Israel claims it is warning civilians about missile strikes by “roof knocking.” Israeli army spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner made that claim to a credulous Wolf Blitzer last night on CNN. We tap harmlessly on roofs, he said, so the residents can leave.

Max Blumenthal just tweeted the video above:

See how Israel “warns” Gazans it is going to bomb their homes and imagine the terror.

You can see that the purported mortar “knock” takes place at the beginning of the video; Haaretz posted the video with these headlines: “Israel’s ‘roof knocking’ in Gaza captured on video. Residents document how Israel Air Force drops mortars on the roofs of homes before destroying them with bigger bombs.”

Then you can hear the terror in the voices. The fearful man, I am told, is crying “Warning, warning.” And the building is destroyed 57 seconds after the “warning.” What kind of warning is that? What is the difference between state terror and any other kind, except the magnitude? Yes, and consider the technological monstrosity and remoteness of this action, how would you feel to be in Gaza (which is about the size of Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan)?

Blitzer has been popping in and out of Israeli bomb shelters on CNN. Blumenthal has tweeted a debate featuring CNN’s Wolf Blitzer 25 years ago standing up for a “strong” and “vibrant” Israel: