Without Access to Gaza, CNN's Reporting was Almost Fair

CNN brings us this little gem of an article:

Among the more unbelievable propaganda,

Louay Shabana, head of the agency, said more than 22,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Shabana put the economic destruction at more than $1.9 billion.

Twenty-two thousand buildings. Thousand. Israel killed 1,300 people, wounded 5,400 more, but damaged or destroyed almost three times that number of buildings. Talk about disproportionate. It seems Louay has a disproportionate sense of what 'damage' means. Or thousand, for that matter.

Gaza's gross domestic product was slashed by 85 percent during the 22 days of war, and it could take a year for the economy to recover, the agency said in a preliminary report.

I'm astounded by his fauxtistics and would be delighted to know where he gets his numbers from. Last I checked, GDP statistics included the West Bank, which considering Israel hasn't cut them off is, you know, the productive side of the PA. So estimates like this would be little more than, you know, made up.

85% over 19 days (three weekend days. No one works on Friday) means a total loss of PA GDP of $45.6M, including the West Bank. Probably means for the whole period of the operation they lost less than a million dollars.

Also like the "preliminary report" dodge. We learned in project management class that initial estimates can vary as much as 400% in either direction. Once you establish facts, then let me know what the losses are.

About 80 percent of crops in Gaza were destroyed, according to the agency.

First of all, we all know that Hamas was taking it to the streets. Hiding in UN facilities, hiding in schools, hiding in mosques. So now Israel was bombing farms as well? Where do they get that 80% of crops, in January were destroyed? Can we please make up one story and stick to it?

Now here's the funny part. Agriculture accounts for only 8% of Gaza's GDP anyway, so 20% of 8% of $5B (as if) is $80M. How pathetic. Gush Katif produced, annually, in excess of $120M every year in tax revenues. Gaza, which is now Judenrein, with 50 times the land available to them for agriculture, produce less than what the Jews were able to produce in their little shtetls?

Ging, UNRWA's Gaza director of operations, said the bill could reach "billions of dollars."

Get out your checkbooks for the poor poor Palestinians! The world's economies are flatlining, and Ging The Merciless demands tribute to his empire!

Streets in some northern Gaza towns were flooded with sewage, and about 50 U.N. facilities were damaged, he said.

Again, what constitutes a "U.N. facility" is only limited by the imagination of the speaker. Or reader. I bet you didn't realize that means there is a UN "facility" for every 7.2 square kilometer in Gaza. Talk about a welfare state...

CNN, which provided a more accurate and balanced picture of the war when they weren't allowed into Gaza, is slowly slipping back to becoming a propaganda mouthpiece for the Palestinians, with irrational statistics and outright fabrications pouring forth like sewage in the streets.


My source.

All Options Exhausted

What else does Israel have to do? It offered land, shipped guns, signed accords, showed restraint, Disengaged, left Lebanon, sent money, sent aid, shipped fuel, supplied energy, supplied water... between 1994 and 2006 what didn't Israel try? They offered every possible incentive, crossed every conceivable line and broke taboo after taboo to try and get these people to stop.fucking.killing.us.

Killing Israelis is Hamas' raison d'être. This is who they are. Their charter is not the basis for a constitution, it's a manifesto for an ideology. We laugh that they don't call us Israelis. It's not funny. It's a calculated negation. That's why we call the non-citizen Arabs who live in Israel Palestinians - because they said it over and over until it became "right." The classic example is that Abba Eban is misquoted. He never said, "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Rather, he didn't say Palestinian. He said "Arab."

Israel has bent over backwards time and time and time again. Every single time the answer came back, "more."

No more.

Reaching for a Pulitzer, Grasping at Straws

The New York Times, in it's last throes of journalistic relevancy, tries to provide an edgy new catch phrase that can enter the current of online sound bites. Behold, The Gaza Boomerang:

What we’re seeing in the Middle East is the Boomerang Syndrome. Arab terrorism built support for right-wing Israeli politicians, who took harsh actions against Palestinians, who responded with more terrorism, and so on. Extremists on each side sustain the other, and the excessive Israeli ground assault in Gaza is likely to create more terrorists in the long run.

So let's see. It's not the "cycle of violence" meme anymore. New for 2009, brought to you by The New York Times, it's... the Boomerang Syndrome meme. Israel is responsible for the exploitation of aboriginal Pacific Rim cultures!

I get the whole "throw it and it always returns" metaphor that Nick - can I call ya Nick? - was going for. I have also owned a boomerang in my life, and the "making it actually come back to you without causing bodily harm" part is kind of tricky. What Nick describes in his article has a straightforward, back and forth, tit-for-tat rhythm. So we really need something that has a tendency to have an equal and opposite reaction.

How about the Rubberband Syndrome, or... the Yo-Yo Syndrome. The Lumberjack Syndrome. You know, for those big saws they used. Hmm, what else comes back... The Robert Downey Jr. Syndrome. Nah, I like him. The Clinton Appointee Syndrome! The Burrito Syndrome! Eh, lacks the danger element. I've got it! The Herpes Syndrome! Perfect! It's unsightly, infectious, transmitted by promiscuous relationships, you never know when it's going to flare up, it is a colossal pain in the groin, and can never be cured.* That's the Arab-Israeli conflict.

On the other hand, now that I think about it, the boomerang as a metaphor for the Arab-Israeli Conflict might make sense, but not the way Nicky described it. Like the conflict, a boomerang is controlled by one person (unilaterally), it travels on a convoluted path (or "Road Map") and always ends up where it began. Not to mention the constant threat of bodily harm.

How about this: Thousands of children in Gaza saw firsthand what happens to terrorists that incite violence against Israel, so the Israel assault in Gaza is likely to create fewer terrorists in the long run.

Yeah, reads better. Much more rational.

We can even call it the Gaza Prophylaction.


*I had to look up the symptoms. I have no personal experience with herpes.

Response on Mondoweiss

This little gem of a leftard blog is a good example of willful ignorance.

While reading through the comments section, I came across the same old tired memes, So here's the same old tired responses. Pretty soon the Internet is just going to be one big copy/paste.

My response to the Jew haters:

It's only fair to blame Hamas for engaging in the systematic destruction of Jews, even if they're not very good at it. After all, Israel has been accused of "genocide" for killing 500 out of 1.3 million people, mostly enemy combatants. Of course in your worldview, "only" 12 dead Jews is nothing to get *this* upset about. Israel should have waited until a kindergarten was devastated and scores of Israeli babies were killed first, right? What's your threshold of dead Jews?

How about the Palestinian's responsibility to run.the.other.way when they see a rocket being launched. They know that Israel is targeting the origin of the rocket/mortar launch, they know Israel has UAVs watching everything. They know Hamas' craven desire for dead civilians to elicit media sympathy.

Maybe, they take responsibility for their own destiny by revolting against the real occupying power in Gaza. Next time a rocket launcher is set up, overpower the squad, destroy the launcher, drop the rocket down a well and beat them to death. The minute I saw *that* footage on YouTube, I'd be the loudest one screaming for a cease-fire. Until then I keep reminding myself that they voted these people into power, knowing exactly what they planned to do.

How about stop blaming Israel for acting to end the more than 6500 rockets and mortars, regardless of the death and damage they cause, simply because no one should have to live like that.

As far as that picture of Palestinian child abuse is concerned, there are two versions with the same child. Same bruise on her head, same orange jacket:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/07HqgalbyofnJ/A_Palestinian_carries_a_child_into_the_Shifa_hospital

http://www.daylife.com/photo/0eToeOx9YrgMg/A_Palestinian_father_carries_his_wounded_baby_daughter

So which one is her real father? Or did they play "pass the baby" to get more media play out it?

"We won't get fooled again..."

PS I have no expectation that this post will remain on your site for very long. Already posted this response and a link back here elsewhere.

How to Abuse A Child for Propaganda and Profit

Two photos. Somewhat graphic. A child has been injured:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/07HqgalbyofnJ/A_Palestinian_carries_a_child_into_the_Shifa_hospital
Note the bruise on the child's head, the curly hair, the orange and green jacket.

http://www.daylife.com/photo/0eToeOx9YrgMg/A_Palestinian_father_carries_his_wounded_baby_daughter
Note the bruise on the child's head, the curly hair, the orange and green jacket.

Now I know a lot has been mentioned about Israel's intentional bombing of children and other nonsense, but I defy anyone, ANYONE to justify this cynical abuse of "pass the baby for the cameras" for propaganda purposes.

Hat tip to IsraellyCool.

Who the hell do they thing they're kidding?

Hamas ready for peace, Russians say


(CNN) -- The exiled leader of Hamas is ready to stop the fighting with Israel in exchange for an end to the blockade on Gaza, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday.

The leader, Khaled Mashaal, spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday and outlined Hamas' position on the resumption of the Palestinian reconciliation process, the foreign ministry said.

Source.

Uh, excuse me. Back up a moment. In fact, let's back up a week or so to CNN's own story from December 19th:

Rockets fired from Gaza as fragile cease-fire ends


JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Palestinian militants fired more rockets into Israel on Friday as a tenuous six-month truce between Hamas and Israel expired.
...
Under the Egytian-brokered truce, which began June 19, the Hamas government in Gaza agreed to end militant attacks from Gaza on Israel. The pledge applied to all militant groups in the coastal territory, including Islamic Jihad.

In return, Israel agreed to halt raids inside Gaza and ease its blockade.

The truce held well for the first four months but began to fall apart in October, when there was a marked increase in the number of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel -- estimated at 200. Israel resumed airstrikes in Gaza as a result.

So let's work this backwards. There was a 'marked increase' which led to 'resumed airstrikes in Gaza as a result', causing the cease fire to 'fall apart' and Hamas to fire "more rockets" into Israel. Israel launched a tremendous offensive to stop more rockets, and now Russia says that Hamas is "ready to stop the fighting with Israel."

Look, you may think we're stupid, but we're not. We heard this from Nasrallah in '06, in fact. "We didn't expect a war," were his exact words. Guess what? We're a little wiser this time 'round. We're not falling for it.

Hamas instigated this, like some schoolyard weenie who aggravates some bigger kid for months until one day, that big kid gets up and calmly starts to pound that little punk into the asphalt. Broken and bleeding, the little moron says, "Okay you can stop now." Oh really? I think not.

Hamas wanted a war. They spoiled for this fight. Now it's here. Take it like a man, you pussies. Whether or not we lost the last war is debatable. You can be DAMN sure we're not going to lose this one. Why?

1) No pathetic excuse for a MinDef this time. Barak, for all his dovish tendencies, led men into war. It's not something to be proud of, it's something he's been trained to do.
2) Olmert has nothing to lose. If trying to give everything away didn't work, maybe he can earn a few right-of-center mandates for his party by giving them this little war. Might even commute his sentence a little.
3) Livni has everything to gain. If we go into the booths while they're burying Haniyeh, she'll crush Netanyahu.
4) Netanyahu has everything to gain and everything to lose. He's had 15 years to brush up on his politicking. If he doesn't pounce at the first show of backing off, he'll drown.
5) We actually did have to invade another country. This time, we don't. I would love for them to start calling this a police action. In fact, why wait? That's what I'm calling it.

So launch your little "nuisance rockets" if you dare. Yeah, you'll probably cause more damage, might even kill a couple more babies in your "legitimate resistance to the occupation." But savor it while you can, because Israel's got your number, punk.

Oh and thanks for the blatantly obvious hypocrisy, CNN. Again.

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