Meanwhile on the International front....

I'm sure Netanyahu is a big part of it because he has caused so much internal strife in Israel.

I think the duration of the actions is a factor, too. The initial Hamas attacks on Israel happened quickly. They were over by the time most of us heard about them. They were horrific, but many Americans seem to have the attention span of a goldfish. Since then, we have seen Israel's response spread out over a much longer period of time and with no end in sight.

We also have leaders in this country ignoring the culpability of Hamas as they rail against Israel and call for a cease-fire. Gaza is a powder keg, but Hamas didn't just throw a lit match into it. They threw a firebomb. They targeted civilians. Is there any doubt that they knew Israel's response would be brutal and extreme? This is what they wanted, knowing they would use the hostages and the innocent Palestinians as human shields. Remember, they have tried to bully Palestinians into staying in Gaza. They are sacrificing their own people, playing a key role in the suffering we are seeing every day. The protesters are either ignorant of that or they are choosing to ignore it.

 

Hamas' strike was calculated to cause Israel to over react, to shell and bomb and invade. The IDF has hit very hard but did not fully loose the dogs of war. The propaganda value is obviously still there, but in a general sense Israel has listened to the calmer voices, mostly. As was said above, most of the protesters are either ignorant of this or ignoring it.

 

I agree with everything you just posted.

What action do you think Hamas should have taken, if any?

The Palestinians have been much moderate than the Hamas. What has this relative moderation gotten them under Netanyahu?

 

Fucked over, mostly.

 

I for one am fucking shocked.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/202...-operation-left-americans-stranded-on-cyprus/

TALLAHASSEE — Nearly two dozen Americans fleeing Israel with the help of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration were stranded for days in Cyprus before they finally got to Florida on Wednesday, according to the head of an international rescue organization who blamed contractors that state officials hired to run the operation.

Their rush to help DeSantis score political points for his presidential campaign caused the confusion, said Bryan Stern, CEO of Project Dynamo, which partnered with Florida on the missions.

 

Cyprus is still better than the war zone in Israel, though, right?
And I guess the point of this was to show that DeSantis is disorganized, and perhaps he should have worked closer with the more experienced folks at Project Dynamo. But for the people involved it sounds more like a rough travel story than some nightmarish ordeal.

 

Not if the bad, awful, meanie politician can be blamed for it.

 

This sounds far too much like a justification of Hamas's terrorist acts against Israel for me to respond to it in a thoughtful manner. I just can't.

 

I explicitly agreed with your condemnation of Hamas's action. I think it is barbaric.

But the Palestinians on the West Bank have been relatively more moderate and seen their territories carved up. The current government has abandoned the two state solution and seems to want to continue annexations and do not seem to have been engaged in this murderous rampage of Hamas.

What actions should they take? .

 

Most Palestinians are about as responsible for the actions of Hamas as most Israelis are responsible for the actions of Netanyahu and the far right coalition around him.

 

Sorry for the confusion.

I was referring more to the taking of credit, and the scoring of "political points."

Seems like it was Sen. Collins' idea, and Stern's, from Project Dynamo.

Already on the ground

Shortly after the war with Hamas began, Project Dynamo, a nonprofit group made up of military veterans and volunteers founded by Stern two years ago, was already in Israel putting together passenger lists.

Stern got a call from Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, a friend and fellow military veteran, on Oct. 12.

They agreed to work together, with Stern lining up passengers and state contractors getting charter planes. Twenty minutes later, DeSantis issued an executive order directing the Division of Emergency Management to bring Floridians home.

 

NYT:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Editors’ Note: Gaza Hospital Coverage