maqroll Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 What's interesting is the hierarchy of public interest in various war zones. This latest Israel-Gaza flareup is front page stuff, and elicits poignant commentary from people like Jon Snow (who does not know nothing, BTW) I understand that a major element to this conflict is the obvious lopsided nature of it, and the visceral outrage it incurs. But compare it to the conflicts in Democratic Republic of Congo, where the death toll of recent years absolutely dwarfs that of all Middle Eastern conflicts combined. Or Sudan. Or Mali. Or any of the other African wars over the last 10 years that have seen literally tens of millions of people killed, maimed and raped. They must wonder what sub level of human evil needs to be perpetrated to garner a headline or even a back page blurb. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 the situation in gaza is diverting the attention from whats going on in syria and iraq. i see they were protesting last week in london against whats going on in gaza and against israel, but no protests against whats going on in syria. comes as no surprise really, i think both situations need to be sorted out quick but i cant see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 the situation in gaza is diverting the attention from whats going on in syria and iraq. i see they were protesting last week in london against whats going on in gaza and against israel, but no protests against whats going on in syria. comes as no surprise really, i think both situations need to be sorted out quick but i cant see it. R, It's not that there aren't protests, it whether the British media chooses to run with them, whether they fit this week's story arc. Dogs haven't stopped biting kids, but they don't make the papers anymore. Similarly, I doubt protests have stopped in Rio, but that's an old story now. I walk up Whitehall once or twice a week at the moment, I can assure you that there are protests on Parliament Square or directly across from Downing Street every single day about all manner of conflicts and issues. There were thousands of Sri Lankans there a couple of weeks ago pleading for help that they are being ethnically cleansed by the majority demographic. It didn't make the papers needless to say as it didn't fit with the rest of the news. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 any civilian casualties are regretted and not a deliberate act That looks bad, but in Israel's defence, some of the Palestinian rockets have chipped the paint off the Iron Dome. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 the situation in gaza is diverting the attention from whats going on in syria and iraq. i see they were protesting last week in london against whats going on in gaza and against israel, but no protests against whats going on in syria. comes as no surprise really, i think both situations need to be sorted out quick but i cant see it. R, It's not that there aren't protests, it whether the British media chooses to run with them, whether they fit this week's story arc. Dogs haven't stopped biting kids, but they don't make the papers anymore. Similarly, I doubt protests have stopped in Rio, but that's an old story now. I walk up Whitehall once or twice a week at the moment, I can assure you that there are protests on Parliament Square or directly across from Downing Street every single day about all manner of conflicts and issues. There were thousands of Sri Lankans there a couple of weeks ago pleading for help that they are being ethnically cleansed by the majority demographic. It didn't make the papers needless to say as it didn't fit with the rest of the news. Good post. Remember Egyptian protests recently? 3 days later not a thing mentioned in the news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 my mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I went to a protest re Syria not too long ago. There has been a few over last few years but not reported in the media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 the situation in gaza is diverting the attention from whats going on in syria and iraq. i see they were protesting last week in london against whats going on in gaza and against israel, but no protests against whats going on in syria. comes as no surprise really, i think both situations need to be sorted out quick but i cant see it. R, It's not that there aren't protests, it whether the British media chooses to run with them, whether they fit this week's story arc. True, but in one sense that media coverage of protests creates a self fulfilling prophecy by giving more oxygen to the issue. Problem is that editors think viewers are pretty dumb, and Syria is a highly complex conflict with a multitude of external actors and no obvious good/weak vs evil/strong dynamic to over simply the situation with. By contrast, in Gaza you have a clear case of poorly matched opponents and live coverage of gratuitous violence being inflicted by one side (due primarily to Israel's ability to neutralise the Hamas' attempts to cause carnage among civilians) so it's easy to put together a compelling narrative of war porn with the shock/grimace factor that keeps people engaged. By engaged I mean "consuming" their news product long enough to reach the commercial break. Even the supposedly serious print media isn't really trying hard to capture the background, depth and inter-connectivity of the issues underlying the conflicts across the region. Mind you that's as likely to be due to the journo's own lack of specialist knowledge as a deliberate plot to keep the public in the dark. I had a point when I started this post but it's been lost somewhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 any civilian casualties are regretted and not a deliberate act That looks bad, but in Israel's defence, some of the Palestinian rockets have chipped the paint off the Iron Dome. Don't take the piss. Try to imagine how scared this cat was when the tree it was sitting in was gently shook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 any civilian casualties are regretted and not a deliberate act That looks bad, but in Israel's defence, some of the Palestinian rockets have chipped the paint off the Iron Dome. Don't take the piss. Try to imagine how scared this cat was when the tree it was sitting in was gently shook. Interesting that the warhead didn't go off, they might be getting into older stocks of rockets now or having to use using home made fuses etc. If correct that might point to Hamas declaring a ceasefire sooner rather than later - but that's also a lot to read in to a 10 second youtube clip. Either way, the cat is now on 8 lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 That wasn't a rocket, it was an Alexander Tonev shot 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Russia's getting sanctioned for supplying weapons to nutters. The Israelis have stepped up attacks today. What does America have to do to get sanctions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 dunno but the new Russian sanctions canned my BP shares today .. damn you Europe and your hypocritical gestures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted July 29, 2014 Moderator Share Posted July 29, 2014 RIP satireTodays "You Couldn't Make it Up" news…Middle East Peace Envoy Tony Blair wins $1mil Israeli Leadership Prize. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 One of the worst days today. A horrific bombardment by Israel. Over 100 dead just today. This Apartheid state has to stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Destroyed the only power plant too. What exactly is Israel trying to achieve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Destroyed the only power plant too. What exactly is Israel trying to achieve? I believe they are trying to resolve their problems. One by one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 RIP satire Todays "You Couldn't Make it Up" news… Middle East Peace Envoy Tony Blair wins $1mil Israeli Leadership Prize. **** off, that can't possibly be true. *Checks* Well bugger my old boots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Destroyed the only power plant too. What exactly is Israel trying to achieve? In the very short term, they are trying to destroy so much infrastructure and murder so many people that they create a sense of utter despair, demoralisation, fear and terror. In the medium term, their actions will drive people towards more extreme groups, and it's impossible to think they don't know this. In the longer term, with the active support of the US, they seek the undermining and dismemberment of any Middle Eastern state which might provide a counterweight to their regional economic and military supremacy, unless it's a client state of the US. Creating and maintaining terror groups, as the US did with al Qaeda and ISIS, is part of the strategy, creating the conditions where destabilisation occurs and a cloak for military intervention is available. In Israel's case, maintaining the idea that there is an existential threat which justifies any degree of savagery is essential to the long-term plan. From that perspective, Hamas can more easily be presented as a threat because they more actively resist, so it is better to drive people towards Hamas in Gaza, unless they can engineer control of Palestinian groups by pliant leaders who will do what they are told. Pushing people towards Hamas also helps strengthen the division of Palestinians - they would much prefer a divided opposition than Hamas and Fatah working together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Problem is, from everyone I've spoken to, I'd say 90% are giving sympathy to Palestinians.. I think most people realise this is a war in which it isn't the stereotypical arab isn't being the aggressor.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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