Most people who criticize Israel’s war crimes understand that Israel is a state, not a religion, and that the slaughter led by Likud and the IDF is not a collective action of the Jewish people, any more than say, Osama Bin Laden represents the world’s Muslims (even if many Americans believe that to be true).
It’s the defenders of Israel/US genocide and apartheid that constantly lob charges of antisemitism against anyone who thinks massacring starving civilians at “aid” sites is an abhorrent war crime, among many others.
We have supported the war against the Palestinians in Gaza far too long! Amnesty International declared the war a genocide and called out the crimes over a year ago. What does it tell you that Netanyahu fired Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024 because he argued that there is no sane reason to continue bombing Gaza, that it was already bombed to the ground...back then!
I don't think "most people" know that. It takes a certain level of discrimination & knowledge to make that distinction & if one is inclined toward hate & bigotry it is easy to blur those distinctions. Attributed Guilt by association.
I don't know. People that are even paying attention enough to be outraged by Israel's actions (which still is not nearly a large enough group of people generally) I would bet, for the most part, are also cognizant enough to understand the (really easy to understand) distinction.
Certainly there are exceptions, as there always are. But I would guess that those that are already 'inclined toward hate & bigotry' would likely already be anti-Jewish (and anti-Muslim for that matter), right?
I find it easy to simply not ‘paint with too broad a brush’ — realizing that many leaders & govt reps do NOT always represent their citizenry accurately.
Anyone not realizing Netanyahoo’s motives has been living under a rock.
It is actually the defenders of Israel that make that association much more than the bigots. When people in the US rose up to protest what Israel was doing in Gaza, they were accused of being antisemitic.
All true. It is difficult, in a now tipsy turvy world, to separate the good guys from the bad & people we thought were good, or reasonable or fairly mature, turn out not to be. I think not painting w/ a broad brush is wise, as I certainly do not want everything our country is doing right now attributed to me. Accusations of bigotry, anti-semitism & racism are easily & frequently used as primary weapons these days by the very people committing the worst crimes. Reason is in short supply.
To be fair to Anne-Louis - I had a terrible phone spell check fail, which 'corrected' it to 'Obama'! I appreciate Anne-Louis pointing out the awful error and corrected it right away.
…which includes nearly all of the US Congress, including nearly all Democrats in the House and Senate. As recently as a few weeks ago , Senate Democrats were posing for photos with this indicted war criminal.
Is that needed to make criticism of Democrats valid?
Yes of course that is true. Rubin and Contrarians do not have any issue citing Trump or his supporters. The fact that Biden wholeheartedly supported Israel’s genocide, and most congressional Democrats still do, is barely mentioned.
Biden’s Israeli envoys struggled mightily to bring Netanyahoo & hard right crew around — to no avail — he was waiting for the return of Trump, his soul-mate! BINGO! They’re both in power & staying outta jail.
IMO, ‘struggled mightily’ is pretty generous, especially when Biden sent Israel $20 billion in military aid and called the ICC charges against Netanyahu and Gallant ‘outrageous’. The US vetoed several UN resolutions against Israel under Biden’s watch.
Netanyahu didn't need to wait for Trump to start his genocidal onslaught of the people in Gaza, and his massive escalation of military apartheid in the West Bank. Both were well underway under Biden, with bipartisan support.
Even before Oct 2023, the West Bank saw more Palestinian deaths in a single year (2022) than it had in decades. And, of course, Israel bombed Gaza during his term already in 2022.
A huge blanche on Biden's record regarding the Occupied Territories is his complete and total lack of a response to the assassination of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022 by the IDF. It was plain as day that the IDF targeted and killed her in broad daylight, and Biden did nothing.
... which is clearly a testament to the effectiveness of the Jewish support and lobbying groups. Like Big Oil, one must give credit where credit is due, like it or not.
We have been sucked into a two millennia old conflict that will never end unless weaponized religious bigotry can be vanquished. Not likely given that the USA is currently backsliding on that front.
"Most Jews in the US certainly do not support the current Israeli genocidal policy, and nor do most Israelis"
Wrong.
95% of Israelis support this genocide.
US Jews don't? Really? What are they doing to object? Or, to change anything? I think they like that the US government is controlled by AIPAC. The people dying in Gaza, including those few skinny hostages, are just collateral damage to the greater good. Jewish control over the stupid Goyim.
Yeah, well we seem to be in an era wherein policies are in force while lacking majority support both here and in Israel. As it determines outcomes it seems not to matter what most Jews and/or Israelis, and most US citizens support; nice to know but largely immaterial.
Bibi sat smiling greasily in the White House and declaring that Donald Trump was the greatest friend that Israel had ever had. And that he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Then he took friendly photos with Charles Schumer, Cory Booker and several other Democrats, at the same moment IDF troops were massacring starving civilians at “aid” sites.
I remember when he met Biden right after October 7. Our lazy, cheap, shabby legacy media reported it as ‘Biden embraces Netanyahu’ but if you look at the video — and believe your OWN eyes, not whatever Jeff Bezos told you to believe — it was Bibi practically jumping into Biden’s arms, not the other way around. And he’s played the United States ever since (and before that as well).
I think the embrace was mutual, but in either case, Biden and most congressional Democrats gave full support to Israel’s slaughter for his last 15 months in power, providing billions and political cover anywhere it was needed.
And, for that matter, so did Jennifer Rubin, who loudly and emphatically supported Israel’s actions until only relatively recently.
One wonders if this genocide may have been stopped a long time ago if not for the support of Democrats as well as Republicans, and Israel’s supporters in the press like Rubin.
Biden and his advisors embraced Israel 100%. Biden didn't care about the carnage wrought by the IDF on the civilian population of Gaza. Biden had characterized himself as a Zionist long before October 7, 2023.
Not sure about Booker, but Schumer and Jeffries each received nearly $2 million from the Israeli lobby--and many other Democrats were bribed, too. I don't have specifics for the Republicans, but we can bet they also had full pockets.
Booker has been a big recipient of AIPAC money as well, and was in that now-infamous photo taken with Netanyahu just weeks ago, along with Schumer and several others.
Our Democratic Party is one of words, elitism, and lacks conviction to democracy, whether at home or abroad! There are few in office who actually would lose their seat, as a trade off for the end of our authoritarian government, and the most obvious are the so-called leaders!
Agreed - there are a few notable exceptions in Congress, but “few” is the optimum word.
It’s notable that regarding the few who have been consistently in condemning Israel’s war crimes, like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, Rubin never mentions them at all.
Not sure how much I agree with that description of the D Party. To the extent it is valid Citizens United plays a huge role in corrupting and making principles very expensive. From personal lives to political campaigns standing by one's principles often comes at significant costs.
Nothing like having a credibly accused war criminal nominate you for the Peace Prize to make sure your nomination will go nowhere (as if it ever was going anywhere regardless of who was the nominator)
Some more news - since no one has stopped Likud so far, why not go further?
"In a recent i24NEWS interview, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the “Greater Israel” vision—a Biblical claim to land from the Nile to the Euphrates and encompassing present-day Israel, Gaza, all of occupied Palestine including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Golan Heights, parts of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, northern Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, northwestern Saudi Arabia, southern Turkey, western Iraq, and northern Kuwait.
Presented with an amulet of the “Promised Land,” Netanyahu declared himself on a “historic and spiritual mission.” The plan has been rejected by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the Arab League, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas."
I wish that people finally start realizing the real meaning of the misused term "semite".
Semites refers to a group of peoples descended from ethnic and linguistic groups in the Middle East and North Africa, whose languages belong to the Semitic language family. Examples of Semitic peoples include the Hebrews (Jews), Arabs, Akkadians, and Phoenicians.
I can tell you that I keep criticizing Bibi's fascist genocidal government. That does not make a hater of people who follow the Jewish religion. And I do consider those religious fanatics wreaking havoc on the West Bank as not representative of people of the Jewish religion, they are more like the fanatic witch burners of the Catholics.
So all this does not make me a so-called "anti-semite".
For if I was an "anti-semite" I'd be hating Jews, Arabs, Palestinians, and some long gone people including the Babylonians!
He and his defense minister were indicted for war crimes by the ICC well over a year ago. Biden called the charges “outrageous” and Netanyahu has visited the US several times since then, meeting both Dems and Republicans.
Again, I ask how 1 gets the money there that supports the citizens (especially anyone with dual citizenship) without supporting the government. People don't realize/ forget that there are many Americans who live over there and serve in the military.
My point exactly in a subsequent post. As bad as Don the Con's policies on the topic are, many of them are just continuations of Biden's policies, albeit souped up somewhat.
Jason, hear me out. Because people don't understand the nuances. Many in Congress and not in Congress want to support the average citizen of Gaza, Israel, and Palestine, without supporting the leaders. How does 1 support the average citizen without giving support to the terrorists?
Yes, I'd label netanyahu a terrorist. At the same time, I want friends/their siblings to be safe in Israel. Many Americans serve in the IDF for 1 year if they were born there or their parents/grandparents were born there. It means they get dual citizenship/free healthcare for life. They get colonoscopies, internist checkups, etc., there. They see their family members who still live there during that time. Then they come back here.
I know many Israelis too and spent time in Tel Aviv in the past. I also know several Palestinian-Americans.
To my mind, there can never, ever be peace or justice as long as the Palestinian people do not have full sovereignty. There is good-faith debate about whether that means a two -state solution, where the existing Occupied Territories are granted full statehood and all the sovereignty that allows, or a one state solution where all the people in the region are equal citizens across the board...agreed? What other possible, just approach could there be at this point? The status quo as it is, is just untenable and no one in the region will be safe until its addressed.
Still, in the immediate present, the bombing and killings needs to end, right now, and aid need to flow immediately. I for one am interested in the approach I have seen lately and outlined in a separate comment here, for a UN sanctioned peacekeeping force to enter Gaza and facilitate these actions.
Thank you for understanding the nuances. We are in complete agreement. The question: Would the UN do more harm than good? For quite a while, they've been doing more harm than good.
Here's another thing..for there to be a lasting change, the opinion of majorities in Israel needs to change regarding the humanity and welfare of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Territories.
Much is made by centrist pundits about recent polls that show a majority of Israelis want to end the war - but much less mentioned in the fact that all these polls show the primary, and in some cases, only, reason many of these respondents want to end the war is to bring the Israelis hostages home (these polls rarely note there are thousands of Palestinian hostages held by Israel).
There have been many polls that show large majorities in the Israeli population don't care much at all about Palestinian lives.
One recent poll showed 79 percent of Israeli Jews did not feel personally troubled by reports of starvation in Gaza.
Another poll in July asked Israelis whether the suffering of Gazan civilians should be a factor in their government's decisions on the war. The majority - 67% - said Israel should either ignore it or consider it to a "fairly small extent".
Polls have asked whether Israelis believe the starvation was happening. A recent survey found that 47 percent of all Israelis felt that it was probably lies and made up.
According to Haaretz, a recent poll (June) conducted by the aChord Center at Hebrew University in Jerusalem found that 64% of Israeli adults agreed with the statement “there are no innocent people in Gaza.”
(ps - don't get me wrong, way too many Americans feel the same way, including a number right here in this comment thread..the US and Israel are mostly in lockstep with how Palestinians are treated..both countries are run by awful wannabe autocrats, but the public in both countries is far from blameless - we all allowed these terrible people to be elected multiple times).
IMO, the idea that the UN is 'doing more harm than good' is a very broad stroke, and when related to Israel and the Occupied Territories, I don't think it's true. Maybe you are referring to something specific?
The biggest problem the UN has when trying to impose any sort of justice for the Palestinian people is the US constantly blocks it. As a Security Council member, the US has vetoed at least 50 resolutions against Israel's occupation and war crimes going back several decades. The US cut off funding for UNRWA for completely bogus and unsubstantiated reasons. Just recently, the US sanctioned U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese for nothing more than her accurate public statements about Israel's many human rights abuses in the Occupied Territories.
The idea in that plan I outlined in another comment is the General Assembly could use a statute passed in 1950 to specifically get around the US veto.
When was Netanyahu a victim? He has been killing, abducting, torturing and brutalizing Palestinians across the Occupied Territories for decades, with bipartisan US support.
Is it possible he allowed the attack by Hamas to happen? It has been reported Israel had intelligence that something was being planned. It gave him the justification to declare war and also stay in power avoiding his legal woes.
My ultra-ultra-Orthodox friend in NY complains about the Anti-Semitism here. She voted for the orange thing. Me: FAFO. It's awful to say that, but really, I have a hard time listening to her complain when she voted for orange 3x.
Deb, he is. At the same time, I want the average citizen there to be safe. So many forget the important nuances. Israel, Gaza, and Palestine aren't safe unless the others are. I despise the government of all 3. The US doesn't have a better human rights record when 1 looks at the bigger picture of how our country is based on genocide of the Indigenous.
Netanyahu has learned from the worst politician, and supreme extortionist, in DJT who is doing the same things as Netanyahu is doing:
"His widely rebuked refusal to plan for the “day after” the war is now widely viewed as a bid to stay in power and avoid criminal prosecution." Trump worked so hard to get elected based on thousands of lies so he could avoid incarceration on 34 counts he was convicted of. Our only hope in the US is that the GOP loses control over the Senate and House and then he's going to get what he and the GOP deserves. Netanyahu is in the very same position. He loses power he's going to jail. The two of them are of the same ilk, they have no regard for human life and with their policies will starve millions of people to death.
God and the natural world will ultimately deliver the ultimate end to all their evil plans. Everyone dies eventually, as Joni Ernst informed her constituents.
The one and maybe only action that can end the 'war' (actually, genocide) in Gaza, as well as the escalating 'war' (actually, illegal military occupation and apartheid control of an unarmed civilian population) in the West Bank, is intervention by an armed UN peacekeeping force.
It is pure folly to even consider that the war criminal government of Netanyahu, or his bipartisan accomplices in the US government, should even be involved in this process at all. The only role for the US should be to stop arming Israel immediately, withdraw the mercenaries at 'aid' sites, and allow the UN and international courts to do their work.
Former senior UN human rights chief Craig Mokhiber and the organization People Against Genocide Everywhere have laid out a 3-phase plan that describes how this could work:
Because the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has determined that Israel does not hold sovereignty in Gaza or any other part of the occupied territories. It has no right to be there and has no authority or decision-making power over what happens there. That is now clearly established as a matter of international law.
The plan utilizes the Uniting for Peace Resolution, which was first adopted in 1950 as a way for the UN General assembly to circumvent The Security Council, where the veto of one member (in this case, of course, the US) can stymie UN action. This resolution was successfully implemented in the Suez Crisis of 1956.
The first critical step is for one UN member state – in any region – to formally request an Emergency Special Session (ESS) of the UN General Assembly. This request activates a 24-hour countdown for the General Assembly to convene and address the crisis.
Once the ESS is underway, the focus must shift to ensuring swift adoption of a comprehensive General Assembly Uniting for Peace Resolution. This resolution must authorize the deployment of a UN mandated multinational armed protective force to Gaza, to safeguard Palestinian civilians, support the UN’s unrestricted entry and distribution of humanitarian aid, preserve evidence of potential war crimes and violations of human rights, and facilitate reconstruction of Gaza.
This stage should also include accountability for Israel, including a full embargo of al arms shipments to Israel, and stripping Israel of its UN credentials.
The final phase is the commitment of the member states to enforcing the resolution: After the resolution passes, which requires a two-thirds majority, the real test begins: every nation that votes ‘yes’ must publicly state what resources they will contribute—troops, planes, ships, humanitarian aid.
"Intervention by an armed UN peacekeeping force." As soon as the US hostages were released, we should have had an Arab counterforce in place. Jordan and the UAE have been involved in food delivery, but, unfortunally have been stymied.
Blame should not be limited to Netanyahu, who should stand trial.
See Hamas Wants Gaza to Starve
Starvation only helps Hamas end the war in a way that advances its aims.
"In recent days, I’ve spoken with dozens of Gazans who are furious about what is unfolding around them. They are angry, one told me, at the “hordes of selfish people who are attacking aid convoys to steal and collect aid in a horrific manner without caring for Gazans who chose not to participate in these humiliating and demeaning displays of inhumanity, no matter the level of hunger.” But their anger is directed primarily at Hamas, which they hold responsible for putting the people of Gaza in this position, and for its continued refusal to end the war that it started. “Hitler fought in his bunker until he killed himself in World War II in the Battle of Berlin,” another person said, complaining that Hamas is hunkered down in its tunnels, willing to see Gaza destroyed to the very last child."
Israel is massacring starving civilians every single day. Israel has assassinated more journalists than in any other “conflict” this century. Israel has created more child amputees in Gaza than there are anywhere else in the world. Israel has killed over 1000 Palestinians in the West Bank, and abducted and maimed many thousands more.
Israel has been abducting, murdering, and torturing Palestinians since long before Hamas existed. “But, Hamas” as the constant response won’t work.
Exaggeration and hyperbole will not get you any allies.
Check out Samer Sinijlawi, a Fatah activist and political reformer, who has become a prominent voice advocating for change in Palestinian society.
Samer joined the Fatah party in Palestine at the early age of 14 during the first Intifada. At the age of 15, he was arrested and had to spend 5 years in jail in Israel. After his prison sentence, Samer was elected as international secretary for the Fatah Youth. He was later elected as a head of International and Israeli relations on the Fatah Supreme Committee. For over 35 years, Samer has worked tirelessly to build bridges, engage in dialogue, and fight for a future where Israelis and Palestinians recognize each other’s humanity. Samer hopes to end suffering as a political weapon to spread the courage to feel each other’s pain and to find a path to lasting peace for both Israel and Palestine.
Samer shares his personal journey, from growing up in Jerusalem to becoming a key figure in the dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis. He discusses the frustrations with current leadership, including President Abbas, and the need for a new, accountable leadership that prioritizes peace, prosperity and real change. He reveals how Palestinians, particularly the younger generation, are pushing for a shift away from the divisive and ineffective politics of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
Throughout the conversation, Samer explains his efforts to bridge gaps with Israelis, his call for leadership reform, and his bold stance against violence, even while confronting the harsh realities of ongoing conflict. He emphasizes the importance of understanding each side's fears and needs, advocating for mutual respect and a focus on constructive solutions. Samer's message is one of hope, calling for the Palestinians to take responsibility and make the internal changes necessary to secure a peaceful future.
You are unequivocally against the genocide being committed by Israel with the full support of the US, or you aren’t. Anecdotal stories don’t change that fact, at all.
Netanyahu may be despicable, but within Israel, millions of Arabs have an Arab political party. Have civil rights. Send some of their kids to the military. Have members in the Knesset.
The PA has been taking an anti-Hamas position. So have several other Arab groups.
Israel has also been murdering, abducting, maiming and torturing Palestinians in the West Bank, despite The PA, who often collaborates with the IDF and Mossad.
Apartheid in the Occupied Territories predates Netanyahu, and Hamas.
I believe in the rule of law. I know people who served on the world court even when we were not included. I was asked to apply but didn't.
I am a veteran. I served in combat. The people who actually comit murder have to be charged and evidence has to be provided. If troops commit murder they have to stand trial.
If you believe in the rule of law as you claim, you would be emphatically, unequivocally condemning Israel’s many egregious war crimes.
Instead, you’ve said some I listed as just “hyperbole” and “exaggeration”.
It is an established fact that Israel has killed more journalists that in any conflict
This century.
It is an established fact that Gaza has more child amputees per capita than anywhere in the planet, due to the IDF.
Israel’s attacks on hospitals, doctors, and health care workers are so extreme, the word “medicide” is now being used by human rights activists. Same for “educide” regarding Israel’s intense attacks on schools .
Israel’s total destruction of society in Gaza barely has a modern day comparison.
The fact that you keep finding exceptions and deflections makes your claim to be so concerned an out “the rule of law” weak at best.
You obviously don't accept that due process works both ways. Allegations have to be actually proven. Defendants get to present contrary evidence. Virtually all of your allegations have yet to be adjudicated.
There have been a few cases - ironically in Israeli courts - where settlers were prosecuted. A few.
Most American Jews do not support Likud, are not religious and consider the West Bank as PA territory. RExecpt they refuse to govern -- so far.
But back to your ridiculous assertion that 'Allegations have to be actually proven.', as if everything I have said here has not been proven, repeatedly.
It has been proven and well documented that Israeli has created more child amputees than anywhere in the world in Gaza. It has been proven and well documented that Israel has executed more journalists than in any other conflicts in generations. It is well documented that Israel has targeted doctors and health care officials, as well as UN aid workers, throughout this so-called 'war. these facts do not need to be ligated to become fact.
Israel doesn't even tried to hide it. When Israel assassinated Anas al-Sharif and several other journalists just days ago, the IDF bragged about it, with the completely ridiculous claim that al-Sharif was a Hamas leader'; garbage that exactly no one believes, and that certainly was never 'adjudicated' in court.
Israel's leaders have already been indicted for war crimes, and there is a genocide case in the ICJ that has been open for many months, but will not be resolved quickly. Since then, human rights organizations around the world, including B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights in Israel, as liberal Zionist advocacy group J Street, have affirmed and publicly stated that Israel is committing genocide. So has an ever-growing number of the world's genocide scholars, including several based in Israel...so have many UN officials...so have many governments around the world.
.
It is indisputable fact that Israel has killed up to 100 or more starving civilians every single days for the past 3 months. It is an indisputable fact that Israel has massacred over 17,000 children in the past 22 months in Gaza, and several hundred more in the West Bank.
It is also indisputable that the US has done everything it can to block accountability in world courts, and to even attempt to block any international court proceedings from taking place. The US has been vetoing resolution against Israel in the US for ages, and the US response to the ICC and ICJ charged has been to call them 'ridiculous' (Biden) and to sanction the judges who made the rulings (Trump), while welcoming Netanyahu into the US several times.
The job of tallying deaths, injuries, and abductions by Israel is made more difficult by the fact that Israel has entirely banned foreign journalists from Gaza this entire time (which is of course the point), and that the IDF has killed every Palestinian journalist in Gaza it can find...but this hasn't made the task impossible. UN staff, Palestinian journalists, and aid workers in the Occupied Territories have had a lot of experience gathering data and recording deaths during Israeli invasions, since they happen often.
Your mealy mouthed defenses and equivocating responses are getting weaker each post. I might be done wasting my time with you.
I don't 'obviously' accept your straw man argument, which is a false premise in the first place, since basic, verifiable facts to not need to be 'adjudicated' in court to be true.
But first -about the so-called 'settlers'
Barely any so-called 'settlers' have ever been tried for anything, and a tiny number of those have ever been charged.
A couple cases just in the past couple weeks: an American named Sayfollah Musallet was beaten to death by 'settlers' (thieves, illegal squatters, lynch mobs, racist zealots are all better names) ]. No one has been arrested or charged, and the US has don nothing about it.
A second American, Khamis Ayyad, was killed only days after that, when 'settlers' torched his home (he was a father of 5) and he died of smoke inhalation. Again, no arrests, no charges, barely a word from the US.
Also in July, a well known Palestinian activist was shot and killed, on camera, in broad daylight, by the known terrorist zealot Yinon Levi, who was put under house arrest for a day, then released with no charges.
These are just a few very recent examples...there are too many to list.. 'settlers' have been rampaging in the West Bank, killing and terrorizing the Palestinian residents burning, looting and destroying homes, and stealing land constantly, for decades, all under the protection of an apartheid system that literally allows them to get away with murder regularly.
The incredibly rare instances where there is any prosecution for the nonstop crimes happens in Israeli courts- for the 'settlers' only. For the thousands of Palestinians constantly abducted in the West Bank, they are tried (if they are even charged at all) in military courts- again, a textbook example of an apartheid system.
'Most American Jews do not support Likud, are not religious and consider the West Bank as PA territory' - so? The West Bank is not 'considered' an autonomous Palestinian state by any Israeli law, or any international law, outside of the growing number of countries that recognize some abstraction of a Palestinian state. The Wet Bank has no control of its border, or trade, or anything else. It is occupied territory , under the complete control of the invading, occupying force. This is obvious, indisputable fact that does not need to be 'adjudicated' to be true.
Democrats and Republicans alike have fully supported Likud and the Israeli government (Netanyahu is the longest serving prime minister in Israel's history) for many years, right up to this moment. The genocide underway never could have happened without the full support of the US government.
For once, Don the Con isn't the only person to blame. I'm a lifelong Democrat and believe that Biden generally did a good job, but he too functioned as Bibi's enabler. Uncle Joe should have cut off Bibi's arms supply. Drumpf just took Biden's approach and put it on steroids.
This has been ill-fated from very shortly after this attack. Netanyahu has played this to distract from his own criminality abd brought the Israeli people along for his ride. Add Trump to the mix and you have a criminal conspiracy and call it what it is, genocide of a trapped civilian population.
Yes it seems Donald, Bibi and Vlad are all dragging the planet into the depths of hell. Two are wanted in the Hague for war crimes and one is not wanted at all , anywhere. The world is in a complete mess. Where are all the screamers and ranters that were calling for Biden's head regarding the ethnic cleansing in Gaza to stop supplying arms to Israel , now that Trump has given the green light to Neyanyahu to do what ever he wants , I hear not a peep from the late ranters and screamers. Its alleged that Donald and Bibi are only staying in power to avoid incarceration . I understand Donald is off to visit Vlad in Alaska to be be deceived once again. He is such a fool to believe anything Vlad lays on his lap. Imagine bringing a war criminal to the USA only to be storied . Keep the Epstein files on the front burner.
All this just so a cruel, nasty criminal can continue avoiding all responsibility for his crimes, which would mean facing conviction and going to prison.
There’s a powerful lesson there for any electorate dumb or hateful enough to elect, let alone re-elect, a convicted felon to the highest executive office in the land. Woe be to the foolish country which does that, or to a High Court that lets him get away with it!
I'd like to think that maybe somebody could penetrate Trump's thick skull and remind him that the Nobel Peace Prize he so desires is at stake here. He obviously cares nothing about human suffering but he does care about that.
If this is all our Democratic Party opposition can say about this atrocity and deliberate desire by the nation of Israel (not just Netanyahu), they, too, need to look in the mirror and accept their complicity, as should Biden, and of course, the man who loves to watch people suffer, our current President!
The Western world, who still help finance this powerful, wealthy nation by doling out money, as if Israel were Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, or some African country, is astonishing! Israel is a nation of large corporations, some producing technical products that help destabilize democracies! They sponsor, financially support, and run a nonprofit organization, AIPAC, whose main purpose is to interfere in our election process and spend millions to support ultra-Right politicians and fund them to defeat Democratic Party candidates and incumbents who oppose Israel, and especially this war!
Does that remind us of Russia? Of China, or N. Korea? Yet, we allow them a free ride, no bans or even criticism! WHY, well, they claim to be supported by over 5 million American Jews, and the Democrats (along with our allies in Europe) would rather see women and children deliberately being starved to death than stand up against Israel! This is NOT anti-semitism, this is stopping a rogue nation, not unlike a Sudan, or the old S. Africa, or even the German Nazi's, who wanted complete cleansing of their country!
We here, now, face another government that walks in those footsteps, and that is our Republican Party! We are doing the exact same thing in the US, to our Hispanic community! ICE is the child of Israel, Russia, China, and every other dictatorship and authoritarian nation! Yet, here we sit, as our SCOTUS sanctions the deliberate arrests of even those who are legitimately here, and sends them to foreign jails (or new foreign jails in our country) to be tortured and starved!
So, I suggest that. we all read clearly what these Democratic representatives have stated, and ask ourselves whether their language actually has anything in it that has not been stated a thousand times by politicians across the globe, and especially in America? That commitment they have to the truth, to the lack of torture, starvation, and everything else humans are facing today, is why we are facing the possibility of the exact same thing in our country!
As a nation, we have lost our spine! We have lost our resolve to fight for the freedoms we once knew and meant something! When many of us went to jail to support MLK, or to end the war in Vietnam, or to prevent nuclear weapons, we did so because we believed it was important enough to do so! The leaders we had were able to unite behind a singular purpose, and state clearly what they were going to do and then do it, and not just espouse meaningless platitudes!
Everyone who didn't vote for Harris thinking Trump would solve this crisis were so badly deluded. Even that wicked congresswoman from Georgia knows it now. Trump cares only about getting rich and getting revenge.
Anyone who thought Trump was going to solve *anything* was deeply deluded -- and that may be giving many of them more credit than they deserve. I doubt they were even aware of Jared Kushner's cosplay of Middle East diplomacy.
I don’t think they though Trump would solve the crisis; they wanted to punish Biden for the crisis and wouldn’t tolerate Biden’s hand picked successor getting elected. Many still defend their decision to not pick the lesser of two evils. I don’t think Biden was evil ( like Trump and his people). The US has supported Israel on both sides of the aisle since its creation and changing that policy was not going to happen quickly, especially since the initial brutal attack by Hamas started it and Israel pulled the cloak of having the right to defend itself over its subsequent actions. Israel has continued to “retaliate” beyond reason and international law and Bibi is a war criminal trying to stay in power. However allowing Trump to slither back in, especially with the Project 2025 crew at his back, was the most short sighted thing to do. Putting stronger pressure on Harris and elected officials to end support for Israel would have been possible. Under Trump not only are you likely to be arrested for “ anti-Semitic sentiments” but we’re losing our own rights and our Democracy to boot.
I suspect that few of the people who voted for Don the Con seriously expected that he'd solve the Middle East, or Ukraine for that matter. They knew he was full of bullstuff on that, and they didn't particularly care. They liked him mostly because he poked those "coastal elites" in the eye.
Bibi has done more than any other single person or group to increase antisemitism around the world.
Most people who criticize Israel’s war crimes understand that Israel is a state, not a religion, and that the slaughter led by Likud and the IDF is not a collective action of the Jewish people, any more than say, Osama Bin Laden represents the world’s Muslims (even if many Americans believe that to be true).
It’s the defenders of Israel/US genocide and apartheid that constantly lob charges of antisemitism against anyone who thinks massacring starving civilians at “aid” sites is an abhorrent war crime, among many others.
We have supported the war against the Palestinians in Gaza far too long! Amnesty International declared the war a genocide and called out the crimes over a year ago. What does it tell you that Netanyahu fired Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024 because he argued that there is no sane reason to continue bombing Gaza, that it was already bombed to the ground...back then!
I don't think "most people" know that. It takes a certain level of discrimination & knowledge to make that distinction & if one is inclined toward hate & bigotry it is easy to blur those distinctions. Attributed Guilt by association.
I don't know. People that are even paying attention enough to be outraged by Israel's actions (which still is not nearly a large enough group of people generally) I would bet, for the most part, are also cognizant enough to understand the (really easy to understand) distinction.
Certainly there are exceptions, as there always are. But I would guess that those that are already 'inclined toward hate & bigotry' would likely already be anti-Jewish (and anti-Muslim for that matter), right?
I find it easy to simply not ‘paint with too broad a brush’ — realizing that many leaders & govt reps do NOT always represent their citizenry accurately.
Anyone not realizing Netanyahoo’s motives has been living under a rock.
It is actually the defenders of Israel that make that association much more than the bigots. When people in the US rose up to protest what Israel was doing in Gaza, they were accused of being antisemitic.
All true. It is difficult, in a now tipsy turvy world, to separate the good guys from the bad & people we thought were good, or reasonable or fairly mature, turn out not to be. I think not painting w/ a broad brush is wise, as I certainly do not want everything our country is doing right now attributed to me. Accusations of bigotry, anti-semitism & racism are easily & frequently used as primary weapons these days by the very people committing the worst crimes. Reason is in short supply.
Er, oops. Bin Laden's name was Ossama.
Bad phone spell check, thanks
Gosh! as if international politics wasn't already rocky enough!! s/
To be fair to Anne-Louis - I had a terrible phone spell check fail, which 'corrected' it to 'Obama'! I appreciate Anne-Louis pointing out the awful error and corrected it right away.
LOL! That was a major phone spelling error! Good thing Anne-Louis caught it. I'm going to delete my other comment.
And by extension, so have his enablers.
…which includes nearly all of the US Congress, including nearly all Democrats in the House and Senate. As recently as a few weeks ago , Senate Democrats were posing for photos with this indicted war criminal.
No words about the evangelicals and the far right in their support of Israel for their religious delusions?
Is that needed to make criticism of Democrats valid?
Yes of course that is true. Rubin and Contrarians do not have any issue citing Trump or his supporters. The fact that Biden wholeheartedly supported Israel’s genocide, and most congressional Democrats still do, is barely mentioned.
Biden’s Israeli envoys struggled mightily to bring Netanyahoo & hard right crew around — to no avail — he was waiting for the return of Trump, his soul-mate! BINGO! They’re both in power & staying outta jail.
IMO, ‘struggled mightily’ is pretty generous, especially when Biden sent Israel $20 billion in military aid and called the ICC charges against Netanyahu and Gallant ‘outrageous’. The US vetoed several UN resolutions against Israel under Biden’s watch.
Netanyahu didn't need to wait for Trump to start his genocidal onslaught of the people in Gaza, and his massive escalation of military apartheid in the West Bank. Both were well underway under Biden, with bipartisan support.
Even before Oct 2023, the West Bank saw more Palestinian deaths in a single year (2022) than it had in decades. And, of course, Israel bombed Gaza during his term already in 2022.
A huge blanche on Biden's record regarding the Occupied Territories is his complete and total lack of a response to the assassination of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022 by the IDF. It was plain as day that the IDF targeted and killed her in broad daylight, and Biden did nothing.
... which is clearly a testament to the effectiveness of the Jewish support and lobbying groups. Like Big Oil, one must give credit where credit is due, like it or not.
We have been sucked into a two millennia old conflict that will never end unless weaponized religious bigotry can be vanquished. Not likely given that the USA is currently backsliding on that front.
Most Jews in the US certainly do not support the current Israeli genocidal policy, and nor do most Israelis
"Most Jews in the US certainly do not support the current Israeli genocidal policy, and nor do most Israelis"
Wrong.
95% of Israelis support this genocide.
US Jews don't? Really? What are they doing to object? Or, to change anything? I think they like that the US government is controlled by AIPAC. The people dying in Gaza, including those few skinny hostages, are just collateral damage to the greater good. Jewish control over the stupid Goyim.
Yeah, well we seem to be in an era wherein policies are in force while lacking majority support both here and in Israel. As it determines outcomes it seems not to matter what most Jews and/or Israelis, and most US citizens support; nice to know but largely immaterial.
I only recall Fetterman, who appears to have lost his mind.
He sure has, but he is far from the only strong supporter of Israel in the Democratic Senate.
Bibi sat smiling greasily in the White House and declaring that Donald Trump was the greatest friend that Israel had ever had. And that he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Then he took friendly photos with Charles Schumer, Cory Booker and several other Democrats, at the same moment IDF troops were massacring starving civilians at “aid” sites.
I remember when he met Biden right after October 7. Our lazy, cheap, shabby legacy media reported it as ‘Biden embraces Netanyahu’ but if you look at the video — and believe your OWN eyes, not whatever Jeff Bezos told you to believe — it was Bibi practically jumping into Biden’s arms, not the other way around. And he’s played the United States ever since (and before that as well).
I think the embrace was mutual, but in either case, Biden and most congressional Democrats gave full support to Israel’s slaughter for his last 15 months in power, providing billions and political cover anywhere it was needed.
And, for that matter, so did Jennifer Rubin, who loudly and emphatically supported Israel’s actions until only relatively recently.
One wonders if this genocide may have been stopped a long time ago if not for the support of Democrats as well as Republicans, and Israel’s supporters in the press like Rubin.
Biden and his advisors embraced Israel 100%. Biden didn't care about the carnage wrought by the IDF on the civilian population of Gaza. Biden had characterized himself as a Zionist long before October 7, 2023.
You simply have no idea what you are talking about.
Not sure about Booker, but Schumer and Jeffries each received nearly $2 million from the Israeli lobby--and many other Democrats were bribed, too. I don't have specifics for the Republicans, but we can bet they also had full pockets.
Booker has been a big recipient of AIPAC money as well, and was in that now-infamous photo taken with Netanyahu just weeks ago, along with Schumer and several others.
Our Democratic Party is one of words, elitism, and lacks conviction to democracy, whether at home or abroad! There are few in office who actually would lose their seat, as a trade off for the end of our authoritarian government, and the most obvious are the so-called leaders!
Agreed - there are a few notable exceptions in Congress, but “few” is the optimum word.
It’s notable that regarding the few who have been consistently in condemning Israel’s war crimes, like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, Rubin never mentions them at all.
Not sure how much I agree with that description of the D Party. To the extent it is valid Citizens United plays a huge role in corrupting and making principles very expensive. From personal lives to political campaigns standing by one's principles often comes at significant costs.
Nothing like having a credibly accused war criminal nominate you for the Peace Prize to make sure your nomination will go nowhere (as if it ever was going anywhere regardless of who was the nominator)
He made me 🤮
Some more news - since no one has stopped Likud so far, why not go further?
"In a recent i24NEWS interview, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the “Greater Israel” vision—a Biblical claim to land from the Nile to the Euphrates and encompassing present-day Israel, Gaza, all of occupied Palestine including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Golan Heights, parts of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, northern Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, northwestern Saudi Arabia, southern Turkey, western Iraq, and northern Kuwait.
Presented with an amulet of the “Promised Land,” Netanyahu declared himself on a “historic and spiritual mission.” The plan has been rejected by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the Arab League, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas."
Gross
You got that right!
Dear Dave,
I wish that people finally start realizing the real meaning of the misused term "semite".
Semites refers to a group of peoples descended from ethnic and linguistic groups in the Middle East and North Africa, whose languages belong to the Semitic language family. Examples of Semitic peoples include the Hebrews (Jews), Arabs, Akkadians, and Phoenicians.
I can tell you that I keep criticizing Bibi's fascist genocidal government. That does not make a hater of people who follow the Jewish religion. And I do consider those religious fanatics wreaking havoc on the West Bank as not representative of people of the Jewish religion, they are more like the fanatic witch burners of the Catholics.
So all this does not make me a so-called "anti-semite".
For if I was an "anti-semite" I'd be hating Jews, Arabs, Palestinians, and some long gone people including the Babylonians!
Netanyahu has crossed the line from being a victim to being a predator, and, in doing so, has disgraced the Israelis and the Jewish people.
He needs to be arrested, sent in chains to The Hague, and stand trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
He and his defense minister were indicted for war crimes by the ICC well over a year ago. Biden called the charges “outrageous” and Netanyahu has visited the US several times since then, meeting both Dems and Republicans.
This is a reflection in part of the outsize influence of AIPAC on U.S. politics.
Again, I ask how 1 gets the money there that supports the citizens (especially anyone with dual citizenship) without supporting the government. People don't realize/ forget that there are many Americans who live over there and serve in the military.
My point exactly in a subsequent post. As bad as Don the Con's policies on the topic are, many of them are just continuations of Biden's policies, albeit souped up somewhat.
Jason, hear me out. Because people don't understand the nuances. Many in Congress and not in Congress want to support the average citizen of Gaza, Israel, and Palestine, without supporting the leaders. How does 1 support the average citizen without giving support to the terrorists?
Yes, I'd label netanyahu a terrorist. At the same time, I want friends/their siblings to be safe in Israel. Many Americans serve in the IDF for 1 year if they were born there or their parents/grandparents were born there. It means they get dual citizenship/free healthcare for life. They get colonoscopies, internist checkups, etc., there. They see their family members who still live there during that time. Then they come back here.
I know many Israelis too and spent time in Tel Aviv in the past. I also know several Palestinian-Americans.
To my mind, there can never, ever be peace or justice as long as the Palestinian people do not have full sovereignty. There is good-faith debate about whether that means a two -state solution, where the existing Occupied Territories are granted full statehood and all the sovereignty that allows, or a one state solution where all the people in the region are equal citizens across the board...agreed? What other possible, just approach could there be at this point? The status quo as it is, is just untenable and no one in the region will be safe until its addressed.
Still, in the immediate present, the bombing and killings needs to end, right now, and aid need to flow immediately. I for one am interested in the approach I have seen lately and outlined in a separate comment here, for a UN sanctioned peacekeeping force to enter Gaza and facilitate these actions.
Thank you for understanding the nuances. We are in complete agreement. The question: Would the UN do more harm than good? For quite a while, they've been doing more harm than good.
Here's another thing..for there to be a lasting change, the opinion of majorities in Israel needs to change regarding the humanity and welfare of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Territories.
Much is made by centrist pundits about recent polls that show a majority of Israelis want to end the war - but much less mentioned in the fact that all these polls show the primary, and in some cases, only, reason many of these respondents want to end the war is to bring the Israelis hostages home (these polls rarely note there are thousands of Palestinian hostages held by Israel).
There have been many polls that show large majorities in the Israeli population don't care much at all about Palestinian lives.
One recent poll showed 79 percent of Israeli Jews did not feel personally troubled by reports of starvation in Gaza.
Another poll in July asked Israelis whether the suffering of Gazan civilians should be a factor in their government's decisions on the war. The majority - 67% - said Israel should either ignore it or consider it to a "fairly small extent".
Polls have asked whether Israelis believe the starvation was happening. A recent survey found that 47 percent of all Israelis felt that it was probably lies and made up.
According to Haaretz, a recent poll (June) conducted by the aChord Center at Hebrew University in Jerusalem found that 64% of Israeli adults agreed with the statement “there are no innocent people in Gaza.”
These are very disturbing findings.
Here;s some links:
https://www.vox.com/politics/457803/israel-gaza-starvation-polls-public-opinion
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp92egdlp3mo
https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/64-of-israelis-say-no-innocent-people-in-gaza/
(ps - don't get me wrong, way too many Americans feel the same way, including a number right here in this comment thread..the US and Israel are mostly in lockstep with how Palestinians are treated..both countries are run by awful wannabe autocrats, but the public in both countries is far from blameless - we all allowed these terrible people to be elected multiple times).
IMO, the idea that the UN is 'doing more harm than good' is a very broad stroke, and when related to Israel and the Occupied Territories, I don't think it's true. Maybe you are referring to something specific?
The biggest problem the UN has when trying to impose any sort of justice for the Palestinian people is the US constantly blocks it. As a Security Council member, the US has vetoed at least 50 resolutions against Israel's occupation and war crimes going back several decades. The US cut off funding for UNRWA for completely bogus and unsubstantiated reasons. Just recently, the US sanctioned U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese for nothing more than her accurate public statements about Israel's many human rights abuses in the Occupied Territories.
The idea in that plan I outlined in another comment is the General Assembly could use a statute passed in 1950 to specifically get around the US veto.
When was Netanyahu a victim? He has been killing, abducting, torturing and brutalizing Palestinians across the Occupied Territories for decades, with bipartisan US support.
Weasel tricks. Bipartisan US support as a sign of no anti-semitism.
Is it possible he allowed the attack by Hamas to happen? It has been reported Israel had intelligence that something was being planned. It gave him the justification to declare war and also stay in power avoiding his legal woes.
I heard that and tend to think the attack worked to what Netanyahu believed was his advantage in destroying the Palestinian state with allied support.
The Israelis think he's doing the right thing. This has been going on for 80+ years:
1. Haifa Massacre 1937
2. Jerusalem Massacre 1937
3. Haifa Massacre 1938
4. Balad al-Sheikh Massacre 1939
5. Haifa Massacre 1939
6. Haifa Massacre 1947
7. Abbasiya Massacre 1947
8. Al-Khisas Massacre 1947
9. Bab al-Amud Massacre 1947
10. Jerusalem Massacre 1947
11. Sheikh Bureik Massacre 1947
12. Jaffa Massacre 1948
13. Deir Yassin Massacre 1948
14. Tantura Massacre 1948
15. Qibya Massacre 1953
16. Khan Yunis Massacre 1956
17. Jerusalem Massacre 1967
18. Sabra and Shatila Massacre 1982
19. Al-Aqsa Massacre 1990
20. Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre 1994
21. Jenin Refugee Camp April 2002
22. Gaza Massacre 2008-09
23. Gaza Massacre 2012
24. Gaza Massacre 2014
25. Gaza Massacre 2018-19
26. Gaza Massacre 2021
27. Gaza Genocide 2023 is still ongoing.
DONT LET ANYONE CONVINCE YOU THAT IT STARTED ON OCTOBER 7th***
He's a war criminal.
A war criminal welcomed into Washington by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Just weeks ago , Dem and GOP senators took a smiling photo with this indicted war criminal.
How nice. Half of them are Jewish anyway, but in any case it says "no anti-semitism here!" He's as tricky as Trump, but smarter.
All of these Senators, maybe especially the Dems, should be asked why they were chummy with this indicted war criminal, especially now.
Instinct of self-preservation.
My ultra-ultra-Orthodox friend in NY complains about the Anti-Semitism here. She voted for the orange thing. Me: FAFO. It's awful to say that, but really, I have a hard time listening to her complain when she voted for orange 3x.
Deb, he is. At the same time, I want the average citizen there to be safe. So many forget the important nuances. Israel, Gaza, and Palestine aren't safe unless the others are. I despise the government of all 3. The US doesn't have a better human rights record when 1 looks at the bigger picture of how our country is based on genocide of the Indigenous.
Netanyahu has learned from the worst politician, and supreme extortionist, in DJT who is doing the same things as Netanyahu is doing:
"His widely rebuked refusal to plan for the “day after” the war is now widely viewed as a bid to stay in power and avoid criminal prosecution." Trump worked so hard to get elected based on thousands of lies so he could avoid incarceration on 34 counts he was convicted of. Our only hope in the US is that the GOP loses control over the Senate and House and then he's going to get what he and the GOP deserves. Netanyahu is in the very same position. He loses power he's going to jail. The two of them are of the same ilk, they have no regard for human life and with their policies will starve millions of people to death.
And now the criminal is vying for a '“Peace Prize”. Idiocracy made real.
God and the natural world will ultimately deliver the ultimate end to all their evil plans. Everyone dies eventually, as Joni Ernst informed her constituents.
Three old men are trying to destroy the world. It’s time they get gone.
The one and maybe only action that can end the 'war' (actually, genocide) in Gaza, as well as the escalating 'war' (actually, illegal military occupation and apartheid control of an unarmed civilian population) in the West Bank, is intervention by an armed UN peacekeeping force.
It is pure folly to even consider that the war criminal government of Netanyahu, or his bipartisan accomplices in the US government, should even be involved in this process at all. The only role for the US should be to stop arming Israel immediately, withdraw the mercenaries at 'aid' sites, and allow the UN and international courts to do their work.
Former senior UN human rights chief Craig Mokhiber and the organization People Against Genocide Everywhere have laid out a 3-phase plan that describes how this could work:
Because the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has determined that Israel does not hold sovereignty in Gaza or any other part of the occupied territories. It has no right to be there and has no authority or decision-making power over what happens there. That is now clearly established as a matter of international law.
The plan utilizes the Uniting for Peace Resolution, which was first adopted in 1950 as a way for the UN General assembly to circumvent The Security Council, where the veto of one member (in this case, of course, the US) can stymie UN action. This resolution was successfully implemented in the Suez Crisis of 1956.
The first critical step is for one UN member state – in any region – to formally request an Emergency Special Session (ESS) of the UN General Assembly. This request activates a 24-hour countdown for the General Assembly to convene and address the crisis.
Once the ESS is underway, the focus must shift to ensuring swift adoption of a comprehensive General Assembly Uniting for Peace Resolution. This resolution must authorize the deployment of a UN mandated multinational armed protective force to Gaza, to safeguard Palestinian civilians, support the UN’s unrestricted entry and distribution of humanitarian aid, preserve evidence of potential war crimes and violations of human rights, and facilitate reconstruction of Gaza.
This stage should also include accountability for Israel, including a full embargo of al arms shipments to Israel, and stripping Israel of its UN credentials.
The final phase is the commitment of the member states to enforcing the resolution: After the resolution passes, which requires a two-thirds majority, the real test begins: every nation that votes ‘yes’ must publicly state what resources they will contribute—troops, planes, ships, humanitarian aid.
"Intervention by an armed UN peacekeeping force." As soon as the US hostages were released, we should have had an Arab counterforce in place. Jordan and the UAE have been involved in food delivery, but, unfortunally have been stymied.
Blame should not be limited to Netanyahu, who should stand trial.
See Hamas Wants Gaza to Starve
Starvation only helps Hamas end the war in a way that advances its aims.
By Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/07/hamas-wants-famine/683724/
"In recent days, I’ve spoken with dozens of Gazans who are furious about what is unfolding around them. They are angry, one told me, at the “hordes of selfish people who are attacking aid convoys to steal and collect aid in a horrific manner without caring for Gazans who chose not to participate in these humiliating and demeaning displays of inhumanity, no matter the level of hunger.” But their anger is directed primarily at Hamas, which they hold responsible for putting the people of Gaza in this position, and for its continued refusal to end the war that it started. “Hitler fought in his bunker until he killed himself in World War II in the Battle of Berlin,” another person said, complaining that Hamas is hunkered down in its tunnels, willing to see Gaza destroyed to the very last child."
Israel is massacring starving civilians every single day. Israel has assassinated more journalists than in any other “conflict” this century. Israel has created more child amputees in Gaza than there are anywhere else in the world. Israel has killed over 1000 Palestinians in the West Bank, and abducted and maimed many thousands more.
Israel has been abducting, murdering, and torturing Palestinians since long before Hamas existed. “But, Hamas” as the constant response won’t work.
Exaggeration and hyperbole will not get you any allies.
Check out Samer Sinijlawi, a Fatah activist and political reformer, who has become a prominent voice advocating for change in Palestinian society.
Samer joined the Fatah party in Palestine at the early age of 14 during the first Intifada. At the age of 15, he was arrested and had to spend 5 years in jail in Israel. After his prison sentence, Samer was elected as international secretary for the Fatah Youth. He was later elected as a head of International and Israeli relations on the Fatah Supreme Committee. For over 35 years, Samer has worked tirelessly to build bridges, engage in dialogue, and fight for a future where Israelis and Palestinians recognize each other’s humanity. Samer hopes to end suffering as a political weapon to spread the courage to feel each other’s pain and to find a path to lasting peace for both Israel and Palestine.
Samer shares his personal journey, from growing up in Jerusalem to becoming a key figure in the dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis. He discusses the frustrations with current leadership, including President Abbas, and the need for a new, accountable leadership that prioritizes peace, prosperity and real change. He reveals how Palestinians, particularly the younger generation, are pushing for a shift away from the divisive and ineffective politics of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
Throughout the conversation, Samer explains his efforts to bridge gaps with Israelis, his call for leadership reform, and his bold stance against violence, even while confronting the harsh realities of ongoing conflict. He emphasizes the importance of understanding each side's fears and needs, advocating for mutual respect and a focus on constructive solutions. Samer's message is one of hope, calling for the Palestinians to take responsibility and make the internal changes necessary to secure a peaceful future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSNmy2B3lRk
You are unequivocally against the genocide being committed by Israel with the full support of the US, or you aren’t. Anecdotal stories don’t change that fact, at all.
There is not a single word of exaggeration in anything I said. Every statement I have made is an easily verifiable fact.
Netanyahu may be despicable, but within Israel, millions of Arabs have an Arab political party. Have civil rights. Send some of their kids to the military. Have members in the Knesset.
The PA has been taking an anti-Hamas position. So have several other Arab groups.
Here's a little history. Note the date. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/05/gaza-palestinians-tortured-summarily-killed-by-hamas-forces-during-2014-conflict/
Israel has also been murdering, abducting, maiming and torturing Palestinians in the West Bank, despite The PA, who often collaborates with the IDF and Mossad.
Apartheid in the Occupied Territories predates Netanyahu, and Hamas.
Another problem with this argument - it’s not just Netanyahu, it’s all his ministers and the IDF leadership, and plenty more.
Netanyahu, his defense minister and 3 Hamas leaders were charged with war crimes by the ICC.
While Netanyahu continues to be welcomed here, All three of the Hamas leaders have been killed.
I believe in the rule of law. I know people who served on the world court even when we were not included. I was asked to apply but didn't.
I am a veteran. I served in combat. The people who actually comit murder have to be charged and evidence has to be provided. If troops commit murder they have to stand trial.
We have had our own problems.
Please support my friend and colleague, Moe Davis. https://moedavis.com/
I also know many American Arabs -- mostly Christians -- who oppose Islamists on the basis that after killing Jews, they know that they are next.
If you believe in the rule of law as you claim, you would be emphatically, unequivocally condemning Israel’s many egregious war crimes.
Instead, you’ve said some I listed as just “hyperbole” and “exaggeration”.
It is an established fact that Israel has killed more journalists that in any conflict
This century.
It is an established fact that Gaza has more child amputees per capita than anywhere in the planet, due to the IDF.
Israel’s attacks on hospitals, doctors, and health care workers are so extreme, the word “medicide” is now being used by human rights activists. Same for “educide” regarding Israel’s intense attacks on schools .
Israel’s total destruction of society in Gaza barely has a modern day comparison.
The fact that you keep finding exceptions and deflections makes your claim to be so concerned an out “the rule of law” weak at best.
You obviously don't accept that due process works both ways. Allegations have to be actually proven. Defendants get to present contrary evidence. Virtually all of your allegations have yet to be adjudicated.
There have been a few cases - ironically in Israeli courts - where settlers were prosecuted. A few.
Most American Jews do not support Likud, are not religious and consider the West Bank as PA territory. RExecpt they refuse to govern -- so far.
(2nd reply - see below for first one)
But back to your ridiculous assertion that 'Allegations have to be actually proven.', as if everything I have said here has not been proven, repeatedly.
It has been proven and well documented that Israeli has created more child amputees than anywhere in the world in Gaza. It has been proven and well documented that Israel has executed more journalists than in any other conflicts in generations. It is well documented that Israel has targeted doctors and health care officials, as well as UN aid workers, throughout this so-called 'war. these facts do not need to be ligated to become fact.
Israel doesn't even tried to hide it. When Israel assassinated Anas al-Sharif and several other journalists just days ago, the IDF bragged about it, with the completely ridiculous claim that al-Sharif was a Hamas leader'; garbage that exactly no one believes, and that certainly was never 'adjudicated' in court.
Israel's leaders have already been indicted for war crimes, and there is a genocide case in the ICJ that has been open for many months, but will not be resolved quickly. Since then, human rights organizations around the world, including B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights in Israel, as liberal Zionist advocacy group J Street, have affirmed and publicly stated that Israel is committing genocide. So has an ever-growing number of the world's genocide scholars, including several based in Israel...so have many UN officials...so have many governments around the world.
.
It is indisputable fact that Israel has killed up to 100 or more starving civilians every single days for the past 3 months. It is an indisputable fact that Israel has massacred over 17,000 children in the past 22 months in Gaza, and several hundred more in the West Bank.
It is also indisputable that the US has done everything it can to block accountability in world courts, and to even attempt to block any international court proceedings from taking place. The US has been vetoing resolution against Israel in the US for ages, and the US response to the ICC and ICJ charged has been to call them 'ridiculous' (Biden) and to sanction the judges who made the rulings (Trump), while welcoming Netanyahu into the US several times.
The job of tallying deaths, injuries, and abductions by Israel is made more difficult by the fact that Israel has entirely banned foreign journalists from Gaza this entire time (which is of course the point), and that the IDF has killed every Palestinian journalist in Gaza it can find...but this hasn't made the task impossible. UN staff, Palestinian journalists, and aid workers in the Occupied Territories have had a lot of experience gathering data and recording deaths during Israeli invasions, since they happen often.
Your mealy mouthed defenses and equivocating responses are getting weaker each post. I might be done wasting my time with you.
I don't 'obviously' accept your straw man argument, which is a false premise in the first place, since basic, verifiable facts to not need to be 'adjudicated' in court to be true.
But first -about the so-called 'settlers'
Barely any so-called 'settlers' have ever been tried for anything, and a tiny number of those have ever been charged.
A couple cases just in the past couple weeks: an American named Sayfollah Musallet was beaten to death by 'settlers' (thieves, illegal squatters, lynch mobs, racist zealots are all better names) ]. No one has been arrested or charged, and the US has don nothing about it.
A second American, Khamis Ayyad, was killed only days after that, when 'settlers' torched his home (he was a father of 5) and he died of smoke inhalation. Again, no arrests, no charges, barely a word from the US.
Also in July, a well known Palestinian activist was shot and killed, on camera, in broad daylight, by the known terrorist zealot Yinon Levi, who was put under house arrest for a day, then released with no charges.
These are just a few very recent examples...there are too many to list.. 'settlers' have been rampaging in the West Bank, killing and terrorizing the Palestinian residents burning, looting and destroying homes, and stealing land constantly, for decades, all under the protection of an apartheid system that literally allows them to get away with murder regularly.
The incredibly rare instances where there is any prosecution for the nonstop crimes happens in Israeli courts- for the 'settlers' only. For the thousands of Palestinians constantly abducted in the West Bank, they are tried (if they are even charged at all) in military courts- again, a textbook example of an apartheid system.
'Most American Jews do not support Likud, are not religious and consider the West Bank as PA territory' - so? The West Bank is not 'considered' an autonomous Palestinian state by any Israeli law, or any international law, outside of the growing number of countries that recognize some abstraction of a Palestinian state. The Wet Bank has no control of its border, or trade, or anything else. It is occupied territory , under the complete control of the invading, occupying force. This is obvious, indisputable fact that does not need to be 'adjudicated' to be true.
Democrats and Republicans alike have fully supported Likud and the Israeli government (Netanyahu is the longest serving prime minister in Israel's history) for many years, right up to this moment. The genocide underway never could have happened without the full support of the US government.
It is way past time for the US to end arms shipments and all types of aid to Israel. Send the aid to Ukraine instead.
Way past time indeed
For once, Don the Con isn't the only person to blame. I'm a lifelong Democrat and believe that Biden generally did a good job, but he too functioned as Bibi's enabler. Uncle Joe should have cut off Bibi's arms supply. Drumpf just took Biden's approach and put it on steroids.
This has been ill-fated from very shortly after this attack. Netanyahu has played this to distract from his own criminality abd brought the Israeli people along for his ride. Add Trump to the mix and you have a criminal conspiracy and call it what it is, genocide of a trapped civilian population.
So lucid, can only be Jen Rubin. 💯
Luv me some Jen.
We need all the wise words we can get!
Yes it seems Donald, Bibi and Vlad are all dragging the planet into the depths of hell. Two are wanted in the Hague for war crimes and one is not wanted at all , anywhere. The world is in a complete mess. Where are all the screamers and ranters that were calling for Biden's head regarding the ethnic cleansing in Gaza to stop supplying arms to Israel , now that Trump has given the green light to Neyanyahu to do what ever he wants , I hear not a peep from the late ranters and screamers. Its alleged that Donald and Bibi are only staying in power to avoid incarceration . I understand Donald is off to visit Vlad in Alaska to be be deceived once again. He is such a fool to believe anything Vlad lays on his lap. Imagine bringing a war criminal to the USA only to be storied . Keep the Epstein files on the front burner.
All this just so a cruel, nasty criminal can continue avoiding all responsibility for his crimes, which would mean facing conviction and going to prison.
There’s a powerful lesson there for any electorate dumb or hateful enough to elect, let alone re-elect, a convicted felon to the highest executive office in the land. Woe be to the foolish country which does that, or to a High Court that lets him get away with it!
Oh wait…..
I'd like to think that maybe somebody could penetrate Trump's thick skull and remind him that the Nobel Peace Prize he so desires is at stake here. He obviously cares nothing about human suffering but he does care about that.
What he cares about is getting what Obama was given. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he has an Obama voodoo doll and a box of large pins.
A fool vying for his golden prize. Never in a million years!
And if it happens, we are truly doomed.
It will not happen.
The American government is complicit in the continuing genocide in Gaza.
If this is all our Democratic Party opposition can say about this atrocity and deliberate desire by the nation of Israel (not just Netanyahu), they, too, need to look in the mirror and accept their complicity, as should Biden, and of course, the man who loves to watch people suffer, our current President!
The Western world, who still help finance this powerful, wealthy nation by doling out money, as if Israel were Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, or some African country, is astonishing! Israel is a nation of large corporations, some producing technical products that help destabilize democracies! They sponsor, financially support, and run a nonprofit organization, AIPAC, whose main purpose is to interfere in our election process and spend millions to support ultra-Right politicians and fund them to defeat Democratic Party candidates and incumbents who oppose Israel, and especially this war!
Does that remind us of Russia? Of China, or N. Korea? Yet, we allow them a free ride, no bans or even criticism! WHY, well, they claim to be supported by over 5 million American Jews, and the Democrats (along with our allies in Europe) would rather see women and children deliberately being starved to death than stand up against Israel! This is NOT anti-semitism, this is stopping a rogue nation, not unlike a Sudan, or the old S. Africa, or even the German Nazi's, who wanted complete cleansing of their country!
We here, now, face another government that walks in those footsteps, and that is our Republican Party! We are doing the exact same thing in the US, to our Hispanic community! ICE is the child of Israel, Russia, China, and every other dictatorship and authoritarian nation! Yet, here we sit, as our SCOTUS sanctions the deliberate arrests of even those who are legitimately here, and sends them to foreign jails (or new foreign jails in our country) to be tortured and starved!
So, I suggest that. we all read clearly what these Democratic representatives have stated, and ask ourselves whether their language actually has anything in it that has not been stated a thousand times by politicians across the globe, and especially in America? That commitment they have to the truth, to the lack of torture, starvation, and everything else humans are facing today, is why we are facing the possibility of the exact same thing in our country!
As a nation, we have lost our spine! We have lost our resolve to fight for the freedoms we once knew and meant something! When many of us went to jail to support MLK, or to end the war in Vietnam, or to prevent nuclear weapons, we did so because we believed it was important enough to do so! The leaders we had were able to unite behind a singular purpose, and state clearly what they were going to do and then do it, and not just espouse meaningless platitudes!
So very well said. Thank You.
Everyone who didn't vote for Harris thinking Trump would solve this crisis were so badly deluded. Even that wicked congresswoman from Georgia knows it now. Trump cares only about getting rich and getting revenge.
Anyone who thought Trump was going to solve *anything* was deeply deluded -- and that may be giving many of them more credit than they deserve. I doubt they were even aware of Jared Kushner's cosplay of Middle East diplomacy.
I don’t think they though Trump would solve the crisis; they wanted to punish Biden for the crisis and wouldn’t tolerate Biden’s hand picked successor getting elected. Many still defend their decision to not pick the lesser of two evils. I don’t think Biden was evil ( like Trump and his people). The US has supported Israel on both sides of the aisle since its creation and changing that policy was not going to happen quickly, especially since the initial brutal attack by Hamas started it and Israel pulled the cloak of having the right to defend itself over its subsequent actions. Israel has continued to “retaliate” beyond reason and international law and Bibi is a war criminal trying to stay in power. However allowing Trump to slither back in, especially with the Project 2025 crew at his back, was the most short sighted thing to do. Putting stronger pressure on Harris and elected officials to end support for Israel would have been possible. Under Trump not only are you likely to be arrested for “ anti-Semitic sentiments” but we’re losing our own rights and our Democracy to boot.
I suspect that few of the people who voted for Don the Con seriously expected that he'd solve the Middle East, or Ukraine for that matter. They knew he was full of bullstuff on that, and they didn't particularly care. They liked him mostly because he poked those "coastal elites" in the eye.