A truly sick society

I think these are the most disturbing photos I have ever seen.  From Sabbah's Blog.

Photo caption: Israeli girls write messages on a shell at a heavy artillery position near Kiryat Shmona, in northern Israel, next to the Lebanese border, Monday, July 17, 2006.(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

I wonder what the one that hit this baby said.

Comments

[Michael Brenner]

Would you like to see photos of five-year-olds dressed up in Hamas or Hezbollah gear carrying weapons? I'd say it's way more disturbing than girls writing messages on artillary.

[scott]

I agree those images are disturbing and the militarization of any society, esp. of its youth, is horrible.

But kids raised under occupation holding puny guns that are in the end to used resist a colonial occupier is vastly different from the children gleefully signing the heavy artillery of an expansionist, racist state that is butchering Arab civilians in Gaza and Lebanon with impunity. It doesn't make either right, but there is a difference.

Do you find these images problematic at all, or are you just here to spew the Israeli narrative as you did in your other comment?

[small satan]

indeed there is a difference. signing artillery shells used in the protection of said children from indiscrimnant attacks vs. holding up arms in support of terrorist action against a so called "occupier" which is not even there any more...

[Eurosabra]

Dateline Kiryat Shemona, one of the most heavily bombarded pieces of real estate in the Middle East, since '78 as heavily bombarded as Gaza. Not only these girls will grow up under constant shellfire, their parents did as well, and the false calm of 2000 onwards, in which Lebanese lied (about 425 and 1559) and Israelis died, is now over. However, rituals of enmity militarize society excessively, check out www.profil.org.il, the "movement for the civilianization of Israeli society." I object to this mainly because the shells are fuzed, hence "live", and there is some danger in bringing children into close contact with high explosives, no matter how stable or how carefully stockpiled. On the other hand, the gun crew may have reasoned that it's quite a bit less dangerous to write on a live Israeli shell than to attempt to carry out one's daily routine in Kiryat Katyusha, as it's called.

[scott]

small satan, Gaza is still occupied, as Israel maintains "effective control" of the area and has itself not even tried to contest the "occupier" label. As well, the West Bank and East Jerusalem are occupied. And armed resistance against occupation forces is not "terrorism," but a right under international law. Even Tzipi Livni recognizes that.

Perhaps you haven't been reading the news, but those artillery shells have been indiscriminately killing hundreds of civilians.

Is no one who supports Israel that reads this blog troubled by these images, let alone Israel's actions? To me that's baffling - but maybe it shouldn't be?

[Peter H]

Mr. Brenner,

Would you like to see photos of five-year-olds dressed up in Hamas or Hezbollah gear carrying weapons? I'd say it's way more disturbing than girls writing messages on artillary.

Israeli kids in Kiryat Shmona are angry because they are under siege from Hizbollah Kaytushas. Palestinian kids in Gaza City are angry because they are under siege from Israeli shelling, because they can't exit and enter Gaza without the approval of the IDF, because their families were kicked out of Palestine in 1947-8, etc.

The point is: When people are under siege, they tend to lash out in hatred against their oppressors. When Israelis do it, it's an understandable reaction to Arab terrorism; when Palestinian kids do it, it shows that Palestinians are a "death cult".

[yankabroad]

Scott:

I don't know who started the signing of bombs, and the drawing of "Smiley faces" on weapons of instant death, but it's done--unfortunately--by 18 year-old American GI's as well as these apparently innocent Israeli girls.

Is this photo for real?

It's quite sad, really. I don't give the human race much longer at the rate we are going.

Eat, drink and be merry.

[bobhiggins]

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Bob Higgins
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[Fei]

I agree with your post wholeheartedly.

[scott]

Yeah, yank, those photos are real. Luckily they've gotten a bit of circulation on the internets.

Thanks to the others who stopped by. Bob, I don't know if our blogs really mesh, and I couldn't find a link to me there.

Fei, thanks for posting all those photos.

Everyone, I ask your patience while I deal with fanatical comment spammer. Anything he posts will be deleted, so don't bother responding to him. At least he's driving up my page rankings.

[Dave]

From what I've seen on the net, these pictures were staged. Yes, they're real Israeli kids, but they were provoked by photographers.

link: http://www.sandmonkey.org/2006/07/18/the-fucked-up-pictures-explained/

[scott]

This is a more complete version to what you are referencing.

They were not "staged" - their parents, not the photographers - encouraged them to do it. And all this is according to one Israeli blogger who is putting this information out second hand.

She says a reporter from YA is on the record supporting the story, yet YA has not put anything out about this (at least not in English) which is surprising because the Israeli press loves quirky stories like that. Also, if there were a dozen photographers out there, how come the only one that have appeared have been Sebastian Scheiner's photos?

In the end, the event probably did unfold in a manner similar to the way Goldman describes, but even with the context (or spin?), the photos are still supremely disturbing and that the parents allowed and encouraged their children to do that is still supremely disturbing.

[jessyca79]

VERY DISTURBING!!!! the photos are sick. keep showing the real truth! I support you 100%

[austrianbumb]

Sick...this is just sick the whole darn situation!
I have kids and these photos do nothing but make me angry and sick to my stomach!

Bottom line. If you all handled things diplomatically and called out to the world without bombing innocent people in cafe's and buses perhaps Isreal would be different toward all you. You show these pics of leboneese children and palastine children, but where has been the outcry and pics of all those terrorist bombings of innocent civilans for all these years. Please... Fight like men not behind your homes and children. You show your pics of suiside bombers all the time and promote it to your people. Get real... You should of taken Clinton deal but you don't want peace you want to shove the Jewish people in the sea. We are no dummys... Stay in your refugee camps you have been there before Isreal was a state and only fought with others around you. Look at history. Unbelievable...

[twoharsh]

It is a little simplistic to collate these two images and cast judgement. The fact is this is a 50+ year war, with issues dating back well before Israel's "invasion" of Palestine. However it does highlight the hopelessness of the situation and also highlights how effective the use of propaganda is when fighting a war. There will be no winners from this war. Israel withholds the most basic of human rights from the Palestinians whilst the Palestinians continue to mount an armed resistance to their occupiers. Both have just cause not to trust one another as both have betrayed their word on more than one occasion in the past. The Arab neighbours and the United States also have blood on their hands. According to their own agendas they use and manipulate the events in the region. I believe this is a prequel to a much larger and broader war by the US upon Syria and Iran. Israel supports this war as its Arab neighbours are becoming richer and more hostile toward it. With the price of oil soaring and the US economy relying so heavily on it, US dollars flow into the coffers of the Arabs. The US knows that it must strike now as delay will result in the Arab region strengthening its military capacity or even worse for America, actually organising themselves into a union in order to execute military plans and defences. Unfortunately there is no easy solution. Fear breeds paranoia, paranoia breeds war and war keeps the US economy turning, why do you think Americans are constantly pumped full of fear? This climate of sporadic warfare and “terrorism” will continue until America falls and takes Israel down with it, or until the Americans conquer and control the world. I don’t know which I would prefer….

[Veteran]

Why do we put smiley faces on weaponry? I personally found it funny. My helmet had a smiley face on it with a hole in his head reading "Grade 'A' Sniper Bait". You find humor or something of substance in those situations that are otherwise unconventional.

Its war folks, its ugly and its never gonna go away, no matter how "progressive" and limp-wristed everyone becomes.What do you all know about fighting? Have you? My guess is no. You have never really left the safety of the little bubble you call the world.
I grew up overseas- and saw alot of nasty stuff that led me to join my nation's military and serve in combat. War is nasty. People die on both sides and sometimes those not involved get in the way. Happens. You honestly grow used to the whole environment, grow thicker skin.
These kids grow up under constant threat from all sides. In the 1967 Six Day War, the Israeli Air Force fought four different air forces at once. Saddam's scuds came raining down in 1991 (would have been worse without US Patriot Systems knocking those babies out), and not to mention, there are terrorist attacks and militia attacks round the clock. These people are for the most part unprovoked. They are however, tougher than most westerners. Raised better. Compulsory Military service helps too. They dont fight for assets or security like we do. They fight for survival. They have my utmost respect as a warrior.

Keep beating your drums of peace. Youll never be heard over the thunder of war.