16 thoughts on “In Lifting Military Censorship Regarding 2007 Syria Attack, Israel Leaves Many Questions Unaddressed – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. Actually Israeli media has been commenting widely this morning on why this was censored at the time – the narrative advanced is that it was censored (as well as leaders/Israel not taking responsibility) in order to avert a war with Syria. The thinking being that if there weren’t rhetorical eggs thrown in Syria’s direction, then Syria may be able to “let it slide” and not respond to the actual attack. Israel, per reports today, was on full war alert after the attack for the case Syria would choose to respond and wanted, per the reports, to avert a full war.

    As for why this was published this week (after a 2 day embargo period (from the beginning of the week) allowing everyone to publish multi-page features today and even larger features for the weekend papers and shows – really maximal effect timing) – I’ll offer my own speculation. The continuing censorship of this was a bit silly and pointless (given that everybody in the world (and Israel) knew about this, and that Syria is in a state of collapse/war for the past few years). So there was no reason not to lift it, but also no particularly compelling reason to lift it.

    A compelling reason to lift the publication would to use the publications as a -threat- or perhaps a -signal- to some other party – be it Iran or the Sunni states (and there’s been talk in this regard) or perhaps vs. a different theater. Also possibly internal Israeli signalling – but I’m somewhat doubtful (as it really promotes people Bibi and the current leadership do not want to promote, Barak and Olmert might be done, but Gabi Ashkenazi is a political threat) – so I’m assuming external signalling.

    1. @ lepxii:

      the narrative advanced is that it was censored (as well as leaders/Israel not taking responsibility) in order to avert a war with Syria. The thinking being that if there weren’t rhetorical eggs thrown in Syria’s direction, then Syria may be able to “let it slide” and not respond to the actual attack.

      That might make sense in terms of right after the attack. But over a decade later? That makes no sense. Will Syria attack Israel today for a bombing that occurred ten years earlier?

      1. That narrative might have made sense at the time. And maybe also a year or three. But yes, it was definitely not relevant after the civil war started….

        These decisions often have an inertia of their own. Once in the black, you need a good reason to declassify, and the pencil pushers at the censor’s office do not really want to take risks or advance stuff like this. There very little upside for a pencil pusher to advance such a decision and quite a few risks as well as effort involved.

        I am assuming someone high up thought there was a good reason to remove this, for signalling.

  2. Many hundreds of Israeli citizens knew the details of Operation Orchard, but none came forth to divulge these secrets. Why? Because of gag orders and censors? Maybe these many hundreds of Israelis are patriots who understand and respect that an operation such as Operation Orchard required secrecy.

    Colin pointed out that even a broken clock is right twice a day. Why can’t we cede the fact that Israel executed a brilliant operation and the world is safer for it? Why can’t we allow Israel an occasional feeling of national pride?

    We always, always tear at Israel?
    Why not take an occasional break from these incessant attacks on Israel?

    Remember….
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a3eCHij4Vo

    1. @ Doctor John: You’re only about the 10th hasbarist whose advanced the same argument: Israelis don’t want or need to know secrets because they know their government and spies do what’s best for them. Yes, yes, that’s the truth & I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.

      Israel executed a brilliant operation and the world is safer for it?

      Because nothing Israel does is either brilliant or makes the world safer. Mostly it does things half-assed and makes the world a far more dangerous place.

      We always, always tear at Israel?
      Why not take an occasional break from these incessant attacks on Israel?

      Stop the bitching and moaning. No one forces you to be here. As long as you are, this place is what I make it. Don’t like it? Go elsewhere. Unless of course you wear out your welcome first & I send you on your way.

  3. By now, Israel is an expert of bombing missiles shipments near the border with Lebanon. It is easy and pretty safe.
    If Syria wanted Israel to bomb an empty building, it could have given us an easier target. The only reason to send Israel for such a challenging mission is if it is a honeypot which will result in shooting down an Israeli airplane. The site is 100s of KMs from Israel. And why would Israel come out with nuclear reactor story?

    Anyway, after listening to the radio today one thing is clear, if this is a Syrian sting, it was very successful since Israeli politicians would swear on their life it was actually a nuclear reactor.

    BTW, an easy way to know if the guy is BSing is getting older aerial photos of the area and see if anything was there in 2002. If the area was indeed clean, obviously this whole theory is bs. I

  4. ‘…it is perfectly in character for Israeli journalists to accept the narrative offered them by the military-intelligence complex without offering an ounce of skepticism. There is no ingrained value in Israeli society that says the powers-that-be and the claims they make should be taken with a grain of salt. Especially when those claims are related to national security issues….’

    Actually, my own impression is somewhat the opposite. While the Israeli media — at least the English-language Israeli media — can certainly enrage me, I often find matters Israeli being discussed there more critically and with an openness that would NEVER be permitted in the mainstream Anglo-American media.

    It’s almost as if the grown ups are willing to be more frank if the children aren’t in the room.

  5. ‘Now it can be told.’ I’m unconvinced. From the Israeli article at MEE:

    ‘…As already reported outside Israel, Mossad’s operatives broke into his hotel room in Vienna, where he had been staying for an IAEA meeting. There, they found a goldmine: Othman left a digital device in the room containing data that, when deciphered by Israeli intelligence laboratories, included photos of Othman in the company of North Korean scientists and of the interior of the facility outside Deir Ezzor, clearly showing that it was a nuclear reactor to produce plutonium.

    The photos were the smoking gun to corroborate Israel’s suspicions…’

    Just left the pictures in his hotel room, did he? To be fair, I’m so biased against Israel that I suspect my own judgement myself, but I smell a rat.

    This is all part of Israel setting up something we or her are about to do to Syria, Hezbollah, or Iran. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. We need to get ahold of the Saudi Crown Prince or that annoying son-in-law of our president or somebody and apply some of those interrogation techniques the good Doctor Dershowitz recommends. Find out what the hell is up.

  6. It’s actually kind of bleakly comic listening to Israel claim it was a nuclear reactor while Syria denies it was.

    The credibility of both parties is so low that we can really conclude nothing at all. It seems reasonably likely Israel did bomb a target at this location; what it was and why they bombed it is another matter entirely.

  7. I think outing this now is a prelude to bombing nuclear facilities Iran. Preparing the mind of the Israeli public by publicizing a heroic success story from the past, whether true or not.

    1. ‘I think outing this now is a prelude to bombing nuclear facilities Iran. Preparing the mind of the Israeli public by publicizing a heroic success story from the past, whether true or not.’

      Yeah, that could be the menu. Preparation, air strike on supposed illicit Iranian nuclear facility, ‘Iranian terrorist attack’ (black flag?), the US bombs hell out of Iran.

      Unfortunately, at this restaurant we get dessert whether we want it or not. We bomb — and the Iranian regime inexplicably fails to repent or collapse. In fact, it really retaliates. We invade, and then we’re having fun. But hey: Netanyahu gets to stay in office. Can’t change horses in mid-stream.

      As a variation, maybe that’s why Trump is being encouraged to renege on the nuclear arms development agreement. We do that, Israel is making increasingly direct threats, and Iran announces she’s resuming her nuclear development program, she does it without announcing it, or we just say she’s resumed it.

      THEN Israel bombs. Then Iran ‘retaliates’ — preferably with a strike at some Americans somewhere. And we’re off to the races.

      I remember back when I had my moving business, I had a little ditty I would hum on particularly arduous jobs. It went to the tune of ‘Camptown Races.’

      ‘Demon days from the bowels of hell/do dah, do dah/Demon days from the bowels of hell…’

      It seems apt. But I’ll be glad to look back a year from now and discover this was all in my head. That thought doesn’t disturb me. Or, we could hope our media and political classes get a little courage from somewhere.

      It could happen.

  8. Another oppressive aspect of all this is the role of Jewish octo-billionaires — Sheldon Adelson, Haim Saban, and so on. After all, they bought Hillary Clinton, the appear to have bought Donald Trump, and they’ve got quite a say in Israel.

    Of course they made their pile in some less than perfectly edifying way. Gentile and Jew alike, don’t they all?

    However, the thing of it is, as sunset draws on, and your gentile robber baron — Andrew Carnegie, or Leland Stanford, for example — starts looking around for some way to buy off the man upstairs, he usually hits on something helpful or at least innocuous such as sponsoring public libraries, or starting a university, or whatever. I’ll note here the same applies to many non-Zionist Jewish multi-millionaires as well. Sometimes when they’ve come in for vilification I’ve checked, and no, their checks don’t go to Israel. They go to hospitals, or to help cripple children, or some such thing.

    However, the Sheldon Adelsons et al? Their idea of a mitzvah is supporting Israel in her life of crime.

    God help us. The hell of it is that some of them appear to be perfectly nice folks. I mean, what’s wrong with Steven Spielberg? Okay, his films can be less than intellectually demanding, but so what? Seems alright. And he goes and gives a million to help out when Israel mounts her 2006 strafeexpeditione into Lebanon. How many maimed six year olds should he credit himself with?

    To put it mildly, it’s all regrettable.

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