Dan Rather on Tuesday applauded Israel's new missile defense system known as Iron Dome.
In a bizarre analysis published at the Huffington Post, the former CBS Evening News anchor cheered, "In the recent conflict, the Israeli missile defense system may have saved more Palestinian lives than Israelis."
"Since 2007, the Islamist group Hamas has run the densely populated sliver of territory to the south of Israel known as the Gaza Strip," he wrote. "Militants from the territory, in recent years, have launched hundreds of crude rockets, provided by Iran, into southern Israeli towns."
"In 2008, Israel responded with Operation Cast Lead -- A brutal aerial bombardment and ground invasion that left more than 1,000 Palestinians dead and brought Israel widespread condemnation from abroad," Rather continued. "November's conflict left about 150 Palestinians dead."
Notice something mysteriously absent? How about the number of Israeli casualties in 2008 as well as in the most recent conflict?
That didn't seem important to Rather.
Israeli casualty statistics weren't mentioned at all in this piece. Only Palestinians.
"The rockets from Gaza are dumb -- meaning, they cannot be aimed at specific targets," noted Rather. "But by launching them in the direction of populated Israeli areas, they do cause terror and disrupt normal life."
"They do cause terror and disrupt normal life." They also kill, Mr. Rather.
According to the Jewish Virtual Library, 38 Israelis were killed by terrorist acts in 2008. Nine in 2012.
Apparently Israeli dead are less important.
