I KNOW you don’t care to hear this, but many Americans will be proud to receive Bibi, and interested to hear whatever he has to say. That’s all. You can all get back to enjoying your echo chamber now.
I just finished emailing Minority Leader Jeffries and Majority Leader Schumer to protest their extending to that individual of brutal orientation and doubtful character the privilege of appearing before OUR Congress. I also left the same message by phone with my Congressperson; I very much doubt my missive to her office will move her much, but hey, let 'em have it!
Absolutely *disgusted* at all of these people inviting the man who orchestrated a genocide to speak before congress. Especially Hakeem Jeffries - good luck getting reelected bro. 😒
They’re basically saying ‘come inundate us with propaganda to our faces please’. 🫠
I think what really gets me about Israel’s statement is ‘the destruction of Hamas’ military…’
In what other “war” does one side get to *completely obliterate* the ENTIRE country and army?
And also I am extremely interested in (and terrified of) exactly what a “non threatening” Gazan population would look like to the Zionist regime. 🫣 I don’t think it exists - I think that zionists are so islamophobic that the subtext is ‘once Gaza is destroyed, and all the people in it, we’ll “feel safe”’. I just have no words anymore for all of this except evil. The empire is evil.
I agree with you and suspect this whole invite Natalie you gambit originated as another GOP divide and conquer tactic.
But that said, remember that Israel withdrew all it settlements from Gaza in about 2006, I think. In 2007, Gazans elected Hamas, perceiving the Palestinian Authority to be corrupt. (There has not been an election in Gaza since.)
Hamas’ founding documents call for the destruction of Israel. Hamas sent rockets over Israel, including over civilian areas, and that is why Israel started blockading Gaza in 2007.
But the blockade has been going on for 17 years now - restricting Gazans’ freedom of movement and constricting it’s economy. That situation is untenable, and if Netanyahu thought he could manage it with a little bribery, he has been proven an arrogant fool.
Still, I wish you had noted that is real had originally withdrawn from Gaza. And Hamas has not changed its position that Israel must be destroyed.
Sara Roy, perhaps the leading authority on Gaza, wrote a piece titled "The Long War on Gaza" back in December which explains how Gaza got to where it is today. There's a narrated version is available at: https://youtu.be/u_szxSfkC1M?si=x9rmoSS1tNB3ytv4
Should you decide to take a couple of hours to go through both of these pieces, I think you'll find very compelling responses against the arguments you've made in your comment. But more importantly, I think you'll end up with a deeper appreciation of the larger context that specifically applies to Gaza.
It's not a withdrawal when Israel still controls land, air, and sea, and blocks any freedom of movement or access. And I've yet to hear someone talk about how evil Hamas is, explain why they whitewash over Netanyahu funding them and propping them up for the sole purpose to undermine peace and security. I've yet to hear someone explain why it's not an act of violence or war for Israel to continue to violently militarily occupy the West Bank, and continue to expand settlements on land that isn't theirs, and continue to kill hundreds of Palestinian civilians annually in the West Bank, and continue to hold thousands of Palestinians in indefinite detention without due process. Why is all that excused and considered anything other than an act of violence or war?
The extent to which the West consciously continues to distort history and get away with it is mind boggling. The original lie was to themselves. Rather than taking responsibility for the deep rooted anti-Semitism that was pervasive throughout Europe and its settler colonies in North America, Australia etc. for centuries, they absolved themselves by making Germany the only focal point anti-Jewish prejudice and Palestinians the whipping boy when the latter had absolutely nothing to do with the tragic plight of European Jewry. Worse yet, is the long history of relatively peaceful coexistence between Jewish and Muslim communities across West Asia and North Africa got shattered as a result of the establishment of Israel - because the only way it was possible to create a Jewish majority state on a land that was 95 percent Palestinian Arab in 1914 and 70 percent Palestinian Arab in 1947 was to drive them out. As Benny Morris (Israel's historian in chief and himself and ardent, arguably rabid, Zionist) puts it, "the idea of transfer (the euphemism Zionists use for ethnic cleansing) is as old as modern Zionism and has accompanied its evolution and praxis during the past century."
Within the academy, there isn't any serious dispute surrounding the facts. Israel has consistently acted belligerently (to put it mildly) since it's inception - just like any other settler colonial project engaging in drastic social engineering would have to. But the West was and continues to be perfectly content to peddle lies to avoid having to engage in any serious introspection. It's a testament to just how alive and well the colonist, imperialist mindset remains in 2024.
While the US and Canada may talk at great lengths of how horrific and tragic the consequences of anti-Semitism was (and there's absolutely no doubt about it), they were perfectly happy to admit tens of not hundreds of thousands of ex-Nazis into their countries, and in Canada's case (and probably the US' too) continuing to restrict Jewish immigration till well into the 1960s (see: https://time.com/6322156/history-of-nazi-immigration/ and; https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/10/13/Canada-Let-Thousands-Former-Nazis/).
So all this talk about caring about the plight of the Jewish people that we keep hearing from Western elites is largely smoke and mirrors. But given that there's no political will to take responsibility for the mess that they've created, I guess the show must go on (standing ovations and everything).
💯 I’m tiered of the hateful and insulting trope of global anti-semitism. Accusing the entire world of European-style antisemitism is not fair and absolves Europe of its responsibility. “Everyone in the world hates us” (a direct quote from an extended family member) assumes “the world” = Europe. It is ahistorical and untrue to constantly assert that Jews have been hated throughout the world for millennia. Europe is not “the world.” It’s nonsensical. Historical antisemitism is a fundamentally European problem.
Indeed Laura. In fact, while the US, Canada were closing their doors to Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in the 1930s and 1940s, Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco (which became a vassal of the Vichy regime after the Nazis blitzed their way into France) refused to implement the anti-Semitic enacted in Paris (see: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hurowitz-moroccan-king-mohammed-v-20170425-story.html).
This is but the latest of many examples where Muslim Sultanates across West Asia and North Africa gave refuge to Jews fleeing persecution (the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 is another noteworthy example) or protected the Jews who lived under their rule for centuries. Were there isolated instances of violent persecution? Absolutely. But nothing that even remotely resembles the systemic continent wide prejudice that existed in Europe for at least a millenium.
Well said. I commented on Dr Heather Cox Richardson’s letter a day or two ago that Americans are not taught nearly enough about WW2 to understand what is happening around us now. I was fascinated by the Holocaust growing up and I’ve read books about it since.
We weren’t taught that our government refused to let Jews take refuge here. We are taught we’re the reason we won the war, without teaching people that our government stayed out of most of it because of isolationism. We aren’t taught the US gave refuge to Nazis. I definitely don’t remember being taught about the Zionists working with Great Britain during the war to get land for their homeland (I learned bits thru Dr. Ruth’s autobiography and am learning more bits reading The Light of Days by Judy Batalion). We aren’t taught nearly enough how Hitler and Nazism in order to keep it from happening HERE.
You’re right. Our country needs to really reflect. People are surprised we are facing the threats and challenges we see today, but I’m not and I’m one of the ones trying to sound the alarm.
But that’s because I’ve gone beyond what is taught in school 😔
Across the world, I've noticed that elites take a keen interest in how history is taught. More often than not, school textbooks contain much more mythology than actual history. It really comes down to the individual to take an interest and read, research, analyse to separate fact from fiction. Unfortunately not many do. Those trained as doctors, accountants, engineers, scientists and so on and so forth by and large do not get exposed to anymore history (or even the social sciences in general) beyond whatever they learn in formative education settings. Moreover, I would argue that any real interest in history is "killed off" for most people early on because it's more an exercise of memorising dates and regurgitating events rather than connecting the dots, analysing patterns and recognising it's implications.
And speaking of connecting dots, if you're interested, here's a brilliant lecture by Naomi Klein where she argues that European fascism was a "homecoming" of sorts for European colonialism (see: https://youtu.be/qCd75DFs5J4?si=7wpKtSG_O04ehPqP).
I wonder if anyone or any group has calculated the cost to the American taxpayer of allowing Netanyahu to address the US congress FOUR times? E.G., , 1+ hours, x 510 (min) individuals+perks , X 4????
I was going to tweet a link to this very good piece, but then I discovered that Qasim had blocked me there for some unknown reason. So even when he's correct, as he almost always is, he's thin-skinned and a bit too enamored of the sound of his own voice.
I KNOW you don’t care to hear this, but many Americans will be proud to receive Bibi, and interested to hear whatever he has to say. That’s all. You can all get back to enjoying your echo chamber now.
I just finished emailing Minority Leader Jeffries and Majority Leader Schumer to protest their extending to that individual of brutal orientation and doubtful character the privilege of appearing before OUR Congress. I also left the same message by phone with my Congressperson; I very much doubt my missive to her office will move her much, but hey, let 'em have it!
There is a small chance that his plane gets rerouted to Germany and forces him to deplane and face his arrest.
Wouldn't that be remarkable.
Absolutely *disgusted* at all of these people inviting the man who orchestrated a genocide to speak before congress. Especially Hakeem Jeffries - good luck getting reelected bro. 😒
They’re basically saying ‘come inundate us with propaganda to our faces please’. 🫠
I think what really gets me about Israel’s statement is ‘the destruction of Hamas’ military…’
In what other “war” does one side get to *completely obliterate* the ENTIRE country and army?
And also I am extremely interested in (and terrified of) exactly what a “non threatening” Gazan population would look like to the Zionist regime. 🫣 I don’t think it exists - I think that zionists are so islamophobic that the subtext is ‘once Gaza is destroyed, and all the people in it, we’ll “feel safe”’. I just have no words anymore for all of this except evil. The empire is evil.
A war criminal wanted by the ICC. He should be burned alive ............
I understand the temptation, but we have GOT to get away from burning people alive - on all sides!
No, he should be held accountable to due process of law and face appropriate consequences of a conviction.
I agree with you and suspect this whole invite Natalie you gambit originated as another GOP divide and conquer tactic.
But that said, remember that Israel withdrew all it settlements from Gaza in about 2006, I think. In 2007, Gazans elected Hamas, perceiving the Palestinian Authority to be corrupt. (There has not been an election in Gaza since.)
Hamas’ founding documents call for the destruction of Israel. Hamas sent rockets over Israel, including over civilian areas, and that is why Israel started blockading Gaza in 2007.
But the blockade has been going on for 17 years now - restricting Gazans’ freedom of movement and constricting it’s economy. That situation is untenable, and if Netanyahu thought he could manage it with a little bribery, he has been proven an arrogant fool.
Still, I wish you had noted that is real had originally withdrawn from Gaza. And Hamas has not changed its position that Israel must be destroyed.
Sara Roy, perhaps the leading authority on Gaza, wrote a piece titled "The Long War on Gaza" back in December which explains how Gaza got to where it is today. There's a narrated version is available at: https://youtu.be/u_szxSfkC1M?si=x9rmoSS1tNB3ytv4
Tareq Baconi is one of the foremost experts on Hamas, charting its evolution over the years. He appeared on the Ezra Klein show a few months ago to talk about the ebbs and flows of the movement over the years as well as to outline the framework within which it operates. The transcript to the podcast is available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-tareq-baconi.html and the audio version at: https://youtu.be/EzUxxY2sYys?si=817cI8CQIEcraPoV.
Should you decide to take a couple of hours to go through both of these pieces, I think you'll find very compelling responses against the arguments you've made in your comment. But more importantly, I think you'll end up with a deeper appreciation of the larger context that specifically applies to Gaza.
It's not a withdrawal when Israel still controls land, air, and sea, and blocks any freedom of movement or access. And I've yet to hear someone talk about how evil Hamas is, explain why they whitewash over Netanyahu funding them and propping them up for the sole purpose to undermine peace and security. I've yet to hear someone explain why it's not an act of violence or war for Israel to continue to violently militarily occupy the West Bank, and continue to expand settlements on land that isn't theirs, and continue to kill hundreds of Palestinian civilians annually in the West Bank, and continue to hold thousands of Palestinians in indefinite detention without due process. Why is all that excused and considered anything other than an act of violence or war?
I totally agree with you about the West Bank and indefinite detention!
The extent to which the West consciously continues to distort history and get away with it is mind boggling. The original lie was to themselves. Rather than taking responsibility for the deep rooted anti-Semitism that was pervasive throughout Europe and its settler colonies in North America, Australia etc. for centuries, they absolved themselves by making Germany the only focal point anti-Jewish prejudice and Palestinians the whipping boy when the latter had absolutely nothing to do with the tragic plight of European Jewry. Worse yet, is the long history of relatively peaceful coexistence between Jewish and Muslim communities across West Asia and North Africa got shattered as a result of the establishment of Israel - because the only way it was possible to create a Jewish majority state on a land that was 95 percent Palestinian Arab in 1914 and 70 percent Palestinian Arab in 1947 was to drive them out. As Benny Morris (Israel's historian in chief and himself and ardent, arguably rabid, Zionist) puts it, "the idea of transfer (the euphemism Zionists use for ethnic cleansing) is as old as modern Zionism and has accompanied its evolution and praxis during the past century."
Within the academy, there isn't any serious dispute surrounding the facts. Israel has consistently acted belligerently (to put it mildly) since it's inception - just like any other settler colonial project engaging in drastic social engineering would have to. But the West was and continues to be perfectly content to peddle lies to avoid having to engage in any serious introspection. It's a testament to just how alive and well the colonist, imperialist mindset remains in 2024.
While the US and Canada may talk at great lengths of how horrific and tragic the consequences of anti-Semitism was (and there's absolutely no doubt about it), they were perfectly happy to admit tens of not hundreds of thousands of ex-Nazis into their countries, and in Canada's case (and probably the US' too) continuing to restrict Jewish immigration till well into the 1960s (see: https://time.com/6322156/history-of-nazi-immigration/ and; https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/10/13/Canada-Let-Thousands-Former-Nazis/).
So all this talk about caring about the plight of the Jewish people that we keep hearing from Western elites is largely smoke and mirrors. But given that there's no political will to take responsibility for the mess that they've created, I guess the show must go on (standing ovations and everything).
💯 I’m tiered of the hateful and insulting trope of global anti-semitism. Accusing the entire world of European-style antisemitism is not fair and absolves Europe of its responsibility. “Everyone in the world hates us” (a direct quote from an extended family member) assumes “the world” = Europe. It is ahistorical and untrue to constantly assert that Jews have been hated throughout the world for millennia. Europe is not “the world.” It’s nonsensical. Historical antisemitism is a fundamentally European problem.
Indeed Laura. In fact, while the US, Canada were closing their doors to Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in the 1930s and 1940s, Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco (which became a vassal of the Vichy regime after the Nazis blitzed their way into France) refused to implement the anti-Semitic enacted in Paris (see: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hurowitz-moroccan-king-mohammed-v-20170425-story.html).
This is but the latest of many examples where Muslim Sultanates across West Asia and North Africa gave refuge to Jews fleeing persecution (the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 is another noteworthy example) or protected the Jews who lived under their rule for centuries. Were there isolated instances of violent persecution? Absolutely. But nothing that even remotely resembles the systemic continent wide prejudice that existed in Europe for at least a millenium.
To elaborate on my previous comment, the social engineering after the formation of Israel wasn't just contained within historic Palestine. For 'demographic' reasons (because European Ashkenazi Jews didn't migrate to Israel in sufficient numbers during the 20th century, even after 1945) migrations of Iraqi, Yemeni, Moroccan, Algerian, Egyptian Mizrahi Jews had to be coerced thereby displacing them from lands they'd called home for millenia (see: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-jews-attacks-zionist-role-confirmed-operative-police-report and; https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/truth-behind-israeli-propaganda-expulsion-arab-jews).
Well said. I commented on Dr Heather Cox Richardson’s letter a day or two ago that Americans are not taught nearly enough about WW2 to understand what is happening around us now. I was fascinated by the Holocaust growing up and I’ve read books about it since.
We weren’t taught that our government refused to let Jews take refuge here. We are taught we’re the reason we won the war, without teaching people that our government stayed out of most of it because of isolationism. We aren’t taught the US gave refuge to Nazis. I definitely don’t remember being taught about the Zionists working with Great Britain during the war to get land for their homeland (I learned bits thru Dr. Ruth’s autobiography and am learning more bits reading The Light of Days by Judy Batalion). We aren’t taught nearly enough how Hitler and Nazism in order to keep it from happening HERE.
You’re right. Our country needs to really reflect. People are surprised we are facing the threats and challenges we see today, but I’m not and I’m one of the ones trying to sound the alarm.
But that’s because I’ve gone beyond what is taught in school 😔
Across the world, I've noticed that elites take a keen interest in how history is taught. More often than not, school textbooks contain much more mythology than actual history. It really comes down to the individual to take an interest and read, research, analyse to separate fact from fiction. Unfortunately not many do. Those trained as doctors, accountants, engineers, scientists and so on and so forth by and large do not get exposed to anymore history (or even the social sciences in general) beyond whatever they learn in formative education settings. Moreover, I would argue that any real interest in history is "killed off" for most people early on because it's more an exercise of memorising dates and regurgitating events rather than connecting the dots, analysing patterns and recognising it's implications.
And speaking of connecting dots, if you're interested, here's a brilliant lecture by Naomi Klein where she argues that European fascism was a "homecoming" of sorts for European colonialism (see: https://youtu.be/qCd75DFs5J4?si=7wpKtSG_O04ehPqP).
Yep well said.
I wonder if anyone or any group has calculated the cost to the American taxpayer of allowing Netanyahu to address the US congress FOUR times? E.G., , 1+ hours, x 510 (min) individuals+perks , X 4????
I also would like to see this.
Our government seems to have an unlimited war budget so whatever the cost, they’ll always fork it over.
I was going to tweet a link to this very good piece, but then I discovered that Qasim had blocked me there for some unknown reason. So even when he's correct, as he almost always is, he's thin-skinned and a bit too enamored of the sound of his own voice.
Oh there was a reason. But all good. I don't hold any animosity. Unblocked. Regardless, glad you enjoyed this piece.