Between the Biden administration's belief that it can reshape the world and an Israeli government that won't stop killing, some thoughts on where things stand in the Middle East.
Thanks Derek. Your work here, and the work of you and Danny at AP, has helped me retain some sense of sanity over the past month. Please take the time you need, but take any comfort you can in knowing the work you're doing is making a difference.
Not only does Biden not see an Arab life as equivalent to an Israeli life, there doesn’t even seem to be a ratio where they would be equivalent. It’s certainly far beyond 40,000:1,200.
Apparently, Nasrallah was assassinated, along with so many other people there, after agreeing to a ceasefire (Israel-Hezbollah), negotiated with US and French involvement. US assist on assassination as well, of course. What do you know about this?
Only what's been reported. We already knew that Netanyahu agreed and then un-agreed to the ceasefire on his way to New York but Nasrallah's agreement is new. As far as US involvement my assumption is always that we're sharing intelligence with the Israelis but I can't speak to any more than that. The administration would probably even admit that it's sharing intel but they'd claim it was to minimize civilian casualties or some other bullshit.
Great piece Derek - I have been feeling incredibly depressed about the seeming absolute refusal to move off of a course of death and destruction and its also left me running on empty as of late. Your piece articulated those feelings perfectly.
Thanks Derek, and thanks for your caveat, though as an Israeli I never felt you were minimizing any deaths or danger regardless of nationality. In my opinion the skepticism about the U.S. admin’s good faith and active work to the contrary could have come earlier, but I understand you have to base your reports on information and not reckless speculation—certainly of the kind I love to engage in when the official explanation makes no sense, though it can be irresponsible and apparently very irritating to people on Twitter. For me, the facts that Netanyahu’s approval ratings rose precipitously after the Nasrallah assassination, and that circulated propaganda claimed that Lloyd Austin was “furious” at Gallant for doing it without his approval, suggest that his machinations must be behind the operation, whereas I continue to doubt he was behind the Haniyeh operation due to the lack of such manifest benefits to Bibi personally (and the little-reported arrest of Israeli government officials for leaking state secrets the day after Haniyeh’s death). I guess we will have to wait for David Barnea or Herzi Halevi’s autobiographies to come out in the next decade in order to find out. In the meantime thanks for your dedication.
I personally share Derek's horror at the scale and inhumanity of Israel's actions, but it's helpful to hear an Israeli perspective. This is a thoughtful viewpoint from an Israeli, who concludes "It’s what we must do. When you face an enemy who wants to obliterate you, you have a simple choice: either act like prey, frozen in terror, or become a warrior on the battlefield, in the bomb shelter, or in the living room. This is the mentality of a people under siege. For much of the West, war is merely an abstraction. Afghanistan doesn’t border on the United Kingdom. You don’t hear the booming of rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon or Yemen or Iran. You don’t run to your bomb shelters. You don’t have to live with the certainty of not knowing what’s next." https://unherd.com/2024/10/in-israel-we-are-masters-of-uncertainty/
How is this helpful? Who is "the enemy" eternally? Everyone being killed in occupied territories, in Lebanon, Syria, maybe soon Iran? This perspective is beamed into everyone's brains by MSM in the West, parroting Israeli statements, and it's out of whack with reality.
And to resolve the siege, do you complicate, harden and expand the siege over decades? Because if this is a siege, it can only be broken by annihilation of the besiegers, right? Seems Israel has found the winning strategy, let's see what Israel wins.
If only the author of this article extended to same empathy to the Palestinians living under isrseli occupation or the Arabs across the region being bombed by Israel that he asks the reader to extend to the israelis involved in those acts of violence.
Derek, thank you.
So much of what you wrote had been monopolizing my thoughts. Having it distilled in such an eloquent way helps tremendously. Thank you, Derek!
Thanks Derek. Your work here, and the work of you and Danny at AP, has helped me retain some sense of sanity over the past month. Please take the time you need, but take any comfort you can in knowing the work you're doing is making a difference.
Not only does Biden not see an Arab life as equivalent to an Israeli life, there doesn’t even seem to be a ratio where they would be equivalent. It’s certainly far beyond 40,000:1,200.
Agreed, the obvious implication is that an arab life isn't even granted that status, a ratio of 0:1.
Apparently, Nasrallah was assassinated, along with so many other people there, after agreeing to a ceasefire (Israel-Hezbollah), negotiated with US and French involvement. US assist on assassination as well, of course. What do you know about this?
https://x.com/malsaafin/status/1841660948219654532
https://x.com/MenchOsint/status/1840070813598310778
Only what's been reported. We already knew that Netanyahu agreed and then un-agreed to the ceasefire on his way to New York but Nasrallah's agreement is new. As far as US involvement my assumption is always that we're sharing intelligence with the Israelis but I can't speak to any more than that. The administration would probably even admit that it's sharing intel but they'd claim it was to minimize civilian casualties or some other bullshit.
Great piece Derek - I have been feeling incredibly depressed about the seeming absolute refusal to move off of a course of death and destruction and its also left me running on empty as of late. Your piece articulated those feelings perfectly.
Thanks Derek, and thanks for your caveat, though as an Israeli I never felt you were minimizing any deaths or danger regardless of nationality. In my opinion the skepticism about the U.S. admin’s good faith and active work to the contrary could have come earlier, but I understand you have to base your reports on information and not reckless speculation—certainly of the kind I love to engage in when the official explanation makes no sense, though it can be irresponsible and apparently very irritating to people on Twitter. For me, the facts that Netanyahu’s approval ratings rose precipitously after the Nasrallah assassination, and that circulated propaganda claimed that Lloyd Austin was “furious” at Gallant for doing it without his approval, suggest that his machinations must be behind the operation, whereas I continue to doubt he was behind the Haniyeh operation due to the lack of such manifest benefits to Bibi personally (and the little-reported arrest of Israeli government officials for leaking state secrets the day after Haniyeh’s death). I guess we will have to wait for David Barnea or Herzi Halevi’s autobiographies to come out in the next decade in order to find out. In the meantime thanks for your dedication.
Thank you for this!!
Thank you Derek!!
Thanks Derek. As always excellent work
so true, so depressing.
Thank you, comrade Derek.
I personally share Derek's horror at the scale and inhumanity of Israel's actions, but it's helpful to hear an Israeli perspective. This is a thoughtful viewpoint from an Israeli, who concludes "It’s what we must do. When you face an enemy who wants to obliterate you, you have a simple choice: either act like prey, frozen in terror, or become a warrior on the battlefield, in the bomb shelter, or in the living room. This is the mentality of a people under siege. For much of the West, war is merely an abstraction. Afghanistan doesn’t border on the United Kingdom. You don’t hear the booming of rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon or Yemen or Iran. You don’t run to your bomb shelters. You don’t have to live with the certainty of not knowing what’s next." https://unherd.com/2024/10/in-israel-we-are-masters-of-uncertainty/
How is this helpful? Who is "the enemy" eternally? Everyone being killed in occupied territories, in Lebanon, Syria, maybe soon Iran? This perspective is beamed into everyone's brains by MSM in the West, parroting Israeli statements, and it's out of whack with reality.
And to resolve the siege, do you complicate, harden and expand the siege over decades? Because if this is a siege, it can only be broken by annihilation of the besiegers, right? Seems Israel has found the winning strategy, let's see what Israel wins.
If only the author of this article extended to same empathy to the Palestinians living under isrseli occupation or the Arabs across the region being bombed by Israel that he asks the reader to extend to the israelis involved in those acts of violence.