Disaster Propaganda

Somewhere in the typhoon-devasted Philippines, a crowd of dazed and bedraggled locals is being addressed by a blunt object wearing an Israeli military uniform: 

OK, listen up you lot! I am General Israel Israeli of the noble Israel - that's ISRAEL - Defence Forces. We have come a long way from Israel to save you from Typhoon Hamas. But, since we're all officers and gentlemen in the Israel Defense Forces, it's strictly women and children first, OK? And since we in Israel have the only reverence for life in the Middle East, we're starting with the very youngest children - those still in the womb. So, anyone here who speaks English and is about to give birth? Right, you madam, come forward, and my colleague, Colonel Israel Israeli, will accompany you into the Israel media tent - sorry, pardon me -  the Israel field hospital. As one of Israel's finest obstetricians, she'll offer you only the very best of care. Why, she'll even name the baby for you!

But seriously now:

"We've heard a lot of sad stories. Now we're starting to talk about hope. Today the Israelis opened up shop in an area that has had very little attention... Quietly, with no fanfare, the Israeli Defence Forces arrived too. The Israelis are known for security, top notch medicine and moving quickly. Dealing with a disaster is no exception... One hour after their doors were opened, the first baby was born... The baby boy's name? Israel of course." (Typhoon Haiyan death toll topping 3,600, Dr Nancy Snyderman*, NBC chief medical editor, today.com, 15/11/13)

"The IDF Field Hospital in Haiti** has delivered its first baby, and the mother was so happy that she called him 'Israel'." (Video: 'Israel' born in Haiti after IDF delivers healthy baby, Sheva TV, israelnationalnews.com 17/1/10)

Vomitous!

[*Here's an interesting comment on Dr Snyderman from the Mondoweiss site: "When Snyderman had her own show on MSNBC (2009?), the story of organ traffickers and harvesters came to light one morning. Snyderman was all over the story, how vile these people were, how they should be jailed forever, no civilized nation would ever put up this kind of behaviour, blah-blah-blah. She promised to report on the whole sordid affair and name names in her coming shows. All her righteous bravado brought to bear. The perps were identified later that day to be a nationwide US rabbi ring and Israelis... The evening news had photo trails of US rabbis being rounded up in police vans; I remember watching the coverage. The following day? Not another word out of Snyderman." (MRW, 'Quietly, with no fanfare,' Israeli army delivers Philippine baby alongside NBC's Dr. Snyderman, 16/11/13); **See my 25/1/10 post Israel's Best Kept Secret.]