The "Real" Middle Eastern War

[kamuelakea]

Re: The "Real" Middle Eastern War

Reuters "news" service is a propaganda machine. And they wonder why no one believes the old "news" sources anymore. Dan Rather, Reuters, all propagandists.

Reuters news agency admitted on Sunday that it had digitally altered a photograph of an Israeli attack on Lebanon on Saturday, showing more smoke than was actually present.

The scene was photographed by Adnan Hajj, who had also photographed the aftermath of the Israeli attack on Kana last week, in which the Lebanese initially claimed 58 fatalities, but could later only confirm 28.

[Miulang]

Ethical dilemmas for Israel

Very interesting article in the Jerusalem Post:

Israeli ingenuity and innovation have not yet proved decisive this time. Yet to date - at immense ongoing cost to its civilians' welfare, and to its deterrent image both in the region and in the eyes of allies and enemies further afield - Israel has not chosen different answers to its ethical dilemmas.
Facing evermore ingenious, cynical and merciless enemies, the stark choice grows evermore inescapable - kill or be killed.
Our own sense of why the Jews must have a nation of their own is born in part of our appreciation of the Jewish values that underpin it. Our Jewish values are what sustained our nation in exile over the centuries.
But in this hostile Middle East, in this ruthless and hypocritical era, Israel increasingly faces the question of whether it can cling to those values and still survive - or perhaps more accurately, whether it needs to reinterpret what those Jewish standards require it to do in order to survive.
...Presumably, continued Katyusha fire inflicting continued casualties at the current level might be deemed to justify greater fire power, but not much greater. A dire, Hizbullah-prompted escalation - such as, say, a missile attack on Tel Aviv - would likely presage a weightier Israeli response. But again, a calibration of kinds would apply, with the use of force calculated against a measure of the damage sustained.
...But the main limitation on Israel's use of heavier force, nonetheless, remains our own nation's sense of right and wrong. Israel's leadership and its mainstream public don't want to get large numbers of reservists killed in the effort to eviscerate Hizbullah. And they also don't want to kill large numbers of Lebanese. And so Israel still hesitates.

Basically, if the US backs off from completely supporting Israel, this reporter says the country will be in a world of hurt, even as it is being condemned for disproportionate use of force against Hezbollah by the rest of the world. Most Israelis and the Knesset don't want more innocent lives lost, but the IDF wants to proceed full speed ahead with its military strategy.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Lebanese blogger site

If you want to hear the sentiments of the people caught in the middle between the IDF and Hezbollah, go to this website. It contains opinions from all spectrums of the political environment. And here is an article published in Slate by an American woman who deliberately chose to stay in Lebanon during the current conflict.

Miulang

[MadAzza]

Re: The "Real" Middle Eastern War

Reuters "news" service is a propaganda machine. And they wonder why no one believes the old "news" sources anymore. Dan Rather, Reuters, all propagandists.

The jackass who doctored the photo was NOT a Reuters photog. He doctored it BEFORE he submitted it, from the article I read (non-Reuters article).

Apparently, the photo was not altered by Reuters.

Too bad one scumbag so easily fooled so many. One non-journalist brings down journalism by proxy. That's messed up.

[Levia]

Re: The "Real" Middle Eastern War

The jackass who doctored the photo was NOT a Reuters photog. He doctored it BEFORE he submitted it, from the article I read (non-Reuters article). Apparently, the photo was not altered by Reuters. Too bad one scumbag so easily fooled so many. One non-journalist brings down journalism by proxy. That's messed up.

What's messed up is, how on earth did Reuters overlook this?! I mean... Look at it!

[kamuelakea]

Re: The "Real" Middle Eastern War

The jackass who doctored the photo was NOT a Reuters photog. He doctored it BEFORE he submitted it, from the article I read (non-Reuters article). Apparently, the photo was not altered by Reuters.

Do you think Reuters has "EDITORS"? Who hires these guys, who reviews their work prior to publication. Isn't that the old dying press's arguement against blogs? That they have zero oversight? You can try to defend them but this is not 1 single incident. The medias "lazyness" has been apparent on numerous occations and usually emerges with liberal interpretations of world events. The "press" has soiled itself endlessly and is a dying endeavor.

If they don't review photos so obviously doctored, do they also not review stories that are obviously biased? You betchya.

[MadAzza]

Re: The "Real" Middle Eastern War

What's messed up is, how on earth did Reuters overlook this?! I mean... Look at it!

ROTFL! Thanks for that!

Yeah, I guess someone shoulda caught it.

[MadAzza]

Re: The "Real" Middle Eastern War

You can try to defend them but this is not 1 single incident.

You had written, "Reuters news agency admitted on Sunday that it had digitally altered a photograph of an Israeli attack on Lebanon on Saturday."

Reuters didn't digitally alter the photograph. That is my only point.

However, the Photoshop job apparently was pretty clunky and someone at Reuters should have noticed before publication.

[Miulang]

Shakeup in IDF command

Apparently as a means of correcting the slow progress of IDF ground forces over the last month, Lt. Gen. Halutz has appointed Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky to oversee the entire Northern Command, basically becoming Maj. Gen. Udi Adam's boss.

Ha'aretz provided an interesting analysis of this move, which strikes some as a little odd and possibly demoralizing to both the IDF forces and the Israeli public. Kaplinsky has had previous battle experience, while Adam apparently has not. So does this mean that the IDF is getting ready to expand its occupation of Lebanon? A Defense Cabinet meeting tomorrow will probably make that decision.

At a certain point, the GOC Northern Command raised the possibility of leaving his post, but that was ultimately resolved. It looks like if there is a command problem in the North, it is not merely localized, but rather at another senior layer. Clearly, the change in the command leadership is not good for Adam personally, but it also sends a negative signal to the IDF and the public at large. Some have noticed that in the past few days, chief of staff Dan Halutz has not made his usual appearances in interviews and briefings.

And this is the Jerusalem Post's reporting on the same story:

Some senior officers in the Northern Command were reportedly more disturbed. They stated that the nomination was a real hit to Adam's authority. Channel 2 quoted unnamed sources as saying that Adam considered resigning because of the move.
...The reason behind the decision was not immediately clear. It may be related to the planned cabinet meeting on Wednesday and the possible approval of a massive expansion of the ground operation up to the Litani River or even further north.
...In the past it was reported that Halutz and Adam were not on best terms - a claim flatly denied by IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Miri Regev.

And a story also in the Jerusalem Post defending Gen. Adam and placing more of the blame on any miscues in the ground war on Lt. Gen. Halutz and his planning staff.

The drastic decision to chop away at Adam's authority with the appointment of Kaplinsky - and the attendant publicity and impression of failure, at home and beyond - suggests that Halutz felt he had no alternative. The Halutz-Adam relationship must have become acutely problematic. Otherwise, try explaining to the tens of thousands of troops, right now awaiting orders to enter Lebanon at profound risk their lives, why their commander has now been allocated a babysitter.

Meanwhile, Israeli gunboats sent 2 missiles into the middle of the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, killing at least 2 civilians and injuring more.

Miulang

[Miulang]

US sailor caught spying for Israel?

Interesting that this story has not hit the US press yet, but it is being reported in the Jerusalem Post that a US Navy seaman went AWOL and visited Israel during that period. He is now in a military base in Virginia awaiting the outcome of an Article 32 hearing.

According to the navy, Weinmann was apprehended on March 26 "after it was learned that he had been listed as a deserter by his command." Though initial information released by the navy makes no mention of it, Al-Watan reported that he was returning from an undisclosed "foreign country." American sources close to the Defense Department told Al-Watan that Israel was the country in question.
..."The US Navy concluded Article 32 proceedings [a pretrial investigation] in the case of Fire Control Technician Third Class Ariel J. Weinmann on July 26, 2006," Ted Brown, a media relations officer at the US Fleet Forces Command, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. The US Fleet Forces Command is the "convening authority of the case... and will make the decision with respect to what charges, if any, will be referred to a general court-martial."
...The veracity of Al-Watan's claim that Weinmann is suspected of spying for Israel remains in question, and military and Pentagon spokesmen are remaining tightlipped. A public affairs officer at the Office of Naval Intelligence told the Post that he was unaware of the allegations against Weinmann.

Al-Watan is a Saudi newspaper, so its views and reporting might be pro-Arab, but it's interesting that the US Navy refuses to comment on the case while the Israeli press had no problems with it. The only other accused US spy for Israel in recent years was Jonathan Pollard, and he's in jail serving a life sentence.

Miulang

[Levia]

Re: Shakeup in IDF command

Apparently as a means of correcting the slow progress of IDF ground forces over the last month, Lt. Gen. Halutz has appointed Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky to oversee the entire Northern Command, basically becoming Maj. Gen. Udi Adam's boss.

And it’s about time!

What's really puzzling is how Israel can pound away at Hezbollah hideouts and strongholds - I mean, we watch it on tv, read it in the news day after day - but after all this pummeling, Hezbollah is still... strong? Either Hezbollah is made up of Lebanese civilians or thousands of terrorists are hiding out in those deep underground bunkers, or both.

Meanwhile, Israeli gunboats sent 2 missiles into the middle of the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, killing at least 2 civilians and injuring more.

Civilians, Miulang? More like two Islamic Jihadists… Osama Attili and Mohammed Atik were leaders of Islamic Jihad's military wing. aaahhh... makes sense now...

You really must be dizzy from spinning so much.

[Levia]

Re: US sailor caught spying for Israel?

I remember Sgt. Mark Fidel Kools - aka Hasan Akbar - Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait. He was the Islamic-American soldier who whipped grenades into three tents that housed command officers. The officers were asleep at the time, Akbar, was on guard duty. Akbar murdered 2 officers (1 died of his wounds later) and injured 13 others, 5 seriously.
Akbar was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders.

See, the difference between an "alleged" spy and the Islamic-American soldier is, one might be a spy according to the Katari pro-Islam, anti-Israel/anti-America propaganda paper, and the Islamic-American soldier, Hasan Akbar, is a murderer.

The only other accused US spy for Israel in recent years was Jonathan Pollard, and he's in jail serving a life sentence.

You actually brought up Pollard. Welp, you answered my question - you are new to spreading propaganda.
Pollard discovered that the Arab countries surrounding Israel had developed chemical, biological and nuclear capabilities to use against Israel. He got a life sentence, the only time in American history that a person got life for NOT committing treason, or endangering the lives of Americans. Talk about disproportionate force.

In-recent-years... Hmmm... this I have to look up, Miulang, because I cannot recall any other American "spy" for Israel. But I do recall others.

Michael Shwartz (nope - not a Jew - good try though) spied for Saudi Arabia, never went to jail. American Soldier, Albert Sombalay, spied for Iraq DURING the Gulf War, 19 years. Akhmed al-Halabi, relayed secret messages from al-Qaida to detainees at Guantanamo Bay, no formal charges by the US.

Spies for other countries, get far less time, for far greater crimes than Pollard's one offense.

[Levia]

Reuters Commits Four Types of Fraud

Charles Johnson, owner of the Little Green Footballs blog, was threatened by the disgruntled photobug, Adnan Hajj, following the embarrassing incident, saying in an e-mail "I look forward to day when you pigs get your throats cut."

"LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Reuters withdrew all 920 photographs by a freelance Lebanese photographer from its database on Monday after an urgent review of his work showed he had altered two images from the conflict between Israel and the armed group Hizbollah."

Reuters "news" service is a propaganda machine. And they wonder why no one believes the old "news" sources anymore. Dan Rather, Reuters, all propagandists.

Reuters Commits Four Types of Fraud
It's really so pathetic and frustrating.

[Miulang]

Re: The "Real" Middle Eastern War

Finally some sense coming out of Israel, but from a very unlikely source:
The Zionist Meretz party and others calling themselves the "Zionist peace camp" have now stated that an increased ground war in Lebanon will only make it harder to restore peace and would end up killing more Israeli soldiers.

The Meretz Party and other groups calling themselves "the Zionist peace camp" will hold an anti-war protest for the first time on Thursday, following more than 100 anti-war demonstrations around the country that Meretz and the other groups boycotted because they deemed them too left-wing.
..."This event is important because it's from the consensus of the Left and not radical groups," event organizer Roy Yellin said. "This is the opening shot. We hope to continue until the IDF leaves Lebanon and there will be a cease-fire."
...Protesters will call upon the government to accept Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Seniora's proposal to have the Lebanese army replace the IDF in southern Lebanon. Prior to Wednesday's security cabinet meeting, Gal-On said she hoped the ministers would "be brave and end the war."

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: The "Real" Middle Eastern War

Did the current conflict in Lebanon really begin with the kidnapping of 2 Israeli soldiers? According to George Monbiot in the Guardian, the answer is no. Both Hezbollah and Israel had been engaging in provocative actions with each other for the past 6 years, ever since Israel withdrew from Lebanon. Israel had a plan in place, it just needed a reason to execute it, and the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers provided that reason.

Since Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, there have been hundreds of violations of the "blue line" between the two countries. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) reports that Israeli aircraft crossed the line "on an almost daily basis" between 2001 and 2003, and "persistently" until 2006. These incursions "caused great concern to the civilian population, particularly low-altitude flights that break the sound barrier over populated areas". On some occasions, Hizbullah tried to shoot them down with anti-aircraft guns.
...But there is no serious debate about why the two soldiers were captured: Hizbullah was seeking to exchange them for the 15 prisoners of war taken by the Israelis during the occupation of Lebanon and (in breach of article 118 of the third Geneva convention) never released. It seems clear that if Israel had handed over the prisoners, it would - without the spillage of any more blood - have retrieved its men and reduced the likelihood of further kidnappings. But the Israeli government refused to negotiate. Instead - well, we all know what happened instead. Almost 1,000 Lebanese and 33 Israeli civilians have been killed so far, and a million Lebanese displaced from their homes.

Miulang