After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed 2,977 victims, there was a tremendous and justifiable desire for the government to take action against those responsible. On October 7, 2001, the United States and its allies launched "Operation Enduring Freedom." By mid-November, through an extensive bombing campaign and ground invasion, United States-led forces were able to topple the Taliban government, which harbored the Al Qaeda terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The United Nations was brought in to help establish an interim government.
Bottom line: Motivated by the fiendish savagery of Hamas, a brutal terrorist operation [David S. is absolutely correct!], we are being drawn into Bibi Netanyahu's mission to exterminate Palestine and Palestinians. We must question if we are choosing to be complicit in genocide and war crimes against humanity. Remember, half of Israel was demonstrating against Netanyahu's attempt to usurp Israel's Supreme Court to serve only for his security to govern against any democratic rule. Half of Israel--some say 70%--are aware of what Netanyahu's is up to, and want him OUT. Thoughtful Jews and those whove studied the history involving Palestine since the 1940's are appalled by the inhumanity continually shown to Palestinians.
Your reporting on the internecine mess we seem to be signing up for and to pay for is brilliiant and deserves to be widely read. Maybe the costs of what Iraq and Afghanistan forays have contributed to the USA debt [I've never see that reported anywhere] that Republicans are addicted to screaming about will prick the interest of other news vehicles.
Sadly, Israel has a long and consistent history of oppression of the Palestinians. Their fundamental reason, that they will never make peace so long as a single Palestinian rejects their right to exist, is a recipe for genocide. Perhaps the UN should revisit its 1947 mandate. Perhaps only the threat of complete delegitimization would motivate Israel to withdraw to its internationally recognized borders and acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state.
Israel could care less about the “opinion” of the United Nations. Hell the UN can’t even hold Putin to account for atrocities in Ukraine. And yet “progressives” just want Israel to suffer time and time again. The weak Jew is a dead Jew.
I respectfully disagree with this assessment, which imo shows an incomplete understanding of this crisis, and I wish commenters would check their understanding of the inflammatory word, “genocide.” Hamas could stop the bombing anytime they want: release the hostages, call for negotiations. Instant solution. I don’t understand why the onus is always on the Israelis to end the aggression—unless it’s bc the Israelis are Jews, and we can’t have Jews that fight back. Only Arabs are allowed to fight back.
While the land grabs by aggressive settlers on the West Bank are wrong and must stop and illegal settlements should be dismantled, that is not what spurred this war. The atrocities on Oct 7 happened within the internationally recognized borders of the State of Israel. Ghazi Hamad of Hamas said on Lebanese tv that it was the first of many such attacks, and that they don’t care about Palestinian civilians who are “martyred” as a result. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/03/war-israel-hamas-conflict-peace-extremists
In its charter Hamas proposes to destroy the State of Israel and all the Jews in it, not establish a Palestinian secular democracy. They envision an Islamic fundamentalist autocracy there. Commenters should think if that’s a good result, for anyone.
Nowhere have I expressed support for Hamas nor justified their actions. What apparently escapes the knee-jerk reactions of Zionists and their supporters is that NOTHING justifies the murder of civilians, the application of collective punishment or the illegal seizure people's land and homes. The current situation is the logical culmination of decades of Israeli government provocation and illegal avtivity. Peace will only be restored when there is justice for the Palestinians or when all Palestinians and their supporters have been murdered. There are too many of us for the second. https://stephenschiff.substack.com/p/no-justice-no-peace
No Justice no peace is your slogan. Justice requires the return of hostages and the willingness to begin peace talks. This assault could stop instantly, were Hamas to raise one finger, and I don’t understand why equal pressure is not applied to Hamas.
Thank you Valerie. Too many fail to look back to the Balfour agreement and understand the underlying dynamic.
Your points about the debt still being incurred by these failed efforts at adventurism are also well made.
But we know what the RW'z will do. They scream about all the good they'll do if allowed back into office. Fiscal responsibility, gas prices, food costs and all of that, but when they get power, what do they do? Look no further than the tangled web of fecality the R'z are enmeshed in.
I absolutely agree Valerie. Humanitarian aide, yes. Protect Americans, yes. But provide weapons that will allow a Nationalist Authoritarian leader to get what he wants....to wipe out every Palestinian and take Gaza....NO! Netanyahu has no desire to keep civilians safe in Gaza by following humanitarian guidelines.
Should Isreal protect itself from attack? Yes. Should the US offer support to the people suffering? Yes.
But weapons that will be used to prolong the war giving Netanyahu no reason to negotiate? Weapons that will be used to strike wherever they choose to in Northern Gaza? Especially when there was no place offered for civilians to safely relocate? No!
This isn't like Ukraine where an actual government invaded a sovereign country, this is a terrorist group. This isn't Palestinians or the Palestinian government...which is of course not really a government at all as Mamoud Abbas has very little power to control Hamas or any other groups.
Palestinians should not be living in an open air prison. Israel should be working to create peace and community. There is absolutely no reason Israelis and Palestinians can't live side by side in peace and community...except for the extremist propaganda that keeps hate embers burning.
Thank you. "Both regimes – the Ramallah and Gaza government regard themselves as the sole legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority. Egyptian-mediated negotiations toward reconciliation between the Fatah and the Hamas government produced a preliminary agreement, planned to be implemented by May 2012 in joint elections. To date, the Hamas government is only economically bonded with the Ramallah-based Palestinian National Authority, performing the governing over the Gaza Strip independently".
So, if Hamas is economically bonded, then the PNA should be able to step in.
But, lots has changed since the formation of the PNA, so perhaps Hamas has more clout now and is seen as the government in Gaza?
“For more than a week, an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza has seemed as if it might begin any day. Troops and tanks have crowded the border. Israel has ordered Gazans to evacuate south. The military has showered missiles on Hamas bunkers to weaken the group.
But no ground invasion has begun. Why the apparent delay?
One part of the answer is that Israel’s allies, led by President Biden, have asked for a pause, as our colleagues reported yesterday. Biden spent much of yesterday on calls with Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of several European countries.”
What SHOULD happen is an American agreement with Israel about what it will NOT do, such as occupy Gaza permanently. The USA should NOT agree to that.
There are many who think Netanyahu and some of his military have been hungering for Gaza for a long time. If Israel is planning to annex Gaza for any reason, there will be an endless war. And the US should not be part of it.
Netanyahu has helped create this situation. Let the Israeli citizens vote him out of office so that real peace can be arranged.
It saddens me greatly that funding for Israel and the Ukraine has been coupled. On one hand, a fledgling democracy defending itself against an entirely unprovoked attack; on the other an aggressor responding to a horrific act by those it represses. A false equivalency if ever there was one.
Today's (10/23) NYTimes has a front page story with the headline "The developing world sees a double standard in the West's actions in Gaza and Ukraine ". Well, duh!
Two good conditions before there is any commitment of increased U.S. aid: new Israeli elections, and a plan for removal of Jewish settlements from the West Bank with land under the authority of a Palestinian authority with some integrity.
Good proposals. Bibi has to be voted out and into jail and the illegal settlements must be removed. Give the buildings to the Palestinians who have been forced from their homes as some sort of compensation.
I agree completely that the land in the West Bank taken from Palestinians should be returned. Those were land-grabs by the powerful from the powerless.
Fair enough HAMAS are certainly terrorists but then what does that make the IDF? Isn't terrorism exactly what they are inflicting upon noncombatants in Palestine?
Excellent synthesis, Judd. Thank you. What I can't get past is why the IDF was caught off guard. That seems too convenient to the story. And second, it's this kind of jingoism and patriotism and "we must exterminate the OTHER bad guy" bullshit that occludes questions like mine (why was the world's most expensive border so easily penetrated?) and allows people to become conspiracy theorists.
If we're going to plunge further into the abyss of debt, then should have transparency. We won't get it however, so we will end up fundamentally destroying our economy and the balance of power globally will inevitably shift even more than it did under the Trump-Putin alliance.
That is because THEY WERE NOT CAUGHT OFF GUARD! That “surprise” label was total fiction!! We KNOW that now. Bibi is an evil evil man who wanted the country (that barely supported him) to come together- hence the concentration of questionable unverifiable burned snd decapitated babies photos, etc. Bibi doesn’t value anyone’s life; they are just a means to an end with that end being the wiping out of the Palestinians along with HAMAS. Again, the timing of the attack less than 2 weeks after the seemingly useless UN’s multiple reporting on the egregious punishing of GAZA residents....
Yes, Rather Not. Since we are fed half and mistruths all the time, it is not hard to believe this is a plausible explanation. But there could also be other dark threads...what are the connections between Iran, Putin, and Hamas? There are many scenarios we can create in our minds, and because leaders who are amoral are now the norm, we will never know what is fully believable, and what is the truth hidden from us all. There is a pattern here, however, and it is what Judd spelled out: war = $$$$$. What I also wonder is for how much longer can humans on the planet stand to be traumatized and then rendered immobile in hopelessness because, do any of us actually feel like we can affect the outcomes of any of this? Once people start waking up to how powerless we are over the demoralizing dramas created privately by thugs to play out on the international stage, we will stop attending the show. Some say that will mean anarchy and victory for the dictators, but I have begun to think it means we will re-invigorate the masses with the return of our attention to what in our individual lives and communities we can actually affect, and stop outsourcing our time and attention to assholes who want out power and resources to essentially play games with themselves. I think not being mesmerized by all this mystery and drama is a way to stop supporting their nihilistic, sadistic, self-absorbed war porn.
It sounds insensitive to say souch things but I increasingly believe that being worried to point that out is part of the strategy of manipulation. That we're supposed to be too afraid to say it's only about money and instead think, "Surely it can't be only that...we're talking life and death...". But the addiction to power and money ultimately IS always paid in lives.
We end up creating monsters and mentally destroyed people with these terrorist attacks and wars. This nightmare situations have lifetime consequences.
Look at the US and the hatred the Republican Fascist Cult have pushed into the public square. Sickening…but republicans don’t give one damn. None of the right wingers around the globe care about people. I realize the left is not 100% in the correct lane but NOTHING compares to right wing authoritarian stupidity.
The ‘after the killing’ consequences aren’t ever considered. If we’re going to further wreck our own economy helping to fund all of this for Israel, what’s going to be the endgame? What is achieved? Peace? - I’m very skeptical about that. I’m 60 years old & these people have been fighting for the entirety of my life. This is grim & could certainly drag on for a decade or more.
And the children of Gaza will grow up to be the next generation of terrorists because of the decimation of their families, homes, and lives. The cycle will never end.
Thank you for this concise summation of the consequences of Bush's disingenuous and disastrous "hardliner" decisions. Bush and administration figures like Ari Fleischer should be apologizing right now, not pontificating.
Judd I am such a great fan of yours, and I agree there should be transparency and accountability for federal dollars spent - here and always. However, I believe some other points need to be made: Israel was not ‘merely’ attacked, civilians massacred, babies beheaded, women raped and 200 civilians - including children - taken hostage. Okay, one of the worst terrorist attacks in history. But it’s been under CONTINUOUS attack. The missiles didn’t end on October 7th. They’ve been continuously raining down on CIVILIAN targets unrelentingly AND in fact are now being launched from a second border - from Hezbollah. They should just stop defending themselves and let themselves be attacked? Also: those who call for a ceasefire are not taking into account the fact that 198 hostages are still being held. Doesn’t Israel need to free them? Put yourself in the actual position of a civilian whose children have been abducted - and there are many - shouldn’t they be freed? Do you know that Israel is trying to lessen civilian casualties while Hamas is seeking to increase them - even of Palestinians by hiding their missiles and bases among them? I would love a ceasefire. How about Hamas agrees to release all the hostages and agrees to stop attacking Israel now and in the future - agrees to destroy its own weapons in exchange for a ceasefire. Do you know that Hamas takes in one billion dollars a year from aid and hasn’t given any of it to the Palestinians it rules with an iron fist? That it doesn’t allow elections? That the Hamas leaders live in palaces in Qatar while the Palestinians live in poverty?This ain’t about money - this is a true humanitarian crisis, both for the Israelis that are under continuous attack and the Palestinians used as human shields by these religious terrorists who have caused this crisis.
This is a video of Rachel Goldberg, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin who is being held by Hamas in Gaza. He was grievously wounded by terrorists before he was kidnapped. The family has asked for this to be shared.
Babies weren’t beheaded that was a lie that was perpetuated by premise really propaganda.
The continuous warfare has actually been from Israel. They are constantly at war, look at their history. It’s never ending and it’s not just in defense.
Good notes. Of course, since the bloody coup by Hamas in Gaza, it’s no longer the Palestinian Ministry of Health, it’s the Gaza Ministry of Health which is run by Hamas — as all the Gaza ministries are. So they release propaganda figures and no civilian/terrorist breakdown because of course not. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Health_Ministry
Just read your link and am chagrined that Hamas has taken political action against important long serving doctors who do not agree with Hamas policies.
they have murdered all political opponents, whether doctors, politicians, shopkeepers or ice-cream makers. Heaven forbid you are Christian or LGBTQ or a woman: that's why it's so hard to separate Hamas from Gaza because Gazans are terrified of Hamas. But it's why journalists need to keep a critical eye on this brutal oppressive autocracy. Even Amnesty thinks they're evil: https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/palestine-state-of/report-palestine-state-of/
This information as YOU share it must be shared NOW with the wider public. [I couldn't follow the above link from Amnesty so I'm not referring to that.] People are not aware of how little power the Palestinians have had over their lives. Other questions I have: in all of my reading these past few days, it seems that Netanyahu was making sure that Hamas was financially supported--if so, how and by whom? The why of Netanyahu's support of Hamas was to divide Palestinian support away from the Palestinian Authority. Bibi's aim appears to eliminate any who would have power that he would have to accommodate--thus the Palestinian Authority (and reasonable leaders like Rabin) had to be eliminated. Whatever IS true here should be publicized before we allow Netanyahu to eliminate all Palestinians so that he can hold on to power--with the help of the settlers, who do not participate in military training to protect their homeland, but want to be left in peace to teach their children to memorize Scripture (and not learn anything about the rest of the world).
I see the proposed aid to Israel as a carrot that Biden can dangle in front of Netanyahu. Other than threatening to reduce aid or cut it off altogether, what else can Biden do that might give him leverage with Bibi?
The original dream of the United Nations was that it would become an international authority that could oversee situations such as this to be sure that the nations involved would maintain certain standards of behavior and be required to respect and value the humanity of the innocent civilians of the other side. Of course the nations of the world have never been willing to grant the UN sufficient resources and power to carry out that dream.
The leaders of Israel and Palestine seem determined to destroy each other (whatever their stated goals). If we continue to support their efforts without making any demands in how they treat each other they will both continue their efforts aimed at mutual destruction. I fear that such will be the case, since those on both sides of the conflict claim a religious mandate to violate the major tenets of their religion and betray their faith in order to "win" this conflict, and here in the United States, any politician who attempts to hold either side accountable for their crimes steps into a minefield which will likely blow apart their political lives. The only "safe" option is fund both sides, depending on who your American constituency favors which will keep the conflict going.
I fear this escalated conflict may last as long as Vietnam, Afghanistan, or Iraq, and produce similar results, but I suspect humanity is not yet ready to learn the lessons those conflicts might teach us.
Bottom line: Motivated by the fiendish savagery of Hamas, a brutal terrorist operation [David S. is absolutely correct!], we are being drawn into Bibi Netanyahu's mission to exterminate Palestine and Palestinians. We must question if we are choosing to be complicit in genocide and war crimes against humanity. Remember, half of Israel was demonstrating against Netanyahu's attempt to usurp Israel's Supreme Court to serve only for his security to govern against any democratic rule. Half of Israel--some say 70%--are aware of what Netanyahu's is up to, and want him OUT. Thoughtful Jews and those whove studied the history involving Palestine since the 1940's are appalled by the inhumanity continually shown to Palestinians.
Your reporting on the internecine mess we seem to be signing up for and to pay for is brilliiant and deserves to be widely read. Maybe the costs of what Iraq and Afghanistan forays have contributed to the USA debt [I've never see that reported anywhere] that Republicans are addicted to screaming about will prick the interest of other news vehicles.
Sadly, Israel has a long and consistent history of oppression of the Palestinians. Their fundamental reason, that they will never make peace so long as a single Palestinian rejects their right to exist, is a recipe for genocide. Perhaps the UN should revisit its 1947 mandate. Perhaps only the threat of complete delegitimization would motivate Israel to withdraw to its internationally recognized borders and acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state.
Israel could care less about the “opinion” of the United Nations. Hell the UN can’t even hold Putin to account for atrocities in Ukraine. And yet “progressives” just want Israel to suffer time and time again. The weak Jew is a dead Jew.
I respectfully disagree with this assessment, which imo shows an incomplete understanding of this crisis, and I wish commenters would check their understanding of the inflammatory word, “genocide.” Hamas could stop the bombing anytime they want: release the hostages, call for negotiations. Instant solution. I don’t understand why the onus is always on the Israelis to end the aggression—unless it’s bc the Israelis are Jews, and we can’t have Jews that fight back. Only Arabs are allowed to fight back.
While the land grabs by aggressive settlers on the West Bank are wrong and must stop and illegal settlements should be dismantled, that is not what spurred this war. The atrocities on Oct 7 happened within the internationally recognized borders of the State of Israel. Ghazi Hamad of Hamas said on Lebanese tv that it was the first of many such attacks, and that they don’t care about Palestinian civilians who are “martyred” as a result. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/03/war-israel-hamas-conflict-peace-extremists
In its charter Hamas proposes to destroy the State of Israel and all the Jews in it, not establish a Palestinian secular democracy. They envision an Islamic fundamentalist autocracy there. Commenters should think if that’s a good result, for anyone.
Nowhere have I expressed support for Hamas nor justified their actions. What apparently escapes the knee-jerk reactions of Zionists and their supporters is that NOTHING justifies the murder of civilians, the application of collective punishment or the illegal seizure people's land and homes. The current situation is the logical culmination of decades of Israeli government provocation and illegal avtivity. Peace will only be restored when there is justice for the Palestinians or when all Palestinians and their supporters have been murdered. There are too many of us for the second. https://stephenschiff.substack.com/p/no-justice-no-peace
No Justice no peace is your slogan. Justice requires the return of hostages and the willingness to begin peace talks. This assault could stop instantly, were Hamas to raise one finger, and I don’t understand why equal pressure is not applied to Hamas.
Do you enjoy poetry? If, here's one for you: W.H. Auden, September 1, 1939.
Thank you Valerie. Too many fail to look back to the Balfour agreement and understand the underlying dynamic.
Your points about the debt still being incurred by these failed efforts at adventurism are also well made.
But we know what the RW'z will do. They scream about all the good they'll do if allowed back into office. Fiscal responsibility, gas prices, food costs and all of that, but when they get power, what do they do? Look no further than the tangled web of fecality the R'z are enmeshed in.
I absolutely agree Valerie. Humanitarian aide, yes. Protect Americans, yes. But provide weapons that will allow a Nationalist Authoritarian leader to get what he wants....to wipe out every Palestinian and take Gaza....NO! Netanyahu has no desire to keep civilians safe in Gaza by following humanitarian guidelines.
Should Isreal protect itself from attack? Yes. Should the US offer support to the people suffering? Yes.
But weapons that will be used to prolong the war giving Netanyahu no reason to negotiate? Weapons that will be used to strike wherever they choose to in Northern Gaza? Especially when there was no place offered for civilians to safely relocate? No!
This isn't like Ukraine where an actual government invaded a sovereign country, this is a terrorist group. This isn't Palestinians or the Palestinian government...which is of course not really a government at all as Mamoud Abbas has very little power to control Hamas or any other groups.
Palestinians should not be living in an open air prison. Israel should be working to create peace and community. There is absolutely no reason Israelis and Palestinians can't live side by side in peace and community...except for the extremist propaganda that keeps hate embers burning.
Hamas is the government of Gaza
So why Mahmoud Abbas if Hamas is the government?
Mahmoud Abbas also known by the kunya Abu Mazen is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governance_of_the_Gaza_Strip#:~:text=Both%20regimes%20–%20the%20Ramallah%20and,of%20the%20Palestinian%20National%20Authority.
Thank you. "Both regimes – the Ramallah and Gaza government regard themselves as the sole legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority. Egyptian-mediated negotiations toward reconciliation between the Fatah and the Hamas government produced a preliminary agreement, planned to be implemented by May 2012 in joint elections. To date, the Hamas government is only economically bonded with the Ramallah-based Palestinian National Authority, performing the governing over the Gaza Strip independently".
So, if Hamas is economically bonded, then the PNA should be able to step in.
But, lots has changed since the formation of the PNA, so perhaps Hamas has more clout now and is seen as the government in Gaza?
From today, Leonhardt, NYT
“For more than a week, an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza has seemed as if it might begin any day. Troops and tanks have crowded the border. Israel has ordered Gazans to evacuate south. The military has showered missiles on Hamas bunkers to weaken the group.
But no ground invasion has begun. Why the apparent delay?
One part of the answer is that Israel’s allies, led by President Biden, have asked for a pause, as our colleagues reported yesterday. Biden spent much of yesterday on calls with Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of several European countries.”
He then explains Biden and others reasons.
What SHOULD happen is an American agreement with Israel about what it will NOT do, such as occupy Gaza permanently. The USA should NOT agree to that.
There are many who think Netanyahu and some of his military have been hungering for Gaza for a long time. If Israel is planning to annex Gaza for any reason, there will be an endless war. And the US should not be part of it.
Netanyahu has helped create this situation. Let the Israeli citizens vote him out of office so that real peace can be arranged.
👏👏
It saddens me greatly that funding for Israel and the Ukraine has been coupled. On one hand, a fledgling democracy defending itself against an entirely unprovoked attack; on the other an aggressor responding to a horrific act by those it represses. A false equivalency if ever there was one.
Today's (10/23) NYTimes has a front page story with the headline "The developing world sees a double standard in the West's actions in Gaza and Ukraine ". Well, duh!
Two good conditions before there is any commitment of increased U.S. aid: new Israeli elections, and a plan for removal of Jewish settlements from the West Bank with land under the authority of a Palestinian authority with some integrity.
Good proposals. Bibi has to be voted out and into jail and the illegal settlements must be removed. Give the buildings to the Palestinians who have been forced from their homes as some sort of compensation.
I agree completely that the land in the West Bank taken from Palestinians should be returned. Those were land-grabs by the powerful from the powerless.
Mostly good reporting, Judd, but those are not just “Hamas militants.” Those are Hamas terrorists and should be referred to as such.
Fair enough HAMAS are certainly terrorists but then what does that make the IDF? Isn't terrorism exactly what they are inflicting upon noncombatants in Palestine?
Any thoughts on the end of war bombings on Tokyo and Dresden?
Years ago, I read a book called "A Torch To the Enemy" about the incindiary bombing campaign against Tokyo, Japan.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1368519
They massacred 1400 people at a peace-themed music festival. They’re terrorists.
Ever heard of "The Stern Gang?"
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Stern-Gang
Disgusting. It's like giving Trump (Netenyahu) carte Blanche to murder.
Excellent synthesis, Judd. Thank you. What I can't get past is why the IDF was caught off guard. That seems too convenient to the story. And second, it's this kind of jingoism and patriotism and "we must exterminate the OTHER bad guy" bullshit that occludes questions like mine (why was the world's most expensive border so easily penetrated?) and allows people to become conspiracy theorists.
If we're going to plunge further into the abyss of debt, then should have transparency. We won't get it however, so we will end up fundamentally destroying our economy and the balance of power globally will inevitably shift even more than it did under the Trump-Putin alliance.
That is because THEY WERE NOT CAUGHT OFF GUARD! That “surprise” label was total fiction!! We KNOW that now. Bibi is an evil evil man who wanted the country (that barely supported him) to come together- hence the concentration of questionable unverifiable burned snd decapitated babies photos, etc. Bibi doesn’t value anyone’s life; they are just a means to an end with that end being the wiping out of the Palestinians along with HAMAS. Again, the timing of the attack less than 2 weeks after the seemingly useless UN’s multiple reporting on the egregious punishing of GAZA residents....
don’t hear ANYTHING about THAT.
Yes, Rather Not. Since we are fed half and mistruths all the time, it is not hard to believe this is a plausible explanation. But there could also be other dark threads...what are the connections between Iran, Putin, and Hamas? There are many scenarios we can create in our minds, and because leaders who are amoral are now the norm, we will never know what is fully believable, and what is the truth hidden from us all. There is a pattern here, however, and it is what Judd spelled out: war = $$$$$. What I also wonder is for how much longer can humans on the planet stand to be traumatized and then rendered immobile in hopelessness because, do any of us actually feel like we can affect the outcomes of any of this? Once people start waking up to how powerless we are over the demoralizing dramas created privately by thugs to play out on the international stage, we will stop attending the show. Some say that will mean anarchy and victory for the dictators, but I have begun to think it means we will re-invigorate the masses with the return of our attention to what in our individual lives and communities we can actually affect, and stop outsourcing our time and attention to assholes who want out power and resources to essentially play games with themselves. I think not being mesmerized by all this mystery and drama is a way to stop supporting their nihilistic, sadistic, self-absorbed war porn.
I’ve already posted about who profits… follow the $$.
….
I have family in Israel. My husband’s family was Russian Polish Jews.
We are retired now and exhausted. My heart continues to break.
There is just so so so much hatred in the world.
That is sad and I can hear your pain. The hatred is not normal. I think it is manufactured to manipulate us. Humans' set point is not evil.
I think you are correct Whitney. This is all manufactured to create opportunities to make MORE money.
Just like the "Hokey Pokey," that's what it's all about.
It sounds insensitive to say souch things but I increasingly believe that being worried to point that out is part of the strategy of manipulation. That we're supposed to be too afraid to say it's only about money and instead think, "Surely it can't be only that...we're talking life and death...". But the addiction to power and money ultimately IS always paid in lives.
I agree with your assessment of Bibi.
If only the only cost for these decisions was paid for in dollars and not in lives.
Biden should be calling for a ceasefire. But that's probably never going to happen.
We all know what comes next. A whole lot of killing. But what then? What comes after?
What comes after all the killing? More killing. These children will never forget, never forgive. Stop the weapons. Total stop.
We end up creating monsters and mentally destroyed people with these terrorist attacks and wars. This nightmare situations have lifetime consequences.
Look at the US and the hatred the Republican Fascist Cult have pushed into the public square. Sickening…but republicans don’t give one damn. None of the right wingers around the globe care about people. I realize the left is not 100% in the correct lane but NOTHING compares to right wing authoritarian stupidity.
"I realize the left is not 100% in the correct lane but NOTHING compares to right wing authoritarian stupidity."
True words!
The ‘after the killing’ consequences aren’t ever considered. If we’re going to further wreck our own economy helping to fund all of this for Israel, what’s going to be the endgame? What is achieved? Peace? - I’m very skeptical about that. I’m 60 years old & these people have been fighting for the entirety of my life. This is grim & could certainly drag on for a decade or more.
I've always wondered what they have on us?
They seem to be trying but we prop up Bibi with the right of might.
And making Gaza even more unlivable - pushing more people to become war refugees who will never be allowed back to their homeland.
And the children of Gaza will grow up to be the next generation of terrorists because of the decimation of their families, homes, and lives. The cycle will never end.
Exactly. More dragon seeds planted.
Thank you for this concise summation of the consequences of Bush's disingenuous and disastrous "hardliner" decisions. Bush and administration figures like Ari Fleischer should be apologizing right now, not pontificating.
Judd I am such a great fan of yours, and I agree there should be transparency and accountability for federal dollars spent - here and always. However, I believe some other points need to be made: Israel was not ‘merely’ attacked, civilians massacred, babies beheaded, women raped and 200 civilians - including children - taken hostage. Okay, one of the worst terrorist attacks in history. But it’s been under CONTINUOUS attack. The missiles didn’t end on October 7th. They’ve been continuously raining down on CIVILIAN targets unrelentingly AND in fact are now being launched from a second border - from Hezbollah. They should just stop defending themselves and let themselves be attacked? Also: those who call for a ceasefire are not taking into account the fact that 198 hostages are still being held. Doesn’t Israel need to free them? Put yourself in the actual position of a civilian whose children have been abducted - and there are many - shouldn’t they be freed? Do you know that Israel is trying to lessen civilian casualties while Hamas is seeking to increase them - even of Palestinians by hiding their missiles and bases among them? I would love a ceasefire. How about Hamas agrees to release all the hostages and agrees to stop attacking Israel now and in the future - agrees to destroy its own weapons in exchange for a ceasefire. Do you know that Hamas takes in one billion dollars a year from aid and hasn’t given any of it to the Palestinians it rules with an iron fist? That it doesn’t allow elections? That the Hamas leaders live in palaces in Qatar while the Palestinians live in poverty?This ain’t about money - this is a true humanitarian crisis, both for the Israelis that are under continuous attack and the Palestinians used as human shields by these religious terrorists who have caused this crisis.
Linda, Are you for real? You don’t think Netanyahu uses terrorism? Wow!
This is a video of Rachel Goldberg, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin who is being held by Hamas in Gaza. He was grievously wounded by terrorists before he was kidnapped. The family has asked for this to be shared.
Babies weren’t beheaded that was a lie that was perpetuated by premise really propaganda.
The continuous warfare has actually been from Israel. They are constantly at war, look at their history. It’s never ending and it’s not just in defense.
Good notes. Of course, since the bloody coup by Hamas in Gaza, it’s no longer the Palestinian Ministry of Health, it’s the Gaza Ministry of Health which is run by Hamas — as all the Gaza ministries are. So they release propaganda figures and no civilian/terrorist breakdown because of course not. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Health_Ministry
Just read your link and am chagrined that Hamas has taken political action against important long serving doctors who do not agree with Hamas policies.
they have murdered all political opponents, whether doctors, politicians, shopkeepers or ice-cream makers. Heaven forbid you are Christian or LGBTQ or a woman: that's why it's so hard to separate Hamas from Gaza because Gazans are terrified of Hamas. But it's why journalists need to keep a critical eye on this brutal oppressive autocracy. Even Amnesty thinks they're evil: https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/palestine-state-of/report-palestine-state-of/
This information as YOU share it must be shared NOW with the wider public. [I couldn't follow the above link from Amnesty so I'm not referring to that.] People are not aware of how little power the Palestinians have had over their lives. Other questions I have: in all of my reading these past few days, it seems that Netanyahu was making sure that Hamas was financially supported--if so, how and by whom? The why of Netanyahu's support of Hamas was to divide Palestinian support away from the Palestinian Authority. Bibi's aim appears to eliminate any who would have power that he would have to accommodate--thus the Palestinian Authority (and reasonable leaders like Rabin) had to be eliminated. Whatever IS true here should be publicized before we allow Netanyahu to eliminate all Palestinians so that he can hold on to power--with the help of the settlers, who do not participate in military training to protect their homeland, but want to be left in peace to teach their children to memorize Scripture (and not learn anything about the rest of the world).
Who is "the solar cooking lady"? I had a solar oven for decades that is now in my son's garage in AZ!
We. Learned. Nothing.
The artist also known as, history repeats itself? 😢
I see the proposed aid to Israel as a carrot that Biden can dangle in front of Netanyahu. Other than threatening to reduce aid or cut it off altogether, what else can Biden do that might give him leverage with Bibi?
The original dream of the United Nations was that it would become an international authority that could oversee situations such as this to be sure that the nations involved would maintain certain standards of behavior and be required to respect and value the humanity of the innocent civilians of the other side. Of course the nations of the world have never been willing to grant the UN sufficient resources and power to carry out that dream.
The leaders of Israel and Palestine seem determined to destroy each other (whatever their stated goals). If we continue to support their efforts without making any demands in how they treat each other they will both continue their efforts aimed at mutual destruction. I fear that such will be the case, since those on both sides of the conflict claim a religious mandate to violate the major tenets of their religion and betray their faith in order to "win" this conflict, and here in the United States, any politician who attempts to hold either side accountable for their crimes steps into a minefield which will likely blow apart their political lives. The only "safe" option is fund both sides, depending on who your American constituency favors which will keep the conflict going.
I fear this escalated conflict may last as long as Vietnam, Afghanistan, or Iraq, and produce similar results, but I suspect humanity is not yet ready to learn the lessons those conflicts might teach us.
It already has. It didn’t start with the latest atrocities.