Pro-Israeli Medical Students Take Positions on Hasbara's Propaganda Team

Medical students attempt to advocate what many see as Israel's militant brutality.

Artwork by the amazing Carlos Latuff in Rio de Janeiro. To see more of his work, visit: Latuff Gallery

(SALEM / NEW YORK) - I recently wrote about the film, The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall, a moving account of the life and death of this Humanitarian Activist.

I received a comment on the story from three people who describe themselves as medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine which is located in New York, who sound far more like politicians than future doctors.

Their comment, wholly advocating for Israel's militant politics, fails to even mention the name of the man that the story is about, and that is sad, because it is a piece of history everyone studying Israeli history needs to be familiar with; Thomas Hurndall was killed while saving small children from the bullets of an Israeli sniper in a tower that is permanently situated on the Gaza border.

Israel didn't withdraw from Gaza as this trio states; they simply withdrew to the edges of Gaza where the IDF shoots people regularly- because they operate without humanity.

Photo: irish4palestine.blogspot.com

A good percentage of pro-Zionists who write to Salem-News.com complaining about our content tend to place humanity in quotes which says what? In my view it trivializes the most important subject in existence. The families of Gaza deserve to live with dignity and safety, and of course these are top priorities for Israeli citizens.

It is also important to state that the Israeli Defence Force soldiers who work the Gaza border are specialized and not like their counterparts in other parts of Israel, as noted by our News Photographer Dexter Phoenix who spent time covering the conflict between Israel and Lebanon in 2006.

I don't like saying or writing this, but Israel represents a very ugly truth and it is a reality that mankind must confront, particularly with the US taxpayer paying the bill.

Only one side of this issue is the occupier; Israel with endless finances and guns and bombs, and only one side is occupied; the native Palestinians who are displaced by Israel. Their crime is often throwing rocks. The ultra-overarmed Jewish state operates from a philosophy of Zionism, which involves the belief that Jewish people have a God-given 'right' to take land that belongs to others.

So here begins the comment from the medical students:

A brief chronology of the latest saga of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is crucial to a proper appreciation of the issues involved in the current war. In August 2005, after five years of fighting in the Second Intifada with no resolution in sight, Israel unilaterally withdrew all of its soldiers and citizens from the Gaza strip in hopes of fostering a lasting peace.

 Tim King: Oh really?  I have studied this and ultimately have different findings.  For example, you fail to mention the settlers who had to be taken out by force, and the fact that Israel didn't leave Gaza; Israel built a perimeter fence and wall to turn the 1.5 million residents of Gaza, 800k+ children among the population, into prisoners.

Israel sealed the people in and therefore egregiously violated the The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Salem-News.com on several levels.  I even suspect that Sharon's illness was induced by Israel.  After all, several rabbis placed a curse on him, or had you overlooked that part of history also? 

Since the Israeli withdrawal, however, Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization funded by Iran, has fired over 6,000 deadly rockets from Gaza targeting Israeli civilians. It is against these war crimes, the indiscriminate targeting of innocent civilians, that the Israeli military has been forced to respond.

Tim King: I'm sorry but that is just pure bullshit.  A TOTAL of 28 Israeli citizens have died because of the Hamas 'rocket attacks' and why on earth do you fail to mention that Hamas not only ceased this activity, but also is trying to reign in others outside of Hamas?  Hamas was elected fairly and legally and the racist Zionist government of Israel and its little puppet the USA ensure that fairness was not met.

The Israels have killed several times the number of Palestinians that Hamas has killed Israelis.  Warmongers are seriously in control of Israel and always have been.  They have no respect for humanity, only Jewish people.  While Jewish people are as valuable as any human, they are not 'better' or deserving more than any other person alive, regardless of their religion.

Israel CONSTANTLY targets civilians and as far as Hamas goes, this is where those reading this will receive an honest education: If HAMAS is a Terrorist Organization, What Does That Make Israel? - Political Perspective by Tim King Salem-News.com.  And by all means readers should catch this story on our front page at the time of this writing: Don't Gobble the Zionist Poison Against Hamas - Nahida Izzat Salem-News.com

As President-elect Obama asserted in a campaign visit to Israel in July 2008, "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that, and would expect Israel to do the same thing." After years of restraint and after exhausting all diplomatic avenues, it is this very principle of defending its civilians, one of the foundational tenets of a democratic nation, which has driven Israel to take up arms against Hamas.

Tim King: All Obama has done is change position.  He also said in Cairo, " Salaam Alaikum   there must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from one another,  to respect one another and to seek common ground. "

And he said: "The Holy Qur'an tells us, 'Be conscious of God and speak always the truth '   and "The Holy Qur'an teaches, 'Whoever kills an innocent, it is as if they killed all mankind."  So I guess that undermines your point.  Israel desires to take land that does not belong to Israel.  Your colonializing settlers use government rule to force people out of homes they have owned for generations; sometimes hundreds of years.

Israel has taken great steps to erase the historical towns and cities of the Palestinians.  But WORST of all, the MOST disturbing on an environmental level, are the eradication of classic Palestinian olive trees and groves that have existed since ancient times.  There is NO excuse.

Israel's message to Palestinians as one person in my life says, is "Leave or die".  The 'democracy' of Israel is clearly conveyed in this article.  The use of the word 'restraint' in regard to Israel is so false that it is embarrassing.  

There is no question that the loss of Palestinian life in Gaza is terribly tragic and that every effort should be made to avoid civilian casualties and to provide medical aid and supplies to those suffering.

 Tim King: Oh, like more than 1400 murdered civilians in Gaza during 'Operation Cast Lead'?  Have you ever looked at those words carefully?  Do you even have the ability to grasp the audacity of  operation CAST LEAD?  Sorry, but I don't know if you are some type of doctor/propagandists or if you actually believe what you are writing.  As far as medical aid goes, your IOF thugs made sure that didn't happen, taking care to shoot ambulance drivers as they tried to reach the wounded.

This is disgusting to even know that you would hail from the medical community and support this rampant well-planned murder of so many people.  I am only taking the time to fully indulge your disparaging comments toward an entire culture for the memory and respect of  Tom Hurndall, since this article is about him though I see you didn't take the time to so much as mention his name.  Surely you could have. 

And since your are all doctors or medical students or presumably something along those lines, you should read this excerpt from the article:  White Phosphorus Bombs, a Legacy of Suffering - By Yousef Al-Helou for Salem-News.com

Nafez Abu Shaban, head of the Burns Dept. at Shifa hospital, Gaza's largest medical center, says the Israeli attacks will lead to ongoing problems in the future. Photo: Yousef Al-Helou

"We had a happy home, I lived in this house in security with my husband and children. I was the happiest person in the world, but all of that changed when on January 4th the Israeli army entered our village and fired 2 phosphorus shells (that) penetrated our roof and brunt us while we were having our lunch, the fire was like lava, my family were burnt and their bodies turned to crisps." Sabah said.

The mournful mother who is still unable to walk or talk properly since her house was completely engulfed in flames, believes she is lucky to have found a photo of her youngest daughter, Shahed, who was only 15 months old. I asked her to comment on this writing which was left on the wall of her bedroom that reads "from the Israeli defense force, we are sorry!"

"I demand the whole world and international human rights organizations to sue the killers of my family, they killed so many innocent people who tried to rescue us, what was the guilt of my children and my baby Shahad? Their 'sorry' will not bring back my family. I'm still physiologically and mentally in pain. I can't even pick up a cup of tea now; my life will never be the same", Sabah answered with tears in her eyes.

While no party is blameless for the tragic Palestinian death toll, the stark contrast between Israel's and Hamas' treatment of the people in Gaza must be unequivocally asserted. Israel's defense of its own citizens has gone hand in hand with extraordinary efforts to protect the civilians of Gaza.

Tim King: Hamas protects the people of Gaza, Israel kills the people of Gaza.  Yes, there is an overbearing sense with Hamas; they are no-nonsense and they go too far sometimes trying to control people in Gaza, but look at the situation Israel has placed them in.  In the end Hamas is Gaza and Israel is an oppressive occupying force and there is not a time in history that a proud culture relents easily to such barbaric treatment as inflicted by the Israelis. You try to represent Hamas as something they are not.  This recent report shows them on a day observing Israel's deadly cast lead attacks: Report from Gaza: Two Years After Operation Cast Lead - Ken O'Keefe Salem-News.com 

And let's not let anyone forget that you represent one thing and one thing only; religious fanatics.  Wait, dangerous, deadly religious fanatics.  I have not the faculties to absorb the notion that God's 'Chose People' had reference had anything to do with walling in the Palestinian population and weaving them through an endless series of checkpoints where they are delayed and disrespected, at minimum.

Israel maintains an apartheid government with separate laws and rules for Jews and non-Jews.  Even among the Jewish people there are many problems and those who side with peace; our friends are branded by Zionists as 'self-hating Jews' which is hogwash.  I believe the American Jews I have always known are the real representatives of the faith.

Even if they are confused at times by such overwhelming false information continually peddled by hasbara, they are able to listen and examine the facts and often quickly agree that Israel's hard right politicians with an endless military agenda are dead wrong on almost every level. 

Israel distributes leaflets, sends voicemails and text messages, and uses radio and TV announcements to warn Gazan civilians to clear areas of imminent attacks. Israel seeks to minimize civilian casualties through surgical strikes on military objectives, and frequently aborts key missions due to concerns for civilian casualties. Moreover, since the beginning of the war, Israel has transported thousands of pounds of food and medical supplies to ease the Gazans’ plight.

Tim King: Leaflets?  OMG, it is harrowing to read this bag of lies.  I am now concluding that you are medical students at most.  Israel has the most precise targeting hardware of any military group, thanks to the evil actions of my sad government.  They dropped leaflets, told people to seek refuge IN AN OPEN AIR PRISON, are you guys really alive?

*(It is also extremely noteworthy that Israeli 'leaflets' designated certain 'safe' areas and then the IDF turned around and attacked the places where people took shelter, leading in part to the extremely high death tolls among civilian targets. The ridiculous assertion that these civilian targets of Israel's were somehow really placed in danger by Hamas is another one of those 'broken record' propaganda lines that most any person with a small degree of sense can see through. Hamas protects the people of Gaza.)

There is no excuse and that is why another Zionist Jew, the Honorable Richard Goldstone, wrote the Goldstone report that explained in great detail how Israel violated many international laws during cast lead and should be investigated for violations of war crimes.

Speaking of that, here is a link to a story that contains personal information about two hundred or so Israeli Defence Force war crime suspects, photos and all: Israeli Military War Crime Suspects Revealed - Salem-News.com 

Unfortunately, Israel's efforts to minimize harm to the civilians of Gaza have been confounded by Hamas which consistently places civilians in the line of fire. Hamas, in clear violation of international law, gathers women and children around military targets to use them as human shields.

 Tim King: No, completely false propaganda charge - 100% fabricated in Israel.  I have never seen a single shred of evidence to support this claim, it is as if Israel were placing civilians in the line of fire for the highly ineffective 'Hamas rocket attacks'.  Do they do that?  Didn't think so, neither does Hamas.

This terrorist regime endangers the people of Gaza by using civilian homes, schools, mosques and hospitals as launching grounds for rockets fired at Israeli civilians and prides itself on the number of its own people martyred to the destruction of Israel. It preys on the moral conscience of the democratic world, which places a premium on innocent lives, knowing that Israel seeks to avoid killing the very same Palestinian civilians whom Hamas militants hide behind and deem dispensable. It is these abominable tactics of Hamas that leads to the "disproportionate" number of Palestinian civilian casualties and which should evoke international condemnation and outrage.

I have been looking long and hard for this clip, I want the English version and if anyone can find it, please let Salem-News.com know. These are Israeli citizens being read quotes from Zionism founder Theodor Herzl. Each time when the Israeli is asked who they think wrote the quote, they reply "Hitler".

Tim King: Man, I wish this droning of propaganda was over already.   Hamas are people, Palestinians are people.  They lived in peace with Christians and Jewish people in historic Palestine until Theodor Herzl decided that he did like Jews (after all) and decided to switch from anti-Semitism to Zionism.  Anyone reading this can quickly and easily verify everything I am saying.

Herzl kicked Zionism into gear, WWI came around and the Arabs were told that if they helped the British free Jerusalem from the Turks, that the Arab world would be left alone.  The Arabs helped defeat the Turks, but instead of being left alone as promised by Sir Lawrence, came the Balfour Declaration -a disgrace and shameful violation of Great Britain's big promise to the Arabs.

And then came the increased number of Jewish people moving to Palestine, and with it came the groups we would come to know like the Irgun began mobilizing to steal the Palestinian land.

Then after the Holocaust, a stream of Jewish refugees moved to Palestine and began slaughtering Arab people in order to take their land.  Guess what?  It is still taking place.

One of the worst of Israel's terrorists as we revealed last week in an article long since struck from the main channels, that of (Rahm) Emanuel's dad, who specialized in blowing up buses transporting Palestinian people.   Rahm Emanuel's Father Specialized in Bus Bombings in Palestine - Wayne Madsen Special to Salem-News.com

We recognize the hardships and painful losses incurred by both sides of this conflict, but we also know that simplistic solutions based on distorted facts are not the answer.

 Tim King: Then why are you distorting facts in rapid succession on our pages?

Blind calls for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” outside the context of a viable and sustainable security are short-sighted. While this may seem to be an attractive and “humanitarian” solution in the short term, it will not alleviate the plight of Palestinians who suffer under the policies of the Hamas regime nor bring safety to the civilians of Israel who currently live in terror of Hamas rockets.

Tim King: The fact that you place the word humanitarian in quotes says all we need to know about you and your cause.  Hamas is not the problem, they simply stand against Israel's illegal occupation and so does almost every other country on this earth.  Nobody is blind by the way, this has been a consistent call.

Every person should rightly be pained by the death and suffering of innocent people wherever they may be. Nonetheless, espousing moral indignation in the face of a skewed and one-sided picture of an immensely complex situation simply delays finding appropriate solutions. How can a letter that calls for humanitarianism and civilian protection point to Israel’s “brutal attacks” while ignoring the countless Israeli efforts to protect Gazan civilians?

 Tim King: Exactly 28 people, remember?  You attempt to somehow inflate and enlarge a small number in people's.minds.   The majority of all Palestinians have been peacefully protesting in recent years, not fighting.  Their reward is being arrested in the middle of the night by your gestapo police or being drug away from a peaceful protest and tortured or even sexually abused.

We have published many stories about the abuse of Palestinian children by IDF.  There isn't even a small justification for any of these actions.  Israel is completely wrong and locked in a deadly pattern of oppressive militancy.  Only a small obscure number of people in Gaza fire these rockets that are often referred to as 'glorified fireworks'.  They are not guided, whereas Israel's illegal weapons that destroyed 56 schools and over 200 medical facilities during cast lead were all precisely directed on their targets, making Israel a military that kills babies.... baby killers.

 Human Rights Watch researchers found spent shells, canister liners, and dozens of burnt felt wedges containing white phosphorus on city streets, apartment roofs, residential courtyards, and at a United Nations school in Gaza immediately after hostilities ended in January.

"Militaries officially use white phosphorus to obscure their operations on the ground by creating thick smoke. It has also been used as an incendiary weapon, though such use constitutes a war crime.

“In Gaza, the Israeli military didn’t just use white phosphorus in open areas as a screen for its troops," said Fred Abrahams, senior emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch and co-author of the report. "It fired white phosphorus repeatedly over densely populated areas, even when its troops weren't in the area and safer smoke shells were available. As a result, civilians needlessly suffered and died." This article has details: WikiLeaks and Gaza Links - Eileen Fleming Salem-News.com

Why was it deemed irrelevant to mention the significant role of Hamas in the number of Palestinian civilian deaths? It pains us that some would attempt to value the lives and security of one people over the lives and security of another, and to express solidarity with some innocents while ignoring others. As medical students committed to the sanctity and preservation of human life, we too express our grave concern for the protection of innocents and hope for a speedy but viable resolution so that both Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace and safety.

Tim King: Right, but you didn't have the decency to mention Tom Hunrdall's name.  You didn't even reference it. 

Rebecca Braunstein, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MSI

David Faleck, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MSI

David Stern, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MSII

533 Med student Signatures, 180 MD's (as of 8:47 a.m. EST 1/16/09) 1055 in total

I think again that Hamas is far from perfect but not for killing people in Gaza, you are totally blowing smoke. There are problems with Hamas cracking down on young groups like the Gaza Youth; we have published their manifesto for change. We aren't missing the point, but problems within Gaza are a flea on the dog and a completely separate matter from Israel's continued illegal deadly occupation of Palestine. I hope you guys realize that you have blood streaming from your hands, surely you are being paid to write this, and I think if Albert Einstein were alive today he would be disgusted by Netanyahu and this list of fabrications.

Conclusion by Tim King:

Because of Zionism, instead of making concessions, Israel continues to allow the building of colonies for religious 'settlers' and the point is to take the tiny remaining pieces of Palestinian land away from families and thus turn them into refugees - regardless of what Israel's excuse makers say. Israeli citizens in settlements are provided US taxpayer funded allowances and most of the men don't work. They study religion and patrol the perimeters of their 'settlements' and ensure that no Arabs are traveling on their 'Jewish only' roads. How can anyone support Israel's apartheid government? That is my question. It is not a matter of supporting Israeli people; change can only come about when we follow the concepts of Truth, Justice and Peace. I addressed their comment point by point. My comments are bold and theirs are not. I hope people learn a few thing from this, and that comments on stories remain on-topic as our rules state they must be.

Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 65 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com