No Civilian Casualties in Gaza!
By Tom Chartier
Man, I am so relieved! Here I thought Israel’s invasion of Gaza was to be a bloodbath. But fortunately I have it right from the horse’s mouth, Israeli Foreign Minister and “moderate” Tzipi Livni that there are “no (civilian) casualties” in Operation Cast Lead. Now I can sleep at night.
Well, the fact that there are no civilian casualties, only Hamas militants, certainly explains a lot. It explains why Israel will not allow the foreign press into Gaza. There’s nothing to report. A bunch of dead Arab “terrorists?” Who cares? It explains why Israeli gunboats rammed the Free Gaza Movement boat, “Dignity” which was loaded with three and a half tons of medical supplies and three volunteer doctors. There are no civilians to fix up. Israel obviously wanted to save the Dignity the hassle… not to mention the fuel.
Such thoughtful and caring people.
Oddly, Tzipi goes on in the same interview to point out that Israel is only targeting Hamas. But “war is war” and civilian casualties can’t be avoided. Huh? Wasn’t she contradicting herself?
Oh… uh… but that interview was at the beginning of Israel’s Shock and Awe campaign against Hamas. Since then Ms. Livni has changed her tune and admits that there actually have been civilian casualties. Yeah, she’d better change her tune! What are we up to now, something like 500 civilians and 2400 wounded?
Gaza hospitals are shocked and awed by the overflow of casualties.
As reported by the BBC and Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza: “Among all the hundreds we have seen so far, we have seen two fighters,” he added that women and children alone made up 25% of the dead, and 45% of the wounded. He went on to state that: “the patients are waiting a long time for surgery and they are dying while waiting. So this is a complete disaster.”
Dr. Gilbert also stated: “we know among all the hundreds we have seen so far we have seen only two fighters.”
Fortunately, despite Israel’s blockade of the western press they have not been able to silence the Palestinian press. Dr. Mads Gilbert’s interview from the pandemonium inside al-Shifa hospital can be viewed on this BBC article online: Casualties Rise In Gaza Offensive. The video is not the type of pabulum one is apt to see on FOX or CNN.
So what was Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni talking about when she said “no (civilian) casualties?” Does she seriously think the world is to believe Israel is only targeting Hamas fighters?
Ms. Livni states that they have been making phone calls warning Palestinian civilians that they are targets. Is this seriously intended to minimize civilian casualties? Where are they to go? Next door? Across the street? To the bomb shelter? Out of Gaza… which Israel will not allow them to do. These phone calls seem more like and attempt to justify Israel’s actions and cast Israel in a “humanitarian” light to the gullible U.S. press. For the Palestinian residents of Gaza, these warning calls seem to be a new form of torment or “terrorism” if you will.
Is Tzipi Livni an idiot? I’d love to call her “Tzipi the Pinhead” but alas, she is no Shrub. On the contrary, Tzipi is a very capable and intelligent woman. And, despite her tag as a “moderate” she is as dangerous as any Israeli hawk like Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, serial murderer Ariel Sharon and possible future Israeli Fuehrer Avigdor Lieberman.
So Tzipi must be lying, misleading or rationalizing. In fact she’s doing all of the above. Or possibly, all Palestinians are considered Hamas militants. After all, the “civilians” voted for Hamas didn’t they?
To “change the facts on the ground” as Tzipi claims is the goal; Israel has one option, extermination of the Palestinian population of Gaza. Is this the real goal of Operation Cast Lead? Should be simple enough for the IDF. After all, there are only 1.5 million Palestinians crammed into a space seven miles wide and thirty-five miles long.
Sorry to be ultra cynical and sarcastic but, maybe Israel should end the suffering and pull out a couple four or five of those non-existent nuclear warheads they have hidden away and make clean work of this burdensome population of excess Arabs. That would up the ante of Israel’s “defense deterrent.” Oh but wait… some of the fallout might drift over Tel Aviv.
God help us all if nuking Gaza is an option Israel has on the table.
Tom Chartier [send him mail] played lead guitar in legendary Los Angeles punk band The Rotters for 26 years until their final appearance in January of 2004. He has lived in Tokyo and Los Angeles. Currently he resides somewhere in the Caribbean.
www.350.org"
