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THIS is Israel!

Sex, Lust and Death

My major scoop is that my senior Israeli source confirms that it is a product of Israeli cyberwarfare experts. Most such products are produced by the IDF’s Unit 8200, though the Mossad also may take some role in such projects. So add to all the previous marginally successful efforts this new one. The goal is apparently to infiltrate the computers of individuals in Iran, Israel, Palestine and elsewhere who are engaged in activities that interest Israel’s secret police including military intelligence. My source also tells me that this is the first known instance in which Israeli intelligence has used malware to intrude on Israeli citizens. Within Israel and the Palestinian territories Flame is implemented by the Shin Bet. The “beauty” of it for the secret police is that unlike “legal” eavesdropping on phones or computers, you don’t need to ask for judicial approval to infect a computer.

Make of it what you will.

Conversely, if the Israeli military openly (and unapologetically) had worn t-shirts exhorting the murder of children pregnant women (1 shot 2 kills, wohoo!) from my people and at the same time claimed the right to police my people, I'd probably be in a bit of a huff myself.

Thing is, while I don't want to pull things down to a golden mean fallacy here, the fact of the matter is that Israeli and Palestinians both have a history of abominable behavior. I do think Israel, in claiming to be a democratic and justice-driven country, should be held to a commensurate minimum standard, but I could say the Palestinians aren't entirely innocent.

But I won't. Why? Because the idea of "Israelis" and "Palestinians" is a myth. They don't exist as monolithic blocks of like-minded people. If we look closer, we'll find people on both sides who are actually moderate, and while they're mostly ignored by the media, they do still exist. Indeed, the most heroic of these people are the ones on both sides who meet and engage in actual dialogue.

Shouting invectives and calling for harsh punishment of the Other is, of course, much safer and more satisfying.

That's proving a bit difficult, because there's just so much violence. It wasn't this attack I was thinking of. (It also definitely wasn't this one, or this, though both did involve the IDF standing by and doing nothing. This act of sabotage under the supervision of IDF troops is interesting but irrelevant.)

Note that Palestinians don't get off so lightly if they attack settlers; sometimes the whole messy business of trial and evidence is skipped and they're just shot in their beds.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll find the right link eventually, but it's a lot like searching for a needle in a haystack.

75% of American Jews think (correctly) that the goal of Arabs is the destruction of Israel.

Wow, EPIC READING COMPREHENSION FAIL.

That question was if this was true: 'The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel.'

I.e, it's about Palestine, you nimrod.

Wrong. 75% of American Jews think (correctly) that the goal of Arabs is the destruction of Israel. Majority supports a US strike against Iran.

Yes, one day ahead of talks that were all over the news about Iran's nuclear program, 56% of American Jews managed to be for a strike. Wow, way to barely eek a majority there.

But did I say 'almost two years ago'? I do not believe I did.

Here's a more recent poll showing American Jews don't give a flying fuck about Iran.

Majority oppose calls on Israel to freeze settlement building.

And I said what about that?

That's just semantics. A head of state saying that another state should disappear from the pages of history is as threatening as it gets.

Really? As threatening as it gets?

More threatening then threatening to attack it? You know, like Israel's doing to Iran?

Perhaps you should check and see what 'semantics' means. He's not actually threatened Israel. Ever. At not point has he said 'Israel must do X, or we will attack it.'

Israel has. The US has. Get the goddamn plank out of your eye before condemning a country that, at the most evil, publicly wishes Israel to collapse.

He also finances a variety of anti-Israel militant groups,

No, he doesn't.

denies holocaust

Which makes him an asshole but doesn't make him magically at war with Israel.

and has said in numerous statements that any Arab country that accepts existence of Israel is a traitor to the Muslim world.

And, yes, again, another lie.

Many more anti-Israel statements: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad_and_Israel

Hey, you know that statement you just made up about 'any Arab country that accepts existence of Israel is a traitor to the Muslim world'? Yeah, it's not on that page.

Maybe you should read the fucking page you just linked to. It shows a lot of hatred towards Israel, and a lot of insults towards Zionism, and even a revisionist history. It shows a lot of claims that Israel is going to die, that the peace process is functionally dead.

What it doesn't have is any sort of threat towards Israel whatsoever, except a deliberate mistranslation.

In any case, all this is argument over unimportant details. Do you really doubt that if the day comes when Arab countries and Iran have the power to destroy Israel that they will hesitate for even one second?

Yes, I do think they'd 'hesitate', you goddamn imbecile, because most Middle East countries that invade other countries have done it with the expectation of our support. Iran hasn't fucking attacked anyone since India, before the British conquered it.

You're trying to paint them as goddamn belligerent punch-throwing crazy people, when they've done literally nothing to get such a reputation. Nothing. Ever. You've made up their entire reputation.

Israel basically doesn't care about what they've done to these people

That hasn't been proven and the last known whereabouts of two of them were boarding a ship for IRAN.

Why would Israeli agents be doing that? You know very little about middle eastern politics if you think only the Israelis want people dead.

A) If that is so, why didn't you go on Kos to point it out, specifically which ones? They are not like a typical right-wing site, they do not insta-ban people just for voicing dissent.

Except, of course, for when that dissent is advocating disclosure of conflict of interest.

http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/07/29/tikun-olam-banned-at-daily-kos/

And except, of course, for when that dissent is bringing up facts that are actually true about John Edwards.

http://stranahan.com/2008/08/03/ive-been-banned-at-dailykos-because-of-john-edwards/

And except, of course, for when that dissent is (#1) defending Ralph Nader; (#2) defending an SNL skit; (#3) correctly observing that Al Gore Sr. was a segregationist.

http://polizeros.com/2006/02/09/banned-from-kos-again/

And except, of course, for when that dissent is defending Barack Obama from the pro-Edwards site narrative!

http://students.barackobama.com/page/community/post/brionlutz/CZ7l

And except, of course, for when ... ah hell, go Google some more yourself if you're still thinking "IgnoramusMaximus" is anything but completely accurately named.