Israel's behavior is shameful, especially for an ethnic group that was, itself, once the target of pogroms and ethnic cleansing. I don't believe you can claim victimhood at the same time that you make others victims.
After all, Israel/Palestine is the ancestral home of Palestinians too.
Additionally, there's a Jewish tenet: tikkun olam -- repair the world. I don't see that this fits into that at all.
That's a very good summary of the situation! The point about claiming victimhood while simultaneously victimizing others is particularly powerful, even though I suppose it's possible to be both victim and bully simultaneously. (and the "bully victim" is an active topic of research among behaviorists).
I see what you're saying, but, I feel that, in this case, the idea of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and the murder of civilians falls outside the boundaries, or shares just a small portion of the Venn overlap, of the bully victim, especially when it comes to children.
Rubin is correct- we absolutely need to abandon the euphemism of 'settler' which evokes some intrepid, yet pastoral image, and replace it with the much more accurate 'terrorist'. I have been saying this in these comment threads for some time. It should also be noted these terrorists are fully supported by the IDF and the Israeli government.
As far as today's election goes: one thing the candidates have in common is all of them oppose a Palestinian state, and none of them stand for any meaningful opposition to the ongoing genocide in Gaza or the escalating apartheid driven takeover of the West Bank.
Haifa-based lawyer Diana Buttu said this yesterday:
"“…this election is not a referendum on genocide, nor is it a referendum on the mythical “two- state solution.” This is a contest about who is going to be tougher with Palestinians, and (Syrians, Lebanese, Iranians, Qataris, you name it and, as always), Palestinians are in the crosshairs of these candidates. This is why the division of “Netanyahu bloc” versus “anti-Netanyahu bloc” makes absolutely no sense, for the “solutions” being offered look remarkably identical; and none of them envision Palestinians living in our homeland.”"
For the 5 million + Palestinians living under occupation, who of course have no say whatsoever in who will become the next PM, the options range from bad to worse.
" The benign use of “settler” soft-pedals the depravity of those trying to drive Palestinians from the region in an effort to ethnically cleanse the territory."
I am still horrified by the attack of October 7, especially the death of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
But the reaction has been disproportionate and relentlessly, recklessly cruel and criminal.
Israel is ruining its reputation (a la Trump's fascist states of America), and needs a reset. I hope they vote Netanyahu, the war criminal, out, and someone more moderate in.
No tears shed for the horrible Netanyahu of course - with hope he will lose and finally face the corruption charges he deserves...but there are no 'moderates' in contention for PM when it comes to justice or sovereignty for the Palestinian people.
Netanyahu's strongest challenger Gadi Eisenkot said last summer that “there is no Palestinian state, and in the government we will form, no Palestinian state will arise". The supposed 'left-wing' challenger Yair Golan said 'talking about a Palestinian state is destructive'.
And of course, several of the candidates are worse than even Netanyahu. Naftali Bennett and perennial extremist candidate Avigdor Lieberman are far to Netanyahu's right.
The Israelis have hardened their hearts to the suffering of the Palestinians. The Israeli state fundamentally opposes both the Two State and One State solution. And what Israel wants, so too does AIPAC. Which will continue to enforce its will on the US Congress.
Nothing short of a global trade and banking embargo will motivate them to even *consider* either One or Two State(s).
Parties and Candidates Supporting a Two-State Solution
• Hadash-Balad-Ta'al Alliance (Left-Wing Nationalist Alliance): This alliance of Arab-majority parties, including Hadash and the Arab Movement for Change, explicitly supports a two-state solution and the defense of Israel's Arab minority.
• The Democrats (Yair Golan): Leader Yair Golan has spoken about moving past old formulas and focuses on "civil separation and security responsibility," though he has noted that a direct leap to a traditional two-state solution faces deep trauma and skepticism following the October 7 attacks.
Indeed, LFCfan, the October 7 massacre was horrific. But the media – and much public opinion – suggests that this was the beginning of the "troubles."
The actual history of the conflict began in 1946-47 when world powers arbitrarily set aside the territory we now recognize as Israel, with no provision to accommodate people who'd lived there since the beginning of time. Israeli governments, operating on the assumption that they are "very special people," conducted a relentless campaign of abuse and persecution toward Palestinians.
We don't appreciate how it would feel if authorities appeared at our front door and said, "This house no longer belongs to you. You must vacate the premises and find some other place to live. We don't care where. Just not here."
So you set up a tent in a nearby forest and try to survive. Later, the new occupants of your former home find you camping in the forest. They beat you and your family and set your tent on fire. You become homeless with no place to go and no one to turn to.
Hamas would not exist if Israelis hadn't terrorized Palestinians for generations.
Thank you! The word "settler" is laughably dismissive and doesn't begin to describe the scorched earth and genocide perpetrated on the Palestinians! The only purpose I can see of using that description is appeasement!
Ronni, don't expect the U.S. to alter its policy toward Israel anytime soon – or ever. While the U.S. was NOT founded as a "Christian nation," as evangelicals/Christian nationalists would have us believe, Christians have had an outsized influence on U.S. governance since the nation's founding. (see: "Blue Laws")
Christians continue to cling to statements scattered throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, aka "The Old Testament," which declare that Israel is God's favorite nation, encapsulated in Genesis 12:3. “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Funny how these alleged pro-Israel declarations by The Almighty were written by people who benefit from them.)
Consequently, the U.S. Government has carried Israel in its side pocket like a lucky rabbit's foot. No matter how heinous the Israeli government acts toward its neighbors, the U.S. continues to look the other way, sending financial support and weapons that enable Israel to continue its terrorism.
The Israeli Right would fight to the death to prevent Two States. Sadly, only a repeat of the what brought Apartheid South Africa to end its deeply racist policies will bring Israel to its senses.
Embargoing the Israelis in the W. Bank would be at most a warning shot. Only a total global embargo of Israel--or the threat thereof--will put Israel into a true time-out.
As long as the orange anti-muslim bigot remains in power nothing useful will happen. These evil attacks need to stop. I am just as offended by these as I was when I first learned about the Eastern European pogroms which drove my ancestors out of Poland.
The NYT is so committed to "neutrality" that they've become the embodiment of the banality of evil in 2026. That isn't to say they perpetrate evil, but they sure do manage to report on quite a bit of it in the most gentle, sanitized way possible while also turning a blind eye to countless acts of corruption by the Trump admin in contrast to 2024 every Biden stammer or stumble was a scandal but Trump's clearly declining health and daily vile rants are not a news story at all. The US desperately needs a massive news media overhaul, we need a press that will report with moral clarity, free from the suffocating ownership of oligarchs, and undaunted by the fear of being labeled "biased" because one, like it or not the truth has a "liberal bias", and two, the far right will label them biased anyway as they do with the limp cowardly shell of the NYT of today.
Hippo, very insightful and thorough comment on MSM and yes NYT in the lead as I noted above. Thanks for your clarification and detailed argument. Chasing too much money to piss off various financial backers.....
I worry and fear that any opposition to what Israel or Netanyahu is doing is interpreted as anti semitism. Worse is the inspiring of anti semitism and attacks on Jewish places of worship. Then there is the insistence by some Jewish groups that any support for Palestinian suffering is anti semitism. We must keep overall support for Jewish people and their struggles completely separate from the disapproval of the action of parts of Israel.
Netanyahu has been consistent in calling anyone that speaks against him "antisemitic", but what word would you use for the act of detaining dozens of rabbis and fellow Jews who were assisting neighboring Palestinians with the olive harvest?
Your description of the terrorist-style deliberate murder of a man peaceably harvesting olives on land owned by his ancestors for hundreds of years hit me right in the heart. It's an image that encapsulates everything wrong with Israeli policy as well as the acts of its more militant and criminal elements. Such honesty and moral witness will help us all start living in the real, not the fantasy world of automatic assumptions. Many thanks.
Absolutely terrorists. I cannot understand how a people who were so persecuted in the Holocaust can turn around and do the same to other people. A Palestinian State needs to be established.
Call it what it is. Is this policy of terrorism being influenced by the U.S. policy of using ICE to try to control immigrant populations? There’s definitely a parallel here between both the U.S. and Israel. I am in agreement that what’s happening there should not be whitewashed.
using metal batons to brutally beat Palestinians harvesting olives, and burning olive trees are acts of terror. Call these people who they are: terrorists.
Israel's behavior is shameful, especially for an ethnic group that was, itself, once the target of pogroms and ethnic cleansing. I don't believe you can claim victimhood at the same time that you make others victims.
After all, Israel/Palestine is the ancestral home of Palestinians too.
Additionally, there's a Jewish tenet: tikkun olam -- repair the world. I don't see that this fits into that at all.
That's a very good summary of the situation! The point about claiming victimhood while simultaneously victimizing others is particularly powerful, even though I suppose it's possible to be both victim and bully simultaneously. (and the "bully victim" is an active topic of research among behaviorists).
I see what you're saying, but, I feel that, in this case, the idea of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and the murder of civilians falls outside the boundaries, or shares just a small portion of the Venn overlap, of the bully victim, especially when it comes to children.
Rubin is correct- we absolutely need to abandon the euphemism of 'settler' which evokes some intrepid, yet pastoral image, and replace it with the much more accurate 'terrorist'. I have been saying this in these comment threads for some time. It should also be noted these terrorists are fully supported by the IDF and the Israeli government.
As far as today's election goes: one thing the candidates have in common is all of them oppose a Palestinian state, and none of them stand for any meaningful opposition to the ongoing genocide in Gaza or the escalating apartheid driven takeover of the West Bank.
Haifa-based lawyer Diana Buttu said this yesterday:
"“…this election is not a referendum on genocide, nor is it a referendum on the mythical “two- state solution.” This is a contest about who is going to be tougher with Palestinians, and (Syrians, Lebanese, Iranians, Qataris, you name it and, as always), Palestinians are in the crosshairs of these candidates. This is why the division of “Netanyahu bloc” versus “anti-Netanyahu bloc” makes absolutely no sense, for the “solutions” being offered look remarkably identical; and none of them envision Palestinians living in our homeland.”"
For the 5 million + Palestinians living under occupation, who of course have no say whatsoever in who will become the next PM, the options range from bad to worse.
" The benign use of “settler” soft-pedals the depravity of those trying to drive Palestinians from the region in an effort to ethnically cleanse the territory."
I am still horrified by the attack of October 7, especially the death of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
But the reaction has been disproportionate and relentlessly, recklessly cruel and criminal.
Israel is ruining its reputation (a la Trump's fascist states of America), and needs a reset. I hope they vote Netanyahu, the war criminal, out, and someone more moderate in.
No tears shed for the horrible Netanyahu of course - with hope he will lose and finally face the corruption charges he deserves...but there are no 'moderates' in contention for PM when it comes to justice or sovereignty for the Palestinian people.
Netanyahu's strongest challenger Gadi Eisenkot said last summer that “there is no Palestinian state, and in the government we will form, no Palestinian state will arise". The supposed 'left-wing' challenger Yair Golan said 'talking about a Palestinian state is destructive'.
And of course, several of the candidates are worse than even Netanyahu. Naftali Bennett and perennial extremist candidate Avigdor Lieberman are far to Netanyahu's right.
The Israelis have hardened their hearts to the suffering of the Palestinians. The Israeli state fundamentally opposes both the Two State and One State solution. And what Israel wants, so too does AIPAC. Which will continue to enforce its will on the US Congress.
Nothing short of a global trade and banking embargo will motivate them to even *consider* either One or Two State(s).
Not necessarily:
AI:
Parties and Candidates Supporting a Two-State Solution
• Hadash-Balad-Ta'al Alliance (Left-Wing Nationalist Alliance): This alliance of Arab-majority parties, including Hadash and the Arab Movement for Change, explicitly supports a two-state solution and the defense of Israel's Arab minority.
• The Democrats (Yair Golan): Leader Yair Golan has spoken about moving past old formulas and focuses on "civil separation and security responsibility," though he has noted that a direct leap to a traditional two-state solution faces deep trauma and skepticism following the October 7 attacks.
WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-state_solution
Indeed, LFCfan, the October 7 massacre was horrific. But the media – and much public opinion – suggests that this was the beginning of the "troubles."
The actual history of the conflict began in 1946-47 when world powers arbitrarily set aside the territory we now recognize as Israel, with no provision to accommodate people who'd lived there since the beginning of time. Israeli governments, operating on the assumption that they are "very special people," conducted a relentless campaign of abuse and persecution toward Palestinians.
We don't appreciate how it would feel if authorities appeared at our front door and said, "This house no longer belongs to you. You must vacate the premises and find some other place to live. We don't care where. Just not here."
So you set up a tent in a nearby forest and try to survive. Later, the new occupants of your former home find you camping in the forest. They beat you and your family and set your tent on fire. You become homeless with no place to go and no one to turn to.
Hamas would not exist if Israelis hadn't terrorized Palestinians for generations.
Thank you! The word "settler" is laughably dismissive and doesn't begin to describe the scorched earth and genocide perpetrated on the Palestinians! The only purpose I can see of using that description is appeasement!
Time to stop talking. Israelis and Palestinians deserve their own sovereign land.
A two state solution is the only. possible peaceful solution. All nations should stand in solidarity with this, especially the United States.
Ronni, don't expect the U.S. to alter its policy toward Israel anytime soon – or ever. While the U.S. was NOT founded as a "Christian nation," as evangelicals/Christian nationalists would have us believe, Christians have had an outsized influence on U.S. governance since the nation's founding. (see: "Blue Laws")
Christians continue to cling to statements scattered throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, aka "The Old Testament," which declare that Israel is God's favorite nation, encapsulated in Genesis 12:3. “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Funny how these alleged pro-Israel declarations by The Almighty were written by people who benefit from them.)
Consequently, the U.S. Government has carried Israel in its side pocket like a lucky rabbit's foot. No matter how heinous the Israeli government acts toward its neighbors, the U.S. continues to look the other way, sending financial support and weapons that enable Israel to continue its terrorism.
The Israeli Right would fight to the death to prevent Two States. Sadly, only a repeat of the what brought Apartheid South Africa to end its deeply racist policies will bring Israel to its senses.
Embargoing the Israelis in the W. Bank would be at most a warning shot. Only a total global embargo of Israel--or the threat thereof--will put Israel into a true time-out.
As long as the orange anti-muslim bigot remains in power nothing useful will happen. These evil attacks need to stop. I am just as offended by these as I was when I first learned about the Eastern European pogroms which drove my ancestors out of Poland.
Its murder is what it is.
Perhaps "Jewish Jihadists" would be an apt label to replace "settlers"?
U.S. values need to be defined specifically as well.
The NYT is so committed to "neutrality" that they've become the embodiment of the banality of evil in 2026. That isn't to say they perpetrate evil, but they sure do manage to report on quite a bit of it in the most gentle, sanitized way possible while also turning a blind eye to countless acts of corruption by the Trump admin in contrast to 2024 every Biden stammer or stumble was a scandal but Trump's clearly declining health and daily vile rants are not a news story at all. The US desperately needs a massive news media overhaul, we need a press that will report with moral clarity, free from the suffocating ownership of oligarchs, and undaunted by the fear of being labeled "biased" because one, like it or not the truth has a "liberal bias", and two, the far right will label them biased anyway as they do with the limp cowardly shell of the NYT of today.
Hippo, very insightful and thorough comment on MSM and yes NYT in the lead as I noted above. Thanks for your clarification and detailed argument. Chasing too much money to piss off various financial backers.....
As always, a reasoned analysis of an unreasonable situation.
I worry and fear that any opposition to what Israel or Netanyahu is doing is interpreted as anti semitism. Worse is the inspiring of anti semitism and attacks on Jewish places of worship. Then there is the insistence by some Jewish groups that any support for Palestinian suffering is anti semitism. We must keep overall support for Jewish people and their struggles completely separate from the disapproval of the action of parts of Israel.
Ironically, Palestinians are also Semites.
Netanyahu has been consistent in calling anyone that speaks against him "antisemitic", but what word would you use for the act of detaining dozens of rabbis and fellow Jews who were assisting neighboring Palestinians with the olive harvest?
Completely agree. We should also reject, forcefully, Donald Trump's ongoing campaign to turn his Jan 6th insurrectionist mob into "patriots."
Your description of the terrorist-style deliberate murder of a man peaceably harvesting olives on land owned by his ancestors for hundreds of years hit me right in the heart. It's an image that encapsulates everything wrong with Israeli policy as well as the acts of its more militant and criminal elements. Such honesty and moral witness will help us all start living in the real, not the fantasy world of automatic assumptions. Many thanks.
Absolutely terrorists. I cannot understand how a people who were so persecuted in the Holocaust can turn around and do the same to other people. A Palestinian State needs to be established.
Call it what it is. Is this policy of terrorism being influenced by the U.S. policy of using ICE to try to control immigrant populations? There’s definitely a parallel here between both the U.S. and Israel. I am in agreement that what’s happening there should not be whitewashed.
using metal batons to brutally beat Palestinians harvesting olives, and burning olive trees are acts of terror. Call these people who they are: terrorists.