For the sake of honesty and fairness, these types of Pro-Israel talking points need to stop

Pro-Israel Talking PointsSince the latest quarrel broke out in the Gaza Strip, we’ve been hearing the same old Pro-Israel talking points coming out of our corporate media and our national leaders. Whether you live in the US, Canada or Great Britain, you can be sure to overhear the same tired rhetoric that we’ve been hearing for years.

While some of the information might be true, you can’t help but call bullshit on certain things that don’t hold any water. They are often simple phrases people use to shelter Israel in a positive light or something that advances their credibility to carry out terrible policies.

Israel has a right to defend itself

We’ve all heard this one. The Conservative Party of Canada and both parties in the US use it so often, you’d think it’s a verbal tick they can’t get rid of. While it is a true statement, it leads to the misconception that Israel is never the aggressor. This time around in particular.

The fact is, we all have a right to defend ourselves. It’s in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it is in the constitution of most developed nations. What makes Israel so special? More importantly, why do they have a right to defend themselves while Palestinians do not?

You can say that launching rockets into Israel isn’t self-defense, fair enough. However, I would say that completely leveling entire neighborhoods and civilians with shells and missiles isn’t self-defense either. Whether it’s self-defense or aggression, both sides can claim the higher and lower ground.

Protesting Israeli policies equates Antisemitism

This is the biggest load of nonsense, one I’ve written about in the past after Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper suggested just that. If it were remotely true, my Jewish blood would prevent me from writing articles such as this.

I don’t support the Ayatollah in Iran or his policies, that doesn’t make me anti-Islam. I don’t support the American drone program, but it doesn’t make me the anti-Christ. Criticizing Israel’s policies is not insulting to my Jewish relatives because they aren’t Israeli, they’re Canadian. To tie religion to a country is pure absurdity.

Pro-Israel Talking Points
Israeli Settlement in the West Bank

Palestine does not recognize Israel’s right to exist

This talking point is only half true and doesn’t tell the whole story. Groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad certainly don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist, but they don’t represent the whole of the Palestinian people.

It’s hard to find accurate poll numbers given how quickly they change, but from what I’ve seen, 50-70% of Palestinians would recognize Israel as part of a peace deal. To say Palestinians do not recognize Israel’s right to exist is disingenuous at best.

Let’s flip the question and find out how many Israelis want to see Palestine a country. This question is equally difficult because it depends largely upon the conditions, but the answer is roughly the same, between 60-70%.

It’s also important to note that the current government in Israel does not support a Palestinian State. Netanyahu has said so as recently as early July. What we have is two governing parties not recognizing each other.

Hamas forces Israel to kill Palestinians

Netanyahu has claimed now and in the past that Hamas compels Israel to attack them and kill civilians. As if to say Israel doesn’t have the freedom of choice when waging war. He essentially places the blame on Hamas when Palestinian civilians get killed, thereby negating any sense of responsibility.

To be fair, Hamas does use some extremely questionable tactics. Whenever Palestinian civilians get killed, Hamas is blamed almost without exception for using human shields. If that were true 100% of the time, how come there are four civilian deaths out of every five (the wounded are even more lopsided.)

No one forces Israel to fire on children playing on a beach, to shell a hospital repeatedly, to bomb a UN shelter or kill a family of 18. Gaza is one of the most densely populated places in the world. When you target Gaza, you target civilians.

The Palestinian Territories are not occupied

I’m starting to hear this argument more and more, even from people who claim they aren’t Zionists. If you look at the borders in 1967 and what they are today, there is no denying the majority of the West Bank is occupied along with a small section of Gaza.

Pro-Israel Talking Points

They aren’t necessarily occupied by soldiers everywhere, but to Palestinians, there is no difference between Israeli soldiers walking around and Israeli settlements.

Gaza has been blockaded by land, see and air for seven years, which is arguably worse than occupation. Those tunnels that Israel is so keen on destroying may be used to smuggle weapons, but they are also used to smuggle in everyday supplies to what is essentially a huge prison.

For the sake of honesty and fairness, these types of Pro-Israel talking points need to stop. For one, they are not fooling everyone anymore. The more our leaders and media stick to this rhetoric, the more they will be ridiculed and taken less seriously.

16 COMMENTS

  1. You missed a sixth “talking point” to debunk: the oft-repeated claim that Israel is “a democracy” or the “only democracy” in the Middle East.
    When a substantial proportion of the population under a nation’s ultimate control – legal, judicial, executive, regulatory, military — enforced by lethal arms, has no vote in the selection of the policymakers and legislators who exercise such controls, it is not a democracy.
    The “Greater Israel” colonial project, supported by a substantial number of settlers planted on lands that do not belong to them, and others in government and the populace, is no more a democracy than was South Africa under Apartheid.

    • You do realize that under YOUR definition the USA is also Not a democracy….. No Country allows Non-citizens to vote! In the USA, neither Puerto Rico nor American Samoa have the vote in Federal elections, even though BOTH are American territories, Gaza Is NOT a part of Israel… it is considered Occupied territory. The 2 American territories ARE considered part of the USA! Within Israel proper ALL Arab Citizens have the equal right to Vote, Run and Serve!!!

      I think it is Time for you to stop reading Hamas written Politically Correct Talking points and start using your Brain!

  2. WERE ARE THE VIDEOS AND PHOTOS OF HAMAS ROCKET DAMAGE IN ISRAEL?

    I have a question – Hamas is said to have fired more than 2800 rockets into Israel. Why haven’t we seen even ONE result from these rockets? There aren’t than many Iron Dome rockets to get them all. So where is the damage, where are the deaths?

    IMO after the review of the oppression of the Palestinian people in Gaza, their movements are very restricted, their assess to the sea is pretty much non existent. The Israelis mission is to make life as miserable as possible for those living in Gaza. I guess they hope they either die off or leave (of course they can’t leave.) The Israelis continue to encroach on Palestinian territory. They have little to fight with but fight none the less. Our government is wrong on this one, IMO. I don’t hear anyone saying the Palestinians have the right to live free and not as prisoners in a crowded state. The Israelis have forgotten their own oppression in Germany and are doing to the Palestinians what the Nazi’s did to them.

    “If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”
    — Winston Churchill

    WERE ARE THE VIDEOS AND PHOTOS OF HAMAS ROCKET DAMAGE IN ISRAEL?

  3. As shown on the map, it appears the real agenda is nothing short of total removal or eviction from all disputed territory which confirms no real interest in a 2 state solution.

  5. Debunking the Debunker >>>
    Aside from trying to pass ‘Opinion’ off as ‘Fact’, there are some glaring misinterpretations and Counter Myths being presented here in the name of debunking …

    1) Israel has a right to defend itself
    This is entirely ‘Opinion’ …. There is No debunking here at all, aside from Ignoring the fact that this is a War, and that in a war destruction happens, or that a War can easily be stopped when One side Stops their aggression in the face of an unwinnable position!!! Any continued violence is on the back of the loser that won’t lie down!

    2) Protesting Israeli policies equates Antisemitism
    First of all it must be Pointed out that there are Jewish Anti-Semites !!! There are also Jews that hide the Truth behind a veneer of Politically Correct Escapism. Their Liberalism feels Hypocritical to them without siding with those who they feel are the underdog… Facts be Damned!!

    That said, the writer is correct… Being Anti-Zionism (a political doctrine) has nothing to do with being Anti-Jewish… a religion. However this attitude does begin to cross the Line by refusing to accept that Both sides have responsibility in this conflict… and far too many people refuse to acknowledge that Hamas “IS” a terrorist organization and that their attacks are of a terrorist nature… Unprovoked and targeting Civilians with no warning and looking to create maximum damage and causalities with no heed to gender or age! That the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have also inflicted harm on civilians is an unfortunate result of War and the unique circumstances associated with the Gaza conflict.

    There has also been little acknowledgement of the Gaza Palestinian’s direct responsibility for allowing Hamas to use their territory to commit their Terrorist acts! When responsibility is directed solely or erroneously at one side, even when presented with conflicting factual evidence and Logic and Common Sense are ignored… That is where the accusation of Anti-Semitism has its roots!

    3) Palestine does not recognize Israel’s right to exist
    Again the writer is only presenting a one-sided view of the Facts….

    Though he admits that probably a majority of Palestinians agree that Israel has the right to exist, he lays no responsibility on them for their allowing the Hamas’ position to dominate the debate, even when it doesn’t represent them… and again… the writer Does not acknowledge that Israel is not at war here with the Palestinian People here, but with HAMAS… a terrorist organization… Let the Residents of Gaza rise up and eject and reject the positions of Hamas… After all isn’t it their responsibility in the same way that the citizens of Israel are also responsible for their democratically elected Government???

    And here again I agree with the writer… The Likud government of Israel is not a viable partner interested in Peace… However the people of Israel have the democratic ability to change that situation at any time constitutionally through the Parliamentary and Electoral process… unlike their Palestinian Arab cousins (Both being Semitic peoples.) Therefore it is up to the Palestinians of Gaza to take that responsibility onto itself… and if they cannot do it without aid, them they have to option of supporting the more valid authority of the ‘Palistinian Authority’ (PA) and their Fatah enforcers!

    4) Hamas forces Israel to kill Palestinians
    War is hell… innocents get hurt.. Property and infrastructure is Decimated… There is no excuse except to say that if Peace could be accomplished Peacefully, as in the Sinai and hopefully the West Bank, then there would be no need for Israel to ever go back to war to defend itself!! Unfortunately, Hamas is NOT interested in Peace, Nor does Hamas have any interest in limiting Palestinian Causalities.
    For Hamas the very presence of Dead and Wounded Palestinians is the propaganda tool they strive for to use to manipulate Gullible PC World opinion … They have NO hope of Winning a war against Israel… nor can they ever scare Israel into compliance… But they Can and Do use the suffering of their own people to bring Global Pressure to bear on Israel with the hope to influence their retreat!

    This is the ONLY reason this war ia being fought and Palestinians are dying today! Blame Hamas!!!
    5) The Palestinian Territories are not occupied
    Now the writer is trying to expand the subject and include the West Bank, which is not currently involved in this conflict except superficially…. and he must, because as he admits… there is NO Occupation of Gaza… though he makes a tenuous argument that one exists in the West Bank!

    In Gaza, there are not even any settlements… there is NO Israeli presence (until this War started) of any kind!!! The blockade of Gaza, like economic sanctions imposed by Western powers on Iran and now Russia, is intended to inflict economic hardship on Gaza with 2 aims in mind… 1) to stop the Arms smuggling, and 2) to create a rift between Hamas and the Gaza residents with the hope that Hamas will lose its Influence! There are no other reasons!

    As to the supposed occupation of the West Bank… Israel has shown over and over again it is willing to abandon settlements and trade land for peace… they have done it in the Sinai, Gaza and the Golan Heights… they have even closed some settlements in the West Bank… though the Current Government has replaced them!!

    I am confident, that given a clear pathway and an honest broker with a motivated Negotiating partner, the Israelis will be quiet willing to replace the Right-wing Likud Government with a Labor one that is More accommodating and open to a negotiated peace and 2-State solution !!

    I take the liberty to paraphrase the Writer >>>>
    ” For the sake of honesty and fairness, these types of Pro-Hamas talking points need to stop. For one, they are not fooling everyone who bothers to check the historical facts. The more our leaders and media stick to this rhetoric, the more they will be ridiculed and taken less seriously. And the More innocent Palestinians will die!!!”

    • The right to defend yourself is not opinion, it is constitutional and international law. As for the rest, you’d make a great Netanyahu Spokesperson. Israel has never been willing to give up it’s settlements, especially under a Likud Government. Gaza is still under occupation because Israel still exercises “effective control” over this area. you don’t have to have boots on the ground to assert control. That is what occupation is. The occupation of Gaza isn’t over just because Netanyahu says it is.

      You claim you’re a liberal, but use the same bullshit conservative strategy by putting words in my mouth. You really think I’m Pro-Hamas because I call out Israel’s policies and the media’s tendencies? You sound smarter than that.

  6. There was never a country called Palestine and there will never be one unless Palestinians agree to live side by side with Israel in peace.

  7. Well stated, Sir! There are two sides and many tails to this struggle, its so love sided that is sad to follow or ignore. YET the West continue to ignored the ramifications of their decisions in dealing with “The Problem” . Thank You!

  9. Well written and well said…The regular media is so full of lies, innuendo and B.S. It’s sickening and people are starting to catch on.

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