I just read your newsletter Robert, then moseyed over to Jill’s and watched the video of you two and all the trick or treaters. Seeing you working on this evening’s newsletter in the midst of ponies and butterflies and dragons was fun, as was your wave to the camera at the end! Your incredible dedication to the newsletter community is amazing to witness on the video. Thank you Robert for your dedication in the midst of a busy and rich life! Happy Halloween to you and all! 🎃👻💀🎃
We had about 2 dozen kiddos last night in 40-degree (flurries!!) weather. Soooo much fun and a HUGE improvement from the last two years. Thanks very much for sharing your fun with us, Robert & Jill!
That snake, ready to strike, on the candy table was scary! I noticed a couple of children who chose to bypass it! Fabulous decorations. How fun to have so many children come to your house. Where we live, there are no children anywhere nearby. Sigh...
And this was another superb newsletter despite the chaotic sounding circumstances in which it was written. Going out to my 80-plus email correspondents.
Right on, Janice. It is amazing that Robert and others on substack continue to provide great insights to set us straight after we read the frequently poll dependent non-news.
"...it is clear that [Joe Biden] is making a good-faith effort to do the right thing for the Israeli, Palestinian, and American people. That is what we should expect of any US president—and Biden is measuring up to that high bar." Not only is Joe Biden making a "good-faith effort," he is doing the right thing -- supporting Israel, moderating Netanyahu, and opposing the murderous Hamas. That Hamas has said the safety of Gazans is not their responsibility, but Israel's; that they have designed their own defense using Gazan civilians as shields makes clear who has the moral high ground. What's more, the Israeli public understands the strength and inadequacies of its leadership. One poll found that 70% of Israelis would remove Netanyahu once the crisis is over.
Great citation, Leonard, and a great point about President Biden. Moderating Netanyahu is as easy as moderating the Defendant. President Biden is deftly, I believe, walking the line between support for Israel's rights to exist and defend itself, and holding its feet to the fire about not committing war crimes in doing so. I think he's made it clear that the ends, however noble, do not justify ignoble means. I hope (but don't expect) that Netanyahu (like the Defendant, seemingly cut from similar cloth) will lose their ability to defy gravity.
If you ever wondered what real skillful politician work looks like, Biden is showing us. It's rare - increasingly rare today - to see such masterful use of nuanced negotiation, compromise, and political influence.
“… holding [Israel’s] feet to the fire about not committing war crimes …” –
I think this meme is a gentle slur against Israel: the relentless admonitions against committing war crimes, especially when the war criminals have been only on the Hamas side. The outcome of this repeated meme is to imply that Israelis are inherently war criminals.
I respectfully disagree. It's an admonition that they not commit war crimes in defense of war crimes, and it's being repeated in public to put pressure on Netanyahu not to do so, and to demonstrate that while our support is unconditional, it's not with our complicity in what they do with it.
But Bob and Janet, such an admonition - especially a *public* admonition- not to commit war crimes looks to many as saying, “If I don’t admonish you, you’re going to commit war crimes.” It’s a *public* expression of distrust.
Imagine how you’d feel if, as you enter a store, people came up to you, saying, “Remember, no shoplifting.”
I think I understand, but this is very complicated, and I don't want to get out over my skis. I'm no expert on this stuff. That being said, I don't trust Netanyahu. He's hinted that nothing will stand in his way in his quest to eradicate Hamas. There are a lot of innocent people standing in his way. The ends do not justify the means.
Good points, Bob. However, I don’t think this is simply a question of trusting *Netanyahu*. I think (hope?) that, although he is Prime Minister, the Israel Defense Forces generals would push back if he gave an order that was definitely illegal. This would be similar to what General Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff did to offset fears of illegal orders by then-President Trump.
With regard to ends and means, I prefer the more sophisticated formulation by the activist Saul Alinsky: Do *these* ends justify *these* means?
I feel relieved as well. Netanyahu’s policies, whether deliberately or inadvertently, precipitated this horrific crisis. But I would’ve expected this poll result, considering the hundreds of thousands of people who demonstrated over the previous months against the government’s policies and against Netanyahu himself.
The victims here are the Israeli people, and also the Palestinian innocents who are being slaughtered on masse. Israel has every right to retaliate and to protect itself. There’s absolutely no question about that. But in any situation like this, there are always mass casualties of innocent people. Netanyahu, in my opinion, is the architect of the problems he is now dealing with.
I am not in the least blaming the victim. That’s the kind of thinking and accusation that gets people into battles on these websites. I am blaming a far right, dictator-like leader whose policies are considered unacceptable by 70% of the Israeli population. An article in Haaretz a week or so ago presented a broader view of exactly what I wrote above. I’m not getting into a battle with you over this, Michael. We can agree to disagree. I have plenty of Jewish friends and relatives by marriage who feel exactly as I do.
I’m confident that even if Netanyahu (I’m anything but one of his fans) were to tell the Israel Defense Forces ((IDF) that war crimes were defensible in this war, the IDF officers and large numbers of soldiers would rise up in opposition, much as they did to oppose Netanyahu’s attempt to effectively take over Israel’s Supreme Court.
I don’t think any US President has made a true good-faith effort to do the right thing for the Israelis or Palestinians. Fighting broke out in 1948 with the formation of Israel and the great powers gave financial and armament backings to Israel.
Though many Palestinian families had lived in what is now Israel for generations there was no guarantee for a recognized Palestinian state, nor even a small one. Gaza and the West Bank was supposed to be where they would live. Did the US, Britain or France help them set up a viable government? Israeli and western governments allowed more and more Israeli settlers into land that was supposed to be for the Palestinians. And US has financed the Israeli military for decades.
Just as Christian’s (the new religion on the block) were persecuted centuries ago, so now are Palestinians are persecuted especially after 9/11. Jewish people have been and are being persecuted still.
I do think Pres. Biden is being more evenhanded than many other politicians. Remembering that there’s a long history there and no country is completely blameless.
Recall that Trump withheld funding to Palestinians in an effort to force them into "the perfect peace deal." Biden reinstituted that aid without conditions.
The UN Resolution called for a Jewish State and an Arab State. As you say, no country is completely blameless. The Palestinian Arabs rejected the UN division as unfair and Palestinian irregulars began fighting. The United States and European countries embargoed weapons during the conflict. The Arab states (though Jordan, with the best trained troops was late) invaded on behalf of the Palestinian Arabs. The Israeli regulars and irregulars initially sought to maintain what was given by the UN.
The US encouraged negotiations. The UN arranged two cease fires. Israel achieved separate agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in negotiations which the US was not involved in. Israel gained some territory beyond the original UN resolution. Egypt gained control of Gaza. Jordan gained control of the West Bank. And the idea of a Palestinian state was not on the table.
After the war was over, the UN passed a resolution to create a commission that would help the parties create a settlement (presumably consistent with the 1948 resolution). I do not believe that the commission had anything to do with the actual agreements between Israel and the invading Arab countries. That UN resolution also affirmed the right of Palestine refugees to return and receive restitution for lost property. As Michael Alexander explains, the facts on the ground governed what actually happened.
The UN did not stop its involvement, but it could not achieve its goals. Resolutions have not been the means to a solution. A 1974 UN resolution was more strongly supportive of the Palestinians -- affirming their "inalienable right to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty and to return to their homes and property. In 2012, the UN further confirmed the Palestinians right to self-determination and sovereignty by granting non-member observer State status.
The world missed an opportunity to create a functioning Palestinian state in 1949, notwithstanding the military outcome. The world missed an opportunity again in 2000 when Bill Clinton met with Yassar Arafat and Ehud Barak.
I believe that Resolution was effectively abandoned because approximately two years of warfare changer the”facts on the ground”. The cease-fire boundary, known as the Green Line, became the de facto boundary. Jordan controlled the territory on the east of the Green Line until after the 1967 war.
It all goes back to his mob boss mentality. As Michael Cohen has said, he doesn't tell people what to do, but it is implied and understood. That certainly applies to his public speaking as well.
The reality, in my opinion, is that no one needed to be a mental wizard to recognize Trump’s intentions to promote violence. Let’s start with “come to D.C. on January 6, it will be wild,” and “march on the Capitol, take back your country.” (That second quote might be a little paraphrased.) We can also recall that during one of the debates Trump stated to the Proud Boys, “stand back, stand by.”
The Proud Boys and others have since January 6th testified or stated they knew what he meant. Here’s a news report that confirmed the Proud Boys understood shortly after the debate.
What I believe he said almost word for word is, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.“ That’s an incitement to violence if I ever heard one.
Sometimes Trump is more subtle; in this case, he was not because he was desperate. I am eternally grateful for this Colorado lawsuit, because if he loses, it starts to set a precedent. If he is removed from the ballot out here, it’s not really going to do much good. Colorado has been reliably blue since around 2004, when the demographics here really started to change. There has been a huge influx of people from the west and east coasts. That has turned out to be a very good thing, and it has created a thriving tech industry here. So Trump would never win in Colorado anyway, but it may create a domino effect. My fingers are crossed.
We can be pleased that our demographics have changed the politics in Colorado. But wouldn’t it be great if more of the population saw the disaster the extremism has wrought.
To me it is simple. Hamas has taken the people of Gaza hostage to destroy Israel and Jews everywhere. Anyone who supports giving in to terrorists is inviting terrorism. Short-sighted and openly anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitic one day, anti something else another. Giving in to terrorists will lead to carnage of the worst sort.
Re the CREW efforts in CO to keep DJT off the ballot in 2024, as I understand it, Laurence Tribe is saying that it's not Trump's intent to cause violence on Jan. 6th that matters as much as the fact that by trying to stay in office after he lost the election, he has engaged in insurrection against the constitution, which is disqualifying. https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1719670922511057108?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
The violence was a means to the end. Tribe writes that Trump is guilty of "attempting to stay in power" after the election. How did he do that? Through the fake electors' process, which required a delay in certification, which required a violent assault on the Capitol after Mike Pence failed to do so unilaterally.
So, Trump's call to violence matters, as does his involvement in the fake electors' plot, as does his effort to intimidate Pence, . . . . It would be a mistake to ignore Trump's efforts to use violence to delay the count. Indeed, his "Be there, it will be wild" tweet is one of the most critical, public pieces of evidence available to prosecutors.
See Jack Smith's indictment of Trump. See Indictment at para. 10(d), which alleges that Trump "directed them [insurrectionists] to the Capitol to obstruct the proceeding [electoral count]
Totally agree with all this. He also made a remark that is an even more specific call to violence, which was, almost word for word, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” If that isn’t a call to violence, then I don’t know what is.
Didn't he also say from the podium on J6 something to the effect of "follow me to the Capitol" and "fight like hell or you won't have a country anymore"? I don't have the exact words, but I think that was the gist of it.
I feel sorry for Blinken having to put up with the Code Pink dumbos. I had to deal with the Texas chapter of that collection of lunatics back in 2008 when the second Fort Hood GI coffeehouse was organized. They made the loonies from the Looney Left of 50 years ago seem sane.
Yes, TC, but from what I’ve read Blinken handled the protests very well. He is just one example of the excellent talented, competent team Biden has put in place. We are fortunate to have Biden at this moment but also very fortunate to have so many competent people working at his side.
Don’t we all. It has surprised me to see so many will to shoot from the hip with comments that need a lot of curating. Ugh! Better be careful myself. 🥸
Initially, I truly wanted to believe that Code Pink had good intentions as a leftist organization. Now I believe it’s all pure showmanship and attention getting tactics, with no clear thinking about a given situation.
And their actual politics are the kind of crap that has kept the far left far from power for the past century when they decided to become honorary Bolsheviks, honorary Stalinists, honorary Maoists and honorary terrorists.
Totally agree. Another example is that I used to read Chris Hedges religiously, particularly when he worked for the New York Times, from which he was fired (is my understanding). He now teams up with organizations like Code Pink and attends these anti-Ukraine war rallies, among other events. He bashes President Biden on a regular basis, helping to accelerate the US heading into an autocratic situation (if enough people vote for leftist third parties). It’s similar to what Steve Schmidt is doing, it’s just a different tactic. When you’re standing at the edge of a precipice, it’s best not to kick rocks that may cause you to lose your foothold. That thought came to my mind the other day when I was standing at the edge of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
Thank you, Robert, for your continued optimism. You and Heather Cox Richardson are the first things iread each morning. My friend, Rav Rachel Issac, a Conservative rabbi, has a peace plan that she and her many Iraeli and Palisinian friends say is a win win. Trade the Israeli cabinet for the hostages. If only.
Okay, I am trying not to laugh given the seriousness of the subject, but I can't help myself. But having thought about it for a few moments, my guess is that all but one of the members of the Israeli cabinet would agree to that exchange. Guess who would not?
Polls are overrated. With the stakes so high, I hardly see how we can can sacrifice the delicate balance that has been achieved in the current international crisis, whatever the outcome. This is one case where protests fail to advance any positive outcome except publicizing the suffering on all sides that we already know is taking place. Thank you, Robert, for contributing to a saner world.
President Biden obviously spends all of his time thinking about ways to improve people's lives.
Biden, Harris, Blinken and the other Cabinet Members demonstrate amazing stamina and dedication in serving in their roles and providing leadership and expertise.
I just watched a documentary on John Gotti-was chilling how similar he is to Trump. You should encourage readers to watch! In the end, he was jailed. Yeah!
My comments as Anthony Blinken addressing Congress:
"I come before you today ashamed of what the Republican Party has become, a "know-nothing", do nothing party that wants its own way believing its the real and only source of truth and legitimacy. A party eager to fling bombs into the territory of the Democrat Party, not for the betterment of U.S. citizens, rather in abject fear of becoming irrelevant. Not to bring peace and cooperation, but to injure the bystanders of your political gamesmanship on both sides. As the Democrats lead, you battle from within without purpose, without direction, without any desire to collaborate or negotiate but to simply upset the balance of power and create political havoc. And, like Hamas, you do so so that the victims of your attack ultimately will be identified as the cause of your aggression. You bring to a halt the work that you were brought here to do, and claim your opposition refuses to deal with you. You claim that our domestic interests should come first revealing your naïveté that America still remains the world leader and as such must meet its responsibilities. You audaciously hide behind a hidden agenda of White Christian autocracy and despotism, while you corrupt decency and the best efforts of our democratic system. In your desire for control, you seek to dismantle all historical norms. Your own representatives are no longer agents of their people, their constituency who should be well counseled by years of experience and dedication. You have become a body of fools, charlatans, thieves and rogues lacking all the tools of personal integrity and true grit. Your party has become anomalous comprised of hateful, spoiled deviants who don't wish anyone to play with their ball. Age regression is evident in your thesis, complaints and demands. You will, more and more, stand alone. You will become what you are fighting against, superfluous and without agency."
Thank you Robert. Whatever the polls, I think the USA is on the wrong side of ethics if it does not call for a ceasefire and decry the destruction of Gaza as well as the vigilante violence on the communities of the West Bank. This does not have to translate into diminished support for Israel as a state, but refusing to condemn Netanyahu’s govt, whose own massive failures helped allow the Hamas massacre or pogrom, and who have violated everyone’s rights including in Israel at every turn, puts the USA in a very compromised position.
Hi, PS. Let me suggest an edit that might make your understandable plea more effective: "Whatever the polls, I think the USA is on the wrong side of ethics if does not call for a ceasefire and decry THE DESTRUCTION OF GAZA AND THE ONGOING MISSILE ATTACKS ON ISRAELI CIVILIANS BY HAMAS. . . . "
Yesterday, Israel killed a Hamas commander hiding in a refugee camp. Dozens (hundreds?) of innocent refugees were killed in the raid (as wells as 50 terrorists). The international community condemned Israel for casualties to civilians as it pursued a terrorist commander hiding in their midst.
At the same time, Hamas fired missiles into Tel Aviv. Not at military objective in Tel Aviv, just Tel Aviv, which is home to hundreds of thousands of civilians. Israel's Iron Dome stopped the missiles. No one condemned Hamas for trying to kill Israeli civilians without any military objective. Do you know where those rocket attacks were reported in the Western press? Nowhere. You would have to read the Times of Israel to know that terrorists targeted Israeli citizens with rockets. Apparently, that is not what passes for "news" in the Western press. See Times of Israel, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/air-raid-sirens-sound-across-central-israel-including-tel-aviv-3/
PS, I admire and respect those who call for unconditional peace. But those calls always seem to be directed only to Israel and ignore the fact that there is another actor in the equation who continues to target civilians--something Israel is not doing, despite high civilian casualties. If you believe that unconditional cease fire is the key to peace, your plea would be more effective if it was directed at both parties and acknowledged that only one party is targeting civilians.
Thank you, Robert, for this cogent addition to the discussion. There are indeed two main combatants here: one that would eliminate the Jewish state and the Jewish people, and the other that would eliminate a terror organization that uses its own civilians as shields.
Thanks for engaging Robert. Yes, I appreciate your point about Hamas still sending rockets into Israel.
The US press is also woefully inadequate in telling us about the many divisions within side Israel between supporters of Netanyahu’s govt and offensive and his many critics. I think knowing more about that would also advance the discussion in the USA.
In 1943, you could have found miles of film showing innocent civilians in Europe killed, wounded and made homeless by British and American bombing. A ceasefire then might have seemed humane, but it would have given a shot in the arm to the Nazis. So it is today. A ceasefire would make things better for Gazan civilians, but it would let Hamas have a breathing spell to reorganize and rearm. It might save lives in the short run, but at the cost of more lives in the future, when Hamas repeats October 7, perhaps on a larger scale. “War is all hell,” as General Sherman wrote, but sometimes it’s necessary to go through hell in order to have better times. (In saying that, I am not endorsing Israeli tactics, and certainly not the widespread criminality being practiced in the West Bank.)
It is always good to read posts like this, Jon. You provide some insights that aren’t (almost never) part of the reporting or conversations that can help us comprehend some of the complexity. Thank you.
But Hamas will not be defeated in this horror because it is supported by Iran etc. We are seeing an existential moment I think both for Israel, Palestine and the world, and more bombs will definitely not resolve it. Awful times
Hillary has said a cease fire would only allow Hamas a break to reload. To paraphrase if you want to give Hamas a break you don't really understand Hamas.
I don’t disagree, and there lies the existential impossibility of how the region is currently organized. Netanyahu’s government m is engaging in terrible evil in being willing to kill thousands upon thousands. And with no likelihood of actually ending Hamas—this kind of terror only breeds more people willing to die for a cause…..
I have no answers to any of this, but in reading your post, one thought echoes in my mind, and not for the first time: would calling for a ceasefire now diminish the influence the US currently has over the Israeli government? Rightly or wrongly, it seems the administration thinks it would. Again, I have no solutions.
I’m not certain what the effect would be on the current Israeli government. But I’m quite sure the effect on the Israeli people would be deep dismay, anger, and a feeling of abandonment.
Whom exactly do you think you're helping by condemning Israel for taking the conflict into Gaza where Hamas is hiding (under the Palestinians' homes and hospitals)? All you are doing is telling Israel that they cannot make their own land safe. And, in the process, stoking anti-Semitism around the world, leading to attacks on Jews everywhere. Surely you know what you are doing, right?
Watching videos of dead and wounded Israeli and Palestinian children has made me decide to only look to the future rather than cast blame for past performances.
Right now Israel is a functioning somewhat democratic state which can advance our interests throughout the Middle East and from there the world. The Palestinians are a problem to be solved, mainly by Israel. They are and should be a secondary issue for us. How the Israelis decide to deal with them is essentially their problem and should be supported by us subject to protecting our reputational and moral interests. It seems that the Arab world is not now overly concerned with the welfare of Palestinians given the extent and severity of Hamas’ attack. Not knowing what’s going on behind closed doors it’s difficult to take a position for or against anything. So insofar as what the US has been doing it seems the right thing; let the Israelis do what they think necessary to uphold their security within reason and prevent the spread of the war. Once things calm down get back to business with the Saudis.”
Robert, I believe that your intelligent summaries of events and issues, as well as your kindness and integrity, encourage us to engage in respectful debate and discourse. I look forward to this newsletter each day. Thank you so much.
Robert! I’m so glad that you and Jill were hanging with the ghosts and goblins! We took a drive down town and enjoyed the little kids with their Halloween costumes, there was even a family of tigers: two big tigers (mom and dad) and three little tigers (one in a baby carriage)! What fun! Nice to enjoy a few moments of ‘normalcy’.
I just read your newsletter Robert, then moseyed over to Jill’s and watched the video of you two and all the trick or treaters. Seeing you working on this evening’s newsletter in the midst of ponies and butterflies and dragons was fun, as was your wave to the camera at the end! Your incredible dedication to the newsletter community is amazing to witness on the video. Thank you Robert for your dedication in the midst of a busy and rich life! Happy Halloween to you and all! 🎃👻💀🎃
Thanks! Here is the link to Jill's blog: https://www.everydaywithjill.com/post/trick-or-treat-night
Loved the "disco" Halloween lights❣️
We had about 2 dozen kiddos last night in 40-degree (flurries!!) weather. Soooo much fun and a HUGE improvement from the last two years. Thanks very much for sharing your fun with us, Robert & Jill!
That snake, ready to strike, on the candy table was scary! I noticed a couple of children who chose to bypass it! Fabulous decorations. How fun to have so many children come to your house. Where we live, there are no children anywhere nearby. Sigh...
Thanks for that link! I needed the smile!
Thanks, Janice, for mentioning Jill. I, too, just moseyed over to her site to have a look-see. It was epic...I just love Halloween!
And this was another superb newsletter despite the chaotic sounding circumstances in which it was written. Going out to my 80-plus email correspondents.
Talk about multi-tasking!
Right on, Janice. It is amazing that Robert and others on substack continue to provide great insights to set us straight after we read the frequently poll dependent non-news.
“Poll-dependent non-news” is an excellent description.
"...it is clear that [Joe Biden] is making a good-faith effort to do the right thing for the Israeli, Palestinian, and American people. That is what we should expect of any US president—and Biden is measuring up to that high bar." Not only is Joe Biden making a "good-faith effort," he is doing the right thing -- supporting Israel, moderating Netanyahu, and opposing the murderous Hamas. That Hamas has said the safety of Gazans is not their responsibility, but Israel's; that they have designed their own defense using Gazan civilians as shields makes clear who has the moral high ground. What's more, the Israeli public understands the strength and inadequacies of its leadership. One poll found that 70% of Israelis would remove Netanyahu once the crisis is over.
Great citation, Leonard, and a great point about President Biden. Moderating Netanyahu is as easy as moderating the Defendant. President Biden is deftly, I believe, walking the line between support for Israel's rights to exist and defend itself, and holding its feet to the fire about not committing war crimes in doing so. I think he's made it clear that the ends, however noble, do not justify ignoble means. I hope (but don't expect) that Netanyahu (like the Defendant, seemingly cut from similar cloth) will lose their ability to defy gravity.
If you ever wondered what real skillful politician work looks like, Biden is showing us. It's rare - increasingly rare today - to see such masterful use of nuanced negotiation, compromise, and political influence.
It certainly is, and it's grossly underappreciated or acknowledged.
I would only add to the above four comments--with which I strongly agree--that Blinken's op-ed is superb and worth the read.
Jennifer Rubin's column yesterday made the Trump/Netanyahu twins analogy.
Thank you. Consider my free newsletter: Len's Political Notes https://lenspoliticalnotes.com
I subscribe to Len's newsletter. It is great!
“… holding [Israel’s] feet to the fire about not committing war crimes …” –
I think this meme is a gentle slur against Israel: the relentless admonitions against committing war crimes, especially when the war criminals have been only on the Hamas side. The outcome of this repeated meme is to imply that Israelis are inherently war criminals.
I respectfully disagree. It's an admonition that they not commit war crimes in defense of war crimes, and it's being repeated in public to put pressure on Netanyahu not to do so, and to demonstrate that while our support is unconditional, it's not with our complicity in what they do with it.
Well said, Bob.
But Bob and Janet, such an admonition - especially a *public* admonition- not to commit war crimes looks to many as saying, “If I don’t admonish you, you’re going to commit war crimes.” It’s a *public* expression of distrust.
Imagine how you’d feel if, as you enter a store, people came up to you, saying, “Remember, no shoplifting.”
I think I understand, but this is very complicated, and I don't want to get out over my skis. I'm no expert on this stuff. That being said, I don't trust Netanyahu. He's hinted that nothing will stand in his way in his quest to eradicate Hamas. There are a lot of innocent people standing in his way. The ends do not justify the means.
Good points, Bob. However, I don’t think this is simply a question of trusting *Netanyahu*. I think (hope?) that, although he is Prime Minister, the Israel Defense Forces generals would push back if he gave an order that was definitely illegal. This would be similar to what General Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff did to offset fears of illegal orders by then-President Trump.
With regard to ends and means, I prefer the more sophisticated formulation by the activist Saul Alinsky: Do *these* ends justify *these* means?
It's good to hear that so many Israelis would like to see a change in leadership when it is possible.
I feel relieved as well. Netanyahu’s policies, whether deliberately or inadvertently, precipitated this horrific crisis. But I would’ve expected this poll result, considering the hundreds of thousands of people who demonstrated over the previous months against the government’s policies and against Netanyahu himself.
To say that Netanyahu’s policies precipitated this crisis is (inadvertently) blaming the victim.
The victims here are the Israeli people, and also the Palestinian innocents who are being slaughtered on masse. Israel has every right to retaliate and to protect itself. There’s absolutely no question about that. But in any situation like this, there are always mass casualties of innocent people. Netanyahu, in my opinion, is the architect of the problems he is now dealing with.
I am not in the least blaming the victim. That’s the kind of thinking and accusation that gets people into battles on these websites. I am blaming a far right, dictator-like leader whose policies are considered unacceptable by 70% of the Israeli population. An article in Haaretz a week or so ago presented a broader view of exactly what I wrote above. I’m not getting into a battle with you over this, Michael. We can agree to disagree. I have plenty of Jewish friends and relatives by marriage who feel exactly as I do.
I’m confident that even if Netanyahu (I’m anything but one of his fans) were to tell the Israel Defense Forces ((IDF) that war crimes were defensible in this war, the IDF officers and large numbers of soldiers would rise up in opposition, much as they did to oppose Netanyahu’s attempt to effectively take over Israel’s Supreme Court.
I would hope so.
I don’t think any US President has made a true good-faith effort to do the right thing for the Israelis or Palestinians. Fighting broke out in 1948 with the formation of Israel and the great powers gave financial and armament backings to Israel.
Though many Palestinian families had lived in what is now Israel for generations there was no guarantee for a recognized Palestinian state, nor even a small one. Gaza and the West Bank was supposed to be where they would live. Did the US, Britain or France help them set up a viable government? Israeli and western governments allowed more and more Israeli settlers into land that was supposed to be for the Palestinians. And US has financed the Israeli military for decades.
Just as Christian’s (the new religion on the block) were persecuted centuries ago, so now are Palestinians are persecuted especially after 9/11. Jewish people have been and are being persecuted still.
I do think Pres. Biden is being more evenhanded than many other politicians. Remembering that there’s a long history there and no country is completely blameless.
Financial support for Palestinians is one measure (but not the only one) of efforts to treat Palestinians fairly and help them fund their government. The UN's UNWRA fund provides most of the international assistance to Palestinians. The top donors to that fund are the US (by far), Germany, and Sweden. https://www.unrwa.org/our-partners/government-partners#:~:text=The%20United%20States%2C%20Germany%2C%20the,of%20the%20Agency's%20overall%20funding.
Qatar provides substantial assistance directly to Gaza for construction and infrastructure that does not show up in the UNWRA number.
It is difficult to find precise numbers, but here are a few references: https://www.statista.com/chart/12574/the-countries-donating-the-most-to-the-palestinians/
https://carnegieendowment.org/2018/12/17/time-to-rethink-but-not-abandon-international-aid-to-palestinians-pub-77985
Recall that Trump withheld funding to Palestinians in an effort to force them into "the perfect peace deal." Biden reinstituted that aid without conditions.
The UN Resolution called for a Jewish State and an Arab State. As you say, no country is completely blameless. The Palestinian Arabs rejected the UN division as unfair and Palestinian irregulars began fighting. The United States and European countries embargoed weapons during the conflict. The Arab states (though Jordan, with the best trained troops was late) invaded on behalf of the Palestinian Arabs. The Israeli regulars and irregulars initially sought to maintain what was given by the UN.
The US encouraged negotiations. The UN arranged two cease fires. Israel achieved separate agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in negotiations which the US was not involved in. Israel gained some territory beyond the original UN resolution. Egypt gained control of Gaza. Jordan gained control of the West Bank. And the idea of a Palestinian state was not on the table.
After the war was over, the UN passed a resolution to create a commission that would help the parties create a settlement (presumably consistent with the 1948 resolution). I do not believe that the commission had anything to do with the actual agreements between Israel and the invading Arab countries. That UN resolution also affirmed the right of Palestine refugees to return and receive restitution for lost property. As Michael Alexander explains, the facts on the ground governed what actually happened.
The UN did not stop its involvement, but it could not achieve its goals. Resolutions have not been the means to a solution. A 1974 UN resolution was more strongly supportive of the Palestinians -- affirming their "inalienable right to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty and to return to their homes and property. In 2012, the UN further confirmed the Palestinians right to self-determination and sovereignty by granting non-member observer State status.
The world missed an opportunity to create a functioning Palestinian state in 1949, notwithstanding the military outcome. The world missed an opportunity again in 2000 when Bill Clinton met with Yassar Arafat and Ehud Barak.
I believe that Resolution was effectively abandoned because approximately two years of warfare changer the”facts on the ground”. The cease-fire boundary, known as the Green Line, became the de facto boundary. Jordan controlled the territory on the east of the Green Line until after the 1967 war.
I did not see that poll about removing Netanyahu, but I did speak to my relatives there who are thoroughly distressed about their current government.
Re: Trump's "stealth" remarks, if it looks like a dog whistle and sounds like a dog whistle, you have a dog whistle.
It all goes back to his mob boss mentality. As Michael Cohen has said, he doesn't tell people what to do, but it is implied and understood. That certainly applies to his public speaking as well.
"I strongly suggest......" "Such a beautiful________________.it'd be a shame, if it were to burn to the ground."
“Nice country you got here. Be a shame if something happened to it.”
Exactly :(
Especially when the dogs come running....
The reality, in my opinion, is that no one needed to be a mental wizard to recognize Trump’s intentions to promote violence. Let’s start with “come to D.C. on January 6, it will be wild,” and “march on the Capitol, take back your country.” (That second quote might be a little paraphrased.) We can also recall that during one of the debates Trump stated to the Proud Boys, “stand back, stand by.”
The Proud Boys and others have since January 6th testified or stated they knew what he meant. Here’s a news report that confirmed the Proud Boys understood shortly after the debate.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/us/trump-proud-boys-biden.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
What I believe he said almost word for word is, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.“ That’s an incitement to violence if I ever heard one.
Thanks for clarifying my paraphrase. That exact quote is surely even more than clear that he intended violence.
Sometimes Trump is more subtle; in this case, he was not because he was desperate. I am eternally grateful for this Colorado lawsuit, because if he loses, it starts to set a precedent. If he is removed from the ballot out here, it’s not really going to do much good. Colorado has been reliably blue since around 2004, when the demographics here really started to change. There has been a huge influx of people from the west and east coasts. That has turned out to be a very good thing, and it has created a thriving tech industry here. So Trump would never win in Colorado anyway, but it may create a domino effect. My fingers are crossed.
We can be pleased that our demographics have changed the politics in Colorado. But wouldn’t it be great if more of the population saw the disaster the extremism has wrought.
Yes, it would be. I still cannot grasp the concept of anyone of sane mind seeing Trump as presidential material.
To me it is simple. Hamas has taken the people of Gaza hostage to destroy Israel and Jews everywhere. Anyone who supports giving in to terrorists is inviting terrorism. Short-sighted and openly anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitic one day, anti something else another. Giving in to terrorists will lead to carnage of the worst sort.
Re the CREW efforts in CO to keep DJT off the ballot in 2024, as I understand it, Laurence Tribe is saying that it's not Trump's intent to cause violence on Jan. 6th that matters as much as the fact that by trying to stay in office after he lost the election, he has engaged in insurrection against the constitution, which is disqualifying. https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1719670922511057108?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
The violence was a means to the end. Tribe writes that Trump is guilty of "attempting to stay in power" after the election. How did he do that? Through the fake electors' process, which required a delay in certification, which required a violent assault on the Capitol after Mike Pence failed to do so unilaterally.
So, Trump's call to violence matters, as does his involvement in the fake electors' plot, as does his effort to intimidate Pence, . . . . It would be a mistake to ignore Trump's efforts to use violence to delay the count. Indeed, his "Be there, it will be wild" tweet is one of the most critical, public pieces of evidence available to prosecutors.
See Jack Smith's indictment of Trump. See Indictment at para. 10(d), which alleges that Trump "directed them [insurrectionists] to the Capitol to obstruct the proceeding [electoral count]
Totally agree with all this. He also made a remark that is an even more specific call to violence, which was, almost word for word, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” If that isn’t a call to violence, then I don’t know what is.
And I believe that’s the remark that was made at the Ellipse on January 6, during that rowdy speech.
Didn't he also say from the podium on J6 something to the effect of "follow me to the Capitol" and "fight like hell or you won't have a country anymore"? I don't have the exact words, but I think that was the gist of it.
I feel sorry for Blinken having to put up with the Code Pink dumbos. I had to deal with the Texas chapter of that collection of lunatics back in 2008 when the second Fort Hood GI coffeehouse was organized. They made the loonies from the Looney Left of 50 years ago seem sane.
Yes, TC, but from what I’ve read Blinken handled the protests very well. He is just one example of the excellent talented, competent team Biden has put in place. We are fortunate to have Biden at this moment but also very fortunate to have so many competent people working at his side.
Oh yeah, he did great. I just have a very low pain threshold for morons and idiots.
Don’t we all. It has surprised me to see so many will to shoot from the hip with comments that need a lot of curating. Ugh! Better be careful myself. 🥸
Initially, I truly wanted to believe that Code Pink had good intentions as a leftist organization. Now I believe it’s all pure showmanship and attention getting tactics, with no clear thinking about a given situation.
And their actual politics are the kind of crap that has kept the far left far from power for the past century when they decided to become honorary Bolsheviks, honorary Stalinists, honorary Maoists and honorary terrorists.
Totally agree. Another example is that I used to read Chris Hedges religiously, particularly when he worked for the New York Times, from which he was fired (is my understanding). He now teams up with organizations like Code Pink and attends these anti-Ukraine war rallies, among other events. He bashes President Biden on a regular basis, helping to accelerate the US heading into an autocratic situation (if enough people vote for leftist third parties). It’s similar to what Steve Schmidt is doing, it’s just a different tactic. When you’re standing at the edge of a precipice, it’s best not to kick rocks that may cause you to lose your foothold. That thought came to my mind the other day when I was standing at the edge of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
People desperate to be considered "relevant" when they were born irrelevant, will do strange things to attract attention.
Thank you, Robert, for your continued optimism. You and Heather Cox Richardson are the first things iread each morning. My friend, Rav Rachel Issac, a Conservative rabbi, has a peace plan that she and her many Iraeli and Palisinian friends say is a win win. Trade the Israeli cabinet for the hostages. If only.
Okay, I am trying not to laugh given the seriousness of the subject, but I can't help myself. But having thought about it for a few moments, my guess is that all but one of the members of the Israeli cabinet would agree to that exchange. Guess who would not?
Well, maybe his participation could be a requirement for more aid :)
Polls are overrated. With the stakes so high, I hardly see how we can can sacrifice the delicate balance that has been achieved in the current international crisis, whatever the outcome. This is one case where protests fail to advance any positive outcome except publicizing the suffering on all sides that we already know is taking place. Thank you, Robert, for contributing to a saner world.
President Biden obviously spends all of his time thinking about ways to improve people's lives.
Biden, Harris, Blinken and the other Cabinet Members demonstrate amazing stamina and dedication in serving in their roles and providing leadership and expertise.
I just watched a documentary on John Gotti-was chilling how similar he is to Trump. You should encourage readers to watch! In the end, he was jailed. Yeah!
Trump is total mafioso, from beginning to end.
My comments as Anthony Blinken addressing Congress:
"I come before you today ashamed of what the Republican Party has become, a "know-nothing", do nothing party that wants its own way believing its the real and only source of truth and legitimacy. A party eager to fling bombs into the territory of the Democrat Party, not for the betterment of U.S. citizens, rather in abject fear of becoming irrelevant. Not to bring peace and cooperation, but to injure the bystanders of your political gamesmanship on both sides. As the Democrats lead, you battle from within without purpose, without direction, without any desire to collaborate or negotiate but to simply upset the balance of power and create political havoc. And, like Hamas, you do so so that the victims of your attack ultimately will be identified as the cause of your aggression. You bring to a halt the work that you were brought here to do, and claim your opposition refuses to deal with you. You claim that our domestic interests should come first revealing your naïveté that America still remains the world leader and as such must meet its responsibilities. You audaciously hide behind a hidden agenda of White Christian autocracy and despotism, while you corrupt decency and the best efforts of our democratic system. In your desire for control, you seek to dismantle all historical norms. Your own representatives are no longer agents of their people, their constituency who should be well counseled by years of experience and dedication. You have become a body of fools, charlatans, thieves and rogues lacking all the tools of personal integrity and true grit. Your party has become anomalous comprised of hateful, spoiled deviants who don't wish anyone to play with their ball. Age regression is evident in your thesis, complaints and demands. You will, more and more, stand alone. You will become what you are fighting against, superfluous and without agency."
Thank you Robert. Whatever the polls, I think the USA is on the wrong side of ethics if it does not call for a ceasefire and decry the destruction of Gaza as well as the vigilante violence on the communities of the West Bank. This does not have to translate into diminished support for Israel as a state, but refusing to condemn Netanyahu’s govt, whose own massive failures helped allow the Hamas massacre or pogrom, and who have violated everyone’s rights including in Israel at every turn, puts the USA in a very compromised position.
Hi, PS. Let me suggest an edit that might make your understandable plea more effective: "Whatever the polls, I think the USA is on the wrong side of ethics if does not call for a ceasefire and decry THE DESTRUCTION OF GAZA AND THE ONGOING MISSILE ATTACKS ON ISRAELI CIVILIANS BY HAMAS. . . . "
Yesterday, Israel killed a Hamas commander hiding in a refugee camp. Dozens (hundreds?) of innocent refugees were killed in the raid (as wells as 50 terrorists). The international community condemned Israel for casualties to civilians as it pursued a terrorist commander hiding in their midst.
At the same time, Hamas fired missiles into Tel Aviv. Not at military objective in Tel Aviv, just Tel Aviv, which is home to hundreds of thousands of civilians. Israel's Iron Dome stopped the missiles. No one condemned Hamas for trying to kill Israeli civilians without any military objective. Do you know where those rocket attacks were reported in the Western press? Nowhere. You would have to read the Times of Israel to know that terrorists targeted Israeli citizens with rockets. Apparently, that is not what passes for "news" in the Western press. See Times of Israel, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/air-raid-sirens-sound-across-central-israel-including-tel-aviv-3/
PS, I admire and respect those who call for unconditional peace. But those calls always seem to be directed only to Israel and ignore the fact that there is another actor in the equation who continues to target civilians--something Israel is not doing, despite high civilian casualties. If you believe that unconditional cease fire is the key to peace, your plea would be more effective if it was directed at both parties and acknowledged that only one party is targeting civilians.
Thank you, Robert, for this cogent addition to the discussion. There are indeed two main combatants here: one that would eliminate the Jewish state and the Jewish people, and the other that would eliminate a terror organization that uses its own civilians as shields.
Thanks for engaging Robert. Yes, I appreciate your point about Hamas still sending rockets into Israel.
The US press is also woefully inadequate in telling us about the many divisions within side Israel between supporters of Netanyahu’s govt and offensive and his many critics. I think knowing more about that would also advance the discussion in the USA.
Splendid and clear post, Robert.
BTW, as an addendum to the below comment, President Biden and Secretary Blinken have both condemned the vigilante violence by settlers on the West Bank. See PBS Newshour, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/biden-condemns-retaliatory-attacks-by-israeli-settlers-against-palestinians-in-the-west-bank#:~:text=Biden%20condemns%20retaliatory%20attacks%20by%20Israeli%20settlers%20against%20Palestinians%20in%20the%20West%20Bank,-Politics%20Oct%2025&text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20President%20Joe,7%20Hamas%20attacks%20on%20Israel.
In 1943, you could have found miles of film showing innocent civilians in Europe killed, wounded and made homeless by British and American bombing. A ceasefire then might have seemed humane, but it would have given a shot in the arm to the Nazis. So it is today. A ceasefire would make things better for Gazan civilians, but it would let Hamas have a breathing spell to reorganize and rearm. It might save lives in the short run, but at the cost of more lives in the future, when Hamas repeats October 7, perhaps on a larger scale. “War is all hell,” as General Sherman wrote, but sometimes it’s necessary to go through hell in order to have better times. (In saying that, I am not endorsing Israeli tactics, and certainly not the widespread criminality being practiced in the West Bank.)
It is always good to read posts like this, Jon. You provide some insights that aren’t (almost never) part of the reporting or conversations that can help us comprehend some of the complexity. Thank you.
But Hamas will not be defeated in this horror because it is supported by Iran etc. We are seeing an existential moment I think both for Israel, Palestine and the world, and more bombs will definitely not resolve it. Awful times
Hillary has said a cease fire would only allow Hamas a break to reload. To paraphrase if you want to give Hamas a break you don't really understand Hamas.
These are nasty people
I don’t disagree, and there lies the existential impossibility of how the region is currently organized. Netanyahu’s government m is engaging in terrible evil in being willing to kill thousands upon thousands. And with no likelihood of actually ending Hamas—this kind of terror only breeds more people willing to die for a cause…..
It's really difficult.
Israel cannot lie down and take it.
In the past Israel has often just retreated to bunkers and held on.
Hamas has escalated. Hamas has more weapons that reach further.
I am anti-war and anti-military. However, I am pro-military because of "the other guy." Military is a necessary evil. I understand the paradox.
But now, when I leave the house to go for a walk, even for a short while, I lock the doors. I did not do this in Missoula, MT before October 7.
I have no answers to any of this, but in reading your post, one thought echoes in my mind, and not for the first time: would calling for a ceasefire now diminish the influence the US currently has over the Israeli government? Rightly or wrongly, it seems the administration thinks it would. Again, I have no solutions.
I’m not certain what the effect would be on the current Israeli government. But I’m quite sure the effect on the Israeli people would be deep dismay, anger, and a feeling of abandonment.
Whom exactly do you think you're helping by condemning Israel for taking the conflict into Gaza where Hamas is hiding (under the Palestinians' homes and hospitals)? All you are doing is telling Israel that they cannot make their own land safe. And, in the process, stoking anti-Semitism around the world, leading to attacks on Jews everywhere. Surely you know what you are doing, right?
Watching videos of dead and wounded Israeli and Palestinian children has made me decide to only look to the future rather than cast blame for past performances.
Right now Israel is a functioning somewhat democratic state which can advance our interests throughout the Middle East and from there the world. The Palestinians are a problem to be solved, mainly by Israel. They are and should be a secondary issue for us. How the Israelis decide to deal with them is essentially their problem and should be supported by us subject to protecting our reputational and moral interests. It seems that the Arab world is not now overly concerned with the welfare of Palestinians given the extent and severity of Hamas’ attack. Not knowing what’s going on behind closed doors it’s difficult to take a position for or against anything. So insofar as what the US has been doing it seems the right thing; let the Israelis do what they think necessary to uphold their security within reason and prevent the spread of the war. Once things calm down get back to business with the Saudis.”
“Right now Israel is a functioning somewhat democratic state …” —
It’s a thoroughly democratic state that elected a bad leader – much as the US from 2017 through 2020.
Robert, I believe that your intelligent summaries of events and issues, as well as your kindness and integrity, encourage us to engage in respectful debate and discourse. I look forward to this newsletter each day. Thank you so much.
Robert! I’m so glad that you and Jill were hanging with the ghosts and goblins! We took a drive down town and enjoyed the little kids with their Halloween costumes, there was even a family of tigers: two big tigers (mom and dad) and three little tigers (one in a baby carriage)! What fun! Nice to enjoy a few moments of ‘normalcy’.
I like the candy tent idea!