AboutDavid Expertise I am an expert in Middle Eastern history, and Israeli history in particular. My main focus is Biblical analysis, the origins of Islam, and medieval and modern historical events in Israel. Everything you see happening in the world today, has a history.
Experience I am a free-lance writer who has previously lived in, and studied the history of, Israel.
Organizations I contribute to the One Israel Fund and will be joining CAMERA shortly.
I am puzzled at Israel not being able to win the publicity or perhaps one could call it the propaganda battle. It seems that most nations are against Israel. Even if Israel defeats Hamas militarily, they will probably lose the propaganda war. The debate usually goes this way: Israel is responding militarily to the Hamas rockets. They have a right to defend themselves. (I agree.) The Hamas rockets and most negative opinion is in response to "the treatment of the Palestinians." The latter would include: detainment of thousands of Palestinian prisoners without a fair trial, "the continued Israeli occupation, which culminates in punishing a whole population and forcing them into inhumane circumstances," "Palestinian workers in Israel have been facing economic hardship and a deterioration in living conditions as a result of the Israeli policy of closure and which denies them access to work in Israel," and a number of other charges.(I am quoting from internet sources.) Although I am suspicious of these charges, I rarely hear them answered. What is the truth about Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, and why can't that truth be broadcast widely? For instance Israel could hold a special press week, inviting all the world press (CNN, CBS, AlJazeera, etc.) to the Palestinian territories, and thereby show the world once and for all what the situation really is. What's your opinion? Thank you!
ANSWER: Hi David,
First of all, you have a right to be suspicious of these charges. FYI, the difference between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israel is two things - anti-Semitism is based on lies, and anti-Semites deliberately tell you only one side of the story. The news agencies you mentioned, and also so many others, wouldn't give Israel the time of day - or at least edit their footage to make it look or sound like something that's not accurate in reality. The BBC is famous for doing that. On the other hand, Israelis themselves should share some of the blame. Israelis are the only people in the world who refuse to acknowledge their history. This is why you never hear (when there is no war) that Jews have lived in Israel for almost 4000 years, especially in the "occupied territories", and historically, the Arabs are newcomers, that some Jewish families have lived in Israel since Biblical times before the first Arab came, or that most of the Middle East is Arab-occupied territory and today, the occupying Arab regimes commonly impose collective punishment on these occupied indigenous populations - just look at Iraq or Lebanon or Darfur. And this is why you do hear such bullshit like "we need the land because of the high ground" or "God gave us the land". They don't have the least bit of knowledge to say anything else. My opinion is that there is enough blame to go around RE lack of PR.
Also because of anti-Semitism, most nations will be against Israel even if nothing is happening over there. Every year without exception, there is always at least one UN resolution condemning Israel for something. The UN has indeed become the successor to the nazis.
Here's the truth. First, the "Palestinians" are Arabs, no different from any other Arab. They began to call themselves "Palestinian" in the 1960s as a way to delegitimize Israel. Second, of course Israel has the right to defend itself. It frankly takes a lot of nerve to say otherwise or that the response is "disproportionate". And Israel does what it does because it's simply defending itself. In any case, the Arabs are treated as well as the situation allows. Unfortunately, no Arab has tattooed on his forehead "I am a terrorist" so there's no way of knowing who is a terrorist and who isn't. That's why the checkpoints and the closures. The fact is, anyone could carry out a terrorist attack such as pregnant women (or women disguised as being pregnant), children, grandmothers, Abdul the Plumber. All these types of people have, and some are attempting to do a terrorist act as I'm writing this. RE having a fair trial, Israel does its best with so many captured terrorists, but this kind of situation is not like a domestic criminal where democratic laws demand a fair trial, these are like POWs captured in a state of war. Think Guantanamo. Israel's prisoner is similar.
I recommend two websites you might find interesting: www.standwithus.com and www.honestreporting.com.
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QUESTION: Thank you for your thoughtful response as well as the historical perspective and recommendations. You will get a high rating from me. I also received a different answer for the same question. It follows in quotes. I would be most interested in knowing any comment you might have about it, in as much or as little detail as you wish.
"Greetings David, and thanks for your question. As a human rights worker who lived in this area for four years, the simplest way I can put it is that these charges are true, as attested to by dozens of human rights agencies, including Israeli-led human rights agencies (such as B'Tselem, the Rabbis for Human Rights, and the Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions). It would probably be rather embarrassing for Israel to answer these charges, so they feel it is better to ignore them.
In the current Gaza crisis, Israel is responding militarily to Hamas rockets, which is allowable under international human rights law; but they are choosing not to take adequate precautions to protect the civilian population from harm in their military strategy, and as the UNRWA, Human Rights Watch, and the above-mentioned Israeli agencies have reported this week, Palestinian civilians, including many women and children, have borne the brunt of the deaths and injuries. The civilian population has also not been given the option of leaving the area of fighting, because the borders are closed. There is also the need to respond to the threat proportionately; if only a dozen Israeli soldiers and civilians have been harmed or killed in this crisis, there's no reason the Israeli military should have killed over a thousand Palestinians.
So, these are the primary concerns, and you may be interested in looking at the websites of the agencies I've mentioned above for more information. I hope this helps!
peace, "(I have withheld the writer's name)
Answer Hello again David,
To be completely honest with you, I don't live in Israel. But I have lived in Israel and I still keep in touch with events over there. Anyway, I plan to go back soon.
I actually have several responses to the piece you quoted. The first response I can't tell you because I think allexperts has a policy against using that kind of language here. So I'll give you my other responses. Those "human rights organizations" you listed have almost no credibility in Israel whatsoever. Where were they when rockets were raining down on Israeli communities, and still are, causing trauma and shock and death to so many people? Where are the demonstrations? Where is the frenzied outcry? This is a question of giving credence to "human rights organizations" who only care about the human rights of one and not the other? If I were an Israeli authority in charge, I wouldn't waste my time answering such charges as human rights vilations. RE civilian casualties. I'm sure that life in Gaza is absolutely horrid. But that's what you get when the enemy uses human shields and schools, mosques, and hospitals as arms depots. Besides, these "innocent Palestinians" voted Hamas into power, they shelter Hamas in their neighborhoods, they choose to be integrated with Hamas in every way, shape, and form. So perhaps these "innocent Palestinians" aren't so innocent after all. Therefore, I'm sure the victim Israeli communities could care less what life is like over there.
The number of people who died on one side or the other isn't the point. Israel's choice is simply either to hurt civilians or live with the rockets. Which would you choose? This whole thing about a "disproportionate response" I noticed is only applied to Israel. I didn't remember hearing anything like that when Russia invaded Georgia.
