Last year I saw a photo that showed a Palestinian protester named Mustafa Tamimi allegedly being shot by Israeli soldiers at point-blank range with a 40mm tear-gas canister. The incident happened at Nabi Saleh, the West Bank, on December 10, 2011. Tamimi, 28, died the next day of his injuries. Tamimi became a martyr for…
The person I came closest to murdering
September 17, 2014
Adapted from Ghosts and Ballyhoo: Memoirs of a Failed L.A. Music Journalist. The person I came closest to murdering is a lot like those who now threaten to murder me. Odd coincidence. So There You Are I met “Carmen” the Cardinal Ghost on November 6, 1987. Two days later, she invited me to her apartment…
May you live forever
September 16, 2014
Today my Website was hacked by the Islamic State. In return I say to them, “May you live forever.” It’s a line from 300, one of my favorite films. King Leonidas has been betrayed by Ephialtes of Trachis, who guided the Persians to the trail they used to encircle the Spartans and Thespians blocking the…
Insanely fake stats touted by Israel haters
September 15, 2014
Regardless of how I feel about the Israeli Defense Forces, I don’t lie about them to make them seem better than they are. I also don’t lie about Hamas. The terrorist group’s actions speak for themselves and don’t need embellishing by me. But suddenly Israel haters are sending me insanely fake statistics and photos that…
The law of unintended consequences
September 14, 2014
Before Operation Protective Edge, I was a staunch supporter of Israel. I bought pizza for Israeli soldiers, and I corresponded with a few of them. It never really occurred to me to study the motivations of the anti-Israel crowd, since we’re all free to have whatever beliefs we want. Also, I didn’t think much about…
Guest post: The dance of the Israel hater
September 13, 2014
By Racheli Ben Yehuda. Reprinted with permission. Hi Thomas. Let me start by saying THANK YOU (if I could shout it I would). I have been following you since the start of Operation Protective Edge, and the daily articles you posted gave me a lot of confidence. I have a Pinterest account and was using…
The not-dead little girl
September 12, 2014
On August 3, 2014, The Israeli Defense Forces fired a small missile at two terrorists riding a motorcycle near the Rafah Preparatory “A” Boys School. Human Rights Watch has called this attack a war crime. In reality it was a surgical strike that was immediately exploited by the Palestinians, Hamas, “human rights” groups, and the…
Debunking the lies of Human Rights Watch
September 11, 2014
I’ve never had any respect for Human Rights Watch. One of its senior military advisers—Marc Garlasco—was especially critical of Israeli military operations. Turns out he’s also an avid collector of Nazi memorabilia. That didn’t surprise me. It’s one thing to collect memorabilia; it’s another to wear sweatshirts emblazoned with the symbols of German militarism. Though…
How to avoid being called a Jew-hater
September 9, 2014
Lots of people want to argue with me about my Pallywood posts. That’s fine. Not a single one of them knows anything about munitions. Their arguments are, “You’re lying!” “That’s rubbish!” “You’re a paid Israeli agent!” and “You’re a Jew!” The same people insist that they’re not antisemitic. You know how to avoid being called…
