Thank you Qasim, there are a few articles I would appreciate your input 1. by The Times of Israel “July 23: Amid criticism, Netanyahu office defends Friday timing of meeting with Trump” 2. “For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it’s blown up in our faces”
3. By Telegraph “How Benjamin Netanyahu empowered Hamas and broke Israel”
I read a few from previous admin, have been in contact w/PM whether in person or by phone. I read allegedly Jared has his eyes on the Gaza Strip, don’t know, no facts. I also read oil is in Gaza, don’t know bc of no facts.
Very good - but I wish you had mentioned that periodically Hamas, whose charter states Israel must be destroyed, has sent rockets not only over Israeli military installations, but over civilian areas.
Israel withdrew from Gaza I think about 2006 after conquering it when Gaza attacked. Gazans elected Hamas in 2007 over the Palestinian Authority, perceived as ineffective and corrupt. There hasn't been an election in Gaza since. When Hamas continued to attack Israel, Israel imposed the blockade. BUT I AGREE THAT AFTER 17 YEARS, THE BLOCKADE IS UNTENABLE! You can't smother a peoples' freedom of movement, and their economy, for anywhere near that long.
And as for the West Bank, you're right and Israel is (stupidly, I think) almost opening yet another war front.
One compelling explanation for Israel to continue to occupy Palestine and even take total control of the lands and sea is the massive deposits of oil and gas that lie beneath Palestine land and waters off the coast of Gaza. A UN Trade Development Report [link below] says "geologists and resources economists have confirmed that the occupied Palestinian territory lies above sizable reservoirs of oil and natural gas wealth, in Area C of the West Bank and the Mediterranean coast off the Gaza Strip."
I supported your 2020 Democratic campaign against Rob Wittman (R) for Representative First District (VA). We have met. I see that you are now running for Congress in Illinois' 11th District. While much of what you say is true, I would say that your address is severely limited to one side. For you to say there is no Hamas in the West Bank is ludicrous. Although the Fatah Controlled Palestinian National Authority exercises civilian control there, Hamas definetley has a presence. You do not mention that prior to the 1967 war beginning in 1964 that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) vowed the destruction of Israel until they acccepted the 1993 Oslo I Accords. This is in addition to virtually every Arab State in 1967 threatening the same goal. Add the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian Liberation Front, and a host of other recognized terrorist organizations that only seek the establishment of a single Palestinian State. When you say "an occupied people shouldn't have to be (flawless) to ensure their basic human rights, it appears to me that you giving a pass to Hamas and other terrorist organizations. You could do better than making common cause with such people and be more supportive of a two state solution. Until you do, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Thanks for reading, Ron. Candidly its an unfair critique to claim that because I didn't list every single scenario in one article I'm somehow "part of the problem." I've written other articles on this very platform addressing several of those points. e.g. https://qasimrashid.substack.com/p/does-israel-recognize-palestines
Also, the PLO accepted Israel as a sovereign state in 1988, prior to 1993 Oslo. Moreover, no mention from you on the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians in 1948. No mention that each of the orgs you object to were formed decades later as a reaction? Alleging I'm "giving them a pass" is frankly silly. I've long condemned violence towards civilians by those very ogs, in writing, publicly. I've likewise condemned collective punishment of all Palestinians, which is a war crime. Conflating the two as "giving them a pass" is just meritless.
Right now a ceasefire deal is on the table that releases all hostages, and asks Israel to uphold international human rights law. Israel is rejecting it. And even President Biden sees it.
A thought: would it not be worth recognizing, also, the fundamental injustice at the heart of the Zionist project? It seems to me that the project involves the creation of an ethnostate, which necessarily means the exclusion of the people who were already living on that land. From Herzl onward the leaders of the movement have been clear about this, and Jewish anti-Zionists have (rightly) decried the project as an extension of the White Colonial movement which created the United States, Australia and my country, Canada. I can't see any way forward but a nation in which all are equal, all share the same rights and freedoms. In other words, "Israel" as it has been constructed cannot stand - it needs to be re-imagined.
James Baldwin speaks on this back in 1979, "But the state of Israel was not created for the salvation of the Jews; it was created for the salvation of the Western interests. This is what is becoming clear (I must say that it was always clear to me). The Palestinians have been paying for the British colonial policy of "divide and rule" and for Europe’s guilty Christian conscience for more than thirty years."
Funny how all the smart people who long ago called out the project are Black formerly-enslaved men. I guess they know a little bit about the dynamic....
Remember, in 1948 the UN created 2 states - Palestine and Israel. And the Arabs immediately attacked. (They lost.)
I'm Jewish, yet I see the point about an ethno-state. On the other hand, I'm glad there is a Jewish homeland, as Jews have been persecuted for 2,000 years - and not just in Europe, but in Arab states like Iraq and Morocco who EXPELLED their Jews! (And most of those Jews moved to Israel.)
Also, there are many Moslem countries, but just one Jewish country.
That said, Israel's story is more complicated than I realized growing up on "Exodus." Vacant, malarial land was settled and cultivated, land was bought - but land also was stolen. (And I learned that from liberal groups like Americans for Peace Now. It would be nice to see some liberal Palestinians criticizing their own - but it IS hard to be objective when whole generations of families are being wiped out by bombs.) And the increasing number of West Bank settlements, and evictions in East Jerusalem, continue today.
1. "The Arabs immediately attacked." This is highly misleading and dehumanizing. Palestinians, not "Arabs." And there had been ongoing hostilities between Palestinians and Zionists from the 1920s onward; the Palestinians found unacceptable the implantation of White European settlers on their lands.
2. "...like Iraq and Morocco who EXPELLED their Jews!" This is false. Most of the immigration into the new ethnostate began in the 1950s, greatly accelerated by the Suez crisis. Further, it is highly debatable how many of those Jews "fled" or were "expelled." There was an ambitious and far-reaching campaign by Zionists to encourage immigration by means of fear ("Israel is the only safe place for Jews!!"). This campaign continues to this day, helped by the original American Zionist, Joe Biden.
Many, many Jewish thinkers have rejected this argument (and indeed the entire Zionist project) from Noam Chomsky to Gideon Levy to Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis.
3. The only objective to the creation of an ethnostate is the exclusion of other groups who do not belong to the desired ethnicity. This is brought to life most vividly by the apartheid regime in Israel/Palestine. Other notable examples include pre-1980s South Africa and the ethnically-based genocide in Rwanda.
Everything I've noted here is verifiable with a simple Google search.
It's gratifying to read this perspective, and I agree with Olivia Koppell (below). This is the first time I've read something I've been saying for years: Israel's government has been asking for trouble ever since the 1967 war. I don't have a dog in this fight--as in, I'm neither Jewish/Israeli or Palestinian; I'm an Anglo 81-year-old widow, a storyteller by profession, in New Mexico. AND I TRULY THINK THAT ISRAEL, while understandably angry, hurt, and frustrated by the 10/7 Hamas attack, has--over the years--brought much of its problems on itself. And that hubris or chutzpah being exhibited by Netenyahu (spell?) is the prime example. But what to do about all this...? It's a terrible riddle! I agree with Queen Rania of Jordan (a Palestinian herself) who sees her people suffering. What's to be done?!
Thank you for reading and sharing your insights. The lack of justice is perpetuating harm to Palestine and yes to Israel too. We have international human rights law to guide on these matters, and its far past time we applied justice based on international human rights law.
I really appreciate your commentary. I’m curious about your thoughts about the origin of the occupation resulting from rejection of multiple offers for two-state solutions starting in 1948. Thoughts?
This is the first”letter” I have read that actually addresses the real issue at hand. The narrative has been hijacked by the extremists on both sides and the media that exploits emotions instead of informing people of the complicated history. This is where discussion must start in order to be constructive and end this tragedy. Thank you and perhaps others will follow.
Neither the Israeli government nor Hamas was acting before 10/7 to advance toward two liberal democratic states living in peace and prosperity with each other.
Thank you Qasim, there are a few articles I would appreciate your input 1. by The Times of Israel “July 23: Amid criticism, Netanyahu office defends Friday timing of meeting with Trump” 2. “For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it’s blown up in our faces”
3. By Telegraph “How Benjamin Netanyahu empowered Hamas and broke Israel”
I read a few from previous admin, have been in contact w/PM whether in person or by phone. I read allegedly Jared has his eyes on the Gaza Strip, don’t know, no facts. I also read oil is in Gaza, don’t know bc of no facts.
Very good - but I wish you had mentioned that periodically Hamas, whose charter states Israel must be destroyed, has sent rockets not only over Israeli military installations, but over civilian areas.
Israel withdrew from Gaza I think about 2006 after conquering it when Gaza attacked. Gazans elected Hamas in 2007 over the Palestinian Authority, perceived as ineffective and corrupt. There hasn't been an election in Gaza since. When Hamas continued to attack Israel, Israel imposed the blockade. BUT I AGREE THAT AFTER 17 YEARS, THE BLOCKADE IS UNTENABLE! You can't smother a peoples' freedom of movement, and their economy, for anywhere near that long.
And as for the West Bank, you're right and Israel is (stupidly, I think) almost opening yet another war front.
One compelling explanation for Israel to continue to occupy Palestine and even take total control of the lands and sea is the massive deposits of oil and gas that lie beneath Palestine land and waters off the coast of Gaza. A UN Trade Development Report [link below] says "geologists and resources economists have confirmed that the occupied Palestinian territory lies above sizable reservoirs of oil and natural gas wealth, in Area C of the West Bank and the Mediterranean coast off the Gaza Strip."
https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/gdsapp2019d1_en.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3E1h-hY8OQhA-n1sVFv3c20h_KuAx250PHtNzK8UAQKF791szZfmZNIX4_aem_AW-7i4DTErWdmyO-JaI7ZhUF9O-8QJ8ix9CZbykYcXg3s585Kd5u_vNOwWB4FXupkOEcYC4dsMPB8cwTmy2Rl4Bb
I supported your 2020 Democratic campaign against Rob Wittman (R) for Representative First District (VA). We have met. I see that you are now running for Congress in Illinois' 11th District. While much of what you say is true, I would say that your address is severely limited to one side. For you to say there is no Hamas in the West Bank is ludicrous. Although the Fatah Controlled Palestinian National Authority exercises civilian control there, Hamas definetley has a presence. You do not mention that prior to the 1967 war beginning in 1964 that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) vowed the destruction of Israel until they acccepted the 1993 Oslo I Accords. This is in addition to virtually every Arab State in 1967 threatening the same goal. Add the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian Liberation Front, and a host of other recognized terrorist organizations that only seek the establishment of a single Palestinian State. When you say "an occupied people shouldn't have to be (flawless) to ensure their basic human rights, it appears to me that you giving a pass to Hamas and other terrorist organizations. You could do better than making common cause with such people and be more supportive of a two state solution. Until you do, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Thanks for reading, Ron. Candidly its an unfair critique to claim that because I didn't list every single scenario in one article I'm somehow "part of the problem." I've written other articles on this very platform addressing several of those points. e.g. https://qasimrashid.substack.com/p/does-israel-recognize-palestines
Moreover, if Hamas is "everywhere" then the responsibility certainly rests in significant part with Netanyahu, who has actively ensured their funding to specifically undermine peace, the PLO, and a two state solution: https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/
Also, the PLO accepted Israel as a sovereign state in 1988, prior to 1993 Oslo. Moreover, no mention from you on the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians in 1948. No mention that each of the orgs you object to were formed decades later as a reaction? Alleging I'm "giving them a pass" is frankly silly. I've long condemned violence towards civilians by those very ogs, in writing, publicly. I've likewise condemned collective punishment of all Palestinians, which is a war crime. Conflating the two as "giving them a pass" is just meritless.
Right now a ceasefire deal is on the table that releases all hostages, and asks Israel to uphold international human rights law. Israel is rejecting it. And even President Biden sees it.
A thought: would it not be worth recognizing, also, the fundamental injustice at the heart of the Zionist project? It seems to me that the project involves the creation of an ethnostate, which necessarily means the exclusion of the people who were already living on that land. From Herzl onward the leaders of the movement have been clear about this, and Jewish anti-Zionists have (rightly) decried the project as an extension of the White Colonial movement which created the United States, Australia and my country, Canada. I can't see any way forward but a nation in which all are equal, all share the same rights and freedoms. In other words, "Israel" as it has been constructed cannot stand - it needs to be re-imagined.
James Baldwin speaks on this back in 1979, "But the state of Israel was not created for the salvation of the Jews; it was created for the salvation of the Western interests. This is what is becoming clear (I must say that it was always clear to me). The Palestinians have been paying for the British colonial policy of "divide and rule" and for Europe’s guilty Christian conscience for more than thirty years."
Funny how all the smart people who long ago called out the project are Black formerly-enslaved men. I guess they know a little bit about the dynamic....
Remember, in 1948 the UN created 2 states - Palestine and Israel. And the Arabs immediately attacked. (They lost.)
I'm Jewish, yet I see the point about an ethno-state. On the other hand, I'm glad there is a Jewish homeland, as Jews have been persecuted for 2,000 years - and not just in Europe, but in Arab states like Iraq and Morocco who EXPELLED their Jews! (And most of those Jews moved to Israel.)
Also, there are many Moslem countries, but just one Jewish country.
That said, Israel's story is more complicated than I realized growing up on "Exodus." Vacant, malarial land was settled and cultivated, land was bought - but land also was stolen. (And I learned that from liberal groups like Americans for Peace Now. It would be nice to see some liberal Palestinians criticizing their own - but it IS hard to be objective when whole generations of families are being wiped out by bombs.) And the increasing number of West Bank settlements, and evictions in East Jerusalem, continue today.
1. "The Arabs immediately attacked." This is highly misleading and dehumanizing. Palestinians, not "Arabs." And there had been ongoing hostilities between Palestinians and Zionists from the 1920s onward; the Palestinians found unacceptable the implantation of White European settlers on their lands.
2. "...like Iraq and Morocco who EXPELLED their Jews!" This is false. Most of the immigration into the new ethnostate began in the 1950s, greatly accelerated by the Suez crisis. Further, it is highly debatable how many of those Jews "fled" or were "expelled." There was an ambitious and far-reaching campaign by Zionists to encourage immigration by means of fear ("Israel is the only safe place for Jews!!"). This campaign continues to this day, helped by the original American Zionist, Joe Biden.
Many, many Jewish thinkers have rejected this argument (and indeed the entire Zionist project) from Noam Chomsky to Gideon Levy to Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis.
3. The only objective to the creation of an ethnostate is the exclusion of other groups who do not belong to the desired ethnicity. This is brought to life most vividly by the apartheid regime in Israel/Palestine. Other notable examples include pre-1980s South Africa and the ethnically-based genocide in Rwanda.
Everything I've noted here is verifiable with a simple Google search.
It's gratifying to read this perspective, and I agree with Olivia Koppell (below). This is the first time I've read something I've been saying for years: Israel's government has been asking for trouble ever since the 1967 war. I don't have a dog in this fight--as in, I'm neither Jewish/Israeli or Palestinian; I'm an Anglo 81-year-old widow, a storyteller by profession, in New Mexico. AND I TRULY THINK THAT ISRAEL, while understandably angry, hurt, and frustrated by the 10/7 Hamas attack, has--over the years--brought much of its problems on itself. And that hubris or chutzpah being exhibited by Netenyahu (spell?) is the prime example. But what to do about all this...? It's a terrible riddle! I agree with Queen Rania of Jordan (a Palestinian herself) who sees her people suffering. What's to be done?!
Thank you for reading and sharing your insights. The lack of justice is perpetuating harm to Palestine and yes to Israel too. We have international human rights law to guide on these matters, and its far past time we applied justice based on international human rights law.
I really appreciate your commentary. I’m curious about your thoughts about the origin of the occupation resulting from rejection of multiple offers for two-state solutions starting in 1948. Thoughts?
Excellent question and merits a detailed response. I'll have a post about it soon.
This is the first”letter” I have read that actually addresses the real issue at hand. The narrative has been hijacked by the extremists on both sides and the media that exploits emotions instead of informing people of the complicated history. This is where discussion must start in order to be constructive and end this tragedy. Thank you and perhaps others will follow.
Thank you, Olivia. Well said. We have work to do and grateful to help build a coalition to advance the narrative for peace and justice.
Neither the Israeli government nor Hamas was acting before 10/7 to advance toward two liberal democratic states living in peace and prosperity with each other.