Refute: Three Lies About Gaza

Israeli-born historian Avi Shlaim, a professor at the University of Oxford in England, publishes a long and carefully analyzed piece on Gaza. In the heart of it he refutes three major talking points from a new Israeli ministry devoted to pushing the message. Here is the simple version pulled from his essay:</p>

• Propaganda Point: "Hamas broke the ceasefire agreements"

• The truth: "It was not Hamas but the IDF that broke the ceasefire. It did so by a raid into Gaza on 4 November that killed six Hamas men."

• Propaganda Point "Israel's objective is the defence of its population."

• The truth: "Israel's objective is not just the defence of its population but the eventual overthrow of the Hamas government in Gaza by turning the people against their rulers.

• Propaganda Point: "Israel's forces are taking the utmost care not to hurt innocent civilians."

• The truth: "far from taking care to spare civilians, Israel is guilty of indiscriminate bombing and of a three-year-old blockade that has brought the inhabitants of Gaza, now 1.5 million, to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe."

Comments

[Slave Revolt]

Blessings to you and your family.

My socialization here in the US inclined me to give unthinking support for Israel.

However, researching the history of Western colonialism, and the creation of Israel, I have come to the conclusion that the fanatical US and Israeli policy is to engage gradual ethnic cleansing.

The historical record is simply too obvious to ignore.

The US political psyche is infused with the will to ethically eradicate any group that would stand in the way of its designs for territory and venal glory.

The people that support US imperialism really are the terrorists. That may sound strong, but it is true. The glossing over the murder of civilians is almost second nature, like breathing.

Witness the way Hiroshima and Nagasaki are rationalized to US school children. People don't give it a second thought.

A small percentage of the US public don't fall for the police state authoritarianism, or the nazi-like wars and outright theft.

[Sol Salbe]

Just one minor correction Leila. Avi Shalim was actually born in Baghdad and came to Israel as a child where he spent his formative years.

[x-ray fluorescence]

Hi,
Great article.I have come to the conclusion that the fanatical US and Israeli policy is to engage gradual ethnic cleansing.