Israel live tweets its own offensive into Gaza

missesdash

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This is.... I don't have a word for it yet:

http://theatlantic.com/internationa...-tweeting-its-own-offensive-into-gaza/265227/

Now we've arrived at the latest iteration in digital warfare: when military operations are liveblogged in real time, and the updates are delivered right to your social newsfeed.

Over the past six hours, Israel's military has been hammering Gaza with a barrage of missiles. The IDF's public relations team, meanwhile, has just as steadily been covering the offensive -- updating its Twitter handle, @IDFSpokesperson, with the play-by-play on Operation Pillar of Defense. Within moments of the opening salvo, IDF officials announced that they'd killed the top operative in Hamas' armed services.

Read the entire thing. It just gets weirder. The IDF tweeted for the Hamas to gtfo or die. Hamas replied *on twitter* and said, essentially "no you."

My younger sister has conversations like this online when her and her best friends get in fights.
 

sulong

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Geeze, Can't Israel just secede like everyone else?
 

clintl

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Read the entire thing. It just gets weirder. The IDF tweeted for the Hamas to gtfo or die. Hamas replied *on twitter* and said, essentially "no you."

At least they tweeted. That's a start.
 

firedrake

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... mission accomplished in any event. Good going!

Good going?
Tell that to the father of the 11 month old boy who was killed in the strike, the father who works for the BBC Arabic service.
 

seun

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'You started it.'
'No, you started it.'
'Look, everyone knows you started it.'
'No, you started it.'
'You did.'
'I'm telling my dad.'
'Go on, then.'
'I will.'
'Do it. I'll tell him you started it.'
'No, you did.'

And so on until my brain leaks out of my ear.
 

raburrell

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Why someone asked. Answers

1. Election in Israel in January.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_legislative_election,_2013
http://www.haaretz.com/news/israeli-elections-2013

2. Election in the US last week. Netenyahu's candidate lost.

My guess, it's also partly about heading off Goldman Report-style criticism in the aftermath, the flotilla raid, etc. By putting the strike that killed the Hamas Commander out on YouTube, they're attempting to show that they went out of their way to avoid civilian casualties. (Though as Fire noted, not so much).

I'm not defending Israel, but it's an offensive that was launched in response to a huge increase in rocket attacks in the south. So there was a provocation, though yes, that too was probably rooted in the elections. ETA: Not to mention sabotaging the Palestinian's statehood. Because, you know, when they take a peaceful action, it's a really good idea to punish them...
 

Don

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I think "offensive" is the correct word here.
 

Ken

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... civilian casualties are always going to occur, unfortunate as that is. The alternative would be never carrying out any offensives against terrorist organizations, which would be disastrous for us all. Every time one of these leaders is taken out the world is that much safer. A single terrorist can do immense damage. Look no further than 9-11.
 

firedrake

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... civilian casualties are always going to occur, unfortunate as that is. The alternative would be never carrying out any offensives against terrorist organizations, which would be disastrous for us all. Every time one of these leaders is taken out the world is that much safer. A single terrorist can do immense damage. Look no further than 9-11.

Tell that to the parents of the 4 children killed in the strike. I'm sure they'll feel a lot better knowing that.
 

Don

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Tell that to the parents of the 4 children killed in the strike. I'm sure they'll feel a lot better knowing that.
I'd say the absolutely number one way to generate a terrorist is to kill the children of someone previously neutral.
 

LOG

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The only military action that would "resolve" the conflict between Israel and Palestine would be genocide.
 

J.S.F.

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Tell that to the parents of the 4 children killed in the strike. I'm sure they'll feel a lot better knowing that.

---

Tell that to the parents of Israeli children blown up in suicide bomb attacks or others who've been attacked. It works both ways. Blowing up or shooting children is definitely not the way but again, neither side has ever shown a whole lot of restraint in this area.
 

Kaiser-Kun

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Tell all of that to your parents. They'll be very happy you're having fun with your internet friends.
 

sulong

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---

Tell that to the parents of Israeli children blown up in suicide bomb attacks or others who've been attacked. It works both ways. Blowing up or shooting children is definitely not the way but again, neither side has ever shown a whole lot of restraint in this area.

Oh my god! There's been recent suicide bomb attacks in Israel?

Why haven't we heard about that?
 

J.S.F.

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Oh my god! There's been recent suicide bomb attacks in Israel?

Why haven't we heard about that?

---

Your sarcasm is noted.:sarcasm

Ask yourself not "Why haven't we heard about that" but "When haven't they done it?"

Ask yourself who's been building tunnels running from the Sinai into Israel, who's been stockpiling weapons in the Gaza strip--many from Iran and Iraq but probably from other Arab nations--and the answer is...

...it ain't the Israelis.:rolleyes
 

sulong

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---

Your sarcasm is noted.:sarcasm

Ask yourself not "Why haven't we heard about that" but "When haven't they done it?"

Ask yourself who's been building tunnels running from the Sinai into Israel, who's been stockpiling weapons in the Gaza strip--many from Iran and Iraq but probably from other Arab nations--and the answer is...

...it ain't the Israelis.:rolleyes

Got any cites to support the recent "suicide bomber" accusation you've made?

I would hate to find the accusation to be a bunch of smoke and mirrors.