Geraldo, Get Real
Geraldo, Get Real

Recently, Geraldo Rivera posted the following:

Back in NYC after the wonderful family excursion to Spain and Italy, my two favorite countries to visit. Today on my first day back to work on my WABC radio show I spoke about Israel and how the bombing of Gaza was undermining Israel's moral authority. The radio audience was as outraged by my opinion as many of you, if the harsh comments received here are an accurate reflection. No matter. In NYC to criticize Israel is to generate a severe response. I am a battle-scarred veteran in that regard. Still, as a stubbornly passionate Zionist, I direct my comments to the silent majority of Jews and supporters of Israel who agree that this wildly disproportionate Israeli response to Palestinian violence is unfair, illegal and bad for Israel.
How many more innocent women and children will die in Gaza before even Israel's strongest supporters say enough?

I'm so glad you had a nice vacation with your family. I think that's about the only sentence with which I do not take exception. So let me begin with the desperate hope that someone will share this post enough that it will get your attention. 

Today on my first day back to work on my WABC radio show I spoke about Israel and how the bombing of Gaza was undermining Israel's moral authority.

Our "moral authority" - wow. Moral authority. Is it moral for your enemy to bomb your cities? That is what is happening. So far, they have bombed Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Beersheva, Eilat...from the north to the south. I know, I know, you are hearing that no one has died in Israel and so therefore we must be responding with disproportional force. How many dead Jews will satisfy you? Can you give me a number? I assume that we don't have to produce a dead body for each of the rocket launchers, right?

I mean, if a team of Palestinians is in the process of firing a rocket, a missile, artillery, or a mortar at an Israeli town, village, city - is it morally wrong for our air force to quickly target the launchers and prevent the attack? What about the Commander of Islamic Jihad in charge of Rocket Fire - can we take him out without producing a dead Jew for you?

Five million people have come under attack from Gaza. Through the miracles of the Iron Dome and God...because yes, there is just no other explanation for how many times people leave a room minutes before it is bombed; families leave their home to get away from the rockets only to hear their daughters' room was destroyed completely...so through the miracles of Iron Dome, our army has successfully shot down well over 100 missiles that would have crashed into our cities, civilian populations. Because WE stopped it, not because they didn't target us. What is morally obscene is blaming us because they failed - unless you'd be blaming us even if we did succeed in producing those dead bodies you seem to crave.

Still, as a stubbornly passionate Zionist…

If you'd be honest, we wouldn't object to your ridiculous comments. We are hearing far worse around the world. I personally have had many people write to tell me how wrong we are - most of them are named Mohammed and some offer obscene objects. As you say, no matter - but at least be honest. You are not a "stubbornly passionate Zionist." 

How many more innocent women and children will die in Gaza before even Israel's strongest supporters say enough?

It's an excellent question...or at least the first half of it is. How many more innocent women and children will die in Gaza? The answer to that question is completely dependent on Hamas and the Gazans themselves:

  • When they build bomb shelters for their women and children instead of bunkers for their leaders, fewer innocents will die.
  • When they stop ordering their "innocents" to the rooftops to defend their buildings, fewer "innocents" will die.
  • When they agree to the very same ceasefire we agreed to, fewer innocents will die.
  • When they actually uphold a ceasefire, fewer innocents will die.
  • When they stop attacking our cities, our homes, fewer innocents will die.
  • When they attack military targets - as we do, fewer innocents will die on both sides.

When will Israel's true supporters say it is enough? Anyone who understands the situation here will agree that we have shown unbelievable restraint

I'm sorry that we have no bodies to show you -actually, I'm not sorry at all. I'll take your condemnation any day, I'll take your hypocritical and unfair accusation that we have lost some moral authority rather than have to watch the funerals of our people and explain to more orphans why we did nothing.

But I'll ask you a question, Geraldo, as the Zionist you claim to be...how many dead Jews will convince you that we are only acting in self-defense? By the way, when Baruch Mizrachi was murdered by Palestinian snipers right in front of his wife and children, did you come to his funeral? Did you suggest that the Palestinians were losing their moral authority? I didn't see you at the funeral of our three murdered Israeli teenagers - Eyal, Gilad and Naftali. I didn't hear you cry in agony as we cry and I heard nothing from you about the immorality of their murders.

When you abuse the fame and power given to you, you lose your moral authority. Sure, you love the spotlight and all that, but maybe this time you should admit that no one has been more moral than Israel in this conflict. We aim at their military targets, training camps, rocket launchers, and the places where they store their weapons (and yes, these are often mosques, hospitals, and homes...and why don't you condemn that?)

Our enemies send us nothing but rockets - we send them fuel, food, and pints of blood for their wounded. We give them electricity and water, treat their injured and ill.

Moral authority? Nothing you ever say will be as offensive as those two words. Lifetime Zionist, please gimme a break. But I can promise you - not even for you will we stop protecting our people. I'm sorry you won't get your dead Jews. As for the Palestinians, if you care so much about them - tell them to protect their civilians, not put them on rooftops.