The expanding Israel-Hamas war

[Dargelos]

Soon after the neverending war had reignited, there was a theory going around that went something like this:
Hamas know that they will never have enough firepower to really hurt Isreal, so they look to the Japanese martial arts principle that you must try to use your the strength of your enemy so that he will hurt himself. So by provoking Isreal so heavily that they overreact enough to offend former friends, Hamas can cause more damage than they ever could with a few low powered missiles. This ploy comes at a high price, it means many deaths for your own people, but Hamas do not care about that, they place a low value on any human life, whether Jew, Muslim or anything else.
At the time this theory sounded unlikely, surely nobody could be that cynical, but ongoing reality makes the theory more credible as outrage follows outrage.

 

[KaraBulut]

...This ploy comes at a high price, it means many deaths for your own people, but Hamas do not care about that, they place a low value on any human life, whether Jew, Muslim or anything else...

You might be putting too much faith in the phrase, "your own people".

Hamas is Palestinian but it has a complicated history of Israeli and Eqyptian support. Both countries have had a hand in propping up Hamas, which is counterintuitive since Hamas' stated goal is the elimination of a Jewish state in Palestine, not just the management of Gaza. Hamas has been more honest about their opposition to the "two state solution" but make no mistake, both the Israelis and the Palestinians just pretend that they would ever entertain sharing territory with each other.

It's a different world view for westerners- the blurring of the lines between mosque and state, charitable organizations, militias and ordinary governmental functions. But it's also a cautionary tale about why mixing church and state creates crappy versions of both.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Meanwhile, Peter Beinart reminds us that the ICC indicted Netayahu for war crimes, including starving the people of Gaza, 8 months ago, yet the US has continue to allow Israel to commit more war crimes without intervention.

Note that Scott Jennings parrots the Israel talking points. Jennings is auditioning to run for McConnell's Senate seat from Kentucky.

The strident clash of Beinart and Jennings is the leading edge of the conflict that is to come. Just as the 60's and 70's saw guerilla groups rise in the US for various grievances, we will soon see them return, perhaps less openly, to move on from the war of words to actions, likely terrorist actions and assassinations.

The rhetoric Jennings repaired to in an attempt to blunt Beinart'ss too-true critique was tellingly absent of the principal question of proportionality. The Israeli response to October 7th has been the equivalent of an angry father going to the pre-school and breaking the arms of the boy who pushed his child down on the playground.

Sadly, the American broadcast media has consistently done the same as Mr. Jennings, always parroting the IDF's talking points whenever criticisms of the Gazan Holocaust are voiced. This only furthers the frequent accusations that a significant degree of Jewish influence is seen in American media that makes is unreliable for any matter touching on Israel.

I would prefer not to believe that anyone could sink so low as to murder hungry children for sport. But the story comes from trustworthy sources and the IDF have enough form for it. Choosing not to believe because reality is too painful will not make reality go away.

What is not being said is that the religious traditions that Israel claims readily admit that they would replay death by 10x, 100x, or 1,000x. After all, when Israelis die, they are God's own, and when their enemies die, they are the enemies of Zion.

When I was in the middle east, I used to hear people talking about what Israel did in 1947... or 1967... or 1973... Many of those countries still have millions of Palestinian refugees from those wars living in their countries.

Coming from America, where historically Israel could do no wrong, it was a completely different perspective from the history that I had been fed from school and the American media. The news reports of starving children that we're seeing this month are what the "Arab street" has been seeing for weeks. I can only imagine how their hatred of Israel is boiling over.

I never underestimate how long middle eastern people hold grudges.

Israel's plan is to force 2 million Palestinians into the southern part of Gaza and they will claim northern Gaza for Israeli settlements. That will create yet another refugee crisis. And more anti-Israeli sentiment.

If you think that the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe has skewed EU politics to the right, wait until millions of Palestinians try to flee to Eqypt or Iran or Saudi Arabia or Turkey. These countries already hate Israel and it's just going to get messier from here.

I've never heard so many Americans expressing anti-Israeli sentiment. And yes, I'm hearing it described as "war crimes" for the first time. Any sympathy that Israel received over October7th and the hostage situation has been squandered by the events since.

Our misguided support of Israel, both from Jewish and Christian sectors, will see us likely go to war again in the coming decade. It will again likely be a reactionary war like the one following 9/11. The new attack(s) on the US will be more lethal, more insidious, and more deserved. We are rapidly becoming the government depicted in The Hunger Games.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I'm glad to learn Canada and Germany, along with some Arab countries, are willing to directly oppose American military support for Israel:

With America's rejrection of the ICC, we are likely to progressively force our former allies to formally take acts of separation from us and from our military, which I hope will weaken the outlandish excessiveness of our military industrial complex in the coming years.

 

[rareboy]

 

[KaraBulut]

The world has been outraged by images of starving men, women and children in Gaza. Many of those images have been coming from reporters on the ground, many of them from Al-Jazeera.

So, what did Israel do about the starving people in Gaza? They killed the messenger.

On Sunday, Israel bombed a tent near a hospital in Gaza City. Inside the tent were 4 Al Jazeera journalists, including Anas al-Sharif, and 2 independent journalists. Al-Sharif, a 28 year old on-air reporter had been reporting from the ground in Gaza. Al-Sharif had over 1 million followers on social media.

In one of Al-Sharif's last on-air reports, he was highlighting bombings by the IDF. He was murdered shortly after. Pro-Palestinian activists claim that Israel intentionally silenced Al-Sharif to prevent Al-Jareeza from reporting on Israel's latest bombing of civilians in Gaza City and to cover up Israel's land-grab in northern Gaza.

When condemned for assassinating journalists, the government of Israel claimed that that Al-Sharif was a member of Hamas. The Committee to Protest Journalists pointed out that Israel has killed nearly 200 journalists reporting from Gaza.

 

[rareboy]

Murderous, totally immoral regime. But nothing more or less than we now expect.

 

[Alistair]

 

[Araucaria]

This picture appeared in a Florida alternative weekly newspaper, but the cartoonist was fired because the parent company judged it to be antisemitic.

The corporate owners of Creative Loafing fired a political cartoonist over this piece

A political cartoonist, Bob Whitmore, at Creative Loafing is out of a job because of his cartoon of a starving child in Gaza.

www.wmnf.org

 

[KaraBulut]

This picture appeared in a Florida alternative weekly newspaper, but the cartoonist was fired because the parent company judged it to be antisemitic.

View attachment 3217080

The corporate owners of Creative Loafing fired a political cartoonist over this piece

A political cartoonist, Bob Whitmore, at Creative Loafing is out of a job because of his cartoon of a starving child in Gaza.

www.wmnf.org

Saying the quiet part out loud: the paper was bought by Chava Communications. Cha'vah is a Hebrew name and one of the words that translates as the English word "life".

The owners of Chava Communications, a husband and wife, are both Jewish.

 

[Norri]

This picture appeared in a Florida alternative weekly newspaper, but the cartoonist was fired because the parent company judged it to be antisemitic.

View attachment 3217080

The corporate owners of Creative Loafing fired a political cartoonist over this piece

A political cartoonist, Bob Whitmore, at Creative Loafing is out of a job because of his cartoon of a starving child in Gaza.

www.wmnf.org

I hope it’s the words ‘wailing wall’ that caused some fool to deem that antisemitic.

 

[rareboy]

I hope it’s the words ‘wailing wall’ that caused some fool to deem that antisemitic.

No. See above. It is because the owners are Jewish and apparently staunch Zionists.

Good for the cartoonist for laying this at their door.

American Jews supporting the genocide in Gaza need to have their blindness lifted.

 

[KaraBulut]

No. See above. It is because the owners are Jewish and apparently staunch Zionists.

Good for the cartoonist for laying this at their door.

American Jews supporting the genocide in Gaza need to have their blindness lifted.

This is another example of the move from Reform Judaism to a more conservative, activist Judaism. For years, liberal Reform Jews, particularly those who fled Russia's oppression, were staunch advocates of free speech and a free press.

Now, we see American Jews suppressing or even worse, punishing, anything or anyone questioning Israel's actions in Gaza. And their weapon of choice? "It's anti-Semitic!". And their allies? An autocratic Republican Party.

The cartoonist probably has a case for damages, especially since the cartoon had editorial approval before publication.

 

[KaraBulut]

The world has been outraged by images of starving men, women and children in Gaza. Many of those images have been coming from reporters on the ground, many of them from Al-Jazeera.

So, what did Israel do about the starving people in Gaza? They killed the messenger.

On Sunday, Israel bombed a tent near a hospital in Gaza City. Inside the tent were 4 Al Jazeera journalists, including Anas al-Sharif, and 2 independent journalists. Al-Sharif, a 28 year old on-air reporter had been reporting from the ground in Gaza. Al-Sharif had over 1 million followers on social media.

In one of Al-Sharif's last on-air reports, he was highlighting bombings by the IDF. He was murdered shortly after. Pro-Palestinian activists claim that Israel intentionally silenced Al-Sharif to prevent Al-Jareeza from reporting on Israel's latest bombing of civilians in Gaza City and to cover up Israel's land-grab in northern Gaza.

When condemned for assassinating journalists, the government of Israel claimed that that Al-Sharif was a member of Hamas. The Committee to Protest Journalists pointed out that Israel has killed nearly 200 journalists reporting from Gaza.

Israel continues to normalize murdering journalists who tell the truth about Gaza.

This is a NEW story from today about multiple journalists being killed yesterday when Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza. Israel was devious- they bombed the Nasser Hospital in Gaza- the only functioning hospital in Gaza. Aid workers and journalists went to the hospital to report stories. Israel bombed the hospita again, killing multiple aid workers in the hospital in southern Gaza, along with journalists.

The journalists were writing stories for Al-Jazeera, Reuters and the Associated Press. Since Israel started their war on Gazans, they have killed nearly 250 journalists.

Israel will now...
A. Either claim that Hamas was hiding out in the hospital.
B. Claim that the journalists were Hamas members.

And the US will let them get away with it.

‘Where is the outrage?’ Journalists among 20 killed in Israeli attack

Four journalists, one rescuer killed by Israeli attacks targeting rooftop of Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza.

www.aljazeera.com

• At least four Palestinian journalists, including one from Al Jazeera, among 20 people killed in an Israeli attack on a southern Gaza hospital.
• Hussam al-Masri (Reuters), Mohammad Salama (Al Jazeera), Mariam Abu Daqqa (freelance) and Moaz Abu Taha killed in the attack together with rescue workers.

Hospital attack is ‘criminal’, world should consider sanctions​

Israeli political scientist Menachem Klein has said Israel’s deadly attack on Nasser Hospital is a “criminal operation” made possible the Israeli army’s collective dehumanisation of all Palestinians in Gaza.

“It’s a policy. It’s not an accident,” Klein, who lectures at Bar-Ilan University, told Al Jazeera. “Israel implements this kind of criminal attack time and again. It’s not the first time and unfortunately, I assume it won’t be the last time unless there is a ceasefire.”

Klein went on to say that he “won’t be surprised” if Israel’s army later issues a statement trying to justify the attack as targeting a Hamas member. But “it’s a criminal act any way that we look at it,” he said.

 

[rareboy]

And still the mainstream media, the UN ad the rest of the world including the Arab nations turn their eyes away and stay silent.

 

[KaraBulut]

The thing that is really troublesome about what is happening in Gaza is the frog in the boiling pot phenomenon.

It's a war crime to bomb a hospital. It's a war crime to target journalists.

During the Syrian Civil War, Russia and Syria repeatedly targeted hospitals for air bombing. There were no consequences, so it was normalized. In fact, Sec of State John Kerry was supportive of Russia taking a more active role in Syria, so that US could exit from involvement. Kerry's actions set the stage for the US ignoring the war crimes that Russia committed there.

Now, in Gaza we have a new level of war crimes. Yet, Netanyahu is welcomed at the White House. Netanyahu, in the past, was allowed to address joint sessions of Congress. While USAID was decimated and programs stabilizing Africa were cut to nothing, the US continues to send $3.8 billion in annual aid to Israel. After the Oct 7th attacks, the US sent $14 billion in additional aid to Israel. We continue to sell them military weapons to replenish the armaments used to pulverize Gaza.

The US has allowed this to be normalized. And the US and Russia blocks any discussion of it at the United Nations.

 

[rareboy]

I always had an uneasy feeling that evil in the post war era had been gradually normalized as the super-powers flouted the Geneva Convention and the UN Charter persistently and consistently while I was growing up.

I remember in my high school history class that I was a complete cynic during the years when China, the US and the Soviets committed atrocity after atrocity in one military action after another. But it all got rationalized as part of the great balancing act in the Cold War because everyone had been convinced that otherwise, it would be nuclear war.

And from the first imperialist advance by post soviet rrrzzzia, you could sense...even when I was there in Crimea and Odessa in 2012, that there was an expectation of aggression.

But nothing prepared me for Marioupol or Bucha and nothing has prepared me for the obliteration of Gaza and the genocide taking place there with the complicity of superpowers and western nations.

Combined with the naked greed, depraved lusts of the richest and most powerful paraded in front of us...there can be no doubt that we live in a world as evil and corrupt as at any time in history...mde all the worse because we all see it and know it and do nothing about it.

And even from wht I thought was a relative place of safety in Canada, I now spend every day considering that the US has declared an imperialist interest in taking everything we have...and likely with violence.

I have to say, that I go into my final years with no hope at all.

 

[KaraBulut]

... I have to say, that I go into my final years with no hope at all.

I was commenting to a friend of mine who grew up outside the US that during the 1960s and 1970s, we were fed a steady diet of anti-Communist and anti-war propaganda. It was not necessarily a bad thing, per se, and when you watch an episode of "Twilight Zone", "Star Trek" or the original "Fahrenheit 451" movie (which was shown in my high school history class!) you didn't necessarily feel uncomfortable with the content, but it was nevertheless a form of propaganda.

Today, we are being fed anti-authoritarian and anti Big Tech propaganda in "The Hunger Games", the "Alien" series or "Minority Report", but it doesn't seem to be connecting.

War is still being glamorized. It typically is, though. The realistic war movies don't tend to sell well to American audiences.

But in the meantime, thousands of people are being killed in unnecessary wars while the far right has a meltdown about Cracker Barrel changing its logo. And Congress continues to do nothing about social media (remember- Congress banned TikTok as of January?) and they're too busy trying to silence college campus dissent against Gaza to bother to hold hearings about the situation there... or in Ukraine.

This stuff swings on a pendulum, though. When Americans once again perceive their skin in the game when it comes to war or big tech or authoritarianism, then they will rebel against it.

 

[KaraBulut]

One of the journalists that the IDF murdered was Mariam Dagga. Mariam was 33 years old and did freelance work for the Associated Press. She was based at the Nasser Hospital, which is the only functioning hospital remaining in Gaza.

Mariam Dagga, AP freelance journalist in Gaza, was killed by an Israeli strike

Mariam Dagga, a freelance visual journalist in Gaza for The Associated Press, was killed by an Israeli strike on a hospital. She was 33.

apnews.com

In the past few weeks, Mariam had been focusing upon the effects of Israel's starvation campaign on the children of Gaza. Her photojournalism showed emaciated, weak children, many who were on the brink of death.

It's no coincidence that Israel targeted her.

Some of her work can be found here:

Photos by journalist Mariam Dagga

Mariam Dagga, a visual freelance journalist for The Associated Press, chronicled the stream of wounded and dead that every day flowed into southern Gaza’s main hospital, where she was often based.

apnews.com

 

[KaraBulut]

Oh, the priest must have been Hamas.... as were the 84 year old woman and the 60 year old janitor.

Israel kills three in Gaza Catholic church bombing

At least three people were killed and 10 others wounded, including a priest, in Israel’s attack on the church.

www.aljazeera.com

Israeli forces have bombed Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing three people and wounding at least 10 others, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, as the military continues its assault across the besieged enclave.

At least one person is in critical condition as a result of Thursday’s strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, the Patriarchate said in a statement. The church’s priest was also lightly wounded, it added.

Among those killed were the parish’s 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old woman who was receiving psychosocial support inside a Caritas tent in the church compound, according to the Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem.