More and more, it seems that Israel (like South Africa in the eighties) talks mostly to itself. As Ali points out, the propagandists use varied media, but only as a platform to address their right wing constituency at home. They are reaching the breaking point at which vitriolic public attacks on people of conscience around the world do nothing but call attention to a despicable smear while vindicating the target. In a sense, they're beginning to give up on world opinion, choosing to concentrate on cultivating/blackmailing elites, passing repressive laws in France, the U.S. and elsewhere, and adopting a vacuous, emollient tone in debate with their opponents. We've seen it here at the Electronic Intifada, with mock innocent posts urging us all to just give peace a chance. Personally, I miss being called an antisemitic hound of hell. But times change, and so do game plans.

With respect to General Mordechai's bizarre announcement that Muhammad Tamimi's terrible injuries were the result of a fall from his bicycle, I can only hope this revelation will be given the widest circulation in friendly news outlets such as NPR, Fox News, MSNBC and the New York Times. The impression created will help those leaning towards skepticism further consolidate that view of Israel's veracity. For this reason, I doubt whether those American media companies will wish to embarrass the State of Israel over what is at this point a merely local-if virulent- psychosis. Because Israeli lies are now topping the crazy meter.