At least 28 people have been killed in US drone strikes in Afghanistan in November so far. Several of those were involved in tribal fighting against the Afghan government, but at least five were small children and total non-combatants were probably in double figures. These deaths do not go reported at all in western media. Cameron and Miliband both started at Prime Minister’s Questions today by condemning the killings in Jerusalem. No chance they will ever mention the ongoing US murders in Afghanistan, let alone the three Palestinians killed by Israelis lately, including a taxi driver lynched by Israeli illegal settlers.
No amount of “what-aboutery” can distract from the horror of the attacks in the Jerusalem synagogue, and I have no difficulty in condemning those killings unequivocally, too. But the hypocrisy of the Western media and political establishment, in terms of which deaths are important, is breath-taking. The truth is that the causes of these deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and across a swathe of other countries cannot be disentangled from the history of violent western aggression into those countries. But we are urged to forget context, forget cause and indulge in highly selective emotional outrage and indignation.
Some deaths count an awful lot. Some should not be noticed. It is a strange way of looking at the world.
Correction:
Meanwhile the memes of hatred which you refuse to acknowledge or discuss, continue to spew from our corporate media and as a resul, enough of our normally compassionate people continue to look the other way while the ordnance flies.
ok, ok – I see what you’re driving at. To explain. Everyone got really excited at H’s disappearing a few weeks back and drew the wrong conclusion (even myself!). One theory that still was working the rounds, was that H was unable to bring himself to participate on a thread involving Israel, and some got quite excited about it.
Not all of us are perfect, Sofia, and I write posts at times while in a quite sour mood. Life does that to some of us, or at least to me. People who delight in a IGYNYSOAB (I’ve Got You Now, You…) opportunity are apparently unaware of this condition.
People change. H’s attitude towards Mary, for example, rather turned me off – and I argued the case for his changing that attitude for some time. I’m glad to see it has changed of late. Does any positive reinforcement come his way for doing so? Of course not! Because Habbabkuk is firmly in the “bad person” camp now, so is anyone who’s ever agreed with him, so _nothing_ he could possibly say could ever be of any merit.
Despite not agreeing with H, I liked to hear his awkward questions. But since I’ve gone rogue, by assailing the sanctimony of a particular poster for a few minutes, everything I write must be wrong by definition.
The intellectual honesty I ask for, is to appreciate that positions and statements can be wrong even from people in the camp that you like – and that the same can be correct, even from the camp that you don’t like.
Personal spat, various replies and one racist sock deleted. Glenn_uk’s orphaned reply retained as it accords with Craig’s long-standing and sensible instruction; “engage with the argument, not the commenter”. You cannot possibly know what people are thinking or what their motives are. You can only know what they are saying.
Mods: I have not been trying to engage in a “spat” – in fact, I’ve been trying to make a bit of peace (futile though that effort surely is). Being diplomatic is not a strong record of mine, I freely admit.
Also, this is a different address from my sual, but may I please assure you – I have not been engaging in sock-puppet postings.
[craigmurray.org.uk – the sock comment was not by glenn_uk]
We shoot to kill Palestinians don’t we?
23 November 2014 Last updated at 12:12
Gaza man shot dead near Israel border, Palestinians say
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-#east-30166957
Other sources report that Fadel Mohammed Halawa was shot in the back!
Why was that fact not included in the BBC report?
Perhaps the Radio 4 Today Editor will invite an IDF representative to say if such killings will help or hinder the peace process.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/gaza-strip-israeli-forces-kill-palestinian-man-fadel-mohammed-halawa-1476170
http://news.sky.com/story/1378718/israeli-forces-shoot-palestinian-dead-in-gaza
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/11/israel-army-shoots-dead-palestinian-gaza-20141123103635597354.html