Israel's Disappearing Ongoing Terror Wave

                                                                           
                                                                                                         published at Honest Reporting

A week into the ongoing wave of terror against Israeli Jews, it has become nearly impossible to learn -- from major news sources outside Israel -- what is going on in Israel.

The terror wave itself is becoming invisible. Many reports minimize the hundreds of attacks against Israelis. Some suggest that attempting to stop a terrorist should be seen as the same thing as being a terrorist; other coverage depicts any Israeli defensive measures in such a way these will appear to cause the violence.

In a recent CNN report, terror against Israelis has disappeared. A video captioned "spiral of violence grips the Middle East" tells of Palestinians throwing "rocks and marbles" against "tanks and tear gas." Israel's Prime Minister is described as "stern and contentious" in contrast to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who "doesn't want the situation to escalate."

Readers would never know that Abbas and Palestinian officials have been "waging an unprecedented campaign of incitement against Israel" in what Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh describes as "calls for murder."

An Associated Press story in US News and World Report purports to be a timeline of "latest developments in the ongoing tensions between Palestinians and Israelis" but these tensions usually turn out to be that a Palestinian was stopped after killing or trying to kill an Israeli. Like many other stories, this one leads with the "shooting and wounding" of a Palestinian and then mentions that the "motorist" was trying to run over people at a checkpoint.

Similarly, BBC  writes "Israeli-Palestinian violence spreads over Gaza" which in itself is inaccurate since the Gaza government has taken credit for some of the attacks in Israel. These include what Hamas has praised as "the heroric terror attack," the murder of Eitam and Na'ama Henkin, a Tel Aviv University doctoral student and his wife who was a graphic designer, shot to death in their car in front of their four children.

The article claiming that "violence" is moving from Israel into Gaza has it backwards. Rockets have been fired in recent days from Gaza into Israel and violent rioters  from Gaza attempted to cross into Israel. BBC's "analysis" piece describes a "sudden and sharp escalation of violence" equating attacks on civilians with the attempt to prevent such attacks.

And as the reporting on the terror wave disappears, the terrorists are provided with a more sympathetic treatment than the Israeli victims of terror.

When The Neighborhood Bully Fires Back

                                                                                                              photo: Hirek Israelbol                                                                                     

The neighborhood bully just lives to survive

He’s criticized and condemned for being alive

He’s not supposed to fight back, he’s supposed to have thick skin

He’s supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in

He’s the neighborhood bully

                                               -- Bob Dylan, “The Neighborhood Bully”                 

Much of English language media is returning to an old standby: Israel as the neighborhood bully. Sometimes this perspective is stated outright; more often it simply underlies the way stories are presented.

Hamas is usually referred to as a “militant group,” without indicating that it is also the elected government of Gaza. We get the impression of a renegade gang acting outside any official capacity. Working with Hamas is Islamic Jihad; though the two are aligned against Israel they are also in conflict with each other within the larger context of their shared Islamic extremism.

Yet, rarely is “Islamic extremism” mentioned, the widespread phenomenon that greatly overshadows the size of tiny Israel and negates its image as neighborhood bully.

Sometimes Hamas is referred to as a terrorist organization, often by saying Israel “considers” them so, suggesting this is Israeli propaganda.  But Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by many other countries, by the EU, US, Japan, Canada, Egypt and Jordan. And all of the rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel are aimed at civilians, pretty much the definition of terrorism. 

Even the Palestinian ambassador to the UN freely acknowledges that “every missile” from Gaza coming into Israel is “a crime against humanity.”  There have not been a lot of headlines conveying this message. Also a war crime is the launching of rockets from residential areas and endangering one’s own people.

When targeting Hamas fighters and their weapons, the IDF has many methods of warning civilians to leave. They call cellphones, send texts, and distribute leaflets so that people will get out of the way. They have a system of “knock on the roof” as warning and if they see people still in an area they will abort their mission.  During this week the Israeli government helped over 800 foreign nationals who wanted to leave Gaza to do so. 

But there are casualties. It is impossible to call people casualties without stopping right there to say: we should have no wars, ever. Yet, in the world as it is at the moment, in which Israel’s cities are under rocket fire, its government has the responsibility to protect its citizens.

Mention of that responsibility deflates the bully image, as does attributing Israel’s far fewer casualties to its building of bomb shelters, its requirement since the 1980’s that apartments have safe rooms, and its investment in a technology that dissolves incoming rockets in the air before they can do the damage they are intended to do.

Hamas has been firing rockets into Israeli towns for years. In 2008 and 2012 when the rocket firing escalated, and again now, the IDF fired back.  A lot of news coverage begins with Israeli strikes on Gaza as if the neighborhood bully just decided to flex his muscles for no reason.

Reporting that sirens sounded in particular cities or that the Iron Dome stopped rockets over Tel Aviv without ever suggesting that what is transpiring is the attempted murder of families in their homes helps create a familiar storyline in which Israel, because it is the stronger country, is to blame for there being a war at all. 

Bob Dylan wrote “The Neighborhood Bully” about Israel in 1983.

published at Honest Reporting

What Boycott? Major Musicians Rock Israel

(published at Honest Reporting )

Yet another star ignores widely publicized demands to cancel and performs in Israel. Tom Jones even adds a second show. Like Alicia Keys this summer and Rhianna in October, Jones joins the vast majority of musicians in standing up to the pressure of boycotters.

In spite of boycott hype, only rare exceptions like Jello Biafra and Elvis Costello have counted themselves supporters. Costello nixed his show in June 2010 although his wife, singer Diana Krall, performed later that summer. Biafra flew to Israel anyway, watched Israeli punk band Useless ID play without him, and published his mixed feelings about Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS).

In fact, even among the few musicians who have canceled, giving into pressure or postponing a show does not mean supporting boycott.

When Marc Almond cancelled, his management announced, “Marc would like to make it absolutely clear that this is not for any political reason. We are very sorry for any inconvenience to fans who have bought tickets.”

Carlos Santana’s management said, “We are sorry that our schedule has forced the postponement of certain dates previously scheduled. We look forward to performing in the many historic places that Santana has long wanted to return to.”

Yet, these names appear in publicity about BDS as if they protested against Israel. Even included are some--like Jon Bon Jovi--who simply have never played in the Jewish state. When asked earlier this year by BBC’s, Jo Whiley, “Is there anywhere in the world you’d like to play but haven’t yet?” Bon Jovi immediately answered: “Israel.”

In recent years, many major musicians have played in Israel, legends like Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Elton John, and Leonard Cohen, and performers that are big draws in every genre, including:  

Punk--Marky Ramone, New York Dolls, Buzzcocks, Gogol Bordello; NOFX;

Metal--Anthrax, Judas Priest, Ozzie Ozbourne, Megadeth;

Pop--Lady Gaga, Madonna, Justin Bieber, Alanis Morissette;

Rock-- Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Linkin Park, Jethro Tull, Guns N’Roses, Rod Stewart, 30 Seconds to Mars;

Blues—-KM Williams, Lucky Peterson, Robert Belfour;

Indie--Yo La Tengo, Deerhoof, Silver Jews, Why?;

Reggae--Ziggy Marley, Steel Pulse, Easy Star All-Stars;

Grunge--The Jesus and Mary Chain; Jane’s Addiction, Faith No More;

New Wave—-Depeche Mode, Peter Murphy;

Electronica—-Pet Shop Boys, VNV Nation;

R&B--Rhianna, The Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, and Alicia Keys.

Responding to boycotters, Keys told the press, “Music is a universal language that is meant to unify audiences in peace and love, and that is the spirit of our show.”

Elton John, on stage in Tel Aviv, raised a clenched fist and shouted, “Shalom! We’re so happy to be back here! Ain’t nothing gonna stop us from coming, baby!”

Rather than boycott Israel, well-known musicians especially appreciate the country. Tablet Magazine’s Liel Leibovitz writes that Israel’s top security offers the famous a brief holiday in which to see the sites, and the closely connected, relaxed Israeli music scene creates opportunity for A List artists to enjoy night life in Tel Aviv, where locals usually just “see celebrities as people.”

Speculation about whether or not stars will cancel, or the latest commentary from Roger Waters (formerly of Pink Floyd and now a boycott spokesman) can give the impression that musicians teeter on the verge of agreeing with BDS. But BDS does not argue particular policies; they advocate for the elimination of the Jewish state, demanding all of Israel for Palestine.

Some with this view send death threats, like Islamist cleric Omar Bakri who broadcasted before Paul McCartney’s concert, "If he values his life, Mr. McCartney must not come to Israel."

In Tel Aviv, Sir Paul told the press, “My little bit is to try to bring people together through music…It seems to me that most of the people are quite moderate and would like a solution…They want the governments to decide quite quickly on two states, on two nations rather than this conflict.”

After all, how likely is it for musicians, who include Israel on a world tour, suddenly to align themselves against a goal of peace for two nations and boycott their own show?

Why Israel Doesn’t Excel At Public Relations

It’s too nice here.  Too entertaining. Too busy. Too intense. Too productive. Too successful. Too much going on. Too crazy.  So the crazy stuff that’s said about Israel – that felt very pressing to me in California – seems ridiculous here.

Ride the light rail in Jerusalem crushed against every possible demographic of Israel and then talk back to people who shout about “apartheid”? Hang out at the beach, the river, the cafes in Tel Aviv and then worry about the lack of worry about Iran?

Time Magazine had a cover story a few years ago that was outrageous. The title was “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace.” It was a hit piece, really, criticizing Israelis for going on with their lives even though there is no peace settlement (not counting the one with Jordan and the one with Egypt). The story I've wondered about is Why Israeli PR Doesn’t Fight Back Harder. But being here now, it makes sense.

Because it’s hard to be riled up about how misrepresented Israel is when you are in the midst of everyday life that is misrepresented.  It’s hard to take it seriously.  It's hard to believe it's even happening.