Imperialism
Israel
Palestine
Fig. 1. The ruins of a terminal at the Gaza airport. Image by Said Khatib (Agence France-Presse) on September 9, 2018, via the Times of Israel,[1] fair use.
Whatever else you do, read Alon Pinkas:
But [Binyamin] Netanyahu has two reasons to instigate such a confrontation [with Joe Biden over the Gaza war]. The first is pure gaslighting on a grand scale. He concocted a narrative that supposedly explains the war’s context and consequently absolves him from the responsibility and accountability he persistently refuses to assume. It also distracts from his stated policy of imploring Qatar to funnel more funds to Gaza to strengthen Hamas, all in order to weaken the Palestinian Authority and render any political negotiations impossible.
According to this narrative, 7 October was simply a debacle that could have been averted had the Israel Defense Forces and Shabak intelligence not failed. The bigger problem now, according to Netanyahu, is the possibility of a Palestinian state that the world, especially the US, has been trying to impose on Israel since the attack. According to this narrative, only a heroic Netanyahu can stand up to the US, defy an American president and prevent this travesty.[2]
I had not understood from the rumblings I heard earlier what the difference was between the United Nations Security Council resolution the U.S. had proposed earlier that Russia and China vetoed, and the UNSC resolution the U.S. merely abstained from. Thank you, Ishaan Tharoor:
Unlike a U.S.-backed resolution that failed to pass last week, this one — supported by Russia and China — did not link a call for a cease-fire with the release of hostages in Hamas captivity. Instead, it articulated them as separate, independent provisions to take place during the holy month of Ramadan. And it hoped that an immediate truce would lead to “a sustainable lasting ceasefire.”[3]
This is a bit more substantive than what I feared: a distinction without a difference. Still, it’s just words on paper. What happens when Binyamin Netanyahu thumbs his nose at it, too? He’s already made an ass of Joe Biden (who doesn’t need the assistance, thank you very much). So what’s the UNSC?
I don’t know whether or not Palestinians want peace. I assume many do. I would also expect, however, that many are angry enough at the injustices of Israeli occupation that they may well want war. I won’t even pretend to guess how many would fall into each camp.
But it seems there is no question about most Israelis. They want war. War, war, war.
The State of Israel has a moral obligation to continue fighting until the hostages are returned and the threat of Hamas is removed and that is what we will do. The Security Council’s decision has no operational significance for us.[4]
David Barash and Charles Webel wrote a 548-page textbook, Peace and Conflict Studies—it’s one of the more important books on my shelf—that I can summarize in about three sentences: Peace without justice is merely a cessation of hostilities. The conflict remains, more as a suspended war than a real peace. Real peace requires real justice.[5] (Which is pretty much why we can’t have peace.)
But when I think about Netanyahu’s approach, I think even if I had not concluded already that this war is genocide, I would surely be forced to do so now. Because without justice for Palestinians, the conflict will persist. Even if Israel does manage to eliminate Hamas—even Israel is beginning to admit[6] what experts said early on,[7] that it will fail at this—it will have done so in a way that can only mean further conflict. That is, unless Israel eliminates the entire population of Gaza and the West Bank, in which case, well, I guess there’d be no one left to resist. And yes, I guess starvation and the deprivation of other essential supplies might help toward that end.
I’m pretty sure South Africa[8] is taking notes. Even if a whole bunch of experts are wrong about this war being genocide,[9] Israel is doing everything it can to prove them right. And as Tharoor notes, Joe Biden has been keeping Israel well-armed, allegedly to fight Hamas, but with a wink and a nod to Netanyahu[10] to pursue that genocide.
Facing increased international isolation over the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israeli air and ground strikes in Gaza and hundreds of thousands more nearing famine, the [Joe Biden] administration has repeatedly countered with support for “Israel’s right to defend itself” and continued to rush weapons to Israel.[11]
All this just absolutely flabbergasts me. Even having written those words on my screen, I am in disbelief. What ever happened to “Never Again!?” I don’t understand.
Nidal Al-Mughrabi, “Israel pounds Rafah in southern Gaza despite ceasefire calls,” Reuters, March 25, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-kills-dozens-gaza-attacks-besieges-two-hospitals-palestinian-medics-say-2024-03-25/
Felicia Schwartz, “UN Security Council passes Gaza ceasefire resolution,” Financial Times, March 25, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/d96cafbd-4bb0-4b31-8285-7be53ccd6082
Ishaan Tharoor, “The U.S. and Israel have a ‘major credibility problem,’” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/25/israel-united-states-credibility-confrontation/
Karen DeYoung, Yasmeen Abutaleb, and Toluse Olorunnipa, “Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/25/biden-netanyahu-un-delegation-rift/
Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu has been spoiling for a fight with the US. He may not survive this one,” Guardian, March 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-un-security-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza
Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/
Melanie Swan, “Israel admits it may not be able to destroy Hamas now US has turned its back,” Telegraph, March 27, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/27/israeli-intelligence-admits-may-not-destroy-hamas/
Illiberalism
Gilead
Migration
Fig. 2. Photograph credited to “ProtoplasmaKid,”, November 9, 2018, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Just don’t get me started. My empathy is for the scapegoats, whether in the Occupied Territories, on American Indian reservations, along the U.S. southern border, or in any of so many places in so many parts of the world, for I know all too well the spite they endure.
Glenn Kessler, “No, Donald Trump, migrants aren’t ‘killing’ Social Security and Medicare,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/26/no-donald-trump-migrants-arent-killing-social-security-medicare/
Donald Trump
Finances
Fig. 3. Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas, undated image credited to https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/ [bad link], via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Edward Helmore, “Seizing Trump’s New York properties will not be easy for Letitia James,” Guardian, March 24, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/24/letitia-james-seize-trump-assets
Mark Berman, Jonathan O’Connell and Shayna Jacobs, “Trump wins partial stay of fraud judgment, allowed to post $175 million,” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/25/trump-bond-reduced-new-york-fraud-case/
Hush money
Fig. 4. Cartoon by Jesse Duquette, undated, via “Minneapple23” [pseud.] on Imgur, April 1, 2023, fair use.
Shayna Jacobs, “Trump placed under limited gag order ahead of N.Y. hush money trial,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/26/trump-gag-order-hush-money-trial/
- [1]Agence France-Presse and Times of Israel, “20 years after its opening, destroyed Gaza airport embodies grounded peace hopes,” Times of Israel, September 12, 2018, https://www.timesofisrael.com/20-years-after-its-opening-destroyed-gaza-airport-embodies-grounded-peace-hopes/↩
- [2]Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu has been spoiling for a fight with the US. He may not survive this one,” Guardian, March 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-un-security-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza↩
- [3]Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/↩
- [4]Benny Gantz, quoted in Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/↩
- [5]David P. Barash and Charles P. Webel, Peace and Conflict Studies (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2002).↩
- [6]Melanie Swan, “Israel admits it may not be able to destroy Hamas now US has turned its back,” Telegraph, March 27, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/27/israeli-intelligence-admits-may-not-destroy-hamas/↩
- [7]Loveday Morris, “Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas. Yet the group remains largely intact,” Washington Post, December 5, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/05/israel-military-offensive-hamas-destruction-gaza/; Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu is stuck as he battles Hamas: he can’t afford to lose, yet can’t find a way to win,” Guardian, November 30, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/30/netanyahu-hamas-lose-win-israeli-public-us; Paul Rogers, “Israel is losing the war against Hamas – but Netanyahu and his government will never admit it,” Guardian, December 21, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/21/israel-losing-war-against-hamas-netanyahu-idf; Jeremy Scahill, “This Is Not a War Against Hamas,” Intercept, December 11, 2023, https://theintercept.com/2023/12/11/israel-hamas-war-civilians-biden/; Ishaan Tharoor, “Israel is struggling to destroy Hamas, but it’s destroying Gaza,” Washington Post, December 20, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/20/israel-battlefield-gaza-defeat-hamas/↩
- [8]Jess Bravin, “South Africa Accuses Israel of Genocide in U.N. Court,” Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/world/south-africa-accuses-israel-of-genocide-in-u-n-court-3af69eb7; Ryan Grim, “South Africa Just Made Its Case at The Hague. What’s Next?” Intercept, January 11, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/01/11/south-africa-israel-genocide-charges/; Barbara Moens, Jacopo Barigazzi, and Eddy Wax, “South Africa’s genocide case against Israel lays bare Europe’s feeble power,” Politico, January 11, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/south-africas-genocide-case-against-israel-lays-bare-europes-feeble-power/; Claire Parker and Emily Rauhala to Today’s Worldview list, “What to know about the genocide case against Israel at the ICJ,” Washington Post, January 11, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/todays-worldview/; Yves Smith, “Israel Capitulates at the Start of International Court of Justice Genocide Hearing,” Naked Capitalism, January 11, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/01/israel-capitulates-at-the-start-of-international-court-of-justice-genocide-hearing.html↩
- [9]Democracy Now! “Judith Butler on Hamas, Israel’s Collective Punishment of Gaza & Why Biden Must Push for Ceasefire,” October 26, 2023, https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/26/judith_butler_on_hamas_israels_collective; Democracy Now! “Palestinian Lives Matter Too: Jewish Scholar Judith Butler Condemns Israel’s ‘Genocide’ in Gaza,” October 26, 2023, https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/26/judith_butler_ceasefire_gaza_israel; Nina Lakhani, “Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, UN rights expert says,” Guardian, February 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/27/un-israel-food-starvation-palestinians-war-crime-genocide; Khaleda Rahman, “Israel Committing ‘Textbook Case of Genocide,’ Holocaust Historian Says,” Newsweek, October 17, 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/holocaust-historian-israel-committing-genocide-raz-segal-1835346↩
- [10]Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/↩
- [11]Karen DeYoung, Yasmeen Abutaleb, and Toluse Olorunnipa, “Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/25/biden-netanyahu-un-delegation-rift/↩