I normally don’t spend a lot of time in this space
talking about the latest shenanigans in the Middle East, mostly because it is so
unbearably boring and predictable. The Israelis vs The Palestinians are to the geopolitical
world what the “terrible twos” are to child rearing, both inevitable and
infuriating. The only difference is that with kids, they eventually grow up.
Not so in the Middle East. So the rest of the world has to put up with their interminable
adolescence.
However, something happened while we slept that is
worthy of note, as it may help turn the tide of public opinion.
Generally speaking, the world press treats an Israeli/Palestinian
conflict like this:
-
Peaceful yet fed up Palestinian people “rise
up” against their Jewish oppressors by lobbing a few harmless rockets into some
random hillside and the war mongering Jewish state completely overreacts by
launching a full scale military invasion of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the
deaths of thousands of children. Every reporter on the ground in Gaza shows up
at hospitals and begins interviewing the injured toddlers. Great pains are
taken by these intrepid film crews not to show the rocket launchers in
the corner of these hospitals rooms, which might make for inconsistent optics
and confusion among the viewers. At the end of each piece, footage is shown of
riots taking place in the streets of New York, Paris and London in support of
the suffering children and against the Fascist Israeli state.
All of the beautiful people of the world are always
in agreement. The Jews are killers and the Palestinians are innocent victims.
In another world and in another time, this used to be called “anti-Semitism.” Now,
it’s called liberal consensus.
But, I have a feeling that the tide may be turning.
Cracks may begin to be seen in the united front of progressive, enlightened
thought. For, overnight came word that Hamas, the governing power in Gaza, has
resorted to using “suicide donkeys.” That’s right, perfectly innocent animals
have been enlisted as weapons of mass destruction...no wait, should it be "ass" destruction?
The traditional “beast of burden” has now been employed to carry the ultimate
burden, one hundred pounds of bombs. This follows reports of dogs similarly
engaged, but never documented, in the second intifada. As of 6:25AM, no
official statement has been forthcoming from PETA, but a press conference has
been scheduled for later in the day, and one source inside the animal rights
organization has described the denunciation of Hamas that is to come as “blistering.”
“You know, it’s one thing to strike out blindly at your
Zionist oppressors and all, I mean, I get it,” said the highly placed source. “But
you start strapping bombs around donkeys, well…that’s just beyond the pale.”
If PETA can be turned, one has to wonder what
traditionally leftist organization may follow? Might powerful Teachers Unions
in America object to Hamas using the roofs of schools for their anti-aircraft
batteries? Might Humanists organizations tire of Hamas soldiers constantly
yelling “God is great” every five minutes? Right now the situation is quite
fluid, but from where I sit, the Palestinian cause may finally have gone a
bridge too far.
Time will tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment