A wave of knife attacks on Israelis continued on Tuesday, as a Palestinian man, suspected of killing an American tourist and stabbing at least nine others, was shot and killed by police officers near the port of Jaffa.
A Dutch journalist, Olaf Koens, happened to be near the scene of the attack and documented the immediate aftermath.
Plassen bloed langs de boulevard pic.twitter.com/NLoW1u1csw
— Olaf Koens (@obk) March 8, 2016
While most local news reports focused on the fate of the victims — including the 28-year-old American who was killed, Taylor Force, a U.S. Army veteran who was studying business at Vanderbilt University — and the fact that the stabbing spree took place just over a mile away from a visiting Vice President Joe Biden, part of the stabbing rampage, and the efforts by the police to subdue the suspect, were captured on video that circulated widely on social networks.
Tragic attack in Jaffa today, taking the life of an American. There is no justification for such acts of terror.
— Vice President Biden (@VP) March 8, 2016
That video, which was recorded in dim light and downloaded from WhatsApp by journalists, is murky at key moments, but it prompted a heated argument online about whether or not it showed the extrajudicial killing of a suspect who was already wounded and lying on the ground.
The first of two clips of the incident, recorded by someone driving past the attack, shows the suspect, identified as Bashar Masalha, a 22-year-old laborer from the West Bank, running along a boulevard, lashing out at drivers stuck in traffic.
That video ends with the suspect being chased down by officers and what sound like 10 distinct gunshots being fired.
A second clip, either filmed by the same witness moments later or another bystander with a similar phone, begins with the suspected attacker lying on the ground, apparently subdued, as two officers train their guns on him.
In the background, as the Israeli journalist Dimi Reider notes, an enraged spectator can be heard urging one of the officers to shoot the suspect in the head.
@MairavZ @RobertMackey Note the smug (as opposed to, say, panicking) voice behind the camera urging cop to "give him one in the head, bro"
— Dimi Reider (@dimireider) March 8, 2016
Near the end of the clip, a shot rings out and another voice can be heard reproaching the officer for firing at the suspect.
To some viewers, like the Palestinian journalist and blogger Jalal Abukhater, that portion of the video is proof that the suspect was executed.
Video of injured Palestinian (immobile, on the ground) being executed in the head by Israeli police officers – Jaffa https://t.co/NVZdzUyfyA
— Jalal (@JalalAK_jojo) March 8, 2016
Enough with the charade of "justice system" within Israel "proper". In Tel Aviv, extra-judicial execution is normal if you're Palestinian.
— Jalal (@JalalAK_jojo) March 8, 2016
While the man’s head did appear to move slightly in the video before the final gunshot, and then not after it, in the absence of an autopsy, it is hard to say if the suspect died from that shot, or the earlier barrage.
The killing of the American tourist and the suspect, and three other Palestinians who died during separate knife and gun attacks on Tuesday, brings the total number of fatalities from the outbreak of violence in the region since October to more than 200. Of those, 28 have been Israeli victims of attacks, two have been Americans, and 119 have been suspected Palestinian attackers. Dozens more Palestinians have been shot and killed at protests.
As the Jerusalem Post reporter Ben Hartman noted on Twitter, not one Israeli police officer has been charged with the use of excessive force for killing any of those Palestinian suspects.
Yes, since this terror wave started, zero for use of excessive force @usabach @RobertMackey @dimireider @MairavZ
— Ben Hartman (@Benhartman) March 8, 2016
The only recent prosecution of that type was of four men, including a soldier and prison guard, who brutally beat and kicked an Eritrean bystander they mistook for a Palestinian attacker following a shooting attack at a bus station in October. The Eritrean migrant, Habtom Zerhom, was crawling away from the gunman along with other bystanders, when a security guard assumed he was an attacker and shot him. As he lay dying, the man was jeered and beaten by a crowd of Israelis, including a uniformed solider who kicked him and a civilian who dropped a bench on his body.
#????
????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ????????? ??????? ???? ??????.pic.twitter.com/1fecTvzOfs— ???????? (@m7madqubbaj) October 18, 2015
While some Israelis are horrified by such incidents of mob violence, and have raised alarms about a breakdown in the rule of law and a lack of accountability for the police, the country’s government has justified the response by comparing it to a state of war.
After Tuesday’s attacks, Israel’s intelligence minister, Yisrael Katz, told Israeli television, “We are in the midst of a war against ISIS-style Muslim extremist terror.”
“We are in an emergency situation,” he added. “There are murderers here who are motivated by hatred and we cannot allow Jews to continue to get harmed.”
What that might mean for the Palestinian citizens of Israel, or residents of the West Bank who have lived under Israeli military occupation for 49 years, he did not say.
Maybe it was an accidental discharge, we just don’t know. This person had just violently attacked a dozen people, everyone was on edge. Before humans roamed these lands, they were most likely inhabited by animals whom we drove out. Where’s their voice? Bottom line is, it’s not Palestinian land anymore because they were weak when they needed to be strong and they lost it. The logic that murder is justified because of perceived injustices is a two-way street whether you like or not.
Robert Mackey has posted a follow-up piece.
In an article by Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, Obama gave his opinion on terrorism:
“……Discussing his belief that Americans fear terrorism more than they should given the small scope that the threat actually poses inside the US, Obama told Goldberg that he admires Israeli “resilience” in the face of constant terrorism…….”
A fair statement. Only the Intercept is capable of turning acts of terrorism by Palestinians into Israeli crimes. The last statement in the article indicates why:
“……What that might mean for the Palestinian citizens of Israel, or residents of the West Bank who have lived under Israeli military occupation for 49 years, he did not say……”
How could they possibly be terrorists when they are the victims?
Open a history book. Learn about Jamaican slave rebellions and the whites they slaughtered, the “necklacing” practices of the African National Congress, the many atrocities committed by oppressed Irish-Catholics. Gross injustice, especially over a long time, often causes rage-filled, desperate people to do heinous things. Both human nature and history inform us of this simple fact.
Zionist Israel has been deeply oppressing Palestinians for many decades. The response of some Palestinians is utterly predictable, and the way to prevent it is to end the gross injustices.
“…….Gross injustice, especially over a long time, often causes rage-filled, desperate people to do heinous things. Both human nature and history inform us of this simple fact…..”
Still terrorism Mona. And the retaliations by the IDF in Operation Cast Lead and Operation Protective Edge clearly prove your point.
The Anti Semite, anti American, irrational idiot has spoken.
One day the idiot uses international laws to bash Israel and another she uses examples of slave rebellions during periods where international laws, UN did not exist. First, Pakestinians are not slave. Second, since Israelis are human living in a country recognized under international laws then it is HUMAN NATURE for them to defend themselves. In the anti Semite world “human nature” is valid for the Palestinians not the Israelis.
The ANC leadership has categorically rejected necklacing. The ANC leadership has even reprimanded Winnie Mandela for her statements supporting it. Desmond Tutu, the one you like to use to express your hate of Israel, recognized as head of the Truth Commussion that the ANC established policies to avoid civilian casualties although civilians did die. That is completely different from the terrorists, i.e Hamas you are sympathizing with.
Obviously if you are chasing someone who has a knife and has been stabbing people and is running about where people are, if you are a policeman, you will want to disable him.
But police today are not interested in participating in a greater effort of the judicial process. They instead want to be social heroes of a twisted kind, get their rocks off, replay their video games IRL, or engage in their own personal sadistic scheme. In America, it is so bad, that the good police have been hijacked by the evil police who work for organized crime and drug traffickers and run the anti-social “snitch” branding so common amongst morons who havent the mental capacity to do much beyond “cave socialisation”.
As always happens when the crimes or potential crimes of Israel are discussed at this site, a hue and cry arises that the writers and commenters are suspect for “singling out Israel.” That particular hasbara point has been comprehensively addressed by journalist (who is British) Mehdi Hassan: We Single Israel Out Because We in the West Are Shamefully Complicit in Its Crimes
Hassan’s superb analysis is lengthy, and broken down into sections corresponding to each reason Western focus on Israel is merited. An excerpt:
Exactly. Do read the whole thing.
The damn terrorist was shot after killed one and wounded 11 and that was what expected from police in any state. If you don’t want to be dead, don’t go out of the blue and kill civilans. Sorry to say that Israel is too soft to Muslim terrorists and that’s why this new fasion didn’t stop yet.
Which other country is the beneficiary of comically one-sided resolutions on UN, in which members of assembly murdering hundred of thousands of their own and others? Against which other contry there are stupid and fabricated hundreds of resulations on false issues?
I suggest for you to focus on the skills of Muslims to mass murder Muslims, Christians and Jews and let Israel to do her wonderful duty to defend her citizens and to destroy the terrorists who come to kill innocent civilians. This will help the world peace much more than your Falsetinian proPALganda. Thanks.
Palestinians are fighting for the land, lives and rights taken from them by Zionist terrorists. Palestinians are the victims; Zionists are their oppressors.
Moshe Dayan completely understood Palestinian rage against Zionists and why it is justified. At a 1956 eulogy for an Israeli soldier killed by a Gazan, Dayan spoke thus:
The clear-eyed (and monstrous) Dayan understood that no people would passively accept what Zionists did and do to the Palestinians.
The idiot speaks loudly!
1) Congressmen are elected officials who support whomever they want. This is their legal right.
2) Israel is in full violations of international laws. Therefore it makes sense for US taxpayers to single out Israel and their government for supporting it.
3) How much is the trade between US and China?
This is a report from the ICJ in 1959
“evidence points to a prima facie case of systematic intention…to destroy in whole or in part the Tibetans as a separate nation..”
UN resolution 1353: “Calls for respect for the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people and for their distinctive cultural and religious life”
UN resolution 1723 : “call the cessation of practices which deprive the Tibetan people of their fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right to self determination”
UN resolution 2079: “violation of human rights..in Tibet and the suppression of the distinctive cultural and religious life of its people increase international tension..” call “for the cessation of all practices which deprive the Tibetan people of the human rights and fundamental freedoms…”
UN resolution 1991/10 (Sub Committee)
“Calls upon the Government of the People’s Republic of China fully to respect the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people”
Not necessary to list numerous resolutions from local or regional parliaments regarding that matter.
The value of trade (import/export) between the US and China was roughly 600bn USD in 2015. That is a huge amount of trade with a country that has annexed a territory and completely ignored UN resolutions since the 60’s.
So, is Hassan single out Israel for $3bn USD? Fair enough
What about $600bn with China?
Maybe the human rights violations in Palestine are worst than those in Tibet. Are they?
ICJ report 1960:
“The Commitee found that acts of genocide had been committed in Tibet in an attempt to destroy the Tibetans as a RELIGIOUS group” That includes the bombing and pillaging of monasteries, public executions of senior monks.
No need to mention numerous massacres even in 2008!
Hassan is Muslim. Of course, human rights violations against Muslims are more important to him than human rights violations against Tibetans.
You are an anti Semite. Of course, human rights violations committed by Israel are more important than human rights violations committed by others. Even when your own government and US businesses are engaged in deals that are worth 200x more with another serious human rights violator.
I like the Israelis. If they want to kill people who run around killing them, I say go for it.
I like the Lakota. If they want to kill people who have been killing them and impoverishing them and occupying their lands for centuries, I say go for it.
Let’s not forget that the Israelis also occupy Gaza Strip. Let’s not drink Israeli kool-aid and buy into the “Israel left Gaza” nonsense.
I’m surprised that by now anyone is surprised that Israel carries out extra-judicial executions. Considering they want all Palestinians gone anyone, it’s far more practical, and cheaper, to just kill them. Otherwise, they’d have to to the expense of putting them in hospital, the expense of trial, the expense of warehousing them in prison for the rest of their lives, etc.
Robert Mackey, making mountains out of molehills since 1982…and proud of it.
(Just look at that chin-up mug!)
Yeah, because the summary execution of a gravely-wounded and now-harmless suspect (if that is, indeed, what happened) is a mere molehill.
Even if it were, the mass of similar “molehills” in modern Israeli history would constitute a mountain so large that, in comparison, Pisgah would have been an anthill from which Moses would have seen nothing at all.
Now, now Lin Ming. Mr. Mcakey is showing how things go in the vaunted Only Democracy ™ as undertaken by The Most Moral Army™. You see, Israel is supported by Western powers to be a Western outpost in the Middle East.
Israel enshrines our very best values; to study it is to stare at ourselves.
Minister Katz says, ” There are murderers here who are motivated by hatred.” Boy, you can say that again. Then Katz finishes up that brilliant revelation with, “…we cannot allow Jews to continue to get harmed.”
I think it’s telling that a full quarter of Israel’s population utterly vanishes in the mind of Katz when discussing this situation. I guess the 25 percent of non-Jewish Israelis are just fucked simply for having chosen Israel as their home, even though non-Jews would without a doubt be among the victims of any violence directed at Israel.
Maybe I’m making too much of Katz’s statement. It’s just curious that he leaves a couple of million Israelis out of consideration for who needs protection from violence, concluding somehow that only Jews exist in harms way in Israel. As if the bombs and bullets can distinguish between Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis, and they always choose to obliterate the Jews. Everyone else is safe, I guess.
I don’t think so. That response is the programmed response, they’re killing Jews, The Holocaust™®, hand-waving, followed by lashing out at all non-Jews.
It seems to be the official response to virtually any aggression inside Israel.
Too bad Israel’s non-Jews don’t count, at least to Katz.
How many IDF soldiers are needed to shoot a woman EVEN IF she was carrying a knife?? AND, whether she had a knife or sunglasses is a question mark!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfomS1t73Ss
http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2015-10-09/video-israelis-shoot-motionless-arab-woman/
Currently, Palestinian children have been involved in attacking Jewish individuals ( civilians and soldiers ). This is not happening in a vacuum. They have lost all hope as their parens are not able to protect them, their govt is not protecting them. They have seen their school mates shot dead. Their sibling have been picked in the middle of the night by IDF with midnight raid, detained in MILITARY facilities, interrogated without a parent or a guardian,even tortured on mere suspicion of having thrown stones!! Which country treats children in this manner? Of course any violence is not acceptable but one has to put one’s self in these children’s shoes before labeling them terrorists.
Miliatry Court watch and DCIP keep track of how many children are detained. Keep in mind, an Israeli committing similar offense gets civilian justice.
http://www.militarycourtwatch.org/
http://www.dci-palestine.org/
And for anyone interested in Justice for these children, you can check out…..
https://www.facebook.com/nowaytotreatachild
ts, You forget they get in their school curriculum, to hate Jews, and then it is a good thing to kill them. Israeli children are taught to want peace, and not to kill anybody wantonly. Now, for the record, when the Israeils learn of any activities among Palestinian Arabs in the Palestinian Authoritity, the PA police are the ones that arrest them, simply so there won’t be a murder. These policemen prefer to leave the arrests to the Israeli military because . . . they might not want to viewed as “collaborators” with the Zionist entity. It’s like the happy days in Ireland when the Irish arrested the Provos , as part of an arrangement with the Crown to keep the peace. It would seem that the Palestinian Arab leadership is not interested in peace. Abu Mazen even said the American was killed because the youth are “frustrated”, and emphasized the other youths that murdered and maimed other Jews as if they were innocents. Hey, you wanna kill Jews, they ain’t gonna turn the other cheek–they want to live, just as all of us. Again, justice can mean bloodshed, but peace means two people living side by side as good neighbors. What do you prefer.
Jews were hanging British RAF soldiers from lampposts in 1946 and the slaughter has never stopped. Your hasbara sputum is typical.
Honestly, I have never been to Israel/Palestine ( not for lack of trying…. thrice was ready to go and the whole oPT was closed ) so I do not know what the Palestinian children and Israeli children are taught. One thing is certain, they do not get to interact except in some Arab/Jewsih schools in Israel….and then they may not be safe as one of the schools was torched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3msnU0pxD2k
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-jerusalem-school-idUSKCN0JE0BV20141130
One can not talk about what is happening NOW without context of what has been happening for the past 60+ years. When children encounter IDF soldiers EVERYDAY whether going to school or just playing around their neighbourhoods and the encounters are never friendly or pleasant, they are going to have emotional response which will certainly not be positive.
Living under occupation with their homes demolished because the govt declares it a military zone or wants to build a park for the settlers again does not leave a good taste in the mouth.
Non violent protests held regularly in Bi’ilin are met with tear gas, rubber bullets and live bullets injuring children and adults.
A must read to really know what has been happening over the years and
which continues to happen causing very sad current situation is “A gaza Diary” by Chris hedges published in 2001.
http://www.bintjbeil.com/articles/en/011001_hedges.html
May be, it might make you think about hings differently!!
AND, this should be disturbing to anyone and everyone….
http://forward.com/opinion/israel/197866/when-israelis-teach-their-kids-to-hate/
here is an interesting study ( not very optimistic ) about what Palestinian and Israeli children are taught….
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2013/02/israeli_and_palestinian_textbooks_researchers_have_conducted_a_comprehensive.html
Mackey is a great addition to TI.
He is a predictable addition to the Intercept.
As a general rule, any journalist Craig dismisses with negative adjectives, including”predictable,” is a fine addition to The Intercept. Robert Mackey certainly is.
“…….As a general rule, any journalist Craig dismisses with negative adjectives, including”predictable,”…..”
I don’t think that “predictable” is inherently a negative adjective, Mona – but it can be interpreted that way if used within the context of Intercept hiring practices.
Thanks.
And so was Juan…
huh?
If by “Predicable’ you mean, someone who gives a different narrative from the MSM, questions and makes the reader question generally accepted propaganda and makes one think differently about an issue, then you are absolutely right. But isn’t that what the readers of The Intercept want and expect? One does not necessarily have to agree with what is presented ( and there is ample opportunity to disagree ) whether it is about student movement in India or killing of Palestinians in Palestine…. at least, one is exposed to or being made aware of situations not generally discussed in THIS manner!
Thanks for your response rs
There certainly is a lot of truth to your reply. When I say predictable hiring practices, it’s because the Intercept publishes articles which are collectively supported by all staff journalists. In other words, the Intercept publishes a wide variety of articles covering a wide amount of topics – from a single, collective point of view. That’s why the hiring of Mackey was predictable. Nothing more, nothing less.
I like your phrase ” from a single, collective point of view”.
That is why I like browsing TI website…. because, for me it is predicable. Imagine horrors if someone like Charles Krauthammer was hired to write for TI!!
It would prove once and for all why civilized, educated people go to war to resolve unresolvable issues. The Intercept could use a few dissenting voices.
imho, The Intercept IS THE “collective” dissenting voice…..
Of course, there are enough dissenters and counter-dissenters in the comments section which makes it even more interesting!!
“We are at war” justifies all manner of inhumane, immoral, extralegal behavior on the part of TPTB. It is to cry for.
Most agree it’s understandable that white middle class Americans are angry with the establishment because nearly all wealth from increased productivity is only going to the very rich. Now imagine what it must be like to live in an open air prison, put “on a diet” by a government you have no control over, a government that restricts your freedom of movement and which products you have access to. Imagine being subjected to periodic bombardments of your neighborhood, buildings being demolished and so forth.
Reading the interchange between Mona and others (esp Jonah) it reinforced a past conclusion that those who support Israel, similar to those who firmly uphold american ‘patriotism’ cling to the belief that any sort of criticism, even that based on facts must be firmly denied. Criticism is not viewed in a positive light, as a means to improvement, but is lack of loyalty and betrayal. There is no way to convince such people to take an objective perspective, to look at situations ‘outside the box.’ Finally when they are pushed into a corner, and can find no actual justifications, they turn to name-calling and use of stereotypical accusations like ‘anti-semitic’ or ‘jew-hater’ as a response or adjectives such as ‘heinous’ and ‘disgraceful.’
When I was growing up, and in fact for many years after that, the term anti-Semite seemed like one of the dirtiest in the English language. But after spending some time in the trenches at the WAPO comment threads, and elsewhere, it just seems like a joke. “Anti-Semite” has been rendered practically meaningless through gross and inaccurate misuse. It’s mostly just a smear. I used to look askance at anyone who was accused of anti-Semitism. Now I look askance at anyone who accuses anyone else of anti-Semitism.
Oh yeah. And I suppose I should add that I’ll never forget the time CraigSummers called me an anti-Semite. The irony.
What a putz.
Their behavior here is relatively mild given the vicious way Zionist often behave online. Just recently, one of them at another forum encouraged people who were starting a campaign to contact my adult children and neighbors by phone to tell them I was [fill in the blank with horrible things]. On Twitter, one Zionist told me he hoped I was sick and that my kids had taken out a Do Not Resuscitate Order on me.
Anyone who recounts facts the Zionists find unpleasant is likely to end up targeted for harassment and abuse.
“relatively mild” here at The Intercept because there’s basically only Craig.
If Tobit, hdm-1, yowcow, Ted Druch, Karen Levin, or any of those other WaPo clowns ever ventured into these threads, they would get steamrolled.
Their strategy (call everyone that disagrees with them an anti-Semite) is self defeating, very alienating. It just makes people angry.
That is the goal; a tribal circling-of-the-wagons. It is a poor strategy and I believe it has led to millennia of persecution for the Jew.
Mona would have us believe that the Jews concentrated on banking because that was all that was left to them by the church … I say names like Goldman, Silverman, Goldsmith, etc. indicate Jews embraced the control of money from the beginning of money.
Millennia of bankster behavior, greed if you will, would be cause to persecute an entire group of people. Add in Jewish xenophobia and you have Israel today.
Mona has already labelled me an anti-Semite so I am immune to further pejorative …
Yes, your anti-Semitism here at The Intercept is well -known. Can I therefore safely assume you take a dim view of Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein, Max Blumenthal, Phillip Weiss and other Jews of that ilk?
Jesus Christ, I have said and I’ll say again, not all Jews behave the same.
I take a dim view of the tribal behavior of most Jews. Look at the morass that is Israel. The hasbarist is quick to label any criticism of Israel, including historical criticism, as antisemitic.
It is the Jewish religion driving Israel today and I don’t give a flying fuck if some Jews are good people (and there are plenty). 70 years of slaughter with no end in sight and it is a Jewish finger on the trigger (not Christian or Arab). That Jewish person is using their religious history plus the Holocaust to demand rights no others have i.e. let me steal your land, your water, and your life if you don’t leave.
How many more Palestinians were killed this month alone?
Oh, OK, good to know. I never really believed you were/are a real anti-Semite. I know a poseur when I see one.
I just don’t buy into the biblical bullshit that is Judaism in all forms; people, culture, and the ludicrous racial claim. If a person wants to act like a decent human and strive for a common good then I’ll gladly share food, drink, and merriment.
I don’t see that in the self-proclaimed Jewish State of Israel.
But you prefer your kool-aid kosher I assume.
You lost me with the kool-aid kosher part. The rest made sense. Good night!
I’m judging the Intercept on its body of work. I know how tiresome accusations of anti- semitism may be but I’m comfortable with that assertion. I’m also fairly certain you’re not defining anti-semitism broadly enough. i
Doubtful. It’s far more likely that you are a member of the hasbara brigades who spews it at anyone who criticizes the ethno-religious supremacist state of Israel.
What you and your fellow Zionists are doing is extremely dangerous. Especially with rise of Trump, overt, actual antisemitism is popping up with great frequency. But you and yours have diluted the accusation and turned it into an unserious snarl word.
It will be up to me and people like me — those with standing to still use the term seriously — to call out actual antisemites. nuf said is an antisemite, and so I very seldom reply to him. But when I call him an antisemite — and I have — the word retains power.
I love it! Mona declares she is serious when she uses the “actual antisemite” slur. Bwahahahaha!!!!!
I only dislike Jews displaying tribal behavior which furthers Israeli aggression.
Just as I only dislike Catholics and the institution that has enabled centuries of pedophilia. (Seattle’s Archdiocese just published another list of 77 abusers which still has failed to list priests convicted of crimes against children – helps keep the numbers in the double digits …)
No one jumps to the defense of all the good Catholics because it is understood that many in the priesthood are good, genuine people.
I am tired of people running to the defense of Jews as it is a method of the hasbarist to constantly remind everyone that Jews are to be treated differently, for good reason of course.
Sure, but – What does Black Lives Matter have to say about this?
The reporter will comb twitter and summarize all of the relevant tweets for you and call it a story… just like he did with this one. Then the editors will write a nice flashy headline and attach a cool .gif and then all sorts of people will write comments about white guilt and whatnot.
Let me be the first to tell you that social media, especially Twitter, are a huge player in politics now. Indeed, the Israel Lobby sees it as a game-changer — to their detriment: Israel Has a New Worst Enemy — Twitter
Same with BLM. Videos capturing cops murdering and assaulting blacks, planting weapons by their bodies, these go viral thanks to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. That’s just the way it is now and it’s changing politics. So of course journalists should cover it — it’s where the news is!
An even better question: Was the American student killed by the Israelis to shore up falling support for the apartheid state ? That seems to be more in line with their past actions / provocations.
“…….An even better question: Was the American student killed by the Israelis to shore up falling support for the apartheid state ?…..”
Sure and did the Mossad bring down the World Trade Center Towers to shore up support for the apartheid state?
Uh, Yes.
In the first video, it looks to me like he stabs someone at 0:42 (or makes a damn good try) and the shooting starts at 1:01, nineteen seconds later. I didn’t hear all 10 shots so I’m not sure how long the shooting played out for.
It is pretty clear that one last shot was wrongly taken – after all, someone (I assume another officer?) did “reproach” him. The question is, what do you do about it? I mean, I think it’s pretty clear that an officer shooting at someone lying on the ground defenseless would be considered an out and out killer — if it were the first shot, apropos of nothing much. But when he’s just been running down the street firing off shots at every safe opportunity trying to hit the terrorist before he stabs someone else to death, and he sees that person on the ground for a split second, does he know the battle is already over? I cannot picture voting to convict as a jury member faced with this evidence – not unless we know the shooter was just standing around for a while making up his mind to kill the guy.
As Israel has no statutory death penalty, every killing occurring in the country, irrespective of whether it was justifiable or not, is an “extrajudicial killing.” The phrase has become totally ludicrous as it no longer has any relevant meaning!
However, Israelis, like Americans, have a right to self-defense against assailants, thus the right to keep and bear arms is nationally recognized. In this instance, the Israeli Police, faced with an ongoing rampage by a man armed with a knife trying to kill as many people as possible, reacted appropriately to bring that rampage to an end. If the Police did anything wrong in this situation, it may have only been in unnecessarily expending ammunition. In an ideal situation, that should have required only two rounds: one to drop the terrorist and one to confirm the kill. If anything, the Police Officers involved may need more range time to improve their aim and accuracy; other than that, they did nothing wrong. Like the Israelis, Americans need to support their local Police!
Right. That is why the police have killed four times more than the “attackers” have over all. I am sure there are those who think that the lack of a legal capital punishment means that the police must do the job. You came very close to saying that.
Please leave the satire to Il Duce, he’s much beter at it than you.
Haha… much, much better! C’mon Mike, man up. You can do better than that. Get creative! Make me laugh next time.
“right to bear arms”
I’m just curious. I know it’s lawful for Israeli Jews to own guns. What about Palestinians – in Israel proper and the occupied territories. Can they buy/own guns? What is the law?
I don’t get it.
A terrorist attacked innocents, killed an unarmed American and was shot dead by the police (a few minutes too late).
Why should he not be killed? so they can find out if he also has an explosive vest? so he can take the time to stab a few more?
What is the rational in keeping alive a terrorist who endangers live?
It doesn’t matter if he felt oppressed, occupied or a bit jihaddy.
When someone tries to kill you, you try to kill him back.
If the Israeli government stop behaving like the Nazis these crimes would not happen. When you put people against the wall…anything happen. The French royalty put the whole French population against the wall and, as a result, they lost their heads. Guillotine. Remember? History, people specially politicians forget history.
“Who cares if the Israelis summarily executed a knife-wielding madman”? I care and what the fuck is it to you idiot?
Strange, we never see the same outrage from U.S. “leaders” like Joe “I never saw a credit card I didn’t like” Biden when citizens like Rachel Corrie helping Gazans save their homes from Israelite thieves or Furkan Dogan on the Mavi Marmara in international waters trying to help break the illegal siege of Gaza are slaughtered by the Israelite army.
Who cares if the Israelis summarily executed a knife-wielding madman? Dude allegedly stabbed 10 people, killing one of them. Screw him.
I’m off for now, be back tomorrow.
Violence of any kind is not acceptable and is always counterproductive… the oppressor will always use more brutal force to suppress the weaker party. The following may help to understand who the real victims are!
Mapping the dead in latest Israeli-Palestinian violence
Tracking the human toll of the wave of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel…..
Basma Atassi | 24 Nov 2015
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2015/10/mapping-dead-latest-israeli-palestinian-violence-151013142015577.html
The largest population of Arab-Americans in the US is in Dearborn, Michigan. Bernie Sanders, the Jewish candidate for President of the United States, is taking Dearborn 63/36.
Now, there’s a Sanders report I love to hear. ;^)
Super statistic, Mona. Thanks!
That comes to show Arab-Americans are more concerned with a political issue (American militarism) than with the ethnicity and religious beliefs of any particular candidate, which is interesting.
Nor are they antisemitic. They are anti-Zionist. While Bernie is a liberal Zionist (or has been), he rejects the militarism of the Israel Lobby and the State of Israel. Nor does he condone demonizing Muslims, which is a primary tool used by Zionists both in Israel and the West. (We can see that here in this thread.)
Bernie accepts that Muslims have some legitimate grievances and has been open to considering them. For that, Arab-Americans don’t care that, as some have said, he’s an atheist. And a Jew.
“……Nor are they antisemitic……”
Any statistics to back that up, Mona? It does seem kind of suspicious that you believe that all Zionists are racist, but no Arab Americans are antisemitic.
“…… Nor does he condone demonizing Muslims, which is a primary tool used by Zionists both in Israel and the West. (We can see that here in this thread.)…..”
You are a little hard to take seriously on that charge Mona, since no one on these threads demonizes Zionists (Jews) quite like you.
Craig, I’m continuing to reply to you less. Your nonsense is old and tired, and huge threads between you and me annoys the readers.
Thanks Mona.
Mr. Mackey
Israelis are going to protect themselves from Palestinian terrorism. The knife intifada is well on its way with no end in sight. People in Israel are uptight about the ongoing violence which leads to retaliation. Palestinians understand that and when they attack using knives or guns, they expect to die. They attack Israelis to martyr themselves – and Israelis appear (at least in this instance) to support the idea. Unfortunately, an Eritrean citizen was caught up in the retaliatory violence and was killed.
The article shows a significant amount of anti-Israeli bias which is expected at the Intercept.
“People in Israel are uptight about the ongoing violence which leads to retaliation.”
Well, then, people in Israel should consider electing a government that stops perpetuating the ongoing violence.
Doug
Israel needs to relocate out of the West Bank and allow the Palestinians a state of their own (self determination). That is not going to happen under Netanyahu, but the knife Intifada is only going to harden the position of Israel.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Double thanks Doug.
Well should we Europeans and Americans have the same strategy against Jews who use violence here? Did the inhabitants of Warsaw Ghetto have the moral right to resist the inhuman treatment using violence? If they had, why do the occupied, humiliated and exploited Palestinians not have the same moral right to resist? No occupation + real equality to all —-> no violence. Israeli Jews alone can create the circumstances to achieve that goal, if there is no will to that do not complain.
First: forget the Warsaw Ghetto. The Palestinian territories are not the Warsaw Ghetto. The Palestinians should resist peacefully, but random violence directed at Israelis is terrorism with a predictable violent response by the Israelis.
“…….No occupation + real equality to all —-> no violence. Israeli Jews alone can create the circumstances to achieve that goal…..”
Right. Jews should just give up on the idea of a Jewish majority state and live under a Hamas government. Jews lived for thousands of years under the same circumstances which is why they returned to Palestine to create a homeland for the Jews i.e., why they intend to remain a Jewish majority state.
Thanks.
More exactly described as an ethno-religious supremacist state, a proto-fascism fueled by uber-nationalism. No tribe, including Jews, can organize themselves like that without a very high risk of full-blown fascism. And Israel is now more than half-way there.
I agree — they should be as peaceful as Zionists.
Another instance where you support terrorism Mona. Just like the time you wouldn’t condemn the attempted murder of the Rabbi at the Temple Mount. Only when I pressured you in front of Gator did you condemn terrorism in that instance.
WaPo: How Israel’s Jewishness is overtaking its democracy
Thus they support the status quo — they just want the apartheid made more rigorous.
Gawd. It’s even worse than I thought.
It’s well past time to end the charade that Israel is a democracy.
An American is viciously murdered by a violent Islamist and the first thing the Intercept does is try to spin it to demonize Jews.
What a perverse and sordid bunch that runs this site.
No, the Intercept is just asking whether there have been extra-judicial killings in Israel. Nothing more, nothing less. The fact you equate potential thugs in Israel carrying out extra-judicial killings with Jews speaks more about your own perverseness than anything else.
They’re implying there have been based on nothing but testimony from Palestinians and inconclusive video footage.
There’s also precedent. Israeli cops and IDF have been caught on film killing Arabs who are already down on the ground and no danger to anyone, as crowds egg them on to keep shooting. Moreover, what’s wrong with Palestinians’ testimony?
“They’re implying there have been . . .”
Or, you’re inferring that they’re implying . . .
“. . . based on nothing but testimony from Palestinians and inconclusive video footage.”
I’m pretty sure Dimi Reider is an Israeli Jew.
The Palestinian “journalist” is the one who claims the assailant was executed based on this footage. But as the article points out, he was still moving (and was therefore not completely subdued or incapacitated) before the final shot rings out.
Not exactly. We here in the US (who the hell knows where you are from) have become sensitized to police lawlessness in response to marginalized populations. Hence our interest in what might be an example of similar behavior on the part of Israel’s “public safety officers.”
Moreover, many of our cops train in Israel. We’ve imported their vile ways.
There are countless nations, many U.S. supported, where extra-judicial killings are commonplace (including many in your own hemisphere) and yet it’s only the Jewish one that piques your (and this site’s) interest, eh? What a coincidence.
Our nation’s politics are not grossly distorted by any other nation’s domestic lobby as they are by the Israel Lobby. We give Israel $3.1 billion of taxpayer money to Israel for military assistance annually — to help them oppress the Palestinian people. This has put a target on our back for Muslim terrorists who share the justified rage Muslims feel about our complicity in that crime.
We have long singled out Israel for special, positive treatment. It is now happening that many citizens feel it should be singled out a bit differently.
Plenty of other nations, with far worse human rights records than Israel, receive hundreds of millions a year in U.S. aid (including Palestine which gets over a billion):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_foreign_aid
And yet the criticism towards these others nations, compared to Israel, is virtually non-existent.
How are Muslims outside of Palestine justified in their rage for what’s happening to Palestinians if they aren’t themselves being directly affected? By this logic evangelical Christians in the U.S. should share “justified rage” for their Christian brothers and sisters being ethnically cleansed and murdered by Islamists throughout the Middle East. I suppose if these evangelicals started murdering innocent Muslims, you’d start blaming their deaths on the aforementioned persecution of Christians? Yeah right. You’d be the first one to denounce the killers as illegitimate terrorists.
Furthermore, who cares what barbaric, medieval jihadist savages use as their justification for carrying out terrorism? Anders Breivik claimed he murdered all those young people because of multiculturalism and Muslim immigration to the west. Does that mean we should stop these things?
Or do you only apologize for terrorists when the perpetrators are Muslim?
I said military aid. We help pay Israel to oppress Palestinians. Evangelical Christians have a nation-state — the U.S. — bombing the shit out of various Muslim countries.
The United States has fostered a “special relationship” with Israel like it has with no other. That rightly makes Muslims worldwide very angry . It’s making U.S. taxpayers angry, too.
We bomb the crap out of their countries, depose their democratically elected leaders, support their tyrants, and help Israel oppress Palestinians. The Israel Lobby has bought most of our national officials — no other nation has done that.
Aid is aid. Economic aid to other countries frees up funds they can apply towards their (human rights violating) military or police forces. Most of the criticism I see of the aid towards Israel is over the amount of it, most people who criticize it couldn’t care less whether it’s military or economic or whether it’s being used to oppress Palestinians. They only care it’s not being used to rebuild their own roads and bridges.
Muslims outside of Palestine have nothing to do with Palestine and have no legitimate right to be angry over what happens to it. They sure as hell don’t have a right to take up arms because of perceived injustice towards their coreligionists in the Holy Land. Again, if they do have such a right, then so do Christians the world over towards Muslim oppression (which is far worse and more rampant than the Israeli variety).
The U.S. is damned if they do or don’t. You criticize them for deposing elected leaders or supporting dictators, yet when they depose dictators and support democratic elections they are accused of fostering terrorism and eliminating the only forces that can deal with it (Assad, Hussein, etc.). The reality is Muslims have been attacking innocent non-Muslims (including Americans) before non-Muslims (including Americans) were attacking or interfering in Muslim lands in the slightest.
No. It’s not.
This is demonstrated by the simple thought experiment of the U.S. completely cutting military aid to Israel. I assure you, the Israel Lobby and Israel would have a major freak out.
I further assure you, that if the U.S. were to give $billions in military aid to Hamas, Tel Aviv would have a collective aneurysm. As it is, we give Palestinians 0 in such aid.
I trust you see the point now.
What an idiot!
Israel has its own defense industry and it is very strong . Israel produces its own small arms, artillery and tanks. These are most of the equipment used against the Palestinians. Most of the military aids the US provide to Israel is through the Israel Air Force and Israel missile system. How many long range ballistic missiles Israel has used against Gaza?
“further assure you, that if the U.S. were to give $billions in military aid to Hamas”
1) How comfortable would you feel if the US was giving military aid to Hamas?
2) Qatar to Hamas: $400 million
Iran to Hamas: “tens of millions”
Only an idiot believes Hamas would only build hospitals with that cash.
Thank you, thank you!!!
Palestinians do not resist because of Islam (or Christianity), they resist because how you treat them in Israel/Palestine. Would you let us Europeans and Americans treat Jews like you there in Israel treat Palestinians? Maybe this petition helps understanding that Judaism can and has been used as an equal “excuse” as you use Islam in the massive Israeli anti-Islamic propaganda to make that massive land theft and exploitation of millions possible.
No. I very specifically expressed my concern in which the words “extra-judicial killings” will not be found. Regrets if you are obliged to translate via some English-?? dictionary.
Oh please. I’d be more than content if police summarily executed every murderous madman they were able to corner (assuming that the police and citizenry is reasonably certain the alleged murderous madman did in fact commit the crimes in question).
Plus it sounds like he was noncompliant and still resisting.
Notably, you do not express any opinion on extra-judicial executions. Nor do you say one word about the fact that the suspect was from the West Bank, where settler terrorists routinely commit violence — including arson murders that kill infants– and steal Arab homes. While Israeli soldiers and police let the Jewish settlers carry on like this with near impunity.
Why have you nothing to say about those facts?
Hamas and other Islamists routinely carry out extrajudicial executions, funny how I’ve never seen you (or the Intercept) criticize them. Spare me your hypocrisy. Nobody truly believes you all actually care about the deaths of Arabs, outside of how you can use them to demonize the west or Israel.
Arsons that actually murder people happen once in a blue moon. I actually agree Israel doesn’t do enough to contain Jewish terrorist supremacists, but at least they do something! When’s the last time Pals arrested (let alone prosecuted, convicted or punished) their own infant murderers??
I am unaware of Hamas executing anyone extra-judicially. Even during Israel’s obscene bombardment of Gaza in the summer of ’14, Hamas executed collaborators after the same sort of ad hoc tribunal the French resistance put together in WWII for informers.
In any event, my country is not heavily controlled by the Hamas Lobby. My country does not give Hamas $3.1 billion in annual military aid. We give it $0 in military aid.
“I am unaware of Hamas executing anyone extra-judicially”
What a hyppocrite!
Amnesty International:
“Hamas forces carried out “the extrajudicial execution of at least 23 Palestinians”
“Many of these unlawful killings were publicly billed as attacks against people assisting Israel…However in reality at least 16 of those executed HAD BEEN IN HAMAS CUSTODY SINCE BEFORE THE CONFLICT BROKE OUT.”
Since the French did it, it must be right.
“My country does not give Hamas $3.1 billion in annual military aid. We give it $0 in military aid.”
We also give $0 to Saudi Arabia in military aid. SA pays for all the weapons it buys. So why you and Greenwald worry about SA human rights violations? So we should only trade oil, oranges, rice …with SA?
What the idiot is saying is that it would be okay if the US has normal relations with Israel without the military aids part. It would not bother her if Israel uses the cash from regular trades to acquire or to produce weapons. Idiot, indeed.
“. . . viciously murdered by a violent Islamist . . .”
How do you know that the attacker is even a Muslim, let alone motivated by anything, at all, to do with “Islamism,” as opposed to simply a young man carrying out an act of rebellion against the occupiers and oppressors of his people?
BTW, when when concern is expressed over possible extrajudicial killings by American cops, do you immediately think of it as “spin” to demonize, uh, Baptists or Lutherans?
Because of the Quran inspired incitement from Palestinian leaders towards Jews (not Zionists) combined with the now established pattern of these random stabbing attacks carried out exclusively by Muslims with jihadist sympathizes over these past few months?
It’s a stretch, I know, they could be Buddhists after all!
If there was a concerted, globalized effort to demonize Baptists or Lutherans like there is today towards Jews I would.
“Because of the Quran inspired incitement from Palestinian leaders towards Jews (not Zionists)”
————
Please show us the verses of the Quran that inspire, and we will discuss.
The conflict is not religious.
It’s about land, resources, power and control.
Religion is used to define us vs them, and to make one’s bad acts seem noble to one.
ADDENDUM
If the conflict was religious, and not about land, resources, power and control, the Muslims in Michigan would not have voted for Sanders.
See this http://www.ibtimes.com/bernie-sanders-wins-big-michigan-muslims-political-pundits-cant-quite-believe-it-2333030
Anyone following Israel/Palestine conflict is well aware of IDF’s excessive use of force, not just by testimony of Palestinians but also reported by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Israeli organisations fighting for Palestinian’s right.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/bringing-question-palestine-israel-extra-judicial-killings-151012070120570.html
“Jewish” people are not responsible for Israeli govt’s horrible policies…. however, some Israeli Jewish citizens certainly are. Criticism of those responsible for violations of Human Rights and Civil Rights of Palestinians and violations of International laws, in the Israeli govt and its agencies DOES NOT demonise Jewish people.
Palestinians need to stop stabbing Jews.
Zionists need to stop terrorizing Arabs, maintaining them in the open air prison of Gaza, killing them, razing their homes as collective punishment when a family member is violent (this never is done to families of settler terrorists), and end the ongoing oppression of Palestinians. Israel needs to discontinue apartheid.
Zionist-aggressives should stop building settlements, pretending-oh-so-woefully to establish some peace-that-is-entirely-to-their-advantage, and cease their ethocentric bigotry.
What’s your point? We’re talking about an innocent person that was stabbed. All I should hear is an unqualified condemnation. You have no decency and no humanity.
Palestinians need to…
I responded to you in your own form/syntax and through your own language window. When you respond differently, I probably will, too.
You sound Jewish …
Apparently it is in bad taste to point out that referring to someone as lacking “decency and humanity” is degrading enough to allow the slaughter of that someone while maintaining a clear conscience. Look at the people here who cheer the killing of 4 Palestinians for every Jew. Reprisal often, Israel?
It’s a sure bet those killing the Palestinians are not Arab police or Arab IDF.
The suspect was from the West Bank. Ignorant Americans will focus on the murdered American tourist and fail to have any appreciation for why an Arab from the West bank would feel driven to a homicidal rampage.
Arabs in that occupied territory are terrorized and even murdered, and their homes stolen even as I write this, by Zionist settlers while Israeli law enforcement does almost nothing. Don’t take my word for it — Yuval Diskin, the former director of Israel’s internal security service, has decried settler terrorism and the absence of the rule of law — for Jews — in the West bank.
No people would suffer what Arabs in the West Bank do without some of them — especially young males — going mad with rage.
Right on Cue, Mona. Imagine if I used that same excuse to justify the Duma Murders. After all, don’t Jews have something to be upset about too? How many Terror attacks can one country take? But they don’t. They exercise exemplary restraint. You are a heinous individual and are emblematic of the left’s problem with Jews. You’re not even clever enough to veil your anti-Semitism. You are disgraceful
Calling me names does not address the points I made. That’s because you can’t. They are the dark, vile facts of Israel’s crimes.
Right on cue, Intercept. Never pass up an opportunity to throw some Jews under the bus. Couldn’t take a moment to honor an American Victim? Your opening salvo is an allegation of an “extrajudicial execution”? You guys do some good investigative work. Your hatred of the Jewish people will bring this whole thing crashing down.
I assure you, the vast bulk of the American media will be focusing on the victim and her family. What will be almost ignored is the deep and violent oppression Israel inflicts on Palestinians. The Intercept, fortunately, doesn’t follow the establishment herd.
So Courageous! So Fearless! So Contrarian! I guess you guys are telling the “real stories”. You got nothing. Who’s going to fill the vacancy in the fiction department now that Juan Thompson has left the building?
I do not usually substantively reply to misdirection and non sequiturs, and shall not do so now.
That was my attempt the exchange. How do you respond to my irrefutable statement about the disgraced journalist? You can’t. You’re just going to have to swallow that one. Have a nice night fighting for the “oppressed”.
hat was my attempt to end the exchange. How do you respond to my irrefutable statement about the disgraced journalist? You can’t. You’re just going to have to swallow that one. Have a nice night fighting for the “oppressed”.
I do not usually substantively reply to misdirection and non sequiturs, and shall not do so now.