Hi, all. In both the comments section and in my email inbox, I am receiving a lot of criticism for not condemning Israel's policies toward Gaza and the West Bank. As I responded to one reader,
If your criticism is that I should have given the entire history of the Israeli Palestinian conflict in my newsletter last night, that is both an unrealistic expectation and dangerous ground. The attack was on civilians-- on young people from around the world attending a music festival, kids killed in front of their parents, and people asleep in their beds. If you couple those killings with the statement, “But Israel has horrible policies toward Gaza and the West Bank,” can you not see that marshaling those arguments in that order has a logical force that implies the killing of innocent civilians was justified?
Many readers (wrongly) claim that I defended Israel's treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank or that I justified Israel's retaliation on Gaza after the terrorist attack by Hamas. Neither of those statements appear in my newsletter. If you want to disagree with what I wrote, that's fine. But please try to connect your disagreement to something I wrote rather than something you read in the NYTimes or on Twitter by some other writer. If you do that, we can have a discussion. If you don't, you are having an argument with someone other than me.
It never ceases to amaze me when people attack you. You state your observances and opinions and you give us this forum in which to comment. I am very appreciative!!
You are totally correct on this as you were in your original post. It is one of the reasons that I said in my comment that I can't write about the Middle East in a column or a post because if one doesn't acknowledge multiple points of view, at least X historical events from Y perspectives and note all potential exceptions to any declarative statements, one gets a mailbox like you got. It's excessive but I suspect it's not going to change anytime soon.
And there's this from Ben Wittes, via Charlie Sykes:
The following, however, are seven ways not to respond to the mass murder of Israelis:
Please don’t explain that it shows that the only language that Palestinians (or Muslims) understand is force. Just don’t do it. There are many variants of this response. They often seem to involve a lot of words like “crush.” But Hamas isn’t “the Palestinians” or “Muslims,” and the answer to the murderous racist essentializing of Jews is not the murderous racist essentializing of Palestinians. There will be a major Israeli military response against Hamas in Gaza. It’s already happening. I suspect the magnitude of it is going to surprise a lot of people. And given the way Hamas operates and the extreme population density of Gaza, a lot of Palestinian civilians are going to get killed and injured as a result. That is a tragedy. They do not deserve that fate any more than the Israeli victims today did. So spare us the chest thumping.
With the Israeli body count rising by the hour, do not quickly change the subject to the crimes or misdeeds of the Israeli side or the oppression of Palestinians. Don’t be too quick to tell us about the “context” of this attack. There’s a place for that conversation, of course; it’s ongoing every day; and it’s legitimate. But 9/11 was not the day to discuss the errors of US foreign policy. The day ISIS attacked Paris and killed 100 people was not the day to lecture France about its sins. And if your response to 300 people getting killed in Israel is to wag your finger at Israelis and tell them how they brought it on themselves, you’re justifying murder—whether you understand that you are or not.
Relatedly, do not use any sentence that begins with anything like, “I oppose violence against civilians and terrorism, but…” You need to be able to end the sentence before the “but.” What comes after it may be right and valuable. But it’s not valuable today and probably won’t be valuable tomorrow or the day after that.
Do not use the attack to score points on unrelated matters about which you have a bone to pick with someone. Specifically, if you’re American, don’t use the murder of Israelis as a means of going after your political enemies domestically. I don’t care who they are. This wasn’t Donald Trump’s fault. It wasn’t Joe Biden’s fault. It had nothing to do with the recent deal with Iran.
More generally, the world doesn’t need to hear your insistence that the attack shows that you were right or that your enemies are wrong or foolish or treacherous. Hamas didn’t launch this attack in order to validate your sense of your own wisdom or insight.
We don’t need your conspiracy theory about how or why this happened or who is behind it. I know you think it’s clever. But really, we’re good.
And finally, we also don’t need your prediction about how this will reshape this or that, how it was just what Benjamin Netanyahu needed to do yadayadayada or how it will sink him once and for all and blah blah blah. The future will come soon enough. And you’re probably wrong, anyway.
Ben does not name any names. I, however, will not be so restrained. [Check out the Bulwark for an illuminating compilation of outrageous quotes from people who should know better, or at least it would be better if they knew better. ]
In the 1970's, two of my closest friends were Eddie and Varda. One of Varda's relatives was Polish and had spent three years hiding from the Nazis under the porch of several courageous neighbors in her small town. She had been fluent in 5 languages when she first hid; when she emerged at the end of the war, her only fluency besides Polish was Yiddish. She was one of the only survivors in her family.
Given their very visceral understanding of the risks of simply being Jewish, my friends NEVER would let their passports lapse. They fully understood that just as Germany had, the United States could fall under the sway of anti-Semitic propaganda - and they wanted to be able to leave at a moment's notice. At that time - perhaps not so much now - and in spite of their clear-headed understanding of Israel's flaws and contradictions, they saw the country as the only reliably safe place on Earth for them.
My more recent Jewish friends tell me of the elaborate security measures that their synagogue employs simply to keep them safe for the Sabbath and holiday services.....while they are also very aware of the injustices visited upon the Palestinians. They see no easy solution to this heartbreaking cycle of blood feud.
Here, in OUR country, there must be only one shared response to anti-Semitism and neo-Nazi groups: Complete refutation and zero tolerance for such hatred.
Thank you for letting people know that many Jewish communities have to be vigilant. My friend, Tanya Gersh, was subject to tremendous harassment by Andrew Anglin of the Daily Stormer. This is well documented and she won a court case of $14 million. She will never see a penny. However, Anglin never showed his face in court. That is the real face of bigotry.
Social media has allowed these repugnant individuals to spread their hatred far and wide, and they have attracted an audience of unknowing fools and bigots who cannot distinguish truth from fiction. Then, when they have to face the consequences of their own actions, they run and hide. But they have a false sense of bravery when they’re sitting in front of a computer screen spewing their hate, or yelling their hatred into a microphone in a podcast room.
The harassment caused by Anglin was devastating! Tanya Gersh spoke out and her words were so important to anyone who is being stepped on. She persisted and yes, she won. Monetarily, it doesn’t matter. She got her points across and people listened. Please give Tanya my very best, Ed.
Tanya is doing well. Just an FYI: She does presentations on her experience around the country. To the best of my knowledge she does this for expenses only.
In addition, an Indie movie was made about her and a Holocaust survivor. She has turned around this horrific experience.
Robert, Thank you for sticking up for us Jews. Israel and Palestine have been at war for decades upon decades but this occurrence was where somebody was asleep at the wheel. Mossad has the most sophisticated spy systems in the world and for this to happen is a “shonda”...a nightmare! Tom Friedman was on CNN with Fareed Zaharia and he stated that the person most responsible was Yariv Levin, who is a hard-line member of the Likud Party. The Likud Party is made up of ultra-Orthodox men and quite frankly, they are as big as fundamentalists as the Christian-right in the US. Friedman said that Levin’s approaches have alienated most progressive Israelis and the constant attacks on the Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas, by way of getting information from Iran, who more than likely got info from Russia, were able to infiltrate Israel and murder celebrating Israelis, as well as kidnap them. Friedman also said that Netanyahu must get rid of Levin and others who undermine precious lives. Will he though? He is Israel’s Trump! Iran was upset that the Saudis were making a deal with Israel, so they employed Hamas as their carriers of death upon innocent people. Hamas is a terrorist organization. There must be hidden tunnels that the Iranians or Lebanese people used to give to Hamas and I imagine this was over a significant time period.
Netanyahu and the Likud Party fueled the fire that enraged not only the Palestinians but progressive Israelis. Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets, if you recall, because they hated what they were being subjected to. They also did not feel the firing of bullets at children in Gaza was necessary. The Palestinian people are without a sane government. No one cares about them. Ultra-Orthodox Jews were allowed to build settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu said recently, that they could build more, thus infringing on the rights of the Palestinians. It’s ugly. It’s awful. It’s heartbreaking! It is MEN who must have power, money, things, that make them feel whole. Women never willingly send their children into battle. We have patience and wisdom, plus we are negotiators. We seek peace and harmony. I say this as a mother of two daughters who have elected not to have children. They do not want to bring up a child in this environment. I cannot blame them.
I have first cousins in Israel who I only met one time. I don’t even know where they might be but I learned today, that a friend and her partner just arrived a few days ago in Israel and now they can’t get out. So far, they are safe. Nancy Pelosi spoke at a San Francisco synagogue on Sunday. Here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGNGY5G-BWA
Marlene, thank you for your observations. I think you have a very clear understanding of the situation. Bottom line? I think this attack is a direct result of:
1. A failure of Israeli intelligence services under the watch of Netanyahu and his bigoted partners in government. Israel has one of the most sophisticated intelligence operations in the world. It apparently hasn't been supported properly. Or..."they" were looking for a conflict to deflect the public's concern for their corruption.
2. There is no excuse for the violence of Hamas. They are indeed terrorists and worse. But Netanyahu has had many years to work out a solution to the Israeli/Palestinian problem. He has only made it worse. He who has the most soldiers, weapons, tanks and money is the one who has the power to make peace.
3. There is a direct line from Hamas to Iran to Russia. Robert alludes to it. Tom Friedman wrote clearly about it yesterday. This is about Putin playing a long chess game. And Republicans that oppose assistance to Ukraine are complicit in the whole scheme - whether they know it or not. If they do, they are traitors to the free world. If they don't, they should admit their stupidity and resign.
I am angry because all of this would have been avoidable if Netanyahu had practiced his religion instead of using it as a political bludgeon. There is no excuse for the violence of Hamas. But we can't treat people the way Palestinians have been treated since the 1940s and expect acquiescence. Again, there is no justification for rocketing Israel. There is no excusing the murder and kidnapping of Jews. But the people of Gaza had been placed in a pressure cooker - without even the guarantee of drinking water.
I speak as a "None" who is married to a Jew. I have been steeped in Jewish culture for decades. My wife has first and second cousins living in Israel. She reached out and they say they are safe. But everyone is terrified, of course. I have the same feeling in my gut as on 9/12/2001.
Before blaming Netanyahu’s execrable politics for *Hamas’s* invasion of Israel, have a look at words in the Hamas Charter. The Hamas Charter calls for the *elimination* of Israel and for making the area Judenrein (cleansed of Jews).
Hamas and Islamic Jihad took over Gaza by force, so there might be hope that, were they totally eliminated, there might be hope for peace with the people of Gaza. Hope only, however, because Hamas and Islamic Jihad (with the connivance of UN “humanitarian” agencies in Gaza) have poisoned people’s minds.
Take a look at the article Bill sent from Oxfam and tell me Israel is not, as least 60-70% responsible for these lives. I know about the Hamas and Jihad manifestos. Yes, Jews have an absolute right to defend themselves against these evils. I cannot argue with you on that point. They do not have a right to continue harm on innocent people, caught up in the mishegas that the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government has bestowed upon them.
Bill, thank you and tell your wife I am glad her relatives are safe. Also, that article you provided by Oxfam just sent my head spinning! Inhumane conditions exist in the Gaza. Why? Because of Israel’s equal hatred of the Palestinians! It’s insane! This aline, makes people hate Jews even more. It is shameful and disgusting and makes me cry for their misery they’ve had to endure.
Mariene - this is indeed one of the narratives that seems to be emerging in Israel-- that because of all you noted, Shin Bet was focused on Jerusalem and the West Bank, not Gaza and that it is the fault of the hardlinerrs.
One small silver lining is that Lapid and Gantz have reached out to Bibi to form a wartime coaltion and he actually appears to be receptive, or is at least pretending to be. One precondition would be that he would need to jettison his hard right coalition members.
Regardless, it is unlikely that he survives this and, just as the Yom Kippur war led to a peace with Egypt, this may lead to peace with the Palestinian Authority.
One cam only hope that Bibi, indeed, does throw these members off. He, too, should be overthrown, in my opinion. His “leadership” has led to marches in the streets and now kidnappings and murders. Hamas has a manifesto to eliminate every Jew. Iran and Russia have enabled that to happen. I honestly think that is why Putin invaded Ukraine. He couldn’t believe that the Ukrainians elected a Jew as their leader.
Thank you, Robert, for your sympathetic and thoughtful letter. While it is understandable to condemn Israel and its repression of the Palestinians, and the corrupt Netanyahu government, Israelis live in a very small country surrounded by peoples who would like to destroy them. It is wrong to see this attack as being equal on both sides. Israeli citizens, young and old were brutally attacked and murdered, tortured snd kidnapped by Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, neither interested in peace nor interested in helping the Palestinians.
Agree....Americans fail to see their own prejudices. I will speak out about anti-Semitism. So many Americans, who are Christian, promulgate this hate even though their saviour was Jewish (is Jewish if you still think he is alive). Everyone should read Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book INFIDEL. She is Somalian. Also, in the July 13-14 issue of The Wall Street Journal her op ed piece is titled "Can Ilhan Omar Overcome Her Prejudice?" Ali describes how anti-Semitism is baked in to the culture. I could make a case that anti-Semitism is baked into the American culture.
Bibi is much smarter than Trump, and he's also been a politician much of his life. (Some of us remember when he worked for the Israeli Consulate in the US in the early 80s and was their spokesperson on American TV as he speaks relatively unaccented American English.)
If I can put on my optimist hat, one path forward would be that he would actually use the opportunity to jettison his hard right wing coalition members and, together with the centrists, sign peace accords with both the Saudis and the Palestinian Authority.
That is not as far-fetched as it sounds--it is clear that ignoring the Palestinians doesn't work and even more clear that defending far flung settlements won't work either, given the difficulty of defending towns in Israel proper. With Hamas--who have zero interest in any sort of settlement--out of the picture, this may be possible.
I remember my time in Israel - early summer 2001. I attended a wedding in Tel Aviv- during the evening the bomb went off at a disco on the beach. Everyone went into action, while we Americans sat there knowing help was needed but not knowing exactly what was going on (our friends, in their haste, stopped speaking english).
The hate and distrust between the Israelis and the Palestinians was every where, an accepted mode of thinking. I, in my American ignorance (we are insulated from so much that goes on in the world), could not understand- couldn’t ‘get’ how so many good people on both sides (sorry, that sounded like TFG) could not find a way to straighten it out. God, that was a solid 22 years ago and it was just post 911- things were really hyped. Seems like we are right back there again. Hamas out of the picture … I’ll hope for that.
Shin Bet was focusing on Jerusalem and the West Bank ? And not on Gaza ? That is clear dereliction of duty and heads should roll , metaphorically, if that was so. A surprise attack of this magnitude deserves a severe response, in a very crowded corner of the world. I hate that I am even writing this but Israel ‘s survival depends on it’s response.
I feel your anguish, Marlene. It is all so heartbreaking. The world is filled with evil that has never been more amplified by high tech communication. I am thinking today of the brilliant and harrowing book Apeirogon by Colum McCann and the lives sacrificed to hate.
Marlene, these are powerful words. Thank you for so coherently and thoroughly voicing your thoughts on this horror, which took place, yet again, on a Jewish holiday. While scrolling through Substack notes last night, I came upon this article. The editorial board of Haaretz has blasted Netanyahu and blamed him for the incredible suffering Israel and its people are going through now. They did not hold back. This is a serious lesson for us in the United States. If Republicans will not get their heads out of the gutter and stop fueling hatred by spreading lies, we are going to be less able to defend ourselves. “United we stand, divided we fall.”
I was able to read this article without a subscription, so it should be available to all.
Janet, on my end, you have to register your email so I didn’t sign up. However, I got the gist of what Haaretz was saying and gawwd I wish WaPo and NYT would call out Fake 45 like that!
Experience in governing and foreign affairs is a key reason we are fortunate to have President Biden now and for the next 5 years and 3 months! What we need now is the continuity of an administration that is in place today should also stay for 5 years and 3 months. The complexity of the Middle East situation makes it imperative to have the team of President Biden and Secretary Blinken continue through January of 2029. We do need a Congress that will be a bipartisan player with the Biden administration. Reelecting Speaker McCarthy may actually be a good thing (most certainly an order of magnitude better than a Jim Jordan) since I believe he is seeing the need for the unity and bipartisanship the world situation demands. Could he grow into the moment history might demand of him? Let's hope so and then reinforce the Congress by electing those that do believe the problems and needs of today's world can only be solved by coming together and being a strength on a world stage. Experience, ethics, unity and continuity is how I've going to vote. We, the People, all of us as strength for each other and the world.
Cathy, i agree with a lot of what you have said but not on Qevin. He has proven he cannot be trusted. When he first started out, he blamed Fake 45 for the insurrection. But then, F45 got to him and my guess is that he threatened him with juicy tidbits he knew about him. His colors changed.
Yes, Kevin is a huge risk but at least he's had the frustration of a divided House. He is better than alternatives like Jim Jordan and if he is the only one the Republicans can agree upon to elect than he might do better than he's done in the past. He did finally do the right thing with the debt ceiling and government shutdown. Yes, I would rather see Hakeem in the Speaker's seat.
Its just overwhelming what's happening now in Israel and Gaza and the attendant dangers for everyone, everywhere - in addition of course to the horrors and suffering of those in the conflict area, especially civilians.
There's only one thing I want to add re: "Worse, one site Musk recommended for war coverage includes antisemitic content. See Washington Post, As false war information spreads on X, Musk promotes unvetted accounts." This is just the latest in the never-ending and in fact increasing outrages from Musk/X. I am DUMBFOUNDED that more people -- in fact, all people who care about our Democracy, what is morally right etc -- still use X and promote X by reading and citing it even if they don't post. Just so wrong, so complicit. It is one of the things that causes me great despair. How is it that people turn a blind eye and justify the support of someone with great power fomenting evil the way Musk does? There are alternatives and of course work must be done to make those alternatives better. This is an unusual rant for me as I feel almost incoherent in my anger and dismay. How do others feel about this? It would help to know I'm not alone.
You are not alone, Alexandra. I feel the same way that you do. I am totally shocked by the things that I have read here. I am not Jewish, but my niece and her adult twin sons are. I guess I have lived in a bubble, but I did not know that antisemitism was so rampant in America. It makes me so ashamed. I do not understand it at all.
Thank you...Anti-Semitism is rampant Virginia. As a Jew I hear things that Jews do not. As a guy, I may not hear or be subject to sexism. We all have our blind spots.
I feel exactly the same way about "X" and Musk. X is a platform for dangerous disinformation. Musk is a brilliant engineer. But he is a stupid and evil human being. He should not have control of a major social media site. He should not have control over thousands of communication satellites.
That being said, Twitter (I'm always going to call it that) is hardly the only source of dangerous nonsense. We can find it on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram - all of them including our beloved Substack. I recently explored Substack...and stopped. I'll return to my research when I have the stomach for it. Apparently, money rules everywhere.
Literally, Jessica, if people would leave on masse, as you and many others did, it would cause Twitter to fold and Musk would lose his entire investment in it. I’ve never had a Twitter account, and now I never will.
I remain, Jessica, because I want to be able to call out WaPo, NYT, FOX, OAN, etc. I am on blue sky now too. Substack has given me you, Robert, Heather, Tiedrich, etc. to follow. I think being the daughter of Holocaust victims has pushed me not to shrink away but to attack from within. Ii do not use my actual name to infiltrate. It gives me cover for now.
You of all people should know that there are radical bad actors within every nation, state and occupied territory. We have them, Israel has them and Palestine has them.
I hear you speak out for support and sympathy for the Jewish people of Israel because of this attack and because of anti-Semitic attitudes. This is a humane thing to do.
But I have not heard you mention the support and sympathy we might afford the innocent non-radical Palestinians who must now suffer the backlash for actions that they did not support. We are all humans.
The current Israeli government condones inhumane suppression of Palestinian refugees, destroying homes and creating barriers to freedom and economic growth at every turn.
What would we as Americans do if we were subjected to 75 years of occupation by a nation that has grown arrogant and treated all of us as subhumans?
Hi, Steve, can you answer your question for me? "What would we as Americans do if we were subjected to 75 years of occupation by a nation that has grown arrogant and treated all of us as subhumans?"
>>What would we as Americans do if we were subjected to 75 years of occupation by a nation that has grown arrogant and treated all of us as subhumans?>
You mean what we've done to the Native Americans in the US?
Steve, I agree with everything you have stated here. And perhaps more than many average Americans, I have participated in discussions with Jews and Muslims - my neighbors and friends - about what should be done about Palestinians and the human rights abuses visited upon them by Israel’s government. Just a happenstance of having several Somali-born neighbors here in my neighborhood in Minnesota where I live, and many Jewish friends.
You state that the current Israeli government condones inhumane suppression of Palestinians. Yes, all true. What you don’t articulate is that all of Israel’s Arab neighbors have vowed to wipe Israel off the face of the map. And none of them have stepped forward to help the Palestinian people with humanitarian aid, nor does any Arab country welcome them as refugees or offer make other humanitarian effort to aid their fellow Arabs/Muslims. When I think of the good the Saudi trillions in oil profits could do in the region, my blood boils.
I have not seen Robert discuss the issues of persecution of Coptic Christians in the Middle East either. Yet such persecution, which includes bombings, torture, kidnapping and more, is currently happening. Just isn’t as visible. I’m a Christian. My college roommate is a Jordanian Christian who has been forced to flee her homeland. Should Robert have articulated support for them rather than their Muslim persecutors? How could he when Donald Trump is running for President? Seriously, no one can be an expert on all things nor keep so wide a perspective as to articulate support for a group that harbors terrorists who have just murdered and kidnapped how many Israeli citizens? Time to focus on the Palestinians? Yes. But we also need of functioning House of Representatives, a well-funded military and funds to support humanitarian efforts. We don’t have those and we have no one even remotely qualified running for Speaker.
I hear you in stating that most of us have voiced strong support for Israel and ignored the plight of the Palestinians. Yes. But too often, the issues are presented as either/or. Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim and represents Minneapolis, has tried to articulate support for the Palestinians in speeches in the US House. Sadly, each time she either directly or indirectly made anti-semitic remarks - and was roundly and publicly chastised by Pelosi for doing so. (To Omar’s credit, she apologized and has worked hard to gain perspective and change her views.)
We need an articulate champion for Palestinians here in the US. But since Hamas just murdered more Jews than have been killed in one day since the Holocaust, I’m thinking that focus on Palestinian rights will have to fall to our best diplomats for now. Bring it up again after a cease fire holds for a month or two and the dead are buried - on both sides.
Your comments, Sheila, are spot on. When we say “social justice” , in my view, it means having unwavering support for ALL those oppressed, no matter where or who, and righteous anger at those who murder innocents. Full stop.
Read Ayaan Hirsi Ali's op ed piece in the July 13-14, 2019 Wall Street Journal. You might get a different view of Ilhan Omar as Ali talks about how anti-Semitism is baked into the culture of Somalia. Ali's autobiography "INFIDEL" is a great read of what it is like to grow up in that culture.
Thank you, Steve! Indeed, there has been so little mention of "support and sympathy we might afford the innocent non-radical Palestinians who must now suffer the backlash for actions that they did not support”. The treatment of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government is so horrific and needs to be acknowledged - and the current backlash is mounting to equal the horror of the Hamas attack - who is going to end this cycle of violence without adding to it?
330 million Americans would have responses as varied as the Palestinians do today.
Some would be ‘pacified’ as the Native Americans were by our government and earlier settlers, that Alan Wolk alludes to.
Many would take up arms, form a resistance and fight oppression. (The NRA crowd and others inclined to fight.)
And many others would lay low, they might feel great resentment and anger but remain non-violent and work towards family and community survival.
We are all human with our imperfect human responses.
We can react to horrible events of the day, we can condemn the radicals (on both sides) and their actions that led us into this quagmire, And we can feel anguish and express support and concern for the Innocent non-radical people on both sides who have and are being terrorized.
“ What would we as Americans do if we were subjected to 75 years of occupation by a nation that has grown arrogant and treated all of us as subhumans?” There’s a lot, there, to parse —
“*Subjected* to 75 years of occupation” :
The occupations exist because so many of those under occupation desire Israel’s destruction. For example, terrorists from Jenin and elsewhere in the West Bank infiltrate into Israel and conduct murderous rampages. Their actions are widely celebrated in the West Bank; streets are named after them.
The occupations would end quickly if Palestinian peoples (collectively) and their leaders would move toward peaceful accommodation with Israel.
“Nation that has grown arrogant”: Do not expect people in a nation that was born in a fight for its very life, a nation that has endured with sworn enemies on its borders, to be laid back and like left-of center Americans. Not to excuse Israeli excesses, but how would we Americans feel and behave if we had such ‘neighbors’ on our northern and southern borders?
“Treated all of us as subhumans”. That, honestly, is a libel. True, a minority of Israelis regard Palestinians as subhumans – but it’s a small minority. Arab Israelis (“Palestinians”, if you will, althoughI understand that they reject the appellation) have equal rights in Israel, have positions in government and the professions, etc. – far from being viewed as subhuman, I’d say.
Don’t expect perfection from Israel any more than you/we expect perfection from the contemporary US. We’re all fallible humans.
Since you bring up Palestinian youngsters, please look into what they are taught in their schools, including those under UN sponsorship. I find it very frightening.
Wilie not attempting to discuss the complex Israel-Gaza-Palestinian relationship since 1948, I would like to point out that Israel, by policy, particularly over the last approximately 15 years, has created a public health nightmare in Gaza, with food, water, and sanitation restrictions that has led the World Health Organization to declare Gaza, with its over two million inhabitants in approximately 140 square miles, uninhabitable. There is no moral equivalency between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel policy. While I do not condone the actions by Hamas over this past weekend, as a non-practicing Jew, and one who has been to Gaza multiple times on medical humanitarian missions, I would like to say that there is another side to this story besides antisemitism.
Thank you for this! I too, am a non-practicing Jew (am a part-time Jew) and maybe that’s because I was raised Jewish in a small Southern Baptist town in NC. My sister and I were carted to Charlotte every Sunday to be around more Jews. While I embrace my heritage and recognize the horrors my parents went through in their perspective countries, I really resented having religion pushed down my throat. You have an insight that is tremendous. Thanks for sharing that.
I have Jewish and Palestinian friends, and I see this as tragic on both ends. In fact my neighbor to the west is Israeli, and my neighbor to the South has Jordanian citizenship, but is originally Palestinian. Just as my daughter's classmates at the University in Berlin who are Ukrainian and Russian get along together there, in fact socialize together, my neighbors who are from opposite sides in their home countries get along in the states. In fact, another set of neighbors where one couple is Israeli and the other he is Egyptian-German and she is Finnish are best friends, although they are secularly from different faith backgrounds. Their daughters are best friends too. Hamas does purportedly not speak for all Palestinians, and brought this war on them without their consent as far as I can see. For Jewish people to find a safe space is increasingly difficult. Many people in Israel had been considering leaving because they are so upset with the direction that Netanyahu is taking Israel. But, where to go? Europeans are increasingly comfortable sharing their antisemitism, as are Americans. Where is it safe? Israel certainly is not. What will happen now? Will it be like when the Twin Towers were attacked and all rallied around Bush, or will it be like in Russia and Ukraine, where many Jews will flee Israel for other places. Can Palestinians who do not agree with the conflict flee? It is unclear to me where they could go. I assume Palestinians will head to Europe, which is increasingly immigrant averse and Israelis to the USA and Canada. Yesterdays elections in the States of Bayern and Hesse in Germany showed, and previous ones in Italy, Sweden and Slovakia are just the latest indications that the war on immigrants which is fomented by bots from Russia, China, Iran, Hungary, North Korea, and right wing groups around the world is increasingly successful. Some of this is because of economic realities. When people feel their belts tightening they do not want to support others. When things are good the generosity grows. Is our world going to break out increasingly into ever wars all over because people cannot get along. All I can say is my head is reeling, and I know that there are no easy answers. My heart is with both my Jewish and my Palestinian friends, as well as my Ukrainian and Russian friends. Leaders make decisions that everyone else has to live with. I am glad that Biden is our leader even if I do not agree with everything that he says and does, he is best positioned to guide us. Also, I wish that we could get rid of Tommy Tuberville. Can pressure be put on him. Are there people in his home state who can picket his office and organize a recall vote? It is time that our military regain its full power, and that will include throwing Trump into jail for treason. Who knows how much of the information that allowed Hamas to attack Israel right now comes from information that some person or country got from Trump and sold to the highest bidder.
Time for a recall petition for Mr. Tuberville. Another recall petition in North Carolina for the lady who ran as a Democrat and immediately upon election began voting with Republicans.
Thank you so much for writing this, Tobert. Yes, it is extremely upsetting to read so much anti Israel comments online. It should be noted that Hamas is a terrorist group whose goal is “to wipe Israel off the map.” Thatt is statedvijntjsor charter. And anyone can look that up.
Ooops. My very old phone will not let me edit the above that I wrote with blocks of text being blocked out. Here’s the corrected version: Thank you so much for writing this, Robert. Yes, it is extremely upsetting to read so much anti-Israel comments posted online. It should be noted that Hamas is a terrorist organization whose goal is “to wipe Israel off the map.” That is stated in their charter. Anyone can look that up easily online.
PS. OR total silence. The total silence from almost everyone I know who is not Jewish is absolutely deafening. Watching them post on everything else —from football games to what they’re doing or have been doing, while we’ve been glued to tv news (non-biased Th news like MSNBC) and emailing and calling friends and family or posting online (with no comments from non-Jewish friends) makes us thing this huge event is trivial. But it isn’t. As you wrote, Robert, the loss of life in Israel (pop 9.2 million) is like America losing more than 20,000 citizens (percentage-wise). Do people not get it, are they afraid to comment for fear of being seen as anti-Semitic or do they just not give a hoot? Little to no support is why your writing about this in such an understanding way is so very important. Thank you again.
Musk is a purveyor of lies, racism, anti semitism and conduct antithetical to US foreign interests, I.e. a Putin devotee. If you support X, buy a Tesla or any other Musk product or service you are supporting an enemy of this country.
The Hamas attack was large enough, wide spread enough so that it is not terrorism. It was a declaration of war. Killing civilians, taking hostages are war crimes. Israel should seek the kind of victory in Gaza the Allies won in WW II. And then create an international tribunal to prosecute those crimes. It would help if Netanyahu stopped speaking about vengeance which evokes the idea of retribution. It would help if the American opposition behaved as well as the Israeli opposition, which offered to join a unity government. Sadly, when she was beginning to seem serious, Nikki Haley's willingness to lie about the $6 Billion disqualifies her as a respectable Presidential candidate. Israel, perhaps with the help of the American carrier strike group, should focus on military targets and a takeover of Gaza. Not for vengeance, not for retribution. For the purpose of reconstructing Gaza. It may sound impossible, but if Nazi Germany could be reconstructed, so can Gaza.
Leonard, I suppose it is too early to determine the full extent of players involved but I do wonder who has aided or been deeply involved in supporting Hamas in this horror. I think you are right in saying it is war that has once again shown the horrors on conflict and the failures of humanity.
The occupation of Germany is instructive. The important results of the occupation were not merely rebuilding of the economy, but *also* inculcating peaceable behaviors in the population. The same was true of the occupation of Japan.
What signs are there that peaceable behaviors will become ingrained in populations of Gaza and the West Bank?
The attack on Israel is horrific but what is almost as bad is the extreme political rhetoric from both the Republicans and members of the Israeli right wing groups. Why do we as a country based on the principle of “ all men are created equal” not adhere to and respect that concept. Republican politicians anti government actions are hurting the security of both our country and our foreign allies and there will be a price to pay. I hope voters are paying attention and maybe can cut through the misinformation and outright lies and finally begin to realize the value and experience the Biden administration brings in times such as now. Hopefully misguided comments like the one Nikki Haley and others made on Sunday will bring to light again how unqualified and inexperienced Republicans really are.
Stephen, you are so right about the fact that Republicans have put both our nation and the global community at serious risk on so many levels. They have wrapped themselves in cultural and misguided religious dogma that has impeded any efforts at governance leaving issues from nation/global security to voting rights, healthcare (particularly women’s), the environment/climate, economic inequality and more unattended. (This is a short list.)
At times like this it feels as though we cannot wait for November elections (2023 or 2024). How is it that our governing rules allow one man (Tuberville) to so deeply and egregiously hobble our military? Rand Paul compounds that harm by undermining the intelligence community while a reckless billionaire (Musk) controls a major social media source of misinformation and hate.
The United States and its citizens must reckon with these matters and return to a “United” States that works for all within and beyond our borders.
The senate majority party has the power to change senate rules including the Tommy Tuberville issue. Under Chuck Schumer the senate is staying with tradition versus change.
Use this Relationship map to see where the attacks started and the different ways Republicans have degraded America's ability to help Israel. Blocking military promotions (Tuberville). Blocking counterterrorism appointments (Rand Paul) and more.
Perhaps I’m naïve, but it seems to me that there must be something that Chuck Schumer can do to bring this idiocy with Tommy T to an end. I’m not sure what exactly that is, but this has gone on long enough, and it’s now putting all of us in grave danger.
It's the RULES that have to be changed....the crazy rule that ONE PERSON can upset the whole applecart! And one person willing to start a filibuster can also stop progress, although it is evidently no longer necessary for that one person to actually talk....they can have an aide read a Sears Catalog just to keep the filibuster from letting congress proceed!
I am very surprised that Tommy (football coach!) T can get away with this horrific situation that is affecting military families all across the USA. What ever happened to the old fashioned "arm twisting" that has changed a few minds in the past?
And while we're at "rule changing" how about we get rid of the Electoral College, a misnomer if there ever was one! And (sorry, I'm on a roll here:) how about we get more Senators for states with very large populations! It really bothers me (and I'm sure lots of folks here in California) that itty-bitty Rhode Island and Delaware each have TWO senators! CA and NY have huge populations and many states have tiny populations, so there--another "rule" that needs to be changed to reflect reality!
I agree with all of this; but for the immediate future, Schumer has to be more aggressive in getting this one rule changed. In addition, Republicans are holding up the assignment of several diplomatic posts in Israel and other parts of the Middle East. This is weakening us in so many ways that I fear that other terrorist organizations are going to see us as a disheveled nation and plan a similar attack here, yet again.
True, but I don’t count on McConnell to do anything helpful these days, particularly in his condition. If he had any respect for our institutions, he would’ve been arm-twisting Tuberville for months now.
Hamas conduct is inexcusable and unacceptable. Israel's conduct toward Palestinians, for decades is inexcusable and unacceptable. Palestinian territory has been stolen, Palestinian people oppressed and denied basic human rights. Gaza is a virtual prison. Israel has tanks and F-16s paid for by America. Palestinian people will see their ramshackle towns destroyed and their kinsmen killed. There is a stark difference between Jewish people and the government of Israel.
My son said, "It's terrible what's happening in Israel (we're Jewish), but my worry isn't only Hamas or even Iran against Israel, but China, Iran and Russia against America." Indeed, said I.
One can’t help but think that Putin asked Iran for a favor. Iran in turn asked Hamas for a favor. And then there was war; on Israel; it is so conveniently timed, it's hard not to think the Kremlin is behind it. No matter how many other parties are always up for a good scrum with Israel. But, conveniently, it is also not so good for Ukraine - which is certainly a factor over and above old hostilities.
My thinking too. How convenient to let everyone see that we are living in an increasingly Authoritarian ruled planet where forever wars can compete with environmental destruction to wipe our species off of the planet. As a parent who would like to see the planet getting better for our children, all children, I am deeply disturbed!
Hi, all. In both the comments section and in my email inbox, I am receiving a lot of criticism for not condemning Israel's policies toward Gaza and the West Bank. As I responded to one reader,
If your criticism is that I should have given the entire history of the Israeli Palestinian conflict in my newsletter last night, that is both an unrealistic expectation and dangerous ground. The attack was on civilians-- on young people from around the world attending a music festival, kids killed in front of their parents, and people asleep in their beds. If you couple those killings with the statement, “But Israel has horrible policies toward Gaza and the West Bank,” can you not see that marshaling those arguments in that order has a logical force that implies the killing of innocent civilians was justified?
Many readers (wrongly) claim that I defended Israel's treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank or that I justified Israel's retaliation on Gaza after the terrorist attack by Hamas. Neither of those statements appear in my newsletter. If you want to disagree with what I wrote, that's fine. But please try to connect your disagreement to something I wrote rather than something you read in the NYTimes or on Twitter by some other writer. If you do that, we can have a discussion. If you don't, you are having an argument with someone other than me.
Thanks!
It never ceases to amaze me when people attack you. You state your observances and opinions and you give us this forum in which to comment. I am very appreciative!!
You are totally correct on this as you were in your original post. It is one of the reasons that I said in my comment that I can't write about the Middle East in a column or a post because if one doesn't acknowledge multiple points of view, at least X historical events from Y perspectives and note all potential exceptions to any declarative statements, one gets a mailbox like you got. It's excessive but I suspect it's not going to change anytime soon.
And there's this from Ben Wittes, via Charlie Sykes:
The following, however, are seven ways not to respond to the mass murder of Israelis:
Please don’t explain that it shows that the only language that Palestinians (or Muslims) understand is force. Just don’t do it. There are many variants of this response. They often seem to involve a lot of words like “crush.” But Hamas isn’t “the Palestinians” or “Muslims,” and the answer to the murderous racist essentializing of Jews is not the murderous racist essentializing of Palestinians. There will be a major Israeli military response against Hamas in Gaza. It’s already happening. I suspect the magnitude of it is going to surprise a lot of people. And given the way Hamas operates and the extreme population density of Gaza, a lot of Palestinian civilians are going to get killed and injured as a result. That is a tragedy. They do not deserve that fate any more than the Israeli victims today did. So spare us the chest thumping.
With the Israeli body count rising by the hour, do not quickly change the subject to the crimes or misdeeds of the Israeli side or the oppression of Palestinians. Don’t be too quick to tell us about the “context” of this attack. There’s a place for that conversation, of course; it’s ongoing every day; and it’s legitimate. But 9/11 was not the day to discuss the errors of US foreign policy. The day ISIS attacked Paris and killed 100 people was not the day to lecture France about its sins. And if your response to 300 people getting killed in Israel is to wag your finger at Israelis and tell them how they brought it on themselves, you’re justifying murder—whether you understand that you are or not.
Relatedly, do not use any sentence that begins with anything like, “I oppose violence against civilians and terrorism, but…” You need to be able to end the sentence before the “but.” What comes after it may be right and valuable. But it’s not valuable today and probably won’t be valuable tomorrow or the day after that.
Do not use the attack to score points on unrelated matters about which you have a bone to pick with someone. Specifically, if you’re American, don’t use the murder of Israelis as a means of going after your political enemies domestically. I don’t care who they are. This wasn’t Donald Trump’s fault. It wasn’t Joe Biden’s fault. It had nothing to do with the recent deal with Iran.
More generally, the world doesn’t need to hear your insistence that the attack shows that you were right or that your enemies are wrong or foolish or treacherous. Hamas didn’t launch this attack in order to validate your sense of your own wisdom or insight.
We don’t need your conspiracy theory about how or why this happened or who is behind it. I know you think it’s clever. But really, we’re good.
And finally, we also don’t need your prediction about how this will reshape this or that, how it was just what Benjamin Netanyahu needed to do yadayadayada or how it will sink him once and for all and blah blah blah. The future will come soon enough. And you’re probably wrong, anyway.
Ben does not name any names. I, however, will not be so restrained. [Check out the Bulwark for an illuminating compilation of outrageous quotes from people who should know better, or at least it would be better if they knew better. ]
In the 1970's, two of my closest friends were Eddie and Varda. One of Varda's relatives was Polish and had spent three years hiding from the Nazis under the porch of several courageous neighbors in her small town. She had been fluent in 5 languages when she first hid; when she emerged at the end of the war, her only fluency besides Polish was Yiddish. She was one of the only survivors in her family.
Given their very visceral understanding of the risks of simply being Jewish, my friends NEVER would let their passports lapse. They fully understood that just as Germany had, the United States could fall under the sway of anti-Semitic propaganda - and they wanted to be able to leave at a moment's notice. At that time - perhaps not so much now - and in spite of their clear-headed understanding of Israel's flaws and contradictions, they saw the country as the only reliably safe place on Earth for them.
My more recent Jewish friends tell me of the elaborate security measures that their synagogue employs simply to keep them safe for the Sabbath and holiday services.....while they are also very aware of the injustices visited upon the Palestinians. They see no easy solution to this heartbreaking cycle of blood feud.
Here, in OUR country, there must be only one shared response to anti-Semitism and neo-Nazi groups: Complete refutation and zero tolerance for such hatred.
Thank you for letting people know that many Jewish communities have to be vigilant. My friend, Tanya Gersh, was subject to tremendous harassment by Andrew Anglin of the Daily Stormer. This is well documented and she won a court case of $14 million. She will never see a penny. However, Anglin never showed his face in court. That is the real face of bigotry.
Social media has allowed these repugnant individuals to spread their hatred far and wide, and they have attracted an audience of unknowing fools and bigots who cannot distinguish truth from fiction. Then, when they have to face the consequences of their own actions, they run and hide. But they have a false sense of bravery when they’re sitting in front of a computer screen spewing their hate, or yelling their hatred into a microphone in a podcast room.
The harassment caused by Anglin was devastating! Tanya Gersh spoke out and her words were so important to anyone who is being stepped on. She persisted and yes, she won. Monetarily, it doesn’t matter. She got her points across and people listened. Please give Tanya my very best, Ed.
Hello Marlene,
Tanya is doing well. Just an FYI: She does presentations on her experience around the country. To the best of my knowledge she does this for expenses only.
In addition, an Indie movie was made about her and a Holocaust survivor. She has turned around this horrific experience.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Robert, Thank you for sticking up for us Jews. Israel and Palestine have been at war for decades upon decades but this occurrence was where somebody was asleep at the wheel. Mossad has the most sophisticated spy systems in the world and for this to happen is a “shonda”...a nightmare! Tom Friedman was on CNN with Fareed Zaharia and he stated that the person most responsible was Yariv Levin, who is a hard-line member of the Likud Party. The Likud Party is made up of ultra-Orthodox men and quite frankly, they are as big as fundamentalists as the Christian-right in the US. Friedman said that Levin’s approaches have alienated most progressive Israelis and the constant attacks on the Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas, by way of getting information from Iran, who more than likely got info from Russia, were able to infiltrate Israel and murder celebrating Israelis, as well as kidnap them. Friedman also said that Netanyahu must get rid of Levin and others who undermine precious lives. Will he though? He is Israel’s Trump! Iran was upset that the Saudis were making a deal with Israel, so they employed Hamas as their carriers of death upon innocent people. Hamas is a terrorist organization. There must be hidden tunnels that the Iranians or Lebanese people used to give to Hamas and I imagine this was over a significant time period.
Netanyahu and the Likud Party fueled the fire that enraged not only the Palestinians but progressive Israelis. Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets, if you recall, because they hated what they were being subjected to. They also did not feel the firing of bullets at children in Gaza was necessary. The Palestinian people are without a sane government. No one cares about them. Ultra-Orthodox Jews were allowed to build settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu said recently, that they could build more, thus infringing on the rights of the Palestinians. It’s ugly. It’s awful. It’s heartbreaking! It is MEN who must have power, money, things, that make them feel whole. Women never willingly send their children into battle. We have patience and wisdom, plus we are negotiators. We seek peace and harmony. I say this as a mother of two daughters who have elected not to have children. They do not want to bring up a child in this environment. I cannot blame them.
I have first cousins in Israel who I only met one time. I don’t even know where they might be but I learned today, that a friend and her partner just arrived a few days ago in Israel and now they can’t get out. So far, they are safe. Nancy Pelosi spoke at a San Francisco synagogue on Sunday. Here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGNGY5G-BWA
Marlene, thank you for your observations. I think you have a very clear understanding of the situation. Bottom line? I think this attack is a direct result of:
1. A failure of Israeli intelligence services under the watch of Netanyahu and his bigoted partners in government. Israel has one of the most sophisticated intelligence operations in the world. It apparently hasn't been supported properly. Or..."they" were looking for a conflict to deflect the public's concern for their corruption.
2. There is no excuse for the violence of Hamas. They are indeed terrorists and worse. But Netanyahu has had many years to work out a solution to the Israeli/Palestinian problem. He has only made it worse. He who has the most soldiers, weapons, tanks and money is the one who has the power to make peace.
3. There is a direct line from Hamas to Iran to Russia. Robert alludes to it. Tom Friedman wrote clearly about it yesterday. This is about Putin playing a long chess game. And Republicans that oppose assistance to Ukraine are complicit in the whole scheme - whether they know it or not. If they do, they are traitors to the free world. If they don't, they should admit their stupidity and resign.
I am angry because all of this would have been avoidable if Netanyahu had practiced his religion instead of using it as a political bludgeon. There is no excuse for the violence of Hamas. But we can't treat people the way Palestinians have been treated since the 1940s and expect acquiescence. Again, there is no justification for rocketing Israel. There is no excusing the murder and kidnapping of Jews. But the people of Gaza had been placed in a pressure cooker - without even the guarantee of drinking water.
https://www.oxfam.org/en/failing-gaza-undrinkable-water-no-access-toilets-and-little-hope-horizon
I speak as a "None" who is married to a Jew. I have been steeped in Jewish culture for decades. My wife has first and second cousins living in Israel. She reached out and they say they are safe. But everyone is terrified, of course. I have the same feeling in my gut as on 9/12/2001.
Before blaming Netanyahu’s execrable politics for *Hamas’s* invasion of Israel, have a look at words in the Hamas Charter. The Hamas Charter calls for the *elimination* of Israel and for making the area Judenrein (cleansed of Jews).
Hamas and Islamic Jihad took over Gaza by force, so there might be hope that, were they totally eliminated, there might be hope for peace with the people of Gaza. Hope only, however, because Hamas and Islamic Jihad (with the connivance of UN “humanitarian” agencies in Gaza) have poisoned people’s minds.
Take a look at the article Bill sent from Oxfam and tell me Israel is not, as least 60-70% responsible for these lives. I know about the Hamas and Jihad manifestos. Yes, Jews have an absolute right to defend themselves against these evils. I cannot argue with you on that point. They do not have a right to continue harm on innocent people, caught up in the mishegas that the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government has bestowed upon them.
Correct
Bill, thank you and tell your wife I am glad her relatives are safe. Also, that article you provided by Oxfam just sent my head spinning! Inhumane conditions exist in the Gaza. Why? Because of Israel’s equal hatred of the Palestinians! It’s insane! This aline, makes people hate Jews even more. It is shameful and disgusting and makes me cry for their misery they’ve had to endure.
Mariene - this is indeed one of the narratives that seems to be emerging in Israel-- that because of all you noted, Shin Bet was focused on Jerusalem and the West Bank, not Gaza and that it is the fault of the hardlinerrs.
One small silver lining is that Lapid and Gantz have reached out to Bibi to form a wartime coaltion and he actually appears to be receptive, or is at least pretending to be. One precondition would be that he would need to jettison his hard right coalition members.
Regardless, it is unlikely that he survives this and, just as the Yom Kippur war led to a peace with Egypt, this may lead to peace with the Palestinian Authority.
One cam only hope that Bibi, indeed, does throw these members off. He, too, should be overthrown, in my opinion. His “leadership” has led to marches in the streets and now kidnappings and murders. Hamas has a manifesto to eliminate every Jew. Iran and Russia have enabled that to happen. I honestly think that is why Putin invaded Ukraine. He couldn’t believe that the Ukrainians elected a Jew as their leader.
*can* not *cam*. The edit button isn’t working properly today.
Do you mean that Bibi won’t survive this politically? If he is the Trump of Israel- might he survive it?
Thank you, Robert, for your sympathetic and thoughtful letter. While it is understandable to condemn Israel and its repression of the Palestinians, and the corrupt Netanyahu government, Israelis live in a very small country surrounded by peoples who would like to destroy them. It is wrong to see this attack as being equal on both sides. Israeli citizens, young and old were brutally attacked and murdered, tortured snd kidnapped by Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, neither interested in peace nor interested in helping the Palestinians.
Agree....Americans fail to see their own prejudices. I will speak out about anti-Semitism. So many Americans, who are Christian, promulgate this hate even though their saviour was Jewish (is Jewish if you still think he is alive). Everyone should read Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book INFIDEL. She is Somalian. Also, in the July 13-14 issue of The Wall Street Journal her op ed piece is titled "Can Ilhan Omar Overcome Her Prejudice?" Ali describes how anti-Semitism is baked in to the culture. I could make a case that anti-Semitism is baked into the American culture.
I couldn't read it without subscribing.
Thanks for letting me know.
I don't subscribe either. One of the coffee shops I hang out in use to subscribe.
All things are possible Karen.
Bibi is much smarter than Trump, and he's also been a politician much of his life. (Some of us remember when he worked for the Israeli Consulate in the US in the early 80s and was their spokesperson on American TV as he speaks relatively unaccented American English.)
If I can put on my optimist hat, one path forward would be that he would actually use the opportunity to jettison his hard right wing coalition members and, together with the centrists, sign peace accords with both the Saudis and the Palestinian Authority.
That is not as far-fetched as it sounds--it is clear that ignoring the Palestinians doesn't work and even more clear that defending far flung settlements won't work either, given the difficulty of defending towns in Israel proper. With Hamas--who have zero interest in any sort of settlement--out of the picture, this may be possible.
I remember my time in Israel - early summer 2001. I attended a wedding in Tel Aviv- during the evening the bomb went off at a disco on the beach. Everyone went into action, while we Americans sat there knowing help was needed but not knowing exactly what was going on (our friends, in their haste, stopped speaking english).
The hate and distrust between the Israelis and the Palestinians was every where, an accepted mode of thinking. I, in my American ignorance (we are insulated from so much that goes on in the world), could not understand- couldn’t ‘get’ how so many good people on both sides (sorry, that sounded like TFG) could not find a way to straighten it out. God, that was a solid 22 years ago and it was just post 911- things were really hyped. Seems like we are right back there again. Hamas out of the picture … I’ll hope for that.
I hope for that also, Karen.
Shin Bet was focusing on Jerusalem and the West Bank ? And not on Gaza ? That is clear dereliction of duty and heads should roll , metaphorically, if that was so. A surprise attack of this magnitude deserves a severe response, in a very crowded corner of the world. I hate that I am even writing this but Israel ‘s survival depends on it’s response.
I hope he doesn’t survive politically. He used to be sane and now he is radical. Look where that has gotten him!
I feel your anguish, Marlene. It is all so heartbreaking. The world is filled with evil that has never been more amplified by high tech communication. I am thinking today of the brilliant and harrowing book Apeirogon by Colum McCann and the lives sacrificed to hate.
Marlene, these are powerful words. Thank you for so coherently and thoroughly voicing your thoughts on this horror, which took place, yet again, on a Jewish holiday. While scrolling through Substack notes last night, I came upon this article. The editorial board of Haaretz has blasted Netanyahu and blamed him for the incredible suffering Israel and its people are going through now. They did not hold back. This is a serious lesson for us in the United States. If Republicans will not get their heads out of the gutter and stop fueling hatred by spreading lies, we are going to be less able to defend ourselves. “United we stand, divided we fall.”
I was able to read this article without a subscription, so it should be available to all.
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2023-10-08/ty-article-opinion/netanyahu-bears-responsibility/0000018b-0b9d-d8fc-adff-6bfd1c880000
Janet, on my end, you have to register your email so I didn’t sign up. However, I got the gist of what Haaretz was saying and gawwd I wish WaPo and NYT would call out Fake 45 like that!
Yes, if only. The media that we’ve counted on for decades to speak truth to power has definitely been failing us.
Totally!!
Experience in governing and foreign affairs is a key reason we are fortunate to have President Biden now and for the next 5 years and 3 months! What we need now is the continuity of an administration that is in place today should also stay for 5 years and 3 months. The complexity of the Middle East situation makes it imperative to have the team of President Biden and Secretary Blinken continue through January of 2029. We do need a Congress that will be a bipartisan player with the Biden administration. Reelecting Speaker McCarthy may actually be a good thing (most certainly an order of magnitude better than a Jim Jordan) since I believe he is seeing the need for the unity and bipartisanship the world situation demands. Could he grow into the moment history might demand of him? Let's hope so and then reinforce the Congress by electing those that do believe the problems and needs of today's world can only be solved by coming together and being a strength on a world stage. Experience, ethics, unity and continuity is how I've going to vote. We, the People, all of us as strength for each other and the world.
Cathy, i agree with a lot of what you have said but not on Qevin. He has proven he cannot be trusted. When he first started out, he blamed Fake 45 for the insurrection. But then, F45 got to him and my guess is that he threatened him with juicy tidbits he knew about him. His colors changed.
Yes, Kevin is a huge risk but at least he's had the frustration of a divided House. He is better than alternatives like Jim Jordan and if he is the only one the Republicans can agree upon to elect than he might do better than he's done in the past. He did finally do the right thing with the debt ceiling and government shutdown. Yes, I would rather see Hakeem in the Speaker's seat.
Its just overwhelming what's happening now in Israel and Gaza and the attendant dangers for everyone, everywhere - in addition of course to the horrors and suffering of those in the conflict area, especially civilians.
There's only one thing I want to add re: "Worse, one site Musk recommended for war coverage includes antisemitic content. See Washington Post, As false war information spreads on X, Musk promotes unvetted accounts." This is just the latest in the never-ending and in fact increasing outrages from Musk/X. I am DUMBFOUNDED that more people -- in fact, all people who care about our Democracy, what is morally right etc -- still use X and promote X by reading and citing it even if they don't post. Just so wrong, so complicit. It is one of the things that causes me great despair. How is it that people turn a blind eye and justify the support of someone with great power fomenting evil the way Musk does? There are alternatives and of course work must be done to make those alternatives better. This is an unusual rant for me as I feel almost incoherent in my anger and dismay. How do others feel about this? It would help to know I'm not alone.
You are not alone, Alexandra. I feel the same way that you do. I am totally shocked by the things that I have read here. I am not Jewish, but my niece and her adult twin sons are. I guess I have lived in a bubble, but I did not know that antisemitism was so rampant in America. It makes me so ashamed. I do not understand it at all.
Thank you...Anti-Semitism is rampant Virginia. As a Jew I hear things that Jews do not. As a guy, I may not hear or be subject to sexism. We all have our blind spots.
You are not alone!
I feel exactly the same way about "X" and Musk. X is a platform for dangerous disinformation. Musk is a brilliant engineer. But he is a stupid and evil human being. He should not have control of a major social media site. He should not have control over thousands of communication satellites.
That being said, Twitter (I'm always going to call it that) is hardly the only source of dangerous nonsense. We can find it on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram - all of them including our beloved Substack. I recently explored Substack...and stopped. I'll return to my research when I have the stomach for it. Apparently, money rules everywhere.
“X” in Mandarin has a “sh” sound. So the old Twitter is actually now Shitter!
Jay Kuo (and now others) term it Xitter.
I feel the same. I got off of twitter the week Musk took over and am increasingly outraged that so many remain.
Literally, Jessica, if people would leave on masse, as you and many others did, it would cause Twitter to fold and Musk would lose his entire investment in it. I’ve never had a Twitter account, and now I never will.
I remain, Jessica, because I want to be able to call out WaPo, NYT, FOX, OAN, etc. I am on blue sky now too. Substack has given me you, Robert, Heather, Tiedrich, etc. to follow. I think being the daughter of Holocaust victims has pushed me not to shrink away but to attack from within. Ii do not use my actual name to infiltrate. It gives me cover for now.
Robert,
You of all people should know that there are radical bad actors within every nation, state and occupied territory. We have them, Israel has them and Palestine has them.
I hear you speak out for support and sympathy for the Jewish people of Israel because of this attack and because of anti-Semitic attitudes. This is a humane thing to do.
But I have not heard you mention the support and sympathy we might afford the innocent non-radical Palestinians who must now suffer the backlash for actions that they did not support. We are all humans.
The current Israeli government condones inhumane suppression of Palestinian refugees, destroying homes and creating barriers to freedom and economic growth at every turn.
What would we as Americans do if we were subjected to 75 years of occupation by a nation that has grown arrogant and treated all of us as subhumans?
Hi, Steve, can you answer your question for me? "What would we as Americans do if we were subjected to 75 years of occupation by a nation that has grown arrogant and treated all of us as subhumans?"
What would we do? Genuine question.
>>What would we as Americans do if we were subjected to 75 years of occupation by a nation that has grown arrogant and treated all of us as subhumans?>
You mean what we've done to the Native Americans in the US?
Steve, I agree with everything you have stated here. And perhaps more than many average Americans, I have participated in discussions with Jews and Muslims - my neighbors and friends - about what should be done about Palestinians and the human rights abuses visited upon them by Israel’s government. Just a happenstance of having several Somali-born neighbors here in my neighborhood in Minnesota where I live, and many Jewish friends.
You state that the current Israeli government condones inhumane suppression of Palestinians. Yes, all true. What you don’t articulate is that all of Israel’s Arab neighbors have vowed to wipe Israel off the face of the map. And none of them have stepped forward to help the Palestinian people with humanitarian aid, nor does any Arab country welcome them as refugees or offer make other humanitarian effort to aid their fellow Arabs/Muslims. When I think of the good the Saudi trillions in oil profits could do in the region, my blood boils.
I have not seen Robert discuss the issues of persecution of Coptic Christians in the Middle East either. Yet such persecution, which includes bombings, torture, kidnapping and more, is currently happening. Just isn’t as visible. I’m a Christian. My college roommate is a Jordanian Christian who has been forced to flee her homeland. Should Robert have articulated support for them rather than their Muslim persecutors? How could he when Donald Trump is running for President? Seriously, no one can be an expert on all things nor keep so wide a perspective as to articulate support for a group that harbors terrorists who have just murdered and kidnapped how many Israeli citizens? Time to focus on the Palestinians? Yes. But we also need of functioning House of Representatives, a well-funded military and funds to support humanitarian efforts. We don’t have those and we have no one even remotely qualified running for Speaker.
I hear you in stating that most of us have voiced strong support for Israel and ignored the plight of the Palestinians. Yes. But too often, the issues are presented as either/or. Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim and represents Minneapolis, has tried to articulate support for the Palestinians in speeches in the US House. Sadly, each time she either directly or indirectly made anti-semitic remarks - and was roundly and publicly chastised by Pelosi for doing so. (To Omar’s credit, she apologized and has worked hard to gain perspective and change her views.)
We need an articulate champion for Palestinians here in the US. But since Hamas just murdered more Jews than have been killed in one day since the Holocaust, I’m thinking that focus on Palestinian rights will have to fall to our best diplomats for now. Bring it up again after a cease fire holds for a month or two and the dead are buried - on both sides.
Your comments, Sheila, are spot on. When we say “social justice” , in my view, it means having unwavering support for ALL those oppressed, no matter where or who, and righteous anger at those who murder innocents. Full stop.
Read Ayaan Hirsi Ali's op ed piece in the July 13-14, 2019 Wall Street Journal. You might get a different view of Ilhan Omar as Ali talks about how anti-Semitism is baked into the culture of Somalia. Ali's autobiography "INFIDEL" is a great read of what it is like to grow up in that culture.
Good point well stated.
Thank you, Steve! Indeed, there has been so little mention of "support and sympathy we might afford the innocent non-radical Palestinians who must now suffer the backlash for actions that they did not support”. The treatment of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government is so horrific and needs to be acknowledged - and the current backlash is mounting to equal the horror of the Hamas attack - who is going to end this cycle of violence without adding to it?
Inhumane suppression = apartheid. It is the people who will continue to suffer.
My question is an open question.
330 million Americans would have responses as varied as the Palestinians do today.
Some would be ‘pacified’ as the Native Americans were by our government and earlier settlers, that Alan Wolk alludes to.
Many would take up arms, form a resistance and fight oppression. (The NRA crowd and others inclined to fight.)
And many others would lay low, they might feel great resentment and anger but remain non-violent and work towards family and community survival.
We are all human with our imperfect human responses.
We can react to horrible events of the day, we can condemn the radicals (on both sides) and their actions that led us into this quagmire, And we can feel anguish and express support and concern for the Innocent non-radical people on both sides who have and are being terrorized.
“ What would we as Americans do if we were subjected to 75 years of occupation by a nation that has grown arrogant and treated all of us as subhumans?” There’s a lot, there, to parse —
“*Subjected* to 75 years of occupation” :
The occupations exist because so many of those under occupation desire Israel’s destruction. For example, terrorists from Jenin and elsewhere in the West Bank infiltrate into Israel and conduct murderous rampages. Their actions are widely celebrated in the West Bank; streets are named after them.
The occupations would end quickly if Palestinian peoples (collectively) and their leaders would move toward peaceful accommodation with Israel.
“Nation that has grown arrogant”: Do not expect people in a nation that was born in a fight for its very life, a nation that has endured with sworn enemies on its borders, to be laid back and like left-of center Americans. Not to excuse Israeli excesses, but how would we Americans feel and behave if we had such ‘neighbors’ on our northern and southern borders?
“Treated all of us as subhumans”. That, honestly, is a libel. True, a minority of Israelis regard Palestinians as subhumans – but it’s a small minority. Arab Israelis (“Palestinians”, if you will, althoughI understand that they reject the appellation) have equal rights in Israel, have positions in government and the professions, etc. – far from being viewed as subhuman, I’d say.
Don’t expect perfection from Israel any more than you/we expect perfection from the contemporary US. We’re all fallible humans.
Since you bring up Palestinian youngsters, please look into what they are taught in their schools, including those under UN sponsorship. I find it very frightening.
Wilie not attempting to discuss the complex Israel-Gaza-Palestinian relationship since 1948, I would like to point out that Israel, by policy, particularly over the last approximately 15 years, has created a public health nightmare in Gaza, with food, water, and sanitation restrictions that has led the World Health Organization to declare Gaza, with its over two million inhabitants in approximately 140 square miles, uninhabitable. There is no moral equivalency between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel policy. While I do not condone the actions by Hamas over this past weekend, as a non-practicing Jew, and one who has been to Gaza multiple times on medical humanitarian missions, I would like to say that there is another side to this story besides antisemitism.
Thank you for this! I too, am a non-practicing Jew (am a part-time Jew) and maybe that’s because I was raised Jewish in a small Southern Baptist town in NC. My sister and I were carted to Charlotte every Sunday to be around more Jews. While I embrace my heritage and recognize the horrors my parents went through in their perspective countries, I really resented having religion pushed down my throat. You have an insight that is tremendous. Thanks for sharing that.
I have Jewish and Palestinian friends, and I see this as tragic on both ends. In fact my neighbor to the west is Israeli, and my neighbor to the South has Jordanian citizenship, but is originally Palestinian. Just as my daughter's classmates at the University in Berlin who are Ukrainian and Russian get along together there, in fact socialize together, my neighbors who are from opposite sides in their home countries get along in the states. In fact, another set of neighbors where one couple is Israeli and the other he is Egyptian-German and she is Finnish are best friends, although they are secularly from different faith backgrounds. Their daughters are best friends too. Hamas does purportedly not speak for all Palestinians, and brought this war on them without their consent as far as I can see. For Jewish people to find a safe space is increasingly difficult. Many people in Israel had been considering leaving because they are so upset with the direction that Netanyahu is taking Israel. But, where to go? Europeans are increasingly comfortable sharing their antisemitism, as are Americans. Where is it safe? Israel certainly is not. What will happen now? Will it be like when the Twin Towers were attacked and all rallied around Bush, or will it be like in Russia and Ukraine, where many Jews will flee Israel for other places. Can Palestinians who do not agree with the conflict flee? It is unclear to me where they could go. I assume Palestinians will head to Europe, which is increasingly immigrant averse and Israelis to the USA and Canada. Yesterdays elections in the States of Bayern and Hesse in Germany showed, and previous ones in Italy, Sweden and Slovakia are just the latest indications that the war on immigrants which is fomented by bots from Russia, China, Iran, Hungary, North Korea, and right wing groups around the world is increasingly successful. Some of this is because of economic realities. When people feel their belts tightening they do not want to support others. When things are good the generosity grows. Is our world going to break out increasingly into ever wars all over because people cannot get along. All I can say is my head is reeling, and I know that there are no easy answers. My heart is with both my Jewish and my Palestinian friends, as well as my Ukrainian and Russian friends. Leaders make decisions that everyone else has to live with. I am glad that Biden is our leader even if I do not agree with everything that he says and does, he is best positioned to guide us. Also, I wish that we could get rid of Tommy Tuberville. Can pressure be put on him. Are there people in his home state who can picket his office and organize a recall vote? It is time that our military regain its full power, and that will include throwing Trump into jail for treason. Who knows how much of the information that allowed Hamas to attack Israel right now comes from information that some person or country got from Trump and sold to the highest bidder.
Time for a recall petition for Mr. Tuberville. Another recall petition in North Carolina for the lady who ran as a Democrat and immediately upon election began voting with Republicans.
No such thing as recalling a Senator.
Only way would be for the senate itself to act, and it would take ⅔ of the members. Good luck with that.
Otherwise, only the good citizens of Alabama could vote him out in 2026. Good luck with that, too.
Thank you Jerry. Ugh!
I totally agree with your last sentence, Linda. I've been thinking that all weekend.
Thank you so much for writing this, Tobert. Yes, it is extremely upsetting to read so much anti Israel comments online. It should be noted that Hamas is a terrorist group whose goal is “to wipe Israel off the map.” Thatt is statedvijntjsor charter. And anyone can look that up.
Ooops. My very old phone will not let me edit the above that I wrote with blocks of text being blocked out. Here’s the corrected version: Thank you so much for writing this, Robert. Yes, it is extremely upsetting to read so much anti-Israel comments posted online. It should be noted that Hamas is a terrorist organization whose goal is “to wipe Israel off the map.” That is stated in their charter. Anyone can look that up easily online.
PS. OR total silence. The total silence from almost everyone I know who is not Jewish is absolutely deafening. Watching them post on everything else —from football games to what they’re doing or have been doing, while we’ve been glued to tv news (non-biased Th news like MSNBC) and emailing and calling friends and family or posting online (with no comments from non-Jewish friends) makes us thing this huge event is trivial. But it isn’t. As you wrote, Robert, the loss of life in Israel (pop 9.2 million) is like America losing more than 20,000 citizens (percentage-wise). Do people not get it, are they afraid to comment for fear of being seen as anti-Semitic or do they just not give a hoot? Little to no support is why your writing about this in such an understanding way is so very important. Thank you again.
Thank you, Robert. Appreciate your thoughtful comments on the distressing news.
Musk is a purveyor of lies, racism, anti semitism and conduct antithetical to US foreign interests, I.e. a Putin devotee. If you support X, buy a Tesla or any other Musk product or service you are supporting an enemy of this country.
Wise up America.
This is why my family is anti-Musk(ovite), anti-Tesla, anti Twitter-X.
The Hamas attack was large enough, wide spread enough so that it is not terrorism. It was a declaration of war. Killing civilians, taking hostages are war crimes. Israel should seek the kind of victory in Gaza the Allies won in WW II. And then create an international tribunal to prosecute those crimes. It would help if Netanyahu stopped speaking about vengeance which evokes the idea of retribution. It would help if the American opposition behaved as well as the Israeli opposition, which offered to join a unity government. Sadly, when she was beginning to seem serious, Nikki Haley's willingness to lie about the $6 Billion disqualifies her as a respectable Presidential candidate. Israel, perhaps with the help of the American carrier strike group, should focus on military targets and a takeover of Gaza. Not for vengeance, not for retribution. For the purpose of reconstructing Gaza. It may sound impossible, but if Nazi Germany could be reconstructed, so can Gaza.
Leonard, I suppose it is too early to determine the full extent of players involved but I do wonder who has aided or been deeply involved in supporting Hamas in this horror. I think you are right in saying it is war that has once again shown the horrors on conflict and the failures of humanity.
The occupation of Germany is instructive. The important results of the occupation were not merely rebuilding of the economy, but *also* inculcating peaceable behaviors in the population. The same was true of the occupation of Japan.
What signs are there that peaceable behaviors will become ingrained in populations of Gaza and the West Bank?
The attack on Israel is horrific but what is almost as bad is the extreme political rhetoric from both the Republicans and members of the Israeli right wing groups. Why do we as a country based on the principle of “ all men are created equal” not adhere to and respect that concept. Republican politicians anti government actions are hurting the security of both our country and our foreign allies and there will be a price to pay. I hope voters are paying attention and maybe can cut through the misinformation and outright lies and finally begin to realize the value and experience the Biden administration brings in times such as now. Hopefully misguided comments like the one Nikki Haley and others made on Sunday will bring to light again how unqualified and inexperienced Republicans really are.
Stephen, you are so right about the fact that Republicans have put both our nation and the global community at serious risk on so many levels. They have wrapped themselves in cultural and misguided religious dogma that has impeded any efforts at governance leaving issues from nation/global security to voting rights, healthcare (particularly women’s), the environment/climate, economic inequality and more unattended. (This is a short list.)
At times like this it feels as though we cannot wait for November elections (2023 or 2024). How is it that our governing rules allow one man (Tuberville) to so deeply and egregiously hobble our military? Rand Paul compounds that harm by undermining the intelligence community while a reckless billionaire (Musk) controls a major social media source of misinformation and hate.
The United States and its citizens must reckon with these matters and return to a “United” States that works for all within and beyond our borders.
The senate majority party has the power to change senate rules including the Tommy Tuberville issue. Under Chuck Schumer the senate is staying with tradition versus change.
Let’s pray millions of voters feel the same way we do.
Use this Relationship map to see where the attacks started and the different ways Republicans have degraded America's ability to help Israel. Blocking military promotions (Tuberville). Blocking counterterrorism appointments (Rand Paul) and more.
https://thedemlabs.org/2023/10/07/hamas-attacks-israel-tuberville-blockade-cripples-us-military/
The actions of Senators Tommy Tuberville and Rand Paul are intrinsically anti-democratic. How do we stop this nonsense at this most urgent moment?
Perhaps I’m naïve, but it seems to me that there must be something that Chuck Schumer can do to bring this idiocy with Tommy T to an end. I’m not sure what exactly that is, but this has gone on long enough, and it’s now putting all of us in grave danger.
It's the RULES that have to be changed....the crazy rule that ONE PERSON can upset the whole applecart! And one person willing to start a filibuster can also stop progress, although it is evidently no longer necessary for that one person to actually talk....they can have an aide read a Sears Catalog just to keep the filibuster from letting congress proceed!
I am very surprised that Tommy (football coach!) T can get away with this horrific situation that is affecting military families all across the USA. What ever happened to the old fashioned "arm twisting" that has changed a few minds in the past?
And while we're at "rule changing" how about we get rid of the Electoral College, a misnomer if there ever was one! And (sorry, I'm on a roll here:) how about we get more Senators for states with very large populations! It really bothers me (and I'm sure lots of folks here in California) that itty-bitty Rhode Island and Delaware each have TWO senators! CA and NY have huge populations and many states have tiny populations, so there--another "rule" that needs to be changed to reflect reality!
I agree with all of this; but for the immediate future, Schumer has to be more aggressive in getting this one rule changed. In addition, Republicans are holding up the assignment of several diplomatic posts in Israel and other parts of the Middle East. This is weakening us in so many ways that I fear that other terrorist organizations are going to see us as a disheveled nation and plan a similar attack here, yet again.
Chuck Schumer *and* Mitch McConnell
True, but I don’t count on McConnell to do anything helpful these days, particularly in his condition. If he had any respect for our institutions, he would’ve been arm-twisting Tuberville for months now.
Only way would be for the senate to act, and it would take ⅔ of the members. Good luck with that.
Otherwise, only the good citizens of Alabama could vote him out in 2026. Good luck with that.
Good heavens! He’s good until 2026?!! OMG!
Hamas conduct is inexcusable and unacceptable. Israel's conduct toward Palestinians, for decades is inexcusable and unacceptable. Palestinian territory has been stolen, Palestinian people oppressed and denied basic human rights. Gaza is a virtual prison. Israel has tanks and F-16s paid for by America. Palestinian people will see their ramshackle towns destroyed and their kinsmen killed. There is a stark difference between Jewish people and the government of Israel.
Sorry, Paul Turley, but Israel pays a lot for its munitions. It also, evidently, has over the years provided valuable intelligence to US forces.
My son said, "It's terrible what's happening in Israel (we're Jewish), but my worry isn't only Hamas or even Iran against Israel, but China, Iran and Russia against America." Indeed, said I.
One can’t help but think that Putin asked Iran for a favor. Iran in turn asked Hamas for a favor. And then there was war; on Israel; it is so conveniently timed, it's hard not to think the Kremlin is behind it. No matter how many other parties are always up for a good scrum with Israel. But, conveniently, it is also not so good for Ukraine - which is certainly a factor over and above old hostilities.
My thinking too. How convenient to let everyone see that we are living in an increasingly Authoritarian ruled planet where forever wars can compete with environmental destruction to wipe our species off of the planet. As a parent who would like to see the planet getting better for our children, all children, I am deeply disturbed!
Your analysis is very credible.