Missing from American News, Context over clashes in Jerusalem

**this is a draft**

As clashes have increasingly erupted in Jerusalem between Palestinian rock throwers and the IDF since September/Rosh Hashanah, with Prime Minister Netanyahu escalating the response, allowing stone throwers to be shot, and cutting off larger parts of Arab neighborhoods from Jerusalem, what is missing from American news about the current crisis is the context (an often occurrence since the media only reports on the latest incident in a longer, more complicated situation that is never explained in corporate news media) about what started the conflict, specifically Netanyahu's policies in Jerusalem. 

Israeli historian Ilan Pappe describes in this article how members of Netanyahu's government including the Ministers of Education and Agriculture as well as other politicians put Jerusalem into a Jewish only context, ignoring cultural and religious teachings of Christianity and Islam in favor of the Jewish dream for Jerusalem and it's holy sites.

as he writes 

The only explanation official Israel and its supporters could give for why Palestinians have risen up lately is that they were influenced by Islamic propaganda. That propaganda so easily incited the “impulsive and unpredictable” Palestinians in recent weeks, according to Israeli spin.

fearing future of Al Aqsa is

a realistic analysis of the ideology of some of the potent political forces today in Israel, who are represented in Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government.

Netanyahu repeatedly calls it Jerusalem the "undivided Jewish Capital" which is political code that has stopped any real chance of peace negotiations with Palestinians, as the "Palestine Papers" leak showed the behind the scenes history of failed negotiations over the last 20 years.

The biggest failure in negotiations was not Palestinians refusing offers by peace-loving Israelis, but actually Israelis rejecting a Palestinian offer as I wrote in this blog post

quoting from the leaked secret negotiations called the Palestine Papers

Israel spurned offer of 'biggest Jerusalem in history'

The concession in May 2008 by Palestinian leaders to allow Israel to annex the settlements in East Jerusalem – including Gilo, a focus of controversy after Israel gave the go-ahead for 1,400 new homes – has never been made public.

All settlements built on territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 war are illegal under international law, but the Jerusalem homes are routinely described, and perceived, by Israel as municipal "neighbourhoods". Israeli governments have consistently sought to annex the largest settlements as part of a peace deal – and came close to doing so at Camp David.

Erekat told Israeli leaders in 2008: "This is the first time in Palestinian-Israeli history in which such a suggestion is officially made." No such concession had been made at Camp David.

But the offer was rejected out of hand by Israel because it did not include a big settlement near the city Ma'ale Adumim as well as Har Homa and several others deeper in the West Bank, including Ariel. "We do not like this suggestion because it does not meet our demands," Israel's then foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, told the Palestinians, "and probably it was not easy for you to think about it, but I really appreciate it".

Thanks to the Palestine Papers leak we can see Israel behind the scenes. The problem is when American Mainstream Media keeps these facts behind the scenes.

Stories of the Palestine Papers (NPR, January 24-28 2011) were later overshadowed by the Egyptian Revolution that ousted Mubarak (January 25-February 11 2011)

Just as President Obama announced that troops will not be leaving Afghanistan as he promised, and sadly Bernie Sanders agrees with Obama that we need some US troops there, occupations, wherever they are, are the issues that create wars and make them last longer, from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine "forever wars."

Netanyahu, the Mufti, and the British White Paper

There was something I realized recently.

Because I was educated by Israelis at Hebrew School and Jewish summer camps, I learned nothing true about Israel.

But there was actually something that I did learn about from Rabbi Joseph Telushkin's excellent book Jewish Literacy, given to me when I graduated Hebrew school.***

***(That counts as them teaching me right? LOL.  Actually it was everything they didn't teach me, plus a few more lies about Israel).  The Jewish summer camp gave me Myths and Facts---everything is the opposite in that book......)

When recently Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that in 1941 the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, convinced Hitler to kill the Jews of Europe instead of letting them just leave and emigrate to Palestine,

saying

to the Zionist Congress on Tuesday night that “Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews.” The prime minister said that the mufti, Haj Amin al-Husseini, had protested to Hitler that “they’ll all come here,” referring to Palestine.

“ ‘So what should I do with them?’ ” Mr. Netanyahu quoted Hitler as asking Mr. Husseini. “He said, ‘Burn them.’ ”

there was something Netanyahu, son of a historian (and personal secretary to Ze'ev Jabotinsky) knew he was leaving out.....the White Paper of 1939.

The news articles that I saw also left this out as part of the answer to Netanyahu's revisionist history.  While Israel focuses too much on the Holocaust in my opinion, as IDF soldiers recently showed how well they have learned lessons on their annual trips to Poland to visit concentration camps----there is one thing that we must remember.  Almost no country would take Jewish refugees during the war.  Not America, Canada, British Mandate Palestine, only the Dominican Republic offered to take in Jews in 1938, ironic because now they are kicking out Haitian descendants born in the Dominican Republic.

***OK one paper mentions the White Paper---The Times of Israel, in a contradictory argument that Netanyahu is right

The Grand Mufti’s meeting with Hitler was driven by his concern regarding the consequences of a possible expulsion of the Jews from the Reich, many of whom were likely to end up in Palestine, thus strengthening the Yishuv.[13]

However this prospect was no longer an option in 1941 because the British had barred the Jews to immigrate in Palestine by means of theWhite Paper[14]. As no other country was prepared to welcome Jews anyway, the Nazis concluded that the only remaining solution, which had to be final, consisted in systematically and industrially exterminate them.

Netanyahu rightly to remind that at the time of the meeting between the Grand Mufti and Hitler the Nazis were still expelling Jews,

last sentence in article, "the Nazis were still expelling Jews" when the Mufti met Hitler in 1941 contradicts the beginning of the excerpt that states that the White Paper barred emigration to Palestine and no country would welcome Jews anyway.  Expel them where??

another error---

Netanyahu never stated the Grand Mufti gave Hitler the idea of the Final Solution, but rather that he played an important role by campaigning relentlessly against Jewish emigration from Germany.

back to Netanyahu's quote

“Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews.” The prime minister said that the mufti, Haj Amin al-Husseini, had protested to Hitler that “they’ll all come here,” referring to Palestine.

“ ‘So what should I do with them?’ ” Mr. Netanyahu quoted Hitler as asking Mr. Husseini. “He said, ‘Burn them.’ ”

Netanyahu certainly puts words in the Mufti's mouth beyond just "don't expel Jews from Germany."  Netanyahu does credit the Mufti with the final solution, telling Hitler not only to kill the Jews but to burn them. 

The 1939 British White Paper forbidding Jewish immigration to Palestine during World War 2.

After the outbreak of war in September 1939, the head of the Jewish Agency for Palestine David Ben-Gurion declared: 'We will fight the White Paper as if there is no war, and fight the war as if there is no White Paper.'[21]

The White Paper

called for the establishment of a Jewish national home in an independent Palestinian state within 10 years, rejecting the idea of the creation of a Jewish state and the idea of partitioning Palestine. It also limited Jewish immigration to 75,000 for 5 years, and ruled that further immigration was to be determined by the Arab majority (section II). Restrictions were put on the rights of Jews to buy land from Arabs (section III). Further, it promised that only with Palestinian support would Britain allow Jewish state. This greatly upset Zionists because of the increasing persecution of Jews in Europe at the onset of World War II, particularly in Germany.

Netanyahu clearly lied, but the newspapers explaining the history left out an important piece as well. 

News from Palestine

Human Rights Watch

The ICC treaty officially went into effect for Palestine on April 1, 2015, giving the court a mandate dating back to June 13, 2014, over serious crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on or from Palestinian territory.

continued

On January 2, 2015, Palestinian authorities transmitted a copy of Palestine’s ICC accession instrument to the United Nations Secretariat. As depository for the ICC treaty, the UN secretary-general officially accepted the document on January 6 and circulated a notification indicating that Palestine would formally become an ICC state party on April 1, making it the 123rd member of the court. On January 1, the Palestinian government had also lodged a declaration, giving the court a mandate back to June 13, 2014, to cover the 2014 conflict in Gaza.

Muftah

The United Nations Office on the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) published its latest report on humanitarian figures from the West Bank and Gaza.

Here is the most recent weekly report.

For more follow my list on Twitter

ICC Takes First steps ininvestigating Israel's War Crimes in Palestine

On Friday January 16 the International Criminal Court opened a preliminary investigation into war crimes committed by Israel in Palestine, including East Jerusalem, since June 13, 2014.  This is a welcome move, but it is a first step towards a first step

A preliminary examination is not an investigation but a process of examining the information available in order to reach a fully informed determination on whether there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation pursuant to the criteria established by the Rome Statute.

I will have more to say later. 

Things I learned today

having some writer's block at the moment, so here are some headlines

John Cantlie 
IS hostage John Cantlie's father dies, after making heartbreaking plea to have John released

The father of British IS hostage John Cantlie has died just days after making an emotional plea for his son to be released.

Paul Cantlie, 80, passed away from "complications following pneumonia", a statement released by his family said.

Ben Bradlee
Washington Post legendary editor Ben Bradlee dies

Barrett Brown

It's time to write letters of leniency for Barrett Brown, who's sentencing is November 24.  We are asking for time served.

Dan Murphy found the PHD thesis of Ashraf Ghani, the new President of Afghanistan (along with Abdullah Abdullah after a contested election)

Just found what looks like Ashraf Ghani's 1982 Phd thesis online. Haven't read it yet. http://t.co/pqLFjTmeGu
— Dan Murphy (@bungdan) October 21, 2014

Israeli hostage in Gaza
Richard Silverstein has confirmed reports that

an Israeli-Ethiopian from Ashkelon crossed the border into Gaza several weeks ago. The man was allegedly mentally ill and no one knows what drove him to do this. He is being held by authorities in Gaza.

Here is the earlier report.


IDF military "porn"
Rania Khalek found a company trying to make "Military inspired streetwear"

This is military porn. https://t.co/MAeU77gTTk
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) October 21, 2014

They are fundraising on IndieGoGo, raising money to "Help publish the world's first Israeli Army Women Calendar featuring real Israeli soldiers"

From the website

MTKL was founded by 2 former soldiers that always dreamt to show the world the beauty of Israel and its people.

We set out to recruit the highest calibre professional designers and stylists to develop a unique line of clothing and accessories, blending the best of military and street into must-have urban fashion. The spirit of our brand is captured in this stunning calendar.

21 cities restrict sharing food with homeless, 10 more are in the process of doing so

Israel arrests BDS activist

The Israeli army arrested Hebron city council member Faruk A'shur on October 8, later placing him in administrative detention for three months.

Armed Israeli settlers take over 2 buildings in East Jerusalem link

Is this finally some good news on banks?

Regulator Tells Banks to Clean Up Bad Behavior or Face Downsizing 

I found out that French Guiana in Latin America is part of France

French Guiana is not a separate territory but is both an overseas région and overseas department of France, with the same government institutions as areas on the French mainland.

 

I support Stanley Cohen

Please help me support Human Rights attorney Stanley Cohen. Sign the petition. Share it with friends.  Donate even a little bit if you can.  Thank you.


Here is an excellent interview with Stanley Cohen.

Here from Change.org is some background on the case and Stanley's work.

Stanley L. Cohen is long-time social justice attorney and activist. For ten years he has been subjected to aggressive investigation and harassment by various agencies of the United States federal government, ultimately leading to criminal indictments being filed against him in two jurisdictions, relating to income tax matters.

On April 14, 2014 following years of litigation, enormous expense and tremendous stress to his family and his practice, he accepted a deal that includes pleading guilty to impeding the IRS tax code. He will be sentenced in October or shortly thereafter. He is now facing 18 months in prison.

The political nature of this prosecution is evident from the severity of the charges leveled against Cohen for underlying acts many of which are not even alleged to be illegal in and of themselves (for example accepting cash payments from clients, or keeping cash in an office safe), or are as benign and common as allowing clients to barter labor for legal services.

It is apparent that the motivation driving these charges is not taxes, but is in fact retaliation for Mr. Cohen's years of standing up to governments on behalf of people and peoples' movements. These charges are clearly intended to silence Cohen and shut down his consistent efforts to assist the politically unpopular and socially marginalized.

Stanley Cohen has a long history of standing with and for the disadvantaged and the disaffected. After coming of age as a social worker and an organizer in the anti-war and economic justice movements, he became a lawyer in 1983 and spent seven years as a public defender with the Legal Aid Society in the Bronx. Later, in private practice he continued to advocate for and represent many people the government would like to silence or put in jail: Palestinian freedom fighters, Muslim preachers, North American natives living on Indian reservations, marijuana dealers, anti-war protestors, radical squatters, the homeless, "hacktivist" information activists, members of national liberation movements, anarchists, and anti-Zionists among many others.

We the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Stanley Cohen and ask that the sentencing judge use his discretion to reduce the jail sentence to zero in light of Cohen's many years of public service and in the interest of justice. Jailing him would be a demonstration of U.S. government retaliation against an attorney for effectively advocating on behalf of his clients and thwarting government prosecutors – the same prosecutors who now have turned their sights on him.

Please sign this petition to add your voice to the call for no jail time for Stanley Cohen.
For more information, please visit: istanleycohen.org

Israel knows this is not the first unity government and that it is not a threat to it's security

One of the many reasons Israel gives to justify it's current round of bombing Gaza (the tunnels, rockets, etc) is the 2014 unity government between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Besides any issues with Hamas' role in the current unity government, one problem with this excuse is that this is not the first time there has been a unity government.  Israel may fear that a unity government may work out because it would change the status quo situation in Palestine, which Israel has said openly it wants to continue.

It is also important to report that the government fell apart due to internal conflicts between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, leading to the coup that put Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip today.

The Palestinians: Background and U.S. Relations January 2014

After Hamas won January 2006 PLC elections, a factional standoff between Fatah and Hamas ensued—with Abbas as PA president and Hamas controlling the PLC and the government ministries.  These tensions ultimately led to armed conflict that led to Hamas’s forcible takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007. In response to the Hamas takeover, PA President Abbas dissolved the Hamas-led government and appointed a “caretaker” technocratic PA government in the West Bank. 

I have not seen the 2007 unity government mentioned  when discussing the history behind the recent conflict. If it is mentioned at all it is buried near the bottom of the page as I show in this BBC article (3 paragraphs from the bottom). Yes, this is a mention, but hardly prominent.

I have since found some mentions, but they are hardly considered American Mainstream Media or enough consistent coverage to be considered adequate to inform the American public of a complicated history.

Hamas could claim to have eased the blockade; Israel could claim to have forced Hamas to concede security control on the ground to the rivals it ejected in 2007.

Since neither Israel nor Egypt wants to govern Gaza, the only chance these goals have of being implemented is if the moderate Palestinian Authority here in Ramallah, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, is invited back into Gaza (from which it was evicted by Hamas in 2007).

A bit of history can help us appreciate what's at stake here. In 2006 Fatah (headed by Mahmoud Abbas) lost to Hamas in a national election for seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council. Abbas continued as president of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas joined with Fatah in a unity government.

NYT 2014 Unity Government with no mention of 2007

NYT here mentions 2007

The schism between Hamas and Fatah began in 2007, with a brief but bloody civil war that followed a failed unity government after Hamas’s victory in 2006 Palestinian elections. It left Palestinian territory divided, with Hamas ruling Gaza, the impoverished and isolated coastal expanse, and the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority governing the larger and more populous West Bank.

Some Palestinian elections history

International Reaction to the Palestinian Unity Government May 2007

Hamas, a U.S. State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, surprised most observersby winning a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative election in January 2006. The election was judged by international observers to be competitive and “genuinely democratic.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: Overview of Internal and External Challenges March 2006

On January 9, 2005, the PA held presidential elections (which Hamas boycotted), and Fatah candidate Mahmoud Abbas was certified winner and President-elect. Between 2004 and 2006, Palestinians voted in multiple municipal elections to fill 900 local council seats, the first such elections since 1976. 

Palestinian Elections February 9, 2006

Seven candidates competed in the poll. Mahmoud Abbas (a.k.a. Abu Mazen) won 67% of the vote and was appointed to a four-year term, Mustafa Barghouti received 21%, and five candidates split the remaining 12%.

Israel’s Blockade of Gaza, the Mavi Marmara Incident, and Its Aftermath 2010

Under pressure from Saudi Arabia, Hamas and Fatah formed a unity government in February 2007, which proved to be short-lived. In what it considered a pre-emptive act to prevent Fatah from striking it first, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip by force in June 2007. This “coup” prompted PA President Mahmud Abbas to dissolve the Hamas-led government and replace it with the current one under Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who administers only the West Bank. Hamas remains in control of Gaza. Israel and the United States reestablished relations with the new PA government, and Israel imposed a tight land, sea, and air blockade on the Gaza Strip, in what it describes as an act of self-defense to prevent arms from reaching Hamas. With the blockade, Israel also hoped to turn Gazans against Hamas by contrasting Hamas rule with the better life of Palestinians in the West Bank. Instead, the blockade isolated the territory and helped to strengthen Hamas’s control.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/inss022407.htm
emphasis mine

On February 8, [2007] Saudi-sponsored negotiations in Mecca produced agreement on a Palestinian national unity government signed by Mahmoud Abbas on behalf of Fatah and Khaled Mashal on behalf of Hamas.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/296042

The new Hamas-Fatah unity government won overwhelming Parliament approval yesterday, clearing a final formal hurdle before taking on the challenge of persuading a skeptical world to end a crippling yearlong boycott of the Palestinian government."

The vote was 83-3.

In all, Parliament has 132 members, but 41 are in Israeli detention.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/inss022407.htm

Nine portfolios will be given to Hamas, six to Fatah, four to other parties, and five (including the central ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Interior) to independents. The Interior Ministry controls most of the security forces and was the most contentious issue and it was agreed that Abu Mazen will choose the minister from a list of independents recommended to him by Hamas. The Prime Minister will remain Ismail Haniye, a Hamas leader.

continued

This formulation represents a compromise between Fatah's attempt to get wording that would accept the three demands of the international Quartet (renunciation of terror, recognition of Israel and endorsement of signed agreements), thus bringing about an end to the sanctions imposed by the Quartet and Israel, and Hamas' desire to avoid any commitments that contradict its basic ideology and positions. 

Hamas takes over Gaza
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/jun/15/israel4

The Hamas takeover of the Palestinian Authority's security and military intelligence headquarters came after a three-day siege.

Sources close to the Palestinian president said Israel had ignored repeated requests to allow deliveries of ammunition to Palestinian Authority forces, leaving them outgunned by Hamas who have relied on smuggled munitions.

Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh was deposed in the coup.

The Hamas takeover of the Palestinian Authority's security and military intelligence headquarters came after a three-day siege.

Sources close to the Palestinian president said Israel had ignored repeated requests to allow deliveries of ammunition to Palestinian Authority forces, leaving them outgunned by Hamas who have relied on smuggled munitions.

The Final Outcome of the failed unity government led Israel and America to restart negotiations with Abbas now that Hamas was not considered a government.

CRS Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process: The Annapolis Conference December 2007

Factional fighting between Fatah and Hamas in May/June 2007 resulted in Hamas seizing total control of the Gaza Strip. PA President Mahmoud Abbas then declared a state of emergency, dissolved the Hamas-led government, and replaced it with one led by independent, technocrat Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. In practice, the Abbas/Fayyad government now administers only the West Bank while Hamas dominates the Gaza Strip.  The Bush Administration and the Israeli government viewed the ouster of Hamas as an opportunity to return to diplomacy.

We must also remember who has been rejecting recent peace deals while they proclaim that they "will do anything for peace"

The Palestine Papers Document Leak 2011

http://www.aljazeera.com/palestinepapers/

Now we know Israel had a peace partner

What's more, the documents blow apart what has been a staple of Israeli public diplomacy: the claim that there is no Palestinian partner. That theme, a refrain of Israeli spokesmen on and off for years, is undone by transcripts which show that there is not only a Palestinian partner but one more accommodating than will surely ever appear again.

In American media we always here how Arafat in 2000 rejected "95%" of what he wanted, and there is a saying that he "never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity"

But who ever mentions Israel rejecting peace deals because it is not enough? The Guardian

Emphasis Mine

The concession in May 2008 by Palestinian leaders to allow Israel to annex the settlements in East Jerusalem – including Gilo, a focus of controversy after Israel gave the go-ahead for 1,400 new homes – has never been made public.

All settlements built on territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 war are illegal under international law, but the Jerusalem homes are routinely described, and perceived, by Israel as municipal "neighbourhoods". Israeli governments have consistently sought to annex the largest settlements as part of a peace deal – and came close to doing so at Camp David.

Erekat told Israeli leaders in 2008: "This is the first time in Palestinian-Israeli history in which such a suggestion is officially made." No such concession had been made at Camp David.

But the offer was rejected out of hand by Israel because it did not include a big settlement near the city Ma'ale Adumim as well as Har Homa and several others deeper in the West Bank, including Ariel. "We do not like this suggestion because it does not meet our demands," Israel's then foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, told the Palestinians, "and probably it was not easy for you to think about it, but I really appreciate it".

Thanks to the Palestine Papers leak we can see Israel behind the scenes.  The problem is when American Mainstream Media keeps these facts behind the scenes.

Terror in Israel, Death in Gaza, Israeli Occupation and Palestinian Resistance

Israel/Palestine will be a continuing topic covered here......

I am torn watching the news.  I support Israel, but just like with our government here in America, I cannot sit idly by and accept what any government says when there is evidence that shows otherwise.  Yes there is propaganda on both sides of the conflict, but there is also truth that needs to be told.

While I cannot justify Hamas launching rockets into civilian Israeli cities, I also cannot condone Israel bombing homes, schools, mosques, hospitals, etc and defending every bomb dropped by Israel saying simply that "Hamas is to blame because they are firing rockets at Israel and using human shields."

International law does not say that this is legal either.

The statements used to defend Israel should also apply to Palestinians, and are even wrong when applied to Israel using historical examples.

• "Israel has a right to defend itself" (but apparently Gaza does not)

• "No country would tolerate rockets raining down on its civilians" (even though when Iraq was bombing Israel in the Gulf War with (believed to be Gas or Chemical weapons) George HW Bush told Israel not to respond, and they didn't respond, but took actions to defend it's civilian population.

For Gulf War, see for example CFR "Friendly Restraint"

The U.S. decision to side-line and restrain Israel was successful due to a balanced strategy of positive and negative inducements. It was carefully crafted and executed by President George Bush and his most senior advisors.

continued

Once the war started and Scud missiles began to fall, the Israeli leadership came under increasing pressure from top government and military officials to retaliate. Some members of the Israeli cabinet, as well as the Air Force chief of staff, lobbied Prime Minister Shamir to take military action.(34) Shamir was also under the pressure of precedent -- Israel had never before stood idle while under attack.

BBC News 1991: Iraqi Scud missiles hit Israel

Iraq has attacked two Israeli cities with Scud missiles, prompting fears that Israel may be drawn into the Gulf War.

The American President, George Bush, issued an appeal to Israel to hold back from retaliation for the attack.

Foreign Minister, David Levy, told journalists no decision had yet been taken on whether to retaliate.

"Israel reserves the right to retaliate in the manner and with the scale and method of its own choosing," he said.

Amnesty International responds to questions about the Israel/Gaza Conflict
Amnesty International 25 July 2014

This applies to Israel

The principle of proportionality requires that an attack must not be launched if it would cause excessive civilian casualties or damage to civilian objects in relation to the concrete military advantage anticipated. 

This is why Iron Dome plays such an important role in the conflict, not just in defending Israeli lives but also in determining proportionality.  If Israel is bombing a weapons cache in a home, hospital, or mosque, claiming that these dozens of rockets would cause harm to Israelis, Iron Dome proves them wrong because it is effective in preventing damage and death in Israel, even if it is not as effective as claimed.

For Iron Dome analysis, see for some examples

Billion Dollar Boondoggle: Israel’s Iron Dome Misfires

Less than two weeks after the US announced yet another $429 million in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system (which had already gotten over $900 million from the US), the system malfunctioned badly on Tuesday, resulting in the firing of two interceptor missiles by the system. The mishap frightened citizens in Eilat, where the incident took place around 7:30 am. Iran was quick to note the event and picked up on an important point: initial reports inside Israel claimed another “success” from the Iron Dome system, saying three rockets were incoming to Eilat and two of them were destroyed. The report later was withdrawn and the firing was blamed on an accident.

As Debunking Continues, Congress Pushes for US Contractors to Profit Off Iron Dome

With more rockets now being fired fired from Gaza and Israel responding by massacring Palestinians who have no escape, the Iron Dome system is getting renewed attention. And as with much in the Israel-Palestine situation, there is the propaganda we see in much of the main press and then there is the stark reality behind it that is vastly different.

Writing in The Atlantic, James Fallows noted a week and a half ago how the Washington Post had swallowed the propaganda completely, putting up the headline ‘Israel’s “Dome’ changes the fight”

No one wants Israelis to die (other than Hamas) but the fact that Israelis are not being hit by rockets does affect what the world sees.  If Israelis were dying in larger numbers (besides IDF soldiers who are in Gaza) then the proportionality and justification would be easier to say that the bombing in Gaza was worth it, even with higher deaths in Gaza than in Israel.

This applies to Hamas

Firing munitions which cannot be precisely aimed at military targets, such as artillery and mortars, into densely populated residential areas does not comply with the obligation to take all feasible precautions, even if they are aimed at  military targets located in these areas, and would constitute indiscriminate attacks. 

This applies to Hamas AND Israel 

co-locating military objectives in the vicinity of densely populated civilian neighborhoods. This means the parties should avoid endangering civilians by storing ammunition in, and launching attacks from, populated civilian areas.

This applies to both Hamas and Israel, as Hamas places bombs in civilian buildings, and Israel has its army headquarters in downtown Tel Aviv, as well as the argument that "every Israeli is obligated to serve in the military, and is therefore a military not civilian target."


This is from a Democracy Now! interview with Israeli Army Reservists who refused to fight

continued from Amnesty International

In addition to the points listed above, Israel continues to have obligations as the occupying power and as a party to the conflict during the hostilities, including ensuring the welfare of the population of the Gaza Strip and adhering to the prohibition on collective punishment.

The Daily Show explains Iron Dome and retaliation in Israel from 2012
November 26, 2012
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/sk307z/conflict-in-the-gosling-stripped

"The conflict started last week when Hamas fired rockets into Israel, although it was retaliation for the killing by Israel of a Hamas leader, which was retaliation for the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, which was retaliation for expanding settlement building, etc etc"


See Also 
In Gaza, Who is a Civilian? 2009

A Glance at Israel's Blood Soaked History in Gaza 2014

The Long History of Gaza's Tunnels 2014



In the long history of conflict in Israel, it is never as easy as "take the government at its word."  The media is full of defenders of Israel no matter what they do.  But as Rula Jabreal said regarding the larger context of the current conflict

"What do you think is happening?" they will tell you, "Well, Israel was minding its own business. The Palestinians started shooting missiles out of the blue." This is not the reality. This is not what’s going on. And the context of this is what’s leading the public opinion to support unconditionally Israel. And politicians will do what’s popular, not what’s right. We need to do what’s right. We, in the media, have a mission. Whether it’s MSNBC, Democracy Now!, CNN, we have a mission. We are truth tellers, and we can shape public opinion to protect public interest.

Explaining the larger context Rula said that

this policy with Gaza has been failing for the last eight years. We had six bombardments in the last eight years, and this did not topple Hamas and did not limit, weaken Hamas. Actually, it empowered more and more Hamas. And moderates like myself—and, for me, Hamas is the ultimate liability for the Palestinian people—but this did not empower moderates. Moderates have been telling Israel over and over, "We want a peace deal. We will agree on most conditions that you want." And as Gideon Levy said in this venue, in this same venue, the problem with our policy, that we want to keep the status quo. That means military occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Gaza under siege.

War in Gaza, It's Not [Only] About the 3 Kidnapped Teens

Although the Arab-Israeli conflict is a constant news story waiting to blow up into a full blown crisis at any moment, like the current Operation Protective Edge, which many link to the kidnapping and death of the 3 Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha'er and Naftali Frenkel, it is important to remember that in reality the conflict never ends, it just disappears from the front pages.

Recent articles show the history of Operation Protective Edge stemming from the kidnapping of the 3 Israeli teens.

The Month That Brought Gaza Back To The Breaking Point

June 12

Three Israeli teens — Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Fraenkel, and Gilad Shaer — attempt hitchhike back to their homes. All three go missing. The youth are studying in Jewish settlements in the territory, the oldest age 19, the other two only 16.

Timeline Of Events In Gaza and Israel Shows Sudden, Rapid Escalation

Although Israel’s offensive started July 8, this set of clashes started bubbling last month when a set of kidnappings and murders in the West Bank and Jerusalem set fire to the Israel and Gaza tension tinderbox. 

continued

June 12, 2014

The tipping point of the latest clashes between Israel and Gaza, by most accounts, was the kidnapping of three Israeli teens in the West Bank. The West Bank is sprinkled with Israeli settlements, which is why the teens, Eyal Yifrach, 19; Naftali Fraenkel, 16 and Gilad Shaar, 16, were in disputed Palestinian territory.

In the hours following the news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinian Authority, the newly sworn in unity government comprising of both Hamas and Fatah members in the West Bank, was responsible for the attacks.

But a look at other headlines show that the conflict was as always burning in the background until it exploded with the kidnapping of the teens, which many critics of Israel view as only an excuse to break up the unity Hamas/Fatah government which Israel opposed from the beginning.

Rockets Fired From Gaza Draw Airstrikes From Israel

APRIL 21, 2014

JERUSALEM — Seven rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Monday morning, prompting Israeli airstrikes that hit at least one training site of Hamas, the militant Palestinian faction that rules Gaza.

The exchange of fire between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces, as Jews celebrated the last day of Passover, was the most significant clash in more than a month. Combined with recent violence in the Old City of Jerusalem and in the West Bank, the exchange increased tensions as Washington was struggling to salvage peace talks before a deadline next Tuesday.

Two Hamas security officers were slightly injured by one of the three airstrikes in the early afternoon, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. No injuries were reported in Israel. One rocket damaged a road in the Israeli border town of Sderot, one of several communities where residents were warned to be on alert as they went about their holiday barbecues, hikes and prayers.

Israel launches fresh air strikes on Gaza

24 Dec 2013 17:19

A three-year-old Palestinian girl was killed and at least six other people wounded in a series of Israeli air and tank strikes on the Gaza Strip, medical sources said.

Medics named the girl as Hala Abu Sabikha from the central Gaza Strip, noting "three other members of her family were wounded" on Tuesday.

Emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said six people had been wounded in a series of strikes, which came in response to the shooting to death earlier of an Israeli repairing the security fence separating Gaza from Israel.

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The Israeli army said aircraft, tanks and infantry "targeted terror sites in the Gaza Strip" in retaliation for the shooting of the Israeli.

"The sites targeted were a weapon-manufacturing facility and a terror infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip, a terror site and another terror infrastructure in the central Gaza Strip and a concealed rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip," an army statement said.

Two Are Wounded After Israel Orders Airstrike in Gaza

JAN. 19, 2014

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike in Gaza on Sunday aimed at eliminating an Islamic Jihad operative responsible for recent rocket fire against southern Israel, part of a growing cycle of border clashes in recent weeks that reflect the fragility of the 14-month cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian coastal enclave.

A Palestinian man who was riding a motorcycle was seriously wounded in the missile strike, and a bystander, a boy of 12, was also hurt, according to a Health Ministry official in Gaza. There was no immediate confirmation from Gaza that the motorcycle rider was Israel’s intended target, though a website close to Islamic Jihad said the wounded man was a member of the group’s armed wing.

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In 2013, nearly 50 rockets were fired out of Gaza into southern Israel, and the Israeli Air Force carried out 10 attacks, striking 24 sites, according to the military. So far this year, 12 rockets have been launched, and Israel has carried out six airstrikes, hitting a dozen targets.

The conflict never ends, it's just that sometimes it gets big enough for the media to decide to pay attention.  If only they got the story right when they decided to pay attention, we would all be better informed.