Gav's View

This is much worse:

Israeli children writing messages on missiles to the Palestinians.

http://pics.livejournal.com/benpeek/pic/0007zdk8

Whilst the video is certainly shocking, the printed report of which a .jpg image is included in the post you link to does not show, so far as I can see, which publication it emanate from; clicking on the image to enlarge it merely reveals an enlarged image with no indication of where it came from.

My point? Well in war/conflict, specially now with instant communication, the media battle seems almost to be becoming as important as the actual fighting. It is difficult to assess where impartial information and naked propaganda part company. I tend to regard with some scepticism reports coming from both sides of this dirty little war.

Propaganda is a tactic — definitely… And we know the Israelis have been dropping leaflets. You’re right, Bill, to take it with a pinch of salt — all of it.

Oh, and John, I can find two examples of Arab-child-brainwashing to terror for each of your Israeli patriot example.

Fergal Keen just said “It is civilians, almost exclusively, who are paying the price for this war.”

How on earth can he know that? Hezbollah don’t wear uniforms, they don’t allow a free press and the people are going to be responding knowing the threat of Hezbollah reprisal will be hanging over them… Surely better that the reporter’s opinions are not broadcast?

Hi Gav, yes, I know it goes on on the other side too. But I just wanted to show that children from both sides of this conflict are being brainwashed into thinking that killing the opposition is the way forward and that their lives are worth a lot more than either Muslim of Jew.

It’s a sad state of affairs – but one that can be solved with a fair two-state settlement, not rockets or missiles.

Currently I feel that Israel is the side making this resoultion harder to achieve, not the Lebanese or Palestinians – but often it’s the other way around.

It’s all wrong!