New York Times Editorial, "Making the Gaza Cease-Fire Last": Who Writes This Rubbish?

In an editorial entitled "Making the Gaza Cease-Fire Last" (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/07/opinion/making-the-gaza-cease-fire-last.html?ref=opinion&_r=0), The New York Times would have us know:

"There seems to be little room left in Israeli politics for those who would end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and create an independent Palestinian state."

Remarkably, The New York Times is unaware that Israel unilaterally evacuated Gaza in 2005.

"Little room left in Israeli politics for those who would end the occupation of the West Bank"? Nonsense. On the other hand, Israelis are painfully aware of the danger posed by the introduction of advanced weapons systems into the West Bank, and almost all would insist on the demilitarization of a future Palestinian state.

Regarding casualties, the Times writes:

"More than 1,800 Palestinians, a majority of them noncombatants, and 67 Israelis have been killed. United Nations officials said 408 Palestinian children were killed and 2,502 injured."

The basis for these numbers? Regarding the number of Palestinian dead, the Times refers us to a Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/world/middleeast/civilian-or-not-new-fight-in-tallying-the-dead-from-the-gaza-conflict.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias&) that informs us, "Through last Thursday, according to a New York Times analysis of a list provided by the Health Ministry, more than a third were women, children under 15 or men over 60." Or in other words, according to the Gazan Health Ministry, i.e. Hamas, two-thirds of the dead were males between the ages of 15 and 60. If this is indeed the case, Israeli attacks could not have been indiscriminate.

Moreover, these numbers do not take into account Palestinian women and children who attacked Israeli troops with bombs strapped to their bodies (see, for example: http://www.idfblog.com/blog/2014/07/25/idf-troops-foil-female-suicide-bombing-attack/).

The Times also doesn't mention that Palestinian fatalities include Palestinians executed by Hamas for allegedly assisting the Israeli Defense Forces.

And of course, no mention by the Times of the 160 children, not included in these numbers, who died digging Hamas's tunnels.

The Times writes:

"In too many cases, Israel launched weapons that hit schools and shelters and failed to adequately protect Palestinian citizens."

Of course, no mention by the Times that Hamas stored weapons in UN facilities and fired rockets from schools, hospitals and mosques. Also no mention by the Times of attempts by the Israeli military to warn civilians of impending strikes, e.g., "roof knocking," pamphlets and direct phone calls.

The Times continues:

"Both sides are claiming victory, Israel for wiping out 32 underground tunnels that Hamas intended for attacks on Israel.

. . . .

The bottom line is that neither side has achieved its main goal of destroying the other."

Unbeknownst to the Times, the goal of the Israeli operation was never to destroy Hamas, but rather to stop the missile fire and to eliminate the threat of planned cross-border raids by Hamas to kidnap Israeli civilians from surrounding agricultural communities. Although the Israeli Defense Forces cannot be certain that the goal of neutralizing the tunnels was achieved in its entirety, much of the tunnel network leading into Israel was certainly destroyed.

Perhaps we should be grateful that the Times editorial ultimately acknowledges, "It may be necessary to have Hamas in Cairo, but the group offers Palestinians nothing except nihilism and endless suffering."

[I sent an email to Andrew Rosenthal, indicating the factual inaccuracy concerning Israel's alleged "occupation" of Gaza. Do you think I'll hear back from him? Not holding my breath.]