This is Dr. Mads Gilbert reporting from Shifa Hospital again earlier this week, deploring civilian casualties. Because Dr. Gilbert is confronting Israeli State propaganda, apologists for the assault on Gaza are trying to character-assassinate him as a terrorist sympathizer, a shill for Palestine, and someone has even compared him to the WWII Nazi Dr. Mengele. But the awesome pictures of carnage we are seeing from various news sources, as well as statements from the UN and Red Cross now only corroborate what he is saying.
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This video was removed from CNN's websites when it was called as the bluff it was. Terrific guy that Gilbert, huh?
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/32393_A_Staged_Scene_in_a_Gaza_Hospital
http://blog.camera.org/archives/2009/01/cnn_airs_staged_footage_a_la_a.html
Yeah, right, actors playing dead people and dwarves playing dead children, fake blood, fake bodies, fake doctors, fake nurses, fake hospitals. Actually this is a movie set in Tehran, right? Why doesn't Israel push that line I wonder? Or maybe this one: No one has been hurt by the IDF except evil terrorists because the IDF only uses silver bullets that only zoom in on werewolves, whoops, we mean Hamas.
No reason is given for why CNN removed the video, but I can give you one as good as any other. Pressure from frantic apologists for Israel trying to cover up the IDF's massive atrocities. Read this that I posted at another website on Weds:
Here is an excerpt from today's (01/07/09) Wayne Madsen Report (http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/ )
January 7, 2009 -- Israeli Foreign Ministry coordinating propaganda-media campaign
Israel's Foreign Ministry is coordinating a worldwide campaign to flood blogs and media web sites with propaganda in support of Israel's Cast Lead military operations against Gaza. The Foreign Ministry has sent out a three page "talking points" memo to be used by Israeli sympathizers in their comments posted to blogs and major media web pages. The Israeli campaign encourages its supporters to vote in on-line polls and respond to postings that are opposed to Israel's actions and supportive of Palestinian Gazans.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL)'s program to censor anti-Israeli or pro-Palestinian videos on Youtube also appears to be in full swing. In conjunction with the ADL efforts, the Israeli Foreign Ministry is suggesting pro-Israeli Youtube videos to be posted to blogs.
Journalists who attempt to present fair coverage of the Israeli attacks on Gaza are being barraged with e-mails from Israel supporters accusing them of "buying into" Hamas propaganda and "supporting terrorism." The accusations are backfiring against Israel with many journalists comparing notes and realizing the e-mails are part of a coordinated Israeli propaganda and intimidation effort.
The Israeli propaganda campaign, while chilling independent and critical reporting in the corporate media, is having little effect among the progressive community.
Face it. HAMAS stages video with face casualties. This guy was caught in one. He is called a sympathizer because he is one and proud of it. HE doesn't think that HAMAS is a terrorist organization. Yes there are casualties. But there are also fakes. If HAMAS lays down its arms forever, there would be no more fighting. Simple as that. And the Palestinians would finally live in peace
First, are we even looking at the same video, which in case other readers are confused, is not the one above these comments, but another. The one being harangued about shows nothing that can prove it is a fake. What, do you think the guy laying there is going to get up and walk away after the shoot? Do you think the doctor's aid is being a little melodramtic? Doing a few extra compressions for the camera? This is BS criticism.
You have no understanding of the history of the struggle between Palestinians and Israel. If Hamas were to lay down their arms forever, Israel would very possibly kill them, imprison them, torture them and complete its plans to ethnically cleanse Gaza, the pattern for achieving "Greater Israel" for 60 years now. Hamas has zero trust of Israel for very good reasons. The International community is going to have to take over supervision of Gaza. Israel cannot be trusted to do the right thing.
This is also a semantics game. You know the old adage. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. If Hamas is a terrorist organization, then so is the IDF, because they both target civilians, both of whom I condemn for that. But to call Hamas a terrorist organization when it is really a political party with a militia wing, while it is also a service organization and the government of Gaza, is simply to play the demonization game and use semantics to justice the very carnage we see going on. This is why I dislike using the term terrorist at all because it is used to one-dimensionalize everything. "Terrorist" today is a toxic smear word flung about so wildly that it is worse than useless, but also extremely dangerous. It is used like Commie was in the 1950s thru 1980s to tar anyone the government wanted to ostracize, or, worst still, have murdered. In El Salvador, all the government had to do was call a priest, a bishop, a union organizer or anyone a "Communist" and he would very possibly be a dead man the next day.
I was writing of the habit of Hamas and Hezbollah staging videos, in general. There is one video, that made it onto CNN, that has been roundly criticized by many medical people for having been faked.
If Israel wanted to "cleanse Gaza", then why did it give Gaza back to the Palestinians? Do you truly believe that the Israelis would attack a peaceful Gaza? Hamas is a para-military organization that PRIMARILY targets civilians. That makes it a terrorist organization. With a political wing. And since it is a government now, you are correct. They can either be terrorists or a government's military. In which case we have one sovereign power attacking another. Except the HAMAS side STILL targets civilians and hides behind their own. They still do not organize as a military nor act in any internationally accepted manner as a military. While a military will kill civilians during an operation, a proper military force is targeting the enemy. And if that enemy is hiding among civilians, especially civilians that have avowed destruction of your country, that military, ie, Israel, will be more callous towards "collateral" damages. Howerver, can you deny that if Israel did want to just kill Gazans, sending troops into the Strip is the wrong way to do it. This mission could be completed by air and artillery with the COMPLETE destruction of Gaza. Israel warns civilians of impending strikes, thereby losing the element of surprise. They did this in Lebanon and Gaza.
I have a good understanding of the relationship between Palestinians and Israel. We just do not agree upon the interpretation of that history.
Terrorist is a bad word. It IS too subject to interpretation. So, one must look at the apparent intent of the attacker. If the Geneva Conventions are to be used, Hamas is using criminal tactics. Every single tactic.
Targeting civilians.
Hiding among civilians.
Using human shields.
Hiding or placing firing platforms within schools.
Acting as saboteurs/irregular troops.
If they want to be treated as a legitimate government, then, they need to act as one. Stop spending money on weaponry and start rebuilding Gaza. Though I doubt Iran would pay for that as easily as a load of rockets.
Yoo Hoo Cargosquid--
For a minute there I thought you were talking about Israel when you wrote---"If they want to be treated as a legitimate government, then, they need to act as one. Stop spending money on weaponry and start rebuilding Gaza..."
I wish you would apply the same "skeptical" standard you apply to reports from Gaza to the reports from the Israeli side of this conflict.
The double standard is striking.
Please don't forget to look at the context of the situation. You might want to start with the Israeli lobby in this country is very powerful and effective at controlling the news in the USA...many reporters do not want to tangle with AIPAC (the same statement applies to "many:" of our elected officials)....The BILLIONS of dollars that the USA provides to Israel is spent on weapons and LOBBYING our government.
There is no comparable Palestinian lobby operating to level the media playing field in this country, Just as there is no comparable Palestinian military response to defend it's citizens from daily attacks for many years during the Israeli occupation.....the occupation that has violated the Geneva conventions on a daily basis even during periods of "calm."
There is a huge power differential in this equation that some folks refuse to see.
But many Americans, Israelis, and people form around the world are outraged with Israel's state sponsored terrorism.
Let no one forget that Israel is the powerful occupying force in this conflict and, under the humane standards of the Geneva Convention Israel is RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CIVILIANS IN GAZA....THE SAME CIVILIANS THAT ISRAEL IS KILLING.
The excuse that Hamas is using civilians as human shields does not justify killing the civilians. If a gang of criminals entered your neighborhood do you want the government responsible for your safety to relocate your family BEFORE they invaded your neighborhood to rid it of it's criminal element?
It is CRIMINAL that Israel will NOT allow the civilians in Gaza to flee their bombs....and these bombs aren't your average bombs. Israeli is using bombs such as cluster bombs and white phosphorus that should NEVER be used in civilian areas.
For the life of me....I have difficulty understanding how anyone from either side justifies a state sponsored slaughter of civilians, especially when the civilians are trapped and cannot flee.
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