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The neighborhood bully strikes again
By Gideon Levy
Tags: gaza strike, israel news 

Click here for more articles by Gideon Levy

Israel embarked yesterday on yet another unnecessary, ill-fated war. On July 16, 2006, four days after the start of the Second Lebanon War, I wrote: "Every neighborhood has one, a loud-mouthed bully who shouldn't be provoked into anger... Not that the bully's not right - someone did harm him. But the reaction, what a reaction!"

Two and a half years later, these words repeat themselves, to our horror, with chilling precision. Within the span of a few hours on a Saturday afternoon, the IDF sowed death and destruction on a scale that the Qassam rockets never approached in all their years, and Operation "Cast Lead" is only in its infancy.
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Once again, Israel's violent responses, even if there is justification for them, exceed all proportion and cross every red line of humaneness, morality, international law and wisdom.

What began yesterday in Gaza is a war crime and the foolishness of a country. History's bitter irony: A government that went to a futile war two months after its establishment - today nearly everyone acknowledges as much - embarks on another doomed war two months before the end of its term.

In the interim, the loftiness of peace was on the tip of the tongue of Ehud Olmert, a man who uttered some of the most courageous words ever said by a prime minister. The loftiness of peace on the tip of his tongue, and two fruitless wars in his sheath. Joining him is his defense minister, Ehud Barak, the leader of the so-called left-wing party, who plays the role of senior accomplice to the crime.

Israel did not exhaust the diplomatic processes before embarking yesterday on another dreadful campaign of killing and ruin. The Qassams that rained down on the communities near Gaza turned intolerable, even though they did not sow death. But the response to them needs to be fundamentally different: diplomatic efforts to restore the cease-fire - the same one that was initially breached, one should remember, by Israel when it unnecessarily bombed a tunnel - and then, if those efforts fail, a measured, gradual military response.

But no. It's all or nothing. The IDF launched a war yesterday whose end, as usual, is hoping someone watches over us.

Blood will now flow like water. Besieged and impoverished Gaza, the city of refugees, will pay the main price. But blood will also be unnecessarily spilled on our side. In its foolishness, Hamas brought this on itself and on its people, but this does not excuse Israel's overreaction.

The history of the Middle East is repeating itself with despairing precision. Just the frequency is increasing. If we enjoyed nine years of quiet between the Yom Kippur War and the First Lebanon War, now we launch wars every two years. As such, Israel proves that there is no connection between its public relations talking points that speak of peace, and its belligerent conduct.

Israel also proves that it has not internalized the lessons of the previous war. Once again, this war was preceded by a frighteningly uniform public dialogue in which only one voice was heard - that which called for striking, destroying, starving and killing, that which incited and prodded for the commission of war crimes.

Once again the commentators sat in television studios yesterday and hailed the combat jets that bombed police stations, where officers responsible for maintaining order on the streets work. Once again, they urged against letting up and in favor of continuing the assault. Once again, the journalists described the pictures of the damaged house in Netivot as "a difficult scene." Once again, we had the nerve to complain about how the world was transmitting images from Gaza. And once again we need to wait a few more days until an alternative voice finally rises from the darkness, the voice of wisdom and morality.

In another week or two, those same pundits who called for blows and more blows will compete among themselves in leveling criticism at this war. And once again this will be gravely late.

The pictures that flooded television screens around the world yesterday showed a parade of corpses and wounded being loaded into and unloaded from the trunks of private cars that transported them to the only hospital in Gaza worthy of being called a hospital. Perhaps we once again need to remember that we are dealing with a wretched, battered strip of land, most of whose population consists of the children of refugees who have endured inhumane tribulations.

For two and a half years, they have been caged and ostracized by the whole world. The line of thinking that states that through war we will gain new allies in the Strip; that abusing the population and killing its sons will sear this into their consciousness; and that a military operation would suffice in toppling an entrenched regime and thus replace it with another one friendlier to us is no more than lunacy.

Hezbollah was not weakened as a result of the Second Lebanon War; to the contrary. Hamas will not be weakened due to the Gaza war; to the contrary. In a short time, after the parade of corpses and wounded ends, we will arrive at a fresh cease-fire, as occurred after Lebanon, exactly like the one that could have been forged without this superfluous war.

In the meantime, let us now let the IDF win, as they say. A hero against the weak, it bombed dozens of targets from the air yesterday, and the pictures of blood and fire are designed to show Israelis, Arabs and the entire world that the neighborhood bully's strength has yet to wane. When the bully is on a rampage, nobody can stop him.
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  1.   Gaza chooses: attack Israel, don`t develop Gaza`s economy 05:18  |  Publius 28/12/08
  2.   self defense is not being a "bully" 05:28  |  Chris 28/12/08
  3.   THE GREATNESS OF ISRAEL LIES IN THAT THE LIKES OF G.LEVY BLABER 06:45  |  Jorge 28/12/08
  4.   http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/neighborhood-bully Perfect reply 09:47  |  Robert 28/12/08
  5.   He`s right, but wrong conclusion 09:50  |  Ofer 28/12/08
  6.   The bully needs to be deterred 09:52  |  Colin Wright 28/12/08
  7.   gideon and the bad vibes of aloony left idiot 09:53  |  v.hardman 28/12/08
  8.   A hero against the weak 10:00  |  Malka L 28/12/08
  9.   "Here come the leftists" - what a joke # 1 10:01  |  Clickfool 28/12/08
  10.   Was Lebanon 2006 worth it? 10:02  |  Shimon List 28/12/08
  11.   Wow! 10:04  |  Glen 28/12/08
  12.   Levy, we in Israel will be happy to let you emigrate to Gaza 10:05  |  Genuine Tosefta 28/12/08
  13.   The neighborhood court jester strikes again (oy!) 10:06  |  Joe Sittizen 28/12/08
  14.   gideon levy: determined, relentless, complacent fool. 10:10  |  dante 28/12/08
  15.   Which Israel has a right to exist.....????? 10:19  |  Swiss (Dino) 28/12/08
  16.   The neighborhood idiot 10:27  |  SDHD 28/12/08
  17.   Gideon Levy 10:29  |  Ehud 28/12/08
  18.   Gideon you lefty lying Self Hating Jew should move to sderot 10:29  |  Scott 28/12/08
  19.   #11 boris the clucking fool and his encouragement of losers 10:34  |  victor hardman 28/12/08
  20.   Gideon Levy 10:39  |  Ralph 28/12/08
  21.   Israel has to crush the Hamas much harder!! 10:39  |  lisa - peace lover 28/12/08
  22.   Gideon L.: Hamas seeks destrection of Israel 10:46  |  ARA 28/12/08
  23.   @Swiss Dino 10:50  |  Ralph 28/12/08
  24.   This war could have been avoided 10:54  |  Frank 28/12/08
  25.   Gidon Levi 10:55  |  Elie Raymond 28/12/08
  26.   Gideon L.: Hamas seeks destruction of Israel 10:56  |  ARA 28/12/08
  27.   Gideon Levy, What quiet between two wars? 11:01  |  Tzfonit 28/12/08
  28.   More killing 11:04  |  Tony Price 28/12/08
  29.   Neighborhood Bully Bob Dylan - Words of Truth 11:09  |  Gil 28/12/08
  30.   Neighborhood Bully Bob Dylan - Words of Truth 11:10  |  Gil 28/12/08
  31.   Gideon is right 11:12  |  Marilyn 28/12/08
  32.   chapeau! 11:19  |  benedikt 28/12/08
  33.   Israel being way too soft on Hamas!! 11:20  |  Lisa 28/12/08
  34.   enraged bystanders transparency 11:21  |  rak 28/12/08
  35.   Neighborhood Bully Bob Dylan - Words of Truth 11:26  |  Gil 28/12/08
  36.   Neighborhood Bully Bob Dylan - Words of Truth 11:27  |  Gil 28/12/08
  37.   Even Gideon Levy says that THE BULLY IS RIGHT 11:29  |  meir Gush etzion 28/12/08
  38.   I WANT GIDEON TO LIVE IN SHDEROT 11:33  |  SHRAGA 28/12/08
  39.   SwissDino, our right to exist (even yours) is unconditional! 11:33  |  Ehud 28/12/08
  40.   Gideon Levy, I believe the tide is coming for Israel 11:34  |  Dutch 28/12/08
  41.   DGideon Levy, I believe the tide is coming in for Israel 11:38  |  Dutch 28/12/08
  42.   Swiss (Dino) 11:48  |  Rak 28/12/08
  43.   As a leftist living in Israel 11:57  |  DW 28/12/08
  44.   A thought out response 11:57  |  Michael Feldman 28/12/08
  45.   Joe Sittizen, Re: Neighborhood Court jester 11:58  |  Dutch 28/12/08
  46.   Gideon I don?t give shit to you it is about destruction of Jewis 12:03  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 28/12/08
  47.   80 missiles directed at us in less than 24 hours... 12:09  |  racheli 28/12/08
  48.   It is for Gideon,Abbas: Hamas could have avoided Gaza raids 12:15  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 28/12/08
  49.   doris cardigan the cyclops of the media posts crap again 12:18  |  v.hardman 28/12/08
  50.   Dutch courage 12:28  |  Rak 28/12/08
  51.   Laugh or cry 12:29  |  Ilan 28/12/08
  52.   Who is the bully and who is the victim that finally had enough?? 12:40  |  Zev 28/12/08
  53.   IAF=Cowards 12:41  |  Diego 28/12/08
  54.   Let it all out 12:45  |  TonyL 28/12/08
  55.   Joe Sittizen, Re: Gideon and the neighborhood Court jester 12:45  |  Dutch 28/12/08
  56.   The Clash 12:49  |  Peder 28/12/08
  57.   A travesty of "self defense": Israel`s "Refuge of Lies"! 12:50  |  Ivar 28/12/08
  58.   g. l 12:54  |  JoJo 28/12/08
  59.   You`re right! 12:57  |  Shirin 28/12/08
  60.   DSutch -- the response to your letter will be silence 12:58  |  bbl 28/12/08
  61.   I fully support Israel`s actions: we are not the bully here 12:58  |  Gila 28/12/08
  62.   Populism and distortion. 13:13  |  sharon 28/12/08
  63.   The fallacy of proportional response 13:19  |  MarkC 28/12/08
  64.   Dutch 13:19  |  sharon 28/12/08
  65.   Levy usually irritates me, but today his outrage is sheer delight 13:21  |  Freethinker 28/12/08
  66.   talk backers should read before spitting nonsense 13:23  |  ruben aaron 28/12/08
  67.   gideon levy 13:26  |  reina 28/12/08
  68.   #63 the saudistic ivar breaks cover and cries salt tears 13:27  |  victor hardman 28/12/08
  69.   Frank 13:28  |  sharon 28/12/08
  70.   neighborgood bully 13:29  |  elliot 28/12/08
  71.   The neigborhood bully strikes again 13:31  |  TonyN 28/12/08
  72.   The fallacy of DISPROPORTIONATE response, Mark 13:45  |  Ivar 28/12/08
  73.   Levy dishonest to your bones 13:52  |  x-ray 28/12/08
  74.   Gideon Levy 13:55  |  mike 28/12/08
  75.   Gideon Levy & Hamas 13:57  |  Doron from T A 28/12/08
  76.   Dutch: "People will be in the streets, at Israeli embassies.." 14:06  |  Tuvia 28/12/08
  77.   Allow us to judge for ourselves, Mark C # 69 14:08  |  Clickfool 28/12/08
  78.   the neighbourhood coward 14:26  |  bek 28/12/08
  79.   2900 Rockets 14:28  |  B 28/12/08
  80.   The wisdom of negotiating with Nazis 15:17  |  David Erlichman 28/12/08
  81.   #77 TonyN , I was a friend of Israel 15:22  |  jayem 28/12/08
  82.   Sharon et al 15:25  |  alan 28/12/08
  83.   Small Powerful Jew Outnumbered 100 to 1 15:31  |  B 28/12/08
  84.   thank you clickfool and Ivar 15:34  |  peter 28/12/08
  85.   in 1967, Ben Gurion overtly stated 15:35  |  jc 28/12/08
  86.   Once again, Guideon Levy 15:40  |  Gil 28/12/08
  87.   Gideon`s Levy`s heroes: Korach, Dotan & Aviram? 15:40  |  Alan Schleider 28/12/08
  88.   A brave voice....but a lonely one 17:39  |  Mike 28/12/08
  89.   The neighborhood bully strikes again 18:06  |  frank 28/12/08
  90.   The neighborhood bully 19:30  |  Maureen Roszler 28/12/08
  91.   Gid. Levy re bullly strikes again 23:45  |  Wendi 28/12/08
  92.   Dutch#55 - Pal superficial offenses 00:47  |  William 29/12/08
  93.   war crime? please explain 01:15  |  wondering jew 29/12/08
  94.   Dutch #41 is right 01:31  |  Kat 29/12/08
  95.   The Neighborhood Bully Strikes Again 03:20  |  Kate Madison 29/12/08
  96.   God speed to the soldiers of the IDF!!!!!!!!!! 04:00  |  Lee 29/12/08
  97.   wise israeli man who cares about israel gideon 05:31  |  josh the real one 29/12/08
  98.   Clickfool, your number is a lie. 07:28  |  Amy 29/12/08
  99.   Gideon Levy 08:01  |  Sheila B. 29/12/08
  100.   Click fool #77 08:03  |  Mickey 29/12/08
  101.   If you want to bomb, stop depending on US 08:04  |  Pete 29/12/08
  102.   Americans 08:23  |  sam 29/12/08
  103.   Gideon Levy is a hero! 08:27  |  Hazarin 29/12/08
  104.   Haaretz please publish my previous post 08:30  |  Peter Williams 29/12/08
  105.   Gideon the Neighborhood Bore 08:32  |  Baruch Gold 29/12/08
  106.   Colin Wright - you call that courage? 08:36  |  Deni 29/12/08
  107.   300 dead, how many new Hamas recruits and allies created? 08:49  |  newageblues 29/12/08
  108.   94 Kat, Thank you 08:57  |  Dutch 29/12/08
  109.   Re:The fallacy of proportional response 09:00  |  FrancoisT 29/12/08
  110.   Gaza Strikes 09:15  |  Dennis 29/12/08
  111.   WHAT A STUPID COMPLAINT!! 10:01  |  Shimon 29/12/08
  112.   Who is bullying who? 10:14  |  Bruce 29/12/08
  113.   Thank You! 10:19  |  samos 29/12/08
  114.   Bob Dylan 10:19  |  Doug Greener 29/12/08
  115.   Some wilfully blind comments here 10:34  |  Ben 29/12/08
  116.   Gideon - incredible backwards thinking 10:36  |  Eric 29/12/08
  117.   Unique in history 10:48  |  Mladen Andrijasevic 29/12/08
  118.   Thanks Gideon 11:11  |  Kyle 29/12/08
  119.   TERRORISM - as per the USA 12:19  |  PADDY 29/12/08
  120.   Gaza 12:49  |  Barbara 29/12/08
  121.   Gideon Levy 14:01  |  Yacoub 29/12/08
  122.   Gideon`s death by a thousand cuts (2nd try) 14:22  |  Peter Williams 29/12/08
  123.   Neighborhood inciter testament to cast iron democracy 14:39  |  Mike Isaacson 29/12/08
  124.   Neighborhood inciter testament to cast iron democracy 14:44  |  Mike Isaacson 29/12/08
  125.   covert ops?? 16:54  |  SA 29/12/08
  126.   "...the Qassams...did not sow death..." ? 18:38  |  DJStahl 29/12/08
  127.   remember who broke the cease fire! 19:50  |  MLI 29/12/08
  128.   The neighborhood bully strikes again 21:30  |  righthand 29/12/08
  129.   Levy 21:49  |  Connie 29/12/08
  130.   Gideon Levy attacks Israel 22:00  |  Rick Gross 29/12/08
  131.   Gideon Levy.... 22:48  |  Malone 29/12/08
  132.   The neighborhood bully etc. 03:06  |  Morris 30/12/08
  133.   Cease U.S. Funding 05:55  |  Mike 30/12/08
  134.   US role in this massacre 12:58  |  David Major 30/12/08
  135.   Neighborhood Bully Article 20:13  |  Wayne Ryerson 30/12/08
  136.   re: Americans 21:57  |  Barry 30/12/08
  137.   Gideon the Bore? 21:59  |  Barry 30/12/08
  138.   bullies become hated 22:27  |  Tim 30/12/08
  139.   re: Levy 22:51  |  Barry 30/12/08
  140.   JEWS ARE NOT PEOPLE OF GOD 05:07  |  ANDRE 31/12/08
  141.   The Neibourhood Bully 12:53  |  mathew brown 31/12/08
  142.   Thank you, Gideon Levy 03:27  |  Phyllis Schoenberg 01/01/09
  143.   `Neighbohod Bully Strikes Again`, brave author 16:35  |  lc 11/01/09
  144.   see response here 08:30  |  Benyamin Solomon 13/01/09
  145.   do not cast aspersions on bullies 01:40  |  mark aleshnick 04/04/09
  146.   do not cast aspersions on bullies 01:43  |  mark aleshnick 04/04/09
  147.   gaza 08:27  |  bob 23/11/09
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