A Pussycat for Purim
From The Forward’s Purim Supplement. (See also) Last year’s kittens are here.
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20 Responses to “A Pussycat for Purim”
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When will Eli Valley stop? Good artist; wish he’d lay off the over-the-top shrill-and-smarm stuff.
Few people still labor under the illusion that the Israeli military is totally beyond reproach. But does that mean Israel should allow dubious charges such as (some of) Goldstone’s to go unanswered?
Apparently Valley thinks defending ones actions in the court of world opinion is some absurd attempt to paint your army as cute-and-cuddly. He illustrates in black-and-white; apparently he thinks that way as well.
—rootlesscosmo · February 18th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
unanswered? they wouldn’t even support the investigation. they wouldn’t answer any questions… “we will not cooperate with your investigation.” “you’re investigation is one-sided.” hmmm…..
—Justin · February 19th, 2010 at 12:34 am
“your investigation”
man… i need to start sleeping.
—Justin · February 19th, 2010 at 12:34 am
I can haz blaytent efurt 2 cuvr up war crayms throo sintementul foto ops?
—B.BarNavi · February 19th, 2010 at 1:01 am
The government chose not to cooperate with the investigation while it was ongoing. That said, they issued a report to the UN early this month with lots of responses to allegations, even if not “a response to Goldstone” per se. Accept it or reject it, but don’t pretend that Israel ignored the report, no matter the official rhetoric.
—Arie · February 19th, 2010 at 7:40 am
i didn’t say they ignored the report. i said they refused to cooperate in the investigation and then reject its findings. that’s stupid.
—Justin · February 19th, 2010 at 10:55 am
Can anybody here–who uses the Goldstone Report as evidence that Israel committed terrible acts in Gaza–put their hand on their heart and say that they would have relied on the Report had Goldstone come to the opposite conclusions? Of course not.
Had Goldstone come to the finding that the Israeli military did not violate legal conventions in Gaza, then many of those same people who rely on the Report would instead accuse Goldstone of “showing no moral spine,” or “working as a de facto speech writer for Netanyahu” etc. etc.
Point is, it really doesn’t matter what the Goldstone Report said–maybe the factual findings matter, but not his legal conclusions.
—Jonathan1 · February 19th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
rootlesscosmo — This was the Purim edition of the paper. I think you’re performing a case in point for him.
—Kung Fu Jew 18 · February 19th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
“rootlesscosmo — This was the Purim edition of the paper. I think you’re performing a case in point for him.”
This cartoon is as over-the-top as usual.
—Eric · February 19th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Eric, I think EV is really good at making fun of the hysteria on the right-wing. Reasonable people shouldn’t feel implicated by his toons.
—Kung Fu Jew · February 19th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
nice to see a “Jewish” site mock and dehumanize the IDF. really.
—david · February 19th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
it’s mocking IDF PR not the individuals who serve in it.
—Justin · February 19th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
rootlesscosmo — This was the Purim edition of the paper. I think you’re performing a case in point for him.
huh?
I think EV is really good at making fun of the hysteria on the right-wing
and my original point was that Israel is not acting hysterically. to rebut certain of the Goldstone allegations is totally routine and totally justified. and yet Valley is trying to suggest that to do so is tantamount to claiming that the IDF is a bunch of cuddly kittens. like I said: no nuance, no grey areas. In Valley’s world you either agree to the entire contents of some UN report, or else you might as well be claiming that the IDF is a bunch of kittens.
—rootlesscosmo · February 19th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
yay, I love being mocked!
—Arie · February 20th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
“Eric, I think EV is really good at making fun of the hysteria on the right-wing. Reasonable people shouldn’t feel implicated by his toons.”
IMO if the IDF’s PR sounds outlandish it’s because for any other army in that scenario it would be outlandish. The US Army doesn’t send truckloads of food and water into towns it’s besieging in Iraq. Nor do the British in Iraq, nor did they in the Falklands…. nor the Allies in France, Germany and Italy, and on, and on, and on….
Maybe sending convoys of food and water and medicine and metal and concrete to enemy forces, and calling ahead to politely inform them of which targets are next on the action list, in fact makes the IDF sound stupid. In fact it’s probably unprecedented — it’s certainly the first time I’ve ever heard of a military sending supplies to the enemy.
The real purpose of the IDF is that of any other military: to secure the population of the state by killing and deterring enemies, and raising the cost of noncompliance above its benefits. Maybe if the IDF put more emphasis on that than on helping the enemy it would (counter-intuitively) enjoy better PR.
But the truth is there’s no way for the IDF to win a morality discussion with the Left. If the IDF is acting like every other army, focused on killing enemy forces and deterring further aggression, it’s “evil and oppressive”. If the IDF sends truckloads of supplies to the enemy it’s just “putting on a show” to hide how evil and oppressive it “really” is. They’ve been pegged coming or going before the debate ever gets started.
The whole reason for these serpentine discussions is that people still feel uncomfortable openly discussing their real issue: should Israel be allowed to have an army? Which is a subset of: Is it permissible to fight an enemy?
—Eric · February 20th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
@Arie-
and you know that i know that you even think some of what you have to say is worthy of being mocked
—Justin · February 20th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Eric —
The US Army doesn’t send truckloads of food and water into towns it’s besieging in Iraq. Nor do the British in Iraq, nor did they in the Falklands…. nor the Allies in France, Germany and Italy, and on, and on, and on….
You have no idea what you’re talking about, do you? I wish I could invent facts when it was convenient to me.
But the truth is there’s no way for the IDF to win a morality discussion with the Left. If the IDF is acting like every other army, focused on killing enemy forces and deterring further aggression, it’s “evil and oppressive”.
Because the occupation of the territories is immoral. The statelessness of the Palestinians is wrong, at least if you believe the statelessness of the Jews before the State of Israel was wrong. The blame for the present stalemate doesn’t rest with one side entirely and Israel shares lots of the blame. The country is not blameless. And you keep complaining when anyone on Jewschool highlights that blame. People like you keep thinking we can fix the situation with PR instead of dealing the problem.
Until Israel deals with the problem, her defenders’ attempts to use deodorant to cover up the smell of poo will always be fodder for mockery.
—Kung Fu Jew · February 21st, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Eric – I’d love to fight an enemy. But the people of Gaza are Israeli subjects (not citizens, but subjects). Israel has an obligation to care for their welfare under its law and international law.
—Amit · February 21st, 2010 at 2:08 pm
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, do you? I wish I could invent facts when it was convenient to me.”
Great, show me some counterexamples. Debunk all of my “invented facts”. Educate us.
“And you keep complaining when anyone on Jewschool highlights that blame. People like you keep thinking we can fix the situation with PR instead of dealing the problem.”
Hmmmm, when do I “complain”??? I disagree with the claim and I think there are strong grounds to counterargue. And I don’t know where you get the idea that I think “we can fix the situation with PR” — I don’t and I’ve never said any such thing. Sounds like your projection of what you imagine someone who disagrees with you “must” be thinking.
“Until Israel deals with the problem, her defenders’ attempts to use deodorant to cover up the smell of poo will always be fodder for mockery.”
You’re just embodying what I noted in my comment above. The IDF has already been pegged coming and going no matter what it does. Kill enemies: immoral. Send supplies to the enemy: immoral.
“Eric – I’d love to fight an enemy. But the people of Gaza are Israeli subjects (not citizens, but subjects). Israel has an obligation to care for their welfare under its law and international law.”
OK, that’s ridiculous. Israel has no more control over Gaza than Egypt does. Egypt in reality has more, having a consulate and larger unofficial intelligence presence there in addition to its major impact on the economy.
Before Israel gained control of Gaza in 1967 (supposedly “illegal under international law”) it was the property of Egypt. Now that Israel’s withdrawn from Gaza it would logically revert back to Egyptian control. (Ask Gazans if they’re “Israeli subjects”!)
But as with the IDF, Israel gets pegged coming and going. In control of Gaza: responsible. Not in control of Gaza: still responsible.
How endlessly convenient.
—Eric · February 21st, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Now that Israel’s withdrawn from Gaza it would logically revert back to Egyptian control.
Begin should have offered the Temple Mount for Gaza in 1978-79. What a mistake.
—Jonathan1 · February 21st, 2010 at 9:38 pm