Moshe Ya’alon has refused to apologize for saying Israel is committing ethnic cleansing in Gaza because it “reflected reality on the ground.” He also said the IDF was “not the most moral army.” Joe Lauria reports.
Israel’s then Minister of Defense Moshe Ya’alon at the Pentagon, Oct. 28, 2015. (Sr. Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz/Wikimedia Common)
By Joe Lauria
Special to Consortium News
Moshe Ya’alon, a former Israeli defense minister and army chief, has caused an uproar in Israel by publicly accusing the Israeli government of ethnically cleansing Palestinians in Gaza.
Twenty-four hours after he first made the remark he was invited by a television interviewer on Monday to apologize. He refused.
“What I said accurately reflects what’s happening on the ground,” he said, adding that he intentionally used the term “ethnic cleansing.”
Ya’alon defined it as “evacuating civilians from their homes and demolishing those homes, as is happening in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya,” in northern Gaza. In his initial remarks, Ya’alon said Israel’s aim in Gaza was to “conquer, to annex, to purify an ethnic identity.” He added: “They are cleansing the area from the Arabs.”
Ya’alon is not blaming the IDF, but the government, whose extremist ministers like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Betzalel Smotritch “have repeatedly declared their intentions to build Jewish settlements in Gaza,” according to the Haaretz daily.
“These politicians … speak openly and proudly of depleting Gaza’s population by half and building settlements on the ruins of the Strip’s destroyed cities and villages,” the newspaper said.
Ya’alon said these ministers should have been issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Despite not blaming the IDF, Ya’alon told Channel 12 News in Israel: “Thanks to political intervention, which has corrupted the army, it would be hard for me to say that the IDF is the most moral army in the world.”
This isn’t your simple expert speaking.
He is actually the former Israeli defense minister and former IDF Chief Moshe Ya’alon, who clearly says ethnic cleansing is underway in Gaza to establish Jewish settlements
— Rag?p Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 1, 2024
The IDF denied their former chief’s accusation, contending that it is “acting in accordance with international law, and evacuating the population temporarily in accordance with operational need, for its defense.” It accused Ya’alon of harming the army and its soldiers.
Though the International Court of Justice is trying Israel for genocide, Ya’alon said he was not accusing Israel of that crime. Nonetheless, the outrage against Ya’alon was fierce in a society clearly in denial.
‘Sick With Hatred’
Naftali Bennett, the former prime minister, tweeted: “There is no military more moral than the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF has bent over backwards to minimize loss of civilian life. All of Israel’s actions in Gaza adhere to the Geneva Conventions.”
May Golan, a Likud member of the Knesset, said: “It’s clear that we’re dealing with a sick person, sick with power, sick with envy, sick with hatred, sick. The man is simply sick. It’s clear. …. Show empathy for his condition, don’t let his nonsense go viral. It also harms the country, but mainly humiliates him.”
“Ya’alon has long since lost his direction and moral compass, and his false and slanderous statements are a gift to the International Criminal Court and to Israel’s enemies,” read a statement from his former party, Likud.
“Israel is waging a just war against a murderous terrorist organization that carried out a mass slaughter against it,” the statement said.
These reactions reflect widespread credulity — or cynicism — in Israel that says the purpose of the “war” is to defeat Hamas and rescue the hostages, despite all evidence to the contrary: Hamas has not been defeated in 14 months and the hostages have not been returned, when they could have been in a prisoner swap.
This major Israeli military operation is instead intended to complete the process of ethnic cleansing indeed of Arabs in Palestine envisioned by Israeli founding father David Ben Gurion, first carried out on a large scale in 1948 and now continuing in Gaza.
Bluster about Hamas and hostages is an excuse and a cover for massive criminal intent.
There are too many clear statements of such intent and corresponding action by high-ranking Israeli officials to think otherwise, and those statements and those actions now appear as evidence before two world courts.
Joe Lauria is editor-in-chief of Consortium News and a former U.N. correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and other newspapers, including The Montreal Gazette, the London Daily Mail and The Star of Johannesburg. He was an investigative reporter for the Sunday Times of London, a financial reporter for Bloomberg News and began his professional work as a 19-year old stringer for The New York Times. He is the author of two books, A Political Odyssey, with Sen. Mike Gravel, foreword by Daniel Ellsberg; and How I Lost By Hillary Clinton, foreword by Julian Assange.
Thank You Joe
“Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Monday that Israel has been providing aid to Syrian rebels, thus keeping the Druze in Syria out of immediate danger. Israeli officials have previously balked at confirming on the record that the country has been helping forces that are fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad [for more information, see Robert Inlakesh, “After Lebanon Ceasefire, Israel Revives Old Playbook: Backing Militants in Syria,” MintPress News, Dec. 3, 2024].
During a briefing with Israel’s diplomatic correspondents at the IDF’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, Ya’alon said that Israel’s ongoing humanitarian assistance to Syrian rebel fighters, a source of growing conflict between Israel and its own Druze population, safeguards the minority population in Syria.
‘We’ve assisted them under two conditions,’ Ya’alon said of the Israeli medical aid to the Syrian rebels, some of whom are presumably fighting with al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad. ‘That they don’t get too close to the border, and that they don’t touch the Druze.'”
Source:
Raphael Ahren, “Israel Acknowledges It is Helping Syrian Rebel Fighters,” The Times of Israel, June 29, 2015
Maybe someday if we survive the present crisis, psychologists will figure out how the human mind can become so contaminated with hatred of “the other” that it thinks genocide is self defense.
A sick society ,not so slowly ,descending into irrelevance .
increasingly brings to mind the growing dissent during the u.s. war on vietnam among high level insiders–such as dan ellsberg–who blew the whistle.
“Bluster about Hamas and hostages is just an excuse and a cover for massive criminal intent.” Joe Lauria.
W/o a doubt, Joe Lauria is “One-Hundred Percent, (100%), on point!!! Outta the f/gate, 10.7.23, The Times of Israel, “Netanyahu on massive Hamas attack: ‘We are at war’ …… “Citizens of Israel, we are at war; AND, we will win. The enemy will pay a price like they have never known before,” Benyamin Netanyahu. 10.9.23, Yoav Gallant said that he had ordered “a complete siege of the Gaza Strip,” which is home to 2.2 million Palestinians, nearly half of them children. “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly.” Yoav Gallant; AND, “failures,” will be addressed. “First we fight, then we investigate,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesman.
10.7.23, “A Declaration of War! And, Bibi’s got a $ponsor, The [LA$T] piggy bank.” Mr. Fish @ “It’s Happening Here,” (Chris Hedges, 11.11.23) hxxps://consortiumnews.com/2023/10/11/its-happening-here-a-us-version-of-fascism/
FASCISM, “A capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, & typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.”
“Many, people,” feel the USG’s manufacturing fascism, masquerading it as democracy, i.e., “Trump is with Biden and they’re about to fascist coup us.” Max Azzarello (4.19.24) hxxps://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-man-sets-himself-on-fire-outside-trump-trial/articleshow/109450308.cms
‘When words fail; music, speaks,’ * “Like Judas of old, [the American POTUS, their War Chiefs, Ukraine’s War Chief, Israel’s temporary Foreign Minister, his War Chief], lie & deceive. A world war can be won. [They] want us to believe.
….Let me, ask [POTUS] one question, “Is your money that good? Will it buy you forgiveness? Do you think that it could? I think you will find when your death takes its toll, ALL the MONEY you made, will NEVER, buy back your soul.” *“Masters of War,” Bob Dylan @ hxxps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K4uMQRQzVmc&pp=ygUfYm9iIGR5bGFuIG1hc3RlcnMgb2Ygd2FyIGx5cmljcw%3D%3D
…….. consequences of blind followership. It prompts reflection on the power, i.e., 1) “Ya’alon said these ministers should have been issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. the International Court of Justice is trying Israel for genocide, 2) Ya’alon said he was not accusing Israel of that crime. Nonetheless, the outrage against Ya’alon was fierce in a society clearly in denial.”
Indeed, “fresh water pushes out the dirty water.” TY, Joe Lauria, CN, et al.
“…May Golan, a Likud member of the Knesset, said: “It’s clear that we’re dealing with a sick person, sick with power, sick with envy, sick with hatred, sick. The man is simply sick. It’s clear….”
Whoa, the projection is strong with this one.
Naftali Bennett, the former prime minister, tweeted: “There is no military more moral than the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF has bent over backwards to minimize loss of civilian life. All of Israel’s actions in Gaza adhere to the Geneva Conventions.” You just cannot make this up…
Nothing that the Israel government says can be taken at face value; past, present or future. Just like the US government which Bush the younger brought to its nadir in the lead up to the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Here is Ray McGovern’s excellent interview from 2003 (the video is being hosted by Judge Napolitano) that describes how the Wolfowitz plan for Iraq all came about. This is how our government “serves us” in the “world’s leading democracy…” We have since learned how Israel was united with the neocons in pushing for that war. The world has endured a lot over the years from these lowlifes.
hXXps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu27FCNlges
As I posted under Craig Murray’s piece from today — Israel can do whatever it wants, period.
The Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas are 100% correct in fighting fire with fire. Do I “condemn Hamas?” Heck no!
If Hitler was stopped…why not Netanyahu???
Oh yes. “Double-tapping” infants and boast-posting your laughing faces as you commit the deed all over social media. You guys are just the BEST…
The reactions of those quoted criticizing Yalon’s words show that THEY are the sick ones. In fact, he did not go far enough: the ICJ has Israel in the dock for genocide; IDF is demonstrating it is one of the LEAST ‘moral’ armies in the world.