ANKARA 

Noam Chomsky, U.S. academic and political activist harshly criticized Israel's attack on Gaza in the TV show "Democracy Now" Thursday describing it as a hideous sadistic atrocity.

Chomsky who has written extensively on Israel/Palestine conflict described the Israeli blockade on Gaza as: 

"Another one of the periodic Israeli exercises in what they delicately call 'mowing the lawn.'" - an Israeli military term used to describe Israel's aim in Gaza. 

He explained the blockade by Israel limits Palestinian mobilization beyond the border of the territory decided by the Israeli government, and described the offensive as "shooting fish in the pond."

After Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" in 2008-2009, which killed nearly 1,500 people over a three week period, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in July 2014  launched their latest operation on Gaza from the air and ground which so far killed nearly 2,000 people and injured over 10,000 people, and which drew world-wide protests against Israel.

Despite the protests on the street, Arab governments have come in for much criticism for not backing up Gaza against Israel.

Chomsky argued that "Muslim and Arab populations and their governments are strikingly different." 

The American Jewish scholar said, "Arab governments are mostly dictatorial, and when you read in the press of Arab support, what is meant is the dictators support us, not the population." 

"The population, of course, are quite different. On the eve of the Tahrir Square demonstrations in Egypt, which overthrew the Mubarak dictatorship, there were international polls taken in the United States by the leading polling agencies, and they showed very clearly -  I think about 80 percent of Egyptians regarded the main threats to them as being Israel and the United States," Chomsky said.

Hamas and Israel after attempting three ceasefires with help from Turkey, U.S., Qatar and Egypt, agreed Tuesday on a 72 hour ceasefire, but Hamas stressed they have no interest in extending the ceasefire, arguing that Israel failed to meet its demands on Thursday, but on the other hand, Israel has expressed its readiness to extend the truce under its current terms.

On Friday, Israeli army resumed airstrikes on the Gaza Strip following the expiry of a three-day ceasefire with Palestinian factions. Friday's raids came shortly after Palestinian factions fired a barrage of rockets at Israel following the expiry of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire. The ceasefire was brokered by Egypt following a month of incessant Israeli strikes against the Gaza Strip that left 1893 Palestinians dead and 9806 others injured. The attacks have also turned thousands of Gaza's buildings into rubble.

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