[GushShalom] Regards from the madhouse

[Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)]

GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - www.gush-shalom.org/

March 27, 2004

# The guarded and the unguarded - Gush Shalom in  Ha'aretz 
# Doron Rosenblum about "cost-damage" (as opposed to "cost-benefit")

					~~~~~~~~

# The guarded and the unguarded - Gush Shalom in  Ha'aretz

[ad in Ha'aretz, March 26]

òáøéú áàúø / Hebrew on the website 
www.gush-shalom.org


SHARON, MOFAZ AND YA'ALON


THE THREE MOST GUARDED

PERSONS IN THE WORLD

GAVE A CATASTROPHIC ORDER

CONDEMNING HUNDREDS

OF UNGUARDED ISRAELIS

TO DEATH.


Gush Shalom,
P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033
Help us cry out with your donation
			~~~

# Doron Rosenblum about "cost-damage" (as opposed to "cost-benefit")

Conspiracy (A theory)   
 
By Doron Rosenblum 

 Fri., March 26, 2004 
 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/408750.html
 
 Hebrew // òáøéú:
 http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=408299
 
How did the State of Israel, once one of the most promising, riveting and 
admired countries in the world, plunge from the heights of promise and 
hope into the depths of despair, bereavement and failure? What caused a 
country where, everyone agrees, there are intelligent people - and in any 
event, human material of equal caliber to that of any other country - to 
deteriorate, willingly and with full awareness, down the slope of the 
sewage of history? What made it become, gradually but systematically, one 
of the most hated, most isolated and most miserable places to be on the 
planet? Why did a country that was established as a "refuge" and a 
"haven" turn into a trap in which the routine of life has become a 
routine of death and which is defined, according to the findings of a 
comprehensive public opinion survey, as "the country most dangerous to 
peace in the world"? 
 

These questions have been contemplated for the past three years from 
every possible angle in an effort to understand and explain why, in this 
period especially, hardly any step taken by the government of Israel 
improves the country's lot or turns out to be useful. Why is the country 
striding along on a march of folly which has seen few precedents in human 
history? Why is it being swept from one idiotic decision to another? Why 
does it repeatedly act in explicit contradiction to the interests of its 
inhabitants?

In these past three years in particular, there is no mine that Israel has 
failed to step on, no opportunity it hasn't missed, no path it hasn't 
embarked on in the certain knowledge that it will be harmful.

Following the liquidation of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin this week, for example, 
one commentator informed us that "the security bodies are deploying for 
what is known as damage assessment" (!) in the wake of the act they 
decided on. The defense minister explained that the "wave of hits" was 
intended to meet the "wave of escalation in terrorist attacks that will 
follow in its wake." He thus made it clear what underlies this series of 
decisions, which can be called "cost-damage" (as opposed to "cost-
benefit"). They seem not to be driven by clear and rational 
considerations of benefit but by vague and uncontrollable "planning" 
impulses, accompanied by a silent prayer that it will be possible to 
contain their damage. It's like someone who is mentally ill and takes 
into account his own attacks of madness, and deploys to absorb them.

The attempt to explain rationally and conventionally the dynamics at work 
here has long since failed. So much so, in fact, that the only 
explanation the political and military analysts on television could come 
up with this week was: "They're doing XXX and hoping something good will 
come of it."

Is there any other way to explain the deliberate escalations that have 
only intensified the waves of terrorism, the crushing of the Palestinian 
Authority (followed by the crocodile tears over the "anarchy that has 
been created" without the PA), the foolish "deals" that only strengthened 
Hezbollah, the hasty, hot-headed military operations, executed with the 
total abandonment of the security of the country's citizens? Or the fact 
that "at the end of the day" (as they like to say in the army), every day 
is worse than the one before, every year is harder than the last?

What's going on here? What's behind it?

Some will say that there is method to the madness: It's all a brilliant 
Machiavellian ploy by Messrs. Sharon & Mofaz to preserve the true apple 
of their eye - the settlements - even if the world turns topsy-turvy. 
Others will say that it's all inertia, the work of lowbrow generals who 
don't know any other way. There's nothing of genius here, just stupidity. 
Still others will put it down to shehur, witchcraft, the evil eye. It's 
just that our luck has turned around, you see, because from a certain 
stage the slice of bread always falls with the buttered side down. Some 
will say: we have found ourselves dastardly enemies - irrational, 
murderous, lacking the ability to compromise, without creativity or 
flexibility, and that their madness has somehow clung to us.

There is no explanation that hasn't been heard in the past three years, 
apart from one: conspiracy.

Maybe there's a mole.

Yes, a mole. A kind of planted spy - a destructive worm virus, a Trojan 
horse.

Let's put it this way: We have here a march of folly that is so 
systematic, so consecutive and so determined that there's no way it's 
happening by itself. Because if it were accidental, wouldn't there have 
to be the occasional random success as well? So maybe it's really not 
accidental. Maybe there's someone who's running the show - craftily, 
brilliantly.

Who is it? That's not clear. But that's the whole point. We don't know 
and we don't suspect. But maybe he's sitting there, way up at the top of 
the decision-making process, deeply dug in: an impeccable fellow, 
supposedly, above all suspicion; known even as a fervid patriot, 
ostensibly - preferably of the type who has gone through all the stages 
of Israeli involvement since his youth, including an impressive military 
career.

"Decent," seemingly, and even "simple-minded" outwardly, driven 
purportedly by passion and wrath, he succeeds in tapping brilliantly into 
all the psychoses and paranoias of the Israelis and in making them follow 
blindly his proposals, recommendations and decisions - however loony and 
harmful they may be. The motive is one: to cause, within the shortest 
possible time, the greatest and longest-lasting damage.

Let's say violence springs up on the Palestinian side - stone-throwing, 
roadblocks, firebombs. Our friend coils himself for action: here's a 
great chance to drag Israel into a "policy of escalation." Why shouldn't 
it cut off its nose to spite its face?

The tanks are already rolling, shells are flying, casualties are falling, 
the blood stirs up the passions. And when buses start to explode there is 
no longer anyone to stop the targeted liquidations. In fact, they're so 
targeted that they will cause Israel its most severe image damage: 
there's always a kid who gets killed, or a pregnant woman, and always, 
somehow, just as the cameras are rolling.

If it's proved beyond any doubt that these "targeted" assassinations also 
summon up horrific revenge attacks, worse than anything we have known, 
our friend will see to it that the idea is adopted and turned into 
permanent policy; and not only that, he will also see to its 
implementation - like pouring oil on the flames - whenever some sort of 
calm looms, some kind of respite, even if only because of mutual 
exhaustion. When it appears, for a moment, that the sides have already 
fought themselves silly, like two punch-drunk boxers, our malicious 
friend starts to get worried. Why should the stock market be bullish? Why 
should shoppers go back to the malls? Why should nature lovers take up 
hiking again? Why give some political process a chance? Right off he will 
douse them with a pail of water and get them back into action, for 
another round. Good morning, targeted assassination! Good morning, 
Israel! Good morning, Zaka! Good morning, red alerts!

Endlessly creative, our molish buddy will propose trapping Israel so that 
it will not emerge well from any situation. It will always fall over some 
tripwire that it has prepared itself in advance: "no" to the building of 
a fence until the number of dead soars into the hundreds; "yes" to a 
fence only along a route that generates international protest; "no" to 
Abu Mazen and to negotiations with the most moderate elements; "yes" to 
Nasrallah and to gestures and deals with the most extreme element. In the 
wake of appalling terrorist attacks against women and children, he will 
suggest a "moderate response," of all things, and that we build ourselves 
up from the feeling of victimization; following semi-legitimate guerrilla 
attacks on the army and on strategic targets he will propose that we "go 
ape"; give the option of negotiations in return for concessions and 
withdrawals in return for eternal war, he will opt for the latter. And so 
on and so forth. The sky's the limit.

At every stage, our friend will ask himself: How else can I be harmful? 
What haven't I done yet? What extra dimension can I inject into the 
conflict? What new layer can be added to it? We succeeded in elevating 
the conflict from a territorial dispute into a war of chaos involving 
decentralized communities and organizations. Well done, yes, but now it's 
time to elevate it to the religious plane, the apocalyptic level, so that 
the damage will extend not only into the next generation, but for untold 
generations down the line.

Our friend looks around and asks himself: What single action can I take 
in order to place Israel at the cutting edge in the war of civilizations 
against the whole of Islam? How can I upgrade the existential threats: 
from mere bombs and shooting by local ragamuffin groups to the gunsights 
of Al-Qaida? And how can I, by the same twist of the blade, cause the 
most effective publicity damage? His eye catches sight of the most adored 
religious leader, who is also old, sick and crippled. And the rest is the 
un-end of history: today the war of Gog and Magog; tomorrow the 
Apocalypse.

The holidays are approaching. Pleasant azure skies above, a dry desert 
wind, flowers blooming across the land. A moment of quiet. The economy is 
showing a bit of improvement. The fingers of our friend are beginning to 
itch. Then a brain wave: he goes over to the beehive and kicks it as hard 
as he can. A vast swarm of bees hides the light of the sun. And, as a 
morale boosting bonus, he also makes sure to inform the public that in 
his view, the war will go on for 20 years at least (without deducting the 
past three years).

And again he looks around: what else, what else ... A mischievous glint 
in his eye: the Temple Mount?

Hey, that's an idea, too ...

Who's the mole? And furthermore: why is he doing it? In whose service is 
he operating? A messianic organization? Spectra? Smersh? The cult of the 
devil? The angels of hell? One might think he's working in the service of 
the Palestinians, were it not for the suspicion that an equally malicious 
mole is operating at their highest levels, too, and is constantly 
undermining their best interests.

So, who is he? And, above all, what's his motive? What's he after? It's 
not clear. It might all really be just an unfounded theory, a ridiculous 
thesis with no foundation of any kind. But tell me, in the light of 
what's going on, does anyone have a better explanation?  


---
Olive Oil straight from the farmers of Jayyous, also overseas

Sending you a tin can of olive oil from Jayyous to your door step 
anywhere in the United States or Europe takes less than 4 weeks.   
By buying from the farmers of Jayyous, the first to suffer from the wall, 
you help them at a crucial moment.  Hundreds of Palestinian families will 
benefit from your choice of using their  quality oil.

To buy just click on the link below

http://pcwf.org/artifacts/oliveoil/oliveoil.htm

and please tell in the message that you want the oil to come from 
Jayyous. To learn more about Jayyous please click and read and learn and 
support the struggle of the people of Jayyous.

http://www.jayyousonline.org/english.HTM
(among other things full text of Avnery speech "The Wall Will Fall")

---
NB: links and contact information re ongoing struggle
    Against the Wall / Refusniks / Vanunu 

--
ðåëçåú éåîéåîéú áëôøéí îàéîéí ò"é äçåîä ìúàí òí 
àééáé 064-604172 isichel at netvision.net.il
àøé÷ 050-607034  info at rhr.israel.net

Day to day presence at villages threatened by route of wall.
Contact:  Ivy Sichel 064-604172 isichel at netvision.net.il who set's up a 
list for people who can come at short notice, or: Arik Asherman 050-
607034  info at rhr.israel.net 


--
Refuser news:

Constantly-updated list of all presently jailed refusniks:

English - http://www.yesh-gvul.org/english/prison/
Hebrew / òáøéú - http://www.yesh-gvul.org/prison/


For the latest news about the five:   

http://www.refuz.org.il/News.html

	NB:
	Letters of support to 
	Noam Bahat / Haggai Mattar / Matan Kaminer
	AGAF BET
	Ma’asiyaho Prison
	P.O.B 13
	Ramla
	Israel

	Adam Maor / Shimri Tzameret:
	Hermon Prison
	P.O.B 4011 
	KFAR M’RAR
	Israel

--
List of international vigils on day of Vanunu release (April 21): 
http://www.nonviolence.org/vanunu/
http://www.vanunu.freeserve.co.uk/ 

Instead of sending flowers - an online option (paypal) for your welcome 
gesture:
<http://www.peaceispossible.info/thankyouvanunu.php>

Online petition for the unconditional release of Vanunu 
http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/freemordechaivanunu/

--
http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú/Hebrew)
http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English)
http://www.gush-shalom.org/arabic/index.html (selected articles in Arabic)

with
\\photos of recent actions 
\\the weekly Gush Shalom ad 
\\the columns of Uri Avnery 
\\Gush Shalom's history & action chronicle  
\\position papers & analysis (in "documents")
\\and a lot more

N.B.: 
On the Gush Shalom website links for 
Articles and documents in German, French and Spanish

In order to receive Gush Shalom's Hebrew-language 
press releases mail to:
gush-shalom-heb-request at mailman.gush-shalom.org 
+ NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line.

If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can 
send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece 
of paper to: 

Gush Shalom
pob 3322
Tel-Aviv 61033
Israel

or ask us for charities in your country which receive 
donations on behalf of Gush Shalom

Please, add your email address where to send our 
confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at 
request only.