Another factor our leaders should consider but most likely won’t is that the American people are largely tired of endless wars. And I’m saying that as someone who feels like supporting Ukraine is important.
It’s like our leaders find a new group of people in the Middle East that we should all see as the enemy in unison. The fact that support for Palestinian people has increased despite this pattern is almost miraculous.
The world so desperately needs better leadership, because the status quo is not it. No wonder people weren’t interested in going to Trump’s military parade. That total flop was no doubt a ray of sunshine for these cloudy days.
Despite Israel’s success in achieving air supremacy over Iran, Bibi and company have reached the “Now what?” stage. Israel has no clear path to convert military superiority to a strategic victory. Except for satisfying Bibi’s need for continuous war to avoid corruption charges, Israel’s newest war has achieved nothing of lasting significance, and is unlikely to.
I think war has a developmental appeal to our early childhood when we naturally experienced the world as peopled by those for us and…..others we did not know.
Growing beyond that stage is not guaranteed and is especially hard when leadership tells us in adulthood that we are either with them or with the bad guys.
In fact very few religions in this country reject war for any reason, including Quakers and Church of the Brethren.
One cannot bomb a country and expect to create peace; on that we agree. The idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon is very concerning but I don't see anything good coming of starting a war with them either. And the US is being lead by a lunatic.
I would very much like to see you write a piece describing what you think should be done. I'd be especially curious to hear what you think Israel should do about Gaza. You're free with your criticism, but when Israel is dealing with a death cult that wants to eradicate the Jewish people, it has the right to defend itself.
"I would like to know what you expect South Africa to do about these unruly Black peopel. You're very free with your criticism, but when you're dealing with a death cult that wants to eradicate white people, the white have a right to defend themselves."
I know you'll insist that in this case they *really* are ungovernable savages and Israel really does have no choice but to starve them all to death for their own good. It's still racism even if the racists are people you identify with though.
My very short term goal is for the US to stop giving a rogue genocidal regime bombs. Until we do, they will continue to murder their way across the middle east, which, imo, is bad.
Maybe Israel is not as squraky clean as you imagine ("imperfect," as you allow, snort). Maybe they need to stop weaponizing the Jewish religion by framing every single criticism as persecution and antisemitism.
Bibi is not a good person. He is trying to avoid the consequences of his criminal actions, just like Trump. He has been warmongering since long before Iraq. He is a war criminal who is wanted by the ICC. Gaza is a genocide. Period.
This belief that citizens of Gaza are immune to criticism because they aren't white is ridiculous. Again, I am or some MAGA moron, we probably agree on nearly everything. But not this. This isn't the Dutch showing up and deciding that an African country belongs to them.
Trying to jam the Israel/Arab issue into the category of settler colonialism saves people the trouble of having to think through the tremendously complex issues.
Hamas has been in charge of Gaza since 2005, they've received billions of dollars of foreign aid. They built tunnels and planned a massacre. Hamas could end this war tomorrow - release the hostages.
Israel isn't perfect and they are not blameless. But again and again they have tried and they get death in return.
And you didn't answer my question. Should the people of Israel just leave? Be governed by some other Arab state? YOU are the writer - write something laying out what you would have Israel do based on your view of the situation.
I didn't say people in gaza are immune from criticism. I said mass murdering them is wrong. I think that the inability to see the difference is a real problem.
Netanyahu's entire career has been dedicated to making peace impossible. That is not "trying", ffs.
I would have Israel stop bombing and starving children.
Hamas could not end the war by releasing the hostages. Israel is literally going to war with Iran, a completely different country that has not taken Israeli hostages. Your talking points are old; check the news.
Look, I know that Zionists like to argue that you have to solve every single problem in the world before you can ask Israel to stop starving people to death, but I am not a zionist and I do not believe that.
Starving 2 million people to death because some group is holding hostages is collective punishment and it's wrong, just like Hamas murdering Israeli civilians to protest the occupation on 10/7 was wrong. Israel is currently *starving the remaining hostages* who are in Gaza, because Netanyahu *does not give a shit about the hostages.* He wants war because if there's no war he's kicked out of office and has to face corruption charges.
Another factor our leaders should consider but most likely won’t is that the American people are largely tired of endless wars. And I’m saying that as someone who feels like supporting Ukraine is important.
It’s like our leaders find a new group of people in the Middle East that we should all see as the enemy in unison. The fact that support for Palestinian people has increased despite this pattern is almost miraculous.
The world so desperately needs better leadership, because the status quo is not it. No wonder people weren’t interested in going to Trump’s military parade. That total flop was no doubt a ray of sunshine for these cloudy days.
Despite Israel’s success in achieving air supremacy over Iran, Bibi and company have reached the “Now what?” stage. Israel has no clear path to convert military superiority to a strategic victory. Except for satisfying Bibi’s need for continuous war to avoid corruption charges, Israel’s newest war has achieved nothing of lasting significance, and is unlikely to.
"...Right wing US commenter Erick Erickson..." Presumably not to be confused with the similarly named psychologist Erik Erikson.
I think war has a developmental appeal to our early childhood when we naturally experienced the world as peopled by those for us and…..others we did not know.
Growing beyond that stage is not guaranteed and is especially hard when leadership tells us in adulthood that we are either with them or with the bad guys.
In fact very few religions in this country reject war for any reason, including Quakers and Church of the Brethren.
One cannot bomb a country and expect to create peace; on that we agree. The idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon is very concerning but I don't see anything good coming of starting a war with them either. And the US is being lead by a lunatic.
I would very much like to see you write a piece describing what you think should be done. I'd be especially curious to hear what you think Israel should do about Gaza. You're free with your criticism, but when Israel is dealing with a death cult that wants to eradicate the Jewish people, it has the right to defend itself.
"I would like to know what you expect South Africa to do about these unruly Black peopel. You're very free with your criticism, but when you're dealing with a death cult that wants to eradicate white people, the white have a right to defend themselves."
I know you'll insist that in this case they *really* are ungovernable savages and Israel really does have no choice but to starve them all to death for their own good. It's still racism even if the racists are people you identify with though.
My very short term goal is for the US to stop giving a rogue genocidal regime bombs. Until we do, they will continue to murder their way across the middle east, which, imo, is bad.
Maybe Israel is not as squraky clean as you imagine ("imperfect," as you allow, snort). Maybe they need to stop weaponizing the Jewish religion by framing every single criticism as persecution and antisemitism.
Bibi is not a good person. He is trying to avoid the consequences of his criminal actions, just like Trump. He has been warmongering since long before Iraq. He is a war criminal who is wanted by the ICC. Gaza is a genocide. Period.
Here is a better answer for you.
https://substack.com/@qasimrashid/note/c-127180103?r=1r9beh
This belief that citizens of Gaza are immune to criticism because they aren't white is ridiculous. Again, I am or some MAGA moron, we probably agree on nearly everything. But not this. This isn't the Dutch showing up and deciding that an African country belongs to them.
Trying to jam the Israel/Arab issue into the category of settler colonialism saves people the trouble of having to think through the tremendously complex issues.
Hamas has been in charge of Gaza since 2005, they've received billions of dollars of foreign aid. They built tunnels and planned a massacre. Hamas could end this war tomorrow - release the hostages.
Israel isn't perfect and they are not blameless. But again and again they have tried and they get death in return.
And you didn't answer my question. Should the people of Israel just leave? Be governed by some other Arab state? YOU are the writer - write something laying out what you would have Israel do based on your view of the situation.
I didn't say people in gaza are immune from criticism. I said mass murdering them is wrong. I think that the inability to see the difference is a real problem.
Netanyahu's entire career has been dedicated to making peace impossible. That is not "trying", ffs.
I would have Israel stop bombing and starving children.
Hamas could not end the war by releasing the hostages. Israel is literally going to war with Iran, a completely different country that has not taken Israeli hostages. Your talking points are old; check the news.
Look, I know that Zionists like to argue that you have to solve every single problem in the world before you can ask Israel to stop starving people to death, but I am not a zionist and I do not believe that.
Starving 2 million people to death because some group is holding hostages is collective punishment and it's wrong, just like Hamas murdering Israeli civilians to protest the occupation on 10/7 was wrong. Israel is currently *starving the remaining hostages* who are in Gaza, because Netanyahu *does not give a shit about the hostages.* He wants war because if there's no war he's kicked out of office and has to face corruption charges.