American Samizdat

Thursday, July 20, 2006. *
I can't imagine that Nicholas von Hoffman saw my previous post, but he likewise sees the parallel between Israel's current assault on Beirut and the notorious destruction of Guernica, along with the equally heinous terror bombings of Coventry and Dresden (to which I'd also add Madrid (impetus for the original of the poster I've adapted), London, Hiroshima and Nagasaki). He also observes that the IDF appear to have learned something -- though not quite the lesson one would wish a civilized democratic nation to draw -- from those prior war crimes:
Military theorists and historians came to believe that slaughtering civilian populations via air attacks does not demoralize them but more often than not unites them in hatred of their killers. Morality aside, attacking civilian populations seldom succeeds in accomplishing what the attackers are after.

The Israelis have come up with a new approach to targeting of civilians as they go after Hamas and Hezbollah: Kill 'em all but kill 'em slowly. The bombings by Germany of Guernica and Coventry and by Americans of Dresden and Tokyo happened in a night. By the morning, the deed was done.

The Israeli Defense Forces apparently believe that if the work is done a bit at time over weeks, there will be less fuss and fewer incriminating photos. Less for a present-day Picasso to memorialize. Naturally a few NGOs like Doctors Without Borders will complain but only Unitarians and other peace-loving people will pay them mind.

The Israeli approach is to X out the airports, the roads, and the harbors, thereby trapping the prey. The trick is to cut off the food and medicine. Ruin the electrical grid, destroy the water system and wreck the sewage disposal facilities and then sit back and wait for their enemies--and the innocent among them--to perish.
posted by The Continental Op at 11:33 AM
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