In the Devil’s Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce defines peace as a period of cheating between two periods of fighting. The Israeli version of a ceasefire might be defined as a moment of war deceptively halted to enable conflict to continue. War as cosplay and camouflage. Under such fragile conditions, military objectives can still be pursued with a ruthlessness offensive to international law, custom and common sense.
Seeing as Israel was a central, if not the central power in pushing the crime of aggression on February 28 against Iran, wooing with seductive voice and lurid promise a deranged egoist in the White House (glory and oil awaits thee, Mr President), not to mention the dedicated thorn in any Middle East peace process that threatens sabotage to any enduring arrangements, the continued attacks on Lebanon seemed quotidian. With a war crimes habit well and truly formed, Israel had already issued displacement orders for some 14% of Lebanon, including areas south of the Zahrani River, a majority chunk of Beirut’s southern suburbs and cuts of the Beqaa region.
With their campaign hitting its strides, the Israeli Defense Forces showed no intention of ceasing operations, despite a Pakistan mediated ceasefire that had paused hostilities between Tehran and Washington. While the parties wrangled over what conditions the Strait of Hormuz would be opened under and what a more lasting peace agreement might look like, Israel exempted itself. While not striking Iran, it would continue its onslaught in Lebanon, despite statements from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the ceasefire would also apply to Lebanon. In the words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region.” However, the “ceasefire does not include Lebanon.”
Even homicidal routines can shock with spikes of freakish, callous intensity. These included the 100 strikes within 10 minutes on April 8 that resulted in the deaths of at least 303 people, with 1,150 injured. The Israeli authorities claimed that the majority of those killed were members of Hezbollah, though even a two-third fraction takes it into less than principled territory. The targets lay in the southern suburbs of Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley. In justifying the slaughter, the IDF expressed the usual pride akin to tribes seeking scalps: the raids had “eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.” Another official dead, only for another to take his place in due course.
The usual, casual destruction of infrastructure that would rankle most justice departments was also celebrated, with the IDF striking “two key crossings used by Hezbollah terrorists and commanders for movement from north to south of the Litani River in Lebanon to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets, and launchers.” Use of such crossings by civilians was of no interest, though the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) did state on March 23 that the destruction of crucial bridges had “significantly [disrupted] movement and humanitarian access,” with certain strikes severing the link between Tyre and Nabatieh, while also limiting “movement between south Lebanon and West Bekaa, including Marjayoun and Hasbaya.”
The previous night, Israeli forces struck a building in front of Hiram Hospital in Al-Aabbassiye, near Tyre. This damaged the hospital and cost the lives of four people. Another strike on the Islamic Health Authority in Qlaileh hit an ambulance, resulting in three deaths. When it comes to targeting and the IDF, categories are highly mutable.
The scale of such killings astonished the United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. “The scale of the killing and destruction in Lebanon today is nothing short of horrific,” stated the High Commissioner on April 8. “Such carnage, within hours of agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran, defies belief. It places enormous pressure one a fragile peace, which is so desperately needed by civilians.” In truth, they need far more than a fragile peace, and certainly not the targeting pedantry that appears in IDF briefings and justifications, the sort that see corpses as more useful and living civilians. Even in war, Türk states in firm reminder, “Each and every attack must comply with international humanitarian law fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions to protect civilians.”
The UN official must surely know by now that Israel operates in a vacuum all who have committed crimes in international law inhabit, the quarry of the necropolis, the architectural vision of the Grim Reaper. Even the names for Israel’s military operations are drawn increasingly from the dark – literally. “Operation Eternal Darkness was a very powerful blow to Hezbollah, leaving it stunned and confused by the depth of the penetration and the scale of the track,” glowed Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz in his video statement. “More than 200 terrorists were eliminated yesterday, bringing the number of those eliminated in this campaign to 1,400.” This was “more than double the number in the Second Lebanon War.” It’s all about thanatotic accounting.
This butchery has taken place in conjunction with the establishment of a four-line security zone in Lebanon. The first is the unimaginative and common destruction of Lebanese villages that might serve as launching posts for Hezbollah attacks and briefing notes for prosecutors of international criminal law; the second constitutes a “defensive line” in Lebanon, currently made up of five forward army posts, and set to bulk to 15. The third comprises the “anti-tank” line and the fourth the Litani River, a goal of security so cherished as to be fetishised in Israeli military objectives. There, according to Katz, the IDF will “prevent further infiltration of terrorists and the return of residents southbound.”
A stunning volte face in these arrangements would be the acceptance of a ceasefire and a genuine affirmation that peace is preferable to war. But the Israeli military-political complex seems to relish the view of US President Theodore Roosevelt, who proudly thundered that the benefits of a prosperous peace would never eclipse or exceed those of war, especially waged with a righteous temper. But budgets for killing and conquest thin over time, as do the support of powers who, for all their abundant hypocrisy, may finally relinquish their backing. The momentum is against Israel, however slow the turning.
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benny the butcher needs more blood!
any israeli that has served in the IDF during the current slaughter should be immediately denied a visa to visit australia!
i recently met some that had served in the IDF and they were openly boasting about the number of palestinians they had killed! is this the type of people we want to have to live with in australia?
The momentum against Israel is indeed turning, the pity is the rest of the world doesn’t seem to have either the will or the ability to make the turning either faster or absolute.
Australia needs to shake off the oppressive chains of the Zionist Israeli lobby. Social cohesion and Australian’s faith in their parliament has been trashed in the mad scramble to appease the Zionist Israeli lobby. The perverse and cowardly leadership by Australia’s political class is blatant, disgusting, particularly unAustralian, an affront to common decency and an attack on humanity itself. Being unequivocally against Zionist Israel’s genocide is what was needed. Instead Australia got obfuscation and complicity that is tearing at the heart of Australians egalitarian moral compass. The rush to push through the new antisemitism laws with minimal scrutiny and major rule of law flaws like vague definitions, retrospective reach and expanded executive powers risks undermining our rights, due process and democratic accountability. Parliaments new antisemitism laws are proving that bad laws are the worst form of tyranny.
Noting that In 2024 the Federal Court made the line explicit. Criticism of Israel or Zionism is not antisemitism. One targets a state and an ideology. The other targets a people. Conflating them is legally wrong and constitutionally dangerous, then Australian politicians have let Australians down.
The independence of the Australian democratic system must now be in question. Australia and the West will pay a high price for Zionist Israel’s war on liberty (not USS Liberty), justice and humanity itself.
Zionist interference and manipulation of Australian politicians and media is out of control. When the Zionist Israeli lobby is more powerful then the Australian peoples democratic rights then something has gone radically wrong. The proof of this overbearing influence is laid out in the examples of Labor leader Anthony Albanese not allowing debate on the genocide in Gaza at the Labor national conference, the removal of Fatima Payman from Labor by Albanese for standing up for Palestinians and Labor values, the cancelling of Pulitzer prize winning journalist Chris Hedges from the National Press Club, the cancelling of the visa for internationally recognised podcaster Candice Owens by Labor’s Tony Burke, the unlawful sacking of Antoinett Lattouf from the ABC and the fiasco of the forever tarnished Adelaide Writers Festival exacerbated by the Labor South Australian premier’s interferance. These are just a few examples that because our politicians and media are lapdogs to the Zionist Israeli lobby Australia is becoming part of Greater Israel.
How has it come to this that antisemitism is now a far more heinously egregious affront to common human decency than the blatantly obvious orchestrated and systemic genocidal apartheid of a disimpowered nation and
the mass slaughter of that nations most innocent, the children. Australian politicians should note that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
The antisemitism envoys demands/report was criticised, pilloried and lampooned before the events in Bondi. Now they are flagged to be law and Australian’s freedoms and values are negated while a specious royal commission that will not attempt to address the ” cause and effect” elephant in the room, a genocidal humanitarian disaster perpetrated by an apartheid regime, will go ahead to appease those with objectionable motives, unscrupulous morals and hidden agendas. Who really have been the victims of the Bondi shootings when the truth is now hate speech and is criminalised by our government?
Why are those protesting for peace blamed by the NSW premier for the events in Bondi? Australians are better then those who seek to divide and control us, like Chris Minns.
Hate speech is being used by our politicians when the NSW premier says that mosques are factories of hate and the PM says that Muslims teach their children to hate but not a word mentioned about the hate being perpetrated upon the Palestinian people.
It is evident that Australia like the US has been infiltrated by traitorous unChristian paid Zionist Israeli goose stepping foot soldiers masquerading as patriotic Australian politicians who trash international laws and conventions while enabling war criminals.
Brave young Australians made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our collective freedoms and values. Now a foreign regime has the ability to deny and nullity those freedoms and values, Why?
Ask yourself why this specific group were targeted?
Why was the ex IDF security so ineffective?
Like the attack on October 7 on Zionist Israel that has left many important questions unanswered or was it like the 1994 false flag bombing of Israeli Embassy in London by Mossad? There are a lot of questions about the events that occurred at Bondi that need to be answered.
In actuality it has been a pyrrhic victory for Zionist lobbyists although with that in mind surely now the question must be have Australians democratic rights become the sixteenth victim of the Bondi shootings?
ajogrady, I share your anger and your sentiments, as plenty of us do.It’s hard to see any worthwhile correction on these matters while we have a managerial government intent on holding power at any cost,including toadying to whoever is making the loudest noise.I’d be surprised if Labor’s primary vote doesn’t plummet come the next election.
By then , all the ‘lifers’ will bow out disgracefully, clutching their bloated pensions.
@ eric taylor: Any potential immigrant that is shown to have served with the amoral Isrevil IDF is NOT WANTED IN AUSTRALIA FOR ANY REASON!!
@ RomeoCharlie”: The mainstream Media Manipulation Monopoly in Australia has a counterpart in the USA (undemocratic Sewer of Apartheid) that promotes American 19th century jingoism at the cost of everything. The boast, often without substantiation, “”America is always right” better describes the political scene than the correctness of the statement.
@ ajogrady: Agreed. The ZIONAZI minority among Judaism followers are the greatest danger to Australian multiculturalism. Perhaps our preferred action should be to ”Ban, Divest & Sanction” EVERYTHING ZIONAZI especially all immigration, all commercial contracts and all political connections.
The penetration of ZIONAZI operatives into the US public service at all levels over the post WWII period is documented in L Sandy Maisel & Ira N Forman (2004) ”Jews in American Politics Essays”, Rowman & Littlefield Inc, 350pp, pb, ISBN 1-800-462-6429 The numbers and positions have only increased during the intervening twenty (20) years.
@ajogrady
Thank you thank you. You wrote passionately and reasonably of the Truth.
Every word rang true.
I now no longer feel so alone in my disgust and devastation about this Australian Govt.
So important your exposè.
Thank you.
#FreePalestine
I love happy pets, smiling children, peace and love and a decent security. But, I hate murder, theft, insincerity, lying, vanity, greed, egofixations. So, I’m sending a card to Donald Dogshit. Add your name…