IDF targets Hamas weapons manufacturing site in Gaza. THIS is why media SILENCE re: Bergman's revelations that @IDF officers created & ran #terrorist group in 1980s is SO dangerous: it HIDES fact that "we" would NEVER accept idea that "they" could use force vs "our terrorists"
In Feb 2018, Ronen Bergman published "Rise & Kill First," a book on history of Israel's use of "targeted killings" in its fight vs "the terrorists." It COULD have led to an intelligent, constructive public discussion about morality or legality of use of force vs "the terrorists"
After all, this book contained a STUNNING revelation: in early 1980s, very senior Israeli officials (Sharon, Dagan, Eitan, Ben-Gal) conducted a huge car bombing "terrorist" campaign that killed hundreds of civilians in Lebanon.
In 1980, 2 Israeli journalists investigated story about this covert operation. Military censor killed it. Since 2018, US media AND "terrorism experts" have remained silent about revelations. As a consequence, the MUCH NEEDED discussion about use force vs "T" NEVER took place
And yet very DIFFICULT questions could have been asked:
If Bergman is right, Sharon/Dagan/Eitan engaged in "terrorist" campaign that killed hundreds of civilians. What does this mean in terms of the rights of Lebanon (or PLO) to use FORCE in self-defense vs these "terrorists"?
Bergman describes how, early on, the bombs used by the FLLF (the fictitious group used by Israel) were built by Dagan & Eitan in an Israeli Kibbutz: does it mean that this kibbutz was a "terrorist bomb making facility" that could legitimately be targeted?
Of course such uses of force would NOT have been legitimate, would NOT have been moral and would (of course) clearly have been denounced as such by Israel, the US and the rest of the world community.
And this is precisely the point:
If we know, if we can feel in our bones that such uses of force vs Israeli officials, vs an Israeli Kibbutz, WOULD have been IMMORAL & WRONG (even though these officials undeniably DID engage in "terrorism") then how can WE claim right to use force vs those WE call "terrorists"?
If we know, if we can feel in our bones that such uses of force v an Israeli Kibbutz WOULD have been IMMORAL & WRONG (even though terrorist bombs WERE manufactured there) then how can ISR claim right to bomb Hamas weapons factory in middle of Gaza???
If we KNOW, instinctively, that we would CONDEMN a Lebanese official who said "we did kill a few civilians in this Kibbutz, but Israel is to blame: they made their bombs there & used these civilians as shields" then why is that same logic acceptable when "we" use force vs "them"?
The revelations in Bergman's book are crucial because car bombs in marketplaces, in front of restaurants or theaters are clearly, undeniably acts of "terrorism" & because US media's absolute refusal to cover them is most recent proof that discourse on "terrorism" is pure ideology
The "war on terrorism" has been an abject failure. It is high time we develop a RADICAL critique of the discourse that has enabled & justified so many criminal, and counter-productive, policies. So that one day, let us hope, the cycle of violence may stop.
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Note: Israel sold weapons to the Serbian army DURING the Bosnian genocide & its Supreme Court rejected a petition that would have shed light on these weapons sales.
ICJ has dealt w/ 3 Genocide cases before Sth Af v ISR: Bosnia, Myanmar, Russia v Ukraine. In Myanmar, Israel sold weapons to perpetrators too!
See this piece by Eitay Mack, Israeli activist who's been fighting for transparency on ISR arms sales for years:
Israel has always had very close ties with Guatemala. Here is a GREAT primer on these relationships & esp on Israel's role in coup that put Rios Montt in power & its role (via weapons sales, training, surveillance technology etc...) in Montt's genocide
In 2018 book revealed senior Israeli officers conducted secret car bombing TERRORIST campaign in LEBANON in 80s
HUNDREDS of civs were killed
US media remained SILENT about revelations & great opportunity for a serious discussion about use of force v "the terrorists" was missed
🧵
The book, by @ronenbergman, is "Rise & Kill First," a history of Israel's uses of "targeted killings" in its fight v "the terrorists." It is a bestseller, got rave reviews everywhere in US press. Bergman gave dozens of public talks & interviews about it. He writes for @nytimes
@ronenbergman @nytimes The book contains STUNNING revelations: in early 1980s very senior Israeli officials (Dagan, Eitan, Ben-Gal & Sharon) conducted huge car bombing #terrorist campaign that killed hundreds of civilians in Lebanon. Since 2018 these revelations have NOT been mentioned ONCE in US media
These videos are SO problematic:
Short snippets out of context & neatly packaged to generate buzz make it EVER HARDER to have the serious, reasoned discussions about terrorism that we NEED:
About terrorism/resistance
Terrorists/freedom fighters
Non-state & state terrorism
Etc
🧵
Yashar Ali’s video is 1 min 12 secs long & includes 9 clips. This video has been retweeted 1000s of times, the people on this video vilified as Hamas supporters, as representing the “pro-Hamas, pro-murder wing of the left,” as morally depraved etc. But this goes beyond Twitter
Several newspapers published articles with headlines like “Speakers at US city council meeting say condemning Hamas is ‘racist’” or “Outrage as Speakers Defend Hamas During Oakland City Council Meeting.” The ONLY quotes used in these articles are taken from the Yashar Ali video
The Israeli discourse on terrorism is PURE PROPAGANDA:
Here is Lebanon
No Hamas, no terror tunnels, no human shields etc... but the same indiscriminate bombing, same massive killing of civilians, ALL in the name of fighting the evil barbaric terrorists
1: This counts because Israeli perpetrators are admitting they did it. Until now only Palestinian victims & witnesses made such claims & of course that doesn’t count
2: Sometimes EVEN when Israeli perps admit guilt that’s NOT enough & Israeli crimes remain buried & covered up
In early 1980s Palestinians & Lebanese people repeatedly insisted that deadly car bombing claimed by mysterious terrorist group called the FLLF were in fact perpetrated by Israel. These claims were treated as conspiracy theory. Israel insisted this was “Arab on Arab violence”
This deadly terrorist campaign (several hundred civilians were killed, countless more maimed) was forgotten (in the West at least) until @ronenbergman published his book Rise & Kill First in 2018. That book got rave reviews everywhere. And it contained STUNNING revelations:
Your reminder that THIS is why the US so strongly opposes the ICC
And that the so-called "war on terrorism" is an absolute sham: "we" are clearly more than ready to bomb civilian targets, including when doing so could kill TENS OF THOUSANDS, & we will LIE about it after the fact
The idea of targeting dams is not new. Here are particularly insane & psychopathic exchanges between Kissinger & Nixon (from April & May 1972) about using precisely such tactics in Vietnam. But remember, "we" are never terrorists. Only "they" can be.
As in many other cases investigated by that team of NYT journos, Task Force 9 simply claimed this strike was "in self defense" to circumvent rules of engagement. It's perfect illustration of everything's that's so wrong w/ GWOT: EVERYTHING we do is justified as "in self defense"