Meanwhile on the International front....

Hamas isn't playing Chinese Checkers. They knew what they were bringing about. The only way to destroy them completely is to destroy Gaza and its 2M mostly innocent inhabitants. That act if carried to completion would make Israel a world pariah.

 

I caught an interview on the BBC with a Gazan, outraged that Israel had shelled his town. He guaranteed that there were no Hamas members there. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the interviewer push back that if Hamas were there, he might not know about it. No way, he answered, and started listing every year of fighting since the '50s. They never fired in his town because there were never any fighters there. Neighboring cities would all come to his, because they knew that Israel wouldn't attack.
No sense of - not even sure what to call it - irony? self-awareness?

 

Even 10% carried out it will generate tens of thousands of radicalized Palestinians, whether they become sympathizers, allies, fighters or terrorists. The cycle begins anew.

I never thought I see the Troubles in Ireland solved, but they largely are. Palestine and Jerusalem? That's been going on for a couple of thousand years. No way I live to see it settled.

 

Opinion

The Hamas horror is also a lesson on the price of populism
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/11/netanyahu-populism-weakened-israeli-security/


"The real explanation for Israel’s dysfunction is populism rather than any alleged immorality. For many years, Israel has been governed by a populist strongman, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is a public-relations genius but an incompetent prime minister. He has repeatedly preferred his personal interests over the national interest and has built his career on dividing the nation against itself. He has appointed people to key positions based on loyalty more than qualifications, took credit for every success while never taking responsibility for failures, and seemed to give little importance to either telling or hearing the truth.

The coalition Netanyahu established in December 2022 has been by far the worst. It is an alliance of messianic zealots and shameless opportunists, who ignored Israel’s many problems — including the deteriorating security situation — and focused instead on grabbing unlimited power for themselves. In pursuit of this goal, they adopted extremely divisive policies, spread outrageous conspiracy theories about state institutions that oppose their policies, and labeled the country’s serving elites as “deep state” traitors.

The government was repeatedly warned by its own security forces and by numerous experts that its policies were endangering Israel and eroding Israeli deterrence at a time of mounting external threats. Yet when the IDF’s chief of staff asked for a meeting with Netanyahu to warn him about the security implications of the government’s policies, Netanyahu refused to meet him. When Defense Minister Yoav Gallant nevertheless raised the alarm, Netanyahu fired him. He was then forced to reinstate Gallant only because of an outbreak of popular outrage. Such behavior over many years enabled a calamity to strike Israel.

No matter what one thinks of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the way populism corroded the Israeli state should serve as a warning to other democracies all over the world."

Yuval Noah Harari is the author of “Sapiens,” “Homo Deus” and “Unstoppable Us” and a professor of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

 

How Israel-Hamas war disinformation is being spread online

 

NYT gift link here:

What We Know About the Hamas Attack and Israel’s Response

 

Israel-Hamas war live: no power, water or fuel to Gaza until hostages are freed, Israeli minister says | Israel | The Guardian

 

Uh oh.

How's this gonna track with all that performative Republican outrage?

Trump Criticizes Netanyahu and Israeli Intelligence in Florida Speech

 

Might be worth remembering a couple things as we see these campus protests and counterprotests play out.

- Nothing new here. The same sort of US university call-and-response - including ill-considered statements of purpose, some violence and plenty of arrests - went on in the 70s and 80s regarding South Africa / apartheid / divestiture.

- A 20-year-old American college student has grown up in a world of BDS (Boycott, Divestiture and Sanctions), in which Israel is portrayed as a powerful heel, and 'Palestine' / Palestinians are the underdog. This is the exact opposite of what any 60-year-old American believes.

All of which is accelerated / exacerbated by the current vogue of oppressed / oppressor arguments.

Hence some of the disconnect this week.

 

This is my position, I abhor the acts of murder that Hamas is inflicting on the Israeli people. I disagree the apartheid like state that Israel is creating.

 

Any?