21-Jul-14: For Hamas' friends, accusing Israelis of genocidal massacres is far easier than confronting complex realities

Hamas supremo Khaled Meshaal ping-pongs in his safe luxury villa
far from Gaza where phone calls from the IDF in the middle of
the night are of no concern. [Image Source] Since he surely
authorized the release of this photo, what message was he aiming to
send to his own people?

After receiving just one-too-many hostile emails and Tweets from supporters of the Palestinian Arab cause this morning, and being lectured about how Israel engages in racism, the massacre of innocents and genocide, it's good for the soul to refer to an article called "The moral edge" by Reuven Ben-Shalom that was published in the Jerusalem Post on July 17, 2014. It's behind the Post's premium firewall, so here's a taste:

‘This is the Israeli army calling. Am I speaking to Bassem?” The officer spoke Arabic slowly and clearly, using an impeccable Gaza dialect. “Yes,” came the answer.
“Listen to me carefully, Bassem. You have five minutes to evacuate your house because we are going to bomb it. Do you understand?”
The caller was assertive, not aggressive, and his voice was empathetic, even compassionate.
When I asked him about this later, he answered: “They are human beings. My job is to do everything I can to save them...”

“Count them. Each and every one of them,” the commander ordered, a tense expression on his face. “Are they all out?” Someone gave the number and confirmed that the procedure had been completed, but then a major intervened: “Let’s verify this again. If we can save even one person, it’s worth it.”

Readers might be interested in this live, actual recording of how those phone calls to the Arabs of Gaza work.

The author says he spent a long night in the IDF's “ping-on-the-roof” cell

where targets were being attacked after a meticulous process of verification aimed at getting uninvolved civilians out of harm’s way, including phone calls, and warning shots to the roof, before dropping the bomb. As Operation Protective Edge unfolded, I visited the operational nerve center of the Air Force. My objective was to discover the organizational culture, the operational atmosphere and the spirit of the airmen. As a reserve lieutenant-colonel, I received official approval, on condition that I strictly follow operational security regulations and comply with requested omissions. Naturally, not all of my experiences can, or ever will, be revealed, but those described are true and accurate.

The writer, who did his military service as an air force pilot, ends on this thoughtful note:

Everyone knows that the military’s goal in asymmetric warfare is not to win a decisive victory, but to bring about a reality which will enable the political echelons to shape the strategic environment. The Israel Air Force is a key component of Israel’s defensive and offensive capabilities. It is an incredibly lethal war machine, but at its core are the most dedicated, professional and morally driven group of people I have ever met.

In the same vein, the IDF released video footage this morning ["Evidence of Hamas Shooting from Within Homes"] of the ethical heights from which our enemy, the jihadists of Gaza, operate:

When you're a jihadist, there are no red lines.