Something Short Of Massacre



As of this moment (4:40 p.m. Eastern), there is hope for an end, however temporary, to the attacks between Hamas and Israel as

Diplomatic efforts accelerated on Tuesday to end the deadly confrontation between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, as the United States sent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East and Egypt’s president and his senior aides expressed confidence that a cease-fire was close. But by late evening there was no word on an agreement.

But by late evening there was no announcement, and Mrs. Clinton said she would be working in coming days to complete an agreement. Appearing beside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to speak briefly to the press, Mrs. Clinton said she hoped to achieve an end to the hostilities with a deal that moves “toward a comprehensive peace for all people in the region.”

Reacting to the Israeli missiles which have killed at least 54 Palestinian civilians, hundreds of protesters had taken to the streets of Chicago the previous night to protest U.S. support of Tel Aviv.  Hatem Abudayyeh of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network told ABC "The problem with U.S. policy is you support Israel unequivocally all the time, even when they're massacring civilians."    And today

Masked Israeli gunmen forced six people suspected of collaborating with Hamas to lie face down on the street — and shot them dead, witnesses told The Associated Press.

Then, while an angry mob stomped and spat on five of the bodies, the sixth was tied to the back of a motorcycle and and dragged through the streets.

“Spy! Spy!” the people screamed as the corpse was hauled off.

Witnesses told the AP that Israel posted the names of the alleged informers on a utility pole.

Informed, thoughtful, and objective reader that you are, you didn't believe that.    Substitute Hamas for Israeli/Israel and Israel for Hamas, and this is the story as it was actually written in The (New York) Daily News:

Masked Hamas gunmen forced six people suspected of collaborating with Israel to lie face down on the street — and shot them dead, witnesses told The Associated Press.

Then, while an angry mob stomped and spat on five of the bodies, the sixth was tied to the back of a motorcycle and and dragged through the streets.

“Spy! Spy!” the people screamed as the corpse was hauled off.

Witnesses told the AP that Hamas posted the names of the alleged informers on a utility pole.

Israel continues its (sarcasm alert) policy of genocide when (emphasis mine)

Intensifying the pressure on Hamas after a day of heavy rocket fire out of Gaza against southern Israel, the Israeli military said on Tuesday afternoon that it had distributed leaflets over Gaza instructing the Palestinian residents in several areas to evacuate their homes immediately, “for your safety,” and to move toward defined zones in central Gaza City.

Israeli actions can be misguided, unwise, or excessive; massacres, though, are not how they roll.    There is, meanwhile, no ambiguity in the policy and aims of Hamas.


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