According to an ancient Greek belief, language is the most prominent asset that human beings have. Aristotle, one of the greatest Greek philosophers, defined rhetoric as the study of the means of persuasion. Throughout human history rhetoric has been manipulated, in many cases, to cheat others and give the wrong image of things. It has been observed that the Israelis viciously utilized language to justify their savage 22-day assault on Gaza. Top Israeli officials repeated over and over that the Jewish State launched that war not against the Palestinian people but against ‘terrorist organizations.' Well, such a false claim doesn't hold water. The whole world watched as innocent civilians were targeted by all kinds of Israeli firepower. The Israeli bombs even reached schools that had been turned into refugee centers under the supervision of the United Nations. The ruse of Israeli humanitarian aid to Gaza is no more than a rude trick to distract world attention from the atrocities the Israeli army committed against Palestinian civilians. While the Israeli army allowed a bunch of aid trucks to enter Gaza, United Nations Relief and Work's Agency (UNRWA) suspended its operations because its staff were targeted in the Israeli air strikes. For example, a driver in a convoy clearly marked as a UN vehicle was deliberately shot and many UN facilities were also attacked with direct hits. In addition, the Red Cross also suspended its relief work after Israel lethally struck its aid convoys. There were reports that Israeli snipers killed two Palestinian aid workers who were trying to retrieve the body of a colleague who had been killed in a previous Israeli attack. Amazingly, the killings came during the three-hour pause agreed to by Israel to allow humanitarian relief. Isn't this enough evidence that the Israeli humanitarian aid was no more than a big lie. Another attempt to suppress the true picture of Gaza came in the form of targeting journalists, radio/TV broadcasters and photographers who report for different international news networks. Reporters were prevented from covering the devastating military operation. Journalists and media personnel, in many cases, were in the line of fire of Israeli forces. Several media professionals were killed and many more were injured on the streets of Gaza. Israeli warplanes also bombed Al-Johara Tower in Gaza City though the building was clearly marked as housing media staff. It is very clear that such actions are an attempt to manipulate media reporting on the military operation in order to ensure that the story is only told from Israel's perspective. Along with massive aggression on Gaza, Israel launched a propaganda war to justify its attack to the international community on the grounds of self-defense. The reality on the ground proves that all those claims were false. Israeli warplanes bombed Gaza using internationally-banned substances like white phosphorus, which is highly reactive to oxygen and causes damaging burns that lead to death. Moreover, the Israeli ground forces which entered some parts of Gaza committed atrocities beyond description against civilians. It has been reported that Israeli forces gathered dozens of Palestinians in a small area and executed them in cold blood. I don't know how such vicious actions can contribute to the security of Israelis as claimed by their leaders. The recent 22-day Israeli aggression on Gaza demonstrated that Israeli leaders are not only ruthless but also professional in twisting the truth. They clearly say one thing and do another which is highly immoral. I think the Gaza invasion provided enough evidence that they are not serious about peace and are, consequently, not trustworthy.
