948, no violent ethnic cleansing of innocents. And no big brother US is visible, seeing to it that the most modern weapons are available to the fourth strongest military power in the world so that they might defend their good works. Just the-only-democracy-in-the-middle-east, victimized. Probably because Arabs just hate Jews. You don't have to see this "conflict" from my perspective, but what gives you the right to decide for your NPR audience who is the victim and who the victimiser? What gives you the right to start the clock when the suicide bomber arrives at the pizzeria? For you it seems Palestinians attack, Israel retaliates and defends, end of story, we know who our victim is and who the bad guy is. Why wouldn't it have occurred to you to use as your point of comparison with the Newtown shootings the above-mentioned assault on Gaza? You mentioned that "gun violence, not to mention bomb violence has shattered people's lives and those of their children--how do Israelis heal after national trauma?" It just wouldn't have occurred to you that the same might apply (only more so in fact--look at the numbers) to Palestinians? At the very least I would have expected an attempt at even-handedness, given the contoversial nature of this "conflict"--in this country at least. I now know clearly what your bias is with respect to Israel/Palestine. This is disappointing and very disturbing journalism.   Amin Odeh Seattle, WA Your conversation yesterday
re Israel/Newtown was terrific hasbara for the Jewish democratic state, though
I’m pretty sure you have no idea you are performing this service; I imagine
it’s just second nature. The world view you project has Israel as the victim in
a conflict whose only salient feature seems to be that victimhood. Gone is all
context. No illegal occupation, no 80%-of-adequate-diet regime in Gaza, let
alone state terror, including the assault on Gaza of just a couple of weeks ago that killed 105 civilians, including 28 children
and 13 women. Of course, no 1948, no violent ethnic cleansing of innocents. And
no big brother US is visible, seeing to it that the most modern weapons are
available to the fourth strongest military power in the world so that they
might defend their good works. Just the-only-democracy-in-the-middle-east,
victimized. Probably because Arabs just hate Jews.

You don’t have to see
this “conflict” from my perspective, but what gives you the right to
decide for your NPR audience who is the victim and who the victimiser? What
gives you the right to start the clock when the suicide bomber arrives at the
pizzeria? For you it seems Palestinians attack, Israel retaliates and defends,
end of story, we know who our victim is and who the bad guy is.

Why wouldn’t it have
occurred to you to use as your point of comparison with the Newtown shootings
the above-mentioned assault on Gaza? You mentioned that “gun violence, not
to mention bomb violence has shattered people’s lives and those of their
children–how do Israelis heal after national trauma?” It just wouldn’t
have occurred to you that the same might apply (only more so in fact–look at
the numbers) to Palestinians? At the very least I would have expected an
attempt at even-handedness, given the contoversial nature of this
“conflict”–in this country at least.

I now know clearly what
your bias is with respect to Israel/Palestine. This is disappointing and very
disturbing journalism.

 

Amin Odeh

Seattle, WA

]]> By: Dick Platkin http://www.theworld.org/2012/12/israel-empathy-newtown/comment-page-1/#comment-26904 Dick Platkin Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:38:00 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=152487#comment-26904 I heard this report today, and I thought it missed some crucial details. First, there are virtually no examples of Palestinian gun violence against Israelis.  But, there is much evidence of Israeli gun violence against Palestinians, facts completely eliminated from the report.  For example, American settler Baruch Goldstein massacred 29 Palestinians and wounded another 120 in 1994 on the West Bank.  Or what about Israeli death squads that have operate on the West Bank for many years. See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/01/israels-death-squads-a-fo_n_170871.html.  Finally, the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem has compiled statistics for many years comparing Palestinians killed by Israelis versus Israelis killed by Palestinians.  It paints a totally different picture than your story:Fatalities since the outbreak of the second intifada and until operation "Cast Lead"Click on the numbers for a list of individual names and details about the circumstances of their death.The Fatalities' data can be shown either by the date of the event in which they were hurt or by the date of their death. Since some of the fatalities died of their injuries days, weeks and sometimes months after they were hurt, choosing the view affects the distribution of data.Data by the date of event, 29.9.2000-26.12.2008Occupied TerritoriesIsraelGaza StripWest BankTotalPalestinians killed by Israeli security forces299917904789   69Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians44145     2Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians39200239 492Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians97146243   89Foreign citizens killed by Palestinians10717   37Foreign citizens killed by Israeli security forces4610    0Palestinians killed by Palestinians474134608    0Palestinians executed by the Palestinian Authority8210    0Palestinians executed by the Hamas Government00    0Additional data (included in previous table)Occupied TerritoriesIsraelGaza StripWest BankTotalPalestinian minors killed by Israeli security forces636316952    3Israeli minors killed by Palestinians43539   84Palestinians killed during the course of a targeted killing277107384    0Palestinians who were the object of a targeted killing15082232    0Palestinians killed by Palestinians for suspected collaboration with Israel11109120    0Palestinians who did not take part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces ( not including the objects of targeted killings).1354833218   75Palestinians who were killed by Israeli security forces and it is not known if they were taking part in the hostilities240404644    4Palestinians who took part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces12554711726   60Palestinian police officers who were killed inside police stations000    0Notes:The data may change due to ongoing research, which produces new information about the events . The figures do not include :Palestinians who died in the West Bank after medical treatment was delayed due to restrictions of movement.Palestinians who died after Israel delayed their transfer for medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip. I heard this report today, and I thought it missed some crucial details. First, there are virtually no examples of Palestinian gun violence against Israelis.  But, there is much evidence of Israeli gun violence against Palestinians, facts completely eliminated from the report.  For example, American settler Baruch Goldstein massacred 29 Palestinians and wounded another 120 in 1994 on the West Bank. 

Or what about Israeli death squads that have operate on the West Bank for many years. See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/01/israels-death-squads-a-fo_n_170871.html. 

Finally, the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has compiled statistics for many years comparing Palestinians killed by Israelis versus Israelis killed by Palestinians.  It paints a totally different picture than your story:Fatalities since the outbreak of the second intifada and until operation “Cast Lead”Click on the numbers for a list of individual names and details about the circumstances of their death.The Fatalities’ data can be shown either by the date of the event in which they were hurt or by the date of their death. Since some of the fatalities died of their injuries days, weeks and sometimes months after they were hurt, choosing the view affects the distribution of data.Data by the date of event, 29.9.2000-26.12.2008Occupied TerritoriesIsraelGaza StripWest BankTotalPalestinians killed by Israeli security forces299917904789   69Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians44145     2Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians39200239 492Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians97146243   89Foreign citizens killed by Palestinians10717   37Foreign citizens killed by Israeli security forces4610    0Palestinians killed by Palestinians474134608    0Palestinians executed by the Palestinian Authority8210    0Palestinians executed by the Hamas Government00    0Additional data (included in previous table)Occupied TerritoriesIsraelGaza StripWest BankTotalPalestinian minors killed by Israeli security forces636316952    3Israeli minors killed by Palestinians43539   84Palestinians killed during the course of a targeted killing277107384    0Palestinians who were the object of a targeted killing15082232    0Palestinians killed by Palestinians for suspected collaboration with Israel11109120    0Palestinians who did not take part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces ( not including the objects of targeted killings).1354833218   75Palestinians who were killed by Israeli security forces and it is not known if they were taking part in the hostilities240404644    4Palestinians who took part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces12554711726   60Palestinian police officers who were killed inside police stations000    0Notes:The data may change due to ongoing research, which produces new information about the events .
The figures do not include :Palestinians who died in the West Bank after medical treatment was delayed due to restrictions of movement.Palestinians who died after Israel delayed their transfer for medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip.

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