"Palestinians hit by sonic boom air raids"

[Ali Algebra]

Palestinians hit by sonic boom air raids

 

· UN condemns night noise attacks as indiscriminate

· Agencies say they cause trauma and miscarriages

 

Chris McGreal in Gaza

Thursday November 3, 2005

The Guardian

 

 

Israel is deploying a terrifying new tactic against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by letting loose deafening "sound bombs" that cause widespread fear, induce miscarriages and traumatise children.

The removal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip opened the way for the military to use air force jets to create dozens of sonic booms by breaking the sound barrier at low altitude, sending shockwaves across the territory, often at night. Palestinians liken the sound to an earthquake or huge bomb. They describe the effect as being hit by a wall of air that is painful on the ears, sometimes causing nosebleeds and "leaving you shaking inside".

 

The Palestinian health ministry says the sonic booms have led to miscarriages and heart problems. The United Nations has demanded an end to the tactic, saying it causes panic attacks in children. The shockwaves have also damaged buildings by cracking walls and smashing thousands of windows.

 

"I have never heard such a loud explosion. I thought it was right over the top of my building," said the owner, Tareq Dayyeh. "Sometimes you hear the rockets the Israelis fire but this was different. I felt like I was in the middle of a bomb. When I ran out the door I thought I might find the rest of the street was gone."

 

Over the past week, Israeli jets created 28 sonic booms by flying at high speed and low altitude over the Gaza Strip, sometimes as little as an hour apart through the night. During five days in late September, the air force caused 29 sonic booms.

 

A senior Israeli army intelligence source, who the military would not permit to be named, said the tactic is intended to break civilian support for armed Palestinian groups. "We are trying to send a message in a way that doesn't harm people. We want to encourage the Palestinian public to do something about the terror situation," he said. "What are the alternatives? We are not like the terrorists who shoot civilians. We are cautious. We make sure nobody is really hurt."

 

Yesterday, two medical human rights groups asked the Tel Aviv high court to outlaw the use of sound bombs on the grounds it amounts to illegal collective punishment and is detrimental to health.

 

"The stress is phenomenal," said Eyad El Sarraj, a psychologist and director of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, one of the groups filing the petition. "The Israelis do it after midnight and then every one or two hours. You try to go to sleep and then there's another one. When it happens night after night you become exhausted. You get a heightened sense of alert, waiting continuously for it to happen. People suffer hypertension, fatigue, sleeplessness.

 

"For children, the loud noise means danger. Adults may know it's only a sound but small children feel threatened. They are crying and clinging to their parents. Afterwards they are dazed and fearful, waiting for something to happen."

 

The UN Palestinian refugee agency said a majority of the patients seen at its clinics as a result of the sonic booms were under 16 and suffering from symptoms such as anxiety attacks, bedwetting, muscle spasms, temporary loss of hearing and breathing difficulties.

 

Although the Israelis say the shockwaves do not cause casualties, doctors at Gaza's Shifa hospital said the overflights had forced women to miscarry. The number of miscarriages had increased by 40%, according to Jumaa Saqqa, a surgeon and hospital spokesman. "There were no other symptoms and the rise happened after the sonic booms. We can see no other explanation. The number of patients admitted to the cardiac care unit doubled. Some of them proved to have suffered serious harm."

 

Dr Saqqa said one overflight occurred while he was operating. The Palestinian health ministry estimates the sonic booms have caused at least 20 miscarriages.

 

The UN's Middle East envoy, Alvaro de Soto, wrote to the Israeli high command this week saying he was "deeply concerned at the impact on children, particularly infants, of the use of sonic booms".

 

Mr de Soto said he did not accept that the tactic was a legitimate response to Islamic Jihad and Hamas firing rockets into Israeli towns. "Sonic booms are an indiscriminate instrument, the use of which punishes the population collectively. We ask therefore that their use be stopped without delay," the letter said.

 

The military was forced to apologise after one sonic boom was unintentionally heard hundreds of kilometres inside Israel last week. Maariv newspaper described it as sounding "like a heavy bombardment. The noise that shook the Israeli skies was frightening. Thousands of citizens leapt in panic from their beds, and many of them placed worried calls to the police and the fire department. The Tel Aviv and central district police switchboards crashed."

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1607450,00.html

[YT2095]

"Mr de Soto said he did not accept that the tactic was a legitimate response to Islamic Jihad and Hamas firing rockets into Israeli towns. "Sonic booms are an indiscriminate instrument, the use of which punishes the population collectively. We ask therefore that their use be stopped without delay," the letter said."

 

well all`s fair in love and "war" as the saying goes!

and I guess the muslim extremists on 9/11 took into account all the Innocents there aswell did they???

 

Baaah, a load of double standards! keep bombing the place as loud as possible I say!!

[ecoli]

well all`s fair in love and "war" as the saying goes!

and I guess the muslim extremists on 9/11 took into account all the Innocents there aswell did they???

 

Baaah' date=' a load of double standards! keep bombing the place as loud as possible I say!![/quote']

 

I completely agree. When palestinian terrorist blow up a bus and kill innocent children they're heroes, but when Israel uses indescrimate tactics they're compared to the Nazi's.

 

I'm not condoning the sonic booms, but these double standards make me sick.

 

And, there is no conclusive evidence that the sonic booms are causing the detrimental health defects. Yeah, it seems likely, but they are only basing these opinions off of correlation, and we all know that that is not good enough to base scientific data on. Until more conclusive research is done, I won't base my opinions on what the Palestinian Health ministry says.

[YT2095]

here`s the bit that got me though: "Islamic Jihad and Hamas firing rockets into Israeli towns"

 

and like that ISN`T indiscriminate?????????

[doG]

Two wrongs don't make a right no matter how you try to justify it. Just because Hamas takes innocent lives does not make it OK to punish any other innocent people for it. IMO, the Israeli tactics are just helping to convince new, undecided terror recruits to join the likes of Hamas.

[ecoli]

Two wrongs don't make a right no matter how you try to justify it. Just because Hamas takes innocent lives does not make it OK to punish any other innocent people for it. IMO, the Israeli tactics are just helping to convince new, undecided terror recruits to join the likes of Hamas.

 

IMO, Israel is being using wrong tactics, but I'm not questioning their intentions. They stated their goals quite clearly in the article, and well if they aren't working, then that's foolishness on the part of the Israeli government.

 

I wasn't stating that Israel was right for doing it, I was noting the hypocrasy of the rest of the world.

[YT2095]

ok doG, lie down and die then.

 

in the meantime, non destructive tactics will be employed until a resolve is found.

it`s hardly an Eye for an Eye is it!? it`s not like these loud noises are actualy KILLING Rockets with Warheads blowing innocent people up (like those fired over to Israel) is it? Waking them up maybe.

it would be interesting to get these same Death stats from heart and miscariages during a protracted thunder storm also, and just see how the figures compare! )

[Ali Algebra]

Two wrongs don't make a right no matter how you try to justify it. Just because Hamas takes innocent lives does not make it OK to punish any other innocent people for it. IMO, the Israeli tactics are just helping to convince new, undecided terror recruits to join the likes of Hamas.

 

 

I was going to say something similar. Anyway as I'm an Atheist I blame religion. Also you have to try to look at things in prospective. A terrorists who attacked the world trade center was not an average Palestinian, who worked for the government. However the dudes who are going around using such tactics are general Jews.

 

Also pointing this out doesn't make you an anti-Semitic it makes you intelligent.

[YT2095]

Also you have to try to look at things in prospective. A terrorists who attacked the world trade center was not an average Palestinian' date=' who worked for the government. However the dudes who are going around using such tactics are general Jews.

 

Also pointing this out doesn't make you an anti-Semitic it makes you intelligent.[/quote']

 

I can`t cite ANY case where a Jew did such a thing as 9/11 or the bombings here in the UK not so long back and the others around the world like in Bali etc...

it`s all been Muslims! albeit extremeist ones, but a Jew doing it???

I`m not anti-muslim either or Pro-Jew, but you have the weigh the EVIDENCE in front of your eyes surely?

 

now doing that, IS Intelligent!

[ecoli]

I was going to say something similar. Anyway as I'm an Atheist I blame religion. Also you have to try to look at things in prospective. A terrorists who attacked the world trade center was not an average Palestinian' date=' who worked for the government. However the dudes who are going around using such tactics are general Jews.

 

Also pointing this out doesn't make you an anti-Semitic it makes you intelligent.[/quote']

 

 

This statement seems to be generally misinformed. There have been plenty of non-religious wars. People fight over other things. And btw... you did come off sounding anti-Semetic. You're blaming the Israel's policies on Jews, in general. While only about half the world'd population of Jews actually live in Israel, and only half of them support the current administration. So why don't you stop generalizing and making assuptions?

[Ali Algebra]

I can`t cite ANY case where a Jew did such a thing as 9/11 or the bombings here in the UK not so long back and the others around the world like in Bali etc...

it`s all been Muslims! albeit extremeist ones' date=' but a Jew doing it???

I`m not anti-muslim either or Pro-Jew, but you have the weigh the EVIDENCE in front of your eyes surely?

 

now doing that, IS Intelligent![/quote']

 

 

However the point is majority of the Muslims condemn such actions the extremists take. However, this is a government of a nation using this policy on defenseless people. So you don't regard a Jewish person creating sonic booms at low altitude to strike terror and fear as a terrorist?

[ecoli]

However the point is majority of the Muslims condemn such actions the extremists take.

Really? They've been surprizingly non-vocal for a people who are condemming these actions.

 

However, this is a government of a nation using this policy on defenseless people. So you don't regard a Jewish person creating sonic booms at low altitude to strike terror and fear as a terrorist?

 

What would have the Israeli's do? Let the Palestinians alone, and let the terrorists kill them all? you assuming, like many others, that Israel is not justified in protecting it's people.

 

And stop using Israel and Jew as synonomous. Israel is a country, Judiasm, a religion.

[Ali Algebra]

This statement seems to be generally misinformed. There have been plenty of non-religious wars. People fight over other things. And btw... you did come off sounding anti-Semetic. You're blaming the Israel's policies on Jews, in general. While only about half the world'd population of Jews actually live in Israel, and only half of them support the current administration. So why don't you stop generalizing and making assuptions?

 

 

Sorry, I agree with you. Not with the religion part but with me generalizing. I was referring to Israeli Jews and the government especially which supports this kind of actions.

 

 

religion has caused much suffering and death around the world. That alone is enough to condemn religion and god.

[Ali Algebra]

Really? They've been surprizingly non-vocal for a people who are condemming these actions.

 

 

 

What would have the Israeli's do? Let the Palestinians alone' date=' and let the terrorists kill them all? you assuming, like many others, that Israel is not justified in protecting it's people.

 

And stop using Israel and Jew as synonomous. [b']Israel is a country, Judiasm, a religion[/b].

 

 

And who are Jews? Jews are people who come from the tribe of Judah.

[ecoli]

Sorry, I agree with you. Not with the religion part but with me generalizing. I was referring to Israeli Jews and the government especially which supports this kind of actions.

no problem

 

 

religion has caused much suffering and death around the world. That alone is enough to condemn religion and god.

 

While this may be true, I disagree that the lack of relgions would make human existance any more peacefull. Because there are religions, and becasue there are wars, doesn't mean they'll be less wars with no relgion. And, this is also unrelated to the existance of God.

 

 

And for the record, Judah was one of 12 tribes of the ancient Hebrews.

[ecoli]

I found this article debunking a lot of the claims about the detremental health effects of the sonic booms.

http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/Booms_Over_Gaza.asp

 

The Guardian states that 28 sonic booms occurred over the course of last week, in addition to 29 during a period in September - hardly a prolonged period of time in which to produce credible medical evidence to back up these claims.

 

How can scientfic evidence be gathered to support this accusations in only a month? Increase in miscarriages could be caused by a slew of other things, or perhaps not even related to each other at all. And who is this doctor that is telling us this information anyway? How do we know he isn't saying that the two are related to discredit the Israeli's in some way.

 

Sonic booms, by the IDF's own admission, are a loud yet non-lethal reminder to the Palestinian population that terrorists are still operating from within their midst.

 

It could be questioned whether or not the Palestinans are getting this message, or not. But either way, it doesn't prove that the sonic booms are causing anything but discomfort for the Palestinians.

 

Compare, however, The Guardian report with a feature in the same paper only days later on Palestinian Qassam missile attacks on Israeli towns. According to The Guardian, the missiles' "main effect is fear and uncertainty." While underestimating the potential lethality of a Qassam hitting a school, kindergarten or even a child's bedroom,

 

Again, we see the hyposcrasy that I noted before. A newspaper will report on how the goal of a terrorist bombing is to cause fear amoung the Israels, but a load noise made by the Israeli's is causing all this physical damage. Biased media slants facts towards their own purpose.

 

From the same people who are telling you that the sonic booms are causing all these detrimental health defects, I bring you other things that the Palestinians have claimed that Israeli's were doing in the past...

* Israel deployed radioactive uranium against Palestinian protestors;

 

* Suha Arafat's accusation, in the presence of Hillary Clinton, that the IDF made 'extensive use of poisonous gas... which has led to an increase in cancer cases among women and children.'

 

* Israel disseminated bubble gum that sterilized Palestinian girls.

 

* Israel sent AIDS-infected prostitutes to infect Palestinian men.

 

While this doesn't prove or disprove anything about the sonic blasts, it does make me immediately distrust the source of these quotes, who are know saying similiar things abotu the sonic blasts.

[Pangloss]

IMO this is the part that's really bizarre:

 

A senior Israeli army intelligence source, who the military would not permit to be named, said the tactic is intended to break civilian support for armed Palestinian groups. "We are trying to send a message in a way that doesn't harm people. We want to encourage the Palestinian public to do something about the terror situation," he said. "What are the alternatives? We are not like the terrorists who shoot civilians. We are cautious. We make sure nobody is really hurt."

 

What in the world are they thinking? Why would they think that something like that would decrease civilian support for armed Palestinian groups? Isn't it rather obvious that it would have the opposite effect?

 

I do agree with the point that criticism over Israel tends to be overblown compared with criticism of Palestinians, but Israel's done far worse than this. But that's really beside the point, I think. The issue here is whether they should be sonic-booming civilians. I don't think they should.

 

By the way, YT, you need to read a little more about Israeli fundamentalist groups. Some of those guys make run-of-the-mill islamofascists look like harmless little brownshirts. These people have committed and been caught trying to commit attrocities of exactly the same nature as Al Qaeda terrorists. Make no mistake about it, the pressure from the radical right wing of Israeli politics is quite real.

[doG]

ok doG' date=' lie down and die then.

 

in the meantime, non destructive tactics will be employed until a resolve is found.

it`s hardly an Eye for an Eye is it!? it`s not like these loud noises are actualy KILLING Rockets with Warheads blowing innocent people up (like those fired over to Israel) is it? Waking them up maybe.

it would be interesting to get these same Death stats from heart and miscariages during a protracted thunder storm also, and just see how the figures compare! )[/quote']

This is the same mentality that says it OK to arrest a black man for theft because a black man robbed the bank. That it doesn't matter which one robbed the bank or which one you arrest, only that they're both black so that makes it OK. How unjust.

 

I am not condoning the acts of Hamas but if just one of these Israeli sonic booms kills just one old lady or just one old man of a heart attack from fear of attack then that is an unjust killing unless that specific old man or that old lady personally propagated an attack from Hamas. Do you say it isn't? It makes those that killed that old man or old lady just as guilty and just as culpable as the Hamas terrorist. Do you say it doesn't?

 

Would you say it's OK to punish the people of New York in a similar manner just because of the existance of the mafia among them?

 

Like I said before, two wrongs do not make a right no matter how hard you try to justify it.

[doG]

Really? They've been surprizingly non-vocal for a people who are condemming these actions.

If you lived in the Bronx would you be openly vocal against the mafia? I wouldn't. That wouldn't mean that I condone their actions, only that I fear my own action could bring me harm. Small pockets of muslims are beginning to speak up by I can understand those that are afraid. Just look at the quantity of muslim on muslim violence going on in Iraq right now. Those muslims that would harm others because of their extremist view of faith do not care if those they would harm are infidels or other muslims, they just want all obstacles out of the way of their attempt to spread their twisted belief.

[ecoli]

This is the same mentality that says it OK to arrest a black man for theft because a black man robbed the bank. That it doesn't matter which one robbed the bank or which one you arrest, only that they're both black so that makes it OK. How unjust.

 

No it really isn't. Because there are terrorists hiding amoung innocent civilians, the innocents have to suffer becasue of the actions of the terrorists. I agree, its not fair, but if Palestinians stop supporting these groups, and stop aiding them and giving them quarter, then it would be a lot easier for Israel to after the terrorists

 

By the way, YT, you need to read a little more about Israeli fundamentalist groups. Some of those guys make run-of-the-mill islamofascists look like harmless little brownshirts. These people have committed and been caught trying to commit attrocities of exactly the same nature as Al Qaeda terrorists. Make no mistake about it, the pressure from the radical right wing of Israeli politics is quite real.

 

Yes, Israeli-fundementalism is real, but I would say that the Israeli gov't. is doing a better job taking care of them then the PA is doing to get rid of the palestinian terrorists. Multiple Israeli terrorist groups have been outlawed by the Israeli goven't, and their leaders incarcerated, etc. The PA doesn't (or can't - maybe it lacks the resources) to do the same to their Palestinian counterparts, so Israel must take care of it instead, to protect their own people.

 

If you lived in the Bronx would you be openly vocal against the mafia? I wouldn't.

 

That's no excuse. Apathy is almost as guilty of crime as the perpetrators. I understand about the safety factor, but about the numerous Muslim groups in the united states that have remained silent, about the Palestinian terrorists, 9/11, etc. I'm trying to suggest that they support these acts of terror, but I am saying that this would help the peace process immensly. The terrorist groups need to see that they lost there support before they'll disarm. But, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

[doG]

I agree, its not fair, but if Palestinians stop supporting these groups, and stop aiding them and giving them quarter, then it would be a lot easier for Israel to after the terrorists.

No it really isn't. Because there are terrorists hiding among innocent civilians, the innocents have to suffer because of the actions of the terrorists. How do you know that they support them or aid them in any way? I suspect there are many Palestinians in these communities, just like you or I, that just want to enjoy life and be left alone. There are probably many that do not even know which people in their community are terrorists except for the young vocal ones. Imagine a black man in the deep south vocalizing his disgust for the KKK at a large assembly of white people. He knows there are many people there that feel exactly as he does but maybe, just maybe, there is one unknown KKK member amongst them. Even the whites do not know who he is but he and his friends will certainly come visit this black man in the night if he speaks up. For this reason he keep his mouth shut. I guess it would be OK though for him to fly over their neighborhood every hour through the night creating sonic booms to keep them awake because he knows that somewhere there is one or more KKK members in the community and certainly if they exist then the community must know who they are. Nope. I live in the deep south and I know for a fact there are KKK members in my community but I could not identify even one of them. Are you saying I should suffer for their actions just because they live in my community somewhere?

[Pangloss]

Yes, Israeli-fundementalism is real, but I would say that the Israeli gov't. is doing a better job taking care of them then the PA is doing to get rid of the palestinian terrorists. Multiple Israeli terrorist groups have been outlawed by the Israeli goven't, and their leaders incarcerated, etc. The PA doesn't (or can't - maybe it lacks the resources) to do the same to their Palestinian counterparts, so Israel must take care of it instead, to protect their own people.

 

Oh I agree with that. Assuming it's not all part of some nefarious scheme, the about-face of Sharon is about as fundamental and ground-breaking as one can imagine, and leaves one only to wonder why he couldn't have made that turnaround *before* he triggered the intefada (or bombed the Liberty, or murdered arab prisoners of war, etc etc etc).

 

They're no angels, but they're certainly the lesser of two evils. But as to how this is relevent to the issue of whether they should be sonic-booming civilians in Gaza, I'm not clear.

[ecoli]

They're no angels' date=' but they're certainly the lesser of two evils. But as to how this is relevent to the issue of whether they should be sonic-booming civilians in Gaza, I'm not clear.[/quote']

 

I personally don't see how the sonic "bombing" is worse then other methods. It shows that the Israeli's are still there looking for the terrorists, but it doesn't do nearly as much damage as conventional bombing.

 

No it really isn't. Because there are terrorists hiding amoung innocent civilians, the innocents have to suffer becasue of the actions of the terrorists.

 

Assuming that there are more people against the terrorists then with them (I sincerly hope that this is true) then what the Palestinians's need is strong leadership to unite the Palestinians against the terrorists. There is no strong leadership, so this hasn't happened yet. It's the only way that I can see that the terrorists will no longer feel safe hiding amoungst others.

 

Of course, there is always the possibility that many of the Palestinians support the terrorists, and don't want to give up Intifada. Therefore, can they really be considered innocent civilians if they provide quarter to terrorists?

[Pangloss]

Well we'd probably agree that whether sonic booming a civilian population represents a physical danger to the population would have to be objectively determined -- we can't simply take the Palestinian leadership's word for it.

 

But the question isn't really whether it's better or worse than other forms of bombing. The question is whether they should be prosecuting civilian targets at all. I didn't agree with that strategy when it consisted of demolishing civilian homes because they may contain terrorists either, for example.

[ecoli]

Well we'd probably agree that whether sonic booming a civilian population represents a physical danger to the population would have to be objectively determined -- we can't simply take the Palestinian leadership's word for it.

 

of course

 

But the question isn't really whether it's better or worse than other forms of bombing. The question is whether they should be prosecuting civilian targets at all. I didn't agree with that strategy when it consisted of demolishing civilian homes because they may contain terrorists either, for example.

 

And I understand your concerns, for I have similiar ones. I guess its a matter of how far the government is willing to go in order to protect its own people. And, of course, there is always the question of whether or not the Israel gov't's actions are actually doing anything. I would say the fence, for example, helped curb terrorism, but at what price to the palestinians?

 

Where does the rights of the Israeli's and Palestinian's meet? Because, as of right now, it doesn't seem that both parties can benefit from the same situation. The Israeli government, understably, puts the welfare of Israeli's first. But will that help the peace-process in the long run.

 

As I have stated before, I don't question the Israeli's (I'm talking about the government and Sharon) intent, but I do question how they carry out there goals. There has to be a balance, but I don't think they've found it yet.