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The myriad ways in which the Israeli national security state oppresses Palestinians have seeped into American security and counter-terror practice. Everything from armed drones used in targeted assassinations to racial profiling at checkpoints and airports, to the militarization of police, to cyber-surveillance of social media discourse: each of these tactics was first developed by Israel and then transferred into standard American military and security procedure.
Now, we must add yet another notch in Israel’s belt: a few months ago, a Palestinian teenager, Ahed Tamimi, stood up to an IDF soldier who trespassed in her family garden and slapped him. That warranted a night raid in which the dangerous terrorist was whisked off to prison along with her parents and several relatives. In the furor that arose among the Israeli populace seeing one of “its boys” humiliated on camera, some were driven to paroxysms of rage.
Among them was former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, who is now a Kulanu back-bencher. When you’re a junior MK, you’re always looking for an angle to bring yourself to the voters’ attention. Oren staked his claim to the outrageous charge that the Tamimi family wasn’t really Palestinian nor a real family. Apparently, Ahed’s blond hair meant she was a Hollywood actor paid to perpetrate a fraud on a poor unsuspecting Israeli public. Nor were the Tamimis a real family. Apparently, they too were paid to orchestrate this fraud. All this despite the fact that members of the Tamimi clan have been murdered by IDF troops in the past and Ahed’s teenage cousin has half his skull blown off by an IDF sniper who shot him when he raised his head above the family’s front yard wall. If they’re actors I think they’re taking their roles a bit too seriously.
Apparently, HHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Ann Coulter have been following the Israeli playbook in light of the rising furor over ICE’s forced separation of immigrant families at the U.S. border. First, here’s Coulter:
Ann Coulter became the latest figure to spread a similar claim on Sunday, as a guest on a Fox News show, when she accused some of the migrant children who have been photographed in varying stages of distress [sic] as “child actors,” in a bit of messaging she directed at President Trump.
“These child actors weeping and crying on all the other networks 24/7 right now, do not fall for it, Mr. President…These kids are being coached,” she said. “They’re given scripts to read by liberals. … Don’t fall for the actor children.”
Next, it’s Nielsen’s turn:
Even worse was the “shocking claim” made by Nielsen on Monday that “we do not have the luxury of pretending that all individuals coming to this country as a family unit are, in fact, a family.”
Where did Nielsen learn these arts of magical thinking which can deny what she sees in front of her eyes? From the master, Bibi Netanyahu who she met in Israel only six days ago!
So there you have it: when faced with national outrage over treating children with advanced brutality, Republicans resort to the Israeli playbook: if you’re losing the public relations battle, say anything, the more outrageous the better, in order to divert attention from the real issue. And hey, don’t worry about insulting Palestinians or Mexicans. They’re neither Israeli nor American. They don’t count. No one will care anyway. You’ll get away with it.
If you’re pro-Israel be proud, be very proud. America takes only the best and Israel, you are the ‘best’ at what you do!
[Comment deleted: calling any country “dumbshit” is not only insulting, but not something I allow here.]
[comment deleted: comment rule violation. The next one brings moderation. You have been warned.]
Just so we’re all clear, Richard’s photo is not of Israel’s Border Police. The photo is of the United States Border Patrol. There is no such thing as a Border Police in the United States.
@Philly Frozen: Google seems to be clear that “Border police” means “Border Patrol.” You are the only one who doesn’t understand that they are synonyms. Nor did I ever say or imply that the picture was of Israeli Border Police. Your efforts to play gotcha are pathetic, they also show bad faith. Be careful. Once you enter this territory your days are numbered here.
Israel didn’t invent racial profiling. It is how people recognized other for millennias.
The fact we never caught up with the politically correct nonsense (which countries now turn away from) doesn’t make it Israel’s invention.
Same is true for torture. For that we might have perfected how not to leave any signs.
@ ariel Levy:
Yes, I’m afraid it did. Israel has been using racial profiling since 1972. The U.S. did not begin using it until after 9/11. We learned the technique from Israel.
I have a comment rule you violated: you don’t offer your opinion when they are controversial claims without credible support. “politically correct nonsense” is a red flag here. It’s your opinion unsupported by anything. Don’t do that again here. IF you wish to make a claim like this it MUST be supported. If not, don’t make it.
That’s quite an accomplishment and worth touting in the annals of humane security doctrine. Except it’s not true. There are thousands of Palestinians who have permanent scars, damage and mental health impairment after their tender treatment at the hands of their Shabak torturers. Not to mention the prisoners who were raped by their Israeli state-sponsored thugs.
[comment deleted: the Comment Rules make clear that comments must not repeat previous comments, which you’ve done here. You must bring a new argument to any new comment and not merely repeat yourself.]
Hitler got it from the Bible then.. Happy now? Does that make it better as a policy?
[comment deleted: and now you repeated your racial profiling argument twice verbatim. Again, new comment, new argument.
[comment deleted: I do not get into arguments over how I run the comment threads. Because you don’t seem to read the rules or care about them, you’ve been moderated. Only your comments respecting the rules will be published in future.
[Comment deleted: insulting me is another comment rule violation. You privileges are now ended and you are banned]
Ohhhh, you are such a polite dictator.
Can you even point at where in the Bible they used profiling? I bet you can’t which is why you deleted my comment.
And you Israeli profiling article will be deleted soon. Can’t believe you bring Wikipedia as a source, especially a tiny little article that is clearly written by an anti Israeli
@ Ariel Levy:
First, the article is not “mine.” I didn’t write it or have anything to do with it.
Though I’ve banned you, I’ve specifically published this comment because I want your comment available to Wikipedia editors to prove you are acting in bad faith in attempting to censor this article because it presents a true, but inconvenient picture of actual Israeli security practices.
It’s also instructive that you attempt to suppress speech on Wikipedia that does not accord to your own hasbara perspective on what is acceptable discourse around Israel issues.
You go ahead with your campaign if you choose. Though this statement by you will tell everyone what your goals and strategy are. Not to mention that if you suppress this article, you’ll have to also suppress also other Wikipedia articles which contain virtually the same information. Nice try though. Hasbara can’t fully suppress the inconvenient truth, hard as you may try.
I had a back and forth with my cousin about the Tamimi family. She ingested and spit out the hateful propaganda about the Tamimis which caused me to look deeper. I noted that settlers from the nearby settlement vandalized them this past February. Prior this settlement (Halamish) had been taking land and water from the Palestinian Nabi Saleh village. The Tatamis were prevented from using their spring. So the Tamamis were not only protesting, resisting, the occupation, but also this theft. The argument goes on in the media about the so-called bicycle incident.
I agree about the connection to what Trump is doing. The more these photos and the sound gets played the better. If they are going to use the children, if they are already being used, we might as well use their cries and photos to bring about an emotional outcry.
“Ill Fares the Land”- apt Tony Judt title
I really do think that the succes of the Pallywood smear has made these people think that they can apply this tactic more widely. Pallywood though, is so much easier: The nice white next-door-neighbors-type Israelis tell you all about the scary Muslims! Who would not believe them.