Uri Avnery has written one of the most chilling articles I have ever read, titled “Dogs of War.” It is about the dimensions of potential violence looming after the UN vote in what Israel has dubbed “Operation Summer Seeds”. Avnery fears this will kick off a third intifada and I am afraid those fears are not unwarranted. He reports the media is psyching up Israeli society. “All our TV stations have reported on them at length and lauded their effectiveness and ardor.” By them he means the Dogs of war.

Citing the defense establishment document about the operation acquired by Haaretz Avnery sounds the alarm:

This week it announced that it is training the settlers, too, and telling them exactly when they are allowed to shoot to kill. Thus it confirms what we all know: that there is no clear distinction between the army and the settlers – many settlers are officers in the army, and many officers live in settlements. “The army defends all Israelis, wherever they are,” is the official line. One of the scenarios the army is preparing for, it was stated, is for Palestinians shooting at soldiers and settlers “from inside the mass demonstrations”. That is an ominous statement. I have been at hundreds of demonstrations and never witnessed anyone shooting “from inside the demonstration”. Such a person would have to be insanely irresponsible, since he would expose all the people around him to deadly retaliation. But it is a handy pretext for shooting at non-violent protesters. It sounds so ominous, because it has happened already in the past. After the first intifada, which was considered a Palestinian success story (and brought about the Oslo agreement), our army diligently prepared for the second one. The chosen instruments were sharpshooters. I am afraid that the preparations for the third intifada, which is anticipated to start next month, are proceeding on the same lines…………. THE SETTLERS and their dogs loom large in the upcoming scenarios. That is quite logical, since the settlers now play a pivotal role in the conflict. It is they who prevent any peace agreement, or even meaningful peace negotiations.

Unlike the iconic photo above I fear the settler dogs will be unleashed and the leadership in Israel will not be fuming about them either. I recommend the entire article.