The Aftermath of the War

1. Israel did not achieve any of its declared goals.

- The Hammas only got stronger and more popular.
- The attacks on southern Israel increased since Israel broke the cease fire.
- Gilad Shalit is not home.

Israel had three goals - and it failed miserably on all three. No wonder everyone in Israel still supports this war. This is the simplest way to resolve the cognitive dissonance of how we became so stupid and violent. I still think that truth and learning from mistakes make a better policy, but they certainly are underrated.

***

2. Taking my mom out for lunch.

The Israeli support for the failed war reminds me of going out for lunch with mom. Usually it is much fun, but occasionally we order some really crappy dishes. My mom always insist that we finish these too - since we already ordered them, we should at least “enjoy” them. Israel seems to be following the same logic.
As for me, I'd rather not order the same dish again.
And again.

***

3. Exporting the successful line of Lebanon wars

I don't know about you, but this reminds me too much of the recent Lebanon war (or the one of 1996). They annoy us, we retaliate, we kill too many civilians and stop, and then they annoy us again. Only that this time everything was much bigger. Like a classic Hollywood sequel.

***

4. Closed Zone

Speaking of Lebanon, and speaking of a sequel, Yoni Goodman, the director of animation for the Academy Award-nominated film, "Waltz with Bashir", crated a short movie about Gaza:
http://www.closedzone.com/



***

5. Something small I do not get.

And here is something that surprises me. How can people support the war in Gaza and at the same time admire Waltz with Bashir? How come they do not see the parallels? The tallest wall in the Israel is not the one on Palestinian lands, but the one that blocks our actions from our thoughts and emotions.

***

6. You and Me and The Next War / Chanoch Levin

When we take a walk, we are three,
You, me and the next war.
When we go to sleep, we are three,
You, me and the next war.

When we smile at a moment of love
The next war smiles with us.
When we wait at the maternity ward,
The next war waits with us.

When they knock on the door, we are three,
You, me and the next war.
and when all this is over, we still are three,
You, the next war and the photograph.
Thanks to yuvalbenami.blogspot.com for the translation.

כשאנחנו מטיילים, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.
כשאנחנו ישנים, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתביא מנוחה נכונה.

כשאנחנו מחייכים ברגע אהבה,
מחייכת איתנו המלחמה הבאה.
כשאנחנו מחכים בחדר הלידה,
מחכה איתנו המלחמה הבאה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתמציא מנוחה נכונה.

כשדופקים על הדלת, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.
וכשכול זה כבר נגמר שוב אנחנו שלושה -
המלחמה הבאה, את והתמונה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתמציא מנוחה נכונה.

My tent in the middle of the highway and the lies of the settlements

Image by DrewOtt via Flickr

Tailgating is a weird thing to do. It must be fun, but I just don’t get it. I prefer my party to be... well... more than 3 feet from my neighbor’s party. Perhaps I can also imagine a location nicer than a parking lot.

Israel has its own version of tailgating. It doesn’t have a fancy name (in general, barbecue is called Alla-Aish - and has nothing to do with the Arabic Alla or Aish. Actually, it literally means “on the fire”.) Anyhow, Alla-Aish often involves barbecuing on a traffic island by a highway.

Below - Alla-Aish from '69 and a more recent one.


I never got that either.

But sometime I enjoy imagining the following scenario. What would have happened if I had decided to build my home in the middle of the busiest highway in Israel? (for the Israeli reader, I usually think of the Halacha exit on Ayalon).
My day dreaming usually ends fairly quickly, realizing that I will soon find myself glued to a wheel of a track rotating at 65 mph.
But sometimes I think that perhaps the army will decide to protect me, build a wall around me, send hundreds of troops to make sure that violators do not disturb my privacy, and in general, making me feel very welcomed there, in my tent in the middle of the highway.

I often think that the settlers have the very same dream, only that no-one ever wakes them up.

In this post I do not argue whether Israel has the right over the west bank (for security, religious, historic, imperialist, or megalomanic reasons). Even if Israel has the right over the West Bank, I argue that the settlements are the dumbest thing ever (and pretty evil too).

The main highway in Israel, Ayalon highway, most certainly belongs to Israel. It is in the middle of Tel Aviv. Still, this does not give me the right to build my home there, since I put myself and my surrounding at risk. It is simply not reasonable. The biggest success of the settlements, in my view, is that somehow they were able to avoid the public discourse. In the Israeli public opinion, holding the occupied territories and building there settlements are the same thing. However, it is pretty simple to see that settlements impose nothing but risks, to everyone. Their existence kills people and kills the chance for peace.

Instead of giving the numbers or telling the stories, let me just share three videos with you. Kids, don’t try this at home. Actually, kids, don’t watch it. But grownups, you must watch these. It is our obligation as thinking people to know what is going on there. Not knowing lost its legitimacy after 1945.
The first is a story of a settler in Hebron.


The second is about Palestinians who try to harvest their olive trees, as instructed by the Israeli court and army. A story from the Israeli media.


The third goes back to the first family. This time a Palestinian kid tries to return home. Notice what the soldiers do, and how old the jewish terrorists are. I will probably not send my kids to their school.


These are only few examples. If you want to watch more, I recommend these two channels:
http://www.youtube.com/user/shovrim (operated by Breaking the Silence)
and
http://www.youtube.com/user/btselem (operated by B'Tselem)

Above all, the settlements are the main obstacle to the two states solution. As one of the settlers told reported Bob Simon on CBS’s 60 minutes: "I think that settlements prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in the land of Israel. This is the goal. And this is the reality."
I am sure most of you already watched the excellent CBS report, but in case you missed it, here it is:


The following two maps were taken from Peace Now and demonstrate the dimension of this phenomena. On the left - the west bank (in blue -settlements; in brown - Palesitinan territories). On the right - the road blocks. Notice that almost all of them (actually, all of them but 35) are not between Palestine and Israel, and are a direct outcome of the wish to protect settlements. These are the same roadblocks that prevent kids from going to school, farmers from working their lands, and pregnant women from reaching the hospitals on time.




Even if we assume that peace cannot be reached, a conclusion I object, Israel has no right or reason to maintain the settlements. This is an immoral sin and imposes a risk to everyone in the region.

To start realizing the effect of the settlements and road blocks, I recommend a movie by Avi Mograbi, and one blog by a member of Machsom Watch. Thanks, Nina, for finding this blog. This blog traveled from Israel to Indonesia and back for me to find it. A person could have never completed that journey.

The Blog - Hebrew and English.
The movie: Avenge but One of My Two Eyes, by Avi Mograbi.



The "funny" thing is that official Israeli report recognizes that 75% of the settlements have illegal building procedures, and still the state of Israel lies openly:
“Israel's actions relating to the use and allocation of land under its administration are all taken with strict regard to the rules and norms of international law...Although the Hague Regulations, in Article 52, permit the administering authority to requisition private property for reasons of military necessity, Israel does not requisition private land for the establishment of settlements, even where there is military justification.“

Gentleman, we have created a monster.

The Everyday Guide For Killing People

Where was Brecht correct?

General, your tank is a powerful vehicle.
It smashes down forests and crushes a hundred men.
But it has one defect:
It needs a driver.

General, your bomber is powerful.
It flies faster than a storm and carries more than an elephant.
But it has one defect:
It needs a mechanic.

General, man is very useful.
He can fly and he can kill.
But he has one defect:
He can think.

גנרל, הטנק שלך הוא רכב חזק,
הוא רומס את היער, הוא מוחץ מאה אנשים.
אבל יש לו חסרון אחד:
הוא זקוק לנהג.

גנרל, המפציץ שלך חזק.
הוא טס מהר מן הסופה, הוא עומס יותר מפיל.
אבל יש לו חסרון אחד:
הוא זקוק למכונאי.

גנרל, האדם שמיש מאוד.
הוא יודע לטוס, הוא יודע לרצוח.
אבל יש לו חסרון אחד:
הוא יודע לחשוב.

(Bartlett Brecht, 1938)


Where was Brecht wrong?

Yes, we can think. But Brecht may have placed too much hopes on this ability. The distance from ‘can’ to ‘do’ is far...

In this post I address the following question: How can Israeli soldiers commit the actions they do? How can individuals belong to a people of high morality, and at the same time aim and shoot at innocent children? What do Israeli soldiers think when they prevent a pregnant woman from crossing the checkpoint, when they use illegal phosphorous bombs in civilian neighborhoods, when they fire at people for quietly protesting, or when they arrest people for speaking openly in Tel Aviv?

And what does it say about Israel as a country?

I am not talking about warfare or self-defense. I am talking about cases in which there is clear right and wrong. Wrong - to shoot someone because you have a weapon and he does not. Because you can.

Rather than pasting here horror youtube videos, here are two small examples, of soldiers shooting protesters without any reason. In the first example, soldiers shot a person who had been arrested and was lying on the ground, bound hand and foot (yes, the lieutenant colonel who did that still serves in the army, and yes, the father of the girl who took the video was arrested). In the second example soldiers shot an Israel for standing. Let me know if you want more videos, my library and nightmares are full of these.

The question of how people commit these crimes becomes even more puzzling when we remember that Israel has compulsory military service. The aggression of the Israeli soldiers cannot be explained with selection bias, since everyone serves. Young adults who vote for leftist parties and object the occupation man the checkpoints and prevent children from going to school. How do these people, my brothers, forget to think when they drive the tank?

- First, people operate out of fear. Israelis are sure that the Palestinians are a threat to Israel. They refuse to see how weak the Palestinians are, and how little threat they impose. Even I started to realize the dimensions of the fear campaign only after I had moved to the States. Btw, this is not out of evil. The politicians themselves are terrified. People are sure that every kitten is a Trojan horse. And as Naomi Klein shows, fear is a very effective way to control people.


The fear system works very well. Even once one is done with the compulsory service in the army, after three years of indoctrination, one still has to serve on reserve for about one month every year. 10% lifelong sentence.

- Second, people operate as part of the organization. People are very happy to identify with their mission. They shoot because they were given a gun and are expected to. They shoot because everybody shoots. Have you heard of the prison experiment? This was a simulated prison in Stanford’s corridors and offices, in which half of the students were randomly assigned to be the prisoners and the other half to be the guards. “The experiment quickly grew out of hand. Prisoners suffered ... sadistic and humiliating treatment from the guards.” (Wikipedia). Again, these guards were their classmates. The experiment had to be stopped earlier than planned, after only 6 days. Wikipedia: “The experiment's result has been argued to demonstrate the impressionability and obedience of people when provided with a legitimizing ideology and social and institutional support,”. We play our roles, cling to our guns and ideology. As Zimbardo, the professor who conducted the original study, testifies: “Most of the evil in the world comes about not out of evil motives, but somebody says: be a team player... When a person feels: I am not accountable, this is the role I am playing”.


Fascinating and sick. Watch the 6 minute version, the 23 minute version, or See the slides. The Israeli administration knows this, and does as much as it can to help its soldiers avoid excessive thinking... For example, "Israel's Cabinet promised legal and financial support for any officers facing trial [about the war-crimes in Gaza]" (the Associated Press). In that way, the army tells its soldiers: 'You don't need to consider whether these are war crimes - we did all the thinking for you. Furthermore, we are your defenders. You awe us'. The outcome - bigger identification with the army and its goals, rather than critical thinking.

- Third, people feel comfortable obeying to authority. Again, this removes personal responsibility. This time I will point you to the Milgram experiment. This guy asked participants to give electric shocks to others. The shocks were sufficient to turn a person into a nice little campfire. Most participants obeyed with no second thoughts. After all, they were given orders.

The good about the following youtube clip is that it is only 2 minutes long and gives the facts in order. The bad is that you can’t really see what is going on and the music is awful :)

Here is a 10 minutes replication of this study (Darren Brown)

What we awe Brecht (and everybody else)
We awe them to think.
Yes, we are responsible. Yes, we are individual human beings, capable of telling right for wrong.
No, no excuse can be given for making a pregnant woman deliver a dead baby at the checkpoint.
In Israel, people who rediscover their conscious and refuse to participate in these horrors are called refusniks.

The Tragedy of Fighting Terror with Terror.

These words are not easy for me to write, and still, they should be written. This post walks a fine line, but one that should be walked. It crosses bridges that should be crossed and reveals truths that should be discussed. Its purpose is to show that Israel is using increasingly alarming terror techniques in its fight against the Palestinians.
I further argue that at this point the state terror used by Israel imposes by far a greater risk to Israel itself than the Palestinian terror.

Some parallels between the Hamas and the Isareli government:

- Both do not acknowledge each other, even though they both were elected democratically by their own people. Furthermore, both choose violence in order to attempt to destroy the other. By doing so, both only strengthen their partner to this bloody dance.

- Both kill hundreds of civilians, on purpose. Yes, even Israel. For example, Israel used artillery and other inaccurate weapons during the last war. One cannot use these weapons in the most densely populated place on earth and hope that no civilians get killed. There is one difference between the Hamas and Israel, and Israel should not be proud of it: more Palestinians (overall and civilians) were killed during the 3 weeks of Israeli operation in Gaza compared with Israelis who got killed by Palestinians in the 9 years since the Second Intifada broke. 3 weeks vs. 9 years.

- Both kidnap soldiers and put them in inhumane conditions. Again, only one tiny difference: while the Hamas kidnapped one member of the Israeli army, Israel holds thousands of Hamas members.

- Both do so in the name of religion.

- Both need the other to exist in order to justify their own ideology of hatred and racism.

- This is a key point: they both hide behind civilians. One of the most common criticism towards the Hamas is that it operates from civic centers, and its soldiers use human shields to protect themselves. For example, the Jewish Chronicle published the following caricature last week:

Here is another similar caricature.

However, also Israel uses human shields. First, its biggest military bases are in the middle of civilian concentrations (HaKirya in Tel Aviv, Pikud Darom in Beer Sheva, etc). But I am not talking about this. I am talking about the Neighbor Procedure (נהל שכן).
Bear with me, this is tricky.
When searching for suspects from house to house, Israeli soldiers take local people and make them knock on the doors and open them, so that if the suspects open fire, the locals will get hurt and not the soldiers. This was declared illegal by the Israeli supreme court, yet nonetheless, the army still uses this procedure and ignores the court order.
More can be found here. Testimonials from the recent Gaza war can be found here: "soldiers had made them, at gun point, open doors and enter houses to search for Hamas members". And if you believe only Jews, here Israeli soldiers talk about using this procedure.
So again, both sides use human shields. Again, one difference - while Hamas uses its own people, Israel uses Palestinians to protect its soldiers.

- Both declare that their goals are to terrorize the other side. Israel calls it 'so they learn a lesson', but I am not sure how this is different.

- Both parties took advantage of the truce to prepare for the next war...

There are also differences, of course. Naturally, I do not defend the Hamas. It is a terror organization and Israel should protect itself against its violence.
However, Israel cannot - - - well, it can, it does, but it should not - become a terror organization itself.

Furthremore, I argue that this imposes a greater risk to Israel compared with the Palestinian terror. Why is it dangerous?
- First and foremost, we loose the moral ground and the basis to our existence.
- Second, it creates emotional scars also in the soldiers, that lead, so I believe, to increasing domestic violence - in home, on the road, between individuals, etc.
- Security wise - it gives legitimacy to the worst terror against Israel. For example, what can Israel claim now when Iranian missiles will start falling on Tel Aviv?
- It puts our democracy at risk. For example, in the recent war, there were many cases of pro-peace demonstrators being attacked by security forces and dehumanized. One example for such story was told by a friend of mine to the Guardian. Another example - the Israeli parliament voted for disqualifying the Arab parties from participating in the elections. (who said democracy is for all? Also in Iran the government can choose who will run in the 'democratic' process...). Luckily, this miserable decision was later overturned by court.

But my main point is not that this is not a smart move. My main point is that this simply should not be done.

Luckily, Jon Stewart found a better way to say it.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Gitmo's World - Death to America

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Now, that it is over, we can ask. Who began the Gaza war and why?

The views from Gaza were horrible, where hundreds of children were killed during the Israeli assault. Devastating stories come also from the Israeli side, where kids in Sderot have lived under fire for the last 8 years.

Was this war really necessary? In the last six months before the war there had been a cease fire between Israel and the Hamas. This was a peaceful solution for both problems. No dead Palestinians, no rockets on Israel. Who ended the truce?

The views are conflicting (obviously). Israel argues that the Hamas ended the truce, while the Palestinians argue that it was Israel.

The Hamas was the first to declare the truce was over. Certainly, they made the political mistake. More accurately, they announced that they are not renewing it after 6 months.
What is less known is that this was a result of an Israeli attack in Gaza, and thus de facto, it was Israel who broke the truce.

Here is the full story:



And for those who need more references, here they are.

Notice that the Israeli attack took place on November 4th, the day of elections in America. A coincidence or an attempt to avoid the media? (surprisingly, the current war ended right before inauguration, not to upset the new boss).

Anyhow, as an Israeli, I found the whole thing quite disturbing. Was Israel really the first to break the cease fire? So I asked a friend of mine who lives in Sderot. Yes, she is one of those who were attacked almost daily for the last eight years, until the cease fire broke. Surely, she knows when rockets were falling and when not. And here is what she said (Hebrew followed by my translation):

"זה נכון, נורו טילים בודדים פה ושם, אבל לא של החמאס. אנחנו יודעים גם מחברינו בעזה שהחמאס אכף את הפסקת האש ביד ברזל. גם את הפסקת האש שברה ישראל עם סיפור המנהרה ואחר כך סיפור המוקשים. הרגו 20 פלסטינים ואז הם החזירו, וההמשך ידוע.
בינתיים צה"ל ממשיך לכתוש גם הלילה, בשביל האגו של מנהיגנו שלא מסוגלים לסיים את הפרשה ורבים על הקרדיט. פשוט נורא."

Translation: "This is true. Several missiles were fired here and there, but not by the Hamas. We know from our friends in Gaza that the Hamas indeed enforced the cease fire with an iron fist. Israel broke the truce first with the tunnel story and then with the mines. Israeli killed 20 Palestinians, so then they took their turn, and the rest is known. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to pound this night too, for the ego of our leaders that cannot end the story and fight over the credit. Simply horrible."
(January 14, 2009)

We heard similar things during an event we held here in Pittsburgh. On the line is Eric Yellin, another friend form Sderot (his blog is certainly worth reading).



Btw, also the main-stream Israeli media acknowledges it. Only that according to Israeli estimates, the Israeli attacks should not have caused the Hamas to break the truce (Hebrew only, sorry).

Let me make several things clear:
- No Hamas rockets on civilians in Israel are legitimate, of course, even if Israel was the first to break the truce.
- Hamas wanted to continue the truce not to work on its flower garden, but to rebuild its army.
- Perhaps the Israeli attack on November 4th was necessary.

Still, there was a truce, no people were hurt on either side of the border, Israel broke it, and now it is lying. If these facts are wrong, please show me where.

So I went on to study this issue. How do truces between Israel and the Palestinians end? This post examines who was the first to kill after days of non-violence. It found that "it is overwhelmingly Israel that kills first after a pause in the conflict: 79% of all conflict pauses were interrupted when Israel killed a Palestinian, while only 8% were interrupted by Palestinian attacks (the remaining 13% were interrupted by both sides on the same day)."
In other words, after quiet days, it is usually Israel that is the first to reignite violence. This is even clearer when looking at longer periods of no violence:
"of the 25 periods of nonviolence lasting longer than a week, Israel unilaterally interrupted 24, or 96%, and it unilaterally interrupted 100% of the 14 periods of nonviolence lasting longer than 9 days."

I certainly do not justify the rockets on Israel. As said earlier, I have friends with children that live under these attacks. The Hamas is a terror organization. I simply examines the deeds of my people, looking at myself in the mirror. Is Israel much better?

But why does Israel do that? Unlike the facts written above, these are speculations. I will address these some other time. May we all have a quiet year.

I Speak to You Today in the Name of Many.

I want to share with you things I said today at the protest against the war in Gaza. (January 17 2009, Pittsburgh PA).
-----------------

My name is Ido Roll, and I am an Israeli.

I speak to you today in the name of hundreds of Israelis who refuse to join the Israeli army because it is committing war crimes against people who should be free.
I speak to you in the name of thousands of people in Sderot, Beer Sheva, and southern Israel, who have lived under the attacks of deadly rockets for 8 years, and still oppose the war and killing in Gaza.
I speak to you in the name of tens of thousands of Israelis, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Sachnin, who go out to the streets and protest the war every day, though their voices are ignored by the media.

I am speaking in the name of all these, begging, asking: please, stop the killing. Stop the war NOW.

Two days ago we held an Jewish pro-peace event at the Jewish Community Center. We heard these unheard voices. We also talked with Dr. Izzadin Abouleish, a physician from Gebalya refugee camp in Gaza. Izzadin, in his loud and clear voice, called for peace. He described how he sits on the floor, looks at the eyes of his kids, and cannot tell them where he will be tomorrow, or where they will be the day after. He described how his life would no longer be called life if his children get hurt.
12 hours later an Israeli tank hit his home. 3 of his daughters were killed. His brothers and two more sons were critically wounded or killed. This war spares no-one. No one is immune to this crazy violence.

This is not about being pro-Israeli vs. pro-Palestinian. This is about being pro the living. Pro common sense. Pro people. We must all do what we can to stop the killing.

We need a ceasefire now. But we should not stop there. This war is only the symptom of a much deeper disease. As long as there is an occupation, there is violence. We should continue, until all people in the Middle East can live freely, peacefully, life of dignity and prosperity.

I am calling on all Americans to stand for what they believe. This conflict will not be solved by watching it on CNN. We have the responsibility, the moral obligation, to act. Every day in which we do not act is a day in which we let the killing go on.
I can't stop thinking about the daughters of Dr. Aboueleish. I can't stop praying for my own daughter, never to know these things.
The killing must end now.

Thank you.

From the Net: Alternative Voices from Israel

The dimensions of opposition within Israel to the war are striking. וֹUnfortunately, undoubtedly, vast majority still supports it. However, more and more voices are beginning to be heard.
Here are a couple of especially interesting examples:

A fascinating blog by two friends from Sderot (Israel) and Sajaia refugee camp (Gaza): "Both sides were blaming each other. Israel claiming that the Hamas is not abiding to the ceasefire since there were occasional rockets and the arms smuggling continued, and Hamas claiming that Israel is not fulfilling its part since the siege continued."

Israeli soldiers who refuse to participate in the war:


A public letter from Israelis: "We are calling on the world to stop Israeli violence and not allow the continuation of the brutal occupation. We call on the world to Condemn and not become an accomplice in Israel's crimes."

Facebook groups:
- Israelis Say NO to the attack on Gazza!
- B'Tselem
- Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies

Protests:
- Die-in Against War in Gaza
- Protest in Tel-Aviv

This is in addition to tens of op-eds in the main-stream media that criticize the Israeli attacks and call for immediate withdraw.

* Bonus track (geographically related, but much less violent) - a beautiful project documenting the lives on both sides of the fence in 80 two-minute video clips.