Part 5 Norman Finkelstein on Gaza - White Phosphorus

Early speculation on the motive behind Israels slaughter in Gaza that began on 27 December 2008 and continued till 18 January 2009 centered on the upcoming elections in Israel. The jockeying for votes was no doubt a factor in this Sparta-like society consumed by revenge and the thirst for blood, where killing Arabs is a sure crowd-pleaser. (Polls during the war showed that 80-90 percent of Israeli Jews supported it.) But as Israeli journalist Gideon Levy pointed out on Democracy Now!, Israel went through a very similar wartwo-and-a-half years ago [in Lebanon], when there were no elections. When crucial state interests are at stake, Israeli ruling elites seldom launch major operations for narrowly electoral gains. It is true that Prime Minister Menachem Begins decision to bomb the Iraqi OSIRAK reactor in 1981 was an electoral ploy, but the strategic stakes in the strike on Iraq were puny; contrary to widespread belief, Saddam Hussein had not embarked on a nuclear weapons program prior to the bombing. The fundamental motives behind the latest Israeli attack on Gaza lie elsewhere: (1) in the need to restore Israels deterrence capacity, and (2) in the threat posed by a new Palestinian peace offensive.

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[ismaelOnTheGround]

@moishe1983 I will denounce for you the Islamic terror, there are extremists muslims that say it’s ok to terrorise, but on the other hand you have to admit that the Israeli jews are one of the biggest terrorists in the world.

[moishe1983]

@ismaelOnTheGround what he is saying is conjecture, without taking the full scope of the complexities and the actions that led to the escalation and confrontation. There are Jews who are anti Israel, which is fine if there were Arabs that were pro Israel. The fact that there is such a bias without confronting Islamic terror while denouncing self defense, makes him a joke. go look at all the propaganda on the Arab channels and the hate that they breed in their children. yet no one denounces that.

[ismaelOnTheGround]

@moishe1983 What he's saying is true.... why are you attacking Dr Finkelstein personally and not focusing on the content of his arguments. The fact that you did that means you can't argue back.

[moishe1983]

what a self hating jew... why dont you go live in iran and tell me how much you like it there....what a joke am yisroel chai!!!!!!! ISRAEL will live forever!!!!!!