Media Blintzkrieg in Gaza; Madoff covers up family jewels
by Ward Harkavy
“Gaza medics in the line of fire,” from Al Jazeera
Congratulations to the New York Times. The word “war” made it into a front-page story this morning about Israel’s war on Gaza.
Ethan Bronner‘s piece even sports the word in its headline: “Gaza War Role Is Political Lift for Ex-Premier.”
As I noted yesterday, the Times has a particular problem calling a spade a spade in the Middle East. Witness one of its other war stories this morning, Steven Erlanger‘s “Rockets Fired From Lebanon Into Israel,” which generally avoids the word “war” and features this lede:
Yeah, “conflict.” Please. The pro-Israel New York Post has no problem calling this a war.
Even Israel’s government is calling its bombardment of Gaza “Operation Cast Lead.” Compare that with the B.S. euphemisms the U.S. is using in Iraq and Afghanistan: “Operation Iraqi Freedom and “Operation Enduring Freedom.”
Look, if people don’t want to call what’s going on in Gaza a “war,” I’ll settle for “blintzkrieg.”
There was a time, oh about 40 years ago, when the Jews of Israel were an underdog state with a sense of humor (especially among their American Jewish supporters) melded into their fight for survival. See this Time story from 1967, in the midst of what became known as the Six-Day War, that rounded up jokes about that “conflict” under the headline “Blintzkrieg” (supply your own ba-dum-pum rim shots after each line):
“It’s unfair,” said a U.A.R.[United Arab Republic] spokesman. “They have 2,300,000 Jews on their side. And we have none.” He denied, however, that Egypt had asked the Russians for their 2,500,000 Jews. Soon after the war’s start, Nasser made a brief guest appearance on the popular Cairo TV show, Where’s My Line? Reports from the second day of fighting indicated that the Egyptians had destroyed four Jeeps, a kosher mobile kitchen and 14 air-conditioned Cadillacs. The Israelis claimed 400 MIGs and 24 flying carpets. Ralph Nader launched a campaign to provide Arab tanks with back-up lights.
The unstoppable Israeli thrust through the Sinai Desert quickly became known as the blintzkrieg. It was led by the crack regiment known as the Bagel Lancers. When Israeli troops reached the Suez Canal, they grabbed the lox. At one point in the campaign, an Arab division spotted a lone Israeli sniper on a sand dune. The commander dispatched three men to get him. When they did not return, he sent a dozen. None of them came back. So he finally sent an entire company. Two hours later, one blood-splattered Egyptian soldier crawled back. “It was an ambush,” he explained. “There were two of them.”
The Six-Day War was a turning point. Forty years later, the laughter has died out. Israel acts less and less like an underdog and more and more like an overlord, thanks to its decades of harsh occupation policies, and as many commentators in Israel have noted with anguish, the decades of acting like occupiers have coarsened Israeli society.
The Jewish state’s grim throttling of Palestinians these days is pretty much unleavened by humor. Insanely orthodox. Humanism is also kosher, but you wouldn’t know it these days.
Anyway, I’m still willing to be assaulted by a blintzkrieg. Make mine raspberry…
NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
N.Y. Post: ‘EX IS AN ORGAN MOANER’
N.Y. Times: ‘Sarkozy, Merkel, Blair Call for New Capitalism’
New Yorker: ‘Will the Times live?: More on the end of newsprint’
N.Y. Daily News: ‘Macy’s to close 11 stores; other retailers report dismal sales figures’
Wall Street Journal: ‘Citigroup, Senators in Talks to Let Judges Modify Mortgages’
N.Y. Post: ‘TRIAL BY JEWRY: FEUDING BIZ PARTNERS EYE RABBINICAL JUDGE’
N.Y. Daily News: ‘Hugo Chavez flips oil aid back on for Bronx poor’
New Yorker: ‘Beware of Pity’
New York: ‘The Worst Movies of 2008’
N.Y. Times: ‘China Losing Taste for Debt From U.S.’
N.Y. Times: ‘Obama Promises Bid to Overhaul Retiree Spending’
N.Y. Daily News: ‘Homeowners get soaked by shoddy homes’
N.Y. Post: ‘CRITICS LACE INTO BLOOMY’
New Yorker: ‘Homelands’ (David Remnick)
N.Y. Post: ‘GOTTI HIT OF “ACID”: SON’S KILLER IN VAT’
Seeking Alpha: ‘Aftershocks from the Satyam scandal’ (via Bloomberg)
New Yorker: ‘Barney’s Great Adventure: The most outspoken man in the House gets some real power.’
Wall Street Journal: ‘Dell to Cut 1,900 Irish Jobs, Shift Operations to Poland’
U.S. computer maker Dell Inc. announced Thursday it will slash its Irish work force and shift its European manufacturing operations to Poland in a move certain to undermine Ireland’s recession-hit economy.
Dell is Ireland’s second-largest employer, its biggest exporter and in recent years has contributed about 5% to the national gross domestic product. Economists warn that each Dell job underpins another four to five jobs in Ireland.
N.Y. Post: ‘GAL’S CORPSE ON BX. ROOF’
N.Y. Daily News: ‘New administrator blamed for faculty revolt at Bronx High School of Science’
N.Y. Post: ‘NEW FERRY TO CONNECT BROOKLYN TO GOVERNOR’S ISLAND’
New York: ‘Caroline’s Quiet Rebound’
N.Y. Post: ‘EMPIRE STATE DEATH PLUNGE’
N.Y. Post: ‘CON ED EYES NEW $5 JOLT’
Seeking Alpha: ‘Housing: Where Is the Bottom?’
Wall Street Journal: ‘Madoff Is a “Danger,” Argue Prosecutors’
N.Y. Post: ‘FEDS WANT BERNIE IN CAN FOR CLAMMING UP’
N.Y. Times: ‘UK Fraud Office Starts Madoff Investigation’
N.Y. Daily News: ‘Chicago lawyer cursed by same name is Mad as hell’
N.Y. Times: ‘Elderly Madoff Investors in Financial Trouble’