Author: El Arseneau

I had replied to a survey they had sent our over Facebook. Except, well you know, these surveys aren’t really surveys, they are ways to ask for money, so I completed the survey (which had absolutely no questions concerning Gaza or Israel), and then skipped the money parts.  Well, they wrote me back. “Where did you go?” they asked. So I replied thusly:

As long as you keep entertaining lies about Israel (“Genocide,” “Apartheid,” “Settler Colonialism,””Illegal occupation,” etc.,) I cannot, and will not send you even one penny. Now, if you were to renege on repeating the lies (see my blog on Israel: https://el.urgod.org/israel/) and if you were to censure “the squad” (honestly, I agree with and support everything else these ladies stand for. They are just WRONG on Israel).

1. “Genocide” refers to the physical destruction of an entire group in whole or in part that has been targeted on the basis of its identity. This is not Israel’s objective in Gaza.

Raphael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer of Jewish descent, introduced the term genocide in 1944 to refer to events including the Nazis’ systematic extermination of Jews.

Lemkin explained the need for a new legal term to describe this horror, saying: “there has been no serious endeavor hitherto to prevent and punish the murder and destruction of millions…. there was not even an adequate name for such a phenomenon.”

The United Nations General Assembly recognized genocide as a crime under international law in 1946 and it was codified in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948.

The Convention defines genocide as the commission of grave harm against members of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group – such as by killing, causing serious physical or mental harm, inflicting conditions that bring about physical destruction, imposing measures to prevent births or forcibly taking away children – with the intent to destroy the group as such.

Genocide means targeting members of a group because of their group identity and not something they are individually thought to have done.

Israel’s war is against Hamas: Israel is not seeking to destroy the Palestinian people or the Palestinian population of Gaza, which is what would need to happen in order to correctly apply the term “genocide.” Israel’s leaders have repeatedly asserted that their campaign in Gaza is solely against the terrorist organization Hamas. In fact, this type of military campaign is the exact opposite of reflecting an attempt to eliminate the Palestinian population.

2. Is Genocide Happening in Gaza? No. Israel is responding to a genocidal attack by Hamas

Since October 7, Israel’s objective in Gaza has been to destroy Hamas, a terrorist organization that carried out an unprecedented and brutal massacre against its people, including infants, children, elderly and disabled people.

A recent report concluded that Hamas used sexual violence as a tactical weapon of war during and after the October 7 attack that Hamas terrorists, using widespread and systematic sexual violence across geographic locations, and against hostages in captivity.

The goal of Hamas is to wipe Israel and Jews off the map, and in the aftermath of the October 7 terror attack, its representatives reiterated that they will never stop pursuing it. That’s an example of genocidal intent. 

While Hamas’s military capacity has been largely decimated by Israel, it still retains control over areas of Gaza and still continues to hold Israeli hostages.

Israel  is fully justified in using military force to respond to Hamas’s October 7 attack (read AJC’s explainer on Israel, Hamas, and international law). Israel’s use of military force in Gaza in the face of such an ongoing threat is not evidence of genocide, but completely consistent with international law.

3. Israel’s actions reflect its desire to spare Palestinian civilians from harm, not to deliberately harm them

The IDF’s practices also disprove claims of genocidal intent, as the Israeli military has repeatedly relocated Palestinian civilians within Gaza in an effort to ensure they are out of harm’s way as it undertakes its legitimate military campaign to destroy Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure.

In fact, since the start of the war, Israel has called for the temporary evacuation of t local populations in every part of the Gaza Strip where it deemed military action appropriate, and delays its ground operations in Gaza for weeks to allow civilians time to heed Israel’s warnings. It goes to great lengths to designate humanitarian corridors, or safe routes for Palestinian civilians to relocate from northern Gaza.

The IDF still endeavors to warn Gazans prior to attacks and has allowed humanitarian aid for civilians to be delivered under arrangements intended to prevent Hamas from diverting aid or controlling its distribution to reinforce its authority.

4. Hamas’ actions are designed to cause harm to Palestinian civilians and blame Israel 

In the months that followed the October 7 attacks, Hamas fired thousands of missiles on Israeli towns and cities. Those missiles were fired from civilian neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip, and from inside, next to, and underneath nominally civilian areas in Gaza like residential buildings, schools, mosques, and hospitals. Hamas’s actions transformed what were once protected civilian sites into legitimate military targets that Israeli forces are now working to dismantle.

Hamas puts civilians in harm’s way: While Israel goes to great lengths to avoid harming civilians as it targets Hamas’s weapons and operations centers in Gaza, Hamas typically proceeds to place Palestinian civilians directly in the path of the IDF’s targets. It has repeatedly called on Palestinian civilians to ignore Israel’s warnings about impending strikes and reportedly forced civilians to remain in the vicinity of military objectives, using them, like its hostages from Israel, as human shields.

Hamas’ actions are not only aimed at protecting its leaders, weapons, and property but also at vying for leverage in the public opinion war by inflating the number of civilian casualties.

Through its actions in Gaza, Hamas greatly increases the likelihood that military actions by Israel that are permissible in war and not prohibited by the law of war – let alone by the Genocide Convention – will nevertheless result in some harm to civilians. International law does not prohibit Israel from undertaking legitimate actions that will likely result in civilian harm unless the expected civilian harm will clearly exceed the anticipated military advantage from the attack.

While Israel takes many steps to minimize civilian harm resulting from its attacks against Hamas targets, as much as it can, it cannot eliminate it entirely. This is a horrible outcome of war, but it is not illegal, and it certainly is not genocide.

5.  The “facts” of the genocide charge don’t add up

Those who claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza not only misunderstand the legal definition of genocide and what the laws of war permit; they also base the charge on unsubstantiated claims, such as a report issued by Amnesty International.

It is unquestionable that many civilians in Gaza have died and even more have suffered immensely since October 7. However, there are so many “unknowns” with an important bearing on Israel’s conduct in this war that it is impossible to say with certainty that it is acting wrongfully.

• The number of “innocents” vs. terrorists that have died: This is impossible to know given that the Ministry of Health in Gaza is under the control of and susceptible to influence by Hamas, and does not separate innocent civilians from fighters in its announced death tolls.
• The circumstances in which numerous innocents have been killed in Gaza: This includes whether they died because of attacks carried out by the IDF or because of intentional or unintentional harmful actions by Hamas or other Palestinian armed groups. A key example is the explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, which the U.S. and other governments have determined was caused by a failed rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and not, as Hamas, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, and many other sources claimed, by the IDF.
• The nature of the military objective of attacks carried out by the IDF in which Palestinian civilians have died: Given that it is not possible for independent assessments to be conducted into whether a Hamas leader, tunnel, and/or weapons cache was present at the site of any specific IDF attack in Gaza, which Hamas still largely controls.

While some of those who claim Israel is engaged in genocide in Gaza are doing so for malign purposes – for example, justifying Hamas’ October 7 massacre by claiming Israel is ‘worse,’ many others have been deliberately misled. Their goal of ending the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza would be far better served by placing blame for that suffering where it lies – with Hamas – and supporting efforts to bring  about its defeat so that Palestinian and Israeli civilians can have the peace and security they all deserve as quickly as possible.

Accusing Israel of “genocide”  has been effective due to the emotional power of the word, and so it manipulates people who would be otherwise rational into embracing irrational claims that are provably wrong.

NOTE to READER: This post got me placed in “NextDoor Jail” for six weeks (which is to say I was denied access to my NextDoor account). I am afraid we are becoming a fascist state.

It’s becoming a bad habit.  Antisemitic protesters have been regularly showing up at Arcata City Council meetings, spreading their insidious lies and propaganda.  The latest protest was especially vile.

First off, news anchor Erica Sutherland began the report by calling the Gaza/Israel war a “genocide,” (which I wrote to her about) but the real “star” of the show was this absolutely deranged woman who was screaming at the top of her lungs about how the city council should be ashamed of themselves for not supporting Palestine. Then she demanded that they divest from CalPers (which apparently has investments in Israeli businesses). She was very disruptive, disrespectful, and, well, at one time I worked as a mental health technician, and I think she’d be a good candidate for Thorazine.

I wrote to Erica Sutherland:
“You called the situation in Gaza “… the ongoing genocide.” Genocide requires the INTENTION to wipe out a people. If anything Israel has bent over backwards to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. Stop spreading Hamas propaganda! I’m a huge fan of yours. Please take my concerns seriously.”
“See my blog for the whole truth about Israel: https://el.urgod.org/everything-israel/”

Rather than address my concern, Erica excused herself:
“Hey you need to email Ross. I didn’t write the story. So I’m not informed about this situation. Email news@redwoodnews.tv”

So, I did:
“Last night (I watch the 11:00 stream on Zeam) Erica Sutherland started the story by calling Israel’s war with Hamas a “genocide.”  Although it has become popular among some Progressives (I am one) to characterize the situation as a “genocide perpetrated by Israel,” this is not the case at all. What is being repeated is Hamas propaganda. As a journalist, you are charged with telling the truth, not spreading lies. I don’t want to get into a long diatribe about this, but please, take the time to read my blog on the subject: https://el.urgod.org. Scroll down the right-hand menu to “EVERYTHING ISRAEL.”

Ross, I admire your work and that of the whole Redwood News team. I’ve been watching since my wife and I moved to Eureka in 2004. Please endeavor to speak the truth about Israel, and stop just repeating what is popular.

Namaste!”

He wrote back almost immediately:

“Hello sir, 

I’ll need to get our reporter who interviewed the protesters on this topic.     Here is the story as we aired it. 
We said this in the introduction to the story: 

LAST NIGHT TWO DIFFERENT PROTESTS WERE HELD AT THE ARCATA CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND TENSIONS WERE HIGH.  ONE GROUP WAS PROTESTING ARCATA’S ALLEGED INVESTMENTS IN ISRAEL AND DEMANDED

THE CITY DIVEST DUE TO THE ONGOING GENOCIDE IN GAZA. 
What we SHOULD have said was; 

” ….. Demanded the city divest due to what the protesters call
the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”    

There is a big difference in whether Redwood News is saying there is an ongoing genocide in Gaza and  what the people in the context of the report believe is occurring in Gaza.

You are correct.  I will discuss it with the reporter/producer.   

Shame on us for not catching the way that intro was presented. 

Thanks for sending us your concerns. 

Ross Rowley 
News Director – Redwood News
KIEM-NBC3 / KVIQ-CBS17
Eureka, CA
707-443-6666 / 707-496-0626

I feel really good about this.  I feel vindicated. Here is my final response to Ross:

“Thank you for your due diligence.
Actually, it has happened more than once over the past year. Abraham Nevaro (sp?) repeated the same phrase a few months ago in another story concerning local protesters.
I didn’t say anything at the time. But with the rapid escalation of antisemitism in our country I think active correction of these errors is way overdue.

Again, than you for your attention to this matter.”

Ross Rowley’s email address in news@redwoodnews.tv

WHEN YOU CRITICIZE ISRAEL, you are supporting Hamas.

Stop supporting Hamas!

REMEMBER, THERE WAS A CEASEFIRE IN PLACE ON OCTOBER 7, 2023.

FACTS: The “palestinians” have actually had numerous opportunities to create an independent state, but have repeatedly rejected the offers:

• In 1937, the Peel Commission proposed the partition of “palestine” and the creation of an Arab state.
• In 1939, the British White Paper proposed the creation of a unitary Arab state.
• In 1947, the UN would have created an even larger Arab state as part of its partition plan.
• The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace negotiations offered the “palestinians” autonomy, which would almost certainly have led to full independence.
• The Oslo agreements of the 1990s laid out a path for “palestinian” independence, but the process was derailed by terrorism.
• In 2000, Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered to create a “palestinian” state in all of Gaza and 97% of the “West Bank.”
• In 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered to withdraw from almost the entire West Bank and partition Jerusalem on a demographic basis.
• In 2015, “palestinian” Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has publicly confirmed for the first time that he turned down a peace offer in 2008 that would have provided for an independent “palestinian” state containing all of the Gaza Strip, much of the West Bank (with land swaps), and a tunnel connecting the two areas.
• In addition 1948 to 1967, Israel did not control the “West Bank.” The “palestinians” could have demanded an independent state from the Jordanians. On the contrary whilst Jordan was in control Arafat said there was no longer a claim as it was no longer part of “palestine.” Once it was back in Israeli hands it miraculously became disputed land again! This is one of many reasons Jews and Israelis are cynical.

Also, it should be noted that Israel has peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt (In 1988, in it’s treaty with Israel, Jordan relinquished all claim to “the West Bank” (Judea / Samaria) so there is no internationally recognized “occupation” there).

The Palestinians have spurned each of these opportunities. Anyone that is against Israel should satisfy themselves as why this may have been? I believe, when it comes to the “palestinians,” “They Want It All”. Denying Israel’s right to exist.

Over the last decade+, Hamas has invested millions of dollars into digging extensive tunnel infrastructure below the surface of the Gaza Strip. Much of Hamas’s infrastructure is built in the heart of crowded civilian areas in the Gaza Strip, which means that military targets, including command and control centers, weapons production, weapons depots, military infrastructure, shafts for terrorist tunnels and combat management centers are all inside of civilian neighborhoods. Hamas uses its own people as shields. My heart breaks for all the innocent children. It’s the children who suffer. But Stop rewriting history!

ENOUGH PROPAGANDA!

*** The estimated global Jewish population in 2022 is approximately 15.3 million, with around 7.2 million residing in Israel. This means that nearly 48% of the world’s Jewish population calls Israel home.

In contrast, the Arab world population in 2022 is estimated to be around 464.7 million, spanning across 22 countries. ****

MORE FACTS: Scholars believe the name “palestine” is derived from the Egyptian and Hebrew word peleshet. Roughly translated to mean rolling or migratory, the term was used to describe the inhabitants of the land to the northeast of Egypt – the Philistines. The Philistines were an Aegean people – more closely related to the Greeks and with no connection ethnically, linguistically or historically with Arabia – who conquered in the 12th Century BCE the Mediterranean coastal plain that is now Israel and Gaza. A derivative of the name “palestine” first appears in Greek literature in the 5th Century BCE when the historian Herodotus called the area Peleistine. In the 2nd century CE, the Romans crushed the revolt of Shimon Bar Kokhba (132 CE), during which Jerusalem and Judea were regained and the area of Judea was renamed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian “Syria Palaestina” in an attempt to minimize Jewish identification with the land of Israel.

At the end of World War I, the territory of the Ottoman Empire was divided between the French and the British, in accordance with the Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916. When the British gained control of the region, at the close of World War I they adopted the name “Palestine” and its inhabitants Jewish, Muslim or otherwise were known as Palestinians. And then, during the 1920s, the nascent Palestinian national movement adopted the appellation “Palestinian” as its own.

The idea that “palestinians” are colonized depends entirely on the fake history promulgated by the Arabs and their supporters. Their narrative tells us that their “people” lived in “palestine” for hundreds or even thousands of years, before the European Zionists came along and threw them out. In reality, with the exception of the very small number that were descendants of the Arab colonizers of the 7th century (and those who were descended from Jews that the Romans missed in 135), most “palestinian” Arabs came to the land in the 19th and 20th centuries as economic migrants. This explains why there is so little specifically “palestinian” content to their culture, which is much the same as that of the Arabs in the surrounding region. There is no language called “palestinian,” and no unique religion. What true “palestinianism” that exists comes from their conflict with the Jewish residents of the land in the past hundred years or so.

LEARN THE HISTORY!

Israel is one of the most open societies in the world. Out of a population of 9.6 million, 21% of the population are Arabs, and 5.3% are non-Arab Christians and people who have no religion listed.

• Arabs in Israel have equal voting rights; in fact, it is one of the few places in the Middle East where Arab women may vote.

• Arabic, like Hebrew, is an official language in Israel.

• Today, more than 300,000 Arab children attend Israeli schools. At the time of Israel’s founding, there was but a single Arab high school in the country. Today, there are hundreds of Arab schools.

• Israel has one of the broadest anti-discrimination laws of any country. According to the State Department, “The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, marital status, or sexual orientation. The law also prohibits discrimination by both government and nongovernment entities on the basis of race, religion, political beliefs, and age.”

Israel isn’t evil and it’s not the enemy. I hate how our country is filled with antisemitism. And ignorance on the topic.

It should also be noted that Israel is a strategic ally and US relations with Israel strengthen the US presence in the Middle East. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) is intended to promote US national security by contributing to global stability, strengthening military support for democratically elected governments and containing transnational threats, including terrorism and trafficking of weapons.

Anti-semitism, also known as anti-zionism (yes, they really are one and the same thing) is growing by leaps and bounds across our nation. We used to expect this kind of unwarranted hatred from the Right, and to this day they have taken the lead in waging a propaganda war using Jew hatred as their MO. But increasingly we are starting to see it on the Left as well.

They like to call it antizionism: “No, I don’t hate Jews, just the zionists,” but the problem is that zionism is now and always has been an integral part of Judaism. For example, for the past 2,500 years, we have ended the Passover Seder with the words, “… and next year in Jerusalem.”

They try to pass off criticism of Israel, and increasingly emotional accusations against the Jewish state (“Apartheid,””Genocide,””Occupation,””Ethnic cleansing,”) as just exercising their freedom of speech. But by repeating and propagating these heinous lies on Social Media and elsewhere, they are priming the pump of hate crimes and violence against Jews. Here are some recent examples of the results of spreading this antisemitic propaganda:

🔴 Two young diplomats were brutally gunned down after attending a Jewish event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

🔴 Demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, were attacked by a man who threw Molotov cocktails at them during a peaceful march in support of the hostages held in Gaza. An 82 year-old Holocaust survivor died from her burns.

🔴 The home of the Jewish governor of Pennsylvania was set on fire during Passover as his

🔴 In San Francisco, a beloved, Jewish-owned cafe has been repeatedly vandalized.

🔴 In Yonkers, New York, a high school basketball game was canceled because of vile antisemitic slurs hurled at young players.

All of these incidents can  properly be placed at the feet of those who chant slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!,” “Free Palestine,” “Globalize the intifada!,” “Hitler was right!,” etc., ad adinfinitum, ad nauseum.

People who repeat these slogans are instigating violence toward Jews and vandalism against Jewish owned businesses and buildings, including outright murder as has happened in a few cases.

Violence, vandalism and murder are not Progressive values. The people who shout these slogans are not Progressives, even if that is what they pretend to be.

ALL ANTISEMITISM ORIGINATES IN RIGHT WING FASCISM.