Center for a New American Security

I have often used this blog to whine about the left-of-center Guardian/Observer, but for my money, its coverage of the ongoing conflict in Gaza has been about as good as any English-language non-Israeli media outlet. (I'm endorsing only the hard reporting and analysis -- not the opinion pieces.) Beirut-based Mitch Prothero is a first-rate American journalist with more time in Iraq than most U.S. soldiers I know. He has also spent some quality time in Gaza. Thus, his analysis of the fighting in today's Observer is worth checking out. Additionally, I have always liked and admired the reporting of Rory McCarthy since we met, in Beirut, in 2005. Jerusalem-based Rory has been doing good work as well since the fighting began.

But this article on the text message trash-talking taking place between the Israelis and Hamas was what caught my eye first this morning.

Israel and Hamas have mounted psychological warfare on each others' civilian populations. Hamas says it is firing threatening text messages at Israeli mobile phones and jamming radio stations while Israel is bombarding Palestinians with menacing phone calls and leaflets.

"The messages say that the Palestinian resistance missiles will reach you wherever you are and your government won't be able to protect you," said Abu Mujaheid, spokesman for the Palestinian Resistance Committees.

On the one hand, I am tempted to say this represents something new. And it does, as far as the medium is concerned. But check out this passage from Orwell's Homage to Catalonia:

…the real weapon was not the rifle but the megaphone. Being unable to kill your enemy you shouted at him instead. … On the Government side, in the party militias, the shouting of propaganda to undermine the enemy morale had been developed into a regular technique. In every suitable position, usually machine-gunners, were told off for shouting duty and provided with megaphones. Generally they shouted a set piece, full of revolutionary sentiments which explained to the Fascist soldiers that they were merely the hirelings of international capitalism, that they were fighting against their own class, etc., etc., and urged them to come over to our side. This was repeated over and over by relays of men; sometimes it continued almost the whole night. There is very little doubt that it had its effect; everyone agreed that the trickle of Fascist deserters was partly caused by it. … Of course such a proceeding does not fit in with the English conception of war. I admit I was amazed and scandalized when I first saw it done. The idea of trying to convert your enemy instead of shooting him!

So... not so new, then?

And since the readership so enjoys fighting in our comments section (even when we're not posting), here is something to debate. I read the following on the Angry Arab blog:

I have to admit this: from the military perspective, having seen and compared the performance of leftist fighters in Lebanon and the present-day Islamic fundamentalist fighters (no matter the outcome of the Israeli attack on Gaza), I have to make this painful confession as an atheist: that religion is a more effective military motivator than Marx and Lenin.

Well? Is religion a more powerful combat motivator than secular ideologies? Talk amongst yourselves...

(By the way, in the Israeli media and in the absence of Ze'ev Schiff, the military analysis of Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff is always worth reading. Issacharoff, in addition to being a good reporter, is also a real hero.)

Update: Okay, WTF:

"I just heard on the news that Gavriel's base has been shelled," my wife, Sarah, said to me last Tuesday, referring to our 19-year-old son, a member of an Israeli army tank unit waiting on the Gaza border for the order to enter. And, she added in a deliberately calm tone, "A soldier was killed." We texted Gavriel, and within five minutes he called, safe. How, Sarah asked, did families survive war before cellphones?

Are there any NCO's in the IDF? Do they not take up everyone's cell phones prior to an operation? Does anyone not share my opinion that soldiers talking on their cell phones to their families during the middle of a war is a bad idea? I'm not trying to tell the IDF how to do business, but Hizballah was apparently able to listen in on Israeli cell phone conversations during the 2006 war. So wouldn't it make sense to just take up everyone's cell phones and tell them they can call their families when the war is over?

Update II: Ha! Listen to this crank call from a Palestinian in Gaza to the IDF's tip line. (Arabic, but easy to understand for any students out there.)