Alastair Crooke posed those issues as “the elephant in the room” related to Gaza during his 9 November talk with Judge Napolitano and now repeats it in his SCF essay after disclosing the fact that Hamas is deep underground—60 meters—in their vast tunnel networks:
Response to Karl Sanchez' "Vengeance or Eschatological Rage? Both Are Genocide in Gaza"
"Most of that 40 Million are Christian-Zionists who dream of the Final Days, yet another eschatological delusion)."
They might someday be surprised to find that it isn't a delusion. Of course, it will be their Final Days, not ours. If they choose to contest the new Transhuman species, well, it will end much worse for them than it does for Captain Kirk.
As b noted at Moon of Alabama, Nasrallah said what happens on the battlefield is more important than his speech, so we can't count out a fuller intervention by Hezbollah in the coming weeks. That will finish the Israeli economy, as I've said for many years: with Hezbollah able to keep the entire Israeli population in bomb shelters 24x7 for months, the economy will evaporate. Nasrallah has to weigh the costs of the inevitable US and Israeli retaliation on Lebanon, which may sour Hezbollah's public image (allegedly already rocked by earlier events), but my guess is that will not prevent Hezbollah from acting more forcefully. The current process appears to be an incremental increase in activity, a sort of "boil the frog" approach which will increasingly hamper Israels ability to target Hamas.
Speaking of Hamas, I saw a picture over at Andrei Martyanov's site that showed a street full of destroyed Merkava tanks. Some estimates put the number lost at 100 or more during the conflict so far. Israeli casualties will quickly exceed the 2006 war with Hezbollah if that keeps up, if it hasn't already.
The stupid Israelis can't comprehend that they have to kill or move 2.3 million people. That's impossible and too time-consuming if it isn't. Only dropping several nukes could accomplish it and that would destroy Israel. And long before Israel can move or kill that many, the rest of the world will come down on them like a ton of bricks, regardless of Israel's nukes. As I've said before, Russia can take out most of those nuke launchers without even leaving the Black Sea and probably even the Israeli submarines can be tracked and sunk by Russian and Chinese, maybe even Iranian, subs.
Israel is doomed if they don't back down. Good riddance to another fanatical deluded state. Simplicius covered the disintegration of Ukraine's political structure in an article today. That war is almost over.
Nov 14, 2023·edited Nov 14, 2023Liked by Karl Sanchez
Comments on the Summit - Calls for Real Action - Scent of Betrayal
Mohammed Hassan spoke about the outcomes of the Arab and Islamic summit, saying, “Record this, oh history. In Gaza, 39 infants are dying after the hospital’s fuel has run out. The Arabs’ lands are filled with oil. We swear to God that we will not forgive you, and we will not forget this betrayal.”
“The scent of betrayal is a putrid odor wafting in every corner of the Arab world. We don’t want condemnation or denunciation; we want actions to stop the war and halt the continuous crimes of the occupation in the Gaza Strip for the past 36 days,” said Talal Al-Taweel.
“Gaza needs an end to the war, not words,” expressed author, Hassan Al-Qatrawi.
Rafeef Aziz said, “The Shifa Hospital has patients, wounded, medical staff, and displaced people. There are 39 infants who will die (three have already died – PC) in the neonatal intensive care unit. What are you waiting for, Arabs? Move immediately to stop the aggression. Please, move.”
Shadi Abu Dia called on the people of Gaza, saying, “Don’t rely on anyone but Allah. We expected this from the Arab summit, people whose righteousness is not hoped for. We are tired of words of condemnation. Indeed, no good is expected from this summit.”
Ibada Mohammed said, “Adhering to resistance, relying on it, and bearing arms against the occupation to defend Gaza is better than all the Arab summits, which have produced nothing but statements of condemnation and denunciation.”
Alaa Madoukh, sarcastically, said, “As we expected, the Arab summit resulted in only words. All talk that means nothing to the people of Gaza. We’re tired of words. We want actions, Arabs, move, Muslims, move.”
Omeima Al-Ghaseen described the Arab summit by saying, “This is a pit, not a summit. Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs. Damn everyone who betrayed the people of Gaza, leaving them alone for 36 years under bombardment and destruction.”
Bear in miind that the Resistance forces are all, largely, enemies of the Arab governments: Hamas of Sissi for example and Hezbollah of the Sunni politicians in Lebanon financed by the Gulf states.
The divide between Shiah and the regimes of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, for example, and the ongoing war against Ansrullah in Yemen-in which Britain, the US the UAE and the Saudis are allied against 'the Houthis" are still important factors in meetings of the Arab states.
Much of this sectarianism seems to be dying down but the wounds are open and, daily, exacerbated.
Of course one of the effects of Gaza is to break down the sectarian divide which plays into the hands of imperialism but facts are facts. And there are still RAF technicians looking after Saudi planes flying over Yemen. There are active bases in Bahrain and Qatar from which US forces operate in support of Israel. Turkey is still active in Syria supporting wahhabi terrorist militias which are probably still financed by the people behind the attempt to dethrone Assad/
There may, as Crooke suggests, be other reasons for the 'restraint' (LOL) of the Arab League but one of the sets of reasons lies in the unfinished feuds in places like Bahrain and Arabia's eastern gulf province.
Agreed. One of the coups won by Chinese and Russian diplomacy was stopping the feud. Yes, it will take time and peaceful coexistence with each other for several generations to begin to sink into their cultures. But IMO they finally realize that they'll just get used like EU/NATO vassals and never really be free--the threat to sovereignty for every nation is the Outlaw US Empire. And Russia/China say that's the #1 principle.
Nov 14, 2023·edited Nov 14, 2023Liked by Karl Sanchez
It's a moment of clarity that will be remembered, if not in the "first-class" portions of the West, but everywhere else. And most Israelis will probably regret it.
Regarding Hamas, the basic fraud is that Netanyahu etc are not trying to eliminate Hamas and the idea of Palestinian armed struggle to reclaim land, for which Hamas and its predecessors stand. To try to stop that would require politics, not brutality. Something that existed briefly and in half assed form in the 90s and died with Rabin.
Instead the Israeli gov has since Netanyahu's first rise to power been trying, and now doing at a radically accelerated pace, to physically reduce the Arab population within the borders they wish for Israel.
Presumably, the sane Israeli Jews will wake up from this madness sooner or later, realize what happened, and slowly make their way back to the US or wherever is safe from what will likely be a return of antisemitism, rather than wait for the eventual backlash or repeat of the cycle. Tho their departure will only make the remainder more radical, proportionally speaking.
The whole thing is 100% enabled by the gutless US administration and uniparty in Congress. As usual capable only of breaking things.
Netanyahu is a Zionist to his core and wants the Genocide as does 86% of the occupiers according to a poll Crooke cited in his talk with Napolitano. Yes, 86% want Genocide! That's where the problem lies--with the Cult.
Crooke is right about one important thing: this long drawn out, utterly obscene and completely indefensible action is going to change the Middle East entirely.
As Asad abu khalil writes, in a piece at Consortium News today, the inaction of Arab governments is discrediting them and putting them in the position of deciding not whether they want to act but whether they want to go to war against their own people or break their relative silence over Gaza.
And that applies to Turkey too-in spades. Not to mention the Pakistanis and Azeris.
Crooke told Napolitano that the Arab/Islamic governments were allowing the Resistance Alliance to handle the escalatory function because the goal is not to involve and of the national governments in this conflict. And that answers what is seen/interpreted as aloofness. And it all makes perfect sense.
Wondering if the aiding and abetting of the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza will finally put Blinken's head on the block. He deserved that for Ukraine alone.
I think, james, that Crooke's poll showed that 86% of Israeli Jews supported the genocide. To be clear they may or may not be zionists, most Jews aren't ; many Israelis aren't either. And I doubt whether non -jewish Israelis were included in the polling.
The entire exercise gives one a sense of what a weird place we are dealing with in terms of multiple layers of residency.citizenship.
Small wonder Modi admires the place: it is developing a new caste system as we watch. Next will come an hierarchy of deities.
well, in fairness to the ordinary person who lives in israel - jewish or otherwise - i am sure the same could be said of westerners supporting the war against russia too... the problem here is the proliferation of propaganda and how powerful it is at influencing people to make all the wrong choices... the stories of babies with their heads chopped off and etc. etc - had the intended effect, in spite of it being fiction..
thanks karl... there is a difference between nazis and germans, just like there is a difference between zionists and jews.. i think it's important to keep this in mind as we move forward - if we do move forward - from this huge tragedy and death like spiral happening presently.. usa and many of the same nato friends who have continuously thrown fire on the ukraine dynamic, are missing in action when it calls for their attention here.. in fact, they don't have any backbone to stand up to israel and offer this lame, or as you say - sordid excuse - israels right to self defence... self destruct is more like it.. they can't continue in this way.. and now i will read diana's link down below..
Agree with your premise. However, Crooke today cited a poll saying that 86% of Zionists are for the Genocide. In other words, there isn't much if any sort of counterparty to the Genocidalists. As I've opined before, this is going to rip apart Metaphysics as modern morality cannot and will not accept Genocide in the name of religion or for any other reason. I see that at some future point I'll need to write on that topic.
well, is israel being run by jews, or zionists? it seems to me they are being run by zionists and it is important to note the difference... this is a fanatic cult and anyone with a shred of detachment needs to be running in the opposite direction... i welcome you writing on any of this.. thanks..
Problem is they don't run in the opposite direction. As I and others have said, people get the government they deserve. As we anarchists say, if you vote for either party in an election, you're responsible for what they do. Only we anarchists can complain about the results. So everyone in Israel who voted for the current regime is responsible for the genocide taking place. And if Israel goes down, they're going to bear the consequences. As William S. Burroughs said, "Wars are fought to be won, and this is what happens when you lose."
Good assessment Karl. I think we are really at an inflection point and nothing will ever be the same again. The blatant Western support for this Genocide and the weak efforts to stop it, has caused the scales to fall from a huge number of eyes all over the Globe. I couldn't imagine this ever happening, but here we are, the Western leadership caught in the dungeon with the bloody whip in their hand while Netanyahu pulls out the fingernails. It can't be unseen and is a massive shock to a lot of people. The Western leaderships' credibility is in tatters.
Thanks Karl! I too applaud your personal commentary on the leaders and diplomats/ experts that you call our attention to. This post dovetails in several ways with the Michael Hudson interview by Ben Norton posted this morning over at Naked Capitalism (YouTube AND transcript). Hudson cites historical precedent in Palestine going back to the 10th century but more pointedly makes the case that Israel is our “enforcer” of unipolar hegemony for that region. Biden has claimed (for much of his career in “the Swamp”) that “if we didn’t have Israel we’d have to create it” and “best $3billion (per year) that we spend.” Pepe Escobar very astutely called the West Asia/ Middle East region “Pipelinistan” and Hudson noted that the Unipolar faction of the Swamp envisions a pipeline route running through Gaza on its way to markets in Europe. Coincidentally there are also apparently significant gas/oil fields off the Gazan coast. Tragically for the Palestinians, they are slated to be “assimilated” by the Israeli “Borg” (resistance is futile) - once that happens, mineral rights will pass to Israel (curious how players in the “oil patch” are very respectful of ‘mineral rights’ - honor among thieves?) To summarize, “It’s all about the “Benjamin’s”! My deepest condolences and prayers for the victims and their loved ones.
I think the nub of your analysis is correct, in that almost whatever happens now, Israel is losing this war. The current actions are creating massive long term problems for Israel. Though I would advise against emotional language, albeit it is hard not to. However this war is a foreign policy disaster for Israel and the USA.
I was at a dinner party last night with various people holding different views. I explained that I thought Israel's actions were both counter-productive and also war crimes - amounting to ethnic cleansing. I was challenged on this. What should Israel have done I was asked. Nothing I said. Reinforced the border and issue a statement that the perpetrators of terrorism would be dealt with in good time (eg the Munich kidnappers). Mass bombing of a crowded civillian area is no answer. Restraint is the mark of a civilised country (Russia in Ukraine).
There was also a disagreement over my assertion that Bibi was under political pressure and might have found himself in jail had the attack not strengthened his position. They had not read about this so simply did not believe it. Really, having discussions with people is increasingly futile. Most otherwise very intelligent people in the West are seriously under informed and prefer it that way.
Your experience puts forth a critical fact--the ignorance within the West thanks mainly to the constant propaganda and false Establishment Narrative people are fed. Alternative sources do exist but they are hard to find thanks to Western Tech companies deliberate suppression. Fortunately, the Global Majority isn't hindered nearly as much as the West is, while it learned much from listening to a very patient Russia explain what was being done to it and why it reacted as it did. Do recall that Genocide was being attempted in Donbass, and stopping it was the primary political reason Russia finally acted. I wrote about those 2021 discussions and closely followed all the events that led to the SMO's launch. I have no idea the number of alternative views being offered by substack writers, but it's substantial and growing daily.
I should try to remember to avoid talking politics over dinner and when I have had too much wine. Hard to keep my mouth shut when others are talking rot. The wife hates it. My pals like me but think I am a bit of a lunatic when it comes to this stuff. We will in the end see who is wearing the tin foil hat, though I suspect the narrative will be geared to explaining why "Ukraine really won" and "Israel was completely justified in ethnic cleansing". Make 'em all feel better. Human capacity for cognitive dissonance seems unlimited.
Hi Karl,
I thought your reading audience might like more information on the boycott of Israel. https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide
Thanks much for that contribution, Diana!
My pleasure. It's something we can all do in a time when so many of us feel powerless. Happy to share.
Response to Karl Sanchez' "Vengeance or Eschatological Rage? Both Are Genocide in Gaza"
"Most of that 40 Million are Christian-Zionists who dream of the Final Days, yet another eschatological delusion)."
They might someday be surprised to find that it isn't a delusion. Of course, it will be their Final Days, not ours. If they choose to contest the new Transhuman species, well, it will end much worse for them than it does for Captain Kirk.
As b noted at Moon of Alabama, Nasrallah said what happens on the battlefield is more important than his speech, so we can't count out a fuller intervention by Hezbollah in the coming weeks. That will finish the Israeli economy, as I've said for many years: with Hezbollah able to keep the entire Israeli population in bomb shelters 24x7 for months, the economy will evaporate. Nasrallah has to weigh the costs of the inevitable US and Israeli retaliation on Lebanon, which may sour Hezbollah's public image (allegedly already rocked by earlier events), but my guess is that will not prevent Hezbollah from acting more forcefully. The current process appears to be an incremental increase in activity, a sort of "boil the frog" approach which will increasingly hamper Israels ability to target Hamas.
Speaking of Hamas, I saw a picture over at Andrei Martyanov's site that showed a street full of destroyed Merkava tanks. Some estimates put the number lost at 100 or more during the conflict so far. Israeli casualties will quickly exceed the 2006 war with Hezbollah if that keeps up, if it hasn't already.
The stupid Israelis can't comprehend that they have to kill or move 2.3 million people. That's impossible and too time-consuming if it isn't. Only dropping several nukes could accomplish it and that would destroy Israel. And long before Israel can move or kill that many, the rest of the world will come down on them like a ton of bricks, regardless of Israel's nukes. As I've said before, Russia can take out most of those nuke launchers without even leaving the Black Sea and probably even the Israeli submarines can be tracked and sunk by Russian and Chinese, maybe even Iranian, subs.
Israel is doomed if they don't back down. Good riddance to another fanatical deluded state. Simplicius covered the disintegration of Ukraine's political structure in an article today. That war is almost over.
Comments on the Summit - Calls for Real Action - Scent of Betrayal
Mohammed Hassan spoke about the outcomes of the Arab and Islamic summit, saying, “Record this, oh history. In Gaza, 39 infants are dying after the hospital’s fuel has run out. The Arabs’ lands are filled with oil. We swear to God that we will not forgive you, and we will not forget this betrayal.”
“The scent of betrayal is a putrid odor wafting in every corner of the Arab world. We don’t want condemnation or denunciation; we want actions to stop the war and halt the continuous crimes of the occupation in the Gaza Strip for the past 36 days,” said Talal Al-Taweel.
“Gaza needs an end to the war, not words,” expressed author, Hassan Al-Qatrawi.
Rafeef Aziz said, “The Shifa Hospital has patients, wounded, medical staff, and displaced people. There are 39 infants who will die (three have already died – PC) in the neonatal intensive care unit. What are you waiting for, Arabs? Move immediately to stop the aggression. Please, move.”
Shadi Abu Dia called on the people of Gaza, saying, “Don’t rely on anyone but Allah. We expected this from the Arab summit, people whose righteousness is not hoped for. We are tired of words of condemnation. Indeed, no good is expected from this summit.”
Ibada Mohammed said, “Adhering to resistance, relying on it, and bearing arms against the occupation to defend Gaza is better than all the Arab summits, which have produced nothing but statements of condemnation and denunciation.”
Alaa Madoukh, sarcastically, said, “As we expected, the Arab summit resulted in only words. All talk that means nothing to the people of Gaza. We’re tired of words. We want actions, Arabs, move, Muslims, move.”
Omeima Al-Ghaseen described the Arab summit by saying, “This is a pit, not a summit. Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs. Damn everyone who betrayed the people of Gaza, leaving them alone for 36 years under bombardment and destruction.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/its-not-a-summit-its-a-pit-residents-of-gaza-scoff-at-arab-summit/
I've decided there is nothing I can say myself that is worthy enough anymore.
Bear in miind that the Resistance forces are all, largely, enemies of the Arab governments: Hamas of Sissi for example and Hezbollah of the Sunni politicians in Lebanon financed by the Gulf states.
The divide between Shiah and the regimes of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, for example, and the ongoing war against Ansrullah in Yemen-in which Britain, the US the UAE and the Saudis are allied against 'the Houthis" are still important factors in meetings of the Arab states.
Much of this sectarianism seems to be dying down but the wounds are open and, daily, exacerbated.
Of course one of the effects of Gaza is to break down the sectarian divide which plays into the hands of imperialism but facts are facts. And there are still RAF technicians looking after Saudi planes flying over Yemen. There are active bases in Bahrain and Qatar from which US forces operate in support of Israel. Turkey is still active in Syria supporting wahhabi terrorist militias which are probably still financed by the people behind the attempt to dethrone Assad/
There may, as Crooke suggests, be other reasons for the 'restraint' (LOL) of the Arab League but one of the sets of reasons lies in the unfinished feuds in places like Bahrain and Arabia's eastern gulf province.
Agreed. One of the coups won by Chinese and Russian diplomacy was stopping the feud. Yes, it will take time and peaceful coexistence with each other for several generations to begin to sink into their cultures. But IMO they finally realize that they'll just get used like EU/NATO vassals and never really be free--the threat to sovereignty for every nation is the Outlaw US Empire. And Russia/China say that's the #1 principle.
It's a moment of clarity that will be remembered, if not in the "first-class" portions of the West, but everywhere else. And most Israelis will probably regret it.
Regarding Hamas, the basic fraud is that Netanyahu etc are not trying to eliminate Hamas and the idea of Palestinian armed struggle to reclaim land, for which Hamas and its predecessors stand. To try to stop that would require politics, not brutality. Something that existed briefly and in half assed form in the 90s and died with Rabin.
Instead the Israeli gov has since Netanyahu's first rise to power been trying, and now doing at a radically accelerated pace, to physically reduce the Arab population within the borders they wish for Israel.
Presumably, the sane Israeli Jews will wake up from this madness sooner or later, realize what happened, and slowly make their way back to the US or wherever is safe from what will likely be a return of antisemitism, rather than wait for the eventual backlash or repeat of the cycle. Tho their departure will only make the remainder more radical, proportionally speaking.
The whole thing is 100% enabled by the gutless US administration and uniparty in Congress. As usual capable only of breaking things.
Netanyahu is a Zionist to his core and wants the Genocide as does 86% of the occupiers according to a poll Crooke cited in his talk with Napolitano. Yes, 86% want Genocide! That's where the problem lies--with the Cult.
100 so called doctors, citizens of the Zionist entity, signed a letter calling for Gaza hospitals to be bombed.
Hippocratic Oath be damned. More like Hypocritical.
They are unhinged, mentally ill, inbred sub-human sewer waste.
The propaganda is working, unfortunately :-(
Crooke is right about one important thing: this long drawn out, utterly obscene and completely indefensible action is going to change the Middle East entirely.
As Asad abu khalil writes, in a piece at Consortium News today, the inaction of Arab governments is discrediting them and putting them in the position of deciding not whether they want to act but whether they want to go to war against their own people or break their relative silence over Gaza.
And that applies to Turkey too-in spades. Not to mention the Pakistanis and Azeris.
Crooke told Napolitano that the Arab/Islamic governments were allowing the Resistance Alliance to handle the escalatory function because the goal is not to involve and of the national governments in this conflict. And that answers what is seen/interpreted as aloofness. And it all makes perfect sense.
Wondering if the aiding and abetting of the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza will finally put Blinken's head on the block. He deserved that for Ukraine alone.
I think, james, that Crooke's poll showed that 86% of Israeli Jews supported the genocide. To be clear they may or may not be zionists, most Jews aren't ; many Israelis aren't either. And I doubt whether non -jewish Israelis were included in the polling.
The entire exercise gives one a sense of what a weird place we are dealing with in terms of multiple layers of residency.citizenship.
Small wonder Modi admires the place: it is developing a new caste system as we watch. Next will come an hierarchy of deities.
well, in fairness to the ordinary person who lives in israel - jewish or otherwise - i am sure the same could be said of westerners supporting the war against russia too... the problem here is the proliferation of propaganda and how powerful it is at influencing people to make all the wrong choices... the stories of babies with their heads chopped off and etc. etc - had the intended effect, in spite of it being fiction..
thanks karl... there is a difference between nazis and germans, just like there is a difference between zionists and jews.. i think it's important to keep this in mind as we move forward - if we do move forward - from this huge tragedy and death like spiral happening presently.. usa and many of the same nato friends who have continuously thrown fire on the ukraine dynamic, are missing in action when it calls for their attention here.. in fact, they don't have any backbone to stand up to israel and offer this lame, or as you say - sordid excuse - israels right to self defence... self destruct is more like it.. they can't continue in this way.. and now i will read diana's link down below..
Agree with your premise. However, Crooke today cited a poll saying that 86% of Zionists are for the Genocide. In other words, there isn't much if any sort of counterparty to the Genocidalists. As I've opined before, this is going to rip apart Metaphysics as modern morality cannot and will not accept Genocide in the name of religion or for any other reason. I see that at some future point I'll need to write on that topic.
well, is israel being run by jews, or zionists? it seems to me they are being run by zionists and it is important to note the difference... this is a fanatic cult and anyone with a shred of detachment needs to be running in the opposite direction... i welcome you writing on any of this.. thanks..
Problem is they don't run in the opposite direction. As I and others have said, people get the government they deserve. As we anarchists say, if you vote for either party in an election, you're responsible for what they do. Only we anarchists can complain about the results. So everyone in Israel who voted for the current regime is responsible for the genocide taking place. And if Israel goes down, they're going to bear the consequences. As William S. Burroughs said, "Wars are fought to be won, and this is what happens when you lose."
very true richard.. i appreciate your insights...
Good assessment Karl. I think we are really at an inflection point and nothing will ever be the same again. The blatant Western support for this Genocide and the weak efforts to stop it, has caused the scales to fall from a huge number of eyes all over the Globe. I couldn't imagine this ever happening, but here we are, the Western leadership caught in the dungeon with the bloody whip in their hand while Netanyahu pulls out the fingernails. It can't be unseen and is a massive shock to a lot of people. The Western leaderships' credibility is in tatters.
Thanks Karl! I too applaud your personal commentary on the leaders and diplomats/ experts that you call our attention to. This post dovetails in several ways with the Michael Hudson interview by Ben Norton posted this morning over at Naked Capitalism (YouTube AND transcript). Hudson cites historical precedent in Palestine going back to the 10th century but more pointedly makes the case that Israel is our “enforcer” of unipolar hegemony for that region. Biden has claimed (for much of his career in “the Swamp”) that “if we didn’t have Israel we’d have to create it” and “best $3billion (per year) that we spend.” Pepe Escobar very astutely called the West Asia/ Middle East region “Pipelinistan” and Hudson noted that the Unipolar faction of the Swamp envisions a pipeline route running through Gaza on its way to markets in Europe. Coincidentally there are also apparently significant gas/oil fields off the Gazan coast. Tragically for the Palestinians, they are slated to be “assimilated” by the Israeli “Borg” (resistance is futile) - once that happens, mineral rights will pass to Israel (curious how players in the “oil patch” are very respectful of ‘mineral rights’ - honor among thieves?) To summarize, “It’s all about the “Benjamin’s”! My deepest condolences and prayers for the victims and their loved ones.
Your best article to date. I liked drawing in numerous sources with your own commentary rather than simply block quoting an event.
Thanks. This differs from the transcript translations that are primary source documents.
I think the nub of your analysis is correct, in that almost whatever happens now, Israel is losing this war. The current actions are creating massive long term problems for Israel. Though I would advise against emotional language, albeit it is hard not to. However this war is a foreign policy disaster for Israel and the USA.
I was at a dinner party last night with various people holding different views. I explained that I thought Israel's actions were both counter-productive and also war crimes - amounting to ethnic cleansing. I was challenged on this. What should Israel have done I was asked. Nothing I said. Reinforced the border and issue a statement that the perpetrators of terrorism would be dealt with in good time (eg the Munich kidnappers). Mass bombing of a crowded civillian area is no answer. Restraint is the mark of a civilised country (Russia in Ukraine).
There was also a disagreement over my assertion that Bibi was under political pressure and might have found himself in jail had the attack not strengthened his position. They had not read about this so simply did not believe it. Really, having discussions with people is increasingly futile. Most otherwise very intelligent people in the West are seriously under informed and prefer it that way.
Oh, and they did not think that Ukraine had a Nazi issue either.
Your experience puts forth a critical fact--the ignorance within the West thanks mainly to the constant propaganda and false Establishment Narrative people are fed. Alternative sources do exist but they are hard to find thanks to Western Tech companies deliberate suppression. Fortunately, the Global Majority isn't hindered nearly as much as the West is, while it learned much from listening to a very patient Russia explain what was being done to it and why it reacted as it did. Do recall that Genocide was being attempted in Donbass, and stopping it was the primary political reason Russia finally acted. I wrote about those 2021 discussions and closely followed all the events that led to the SMO's launch. I have no idea the number of alternative views being offered by substack writers, but it's substantial and growing daily.
I should try to remember to avoid talking politics over dinner and when I have had too much wine. Hard to keep my mouth shut when others are talking rot. The wife hates it. My pals like me but think I am a bit of a lunatic when it comes to this stuff. We will in the end see who is wearing the tin foil hat, though I suspect the narrative will be geared to explaining why "Ukraine really won" and "Israel was completely justified in ethnic cleansing". Make 'em all feel better. Human capacity for cognitive dissonance seems unlimited.
You'll like what I just published.
Seymour Hersh just published his latest report: https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/hamass-alamo - I really wonder in what universe he is living? Thank you, Karl, for your reporting.
Excellent. Thank you.