Update: 6/3/2025: I am horrified by the "free Palestine" shouting attack on peaceful Jewish marchers in support of freeing their hostages in Boulder, Colorado. Likewise, I was horrified at the slaying of two young people at the DC Jewish museum. My feelings on such acts are unequivocal condemnation. My views of the conflict in Israel and Gaza and how both sides have conducted themselves have been spelled out in prior posts. Each side , Israel and Hamas, is guilty of some of the worst crimes against humanity in modern times. Innocents and those seeking peace do exist, but they are the ultimate victims who end up suffering the most. Let me give a word of advice to those who support "free Palestine" or free Gaza. In America, these two recent acts of violence against Jews within the confines of the USA are the worst, self-defeating acts such supporters can commit. There has been an attempt lately to bring sympathy for the horrible predicament and ethnic cleansing now visited on the Gaza civilians. This reverses this attempt to change American opinions. Whoever is publishing anything that inspires these kinds of horrific acts does not understand America. We do not tolerate such acts of violence. Period. Unlike other parts of the world, we have outlets for peaceful protests that are lawful. These horrible acts are hurting your cause, pro-Gaza/Palestine activists. Stop it.
Update: 11/11/2024 ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel, Hamas leadership: what happens next? | UN News
Update 6/12/2024 UN declares both Hamas and Israel committed war crimes https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-says-it-creates-broad-prospects-ceasefire-deal-gaza-2024-06-12/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&utm_term=061224&user_email=2254787f2de6133291d8de56d5223ad0836fd31a4ba928a7dc8ea9
Update 5/21/2024 UN https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/icc-prosecutor-seeks-arrest-warrants-israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu-defense-2024-05-20/ Note: both Hamas and Netanyahu are being targeted by the International Criminal Court. Rightly so. This reflects my long-standing viewpoint.
Update: 4/4/2024
From my October 10 post (below) on this blog. My feelings had changed little from this time. Still, the pinpoint missile attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy has only fortified my increasing dismay at Netanyahu's constant refusal to accept the wise words of President Biden and, at all times, defying him. This last attack on WCK is beyond accepting it as "an accident of war". Clearly, some Israeli general had to give the g https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/icc-prosecutor-seeks-arrest-warrants-israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu-defense-2024-05-20/o-ahead to hit the convoy with clearly targeted missiles, per Admiral Stavridis, on MSNBC, former commander of NATO and intimately familiar with Israeli IDF chain of command .and their capacity to hit pinpoint targets as demonstrated the same day in Syria. Why Biden ok'd a prior approved shipment of bombs to Israel to be released to them a few days before this WCK with no strings attached is beyond me. I suspect there has been behind the scenes maneuvering about which we will learn someday. Right now, I just do not get it.
My October 10 2023 post in part:
Bravo, Pres. Biden: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/10/20/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-unites-states-response-to-hamass-terrorist-attacks-against-israel-and-russias-ongoing-brutal-war-against-ukraine/
MSNBC received criticism from one of my favorite organizations, the ADL, for daring to report the civilian casualties in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. I also have other favorite organizations supporting human and civil rights. I have seen the impact of war on civilians in years of personal observations from post-war Berlin to the ethnic cleansing conflicts in Bosnia. The losers in such barbaric violence are always the civilians on both sides. Tragedy is visited on those who are not combatants, regardless of who they support in violent conflicts.
Bravo, Pres. Biden: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/10/20/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-unites-states-response-to-hamass-terrorist-attacks-against-israel-and-russias-ongoing-brutal-war-against-ukraine/
MSNBC received criticism from one of my favorite organizations, the ADL, for daring to report the civilian casualties in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. I also have other favorite organizations supporting human and civil rights. I have seen the impact of war on civilians in years of personal observations from post-war Berlin to the ethnic cleansing conflicts in Bosnia. The losers in such barbaric violence are always the civilians on both sides. Tragedy is visited on those who are not combatants, regardless of who they support in violent conflicts.
The human tragedy of Gaza is horrific. When the history of this is written, I have one question for both my Muslim and Jewish friends. As the IDF carpet bombed Gaza, the area was laced with tunnels that could have been bomb shelters. Why didn't Hamas let the women and children seek refuge there? If the answer is carnage was the goal, benefitting Israel for revenge and to eliminate future threats and Netanyahu's self-political preservation, and Hamas for its propaganda advantage, the slaughter of the innocents will forever stand as the epic example of how depraved humanity can be.
MSNBC AM on 3/4/24...VP Harris to meet with Israel war cabinet member Benny Gantz today. Gantz is the leader of Netanyahu's opposition in the war cabinet. This hopefully signals Biden may begin to use leverage to get better control over the permanent cease-fire goal and a two-state solution in the long term. One thing is certain in the US, the goodwill Israel has counted on based upon Israel being a victim of the Holocaust has been turned on its head by Netanyahu's actions. Netanyahu is now seen by a large number of Americans as being the inhumane aggressor. I always had hoped Israel would be a refuge and a place where Jews could feel safe. However, the right-wing in Israel will in time be revealed as Israel's worst enemy, endangering its security in the region. Netanyahu has done more to damage Israel's long-term security worldwide than anyone could do in recent history. There will be no peace in the region until Netanyahu is gone and Biden needs to use leverage to make that happen.
Those in America opposed to Israel's political and foreign policies have always been in danger of being accused as anti-Semitic. There is now a change. Netanyahu is seen as the villain by many Americans for the carnage he has inflicted on the innocents as an overreaching response to the October massacre by Hamas. His carpet bombing carnage and failure to care for the welfare of non-combatants have put the October Hamas atrocities in the rearview mirror and have offset and overwhelmed any sympathy for Israel as the victim. There is no longer the threat of being accused of being anti-Semitic when criticizing Israel. There is now a separate issue of Israel's behavior itself.
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