Witless in Gaza

I think a hearty thanks should be extended to the Israeli political establishment and the IDF for banning journalists from Gaza during the three weeks of war.  They spared us from the foolish reporting of the New York Times and other Western journalists. For as soon as these journalists were able to reenter Gaza a steam of nonsense, contradictions and lies started to overflow its banks. The fight for the narrative, so crucial to the conflict was lost by the Israelis and won by the Gazan Palestinians, as told to the New York Times. 

For example, from the 1/20/09 page headed “The Aftermath” from a Gazan professor of political science, “Even though Hamas was launching missiles against Israel, it does not mean it has the right to bomb civilian infrastructure”. Or from a Mr. Kheldi, “They think the more they kill the more we lose our will, but it is the opposite”. Then there was this gem from a Mr. Serraj who is of all things a psychiatrist, “This war has deepened the people’s feeling that that it is impossible to have peace with Israel, a country that promotes death and destruction.”

I think you get the idea of what the Times reporter Sabrina Tavernise is trying to convey to her readers. Basically, the narrative that came through from interviews with Gazans as told to Times reporters can be deconstructed as follows:

 1.     We were all peaceful: farmers, schoolteachers and ministers engaged in civil pursuits.  We all wanted peace before, but now we want revenge, war and death.

2.     There were no Hamas rocket launchers or fighters here or anywhere near here.

3.     The Israelis don’t want peace, they want to destroy us.

4.      So we support the “resistance”.

5.      If before we supported the “resistance” a little, now we support it even more so the goal of the Israeli invasion has failed.

6.     Since it failed we have won a “heavenly victory”.

This narrative is absurd and reporting it as fact doubles down the absurdity.  Firstly, it belies all the years of photos and interviews of Hamas mobilizing its fighters by the tens of thousands. None of these quoted Gazans went to the mass rallies to view the hooded “resisters” parading around with suicide belts, AK 47’s and rocket launchers? Before, Hamas chose to show the world universal civilian support for a military confrontation. Now, to read the stories from the Times correspondents, you would think Gandhi ruled Gaza.

Secondly, as we have discussed so many times before, “resistance” is a cover for aggression without admitting responsibility. Offence becomes defense; rockets and suicide bombers are retaliating to the “occupation.” This Palestinian groupthink at once removes all responsibility for rockets sent north while delegitimizing any Israeli attempt to suppress the attacks. Reporters using connived quotes without critical examination spread the virus of illogic from the interviewee to the reader.

Thirdly, if you didn’t know it, Gazans live in a small tribal society. Everyone knows who was interviewed by a reporter. Any attributed quote that embarrassed Hamas could be answered with violence to that interviewee or their family. Execution or torture as an Israeli “spy” could apply. Even if granted anonymity, the propaganda goal of Hamas is always met when it portrays itself as lambs to the slaughter. I can guarantee you the Palestinians interviewed by Mrs. Tavernise are high fiving themselves at the poignancy of their quotes and the utter stupidity of the Times to print them without context.

Lastly and this is very tricky and I don’t want to be misunderstood, but the values the west honors (or at least pretends to) of veracity, honesty and truthfulness are not the same in the Arab world. The word treachery and perfidy as used by hundreds of western observers to describe the Arab way comes to mind. It is cultural imperialism to think that all people share your values of communication. Anyone who has spent time in the Arab world or read any history knows some cultures think it is acceptable even honorable to say one thing and do another. Disinformation is often a virtue in the Arab way of communicating. Lies are a relative thing if a benefit can accrue to the liar.

Telling the New York Times as Mr. Kheldi of Gaza did that, “Now when I see a rocket fly, I hope it hits a bus, not because I want to kill kids, but because they killed so many of ours.”  is this kind of lie.  As if before he wanted that missile to hit the empty desert sands?  Where did he think the Hamas missile could have landed if not on a bus of kids or a hospital or a kindergarten? Saying it is only now after the Israeli actions, that he wants this result, can only be believed by a fool.  The reader is led to conclude that Israel created animosity and hate, not Hamas. It gives no credit to Hamas and that is a lie too.

I prefer to look at the mesmerizing photos taken during the bombing campaign of hundreds of Gazans sanding on the periphery of a huge crater where a house or ministry or Mosque stood. Imagine their faces as they look at the utter destruction. They seem pensive, still and reflective. Unlike the bombastic quotes fed to western journalists, these witnesses to destruction appear so vulnerable, so human. I prefer to think they are wondering where this will end. What future destruction will come if Hamas continues to deny Israel’s existence and “resists” with rockets and mortars launched at any target inside Israel? These faces seem to know this air campaign was only a taste; a “muqabbilaat” of Israeli air power they know could come next. Look at the images, they say more than a world of lies, as told to the New York Times.