In its military “defensive” against Gaza, Israel’s chief weapon is spin. Like shells that soften the ground before the troops move in, Israel started lobbing little media bombs to soften up international opinion. Like Orwell’s Ministry of Truth, Israel has its National Information Directorate. And like Orwell’s O’Brien who persuades Winston Smith that 2 + 2 does indeed equal 5, Israel has Tzipi Livni who is doing her level best to persuade the world that Israel is justified in crushing the people who live in Gaza.
How well is the Israeli mind fuck doing? U.S. leaders are almost unanimous in blaming Hamas for the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza—with one notable exception (Keith Ellison). President elect, Barack Obama had been criticized for remaining strategically silent, and has limited his comments to an expression of concern for civilian casualties on both sides. Other western leaders have been largely silent as well. Here in Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has declined to comment, leaving it to Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon to do his best impression of a Republican Senator: blame Hamas.
Canadians certainly won’t hear anything balanced from the National Post or Global TV since both are owned by CanWest which is controlled by the rabidly pro-Israel Leonard Asper. See, for example, Jonathan Kay’s passive aggressive rant against CUPE’s president, Sid Ryan, effectively accusing him of anti-Semitism for taking a stand against Israel. Not exactly a model of commitment to meaningful dialogue. (Removed from the National Post but still available here [also removed].)
Al Jazeera presents a surprising article which cites Azmi Bishara, former member of the Israeli parliament, who criticizes the Israeli spin machine which “criminalises the victims and victimises the coloniser.” What? Criticism from an Israeli? I thought that wasn’t allowed, like Republicans accusing Sarah Palin of being an airhead.
But the real test of the Israeli mind fuck’s success comes from the average guy who cracks open a Budd while watching American’s Next Top Model. I would hazard to guess that if he has an opinion at all, it’s overwhelmingly pro-Israel. If he’s moved by photos of dying Palestinian children, he’ll say something like: “But the issues are so confusing. Besides … this is Israel we’re talking about. Dead children? Blame Hamas.”
However, this is not 1984 and there is no Ministry of Truth. Yes, the issues are confusing, but adequate information is available. If we take the time, we can immunize ourselves against the many Israeli mind fucks, some of which I list here:
1) We are waging a war on terror.
Well, yes, I’m willing to concede that there’s terror at work here. But who’s the perpetrator? Robert Fisk offers a comparative account of casualties in the region. Twenty Israelis killed in the last ten years. Six hundred Palestinians killed in the last ten days. He also lists other killings, running to the thousands, which Israel has perpetrated along its borders. What is absent is any measure of proportionality.
There is a further problem of semantics. “Terror” is defined by international treaties which prescribe the circumstances in which armed conflict can occur and weapons which can be used in such conflict. “Terror” is a matter of definition determined by the wealthiest countries and imposed on everybody else. But what if you live in the most densely populated place in the world—1.5 million people crammed together in 360 sq. km (Toronto is 630 sq. km)? What if, in the month of November, you had to scramble for your share of food from the 137 trucks allowed to pass an Israeli-enforced blockade? What if the place you live isn’t even recognized within the same treaties that define what conduct does and doesn’t count as terrorism? Is denial of food terrorism? Is denial of a nationality terrorism?
2) We have no choice.
Yes, Hamas is wrong to fire rockets into the southern region of Israel. Yes, it creates anxiety. Yes, its conduct is a violation of Israel’s national security. Yes, Israel has a right to defend itself. But this is defense? This is a page from the George W. Bush playbook. We call it the Bush doctrine and we ridicule it accordingly.
3) Either you’re for us or you’re against us.
Israeli rhetoric is eerily familiar. I know I’m not for Israel, but I’m not against it either. This dialogue-stopping tactic really deserves a quick slap to the knuckles. It denies the possibility of diplomacy. It denies the possibility of complexity. Ironically, it also denies the possibility of an historical account of the dispute—ironic because it is the Jewish people who are arguably the source of western historicism. When you couple this with the anti-Semitism card, as Jonathan Kay did (above), people have no idea how to respond. We’re so concerned with political correctness that we’re afraid even to discuss the possibility that allegations of anti-Semitism are simply a form of passive-aggressive abuse.
4) Hamas is a band of fanatical Islamic fundamentalists.
Israel’s land claims are based on 2,600 year old writings that posit the existence of an invisible being who spoke to a goat-herder from a burning bush that never really burned. Israeli citizens are willing to kill and to die in defense of their claims. Who are the fanatical fundamentalists again?
5) This is a war against Hamas.
Potentially, the biggest mind fuck of all: this “conflict” is just smoke and mirrors. Consider the chilling possibility that this is just batting practice for an invasion of Iran.
We need to speak out. I like Keith Ellison’s approach. Don’t be for one side or the other. Be for peace. There are children dying. Be for them.