As of this hour, you wont find this news in the New York Times (I guess it’s not fit to print) or in HuffPost, but it’s in The Jerusalem Post and Fox News. Still, it’s worth noting, because the rockets, which weren’t intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome, were fired from Gaza. No rockets have been fired at Tel Aviv since 2014. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.
Three points:
a. You won’t see the Left getting themselves worked up about this because the target was, after all, only Israel. Who cares if their civilians are targeted? But if Israel fired rockets at civilians in Gaza, well, all hell would break loose.
b. Why is this reported only by right-wing sites and Israeli newspapers? (Eventually the NYT may grudgingly report it, but it doesn’t fit their “optics” about Israel.)
c. Please note that targeting civilians with rockets is a war crime, one of many that Palestinians commit regularly. Will the Palestinian Territories be called out for this? Don’t hold your breath.
” Why is this reported only by right-wing sites and Israeli newspapers? ”
There is a reason why. If I was to write about it here, most would likely be skeptical. Because the answer is outrageous. So, I would like to share with you a first-hand account of someone in the news business who has quite a tale to tell, and then, perhaps, it will ring true:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4EWW_gcVJc
And it is not just news. Academia has also been subjected, much like the Templeton Foundation, to the corrupting temptation of Arab oil money – I could show you articles on the outlay of many tens of millions of dollars in universities if you would like, and that is likely only the tip of the iceberg.
Interesting.
FWIW, the Grauniad website also has the story. Fairly factual, I guess: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/14/rockets-fired-from-gaza-target-tel-aviv-first-time-since-2014
The Guardian has just reported the rocket attack, and also the violent dispersal of Palestinian protesters in Gaza by Hamas security forces. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/14/rockets-fired-from-gaza-target-tel-aviv-first-time-since-2014
Oops, should have refreshed before posting. I see the Guardian report had already been mentioned.
The NYT posted an article about an hour ago.
It is not to be found on NYTimes homepage, whether as headline, or below them.
In other words, you would have to google to find it most likely or do a fair amount of clicking in Times’s site itself.
It may be because there are no casualties reported, but given the situation, it’s noticeable.
On hot and controversial issues, the rule of thumb is that they are reported through the screen of confirmation bias.
Sub
What this sub means? I see it all the time but I dunno. Not native english speaker..just curious
It’s a way to select the boxes when we comment to subscribe to the post. It is short for subscribe. It took me a long time to know what it was as well. I thought people were saying something was below. The benefits of a Classical education.
Video on CBS news that shows flashes high in the sky. Equivalent to noisy fireworks? Iron dome failure?
Or success. The Iron Dome system (which I participated in the construction of) uses proximity fuses. So the explosions seen are not necessarily indicative of the incoming rocket being destroyed. It is hard to tell from casual observation.
The two Fajr M-75** rockets were fired in the direction of Tel Aviv, but fell far short as if improperly set up or faulty. Iron Dome responded, but didn’t go near the rockets because they hadn’t reached the zone they were protecting – so not an Iron Dome failure.
A few hours later after the IDF air strikes nine rockets [I don’t know type] were launched & six intercepted by the ID. The three unintercepted may have been out of the zone. Dunno.
The IDF reports that the two initial Fajrs were probably launched in error, though they may have said that to keep the talks rolling
** Originally Iran designed & built although now most of the components are made in the territories based on Iran-supplied plans. Not terribly effective weapons as these things go.
Video at CBS news.
The liberal Vox site posted an article on Gaza at 4:55 P.M. EDT. It seems pretty objective to me.
https://www.vox.com/world/2019/3/14/18266075/rocket-tel-aviv-gaza-israel-attack-netanyahu
I saw nothing on TV about this, nothing on the nightly news or cable. I suspect when there are no injuries or deaths it just does not make a dent. I don’t think the reports on the net even know if either of the rockets were knocked down by defenses or they just hit in open areas. No report on anyone taking responsibility either.
If you want news coverage of many items that do not make the news on network or most cable I would recommend PBS. They cover the news of the day on their PBS evening news better than any other media on the TV. You don’t have to put up with the commercials either.
I second this. PBS Newshour is the only news program I can stand to watch, since besides being good reporting, there is the lack of commercials, dramatic music, and anchors/reporters who seem to be all about style over substance. PBS focuses on disseminating the info rather than presenting it in a sleek edited package that blends seamlessly into the commercials.
The Guardian report contains this:
“As tensions have risen in Gaza over Israel’s lethal response to weekly protests at the frontier during the past year, militants in the enclave have fired hundreds of projectiles into surrounding areas, although not as far north as Tel Aviv. Israel’s military has responded with widespread airstrikes.”
To me that means that this rocket firing has been going on routinely, and the only thing newsworthy about this one is how close to Tel Aviv the rockets landed this time.
New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/world/israel-reports-rocket-attack-on-tel-aviv.html
That was recently posted by it.
Interestingly enough, posted after Israel responded to the attack.
When Dr Coyne made his own post, there was nothing in the Times and for several hours afterwards.
Why Evolution is true and Zionism is a crime.
2 Rockets and the zionist go crazy. How many civilian Palestinian are targeted and killed? War crimes? Israel was already declared cometing war crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza, when it argeted water supply, conducting air strikes against Al Quds and Al Wafa’a hospitals,Phosphorous bombs.
Why Evolution is true and that’s calling the kettle black.
Why Evolution is True and Zionism make you dumb.
* Gaza is a belligerent entity which was first to unilaterally initiate acts of war against Israel;
* Hamas deliberately targets civilians, a war crime;
* Hamas deliberately situates its rocket launchers — legitimate military targets — in the midst of residential areas, intentionally seeking civilian casualties to sway the addled minds of useful idiots in the West like yourself.
Ah, there are the old conspiracy theories I was taught by my college sociology professor. How come you didn’t bring up the one about how Israel kidnaps Palestinian children and harvest their organs? Too far for you?
Zionism isn’t a crime. You clearly don’t know what it is.
>Learns how antifreeze glycoproteins evolved in Arctic cod because of WEIT
>”WEIT makes you dumb”
Methinks that is not accurate.
-Ryan
The New York Times tends to vet the news more than other sources, which takes time. I would rather them publish a story a few hours later and beat the others on accuracy.
Hmmm…….it vets depending on political direction.
Just as what it superordinates and subordinates, or simply ignores as news story, is dependent on its confirmation bias.
House Democrats should draft a resolution condemning rocket attacks against anyone.
😀
…with a rider condemning anyone who provokes them!
The NYT has a long story on its front page (Top News) now. Some interesting stuff in it. Apparently Hamas denies responsibility and promises to punish some other (even more extreme) group. Supposedly, Hamas is presently negotiating with Israel via Egypt. The theory is this other group is trying to sabotage the negotiations.
No idea what to believe, because the Middle East is far too Machiavellian for me to figure out. But I bet that Netanyahu will try and exploit this event to his advantage, given his legal difficulties.
News breaking from New Zealand, Christchurch. At least two mosques attacked by shooter with automatic weapon. Multiple fatalities.
Entirely as was feared would happen, eventually.
Yes, I had also seen that. In the coming hours that terrible tragedy will probably become the main story.
Safe prediction, correct it turns out. I haven’t noticed any posting from our NZ friends, and I can’t say I’m surprised.
As Iowahawk says, “Journalism is about covering the big stories. With a pillow. Until they stop moving.”
I think one can see the reason for the double standard Prof. CC refers to in some of the comments here. Human ingroups can be defined by all kinds of things, including race, class, religion, etc. Today the ingroups many of us live in are defined by ideology. It is impossible for such people to seriously discuss the question of Israel on its merits, because the matter rattles some of the shibboleths of their ideological box, such as the “truism” that Israel is an “apartheid” state. This is especially true of leftist ingroups at the moment because of the weird love affair between the Left and radical Islam. However, it could be equally true of ingroups on the Right. Indeed, it has been in the past.
Of course, when you start meddling with the slats on someone’s ingroup, they tend to become furious. Again, we see this in the comments, where some have threatened to abandon WEIT, etc. This also goes along way to explain the fact that Pinker is so hated by many. He has belonged to a leftist ingroup, but is constantly pushing the ideological envelope. The other denizens of his ingroup resent this, and many have responded by ostracizing him, in spite of the fact that he constantly qualifies his more extreme statements by virtue signaling to the Left.
Norman Podhoretz has given a wonderful description of his similar experience when he gradually made the ideological transition from Left to much further Right than Pinker has ever gone in books such as “Making It,” “Breaking Ranks,” and “Ex-Friends.” According to Podhoretz, Norman Mailer also liked to rattle the slats of his original leftist ingroup, which Podhoretz called “The Family,” but, like Pinker, he always knew exactly where the line was, and where to stop. Like Pinker, he would then virtue signal to “The Family” that he was still a true believer. It worked better in Mailer’s day than it does now. Modern ingroups have become a great deal more Puritanical.
I was going to say the BBC reported it, but what they actually reported was Israel’s response which, to me, seems excessive considering nobody was hurt and at least one Israeli source is quoting a defence ministry official as saying the rockets may have been launched by mistake.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-47581343
This is the problem. Israel has the moral high ground, but they do insist on charging down off the hill far too often.
By the way, to read the BBC story, you need to go to the Middle East section because the front page is divided more or less evenly between the Christchuch tragedy and Brexit.
Hitting militant sites is an inappropriate response to rocket attacks? What would you suggest – an invitation to tea?
This is not occuring in a vacuum. There is a 110-year history of Jewish civilians in the Middle East being slaughtered by Arab terrorists. Multiple Arab genocidal wars of aggression. The main Palestinian political parties espouse, abet and reward terrorists and instruct their children in genocide.
I am astounded – absolutely astounded and frankly dumbfounded – at the restraint of Israel.
Hitting dozens of sites in response to two rockets that hurt nobody and did no damage and that Israel’s own defence ministry thinks might have been launched by accident is IMO over the top.
Actually, yes. That might not be a bad idea. Hamas wants Israel wiped off the map. Showing them that the people who live there are not monsters might help.
True. But hitting them back ten times harder isn’t going to stop the cycle of violence. Israel’s current policy is not working, is it.
Israel’s response to what they think were accidental firings cannot be described as restrained.
During 2018 the number of rockets, missiles and mortars from Gaza on civilian targets in Israel was 1138. I do not have numbers for 2019 but of what I remember from following events daily they amonunt to tens, if not hundreds.
Inviting for tea: daily delivery of all sorts of goods by hundreds of trucks, delivery of electricity (even under fire), repairing electric installations destroyed by Hamas so that inhabitants of Gaza would have electricity, giving hospital care to thousands of Gazans (inclusive families of top Hamas members) counts for nothing if you don’t invite them for tea. The trouble is that invitation for tea was delivered to Hamas years ago. So far there are no takers.
Fired by mistake? That is novel. They should be more careful. How do you fire a rocket by mistake?
They are amateurs with minimal knowledge of standard safety procedures – there are plenty of cockups by such people. I can imagine testing or maintenance gone wrong. The launch area may have been unusual/untypical indicating a major ooops moment.
These are 20′ long telephone pole things fired out of tubes – often mounted on truck beds. They are solid fuelled & some parts they can’t make such as the rocket nozzles which have to put up with high temps for an extended time. The IDF can easily track back to the launch site so the rocketeers choose built up areas from which they ‘shoot’n’scoot’ – never launch from the manufacturary area of course.
Yes, the fact that they have primed rockets and they just happened to go off and that they just happened to be aimed at Tel Aviv not Cairo of all places is just a spot of bad luck, mere happenstance.
Why, it’s not like Hamas is in the habit or anything. That’s all in the past.
Accidents happen – I didn’t suggest that Hamas are not in the business of firing rockets. Less of the snark Roger please – shooting the messenger makes you look like a dick.
Also solid fuel is difficult to do right in somewhere technologically primitive like Gaza. Making it, pouring it has to be exact in various ways or the stuff burns unevenly – that’s why these things are so inaccurate, you really are guessing what the range of a particular one might be. And they have no guidance system [some latest ones do imported from Iran via Africa].
The point of these rockets is to provoke retaliation by the IDF & harvest the foreign pro-Palestine publicity so accuracy isn’t important.
I have a feeling that you deeply underestimate both intelligence and skills of Palestinians in Gaza.
There’s industrial processes beyond their means needed for some rocket parts. They do screw up amazingly simple things now & then – you just can’t always get the staff when you’re a corrupt criminal organisation with factions & no retirement plan outside of foreign bank arrangements for the top tier & nobody else.
sub.
Firing rockets indiscriminately in the direction of civilians is a crime (its more technologically sophisticated version has been called the Dahiya Doctrine). Whether military personnel or installations are nearby – in Tel Aviv, or Beirut, or Gaza – seems to me no justification. A crime is a crime. Likewise, if the firing of rockets is done by government forces, or irregulars, or terrorists. Likewise, snipers shooting children – whether with or without direct orders from their superior officers (although it seems to me especially shocking when the shooting is authorised, but that is just my personal feeling – it does not necessarily point to any ethical distinction, as the children are dead one way or the other).
Hamas and Israel were in negotiations through Egyptian mediators when the rockets were fired. I hadn’t realised it was the Israeli military suggested the two rockets were fired by mistake – before launching 100 attacks on Gaza.
The self-awareness of the tag line is admirable.