JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

01/05/09 07:56 PM

Mayor Bloomberg got it right.  The whole concept of “disproportionate response” is ridiculous.  A “proportionate” response would consist of Israel launching hundreds or thousands of projectiles indiscriminately into Gaza population centers, hoping to get “lucky” and kill lots of innocent people.  Since that’s obviously not a moral option, Israel is doing the best it can.  Considering the firepower that Israel has unleashed in Gaza, the relatively small number of civilian deaths demonstrates that Israel is trying to avoid collateral damage.  Imagine the thousands of Gazan civilians who would be dead by now if Israel attacked with the same immorality that drives the terrorists.  I suspect the Palestinian spin doctors coined the “disproportionate” application, in much the same way they invented “collective punishment” to describe fighting back against terror (terror being the ultimate form of collective punishment, when you think about it), or hailing terrorists as “martyrs” and “freedom fighters.” In the same vein, the Palestinians are trying to hijack powerful words like “genocide,” “Holocaust,” and “Nazis,” to twist them to their own purposes.  It would seem like quite a task, trying to make the terrorists the good guys, and the victims the bad guys, but much of the world seems to buy it.

01/06/09 03:40 AM

I have read where CNN looked the other way many times with Saddam Hussein of Iraq,letting gross venal acts go un-reported. Are these people in bed with the terrorist Hamas in order to get what they mistakenly think are interesting news stories to slant the Gaza issue for the world viewing audience? I’m looking daily for a balanced report from these PRAVDA influenced news hacks. In my opinion, CNN is just worthless agit-prop for sensationalism seeking palestinian murderers. Re the “anchor"(wot a hoot) at CNN.....

01/06/09 07:56 AM

It’s about time someone stepped up to the plate and said something to the media! And what a spectacular job Mayor Bloomberg did. He gave it right back to CNN, who is without a doubt completely anti-Semitic. I will call his office and thank him.
It is frightening how the entire world is literally enraged against my people, as usual, EVERYONE hates the Jews.

01/06/09 08:19 PM

I have to say that Bloomberg did a very good job and back Israel in this case.

However, I also have to add that Michelle F.’s comments are completely inflammatory and not true.  If we want people to side with us, we won’t win them over by calling everyone one anti-Semetic and saying “EVERYONE hates the Jews.” Let’s enlighten people using our brilliant minds rather than painting ourselves as a pathetic people who everyone loves to hate.

Whether or not I think CNN goes out of its way for the Jews (I don’t), I think it is the job of an interviewer to push back and challenge the interviewee.  Maybe they aren’t pro-Israle, but I do not believe CNN to be anti-Semitic.  We just need to continue to push for honest reporting in all aspects.

01/13/09 05:40 PM

I just wanted to say I agree with everything said, but I do have a question and Gary has some of it there for me already...the entire defense the the Arabs use on why Israel should not be a state is because they believe that the Holocaust never happened.  If the y believed the Holocaust did happen, then they would no longer have a right to say Israel does not exist, since that is there entire defense platform.  However, doesn’t by saying the Jews are now as bad as the Nazi’s and that the Jews are making Gaza into one large concentration camp, doesn’t that mean they are admitting that the Holocaust did happen?  So this confuses me, Israel was created out of sympathy for the Holocaust, which did not happen, so Israel has no right to exist, but the Jews are just as bad as the Nazis, which mean they did exist when they didn’t, so Israel does have a right to exist, even though it doesn’t?

01/14/09 08:23 PM

Everything that Mayor Bloomberg said is totally accurate.  The shame is that until we rid the entire world of terrorism, there will always be the threat to peace and well being that has become a daily reality for the Israelis and is now becoming a daily reality for other nations as well...and growing like a cancer within the Worlds cities.  If the media was motivated to help bring about peace rather then sell advertising they would tell the real story!!!

01/20/09 09:47 AM

For fundamentalist Muslim extremists White is Black. Therefore a Terrorist = freedom fighter & militant, a suicide bomber = martyr and 72 virgins in Heaven, Jewish Israelis = Nazis, a response to 100s of rocket attacks = Genocide & Holocaust, Fatah retreat from Lebanon in 1982, Hizboulla 1,000s of dead in 2006 and 1,000 Hamas civilian dead in 2008 = victory, and 500 Hamas terrorist dead in 2008 = 48. Maybe someone should teach them English and math. When is CNN and other western media going to wake up & give factual investigative reporting?

Obama is right. If terrorists attacked your family in the USA, UK, France or elsewhere and told you they would not be satisified till you were wiped off the map, would you not defend yourself with all the means at your disposal?

I live in Israel. One of my best friends is a deeply religious Muslim. Not all Muslims are like Hamas and Hizboulla. There are others too. But you don’t hear their voices because they are afraid of these terrorists who have killed far more Arabs than Jews. Look at Iraq. Do we hear calls of “Nazis, Holocaust and Genocide” when they kill each other? CNN, BBC and others wake up!

01/20/09 09:25 PM

Of course the respond was disproportionate. Palestinian bombed Israel for 8 years.
Israel was in Gaza only for two weeks. Israeli troops have 7 years 11 month and 2 weeks to make it even and proportionate.