Demons in the skies of the Gaza Strip<br><br> - Haaretz

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Wed., October 31, 2007 Cheshvan 19, 5768

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		Palestinians protesting in Gaza recently, demanding an end to Israeli sonic booms. Reuters

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Last update - 11:15 08/11/2005

Demons in the skies of the Gaza Strip

By Gideon Levy

This word does not appear in the Hebrew dictionary, but an old-new weapon from the sophisticated arsenal directed against the Palestinian people has again suddenly emerged. While not deadly, it is fiendish: the sonic boom.

The world's best air force is amusing itself by creating fear in a helpless and terrified civilian population. Twenty-nine such booms were sounded during a period of four days in September, and this practice was repeated again recently, according to Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, which jointly submitted a High Court petition on this matter. If there is such a thing as an unequivocal case of collective punishment, then this is it.

Parents in Gaza speak about the fears their children have suffered in recent weeks, the nightmares and bed-wetting. Husbands tell about pregnant women who have experienced panic attacks. The windowpanes in homes shatter one after another. Here is a scoop: Palestinians can also be "trauma victims."

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These booms, whose only purpose is to sow fear among innocent civilians, have been added to the artillery shells pounding the Gaza Strip and the daily barrage of liquidation missiles, which indiscriminately kill armed militants and innocent people. The fact that the air force is employing this weapon mainly late at night, or early in the morning, when masses of pupils are making their way to school, only makes its wickedness more conspicuous. Israel may have disengaged from Gaza, but its air force has not.

It is true, the liquidations and shelling are much worse. But the thinking behind the use of sonic booms is no less chilling: Israel has stuck with its old and bad policy that believes in "searing the consciousness" of the entire population so that it will pressure perpetrators of terrorist acts to stop their activity. The end result is generally the opposite; the cruel means of collective punishment serves to encourage terror more than prevent it.

But the method's ineffectiveness is not its only disadvantage. An air force that orders its pilots to generate a large noise only to sow fear among civilians is an air force with a moral flaw. While a pilot who fires a missile at a busy street, or drops a bomb on an apartment house, can still, barely, find some dubious justification for his action, what goes through the mind of a young pilot who sets out on a mission whose only aim is mass, indiscriminate intimidation? Does he envision the children who awaken in fear because of him? Does he consider the nightmares that plague them? Can he imagine his little brothers awakening in alarm in the middle of the night at the sound of the boom? Does he recall the panic that struck many homes in the Sharon area last week after a series of mysterious booms? Does he know that the commander of the air force in 2001 issued an explicit directive to avoid crossing the sound barrier on flights over populated areas in Israel due to "the tension this phenomenon creates among the residents," as reported in Issue 139 of the Air Force Journal? A complete squadron was grounded then because of a series of booms. The air force commander who forbade his troops from generating this noise is today the chief of staff and is ordering them to sound these booms.

The Palestinians are not the first victims of this method. In 1969, two Phantoms were sent to sow fear in the skies of Cairo. A year later, Phantoms from the Patishim ("Hammers") squadron did this in the skies of Damascus. This is how a bully demonstrates his strength. Over the years, we also used this method in the skies of Lebanon. But our enemies have never known the type of wholesale booms like those of recent weeks in Gaza. Anyone who has never awakened in a house full of children and infants at the sound of this thunder cannot understand how frightening it is. I once heard a boom like this over the Jenin refugee camp, and I was unable to breathe for a moment. And it is particularly frightening during periods of tension: When missiles are fired upon the streets of Gaza every day, nerves are shaky in any case.

Such is life in "liberated" Gaza: The conditions of incarceration are even more difficult than before the disengagement. There is a complete blockade in effect that includes the sick, students, workers, everyone; and there are the daily liquidations and sonic booms. True, Qassam rockets also are very frightening, but does one cruel method justify another? Do the booms prevent the Qassams? Or are they only intended to provoke and punish a population whose majority already opposes the Qassams?

The High Court now faces another opportunity to express its view on the system of collective punishment Israel employs against the Palestinians. One fears that the justices will again evade their responsibility this time. After all, they are still weighing, for years, the question of the legality of the liquidations

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1.	gideon haas ---"creating fear in a terrified population"	10:36	\|	fagin	06/11/05

2.	ben gurion	11:00	\|	fagin	06/11/05

3.	gideon haas and his cartoon depictions of israel	11:07	\|	fagin	06/11/05

4.	gideon haas"but our enemies have never known"	11:10	\|	fagin	06/11/05

5.	#1 Fagin	11:32	\|	Simon	06/11/05

6.	Sonic booms a justified warning	11:44	\|	Marc Hamil	06/11/05

7.	The best of bad alternatives	11:45	\|	Yonatan	06/11/05

8.	The same old Fagin	11:50	\|	THE PRINCE	06/11/05

9.	The pilots enjoy terrorizing children	11:53	\|	American	06/11/05

10.	Gideon Levy and the sonic booms	12:18	\|	Yojanan	06/11/05

11.	what should israel do,mrs gideon haas	12:26	\|	e.m	06/11/05

12.	Gideon Levy is right about one thing	12:46	\|	Stephen Duke	06/11/05

13.	Booms?	12:52	\|	Ezreal	06/11/05

14.	Gideon	12:55	\|	Steven	06/11/05

15.	imagin for one second	13:12	\|	salam	06/11/05

16.	Sonic Booms	13:32	\|	BM	06/11/05

17.	9 heroic american apologists	13:33	\|	BM	06/11/05

18.	I don`t agree	13:36	\|	Delta	06/11/05

19.	Re: Levy and the Demons	13:57	\|	Omid the Persian	06/11/05

20.	anything goes	14:01	\|	Rose	06/11/05

21.	One for Mr Levy	14:01	\|	Gerrit	06/11/05

22.	The New Joshuas	14:03	\|	The Other Alan	06/11/05

23.	Diamond Skies	14:05	\|	Bertrand Barnett	06/11/05

24.	Demons in the skies	14:05	\|	Paul C	06/11/05

25.	Prince likes his stereotypes #8	14:17	\|	Ezreal	06/11/05

26.	But Israel isn`t firing on Iran (#15)	14:26	\|	Yohanon Emek	06/11/05

27.	Justice has been served :) Poor JDL!!	14:27	\|	Realistic	06/11/05

28.	#7, Yonatan - They Just Want Us...	14:49	\|	Joe	06/11/05

29.	Any reaction?	15:19	\|	Yonatan	06/11/05

30.	Pathetic ..	15:23	\|	DEF	06/11/05

31.	The Israeli High Court, the laughing stock of the International Judicial Community.	15:43	\|	JOHANES Franzen	06/11/05

32.	Heartless	15:54	\|	Abu Mazen	06/11/05

33.	Self-Defense humane surgical strikes	16:00	\|	Neddie	06/11/05

34.	Question about the caption	16:04	\|	Yonatan	06/11/05

35.	#32, YOHANES Franzen - Now You Know the Truth	16:04	\|	Joe	06/11/05

36.	what a pity	16:15	\|	Al	06/11/05

37.	Noise, mental health and human rights	16:18	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

38.	Johanes .Descent into madness.	16:19	\|	Ezreal	06/11/05

39.	Wondering again	16:25	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

40.	Fire with Fire: Sonic booms keep going, Let Qassam threats keep Sdoret residents awake too	16:28	\|	Realistic	06/11/05

41.	Noise??? Are you kidding me?	16:28	\|	Ephraim	06/11/05

42.	salam: imagin for one second	16:31	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

43.	32 frantic franzi and his twaddle	16:32	\|	BM	06/11/05

44.	Rose: anything goes	16:36	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

45.	High court= IDF rubber stamp	16:43	\|	Greek Citgizen	06/11/05

46.	paris intifada 2005	16:45	\|	fagin	06/11/05

47.	make nazareth a palestinian enclave	16:46	\|	fagin	06/11/05

48.	the worst possible crime of the andromeda project in jaffa	16:48	\|	fagin	06/11/05

49.	open your eyes	16:59	\|	Al-Gaza	06/11/05

50.	what a pity	17:00	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

51.	Wise policy	17:11	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

52.	Gidoen Levy	17:15	\|	Robins	06/11/05

53.	Poor "Pals"	17:15	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

54.	america should keep its soldiers out of harm`s way	17:20	\|	fagin	06/11/05

55.	Sharon can`t afford to ignore Gaza violence	17:25	\|	JJ Doyle	06/11/05

56.	fagin: intifada in Paris	17:29	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

57.	Quote:The Lubavitcher Rebbe	17:47	\|	David	06/11/05

58.	#46 Greek Citigazan. Stop oppressing ethnic minorities now.	17:52	\|	Ezreal	06/11/05

59.	Demons	18:00	\|	Rick S.	06/11/05

60.	GOD BLESS YOU	18:03	\|	ZEE SARSOUR	06/11/05

61.	miss gideon haas unable to breathe in jenin because of terrible sonic boom.	18:03	\|	fagin	06/11/05

62.	SONIC BOOMS FOR GIDEAN LEVY`S EARS	18:06	\|	meir weinstein	06/11/05

63.	gideon haas`s next story	18:08	\|	fagin	06/11/05

64.	New WMD-Sonic boom	18:08	\|	Max Zinger	06/11/05

65.	5x daily - sonic boom / exchange	18:10	\|	david	06/11/05

66.	Ezreal yes indeed	18:10	\|	Danite	06/11/05

67.	another example of gideon haas complaint	18:12	\|	fagin	06/11/05

68.	To Delta, #18	18:16	\|	Abe	06/11/05

69.	David	18:17	\|	Danite	06/11/05

70.	Hi, Danite	18:19	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

71.	Childish Hrrassment	18:25	\|	Mark Lincoln	06/11/05

72.	Hi Kim	18:27	\|	Danite	06/11/05

73.	Suez Crisis Twaddle	18:29	\|	Mark Lincoln	06/11/05

74.	gideon haas ---"true qassem rockets are very frightening"	18:29	\|	fagin	06/11/05

75.	Don`t take him serious	18:31	\|	Mark Lincoln	06/11/05

76.	Gideon Levy is truly an Amazing man!	18:33	\|	Yosef Cohen	06/11/05

77.	JOHANES Franzen have you been to Malmo, Sweden, lately? you would feel right at home with all those Swedomuslem or is it Islamoswedes?	18:46	\|	Avner	06/11/05

78.	mark Lincoln	18:46	\|	Danite	06/11/05

79.	Are Sonic Booms a Big Deal?	19:01	\|	Jeff Northridge	06/11/05

80.	Oh dear	19:01	\|	Gerry Hiles	06/11/05

81.	To # 20 leon Rosgarden- you have just justified the action	19:08	\|	Yossi	06/11/05

82.	#2 Fagin; educating the Palestinians	19:12	\|	Ben Gurion	06/11/05

83.	Danite, Kim; on the Rebbe	19:15	\|	Ben Gurion	06/11/05

84.	Ezreal, Dutch; B`tselem is a very credible organization...	19:17	\|	Ben Gurion	06/11/05

85.	Abe/Realistic/Khalid/Azzam	19:21	\|	Delta	06/11/05

86.	MORE CRUEL AND ABUSIVE ACTION BY ISRAEL OVER GAZA	19:21	\|	Dutch	06/11/05

87.	sonic booms dont kill people, Qassams do	19:23	\|	God of Trance	06/11/05

88.	Sonic booms vs. rockets....	19:25	\|	Levy	06/11/05

89.	Gerry	19:28	\|	Delta	06/11/05

90.	Sonic booms...what`s the surprise?	19:29	\|	Levy	06/11/05

91.	Hey "Realistic", I mean "Azzam"...	19:29	\|	God of Trance	06/11/05

92.	Gaza`s real problems....some stats...	19:39	\|	Levy	06/11/05

93.	Dutch-wait till France builds a fence	19:40	\|	d	06/11/05

94.	Leo Tolstoy loved children	19:44	\|	Shlomo from Tel-Aviv	06/11/05

95.	It would still be an atrocity	19:44	\|	Kyle	06/11/05

96.	a question of geography	19:45	\|	fagin	06/11/05

97.	Dutch	19:49	\|	Delta	06/11/05

98.	Delta	19:56	\|	Gerry Hiles	06/11/05

99.	I`ve driven to Air Shows JUST to Hear Sonic Booms	20:02	\|	Gina	06/11/05

100.	Ezreal	20:05	\|	Gina	06/11/05

101.	ben gurion	20:14	\|	fagin	06/11/05

102.	Hey Delta! I`m not silent.....	20:17	\|	David James Vickery	06/11/05

103.	Paul C	20:18	\|	Gina	06/11/05

104.	"for the sake of peace between peoples."	20:21	\|	JOHANES Franzen	06/11/05

105.	David? the call to prayer is beautiful	20:25	\|	David James Vickery	06/11/05

106.	#33 ISRAELI HYPOCRITES & TERRORISTS IN THE SKIES OVER GAZA	20:27	\|	Dutch	06/11/05

107.	Worried about war crimes	20:33	\|	Ben Gurion	06/11/05

108.	terrorising women and children	20:36	\|	free Palestine	06/11/05

109.	Two Cents From Oregon	20:38	\|	Bill Cannon	06/11/05

110.	Getty Hiles	20:42	\|	Gina	06/11/05

111.	Dutch	20:45	\|	Gina	06/11/05

112.	#98 Delta, Isreal should pay for trauma treatment in Gazans	20:49	\|	Dutch	06/11/05

113.	Dutch	20:50	\|	Gina	06/11/05

114.	Levy: Sonic booms vs. rockets....	20:51	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

115.	How many of you have claimed Pals are waging a war?	20:57	\|	Me	06/11/05

116.	What to do, what to do??	20:59	\|	Larry	06/11/05

117.	David James Vickery	21:03	\|	Delta	06/11/05

118.	Dutch	21:05	\|	Delta	06/11/05

119.	Kim.....115	21:06	\|	Levy	06/11/05

120.	If terrorists were such a minority, why aren`t they	21:09	\|	sam	06/11/05

121.	Sonic Booms as a Deterrent to Palestinian Terrorism	21:10	\|	Shimon Z. Klein	06/11/05

122.	Sam	21:22	\|	Larry	06/11/05

123.	Gideon Levy is correct	21:25	\|	Ron	06/11/05

124.	Levy	21:25	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

125.	#114 Gina , Israelis will never be safe behind a wall...	21:26	\|	Dutch	06/11/05

126.	Gedion Levy is correct	21:27	\|	Ron	06/11/05

127.	DUTCH 126	21:29	\|	alan	06/11/05

128.	Ron in LaLa Land	21:31	\|	Delta	06/11/05

129.	109 free palestine	21:31	\|	alan	06/11/05

130.	Dutch	21:42	\|	Gina	06/11/05

131.	Has he lost all sense of proportion?	21:44	\|	Oren	06/11/05

132.	Ron	21:47	\|	Gina	06/11/05

133.	"Pals" shell Gaza	22:21	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

134.	Ben Gurion	22:24	\|	Ezreal	06/11/05

135.	The sense of proportion	22:29	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	06/11/05

136.	#131 Gina, the real savages are the Israelis	22:36	\|	Dutch	06/11/05

137.	Hazal said	22:38	\|	Ron	06/11/05

138.	hi omid th persian:you well come back	22:42	\|	e.m	06/11/05

139.	To #41 the unrealistic	22:42	\|	Tony	06/11/05

140.	crazy discussion on Talkback	22:47	\|	Ernst	06/11/05

141.	108 Ben Gurion - It`s Child Abuse	22:50	\|	Mark	06/11/05

142.	#132 WANTED-ISRAEL IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF MEN LIKE GIDEON LEVY!	22:55	\|	Dutch	06/11/05

143.	fiesta sonic booms	23:01	\|	el Cid	06/11/05

144.	A few hand made rockets!!	23:04	\|	sam	06/11/05

145.	Israeli High Court	23:09	\|	Michael	06/11/05

146.	Kim -- Palestinians Shell Gaza	23:18	\|	Gina	06/11/05

147.	To Klein " Sonic Booms as a Deterrent to Palestinian Terrorism"	23:21	\|	John	06/11/05

148.	Dutch	23:25	\|	Gina	06/11/05

149.	Mark	23:29	\|	Gina	06/11/05

150.	Child abuse	23:54	\|	Chanah	06/11/05

151.	.	23:54	\|	geist	06/11/05

152.	Child Abuse	23:54	\|	Emily	06/11/05

153.	#13 Ezreal, your moral conscience	00:04	\|	Dutch	07/11/05

154.	The Person Responsible Must Be Found	00:08	\|	Mark Lincoln	07/11/05

155.	Gina : Palestinians Shell Gaza	00:10	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	07/11/05

156.	#135 Ezreal	00:21	\|	Ben Gurion	07/11/05

157.	#142 Mark; various sonic booms	00:40	\|	Ben Gurion	07/11/05

158.	Dutch # 137 Aren`t You Forgetting Something?	00:42	\|	Jeff Northridge	07/11/05

159.	Palestinian muezzins interrupted even Pope`s mass in Betlehem,but they demand an absolute quiet when it suits them	00:47	\|	m.	07/11/05

160.	PA policeman hit by Qassam	01:09	\|	Kim: UP THE WALL	07/11/05

161.	To Delta: what do I think?	01:09	\|	David James Vickery	07/11/05

162.	DUTCH`s Decree``Now Israel will have to pay ``	01:09	\|	KJJ	07/11/05

163.	To Rosgarten- Great Parody	01:13	\|	RSinger10	07/11/05

164.	# 16 I HOPE THE PALESTINIANS NEVER BECOME CONTROLLING LIKE THE ISRAELIS	01:42	\|	Dutch	07/11/05

165.	sonic booms	01:59	\|	michael Cohen	07/11/05

166.	War Criminal	02:19	\|	Mark Lincoln	07/11/05

167.	KIMMY WALL I KNOWWWW! #161	02:22	\|	MEOW~~	07/11/05

168.	DEAR LARRY #117 THE TORTURE STRETEGY	02:28	\|	MEOW~	07/11/05

169.	David James Vickery	02:47	\|	Stephen Duke	07/11/05

170.	53 as you see Robins Haaretz readership is not normal	03:03	\|	ronit	07/11/05

171.	Dutch - have you read UNSCR242?	03:22	\|	cortez barbara	07/11/05

172.	Self Respecting Country	03:27	\|	Bill Pearlman	07/11/05

173.	#141 crazy discussion on Talkback	03:35	\|	Marc Hamil	07/11/05

174.	BILL YEA SURE	03:52	\|	MEOW~	07/11/05

175.	Thankfully, Israel does not behave like NATO!	03:53	\|	Emily	07/11/05

176.	Dutch - practice what you preach	04:02	\|	Orquest	07/11/05

177.	#167 Mark Lincoln; Israel doesn`t let go	04:25	\|	Ben Gurion	07/11/05

178.	EZRAEL BOOM BOOM #19	04:34	\|	MEOW~	07/11/05

179.	151 Chanah - Child Abuse	04:35	\|	Mark	07/11/05

180.	153 Emily	04:37	\|	Mark	07/11/05

181.	158 Ben Gurion - Sonic Booms	04:45	\|	Mark	07/11/05

182.	Sharon`s choices	05:23	\|	JJ Doyle	07/11/05

183.	#122, Shimon Klein, I disagree here...	05:27	\|	Jake	07/11/05

184.	Ronit #171 Re #53	05:28	\|	Gabe1	07/11/05

185.	#162 David James Vickery	05:37	\|	Larry	07/11/05

186.	Sonic Booms- From Gaza	05:41	\|	Jo	07/11/05

187.	Mark Hamil, peace requires giving up the stolen land	05:50	\|	Dane	07/11/05

188.	#167 Ben Gurion	05:53	\|	Larry	07/11/05

189.	Meow/Mona.....terror	06:24	\|	Levy	07/11/05

190.	Un-realistic	06:48	\|	Mike	07/11/05

191.	What Happened to Jewish Ethics?	06:55	\|	Citizen of the Wrold	07/11/05

192.	188 Land stolen from "pals"?? Dane must be joking	07:27	\|	ronit	07/11/05

193.	105 Franzi twaddle as usual	07:30	\|	BM	07/11/05

194.	#7 the best of bad alternatives Yonatan	07:34	\|	hala	07/11/05

195.	sonic stupidity	07:36	\|	ravi	07/11/05

196.	#34 Neddie and surgical strikes	07:45	\|	hala	07/11/05

197.	#111 comments on Palestinian society by Gina	08:17	\|	hala	07/11/05

198.	#145 Sam and Islamic immigrants	08:33	\|	hala	07/11/05

199.	ravi of noida	09:33	\|	fagin	07/11/05

200.	ravi of noida	09:39	\|	fagin	07/11/05

201.	ravi sonic booms are small change compared to the cruelty in india	09:48	\|	fagin	07/11/05

202.	Number 87	11:06	\|	Alter	07/11/05

203.	Larry #167	15:23	\|	Ben Gurion	07/11/05

204.	to Al-Gaza RE: open your eyes	18:55	\|	Lisa	07/11/05

205.	RE: Johanes Franzen	19:17	\|	Lisa	07/11/05

206.	Al Aza`s "Open your eyes` (#50)	05:33	\|	Yohanon Emek	08/11/05

207.	they reap what they sow	01:03	\|	doug hippchen	09/11/05

208.	#102 Vickery - What Green Line	21:55	\|	* BEN JABO	29/10/07

209.	#105 Vickery	21:58	\|	* BEN JABO	29/10/07

210.	Raving - aka/Ravi	22:04	\|	* BEN JABO	29/10/07

211.	Ravi aka/Raving - Child Labor	22:08	\|	* BEN JABO	29/10/07

212.	"Palestinians" are a joke	16:38	\|	David Schwartz	30/10/07

213.	Stating the obvious	17:06	\|	Ron	30/10/07

214.	Sonic Boom	19:08	\|	Larry Jacobson	30/10/07

215.	#105-2 Vickery - The call for killing	02:59	\|	* BEN JABO	31/10/07

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