NYTimes: Israel Lets Reporters See Devastated Gaza Site and Image of a Confident Military

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"To the west, the Mediterranean sparkled and winked. To the east, columns of black smoke rose and gunfire pounded. In between, Israeli Merkava tanks plowed through potato and strawberry fields on Thursday as paratroopers guarded their ground, a mix of ruins that once were handsome two-story houses and farm fields that had been turned into rocket-launching pads against Israel by Hamas.

On a day of unusually harsh Israeli attacks inside the center of Gaza City to the south, this neighborhood of Atatra, in northwest Gaza, was a scene of devastation on Thursday, filled with impromptu tank-track roads, rusting greenhouses and blown-up houses that had been booby-trapped with mannequins, explosive devices and tunnels.

The area was a major site for Hamas launchers over the past eight years. But for the past 10 days, it has been a ghost town inhabited only by Israeli soldiers, many of them from a paratroopers’ unit, the 101, founded in 1953 by Ariel Sharon, the former prime minister, as the first elite Israeli unit aimed at striking Palestinian guerrillas infiltrating from Gaza.

The fact that more than half a century later Israel remains at war with the children and grandchildren of those guerrillas has served as a kind of overpowering historical backdrop to the 20-day-old military confrontation that Israel says is aimed at ending Hamas rocket fire onto Israeli towns. No one believes this will be the last war.

Israelis face harsh censure abroad for their tactics, but a visit by 10 foreign reporters to this position arranged by the Israeli military showed an army that feels serenely confident that it is doing the right thing. The army, which has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza on their own, has begun taking small groups to outer positions for briefings with commanders in the field.

“It is a very righteous war and has the full support of public opinion,” said Brig. Gen. Avi Ronzki, the military’s chief rabbi, a West Bank settler who spends most of his time these days on the battlefield encouraging the troops and who happened to be at a military campground in Israel earlier on Thursday. “Our army is showing the way to stop terrorists. And in order to win against terror we need to use a lot of force like the Americans are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

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[Chulanowa]

1. "Like the Americans are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan"

God help the Israelis if they're taking pointers from that shit...

[peacetalksforall]

2. Interesting. That is exactly what I've been thinking all during these three

weeks - that it's Israel's last attempt to parallel the horror of the U.S.

Israel and U.S. leaders have succeeded in showing the world their might which is really their vile evil.

“Our army is showing the way to stop terrorists. And in order to win against terror we need to use a lot of force like the Americans are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

[bushmeister0]

14. yeah, that's working out great

the whole army showing the way to stop terrorists etc.

"The fact that more than half a century later Israel remains at war with the children and grandchildren of those guerrillas," kind tends to prove the army isn't doing the right thing, doesn't it?

In a few more years our children will be fighting the children of the Afghans and Iraqis our troops are fighting now, I guess, too.

Good thing W. doesn't care about what history will say about him.

[DogPoundPup]

3. Take a walk through Gaza

http://youngfoxredux.blogspot.com/2009/01/take-walk-through-gaza.html

[BunkerHill24]

7. Everyone should click on that link and see it for themselves

it's just heartbreaking to see what a vicious State-terrorism can do to innocent people.

[EFerrari]

4. So, is this where Friedman got the idea that the slaughter in Gaza

is an "education" for Hamas?

“I know that in the end Hamas will say they won,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what will be the end of this war. We know they know today that they have a problem. Will they put down their weapons forever? For sure, no, but I think they have learned a lesson from this war.”

[Vegasaurus]

5. Well, Hazbollah "learned a lesson"

and it was a harsh one, but they haven't been sending rockets into northern Israel, have they?

If Hamas has half a brain (which is doubtful), they will also learn a lesson.

Try to start fights with an entity bigger and more powerful and you might get pounded.

If Hamas keeps up with the rockets, it will continue to be miserable for the citizens of Gaza.

I hope they get that "education".

[EFerrari]

6. What you are suggesting is a war crime. n/t

[azurnoir]

8. So IDF gave reporters a "guided tour" so to speak n/t

[pelsar]

9. a guided tour...

the idf gave them hats, drinks and some sexy soldiers to explain just what bombs were used where and how the bigger ones were usually the better ones..i believe the reporters received colored maps with the more exciting craters marked for those who had cameras and wanted some really gruesome pictures of body parts and blood as well....

Lunch was served with cold pepsis and a special local desert using the local ingredients (humus, green peppers and strawberries) that were all grinded together (tank treads) for a tasty treat as well.

time is short however so if you want the next tour, sign up now....

[azurnoir]

10. Did they clean the tank treads first?

really sir what else would you call it? I am sure your post was an exaggeration but and hummus, greenpeppers and STRAWBERRIES yuk

See now I've the theme song to Gilligan's Island stuck in my head

[pelsar]

11. Gilligans island...

gees your showing your age.....the theme song...with or without the "professor and mary ann?

[azurnoir]

13. my age ya it shows

I told Shakti the night I am old enough to actually remember the 1967 war and that I was born during the Sinai campaign so that makes me 52.
AS to the Professor and Mary Ann from your description maybe Mary Ann and the "movie star" but the Professor has better things to do.

[EFerrari]

12. This piece was discussed this morning on Amy's show.

Rashid Khalidi, Columbia prof and former neighbor of the Obama's, said the NYTs spent 10 paragraphs trying to justify the killing. So disgusting.

Here's a link to the segment: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/16/bloody_israeli_assault_on_gaza_enters

[azurnoir]

15. Not 10 paragraghs not 100 paragraghs or any number

will justify what has happened in Gaza.