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Last update - 02:50 17/03/2009
The writing on the wall
By Amira Hass
Tags: IDF, Gaza, Israel News

We came to annihilate you; Death to the Arabs; Kahane was right; No tolerance, we came to liquidate. This is a selection of graffiti Israeli soldiers left on the walls of Palestinians' homes in Gaza, which they turned into bivouacs and firing positions during Operation Cast Lead. Here and there, a soldier scribbled a line of mock poetry or biblical quote in the same sentiment. There were also curses on the Prophet Mohammed and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, along with shift schedules and favorite soccer teams.

When the homes' owners returned, they usually found widespread devastation - whether from the first shells the Israel Defense Forces fired to chase away the inhabitants, or from break-ins and the destruction of furniture, clothing, walls, computers and appliances. Frequently the breached homes remained standing in a neighborhood whose other houses were turned into rubble by bulldozers. The residents also found the trash the soldiers left behind.

In Israel, research institutes count every abusive slogan scrawled on Jewish cemeteries abroad and document every problematic article, to monitor the upsurge in anti-Semitism. The media attributes importance to every piece of graffiti against assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. But the everyday racism - both institutionalized and popular, declarative and practical - against the Arabs of Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank are usually cautiously and frugally covered.
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No wonder the Hebrew graffiti, whose writers were also destructive, on walls in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods were not picked up by Israeli antennae, always so sensitive to racism against Jews.

The military spokespeople could dismiss the reports and testimony of the killing of many civilians at short or long range as fabricated or manipulative, or could answer generally that the terrorists were responsible because they were hiding nearby. Israeli society, from whose view Cast Lead has been buried in a closed archive, is always ready for any trick to explain how righteous and morally superior its army is.

But the photographic evidence of the Hebrew graffiti is hard to deny or call fabricated; all the more so when it appears alongside the names of army units and individual soldiers. Indeed, the military spokesman said the graffiti contravenes the values of the IDF, and the IDF views it gravely.

Not all the soldiers wrote graffiti, but the comrades and commanders of those who did neither stopped them nor erased what they scrawled. So this is where we can praise the soldiers' sincerity and integrity. They felt free to write what they did because they - like the pilots and operators of the missile-bearing drones - knew they had received from their government and commanders a free hand to attack a civilian population. Why then should there be a problem with the words they chose? What they wrote on the walls reflects their understanding of the spirit of their mission.

Unlike the older commanders, who are permitted to speak to certain journalists acceptable to the army, and who recite carefully what the IDF's legal advisers and the State Prosecutor's Office tell them to say, the writers of the graffiti - soldiers in the regular army who grew up with the occupation and Israel's military superiority - have not yet understood that the world makes more than weapons. It also makes laws, rules and human norms.

Their commanders permitted them to contravene norms they are obviously unaware of. Unlike those who formulate the IDF Spokesman's responses, the young, unsophisticated soldiers are inexperienced at covering up the army's actions and its mission, their mission, with words that blur the truth.
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  1.   A little propaganda can go a long way 04:30  |  NoToHassHamas 17/03/09
  2.   Gaza houses all belong to supporters of terror 05:22  |  Peter B Hard 17/03/09
  3.   dont paint Them All with The Same Brush 08:31  |  Aussie Eli 17/03/09
  4.   AMIRA will now produce the documents to prove;- 09:41  |  PETER SM 17/03/09
  5.   The winds of change 09:51  |  Ardi 17/03/09
  6.   Amira Has Ran Out of material 09:52  |  Baruch Gold 17/03/09
  7.   Proof that Israel is plumenting tewards moral malaise 10:07  |  Moshe Cryan 17/03/09
  8.   Balanced opinions of British military 10:11  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  9.   Balanced opinions of British military 10:14  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  10.   "Not all the soldiers wrote graffiti...etc" Shame to you Amira! 10:20  |  S 17/03/09
  11.   So Amira, 10:24  |  Robert Haymond 17/03/09
  12.   The IDF on "confrontation course" with the Jewish religion.... 10:30  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/03/09
  13.   More questions than answers 10:37  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  14.   IDF went after Hamas in foot, anonymous voice 10:38  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  15.   Good article 10:47  |  cfs 17/03/09
  16.   Peter from Mebourne 11:04  |  john and the TRUTH! 17/03/09
  17.   Sceptic 8. British military thinks the IDF are amateurs 11:05  |  Michael 17/03/09
  18.   IDF went after Hamas in foot, anonymous voice 11:18  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  19.   "To paint all with the same brush" 11:22  |  Anne 17/03/09
  20.   12 Michael and the British Forces 11:34  |  Ardi 17/03/09
  21.   MICHAEL UK Irans Revolutionary guard found Royal Marines amateurs 11:35  |  PETER SM 17/03/09
  22.   #7 Moshe Cryan 11:53  |  Mark B. 17/03/09
  23.   The Conscience of her country 11:58  |  Cath 17/03/09
  24.   She`s at it again 12:19  |  dyinglikeflies 17/03/09
  25.   Sceptic: can you imagine... 13:05  |  AT 17/03/09
  26.   psm deal with the soldiers actions -stop diverting 13:25  |  Labhras 17/03/09
  27.   graffitti 14:07  |  richi 17/03/09
  28.   IDF went after Hamas in foot, anonymous voice 14:35  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  29.   Michael (#12) Thank you 15:10  |  Gil 17/03/09
  30.   Isn`t it high time the IDF sued Hass for libel? 15:18  |  Freethinker 17/03/09
  31.   #12 michael and more of his hogwash 15:28  |  v hardman 17/03/09
  32.   Amira and his ilk. 15:33  |  John Allen 17/03/09
  33.   #7 Moshe Cryan 15:42  |  John Allen 17/03/09
  34.   Maybe Hamas members should wear uniforms 15:44  |  Richard 17/03/09
  35.   #14 Gil of Haifa 16:00  |  Chris Linthwaite 17/03/09
  36.   Tell Bradley Burston ... 16:03  |  Phil Craig 17/03/09
  37.   Mission accomplished 16:08  |  American in NY 17/03/09
  38.   Exercise in arithmetics to Indraja 16:29  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  39.   Kol Ha Kavod Gil 16:39  |  Yaeli 17/03/09
  40.   More questions than answers 16:40  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  41.   IDF is a huge organization either, Michael#12. 17:36  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  42.   More questions than answers 17:56  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  43.   Exercise in arithmetics to Indraja 17:56  |  Sceptic 17/03/09
  44.   Unlike Jenin 18:05  |  Mark Lincoln 17/03/09
  45.   All you need to do is read the comments here 18:49  |  David 17/03/09
  46.   Every article Amira Hass writes demonizes Israel. Each one. 18:50  |  John Doe 17/03/09
  47.   Thank you Amira 18:55  |  Connie 17/03/09
  48.   T0 Mark - 19:00  |  Eli 17/03/09
  49.   The concience of her country 19:26  |  Cath 17/03/09
  50.   An Explanation of what She Means By "FREE HAND" 19:33  |  Eli 17/03/09
  51.   PETER SM wants more evidence #4 19:47  |  Roo 17/03/09
  52.   peter b hard 2 21:04  |  potobac 17/03/09
  53.   Graffiti just Graffiti Amira 21:05  |  JO 17/03/09
  54.   Why is It OK for Arabs to Hate Jews But Not Vice Versa? 21:12  |  Harold 17/03/09
  55.   Gil 29. England`s been free for 1000 years. Israel 60. 21:22  |  Michael 17/03/09
  56.   Amira always takes some random nothing, ... 21:23  |  Jasper 17/03/09
  57.   No thank you Connie, and thank you Amira 21:29  |  Marlene N. 17/03/09
  58.   Hey Amira - don`t you read Hamas graffitti? 21:43  |  Joe Sittizen 17/03/09
  59.   Hey Amira - don`t you read Hamas graffitti? 21:43  |  Joe Sittizen 17/03/09
  60.   Roo #50 not very good evidence 21:48  |  Gee 17/03/09
  61.   Beautiful woman 21:49  |  Yakov 17/03/09
  62.   David #45 how positive comments about the Taliban? 21:51  |  Gee 17/03/09
  63.   Easy for you... 22:02  |  Nir 17/03/09
  64.   I agree with #44 22:03  |  Leeguy 17/03/09
  65.   Some perspective 3rd try 22:19  |  Peter Williams 17/03/09
  66.   Chris Linthwaite (#35) & Battle of Agincourt (year 1415) Psssssh 22:53  |  Gil 17/03/09
  67.   No. 29 Gill in Haifa 22:55  |  Egyptian 17/03/09
  68.   the writing on the wall 23:08  |  patrick land 17/03/09
  69.   Oh... oh... a bloodhound Amira Hass article 00:01  |  allang 18/03/09
  70.   The writing on the wall 00:16  |  Nezam el Jenini 18/03/09
  71.   #4 Peter SM; More evidence here 01:45  |  Damian Lataan 18/03/09
  72.   amiras sole purpose... 02:54  |  hannah 18/03/09
  73.   Amira, did you ever wonder if Gazans can write Hebrew? 03:15  |  natan 18/03/09
  74.   #49 Cath 03:18  |  Moshe 18/03/09
  75.   The writting 03:31  |  Huseein 18/03/09
  76.   No Libel 03:48  |  Iain 18/03/09
  77.   Amira with a can of spray paint in her hand 04:49  |  Bennie 18/03/09
  78.   to # 44 .....say what? 05:43  |  Hans 18/03/09
  79.   moral ground Eli? 06:16  |  rm 18/03/09
  80.   # 29 Gil, We have peace now but 06:55  |  Egyptian 18/03/09
  81.   ROO ZEITOUN is not all of Gaza, local battle circumstances 06:59  |  PETER SM 18/03/09
  82.   If so, then they`re a merciful bunch 07:18  |  x-ray 18/03/09
  83.   idiotic lightweight you proved Gil`s point 07:24  |  x-ray 18/03/09
  84.   Michael you`re growing shrill 07:27  |  x-ray 18/03/09
  85.   great article 07:28  |  As`ad (Angry Arab) 18/03/09
  86.   JOHN & the"Truth that was the war the Lebanese started 07:43  |  PETER SM 18/03/09
  87.   Like high school kids 07:43  |  Robert 18/03/09
  88.   EGYPTIAN Re 6/10/ 1973.How many cms of land did the Egyptian army 07:55  |  PETER SM 18/03/09
  89.   46 The problem isn`t Amira Hass.... 08:21  |  Dutch 18/03/09
  90.   GOEBBELS WOULD BE PROUD! 08:25  |  David 18/03/09
  91.   ROO AND how about this from the same Times article 08:28  |  PETER SM 18/03/09
  92.   To Phil Craig #36 `Tell Bradley Burston` 08:35  |  Colin Wright 18/03/09
  93.   Sceptic #9-#10 `Balanced...` 08:40  |  Colin Wright 18/03/09
  94.   ROO About 1200 people died in Gaza."free hand"would have resulted 09:19  |  PETER SM 18/03/09
  95.   Chris Linthwaite (#35) & The Year 1415 Psssssh WOW! 09:23  |  Gil 18/03/09
  96.   Amira Hass 09:30  |  Ralph 18/03/09
  97.   61 X-Ray you`re growing stupid 09:33  |  Michael 18/03/09
  98.   I don`t have to imagine, AT 09:53  |  Sceptic 18/03/09
  99.   I don`t have to imagine, AT 09:53  |  Sceptic 18/03/09
  100.   Egyptian (#58) And I Hope We Will Have Peace for Many Years More 10:01  |  Gil 18/03/09
  101.   You are driven by emotions, Colin Wright 10:23  |  Sceptic 18/03/09
  102.   More questions than answers, Roo. Supplement to #40 and Peter SM 10:37  |  Sceptic 18/03/09
  103.   More questions than answers, Roo. Supplement to #40 and Peter SM 10:37  |  Sceptic 18/03/09
  104.   PETER SM -what were they doing there? 11:15  |  Roo 18/03/09
  105.   PETER SM moves goalposts 11:18  |  Roo 18/03/09
  106.   Sceptic ignores the 29 deaths 11:22  |  Roo 18/03/09
  107.   #55 Moshe 12:17  |  Cath 18/03/09
  108.   #55 Moshe 12:26  |  Cath 18/03/09
  109.   #59 Moshe 13:07  |  Cath 18/03/09
  110.   Israelis should demand accountability of their army ... 08:43  |  Dutch 19/03/09
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