A good article and from a fellow Jew, expressing the view common in those left of centre politically. There will be many who agree with the sentiments expressed.
However, there are those who will point out that the world response to what happened on that October, 7th, the sympathy expressed was, at best "lukewarm" in support of Israel. This was also witnessed in the demonstrations of so called Palestinians in the capitals of Europe, American and Canadian cities and on the college compasses of the western democracies, that unequivocably illustrated deep rooted Islamophobia and that that antisemitism was alive and thriving in the populace of the western democracies.
The lies spread by MSM, of "starving" of the Gaza people, even the mouthing of "genocide" was rampant in the MSM and uttered by their ruling classes of the west, including in Canada. It was known that Hamas had been stopping shipments of food and medicines, bound for the Gazan people. But still the attacks on Netanyahu continued.
Even the ruling class of the western democracies, Biden and co. plus the MSM condemned Israels' invasion of Gaza, Israels' attack in Qatar of Hamas operatives, and the continuation of the clearing out of Hamas in Gaza. Again the MSM slammed the next wave of Israels invasion of Gaza as OTT and the MSM filled their pages full of anti Bibi and anti-Israel propaganda saying that "Israel has "lost the room," in this matter.
The coming of Trump, little changed the attack by the MSM and the ruling classes of the west, whose leaders even went so far as to again resurrect the utterly unobtainable, "two state" solution and unbelievably they announces their support for a "Palestinian State," which was more than delusional, it was fanciful and unrealistic as there is no such sovereign country in the world.
That Trump and his team has engineered a cease fire, is frankly amazing, judging by the political forces arraigned against him and his administration.
I agree with you that the sympathy expressed for Israel was muted, if only because of the sheer volume of the deluded pro-Palestinian factions of the left, who were nonetheless opposed to public opinion at first. It was shameful and an embarrassment to anyone who considers themselves liberal, and outside the left-wing bubble almost certainly moved a lot of people's sympathies—as I will personally attest—toward Israel.
That being said, it's a ham-fisted and unfair accusation to accuse the MSM of straight-up lying. Were they being overly credulous in taking the word of Hamas-controlled institutions at face value? Perhaps; it wasn't as if they didn't cite the sources for their figures, or report Israel's claims when they refuted them. They had to get them from somewhere, and It wasn't as if Israel was a disinterested party or a model of transparency and accountability.
(And surely you're not trying to deny that Israel restricted the inflow of aid, forcing Gazans to migrate in order to receive the aid, and thus arguably violating the norms of warfare by using aid as a military strategy.)
The MSM had an unenviable task in trying to discern truth through the fog of warfare, and whatever biases they may legitimately have, I've seen no evidence of intentional manipulation or dishonesty.
Furthermore, what sense does it make to talk about the supposed forces arrayed against Trump in negotiating a cease-fire? Who in the MSM—or virtually anywhere in society, for that matter—was opposed to a cease fire? We all know the answer to that one: the Israeli right-wing. Those were the people standing in the way of any kind of a cease-fire deal that didn't involve the complete and unequivocal annihilation of Hamas—and who relied on Trump's support more than anyone.
I'm not saying I don't understand the sentiment of wanting to completely crush Hamas, but it seems senseless to claim that somehow the *pro-Palestinian* faction of this conflict was a force of opposition to a cease-fire deal. Don't forget the role that these people played in getting Trump elected in the first place. Hamas itself may have been an obstacle, but certainly not the MSM or the liberal diaspora.
In fact, I've heard nothing in the mainstream media but plaudits toward Trump—rather credulous ones if you ask me—about how much credit he deserves for brokering this deal. The idea that a hostile environment in the media was somehow a weight that the mighty Trump administration had to valiantly toss aside in order to get a deal brokered just doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
In fact, I'd say the irony of the situation is that arguably the most significant factor in Trump's favor was the very same thing which makes it feel like such a monumental achievement in the first place—simple fatigue. Virtually everyone outside of Smotrich, Ben Gvir, et al was/is sick to death of this war—in particular, the citizens of Israel. Trump couldn't have asked for more favorable conditions under which to negotiate a deal—more or less the same deal that had been proposed before when the politics were far less favorable and Netanyahu was more hemmed in.
If Trump was finally willing to pull the chair out from under Netanyahu—the same one he put there in the first place, then good for all involved. But it's hardly all that amazing.
"Israel restricted the inflow of aid, forcing Gazans to migrate in order to receive the aid, and thus arguably violating the norms of warfare by using aid as a military strategy."
Even if one were to stipulate that this statement is true, without any caveats whatsoever, it would not be even 1% as egregious a violation of the norms of warfare as Hamas' planting of weapons and military centers within schools, hospitals, and homes. And when you consider that forcing people to move to get food was likely to get them out of those homes and schools that Hamas was using as bases, it is likely this "violation" of the norms of warfare likely saved thousands of lives.
You'll get no argument from me against the fact that Hamas is the the one ultimately responsible for this war. It's hypocritical for anyone to call this war genocide when Hamas was the one faction who acted with clear genocidal intent. Hamas deserves nothing but contempt from Israeli and Palestinian alike.
That being said, holding Israel to a higher standard than Hamas is a given. The fact that many in the Western progressive diaspora are useful idiots for Islamists doesn't shield Israel from all criticism. There were deaths due to starvation and from panic fire upon crowds of people rushing in to get aid. There's no way to say how many military casualties, if any, were avoided by forcing people to migrate out of war zones—that's pure speculation.
What I'm pushing back against is the convenient labeling of all criticism of Israel as "lies", simply because of progressive naivete about Hamas and Palestine. This is all too tempting—the flip side to the oft-referenced "Fox News Fallacy" that people on the left sometimes fall prey to. In particular, the Israeli right-wing with their West Bank incursions and at times arguably genocidal inclinations are hardly worthy of anyone's defense.
I'm sensitive to this because Trump has already done so much to discredit a free press in America while boosting his propagandists. The MSM aren't perfect and they're legitimate targets of criticism—in fact, ironically so today for knuckling under to Trump's tyranny. But they are hardly deserving of the kind of demagoguery they get at times from the most fervent supporters of Israel.
Eric, your comments align 100% with my sentiments. I have no patience for those who think any criticism of Israel means one is an enemy of Israel, or even an antisemite.
In almost any political discussion over the past ten or fifteen years, I find myself condemned by partisans who cannot recognize that my criticism of Side A does not mean I belong to Side B. But that's American politics today. The center has largely evaporated.
The good will for Israel in the wake of October 7 can literally be measured in days, if not hours. And while it was always possible for a good faith actor to challenge Israel's conduct of the war, there were precisely zero good faith opponents on the stage. Opposition to Israel, from the very beginning, was based on facile lies spread by the Hamas and Iran's useful idiots.
I think Israel has conducted the war masterfully. The Middle East from an Israeli vantage looks better than it has in a long time, maybe ever. It would be better if the international community wasn't so anti-Israel, but it is with few exceptions. Israel has made itself powerful enough to achieve this and some just can't stand that. Too bad.
Yes, the Masada complex is alive and well in Israel — but Israel truly faces constant existential threats that demand vigilance and self-defense. Most people around the world don’t fully grasp this reality, because they’ve never experienced existential threat. I’m not sure who wrote this: “Those who understand don’t judge, and those who judge don’t understand.”
A good article and from a fellow Jew, expressing the view common in those left of centre politically. There will be many who agree with the sentiments expressed.
However, there are those who will point out that the world response to what happened on that October, 7th, the sympathy expressed was, at best "lukewarm" in support of Israel. This was also witnessed in the demonstrations of so called Palestinians in the capitals of Europe, American and Canadian cities and on the college compasses of the western democracies, that unequivocably illustrated deep rooted Islamophobia and that that antisemitism was alive and thriving in the populace of the western democracies.
The lies spread by MSM, of "starving" of the Gaza people, even the mouthing of "genocide" was rampant in the MSM and uttered by their ruling classes of the west, including in Canada. It was known that Hamas had been stopping shipments of food and medicines, bound for the Gazan people. But still the attacks on Netanyahu continued.
Even the ruling class of the western democracies, Biden and co. plus the MSM condemned Israels' invasion of Gaza, Israels' attack in Qatar of Hamas operatives, and the continuation of the clearing out of Hamas in Gaza. Again the MSM slammed the next wave of Israels invasion of Gaza as OTT and the MSM filled their pages full of anti Bibi and anti-Israel propaganda saying that "Israel has "lost the room," in this matter.
The coming of Trump, little changed the attack by the MSM and the ruling classes of the west, whose leaders even went so far as to again resurrect the utterly unobtainable, "two state" solution and unbelievably they announces their support for a "Palestinian State," which was more than delusional, it was fanciful and unrealistic as there is no such sovereign country in the world.
That Trump and his team has engineered a cease fire, is frankly amazing, judging by the political forces arraigned against him and his administration.
I agree with you that the sympathy expressed for Israel was muted, if only because of the sheer volume of the deluded pro-Palestinian factions of the left, who were nonetheless opposed to public opinion at first. It was shameful and an embarrassment to anyone who considers themselves liberal, and outside the left-wing bubble almost certainly moved a lot of people's sympathies—as I will personally attest—toward Israel.
That being said, it's a ham-fisted and unfair accusation to accuse the MSM of straight-up lying. Were they being overly credulous in taking the word of Hamas-controlled institutions at face value? Perhaps; it wasn't as if they didn't cite the sources for their figures, or report Israel's claims when they refuted them. They had to get them from somewhere, and It wasn't as if Israel was a disinterested party or a model of transparency and accountability.
(And surely you're not trying to deny that Israel restricted the inflow of aid, forcing Gazans to migrate in order to receive the aid, and thus arguably violating the norms of warfare by using aid as a military strategy.)
The MSM had an unenviable task in trying to discern truth through the fog of warfare, and whatever biases they may legitimately have, I've seen no evidence of intentional manipulation or dishonesty.
Furthermore, what sense does it make to talk about the supposed forces arrayed against Trump in negotiating a cease-fire? Who in the MSM—or virtually anywhere in society, for that matter—was opposed to a cease fire? We all know the answer to that one: the Israeli right-wing. Those were the people standing in the way of any kind of a cease-fire deal that didn't involve the complete and unequivocal annihilation of Hamas—and who relied on Trump's support more than anyone.
I'm not saying I don't understand the sentiment of wanting to completely crush Hamas, but it seems senseless to claim that somehow the *pro-Palestinian* faction of this conflict was a force of opposition to a cease-fire deal. Don't forget the role that these people played in getting Trump elected in the first place. Hamas itself may have been an obstacle, but certainly not the MSM or the liberal diaspora.
In fact, I've heard nothing in the mainstream media but plaudits toward Trump—rather credulous ones if you ask me—about how much credit he deserves for brokering this deal. The idea that a hostile environment in the media was somehow a weight that the mighty Trump administration had to valiantly toss aside in order to get a deal brokered just doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
In fact, I'd say the irony of the situation is that arguably the most significant factor in Trump's favor was the very same thing which makes it feel like such a monumental achievement in the first place—simple fatigue. Virtually everyone outside of Smotrich, Ben Gvir, et al was/is sick to death of this war—in particular, the citizens of Israel. Trump couldn't have asked for more favorable conditions under which to negotiate a deal—more or less the same deal that had been proposed before when the politics were far less favorable and Netanyahu was more hemmed in.
If Trump was finally willing to pull the chair out from under Netanyahu—the same one he put there in the first place, then good for all involved. But it's hardly all that amazing.
"Israel restricted the inflow of aid, forcing Gazans to migrate in order to receive the aid, and thus arguably violating the norms of warfare by using aid as a military strategy."
Even if one were to stipulate that this statement is true, without any caveats whatsoever, it would not be even 1% as egregious a violation of the norms of warfare as Hamas' planting of weapons and military centers within schools, hospitals, and homes. And when you consider that forcing people to move to get food was likely to get them out of those homes and schools that Hamas was using as bases, it is likely this "violation" of the norms of warfare likely saved thousands of lives.
You'll get no argument from me against the fact that Hamas is the the one ultimately responsible for this war. It's hypocritical for anyone to call this war genocide when Hamas was the one faction who acted with clear genocidal intent. Hamas deserves nothing but contempt from Israeli and Palestinian alike.
That being said, holding Israel to a higher standard than Hamas is a given. The fact that many in the Western progressive diaspora are useful idiots for Islamists doesn't shield Israel from all criticism. There were deaths due to starvation and from panic fire upon crowds of people rushing in to get aid. There's no way to say how many military casualties, if any, were avoided by forcing people to migrate out of war zones—that's pure speculation.
What I'm pushing back against is the convenient labeling of all criticism of Israel as "lies", simply because of progressive naivete about Hamas and Palestine. This is all too tempting—the flip side to the oft-referenced "Fox News Fallacy" that people on the left sometimes fall prey to. In particular, the Israeli right-wing with their West Bank incursions and at times arguably genocidal inclinations are hardly worthy of anyone's defense.
I'm sensitive to this because Trump has already done so much to discredit a free press in America while boosting his propagandists. The MSM aren't perfect and they're legitimate targets of criticism—in fact, ironically so today for knuckling under to Trump's tyranny. But they are hardly deserving of the kind of demagoguery they get at times from the most fervent supporters of Israel.
Eric, your comments align 100% with my sentiments. I have no patience for those who think any criticism of Israel means one is an enemy of Israel, or even an antisemite.
In almost any political discussion over the past ten or fifteen years, I find myself condemned by partisans who cannot recognize that my criticism of Side A does not mean I belong to Side B. But that's American politics today. The center has largely evaporated.
The good will for Israel in the wake of October 7 can literally be measured in days, if not hours. And while it was always possible for a good faith actor to challenge Israel's conduct of the war, there were precisely zero good faith opponents on the stage. Opposition to Israel, from the very beginning, was based on facile lies spread by the Hamas and Iran's useful idiots.
I think Israel has conducted the war masterfully. The Middle East from an Israeli vantage looks better than it has in a long time, maybe ever. It would be better if the international community wasn't so anti-Israel, but it is with few exceptions. Israel has made itself powerful enough to achieve this and some just can't stand that. Too bad.
Yes, the Masada complex is alive and well in Israel — but Israel truly faces constant existential threats that demand vigilance and self-defense. Most people around the world don’t fully grasp this reality, because they’ve never experienced existential threat. I’m not sure who wrote this: “Those who understand don’t judge, and those who judge don’t understand.”
Spot on analysis, you have exquisitely expressed my thoughts, emotion and hope for the future of both tribes in Palestine.
Yes, Israel has conducted the war masterfully in Lebanon and Iran. But what did it achieve in Gaza after eliminating Sinwar last year?
I expressed no comment that you refer to sir.
Sorry, I meant to refer to the next comment, by CarlW.