Mark Steel: What have Palestinians got to complain about anyway?
Portraying this as a conflict between equals requires some imagination
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
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When you read the statements from Israeli and US politicians, and try to match them with the pictures of devastation, there seems to be only one explanation. They must have one of those conditions, called something like "Visual-Carnage-Responsibility-Back-To-Front-Upside-Down-Massacre-Disorder".
For example, Condoleezza Rice, having observed that more than 300 Gazans were dead, said: "We are deeply concerned about the escalating violence. We strongly condemn the attacks on Israel and hold Hamas responsible."
Someone should ask her to comment on teenage knife-crime, to see if she'd say: "I strongly condemn the people who've been stabbed, and until they abandon their practice of wandering around clutching their sides and bleeding, there is no hope for peace."
The Israeli government suffers terribly from this confusion. They probably have adverts on Israeli television in which a man falls off a ladder and screams, "Eeeeugh", then a voice says, "Have you caused an accident at work in the last 12 months?" and the bloke who pushed him gets £3,000.
The gap between the might of Israel's F-16 bombers and Apache helicopters, and the Palestinians' catapulty thing is so ridiculous that to try and portray the situation as between two equal sides requires the imagination of a children's story writer.
The reporter on News at Ten said the rockets "may be ineffective, but they ARE symbolic." So they might not have weapons but they have got symbolism, the canny brutes.
It's no wonder the Israeli Air Force had to demolish a few housing estates, otherwise Hamas might have tried to mock Israel through a performance of expressive dance.
The rockets may be unable to to kill on the scale of the Israeli Air Force, said one spokesman, but they are "intended to kill".
Maybe he went on: "And we have evidence that Hamas supporters have dreams, and that in these dreams bad things happen to Israeli citizens, they burst, or turn into cactus, or run through Woolworths naked, so it's not important whether it can happen, what matters is that they WANT it to happen, so we blew up their university."
Or there's the outrage that Hamas has been supported by Iran. Well that's just breaking the rules. Because say what you will about the Israelis, they get no arms supplies or funding or political support from a country that's more powerful than them, they just go their own way and make all their weapons in an arts and crafts workshop in Jerusalem.
But mostly the Israelis justify themselves with a disappointing lack of imagination, such as the line that they had to destroy an ambulance because Hamas cynically put their weapons inside ambulances.
They should be more creative, and say Hamas were planning to aim the flashing blue light at Israeli epileptics in an attempt to make them go into a fit, get dizzy and wander off into Syria where they would be captured.
But they prefer a direct approach, such as the statement from Ofer Schmerling, an Israeli Civil Defence official who said on al-Jazeera, "I shall play music and celebrate what the Israeli Air Force is doing."
Maybe they could turn it into a huge nationalfestival, with decorations and mince pies and shops playing "I Wish We Could Bomb Gaza Every Day".
In a similar tone Dov Weisglas, Ariel Sharon's chief of staff, referred to the siege of Gaza that preceded this bombing, a siege in which the Israelis prevented the population from receiving essential supplies of food, medicine, electricity and water, by saying, "We put them on a diet."
It's the arrogance of the East End gangster, so it wouldn't be out of character if the Israeli Prime Minister's press conference began: "Oh dear or dear. It looks like those Palestinians have had a little, er, accident. All their buildings have been knocked down – they want to be more careful, hee hee."
And almost certainly one of the reasons this is happening now is because the government wants to appear hard as it wants to win an election. Maybe with typical Israeli frankness they'll show a party political broadcast in which Ehud Olmert says, "This is why I think you should vote for me", then shows film of Gaza and yells: "Wa-hey, that bloke in the corner is on FIRE."
And Condoleezza Rice and her colleagues, and the specially appointed Middle East Peace Envoy, could then all shake their heads and say: "Disgraceful. The way he's flapping around like that could cause someone to have a nasty accident."
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I don't remember Israel or anyone else saying that Gaza was a clash of equals. Gaza is being used as a terrorist base to shoot rockets into Israel and murder Israeli citizens. Israel would not be in Gaza if rockets had not been fired at them from the residential areas of Gaza. The palestinians should be mad at Hamas for bringing the death and destruction to their door step.
Posted by James Martin | 22.01.09, 21:30 GMT
Excellent article Mark. The poor Palestinians have every right to defend themselves against the appalling Israeli invaders who have absolutely no right in Gaza whatsoever. We must cut off all diplomatic relations with Israel and treat them like the white South African Regime of apartheid to bring them to heel.
Posted by Patrick Murphy | 15.01.09, 23:05 GMT
Only the most deluded could suggest that Israel is not guilty of state terrorism.
Just like in its recent defeat in lebanon we are seeing the IDF doing what it does best - slaughtering civilians in the vain hope that this will extinguish the resistence.
Posted by gearoid | 08.01.09, 12:30 GMT
And by the way, speaking of "proportion":
After Pearl Harbor, should the US have responded by only bombing a Japanese harbor?
Or did they have the right to remove the threat to their homeland?(As Israel does.)
Posted by Robert | 07.01.09, 18:44 GMT
John Said;
"SOOooooooo, by your logic, it was OK for the IRA to bomb England in the past because the bombs were small in relation to the size of England? And English troops should never have actually been deployed in the first place since the IRA only INTENDED to do harm to England, but were incapable of doing real damage"
Soooooooo, by your logic, as the IRA had bombed England, it would have been OK for the British Army to demolish West Belfast and kill hundreds and hundreds of civilians?
Wise up...you obviously do not know what "proportion" means.
Posted by Mark | 06.01.09, 11:14 GMT
It is unbelievable that so many people in the West have been brainwashed by these Muslim fanatics, aided by press such as this article.
Wake up, people - Israel is not the bad guy here.
Israel is doing us all a favor - here's hoping they wipe out as many terrorists as they can. And if civilians get caught in the crossfire - put the blame where it belongs - on Hamas.
I feel sorry for those of you who blame Israel - I suppose you would do nothing if someone was lobbing rockets at your home, trying to kill your family...
Posted by Robert | 05.01.09, 05:28 GMT
Disappointing article Mark. You certainly used imagination and sarcasm, but only to polarise pro-Palestinian views and ignore the fact that the peace was broken by Hamas. Its not the US/Israel that is confused. Nor was this ever about equality. When you have no hope of winning, you shouldn't start a fight - basic common sense.
Posted by Graeme | 04.01.09, 15:56 GMT
SOOooooooo, by your logic, it was OK for the IRA to bomb England in the past because the bombs were small in relation to the size of England? And English troops should never have actually been deployed in the first place since the IRA only INTENDED to do harm to England, but were incapable of doing real damage?
This is crass hypocrisy. Israel certainly has the right to defend itself.
Posted by John | 04.01.09, 15:28 GMT
I'ts disgusting that innocent people (held hostage and terrorised )have to die as we are hoodwinked by the Israelis for political gain and "let's get this done before the stupid US president leaves"
Posted by P.J. | 02.01.09, 23:09 GMT
The State of Israel continues to dig its own grave!! The West is coming to understand that 90% of the trouble we have with radical Islam is down to Israel and the other 10% is fixable.
Patrick you blame the Jews for all the worlds problems. Can you blame them for wanting to defend themselves and their homes and their people.
The Jews have the right to have a homeland too.
Posted by George | 02.01.09, 13:00 GMT
The State of Israel continues to dig its own grave!! The West is coming to understand that 90% of the trouble we have with radical Islam is down to Israel and the other 10% is fixable.
Posted by patrick | 01.01.09, 21:50 GMT
The general principle of law is "reasonable force". Obviously that does not apply to the Israelis.
Posted by Patrick | 31.12.08, 16:34 GMT
Hamas send over sixty rockets into Israel even though they did'nt maim or kill as many Israelies as expected the intent was there, the provocation was there. Is Israel just expected to sit back and say sorry you have missed, better luck next time, it is quite o.k for the Islamic countries to demand an eye for eye as long as it is not theirs. My full support to Israel.
Posted by james turner | 31.12.08, 15:50 GMT
Good article Mark!
It shames me that it has taken 5 days for the international community to put pressure on Israel. To say it is a war is to justify Israels's actions. Once again, they are carrying out crimes against humanity.
Posted by Anthony | 31.12.08, 07:33 GMT