Sunday, October 29, 2023

Hamas, the Media, Protests, and Iran

Protesting Israel all over the country  (PBS)
Antisemitism is alive and well in this country. The number of angry protests against Israel is astonishing. The protests are all about Palestinian suffering at the hands of Israel. But at the core most of these protesters are plain old fashioned antisemites. Focusing on Palestinian suffering gives them cover to claim that they are not antisemites. They are just humanitarians fighting for a people under siege by powerful army that doesn’t care about human suffering. 

While some of these protestors might be that naïve I am convinced that most of then are either antisemitic Palestinians (like Rashida Tlaib) or are the 21st century version of majority of German citizens who were antisemitic and enamored of  their leader, Adolf Hitler. They place no value to the concept of a Jewish state. Which is why you hear chants like  ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ at those protests. 

The media hasn’t helped. Their focus Israeli airstrikes, daily scenes of bloodied Palestinians crying over lost loved ones, which according to the Hamas Health Ministry numbers north of 8000 civilians many of who are children.  (Now Hamas wouldn't lie about something like that, would they?) Not to mention media references to shortages of food, water and fuel - all blamed on Israel.

While the media has mentioned the fact that many of those casualties are the result of Hamas using their own people as human shields, the overwhelming focus is on the the unbearable misery Gaza residents are going through. Kind of putting Hamas responsibility on the back burner as they keep talking about Israeli airstrikes.

What about all those shortages? Water shortages would be solved by fueling water pumps - blaming Israel for no longer providing it. That is true But the reason they have stopped providing fuel is because Hamas has been diverting  and hording fuel to send rockets into  Israel. Hamas has enough fuel stored  to solve the water shortage. No one disputes that. But Hamas prefers attacking Israel over helping their own people The media knows that and has even mentioned it. But they prefer blaming Israel. That is sick!

One of the constant questions being asked by the media is why the US isn’t pressuring Israel to have a ‘humanitarian’ cease fire so that negotiations to get the hostages out can be given time to succeed. And so that Palestinians in Gaza can get the humanitarian aid they need? 

This type of question is insulting in the extreme! It presumes that Israel doesn’t care about their own hostages or the human suffering of Palestinians. Do they not understand that Israel did not start this war and does not want it?!. My guess is that they either don’t realize it or don’t care.

I wish I could say that I am surprised at the following from AP:

The U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution Friday calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza leading to a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers, the first United Nations response to the war 

The 193-member world body adopted the resolution by a vote of 120-14 with 45 abstentions after rejecting a Canadian amendment backed by the United States. It would have unequivocally condemned the Oct. 7 “terrorist attacks” by Hamas and demanded the immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas, which is not mentioned in the Arab-drafted resolution. 

World antisemitism is alive and well, too. It is in the mothers milk fed over the centuries.to generations of much of the world population. Thank God the the leaders of the most powerful nation in the world, the United States, is not one of them.

Where was the UN after Hamas slaughtered 1400 Jews? That they now complain about proportionality since more than 8000 Palestinians in Gaza been killed is a red herring. As if  Israel has to suffer as many casualties in order for it to be fair fight? Really?   

How absurd! The high number of civilian causalities in Gaza is the direct responsibility of Hamas. Israel warns Palestinians to evacuate before they attack.  Hamas tells them to stay. Hamas terrorist infrastructure is placed in the midst of their the civilian population. One such location recently discovered is under a Gaza hospital!

Arab allies like Jordan are calling the attack on Gaza  genocide, and of course blaming Israeli airstrikes for that. But if it is a genocide, it is one of  Hamas’s  own making. Not a single one of our Arab allies has blamed Hamas. Where the blame belongs.

Israel has no choice top continue along on its present course - whose goal is to destroy Hamas. No matter how many civilians Hamas puts in their way.  I am glad that US leadership, military leaders, and the majority of both parties realize that.

One more thing. It’s nice to see the US stand up to Iran, not allowing any attack against US troops to go unanswered. Iran for its part keeps threatening the US with severe consequences if Israel keeps up its attack against Hamas.  

Well, let them try. It would not make me too unhappy if the US saw that as an act if war against the US. And activated the full might of the US military upon them. With the goal to restore freedom to the huge number (most?) of the  Iranian people desperate to escape form the hell of Iran’s extremist Islamic Republic. 

I know that a war with Iran will not be a ‘piece of cake’. American boots on the ground will result in American casualties that will make the war in Iraq and Afghanistan look like a trip to Disneyland. But in my view there is no greater danger to world peace than the Islamic Republic of Iran. Starting with their export of terrorist supplies to Hamas and Hezbollah.  

I also know that a lot of people will accuse me of being an armchair hawk. And not caring about the bloodbath American troops will surely suffer in a war with Iran. 

Well, I do care and resent any implication that I don’t. But the alternative of allowing Iran to continue to export terrorism all over the world can easily result in more innocent bloodshed of the type that happened to Israel on October 7thThere is not the slightest doubt that the US will win that war if given the green light by congress do do what’s necessary to win it. 

World War II is sometimes called the ‘good war’. That was a time where Americans could not enlist fast enough in the military to fight Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. In my view a US war against Iran would be just as virtuous. Deserving to be called the second ‘good war’.