Meanwhile on the International front....

Wait — you don’t hold it for the inevitable book?

 

I'm Facebook friends with an old downstairs neighbor who moved away years ago. She's Jewish and posted something to the effect of "Your Jewish friends are watching, and your silence is deafening."

I agree with what others have posted above. I'm so out of my depth in my understanding of this conflict that posting a banal "I stand with Israel" on my social accounts is going to lead to nothing but trouble. So yeah, I'm staying silent, at least on social media platforms.

 

There is also the arrogance that leads us to believe it is something the U.S. can solve. We may be able to help, but this isn't about us. As you wrote, we don't even fully understand all of the aspects of this conflict. Ultimately, the Israelis and Palestinians will have to find a solution or keep on slaughtering one another. It really is up to them.

 

I get that. I don't have much of a presence on social media, but I'm certainly not staying silent in person or on here. Most people who know me are aware that I'm Jewish. My friends know my daughter was in Israel and some of them knew her Israeli boyfriend was here when this all happened. I try not to push my side, but I have zero tolerance for idiots holding up Swastikas. I have only a bit more patience for those posting the image of the guy paragliding because some people think it is just about solidarity with Palestine. They don't realize it references the way Hamas attacked that music festival and slaughtered innocents.

I do tell people about my daughter's friend, who is on his long journey home as I write this. He has multiple layovers on the way. He was recalled to service, but probably could have claimed that he couldn't get home. Failing to stand with his friends and defend his home just wasn't an option. I don't claim to fully understand every aspect of this conflict, but for me, he is the face of the current war. I think about the effect he has had on me and consider how much that must be magnified for my daughter. She told me she worries that she may never know it if he is killed. I'm afraid that she would. I pray he survives what comes next.

 

I don't think it's arrogance, if only because I don't think anyone here expects to solve it.

Historically what we've done is help provide a forum in which the various principals can meet and hammer out their own solutions. Same for the UN.

Whether it was Camp David or Oslo or Madrid or any of the scores of cease-fires, truces and treaty meetings going back to 1948 and beyond, all the West can ever really do is put the combatants in a room to decide for themselves what happens next.

That said, as a political, cultural, financial and existential matter, Israel has had no greater friend and ally since its creation than the US.

 

Lots of confusing reports coming from northern Israel right now. Air raid sirens, residents told to shelter in place, some reports say Hezbollah in paragliders, others say drone attacks.

 

Yeah.

Saw a bunch of fake alert tweets go up and come down even before the AP story posted. Crazy.

 

"Militants"

Lol

 

Initial US intelligence suggests Iran was surprised by the Hamas attack on Israel | CNN Politics

 

Not that I think Israel's reaction -- at least initially -- was wrong. As I said earlier, I support their right to defend themselves. But Gaza is pretty small and incredibly dense. At what point do civilian casualties and the surely rapidly developing humanitarian crisis begin to affect their decisions? Maybe they are now, but I haven't seen evidence of it.

 

I doubt it will happen any time soon.