Eerily Quiet on the Information Front
Thursday, January 01, 2009

In this postmodern era of 24 hour information and updates, we're used to a news cycle that moves fast and often declares wars to be over before they've even started.

Not this time.

The media has been strangely quiet over the past week since the IDF bombings of Gaza began. It isn't that they haven't covered the story...it's that the updates are rather few and far between, and contain very little new information.

The IDF have generally handled themselves exceedingly well regarding media relations. There are no Geraldos on the front, drawing up battle maps on prime time news for every enemy with a Satellite dish or cable connection to download and transmit at whim. The IDF distributes information carefully and sparingly. Now, however, there are some additional factors at play that greatly assist Israel's ongoing battle with the mainstream media and world opinion.

1. The holidays. No major American news network wants to talk about Israel bombing the crap out of terrorists on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. It took a full half-hour for Fox News to even talk about the story on New Year's Eve. Outside of reporting on Israel's rejection of France's ceasefire proposal, CNN and the Big Three didn't mention Israel's raids at all during the 7-8 am EST hour I caught. Which is odd, since a major Middle Eastern war on the horizon would, in most people's minds, carry a lot more weight than, say, a report on hip New Year's Eve party outfits.

2. The Israeli Elections. Olmert and Livni may have been ready and willing to accept a Quartet ceasefire in Lebanon in 2006, but right now, their party is on the line. So is Bibi's. With elections less than 2 months away, and statistics showing that the majority of Israelis want the rockets to stop--even if that means a ground invasion--no political official is going to write away their chance to stay at the top now.

3. The Last Days of the Bush Administration. Bush's tacit support of Israel and condemnation of Hamas is something no Israeli government would count on from Obama. Israel knows their time to act is limited.

The best analysis I've seen/heard so far came from John Bolton on Hannity & Colmes earlier this week. IsraelMatzav has a rundown with video here.
I agree with Bolton; as long as Israel continues to hold her own despite world opinion to the contrary, this very well may lead to a greater battle in the region. Reporting from the Gaza/Israel border today, Fox News correspondent David Lee Miller sounded shaken, to say the least. At points, he sounded terrified. I've been watching this guy cover the region for years, and I've never heard that kind of wavering in his voice. Perhaps, at this 11th hour, Israel is finally shoving world opinion aside and taking the bull by the horns. That doesn't mean the battle will be easy, but that is what has to be done. The entire free world should be grateful that, yet again, a small band of Jews are standing up to the enemies of the same freedoms we so readily take for granted and often too easily give away. Truth be told, we owe these men and women our lives. Perhaps, one day, when things get bad enough in America, Americans will realize that. Until then, the conflict will build here.

It's already starting. Just check out the latest posts on Atlas Shrugs. The Muslim outcry is so well orchestrated, it is as if they've just been waiting in the wings to pounce in protest the first time the Jews dare lift a finger to defend themselves. Watch out, America. You're about to inaugurate a Hussein. If you think Freedom of Speech is being abused now...you'd better wake up and realize your dark days are just ahead of you.

For some reason it doesn't seem to bother most Americans that Muslims and Muslim-supporters have gathered in New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Dearborn, and other cities across the U.S. to stage large, anti-Israel protests. I urge anyone reading this blog to take a look at one blogger's experience attending a pro-Israel rally, wherein they were termed "Jew Faggot" by Palestinian supporters:

I was also informed by several other supporters of the Palestinian cause that I was a dog, a pig, a monkey, inhuman, the son of a whore, and that I deserved to be shot, gutted, slashed open, have my children killed, and see my wife raped.

This pro-Israel blogger was one of 100 people standing up against 3,000 well organized Palestinian supporters from a number of radical hate groups--groups that have been organizing under our nose for years, unabated.

I have reading for the New Year sitting by my bed:

STEALTH JIHAD by Robert Spencer
AMERICAN JIHAD by Steven Emerson
WHILE EUROPE SLEPT by Bruce Bawer
...along with a review of PREACHERS OF HATE by Ken Timmerman

This is where America is heading. Only by the grace of God and His blessing on the Israeli military at this crucial hour can we even hope anything will be different.

May God bless the Israel Defense Forces and fight on their behalf for all of our sakes. Not that the world has ever done much for God or the nation of Israel-- the simple truth is that if we do not rely on Him and His people now, no one will be left.

Labels: America, IDF, Israel