Years ago I realized that I was an addict. A junkie. When war breaks, a natural disaster occurs, I glue myself to the television set. I know that the details are sketchy, that new details are scarce, that photos and videos are recycled, that opinions and predictions are anywhere between ridiculous to completely off the wall. But I can’t help it. When it’s close to home, the condition is even worse. Radio, TV, newspaper, internet. Conversations, speculations, opinions. I’m too old to fight in wars, but I’m young enough to try and get as much data as possible about the fighting. In Israel, given that many people serve or served in the military, and that almost everyone knows someone, or of someone who is now serving, this condition is as widespread as it is incurable.
On Saturday, I was watching the newscasts and I could feel that something was going on. They weren’t saying anything, but it was obvious that they were hiding something, and they weren’t hiding it all that well. For me, it spelled trying out the foreign news channels. The good old BBC was the obvious choice. I must mention that CNN is not part of my viewing experience anymore. The reason is simple, CNN, supposedly in the name of “balanced journalism”, represents the other guy. It’s always the other guy. I am both Israeli and American, and I have noticed that CNN supports everything that is neither. From Palestinian through Iraqi, and Afghan, to Pakistani and Cuban. Al Manar, the voice of Hizbullah, and CNN, are very close in delivering the anti-Israeli message. CNN is obviously more successful and its audience is much larger…
By the way, the strangest thing is, that Al Jazeera, an Arab TV station, that openly supports the Muslim world is way more balanced than CNN.
In any case, as I was watching the column of men and machines marching into Gaza, I felt a huge wave of solidarity tingling my spine. Touching every nerve in my body. Indeed, wars always have two sides. Our side and their side. Obviously, one identifies with his or her own side, never forgetting that the other side exists, and that the other side suffers too. Sometimes the cause is in question. But sometimes it isn’t. This time, in my mind at least, it isn’t. Protecting civilian population from a barrage of rockets is a justified cause. Listen carefully: if this isn’t a justified cause, we, the Free World, should pack and move right away.
One word came to mind. Hypocrisy. Many, maybe most, agree that terrorism must be fought everywhere. That all means must be used to fight terrorism. Except of course the terrorist that attacks someone else. In other words: my terrorist is a legitimate target, his home, his family, his village and even city is a legitimate military target. But if you apply the same logic to your terrorist, you have a problem with the European Union, with the United Nation, with the Security Council.
Why is that? Because it’s easy. When was the last time Hamas or Hizbullah listened to the Security Council? States are easier to deal with.
But CNN is not the only hypocrite. It’s just the best paid one… Fighting terrorism is a common goal of most human beings. The means may be in question, but the goal, apparently is not. But how, for heavens sake, do you fight terrorism?
To Christiane Amanpour I can offer the following: someone has to fight terrorism. It’s not done with a microphone, a camera, or by comparing the number of casualties. It’s done by sending your best boys to protect their parents’ homes. And by sending a loud and clear message: We Will Not Stand for It. Not now, not ever.
Understand, please. Terrorism is cancer. Fighting it affects civilian populations. Unfortunately there’s no way around it. Unlike a bar fight, where one man says to another “step outside”, in Gaza, as in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Chechnya, terrorists live and operate within the population. Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza are telling what they are seeing inside the city: booby traps, exploding tunnels, bombs everywhere. One would say legitimate activity against occupation. I agree. But let me point out to you that tunnels were dug during the cease-fire. Booby traps were set during the cease fire. Hamas people were working with highly sensitive explosives inside peoples’ homes for a long time now. Food for thought.
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