People make grandiose claims about students being Radicalized by their Radical professors but lol it's actually the politically defanged version of MLK we all got in elementary school that taught us "all people are equal" that makes it intolerable to watch people in power greenlight the slaughter of kids
I thought it was especially amazing to see the Washington Post has an article on how Putin has been interfering with Russian universities. I mean are we not supposed to see the irony?
It’s a classic tactic of propagandists of any colour to paint the opposing side as intolerable for doing the same things you’re doing.
Just yesterday a pro-genocide Zionist was focusing on how Hamas has tunnels to criticize them so I pointed out how Synagogues have been found to have illegal tunnel systems in the US. He didn’t see the connection and keeps calling the Hamas one’s ‘terror tunnels’ so I said I was borrowing that: “New York discovers terror tunnels underneath Synagogue.”
Or back when Epstein ‘killed himself’ under suspicious circumstances everyone wanted to say how crazy it was to think it wasn’t suicide. After all, who ever heard of prison guards murdering someone on behalf of powerful people? You just can’t keep that kind of thing a secret.
Then on February 16th one of Putin’s political rivals, Alexei Navalny, dies in a Russian prison and it was time for us to believe that it was possible for prison guards to murder influential prisoners under orders and having it kept secret from the public even though that was impossible 5 years ago.
The thing with the tunnels is so frustrating, whether folks realize it or not most cities have at least some tunnels under important infrastructure and hospitals especially are likely to have these. It's not a sign of anything except normal architecture for those types of facilities.
Well the thing about the synagogue tunnels is they were illegal and unexplained. They weren't supposed to be there. They aren't part of the normal function of architecture.
That said, I use it as my example because it shows how easy it is to create a sense of sinister motives among a population. It's my personal opinion that they exist because among a select number of ultra religious Jews they seriously worry about a repeat of the Holocaust and have contingency plans in place.
The fact is, people do the same thing for Hamas tunnels. I'm no fan of Hamas and I know they present a danger to the people of Palestine because of how they operate, but what a lot of people don't understand is a tunnel system is important to have in a war zone.
Just imagine it was World War 1 and one side was criticizing the other side for having trenches, when both sides had trenches. Focusing on Hamas tunnel system is simply a propaganda trick. Israel has a tunnel system too, but no one talks about it.
One of the questions I try and ask people that no one brings up is: What is the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?
Thank you for your words. I live in San Diego and watched the live stream of my friends getting assaulted & intimidated by the police yesterday. I’m not a student, so I wasn’t there when the camp was raided at 5:30am. The police completely locked down the UCSD campus so even if community members wanted to go to support, they made it almost impossible to get there.
Then Rafah…then the pointless Met Gala. It was a heavy, heavy day.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills when many of the people in my life (not my organizer friends, obviously) are just totally silent when I feel like I’ve been screaming for 7 months. But reading essays like this remind me that I’m not alone. So thank you.
Yup I know it’s not a contest, but I’ve been trying to get people to pay attention for years.
It’s cost me friends and been terrible for my mental health. It wouldn’t be so bad if I just knew someone in real life who saw what was going on because I’ve been spelling it out the whole time. I know people like throwing the word gaslit around a lot nowadays but that’s how it feels. I keep pointing out the elephant in the room and everyone pretends they’ve never heard of elephants before.
I know exactly how you feel. That’s honestly how I came up with my handle, cause I’m always the one trying to bring attention to things that matter. Killing everyone’s joy & harshing their mellow.
I started meeting local organizers in my area and it was like breathing oxygen for the first time. Finding community with other people that care about the same things I do?! If you can & haven’t yet, try finding orgs to get involved with. It’s been amazing for my mental health. ❤️ Good luck to you. We’re fighting the good fight ✊🏽🇵🇸🍉
Ah cool. Mine is a reference to Socrates and Sun Tzu. I like tricking people into thinking I don't know something so if they're smart they share all their precious knowledge with me by showing off, and if they're stupid and judge books by covers then they underestimate me.
Unfortunately I'm from a small town which is mostly a retirement community and suffers from 'brain drain' so there aren't really any effective local organizations I can join, or at least none I've been able to find yet. Thanks for the recommendation still. I'll have to check out Here 4 The Kids though. ✌️
The protesters are scaring the ruling class. Hence, the boot. They know that if we finally managed to organize globally, they would lose. We outnumber these wretched creatures by billions but because they control the power structures, they're winning 😢
The "ruling class" is mostly UNKNOWN. They call themselves the "Black Nobility." They are anything but noble. They want to depopulate the planet, but it's better for them to have the "talking cows" kill each other than for them to have to do it. They only want to watch...
I wouldn't say they're unknown. Rupert Murdoch, for 1. The crime syndicate known as OPEC. The CEOs of the oil and gas companies. The defense contractors, etc...
Like I said, they're mostly unknown. Rupert Murdoch is a minion. OPEC are just a bunch of capitalist tools... Do you know who the "Black Nobility" are? Until just a couple of years ago, I'd never heard of them. I can't name a bunch of them, either. I have seen photos and names, but they are not "known" except in their own circles... These are some of the most filthy rich people on the planet... just a few, relatively speaking. They mostly stay out of the limelight. These are the .0001% that are richer than the other 90% of humans. THEY control everything. Heard of the Crown Corporation? Heard of The City of London? (no, not the city of London-- a tiny little "city" within the geographical London, England-- I understand they're moving now, or have moved.) Okay, if you have no idea, you're like most people, and me, before about two years ago.
A good place to investigate is the page of Frances Leader... "Uncensored." Look for posts about The Black Nobility. It's high time to get the word out, because these are the genocidal globalist freaks behind all the shit going on, now, and in the past, for like, at least a couple of thousand years... They are the remnants of the ROMANS.
That honestly doesn't surprise me. The wealthy psychopaths have been running this shitshow for thousands of years. Different "names" but the same bloodlines.
Indeed. I didn't know about these people, even anonymously, until a couple of years ago. It's really amazing to me how much I've learned in the past four years!! At least there's a sort of "upside" to Covid... I've lost a shit-ton of scales from mine eyes... Cheers.
I knew the old tyrannical families still existed. Somehow their bloodlines never seem to end. And all that inherited wealth gets more and more concentrated at the top. Capitalism is a pyramid scheme and it's awfully top heavy right now. It's due to collapse under it's own weight. All we can do is hang on and take care of each other.
After some quick searching 'Black Nobility' looks like another fringe conspiracy theory akin to the far-right 'globalist' dogwhistle. Our enemies are the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, we do not need to invent shadowy groups to fight. I'm sure you have the best of intentions, but don't spread misinformation.
You do realize we ARE talking about the "ruling class," which is NOT the "bourgeoisie."
Get it togethah, my dear. This is not a quickie kind of education.
If you think the "Globalists" are a dog whistle, think again. I should know, being a dog. ;)
And don't tell me what I can/can't say. Freedom of Speech isn't just a Constitutional Right, it's a NATURAL right, and nobody tells me what rights I am "allowed" to have.
Joshua you are a great writer and your portrayal of this heartbreaking situation helps us all realize what is at stake. I for one believe the path to lasting peace requires the removal of Hamas and a new leader for Israel. Let’s hope that happens quickly.
There has been an energy shift on my campus after Monday after the horrific scenes of snipers on roofs and our peers getting maced and brutalized. Students who were previously apolitical are now enraged, the entire campus community has unironically never been more united- it gives me hope in turning the tides.
Yes, indeed. Because young people are VITAL to the Cause.
In the 60 's, it was the youth who stopped the war in Viet Nam. And guess what happened to that? Burning draft cards and demanding an END TO WAR got infiltrated and turned into a Free Love, Drugs mashup that diverted the whole thing.
The Deep State will try to derail, it's what they do. Keep clear heads, this is the Big One.
Looking at this from from a country outside USA it's like the lights have been turned on in a dark, dusty room.
Now it is becoming more clear what the true intentions of the so called leaders are, and every mucky corner has been exposed.
We can look directly at what was hidden in the shadows before.
Not everyone is ready to face it and change what they do not agree with.
Many, who have the priviledge to, have chosen not to look at it. Try to block it out. Keep dressing up, like it matters anymore.
They are trying to remain in their priviledge and power. They are trying to keep playing the game, business as usual. Survival mode zero sum game.
They believe that majority humans will keep ignoring injustices, that it's human nature.
Well, it's not human nature to easlly look away from the suffering of others.
I would argue it takes a lot out of a human to do that.
And the hardest hearts capable of that evil have really had to work at it.
It's not natural to witness evil and accept evil.
And right now we see human beings trying to deal with witnessing that. With being guilty in that.
Traumatized, fearful humans are wanting to feel safe:
Some are feeling safer keeping being in denial.
Others are feeling safer wanting annihiliation of a perceived enemy.
Many others are feeling safer fighting oppression, resisting fascism.
In conclusion, I think it's time for all leaders to stop pretending, pretenting you are not human, pretenting anyone can win in a war, pretending you can treat people like they don't matter.
And stop believing people will not resist you if you lead them to evil. To war.
Your article includes many important points and Macklemore’s song isn’t the most important. However, I think understanding cultural content can help us in ways that sometimes more straightforward analysis can’t. Therefore, while I’m certain that I agree with you that it’s not a perfect song, I think it would be helpful to hear what you think it doesn’t do well since you mention the things you appreciate about it. I’ve listened to it a half dozen times since yesterday. And for someone who absolutely does know who Macklemore is and listened to him 8-12 years ago as well as last month, I am impressed by someone with his name recognition being so clear. It’s not a bravery thing to me but too many people when they get access to wealth and/or power don’t know how to learn about what is happening to regular people. And if they get a glimmer they don’t know what to do with that information. I didn’t notice that sense of compromise or lack of conviction/clarity. I am a bit of a music nerd (told to me today) from having studied the subject so if you’re up for sharing your thoughts, I am interested.
Absolutely! One that enbraces love, kindness, and community and not consumption, hatred, and competition. In times of strife, sorrow,and hate, love is revolutionary 💕💕💕
Note: this is a reply to Rhea (sorry for any confusion as to what I'm talking about)
As a Jew, I am not "cool with genocide." To the extent I can, I tried to explain how this current situation is not genocide. Many Palestinians in Israel likely would agree with me. As for "Zionist talking points," I am guessing you do not know the following facts: Jews have been present in the “Holy Land” since before the dawn of Christianity and Islam. Most Jews were exiled to other lands long ago, but some remained. Much more recently, when Israel overcame British colonialism and became a sovereign country in 1948, all its neighbors tried to wipe it out and did not succeed. Since then, Israel has continued to defend itself. While the Jewish territory of the proposed 1947 two-state solution is smaller than the current State of Israel, Israel has ceded nearly all territories it gained after being attacked in 1967 and 1973, including Gaza and the Sinai.
Call them "talking points" if you want. Are they true? Yes.
It is a genocide and genocide denialists like you make me physically ill. Go argue with the wall because none of Joshua's readers are interested in debating the human rights of Palestinians with you.
I am for human rights for Palestinians and everyone else. I am also against war. All I am saying is this is not an absolute black-and-white situation. There are gray areas.
I know you believe I am 100% wrong and that Israel is 100% bad. I know I won't change your minds.
Please stop hurling abuse in my direction. You do not know me. You do not know everything. I do not know everything. It would be nice if you could admit that there's a 0.01% chance that some of what you're saying is not completely true. Clearly, that is too much to ask.
Just as not all Americans are idiots, it is true that not all Jews are Zionists.
So I think you mean well, and you have a right (yes, we still have our rights, because our Creator gave us these rights, not our govt!) to speak your piece.
But I disagree with one thing: This IS a genocide, and the genocide is GLOBAL, vis-a-vis the "vaccine" for a supposed viral disease... This genocide is MUCH bigger than Israel and Palestine.
There were always Jews in the Middle East and Arab countries. There were more and more Jews in the Levant in the early 20th century due to antisemitism in Europe that led Jews to flee. And Arab nations, including Palestine were more welcoming than any European country ever was. Israël did not overcome British colonialism. European zionists made a deal with the UK to be given Palestinian Territories and invaded Palestine, forcing Palestinians into displacement and a permanent refugee status. Stop rewriting history because it’s not convenient to Israel’s narrative.
It’s always amazed me how Zionist Jews always want to make Arabs and Muslims as the great antisemites of our world, when in fact Israel wouldn’t exist if Europe had not spent centuries mistreating Jews, denying them access to land, work, and basic human rights, and finally helping them exile themselves to another land. If European leaders had actually cared about Jews post WWII they would have made space for them IN Europe. They would have asserted their human and civil rights. They would have paid reparations. They would have returned their stolen property. They would have asked exiled Jews to come back, instead of sending more of them away.
I called no one an antisemite or anti-Jewish at all. As for the history of Palestine, I wish we all could agree on what happened between 1945 and 1950 or so, but we can't. I was taught one thing, others were taught other things, and I don't know who is right or wrong or in between. I'm not rewriting history; I'm just doing my best to understand it, acknowledging that I have learned different things from others such as you. You may be right; I don't know.
What happened between 45-50 is part of written history. What happened is thoroughly documented. It's not a guessing game.
I know you called noone antisemite. I was placing the existence of Israel back in its context : a deeply rooted European anti-semitism (and general racism) which led to many of the worst, most violent events of the past 2 centuries, including colonization, wars of decolonization, the Shoah, and the continued destruction of Palestine since 1947.
The creation of Israel is part of colonization because it involved large movements of population from Europe (among other places) to Palestine with the intention and result to displace and replace the existing local Palestinian population. Those are facts, backed by countless documents including letters, speeches and treaties. Facts are not negotiable. They're not a guessing game. And none of the actions of Israel so far, nor the results they've yielded could leave the door open to interpretation : Israel intends to destroy Palestine. Israel is destroying Palestine. That's what is called a genocide.
My understanding is that the residents of the newly formed State of Israel who were opposed to the formation of Israel were encouraged by neighboring countries to leave their homes temporarily while the neighboring countries invaded and conquered Israel. At that point, those who had left would then be able to move back into the land. Since, however, the neighboring countries invaded, attacked, but failed to conquer Israel, that scenario did not happen, and, yes, I'm suree many (if not all) of those who left to allow Israel to be invaded and conquered were unable to return to their homes.
I was trying express my open-mindedness about perception of facts, but since you are so certain of colonialism, genocide, and other atrocities: I am certain that the people who founded the State of Israel did NOT have the intention to displace and replace the existing local Palestinian population. In fact, Israel's founders clearly announced that local Palestinians were welcome to stay and live in peace. The fact that some heeded the advice of invading neighbors and left their homes because the neighbors expected to conquer Israel does not mean they were deliberately displaced by Israel.
I do not doubt that some or many people who lived in the land were displaced in the chaos, but that displacement was NOT the goal of Israel.
Here is some information I found on a discussion about this issue:
"The existence of these refugees is a direct result of the Arab States' opposition to the partition plan and the reconstitution of the State of Israel. The Arab states adopted this policy unanimously and the responsibility of its results, therefore is theirs; ...The flight of Arabs from the territory allotted by the UN for the Jewish state began immediately after the General Assembly decision at the end of November 1947. This wave of emigration, which lasted several weeks, comprised some thirty thousand people, chiefly well-to-do-families." - Emil Ghoury, secretary of the Arab High Council, Lebanese daily Al-Telegraph, 6 Sept 1948
"The Arabs did not want to submit to a truce they rather preferred to abandon their homes, their belongings and everything they possessed in the world and leave the town. This is in fact what they did." - Jamal Husseini, Acting Chairman of the Palestine Arab Higher Committee, told to the United Nations Security Council, quoted in the UNSC Official Records (N. 62), April 23, 1948, p. 14
The Arab exodus from the villages was not caused by the actual battle, but by the exaggerated description spread by Arab leaders to incite them to fight the Jews" - Yunes Ahmed Assad, refugee from the town of Deir Yassin, in Al Urdun, April 9, 1953
The Arab States encouraged the Palestine Arabs to leave their homes temporarily in order to be out of the way of the Arab invasion armies. - Falastin (Jordanian newspaper), February 19, 1949
"It must not be forgotten that the Arab Higher Committee encouraged the refugees' flight from their homes in Jaffa, Haifa, and Jerusalem." - Near East Arabic Broadcasting Station, Cyprus, April 3, 1949
"Since 1948 it is we who demanded the return of refugees... while it is we who made them to leave... We brought disaster upon... Arab refugees, by inviting them and bringing pressure to bear upon them to leave... We have rendered them dispossessed... We have accustomed them to begging... We have participated in lowering their moral and social level... Then we exploited them in executing crimes of murder, arson, and throwing bombs upon... men, women and children - all this in service of political purposes..." - Khaled al Azm, Syria's Prime Minister after the 1948 war
"The refugees were confident that their absence would not last long, and that they would return within a week or two. Their leaders had promised them that the Arab armies would crush the 'Zionist gangs' very quickly and that there was no need for panic or fear of a long exile." - Monsignor George Hakim, Greek Catholic Bishop of Galilee, in the Beirut newspaper Sada al Janub, August 16, 1948
Hamas strategically committed an indescribably heinous, unprovoked, murderous attack on civilians on October 7, 2023, continues to hold dozens of hostages, and continues to attack civilians in Israel and even thwart Israel's efforts to bring in humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza.
The aim of Hamas's October 7 attack was to provoke Israel to respond in a way that people around the world would condemn and would lead to more support for Hamas among Palestinians in Gaza. Gaza. Before October 7, Hamas's popularity was waning.
How could Israel not respond? If another country or group of people murdered more than 1000 people in Chicago, brutally raped many women, and grabbed hundreds of hostages, would the United States not respond? Actually, the proportion of Israel's population that was murdered on October 7 greatly exceeds the proportion of the American population that was murdered on September 11, 2001. The US response to September 11 certainly involved thousands and thousands of civilian deaths; whether or not you believe the response was justified, you cannot deny those facts.
Yet Israel responds to October 7. How dare they?
I do not support Israel’s war in Gaza, but it’s not genocide. It’s a disproportionate response, the extent of which depends on how much trust you put in the Hamas government’s reported statistics. But it is an attack provoked by Hamas, which is a sworn enemy of Israel, an opponent of Israel’s right to exist – and a killer of innocent Israeli civilians for many years.
For Hamas, the more civilian dead in Gaza, the better, because it means more support for Hamas worldwide. And on the domestic front, Hamas can blame Israel for civilian dead, which Hamas exacerbates through human shielding strategies.
There are no bomb shelters in Gaza. Hamas built all of its underground infrastructure to support its clearly stated goal to to destroy Israel and claim all its territory (and more), “from the river to the sea.” As stated in Hamas's 2017 “Document of General Principles & Policies,” the Hamas-defined area of Palestine includes the entirety of the current State of Israel as well as the West Bank. If placed in charge of this claimed territory, would Hamas willingly tolerate the survival of Jewish Israelis? I’m sure you know the answer. And while Israel is not a saintly bastion of civilian equality between Jews and Palestinians, it recognizes its Palestinian citizens as such and as people who deserve to live and even serve as members of Israeli Parliament. Don’t laugh. I know it’s hard to believe, but most Palestinians in Israel are not in prison.
The situation is a lot more complicated than people who jump on bandwagons in the US could possibly imagine. And as a born and bred American living in Texas, I'm the first to admit there is a lot I don't know. How about some humility for you, too?
What’s the opposite of “with all due respect”? With none due respect? Whatever that may be, I have less than zero interest in reading regurgitated white supremacist, Zionist mental gymnastic responses that even try to excuse the actions of a heavily militarized colonial nation state attempting to ethnically cleanse and genocide an indigenous people from their land.
White supremacist? Anyone who knows me would laugh at that.
As for "indigenous," one can argue that Arabs and Jews are indigenous to the land.
As for "colonial," what colonial country do you know of who gave up sizable portions of land it gained during conflicts initiated by its neighbors?
I actually believe Netanyahu is a horrible leader who is bad for Israel. He outright rejects the idea of a two-state solution. I am an advocate for a two-state solution. I also oppose the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. I believe they are immoral efforts to make a two-state solution impossible. Sadly, Israel's ceding Gaza did not open up room for dialogue. Instead, Israel's leadership (under Ariel Sharon) instigated Israel's total disengagement and disregard of Gaza, which was shameful and, again, a blow to those of us who support negotiations to establish a two-state solution.
I would guess you might continue your name-calling and your criticism of my "mental gymnastic responses." Please know the situation in Israel/Palestine is extremely complex, and I'm not so presumptuous as to say I know the whole truth. Please also know I am a decent human being and a pacifist at heart. I want war erased from the face of the Earth.
> The aim of Hamas's October 7 attack was to provoke Israel to respond in a way that people around the world would condemn and would lead to more support for Hamas among Palestinians in Gaza.
David, Israel is responsible for its actions, and those actions have disproportionately, and very intentionally so, affected the civilians living in Gaza. Hamas and the state of Israel have both used terrorism and violated international law. We must condemn them both.
Israel has destroyed the homes of civilians, but this was not enough for Netanyahu. It wasn't enough to deprive innocent people of shelter. He also had to starve them by blocking aid. He also had to assault hospitals. His government made accusations against the major aid organization, UNWRA, which resulted in that organization being cut off from a lot of its funding which could have been used to help the innocent people of Gaza. To my knowledge, he still hasn't backed up those allegations, and western governments are starting to throw up their hands in disgust at Netanyahu and turn the funding back on for UNWRA.
Israel is treating the innocent civilians in Gaza exactly like Hamas treated the innocent civilians in Israel. It's terrorism, and in the magnitude of what Israel has done - it's genocidal.
I would also add that I do not believe anything which Netanyahu, or his government, or the IDF says. I think they have been caught lying too many times for us to trust anything they have to say without corroboration. They've lied when they said they weren't blocking aid (multiple independent third parties have said that they have been blocking aid). They've lied about killing journalists - trying to pin it on others. They apparently lied about UNWRA, since they haven't been able to back up their claims (to my knowledge).
I agree Netanyahu and his policies are deplorable, and I mourn civilian deaths in Gaza, but I disagree that Israel has done the kind of heinous acts systematically inflicted on innocent civilians by Hamas on October 7. And Hamas says it was targeting soldiers, yet Hamas targeted civilians and murdered and raped indiscriminately through towns, a music festival, and kibbutzim. And again, I hate war, and Israel didn’t have any plan for evacuated civilians in Gaza, and I’m sure the IDF has lied, but I sincerely believe Israel does not target civilians. With Hamas’s using human shield tactics, it’s a deadly no-win for Israel. As to hospitals, I hear conflicting stories from both sides, but Hamas and Israel are not equivalents. We don’t have a lot of trustworthy data; it will be years before we know enough to make definitive conclusions.
“This is not a normal war. The war in Ukraine has killed 500 kids in two years and the war in Gaza has killed over 10,000 in less than five months. We have seen wars before but this is something that is a dark stain on our shared humanity."
He has a right to free speech, it's unalienable. Yes? You don't have to agree with him or like what he says. I think we have enough people trying to tell us we can't say what we think. It's only WORDS ON SUBSTACK anyway. Perspective. We need to be able to talk about these things and allow for disagreement, don't you think?
The actions of Hamas and the other militant groups on October 7 were heinous, and rightly deserving of punishment. But collective punishment of an entire population for the actions of some is equally heinous - one does not burn and massacre an entire town because one of its inhabitants is a serial killer, and if one does, then the evil one commits is as great or greater than the evil of the serial killer. In other words, two wrongs do not make a right. [The argument that Hamas was elected in Gaza and therefore all Gazans are responsible is not valid, because that election: took place in 2006, 17 years before October 7, so not only were the 1.1 million children under 18 in present day Gaza not even born, but none of the Gazans aged 18-35 now would have been old enough to vote then; Hamas wasn't unanimously elected by Gazans in 2006 as they afterward forced out the elected Fatah government members in a coup; there have been multiple protests against Hamas in Gaza since, including one in August 2023 - it simply cannot be argued that as of October 7, 2023 all of Gaza supported Hamas and the 1.1 million children of Gaza bore no responsibility whatsoever.]
What else could Israel have done? How about this:
On October 7, Israel had peace treaties with a number of surrounding Arab nations, and was just about to sign a peace deal with Saudi Arabia. It was noted at the time of the attacks that Hamas had the backing of Iran, and Iran is the bitter rival of Saudi Arabia. What if Israel, instead of immediately declaring war on Hamas, had held up their terrible losses to their Arab allies, and asked them for help in bringing Hamas to justice? History doesn't ever tell us what if, but it cannot be pretended that there were no other options in the immediate aftermath of that day.
The fears of genocide in Gaza are very firmly based on the reputation of the current political leadership in Israel. Netanyahu is a member ofthe Likud party, and the former leaders of the party have a long history of atrocities toward the Palestinians. Likud's founder was Menachim Begin, who was the former head of the Zionist militant group Irgun, a group responsible among other atrocities, for the massacre of 107 Palestinian villagers in Deir Yassin in 1948. Netanyahu's predecessor in Likud was Ariel Sharon. In 1953, Sharon led a retaliatory raid, mining the roads around the Palestinian West Bank village of Qibya and then hurling grenades into houses where villagers were sheltering, massacring over 49 villagers. In 1983, Sharon was forced to resign as defense minister for after an Israel investyfound him personally responsible for failing to prevent the massacres of Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila camps in Lebanon. Throughout the long blockade of Gaza since Hamas seized power there, Netanyahu allowed funding to be channelled through Israel into Hamas because, and he is on record as saying this, Hamas' extremism helped discredit the Palestinian independence movement: https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/ Likud and its ilk do not want peace with Palestinians, they want the Palestinians gone.
For a Palestinian perspective, I would highly recommend the book 'Blood Brothers: The Dramatic Story of a Palestinian Christian Working for Peace in Israel' by Elias Chacour, former Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Elias as a child was among the tens of thousands of Palestinians internally displaced by Zionist forces in 1948 and is now a peace activist.
By the way, Frances Leader's page is amazing, she is amazing, and one of the best journalists I've seen, ever. You'll be reading her posts for days, lol.
Fair enough. But now I forgot where I saw that! LOL
Oh, shit. I'll see if I can find it and I'll bring it here.
But in this VAST psy-op that is being perpetrated, we should, all of us Peeps, understand that it's vital to Question Everything. EVERYTHING. We are being lied to about SO much, SO often, it's really tiresome trying to keep up with it all.
People make grandiose claims about students being Radicalized by their Radical professors but lol it's actually the politically defanged version of MLK we all got in elementary school that taught us "all people are equal" that makes it intolerable to watch people in power greenlight the slaughter of kids
I thought it was especially amazing to see the Washington Post has an article on how Putin has been interfering with Russian universities. I mean are we not supposed to see the irony?
https://wapo.st/4bjJGm0
It’s a classic tactic of propagandists of any colour to paint the opposing side as intolerable for doing the same things you’re doing.
Just yesterday a pro-genocide Zionist was focusing on how Hamas has tunnels to criticize them so I pointed out how Synagogues have been found to have illegal tunnel systems in the US. He didn’t see the connection and keeps calling the Hamas one’s ‘terror tunnels’ so I said I was borrowing that: “New York discovers terror tunnels underneath Synagogue.”
Or back when Epstein ‘killed himself’ under suspicious circumstances everyone wanted to say how crazy it was to think it wasn’t suicide. After all, who ever heard of prison guards murdering someone on behalf of powerful people? You just can’t keep that kind of thing a secret.
Then on February 16th one of Putin’s political rivals, Alexei Navalny, dies in a Russian prison and it was time for us to believe that it was possible for prison guards to murder influential prisoners under orders and having it kept secret from the public even though that was impossible 5 years ago.
The thing with the tunnels is so frustrating, whether folks realize it or not most cities have at least some tunnels under important infrastructure and hospitals especially are likely to have these. It's not a sign of anything except normal architecture for those types of facilities.
Well the thing about the synagogue tunnels is they were illegal and unexplained. They weren't supposed to be there. They aren't part of the normal function of architecture.
That said, I use it as my example because it shows how easy it is to create a sense of sinister motives among a population. It's my personal opinion that they exist because among a select number of ultra religious Jews they seriously worry about a repeat of the Holocaust and have contingency plans in place.
The fact is, people do the same thing for Hamas tunnels. I'm no fan of Hamas and I know they present a danger to the people of Palestine because of how they operate, but what a lot of people don't understand is a tunnel system is important to have in a war zone.
Just imagine it was World War 1 and one side was criticizing the other side for having trenches, when both sides had trenches. Focusing on Hamas tunnel system is simply a propaganda trick. Israel has a tunnel system too, but no one talks about it.
One of the questions I try and ask people that no one brings up is: What is the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?
Most people have no idea.
Thank you for your words. I live in San Diego and watched the live stream of my friends getting assaulted & intimidated by the police yesterday. I’m not a student, so I wasn’t there when the camp was raided at 5:30am. The police completely locked down the UCSD campus so even if community members wanted to go to support, they made it almost impossible to get there.
Then Rafah…then the pointless Met Gala. It was a heavy, heavy day.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills when many of the people in my life (not my organizer friends, obviously) are just totally silent when I feel like I’ve been screaming for 7 months. But reading essays like this remind me that I’m not alone. So thank you.
One thing I forgot to mention, there were not one but TWO snipers at UCSD and they were both perched on the Student Health building! smh.
Nice name
Thanks 😊
Yup I know it’s not a contest, but I’ve been trying to get people to pay attention for years.
It’s cost me friends and been terrible for my mental health. It wouldn’t be so bad if I just knew someone in real life who saw what was going on because I’ve been spelling it out the whole time. I know people like throwing the word gaslit around a lot nowadays but that’s how it feels. I keep pointing out the elephant in the room and everyone pretends they’ve never heard of elephants before.
I know exactly how you feel. That’s honestly how I came up with my handle, cause I’m always the one trying to bring attention to things that matter. Killing everyone’s joy & harshing their mellow.
I started meeting local organizers in my area and it was like breathing oxygen for the first time. Finding community with other people that care about the same things I do?! If you can & haven’t yet, try finding orgs to get involved with. It’s been amazing for my mental health. ❤️ Good luck to you. We’re fighting the good fight ✊🏽🇵🇸🍉
Ah cool. Mine is a reference to Socrates and Sun Tzu. I like tricking people into thinking I don't know something so if they're smart they share all their precious knowledge with me by showing off, and if they're stupid and judge books by covers then they underestimate me.
Unfortunately I'm from a small town which is mostly a retirement community and suffers from 'brain drain' so there aren't really any effective local organizations I can join, or at least none I've been able to find yet. Thanks for the recommendation still. I'll have to check out Here 4 The Kids though. ✌️
One I’m involved with is called Here 4 The Kids
The protesters are scaring the ruling class. Hence, the boot. They know that if we finally managed to organize globally, they would lose. We outnumber these wretched creatures by billions but because they control the power structures, they're winning 😢
The "ruling class" is mostly UNKNOWN. They call themselves the "Black Nobility." They are anything but noble. They want to depopulate the planet, but it's better for them to have the "talking cows" kill each other than for them to have to do it. They only want to watch...
I wouldn't say they're unknown. Rupert Murdoch, for 1. The crime syndicate known as OPEC. The CEOs of the oil and gas companies. The defense contractors, etc...
Like I said, they're mostly unknown. Rupert Murdoch is a minion. OPEC are just a bunch of capitalist tools... Do you know who the "Black Nobility" are? Until just a couple of years ago, I'd never heard of them. I can't name a bunch of them, either. I have seen photos and names, but they are not "known" except in their own circles... These are some of the most filthy rich people on the planet... just a few, relatively speaking. They mostly stay out of the limelight. These are the .0001% that are richer than the other 90% of humans. THEY control everything. Heard of the Crown Corporation? Heard of The City of London? (no, not the city of London-- a tiny little "city" within the geographical London, England-- I understand they're moving now, or have moved.) Okay, if you have no idea, you're like most people, and me, before about two years ago.
A good place to investigate is the page of Frances Leader... "Uncensored." Look for posts about The Black Nobility. It's high time to get the word out, because these are the genocidal globalist freaks behind all the shit going on, now, and in the past, for like, at least a couple of thousand years... They are the remnants of the ROMANS.
That honestly doesn't surprise me. The wealthy psychopaths have been running this shitshow for thousands of years. Different "names" but the same bloodlines.
Indeed. I didn't know about these people, even anonymously, until a couple of years ago. It's really amazing to me how much I've learned in the past four years!! At least there's a sort of "upside" to Covid... I've lost a shit-ton of scales from mine eyes... Cheers.
I knew the old tyrannical families still existed. Somehow their bloodlines never seem to end. And all that inherited wealth gets more and more concentrated at the top. Capitalism is a pyramid scheme and it's awfully top heavy right now. It's due to collapse under it's own weight. All we can do is hang on and take care of each other.
After some quick searching 'Black Nobility' looks like another fringe conspiracy theory akin to the far-right 'globalist' dogwhistle. Our enemies are the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, we do not need to invent shadowy groups to fight. I'm sure you have the best of intentions, but don't spread misinformation.
Quick searching, eh? LOL Okay.
You do realize we ARE talking about the "ruling class," which is NOT the "bourgeoisie."
Get it togethah, my dear. This is not a quickie kind of education.
If you think the "Globalists" are a dog whistle, think again. I should know, being a dog. ;)
And don't tell me what I can/can't say. Freedom of Speech isn't just a Constitutional Right, it's a NATURAL right, and nobody tells me what rights I am "allowed" to have.
Thank you as always, Joshua. Another excellent read. You capture the insane hypocrisy of it all so well.
Joshua you are a great writer and your portrayal of this heartbreaking situation helps us all realize what is at stake. I for one believe the path to lasting peace requires the removal of Hamas and a new leader for Israel. Let’s hope that happens quickly.
"You can't fight in here! This is the war room!"
There has been an energy shift on my campus after Monday after the horrific scenes of snipers on roofs and our peers getting maced and brutalized. Students who were previously apolitical are now enraged, the entire campus community has unironically never been more united- it gives me hope in turning the tides.
Yes, indeed. Because young people are VITAL to the Cause.
In the 60 's, it was the youth who stopped the war in Viet Nam. And guess what happened to that? Burning draft cards and demanding an END TO WAR got infiltrated and turned into a Free Love, Drugs mashup that diverted the whole thing.
The Deep State will try to derail, it's what they do. Keep clear heads, this is the Big One.
Looking at this from from a country outside USA it's like the lights have been turned on in a dark, dusty room.
Now it is becoming more clear what the true intentions of the so called leaders are, and every mucky corner has been exposed.
We can look directly at what was hidden in the shadows before.
Not everyone is ready to face it and change what they do not agree with.
Many, who have the priviledge to, have chosen not to look at it. Try to block it out. Keep dressing up, like it matters anymore.
They are trying to remain in their priviledge and power. They are trying to keep playing the game, business as usual. Survival mode zero sum game.
They believe that majority humans will keep ignoring injustices, that it's human nature.
Well, it's not human nature to easlly look away from the suffering of others.
I would argue it takes a lot out of a human to do that.
And the hardest hearts capable of that evil have really had to work at it.
It's not natural to witness evil and accept evil.
And right now we see human beings trying to deal with witnessing that. With being guilty in that.
Traumatized, fearful humans are wanting to feel safe:
Some are feeling safer keeping being in denial.
Others are feeling safer wanting annihiliation of a perceived enemy.
Many others are feeling safer fighting oppression, resisting fascism.
In conclusion, I think it's time for all leaders to stop pretending, pretenting you are not human, pretenting anyone can win in a war, pretending you can treat people like they don't matter.
And stop believing people will not resist you if you lead them to evil. To war.
VERY. WELL. SAID.
Your article includes many important points and Macklemore’s song isn’t the most important. However, I think understanding cultural content can help us in ways that sometimes more straightforward analysis can’t. Therefore, while I’m certain that I agree with you that it’s not a perfect song, I think it would be helpful to hear what you think it doesn’t do well since you mention the things you appreciate about it. I’ve listened to it a half dozen times since yesterday. And for someone who absolutely does know who Macklemore is and listened to him 8-12 years ago as well as last month, I am impressed by someone with his name recognition being so clear. It’s not a bravery thing to me but too many people when they get access to wealth and/or power don’t know how to learn about what is happening to regular people. And if they get a glimmer they don’t know what to do with that information. I didn’t notice that sense of compromise or lack of conviction/clarity. I am a bit of a music nerd (told to me today) from having studied the subject so if you’re up for sharing your thoughts, I am interested.
Thanks Josh, for scribing what so many of us now see, and feel. No platitudes. Keep writing. The Last Experiment requires writers.
How do you know it's the LAST? I had to ask.
Absolutely! One that enbraces love, kindness, and community and not consumption, hatred, and competition. In times of strife, sorrow,and hate, love is revolutionary 💕💕💕
Thanks for another great article! I'm a big fan of your work.
Feel free to check out some of my work, a rap song I recently released in support of Palestine: https://soundcloud.com/brighterdazemusic/from-the-river-to-the-sea
Note: this is a reply to Rhea (sorry for any confusion as to what I'm talking about)
As a Jew, I am not "cool with genocide." To the extent I can, I tried to explain how this current situation is not genocide. Many Palestinians in Israel likely would agree with me. As for "Zionist talking points," I am guessing you do not know the following facts: Jews have been present in the “Holy Land” since before the dawn of Christianity and Islam. Most Jews were exiled to other lands long ago, but some remained. Much more recently, when Israel overcame British colonialism and became a sovereign country in 1948, all its neighbors tried to wipe it out and did not succeed. Since then, Israel has continued to defend itself. While the Jewish territory of the proposed 1947 two-state solution is smaller than the current State of Israel, Israel has ceded nearly all territories it gained after being attacked in 1967 and 1973, including Gaza and the Sinai.
Call them "talking points" if you want. Are they true? Yes.
It is a genocide and genocide denialists like you make me physically ill. Go argue with the wall because none of Joshua's readers are interested in debating the human rights of Palestinians with you.
I am for human rights for Palestinians and everyone else. I am also against war. All I am saying is this is not an absolute black-and-white situation. There are gray areas.
I know you believe I am 100% wrong and that Israel is 100% bad. I know I won't change your minds.
Please stop hurling abuse in my direction. You do not know me. You do not know everything. I do not know everything. It would be nice if you could admit that there's a 0.01% chance that some of what you're saying is not completely true. Clearly, that is too much to ask.
> All I am saying is this is not an absolute black-and-white situation.
I think it's more black-and-white than you give it credit for.
Just as not all Americans are idiots, it is true that not all Jews are Zionists.
So I think you mean well, and you have a right (yes, we still have our rights, because our Creator gave us these rights, not our govt!) to speak your piece.
But I disagree with one thing: This IS a genocide, and the genocide is GLOBAL, vis-a-vis the "vaccine" for a supposed viral disease... This genocide is MUCH bigger than Israel and Palestine.
There were always Jews in the Middle East and Arab countries. There were more and more Jews in the Levant in the early 20th century due to antisemitism in Europe that led Jews to flee. And Arab nations, including Palestine were more welcoming than any European country ever was. Israël did not overcome British colonialism. European zionists made a deal with the UK to be given Palestinian Territories and invaded Palestine, forcing Palestinians into displacement and a permanent refugee status. Stop rewriting history because it’s not convenient to Israel’s narrative.
It’s always amazed me how Zionist Jews always want to make Arabs and Muslims as the great antisemites of our world, when in fact Israel wouldn’t exist if Europe had not spent centuries mistreating Jews, denying them access to land, work, and basic human rights, and finally helping them exile themselves to another land. If European leaders had actually cared about Jews post WWII they would have made space for them IN Europe. They would have asserted their human and civil rights. They would have paid reparations. They would have returned their stolen property. They would have asked exiled Jews to come back, instead of sending more of them away.
I called no one an antisemite or anti-Jewish at all. As for the history of Palestine, I wish we all could agree on what happened between 1945 and 1950 or so, but we can't. I was taught one thing, others were taught other things, and I don't know who is right or wrong or in between. I'm not rewriting history; I'm just doing my best to understand it, acknowledging that I have learned different things from others such as you. You may be right; I don't know.
What happened between 45-50 is part of written history. What happened is thoroughly documented. It's not a guessing game.
I know you called noone antisemite. I was placing the existence of Israel back in its context : a deeply rooted European anti-semitism (and general racism) which led to many of the worst, most violent events of the past 2 centuries, including colonization, wars of decolonization, the Shoah, and the continued destruction of Palestine since 1947.
The creation of Israel is part of colonization because it involved large movements of population from Europe (among other places) to Palestine with the intention and result to displace and replace the existing local Palestinian population. Those are facts, backed by countless documents including letters, speeches and treaties. Facts are not negotiable. They're not a guessing game. And none of the actions of Israel so far, nor the results they've yielded could leave the door open to interpretation : Israel intends to destroy Palestine. Israel is destroying Palestine. That's what is called a genocide.
My understanding is that the residents of the newly formed State of Israel who were opposed to the formation of Israel were encouraged by neighboring countries to leave their homes temporarily while the neighboring countries invaded and conquered Israel. At that point, those who had left would then be able to move back into the land. Since, however, the neighboring countries invaded, attacked, but failed to conquer Israel, that scenario did not happen, and, yes, I'm suree many (if not all) of those who left to allow Israel to be invaded and conquered were unable to return to their homes.
I was trying express my open-mindedness about perception of facts, but since you are so certain of colonialism, genocide, and other atrocities: I am certain that the people who founded the State of Israel did NOT have the intention to displace and replace the existing local Palestinian population. In fact, Israel's founders clearly announced that local Palestinians were welcome to stay and live in peace. The fact that some heeded the advice of invading neighbors and left their homes because the neighbors expected to conquer Israel does not mean they were deliberately displaced by Israel.
I do not doubt that some or many people who lived in the land were displaced in the chaos, but that displacement was NOT the goal of Israel.
Here is some information I found on a discussion about this issue:
"The existence of these refugees is a direct result of the Arab States' opposition to the partition plan and the reconstitution of the State of Israel. The Arab states adopted this policy unanimously and the responsibility of its results, therefore is theirs; ...The flight of Arabs from the territory allotted by the UN for the Jewish state began immediately after the General Assembly decision at the end of November 1947. This wave of emigration, which lasted several weeks, comprised some thirty thousand people, chiefly well-to-do-families." - Emil Ghoury, secretary of the Arab High Council, Lebanese daily Al-Telegraph, 6 Sept 1948
"The Arabs did not want to submit to a truce they rather preferred to abandon their homes, their belongings and everything they possessed in the world and leave the town. This is in fact what they did." - Jamal Husseini, Acting Chairman of the Palestine Arab Higher Committee, told to the United Nations Security Council, quoted in the UNSC Official Records (N. 62), April 23, 1948, p. 14
The Arab exodus from the villages was not caused by the actual battle, but by the exaggerated description spread by Arab leaders to incite them to fight the Jews" - Yunes Ahmed Assad, refugee from the town of Deir Yassin, in Al Urdun, April 9, 1953
The Arab States encouraged the Palestine Arabs to leave their homes temporarily in order to be out of the way of the Arab invasion armies. - Falastin (Jordanian newspaper), February 19, 1949
"It must not be forgotten that the Arab Higher Committee encouraged the refugees' flight from their homes in Jaffa, Haifa, and Jerusalem." - Near East Arabic Broadcasting Station, Cyprus, April 3, 1949
"Since 1948 it is we who demanded the return of refugees... while it is we who made them to leave... We brought disaster upon... Arab refugees, by inviting them and bringing pressure to bear upon them to leave... We have rendered them dispossessed... We have accustomed them to begging... We have participated in lowering their moral and social level... Then we exploited them in executing crimes of murder, arson, and throwing bombs upon... men, women and children - all this in service of political purposes..." - Khaled al Azm, Syria's Prime Minister after the 1948 war
"The refugees were confident that their absence would not last long, and that they would return within a week or two. Their leaders had promised them that the Arab armies would crush the 'Zionist gangs' very quickly and that there was no need for panic or fear of a long exile." - Monsignor George Hakim, Greek Catholic Bishop of Galilee, in the Beirut newspaper Sada al Janub, August 16, 1948
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Nice Dr. Strangelove reference, for what it's worth.
Hamas strategically committed an indescribably heinous, unprovoked, murderous attack on civilians on October 7, 2023, continues to hold dozens of hostages, and continues to attack civilians in Israel and even thwart Israel's efforts to bring in humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza.
The aim of Hamas's October 7 attack was to provoke Israel to respond in a way that people around the world would condemn and would lead to more support for Hamas among Palestinians in Gaza. Gaza. Before October 7, Hamas's popularity was waning.
How could Israel not respond? If another country or group of people murdered more than 1000 people in Chicago, brutally raped many women, and grabbed hundreds of hostages, would the United States not respond? Actually, the proportion of Israel's population that was murdered on October 7 greatly exceeds the proportion of the American population that was murdered on September 11, 2001. The US response to September 11 certainly involved thousands and thousands of civilian deaths; whether or not you believe the response was justified, you cannot deny those facts.
Yet Israel responds to October 7. How dare they?
I do not support Israel’s war in Gaza, but it’s not genocide. It’s a disproportionate response, the extent of which depends on how much trust you put in the Hamas government’s reported statistics. But it is an attack provoked by Hamas, which is a sworn enemy of Israel, an opponent of Israel’s right to exist – and a killer of innocent Israeli civilians for many years.
For Hamas, the more civilian dead in Gaza, the better, because it means more support for Hamas worldwide. And on the domestic front, Hamas can blame Israel for civilian dead, which Hamas exacerbates through human shielding strategies.
There are no bomb shelters in Gaza. Hamas built all of its underground infrastructure to support its clearly stated goal to to destroy Israel and claim all its territory (and more), “from the river to the sea.” As stated in Hamas's 2017 “Document of General Principles & Policies,” the Hamas-defined area of Palestine includes the entirety of the current State of Israel as well as the West Bank. If placed in charge of this claimed territory, would Hamas willingly tolerate the survival of Jewish Israelis? I’m sure you know the answer. And while Israel is not a saintly bastion of civilian equality between Jews and Palestinians, it recognizes its Palestinian citizens as such and as people who deserve to live and even serve as members of Israeli Parliament. Don’t laugh. I know it’s hard to believe, but most Palestinians in Israel are not in prison.
The situation is a lot more complicated than people who jump on bandwagons in the US could possibly imagine. And as a born and bred American living in Texas, I'm the first to admit there is a lot I don't know. How about some humility for you, too?
That’s hella words for “I’m cool with genocide”. Maybe next time just say that and spare us all your Zionist talking points, thanks!
Please see my response (I mistakenly saved it as a separate post; sorry).
What’s the opposite of “with all due respect”? With none due respect? Whatever that may be, I have less than zero interest in reading regurgitated white supremacist, Zionist mental gymnastic responses that even try to excuse the actions of a heavily militarized colonial nation state attempting to ethnically cleanse and genocide an indigenous people from their land.
White supremacist? Anyone who knows me would laugh at that.
As for "indigenous," one can argue that Arabs and Jews are indigenous to the land.
As for "colonial," what colonial country do you know of who gave up sizable portions of land it gained during conflicts initiated by its neighbors?
I actually believe Netanyahu is a horrible leader who is bad for Israel. He outright rejects the idea of a two-state solution. I am an advocate for a two-state solution. I also oppose the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. I believe they are immoral efforts to make a two-state solution impossible. Sadly, Israel's ceding Gaza did not open up room for dialogue. Instead, Israel's leadership (under Ariel Sharon) instigated Israel's total disengagement and disregard of Gaza, which was shameful and, again, a blow to those of us who support negotiations to establish a two-state solution.
I would guess you might continue your name-calling and your criticism of my "mental gymnastic responses." Please know the situation in Israel/Palestine is extremely complex, and I'm not so presumptuous as to say I know the whole truth. Please also know I am a decent human being and a pacifist at heart. I want war erased from the face of the Earth.
> I actually believe Netanyahu is a horrible leader who is bad for Israel.
He's worse than that. He's a sociopath.
Likely true
> The aim of Hamas's October 7 attack was to provoke Israel to respond in a way that people around the world would condemn and would lead to more support for Hamas among Palestinians in Gaza.
David, Israel is responsible for its actions, and those actions have disproportionately, and very intentionally so, affected the civilians living in Gaza. Hamas and the state of Israel have both used terrorism and violated international law. We must condemn them both.
Israel has destroyed the homes of civilians, but this was not enough for Netanyahu. It wasn't enough to deprive innocent people of shelter. He also had to starve them by blocking aid. He also had to assault hospitals. His government made accusations against the major aid organization, UNWRA, which resulted in that organization being cut off from a lot of its funding which could have been used to help the innocent people of Gaza. To my knowledge, he still hasn't backed up those allegations, and western governments are starting to throw up their hands in disgust at Netanyahu and turn the funding back on for UNWRA.
Israel is treating the innocent civilians in Gaza exactly like Hamas treated the innocent civilians in Israel. It's terrorism, and in the magnitude of what Israel has done - it's genocidal.
I would also add that I do not believe anything which Netanyahu, or his government, or the IDF says. I think they have been caught lying too many times for us to trust anything they have to say without corroboration. They've lied when they said they weren't blocking aid (multiple independent third parties have said that they have been blocking aid). They've lied about killing journalists - trying to pin it on others. They apparently lied about UNWRA, since they haven't been able to back up their claims (to my knowledge).
What do you think about the idea that Hamas is actually a tool of the Israeli govt?
I think that Hamas is a convenient foil for Netanyahu.
I think you're right.... I think Hamas is the false flag for Israel.
I agree Netanyahu and his policies are deplorable, and I mourn civilian deaths in Gaza, but I disagree that Israel has done the kind of heinous acts systematically inflicted on innocent civilians by Hamas on October 7. And Hamas says it was targeting soldiers, yet Hamas targeted civilians and murdered and raped indiscriminately through towns, a music festival, and kibbutzim. And again, I hate war, and Israel didn’t have any plan for evacuated civilians in Gaza, and I’m sure the IDF has lied, but I sincerely believe Israel does not target civilians. With Hamas’s using human shield tactics, it’s a deadly no-win for Israel. As to hospitals, I hear conflicting stories from both sides, but Hamas and Israel are not equivalents. We don’t have a lot of trustworthy data; it will be years before we know enough to make definitive conclusions.
> but I sincerely believe Israel does not target civilians
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/gaza-palestinian-children-killed-idf-israel-war
“This is not a normal war. The war in Ukraine has killed 500 kids in two years and the war in Gaza has killed over 10,000 in less than five months. We have seen wars before but this is something that is a dark stain on our shared humanity."
The entire thing COULD be a psy-op, except for maybe Iran's response to being attacked...
Bloviate! Bloviate! Bloviate!
Not helpful
You are a child, and do not know it. Ipso facto, it isn't going to help you because you don't see the problem. For that I am very sorry.
You do not know me. I do not know you. You have read a couple of things that I wrote. Yet you declare I'm a child who can't see "the problem."
I'm open to an exchange of views, observations, and perspectives. You might find I'm not so ignorant and hopeless.
Your writing clear. Go play.
He has a right to free speech, it's unalienable. Yes? You don't have to agree with him or like what he says. I think we have enough people trying to tell us we can't say what we think. It's only WORDS ON SUBSTACK anyway. Perspective. We need to be able to talk about these things and allow for disagreement, don't you think?
The actions of Hamas and the other militant groups on October 7 were heinous, and rightly deserving of punishment. But collective punishment of an entire population for the actions of some is equally heinous - one does not burn and massacre an entire town because one of its inhabitants is a serial killer, and if one does, then the evil one commits is as great or greater than the evil of the serial killer. In other words, two wrongs do not make a right. [The argument that Hamas was elected in Gaza and therefore all Gazans are responsible is not valid, because that election: took place in 2006, 17 years before October 7, so not only were the 1.1 million children under 18 in present day Gaza not even born, but none of the Gazans aged 18-35 now would have been old enough to vote then; Hamas wasn't unanimously elected by Gazans in 2006 as they afterward forced out the elected Fatah government members in a coup; there have been multiple protests against Hamas in Gaza since, including one in August 2023 - it simply cannot be argued that as of October 7, 2023 all of Gaza supported Hamas and the 1.1 million children of Gaza bore no responsibility whatsoever.]
What else could Israel have done? How about this:
On October 7, Israel had peace treaties with a number of surrounding Arab nations, and was just about to sign a peace deal with Saudi Arabia. It was noted at the time of the attacks that Hamas had the backing of Iran, and Iran is the bitter rival of Saudi Arabia. What if Israel, instead of immediately declaring war on Hamas, had held up their terrible losses to their Arab allies, and asked them for help in bringing Hamas to justice? History doesn't ever tell us what if, but it cannot be pretended that there were no other options in the immediate aftermath of that day.
The fears of genocide in Gaza are very firmly based on the reputation of the current political leadership in Israel. Netanyahu is a member ofthe Likud party, and the former leaders of the party have a long history of atrocities toward the Palestinians. Likud's founder was Menachim Begin, who was the former head of the Zionist militant group Irgun, a group responsible among other atrocities, for the massacre of 107 Palestinian villagers in Deir Yassin in 1948. Netanyahu's predecessor in Likud was Ariel Sharon. In 1953, Sharon led a retaliatory raid, mining the roads around the Palestinian West Bank village of Qibya and then hurling grenades into houses where villagers were sheltering, massacring over 49 villagers. In 1983, Sharon was forced to resign as defense minister for after an Israel investyfound him personally responsible for failing to prevent the massacres of Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila camps in Lebanon. Throughout the long blockade of Gaza since Hamas seized power there, Netanyahu allowed funding to be channelled through Israel into Hamas because, and he is on record as saying this, Hamas' extremism helped discredit the Palestinian independence movement: https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/ Likud and its ilk do not want peace with Palestinians, they want the Palestinians gone.
For a Palestinian perspective, I would highly recommend the book 'Blood Brothers: The Dramatic Story of a Palestinian Christian Working for Peace in Israel' by Elias Chacour, former Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Elias as a child was among the tens of thousands of Palestinians internally displaced by Zionist forces in 1948 and is now a peace activist.
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What would you say if you found out Hamas was created and financed by ISRAEL?
Things are not always what they seem.
I don’t know. What would you say?
I say, “Show me the evidence.”
https://francesleader.substack.com/p/who-are-hamas
By the way, Frances Leader's page is amazing, she is amazing, and one of the best journalists I've seen, ever. You'll be reading her posts for days, lol.
Fair enough. But now I forgot where I saw that! LOL
Oh, shit. I'll see if I can find it and I'll bring it here.
But in this VAST psy-op that is being perpetrated, we should, all of us Peeps, understand that it's vital to Question Everything. EVERYTHING. We are being lied to about SO much, SO often, it's really tiresome trying to keep up with it all.
I think this is an excellent post. I would not change a word of it.