Sunday, May 5, 2013

CBC GRANTS ISRAEL IMPUNITY

CBC  reported on the Israeli violation of international law by twice repeating the old, meaningless canard - Israel has the right to defend itself. No country, including Israel, has  the right under international law to make pre-emptive attacks on its neighbours and then use the excuse, even if it were true which it probably is not, that it is defending itself.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/05/05/israel-syria.html

New Israeli airstrikes in Syria raise tensions

Israeli warplanes strike Syrian capital for 2nd time in 3 days

Last Updated: May 5, 2013 3:43 PM ET

In order to present the self-defense claim, CBC seems to be implying more than was said by Obama in the following from the article:

The White House declined for a second day to confirm or comment directly on the airstrikes in Syria, but said Obama believes Israel has the right to defend itself against threats from groups like Hezbollah.
"The Israelis are justifiably concerned about the threat posed by Hezbollah obtaining advanced weapons systems, including some long-range missiles" White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force One as Obama travelled to Ohio.


Obama did not say this particular attack, which was an international war crime, was an act of self-defense. Why does CBC stretch Obama's weasel wording into a specific endorsement of this particular war crime?

Then CBC saw fit to report Israel's absurd claim that it wanted to stay out of the Syrian civil war. If Israel wanted to stay out of the Syrian civil war, it would not have attacked Damascus. Why are the aggressor's lies being reported, without any words of reason to show how false they are?

Israel has said it wants to stay out of the Syrian war on its doorstep, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated the Jewish state would be prepared to take military action to prevent sophisticated weapons from flowing from Syria to Hezbollah or other extremist groups.

And of course, CBC had to include an inane quote from our disgraceful government:

With Syria now engulfed in an internal conflict, Israel is especially concerned that Hezbollah will take advantage of the chaos and try to smuggle advanced weapons into Lebanon, particularly those that could hamper Israel's ability to operate in Lebanese skies.
Officials in Israel say they have identified several "game changing" weapons that would trigger military intervention in Syria: chemical weapons, long-range Scud B missiles, the Fateh-110s, land-to-sea Yakhont missiles and SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles.


Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israel's military intelligence, said the strikes on Syria are a signal to Damascus's ally, Tehran, that Israel is serious about the red lines it has set.
"Syria is a very important part in the front that Iran has built. Iran is testing Israel and the U.S. determination in the facing of red lines and what it sees is in clarifies to it that at least some of the players, when they define red lines and they are crossed, take it seriously," he told Army Radio.

What these quotes reveal is that Israel, which constantly abuses Lebanese airspace, is claiming to attack Syria in order to deny anti-aircraft weapons to Hezbollah who would use them to defend themselves from Israeli serial illegal incursions over Lebanon. Also it reveals that the attack on Syrias was part of a larger war which Israel is fomenting with Iran. Neither of these facts are legitimate justifications for Israel's attacks on Damascus.

As for context, it would have been appropriate if CBC had noted that Israel has occupied a large piece of Syrian territory for 40 years, and Syria has refrained all this time from attacking Israel to reclaim its stolen land. And now Israel goes and makes an unprovoked attack on Syria. Which country is more guilty of aggression?

Another thing that might have been appropriate, but lacking because of CBC's  Zionist bias, which includes a large dose of anti-Arab racism, is any expression of concern about the possibility of innocent civilian casualtiers amongst the population of Damascus. If there had been major bombing close to an Israeli city you can be sure CBC would have expressed some concern.

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