The Judge RANTS!
Date: 11/01/09
Those All-Important Numbers
Chutzpah is a Hebrew word.
The formal definition is that of "cheek, nerve, brass-neckery". The informal illustration is that of the boy who kills both his parents and then asks the court for mercy because he's an orphan.
I thought of this again when reading the whole bewhoopah going on around the 'Israel Solidarity Rally' which took place in London this morning.
The 'rally' was called by The Board Of Deputies Of British Jews, an organisation which claims to represent the views of the Jews of the UK, but from which many of those 'represented' wish to distance themselves because they feel the body to be totally unrepresentative of anything other than a self-perpetuating clique of religious conservatives and hard-line Israel-Firsters.
The Board's Chief Executive (and why is it that even supposedly non-commerical organisations now have to have a 'Chief Executive'?) described the demo as "a call for peace". Which, presumably, is why the flyer for the event is headed (in large, friendly, blue letters), "END HAMAS TERROR!"
No, not a word about what the invading forces have been doing (especially during the last three weeks). Only 'the other side' are practising terror. 'Our' side (in which the Board no doubt includes the whole of Western civilisation) never commits acts of terror (all such actions are put down to 'mistakes' or 'technical failures' or 'they were asking for it anyway, being Arabs - or Brazilian electricians').
The organisers of this latest attempt to wave the Mogen David and pretend it to be a symbol of peace stated that:
"the number of Israeli deaths should not be considered disproportionate to the number of Palestinian deaths because Israelis were lucky enough to escape their houses before they were hit by Palestinian rockets."
(my emphasis)
So unlike the 'unlucky' people of Gaza, who were warned in leaflets dropped by the Israeli Air Force that if they didn't leave their homes they (the homes) would be bombed to bits with them (the people) still in them; told of a 'safe place' where they could assemble; went to that 'safe place'; which was then bombed by the Israelis, resulting in massive casualties.
As for 'not disproportionate'? Well, any killings are to be condemned, but examine the facts: in the three years since the Zionists 'withdrew' from Gaza (whilst maintaining an illegal blockade and other measures design to destroy civil society in the Strip), some eleven Israelis were killed by rockets fired from Gaza. In the same period, the Israeli military killed over 1200 Gazan Palestinians (over 200 of them children). That does not include the 800-plus (at least a third of them children) slaughtered by Israel in the last two and half weeks alone.
There are signs that even some die-hard Zionists are having qualms about what their Righteous State is doing - but not too much. A number of them have put their names to a letter published in today's Observer in which they ('they' being - amongst others - a former Chief Rabbi and 'Sir' Siggy Sternberg; in other words, the usual suspects) claim to:
"...look upon the increasing loss of life on both sides of the Gaza conflict with horror..."
(my emphasis again: this may be part of the cynical calculus of Zionism, in which a handful of Israeli deaths can be exactly equated with the deaths of hundreds of Arabs). However, they then show just how horrified they are by saying:
"We have no doubt that rocket attacks into southern Israel, by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups, are war crimes against Israel."
Which leaves one to wonder what words they would use to describe the deliberate targeting and killing of hundreds of unarmed people by one of the best-equipped and most ruthless military machines on the planet. Hey, Julia! Jeremy! Siggy! can you spell 'atrocity'?
They then go on to say:
"Israel had a right to respond and we support the Israeli government's decision to make stopping the rocket attacks an urgent priority."
Even, presumably, if it means mass murder, which may be why these worthies of British Zion have taken over a fortnight to say anything. There may be in their minds a trigger point, a number of dead Palestinians beyond which they suddenly feel the urge to express their 'concern'.
Having gone on to say that:
"[w]e stand alongside the people of Israel"
(presumably the Palestinians can go chase their Aunt Rachel round the gasworks), they conclude by urging negotiations aimed at:
"An immediate and permanent ceasefire entailing an end to all rocket attacks."
But not, note, an end to the Righteous State's various crimes against the Palestinians. After all, these people:
"...support the Israeli government..."
Chutzpah writ large.
(Oh, and while we're on the subject of numbers, the police estimate that the pro-Zionist demonstrators in London today numbered 4 000 people. Bearing in mind how ridiculously wide of the mark they were in their stated figure for yesterday's pro-Palestine march, this could mean any number between 28 000 and scarcely enough to make a minyan.) 
