NYTimes reports Palestinians can't find proof Israel bombed the hospital. What a perverse description of Hamas's Reichstag fire. In the meantime, the Philadelphia Inquirer, with an AP article, and the Los Angeles Times use Al Jazeera photos that show the errant missile and its Palestinian source. Why did Al Jazeera take so long, and why isn't this front-page news everywhere? The media are addicted to Hamas PR and can't shake their perspective.
I was surprised and dismayed at President Biden's trip to Israel and his declaration of being on their side. Much as I have supported Biden, I think this may be a crucial mistake. Did we learn nothing from involving the U.S. in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan (and many other overseas battles)? The U.S. is not the world's police agency. We are not the "leader of the free world" (a mythical position at best).
This is certainly not to support HAMAS either. Unlike our former president's declaration "There are good people on both sides!", this is a case of "There are bad people on both sides" and the best thing the U.S. can do is stay on the sidelines. Unlike Ukraine where one country has suddenly decided to infringe and take over another independent country (and thus may be worthy of worldwide support), the Palestinian/Israel conflict is not our fight. One might say it's been going on for more than 7 decades with an awful lot of encroachment and abuse by one of the parties. In fact, if I were a Palestinian "freedom fighter" I might point out that the Israelites (not Israel) have been plundering the Levant for 4,000 years. Just ask the Midianites of ancient times (Numbers 31) how they felt about being massacred, or the mothers of first-born Egyptians by order of Moses.
Either way, the U.S. has nothing to gain and everything to lose by involving itself in another war that simply cannot be won.
Biden was very clear that his support was for Israel vs Hamas, not Israel vs Palestine.
Hamas terrorists have zero interest in the citizens they govern...the funds they receive are used to buy weapons, enrich their leaders, and recruit new terrorists. The massacre of Israelis had nothing to do with Palestinian resistance.
Israel has been a strategic ally of the US, and a bulwark on the Middle East. This long-standing relationship is crucial to US interests, notwithstanding its current corruption autocratic regime.
The US does not have the luxury of standing on the sidelines.
Biden's team has worked through diplomatic channels at lightning speed to get hostages released, open a humanitarian corridor, and marshall talks with Arab state leaders.
Israel's scorched earth response is a humanitarian tragedy, but a cease-fire is impossible with those that seek the destruction of the Jewish state (literally Hamas' charter). Even now, Hamas continues to send missiles into Israel, while holding hundreds of hostages.
There are no easy answers or quick solutions.
Biden doesn't possess a magic wand to impose a cease-fire or to provide undefined "security guarantees". A 2-state solution is waved around but it's been a mythical unicorn for decades.
So, what is the answer? If we refuse to provide funds to Israel, it would face attacks from all sides. That's untenable. Hamas cannot be reasoned with. Even if a cease-fire were an option, who represents the Palestinian people? Hamas.
The only hope is that worldwide pressure on Netanyahu will stave off a continuation of his worst instincts, while pressure on Hamas will weaken it so that some type of permanent solution can be found.
It's sickening to witness innocent Palestinians caught in a nightmare caused by unelected terrorist leaders and exacerbated by a corrupt autocrat in Netanyahu. Israel is not Netanyahu, and Palestine is not Hamas.
Excellent points. You're right, Biden supported Israel v HAMAS. I should have been clearer. But as some folks say, this could be seen more like a prison riot than a terrorist operation. If you've been oppressed for decades with your land being taken week by week (much as Native Americans witnessed their lands taken with "Manifest Destiny" or Black neighborhoods in LA) one might see this as a people's revolt against colonializing oppressors.
Problem is, there's probably no reasoning with HAMAS.
As we agree, there are no easy answers. But siding with Bibi is not part of the solution...telling him we have his back and hugging him on a special mission to Israel.
Now, offering whatever humanitarian aid we can is undoubtedly a good step.
IMHO a "two-state solution" is what we all ought to be striving for.. Get rid of HAMAS (somehow) and let the Palestinians have a secure geography. Yeah, efforts have been made over the years, but that doesn't mean we give up and "side with Israel."
Hamas didnt attack Israel because of Palestinian oppression. They attacked because they believe the Jewish state should be eliminated. The form of the attack was deliberately intended to evoke memories of the Holocaust.
The Palestinian people have a legitimate claim to oppression with few friends, a totalitarian regime, and endless aggression from the Netanyahu government.
Biden understands that no one can stop Netanyahu, hence his strategy of public support and private diplomacy. Right now, the crazed right-wingers that Netanyahu embraced to regain power are in a runaway car with no steering.
Biden is trying to prevent a regional war, support innocent Palestinian citizens, limit casualties, support the destruction of Hamas, and continue almost a century of alliance with Israel. It's an impossible position.
We all hope that the stakes are so high this time, and blame of Netanyahu's administration is so pervasive that a peaceful solution will be found that's eluded great minds for decades.
Agreed, sort of. HAMAS apparently sees itself as the militant arm of oppressed Palestinians. But the bigger point is that they're "not good."
My point is that it's not up to the Biden or the U.S to prevent a regional war. We've tried intervening (for various reasons) in the Middle East and southeast Asia, Afghanistan and elsewhere and never with a true "win." All that makes us no better than other "interveners" (and surreptitious economic colonizers) who always have their spoken and unspoken "reasons." As you say, though, it's an impossible position. We're certainly aligned in that regard.
I would love to see the U.S. and other U.N. countries working out how to broker a long-term solution...not hugging Netanyahu and then saying, in effect, "Oh but we're just here to help."
Does anyone think that the education kids got from Hamas, and at the schools of the ultra orthodox in Israel had any thing to da with what's been goin on there?
I always appreciate your compilation, and your appreciation of nuance. Thank you, Dave!
NYTimes reports Palestinians can't find proof Israel bombed the hospital. What a perverse description of Hamas's Reichstag fire. In the meantime, the Philadelphia Inquirer, with an AP article, and the Los Angeles Times use Al Jazeera photos that show the errant missile and its Palestinian source. Why did Al Jazeera take so long, and why isn't this front-page news everywhere? The media are addicted to Hamas PR and can't shake their perspective.
I've left my leaves in the yard each Fall for years. They get mulched by the mower in the Spring. No harm done.
I was surprised and dismayed at President Biden's trip to Israel and his declaration of being on their side. Much as I have supported Biden, I think this may be a crucial mistake. Did we learn nothing from involving the U.S. in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan (and many other overseas battles)? The U.S. is not the world's police agency. We are not the "leader of the free world" (a mythical position at best).
This is certainly not to support HAMAS either. Unlike our former president's declaration "There are good people on both sides!", this is a case of "There are bad people on both sides" and the best thing the U.S. can do is stay on the sidelines. Unlike Ukraine where one country has suddenly decided to infringe and take over another independent country (and thus may be worthy of worldwide support), the Palestinian/Israel conflict is not our fight. One might say it's been going on for more than 7 decades with an awful lot of encroachment and abuse by one of the parties. In fact, if I were a Palestinian "freedom fighter" I might point out that the Israelites (not Israel) have been plundering the Levant for 4,000 years. Just ask the Midianites of ancient times (Numbers 31) how they felt about being massacred, or the mothers of first-born Egyptians by order of Moses.
Either way, the U.S. has nothing to gain and everything to lose by involving itself in another war that simply cannot be won.
Biden was very clear that his support was for Israel vs Hamas, not Israel vs Palestine.
Hamas terrorists have zero interest in the citizens they govern...the funds they receive are used to buy weapons, enrich their leaders, and recruit new terrorists. The massacre of Israelis had nothing to do with Palestinian resistance.
Israel has been a strategic ally of the US, and a bulwark on the Middle East. This long-standing relationship is crucial to US interests, notwithstanding its current corruption autocratic regime.
The US does not have the luxury of standing on the sidelines.
Biden's team has worked through diplomatic channels at lightning speed to get hostages released, open a humanitarian corridor, and marshall talks with Arab state leaders.
Israel's scorched earth response is a humanitarian tragedy, but a cease-fire is impossible with those that seek the destruction of the Jewish state (literally Hamas' charter). Even now, Hamas continues to send missiles into Israel, while holding hundreds of hostages.
There are no easy answers or quick solutions.
Biden doesn't possess a magic wand to impose a cease-fire or to provide undefined "security guarantees". A 2-state solution is waved around but it's been a mythical unicorn for decades.
So, what is the answer? If we refuse to provide funds to Israel, it would face attacks from all sides. That's untenable. Hamas cannot be reasoned with. Even if a cease-fire were an option, who represents the Palestinian people? Hamas.
The only hope is that worldwide pressure on Netanyahu will stave off a continuation of his worst instincts, while pressure on Hamas will weaken it so that some type of permanent solution can be found.
It's sickening to witness innocent Palestinians caught in a nightmare caused by unelected terrorist leaders and exacerbated by a corrupt autocrat in Netanyahu. Israel is not Netanyahu, and Palestine is not Hamas.
Excellent points. You're right, Biden supported Israel v HAMAS. I should have been clearer. But as some folks say, this could be seen more like a prison riot than a terrorist operation. If you've been oppressed for decades with your land being taken week by week (much as Native Americans witnessed their lands taken with "Manifest Destiny" or Black neighborhoods in LA) one might see this as a people's revolt against colonializing oppressors.
Problem is, there's probably no reasoning with HAMAS.
As we agree, there are no easy answers. But siding with Bibi is not part of the solution...telling him we have his back and hugging him on a special mission to Israel.
Now, offering whatever humanitarian aid we can is undoubtedly a good step.
IMHO a "two-state solution" is what we all ought to be striving for.. Get rid of HAMAS (somehow) and let the Palestinians have a secure geography. Yeah, efforts have been made over the years, but that doesn't mean we give up and "side with Israel."
A few thoughts.
Hamas didnt attack Israel because of Palestinian oppression. They attacked because they believe the Jewish state should be eliminated. The form of the attack was deliberately intended to evoke memories of the Holocaust.
The Palestinian people have a legitimate claim to oppression with few friends, a totalitarian regime, and endless aggression from the Netanyahu government.
Biden understands that no one can stop Netanyahu, hence his strategy of public support and private diplomacy. Right now, the crazed right-wingers that Netanyahu embraced to regain power are in a runaway car with no steering.
Biden is trying to prevent a regional war, support innocent Palestinian citizens, limit casualties, support the destruction of Hamas, and continue almost a century of alliance with Israel. It's an impossible position.
We all hope that the stakes are so high this time, and blame of Netanyahu's administration is so pervasive that a peaceful solution will be found that's eluded great minds for decades.
Agreed, sort of. HAMAS apparently sees itself as the militant arm of oppressed Palestinians. But the bigger point is that they're "not good."
My point is that it's not up to the Biden or the U.S to prevent a regional war. We've tried intervening (for various reasons) in the Middle East and southeast Asia, Afghanistan and elsewhere and never with a true "win." All that makes us no better than other "interveners" (and surreptitious economic colonizers) who always have their spoken and unspoken "reasons." As you say, though, it's an impossible position. We're certainly aligned in that regard.
I would love to see the U.S. and other U.N. countries working out how to broker a long-term solution...not hugging Netanyahu and then saying, in effect, "Oh but we're just here to help."
Does anyone think that the education kids got from Hamas, and at the schools of the ultra orthodox in Israel had any thing to da with what's been goin on there?
Does anyone think that the education kids get in the Red States leads to the results of the people whom they elect?