I think you “hit the nail on the head” in the 4th paragraph of the introduction. There are a lot of people (mostly young based on the recent poll cited in TGIF this morning) who simply do not care about facts or truth about Hamas and what they did in October.
I think most people underestimate the power of a propagandized MSM. For the vast majority, MSM is how they know about the world -- what is important, what is not important, and what they should think about the issues (those that they are allowed to know about).
Not long ago, I saw an online quiz that evaluated one’s ability to distinguish between facts and opinions in news articles, Apparently, most people did poorly on the quiz. As a perfect example, at a recent dinner, a neighbor professed, “I never believe anything in the media!”... almost immediately thereafter, he expressed complete confidence in something he had read in the New Woke Times. People don’t even realize they’re doing it.
I don't think you are right about people understanding what the MSM spews as propaganda. People were brought up to think that if it was announced on television or they read it in the news, it must be true.
Politicians have weaponized the MSM. Most large news outlets are conglomerates that are hard to challenge effectively. Even when they produce a falsehood and are disproven, they rarely retreat or retract.
Seldom does a news agency change its narrative. They remain consistent and maintain an agenda. We all know the "slant" from the Washington Post and The New York Times. They took a "progressive" approach to the news and only covered the side of the news that enforced their opinion.
Research has shown that once a person has formed an opinion based on any source of news, it’s almost impossible to change their mind even if given irrefutable evidence they were lied to. It’s how propaganda works
Before you take it: Important to recognize that the quiz does not test what is true or false—instead it tests whether you recognize an opinion from a factual claim.
... and, if you can't be bothered to click "from" that SRP "to" the hit that says
(something like)
= = =
The New Woke Times
RealClearBooks
https://www dot realclearbooks dot com › articles › 2020/11/23
Nov 23, 2020 — The Times let itself become hopelessly slanted. Captive to organized feedback on social media. Beholden to irredeemably conflicted staff members ...
= = =
then ... "see below" [in a comment] -- (probably the very 'next' comment!) -- for
the URL of that web page at "realclearbooks dot com".
The harsh truth of why people don't believe, and deny it? That is because Israel has suppressed the publication of the grim photos and videos of dying, screams. Jewish culture is "people of the word" and in that culture, words are more than enough. The rest of the world? Not like that! Words mean little or nothing. For everyone else, It's all about images. You want to make the world believe? Force everyone to see all that horrific footage that is ONLY shown to "the elite who matter". Don't let up. Force them to see it.
That is the way that My Lai was exposed. Without those photos, nobody would know nor care. Stop being so precious about yourselves and let those deaths speak! Let those deaths scream in the ears of the world. Force the world to take a side on THAT! You play into the hands of Hamas, and they use your squeamishness with glee.
It makes me infinitely sad to say this, but in today’s world, even if they saw it all — in live action — they still wouldn’t care. For them, it’s just “oppressors” getting what’s coming to them. Yes, things ARE that bad.
America was a very different place in the 1960s, and the silent majority seem to have a lot more power in the days of My Lai, when voting still mattered.
I don't care to see it. Some of us already carry stuff within that cannot be unseen. Reasonable people know truth when exposed to factual evidence when presented.
Reading about it is painful and horrifying enough. I don't want to see the footage either.
I suppose I've always known that humans are capable of denying that which right in front of them--of saying that the sun is not shining when they are standing in its light and warmth--but it is only now that I am seeing this phenomenon displayed so widely and blatantly.
It’s not about squeamishness or respect for the word. It’s about sparing parents the pain and humiliation of videos of their children getting shot in the head becoming gleefully watched snuff videos for as long as the internet exists.
And you think the people who would gleefully watch snuff videos don't already have the Hamas videos? Seriously? Hamas broadcast those to the world. WTAF are youthinking? You aren't protecting anyone or anything if you actually think about it. You are just being precious, silencing them in the last message their horrific deaths can speak.
And for this absurd fantasy of protecting parents, you give Hamas victory in the PR war? By your logic, no pictures of bodies stacked like cordwood at Belsen or Auschwitz should be shown to anyone.
Go look at the photos of My Lai. Ask why you and yours are so much more precious than theirs? Really look at them. Are those photos glorifying death?
No it's not. It's a choice that previous generations made without silly posturing over hurt feelings. This is war. The intent of the enemy is extermination! Grow the hell up.
As you say, plenty of video evidence is already out there. People who want to find it can. The major news outlets do not publish this kind of material anyway and people who don’t believe it now won’t have their mind changed by even more graphic footage. I live in Israel and know people who died. It’s not just “hurt feelings.” Get off your high horse and stop telling people in the midst of this why you think they should handle it differently.
Exactly. You live in Israel and are disconnected. This article is about a man from Israel that did not understand how people could not know. So he came here to tell his story. That is laudable. It is also preaching to the choir unfortunately.
I know what war is, Elizabeth. I also know Americans. I have seen enough. But I had studied these terrorists for decades. I don't need anything but the stories. For me only the initial report was needed. I know how they work, how to fight them, and the PR war that they wage.
The images and video is how to convince and change minds. That must be done. Failure to do so may doom Israel. I certainly hope not. I do know how this PR wargame goes though. Israel is not fighting that. Israel is playing into Hamas' war game. They are winning that. Think long and carefully about that.
It is also why the Allies force marched locals through the death camps in the 40's, after the liberation. How many people would have believed if it wasn't for that, and the newsreel footage?
I really don’t understand lefty anti Israel bias. Israel is the Jewish ancestral home. Complaining that they are colonizers is as absurd as accusing Arabs of colonizing the Arabian peninsula.
Leftists routinely create their own truth from whole cloth and then spew this truth to their adherents. You will then see this truth being fervently pushed forth in their propaganda outlets for a time. Soon thereafter a different truth will be sanctioned and the entire process begins again.
I want them to know this Irish Catholic girl hears them. I will never forget. This was an unspeakable cruelty. Perpetrated by evil people. I pray you can remind these kids often what great parents they had. God bless you all.
A day of unspeakable cruelty, no doubt. I'd be interested if Bari has any intention of commenting on 2 1/2 months of unspeakable cruelty done in response. I suspect no.
Given that the cowards chose to hide in and among the people of Gaza how do you suggest Israel should have rooted them out and tried to rescue the hostages? Or are you just the posturing idiot you appear to be?
What is it with the commenters on this board? Over and over, people toss in random insults to try to make their mediocre ideas supposedly carry more weight. Now including you. Do you feel smarter when you call someone else an idiot?
And you think Israel attacked Gaza to try to free the hostages? I'm not a military strategist, but there are some of them around. They would likely caution against random bombing if hostages are in there somewhere. Bibi doesn't care if hostages are killed--it strengthens his hand. He didn't seem concerned when the IDF shot three of the hostages who were walking toward them, unarmed and waving white flags.
We all come here to get a break from the trolls who parrot anti Israeel propaganda and latch onto every trope and excuse to demonize a democratic country that has been forced to fight a war based on endless terror attacks ending in this final unspeakable atrocity.
If you cannot tell the difference between a careful battle with the intent to dismantle a vast and genuinely evil terror network that started this battle and who drop leaflets to warn where bombs will fall, and who are avoiding casualties and endangering their own soldiers in doing so, and the genocidal sadists and their billionaire puppet masters who took great glee in burning, raping and beheading civilians on October 7th, then maybe AL Jazeera or Reuters would be a better fit for you than here.
After all, it's pretty poor taste to come on here looking for an argument and claiming moral equivalence when it's obvious that there are vast differences between what Hamas did and the impossible war Israel has been forced into.
If you had true compassion, you wouldn't dream of commenting here with such hubris and indignation about Israel's position. Amazing you can read or watch this interview and still be filled with such scorn for these people that you would immediately diminish their suffering by leaping into whataboutism that bears no similarities.
If you're concerned about Gazan suffering, then at least have the awareness to understand how Hamas has contributed to this. One can say all war is cruel. But in reality, the Israeli response is nor sadistic in intent. The fact you can read this Substack and remain so committed to your anti Israel bias, indicates that you're probably not overly empathic when it comes to Jews.
But complaining about ad hominems from others while you insult anyone who disagrees with you as 'mediocre' reveals that not only are you lacking in the most basic understanding on this topic, but you are also arrogant. A horrible combination when combined with your lack of compassion for the individuals in this story.
And as tough a concept as this is, the ratio of civilians casualties to terrorists is less than in any wars recently fought by the US and UK. Which is why US officials have stated that Israel is doing more to protect civilians than any other country would or has.
Your point about the deaths of the 3 hostages is convoluted and just comes across as grasping at anything to demonize Israel. It was a tragic mistake by jumpy soldiers left traumatized and on guard considering the many traps Hamas has laid including the sound of crying babies which on closer inspection were dolls wired to explode.
Hamas literally uses Israeli humanity against them. Includibg their use of Human shields. But as I say, perhaps you simply haven't evolved to the point you understand these things. The BBC would, in that case, be a place you could find many likeminded souls, happily ignoring and undermining what happened on Oct 7th, and screaming hysterically for a ceasefire that helps a murderous, corrupt oppressor of the Palestinians themselves, regroup.
Great points but they are probably pearls before swine in this case. The average Israel basher (in this conflict) has little if any knowledge of the decades that preceded it (Palestinian rejection of multiple offers, Arab armies invation of Israel in 1948)
This arrogant fool needs a lesson in discernment and a reality check.
Too many mealy mouthed slackers out there just jumping through the hoops that the MSM/FNM holds out like it’s a game they’re gonna win. While I wouldn’t wish anyone go through the horrors the Israelis did on 10/7 (or in the previous vicious attacks since 1958) I also don’t get cowardly armchair critics who most likely have never seen friends or family butchered.
I am baffled at the ppl who just don’t understand how different the IDF operates from hamas or hezbollah or any other lowlife terrorist group. The Islamists are a whole new breed of insidious, violent monsters. I think the Israelis are too considerate.
Anyone who doesn’t fully understand the complete history of the Middle East should listen to Victor Davis Hanson. He is one of the worlds best military historians as well as brilliant on other topics.
I applaud ppl reading the voices of those who hold ideology that differs from their own but if you just want to pick a fight stay in your own lane. Too many folks here are pretty well educated and making false claims you lifted out of some commie rag ain’t gonna fly.
Well, that’s a lot of context, but not much nuance.
I came To The Free Press because Matt Taibbi talked up Bari Weiss and her regard for free speech after working on the Twitter Files. Since I got here, I have seen virtually nothing but Israel-Hamas, like I subscribed to an AIPAC newsletter. I didn’t come here looking for an argument, but one I disagree with is launched almost every day. I’m not claiming any moral equivalence, I’m pointing out facts like number of dead.
And I don’t think I called anyone mediocre. I mentioned mediocre ideas. Large difference.
Alright.Let's address your attitude problem. Firstly, feel free to leave anytime. There's something quite pathetic when you whine about a Substack's content when all you need to do is not read it.
But that's not what's going on here, is it? You want to be heard for the anti- Israel sentiment you harbor. You have some chip on your shoulder about a Jewish, Zionistic journalist devoting articles to rising antisemitism amid the Israeli-Hamas war, and in this instance, reporting on the victims of a horrendous, world changing slaughter just 2 months ago. You're offended that Bari is devoting too much ink to this cause. And of course, you compare her work to reading AIPAC. So let me explain. Those of us who don't support terror against innocent civilians are focused on news and commentary that deals with an ongoing war, ongoing horrific hostage situation, and jew hate that in many corners has reached levels we've not seen since pre-Holocaust times. Not only are we dealing with the unmasking of distortion and propaganda that has been funded by Qatari influence and has led to a crisis of antisemitism and disinformation in higher education and campus culture, but also with widespread denial that the October massacre rven happened. We are seeing the fruits of years of meddling and manipulation through a radical Islamic agenda married to a far left wing socialist ideology that is rotting both the brains and moral clarity of generations of people in Western democracies. Jewish people do not feel safe to look outwardly Jewish in otherwise safe cities. And rightly so based on the attacks and intimidation and calls for Jewish genocide that the very people who say they don't believe Palestinians should be collectively punished, are now collectively visiting on Jews based on misconceptions and deeply lacking understanding of what is actually going on in the middle east.
All you are doing when you show up like a half coherent drunk uncle at a wedding, is reveal your own obvious bias and problem with Jews through an obnoxious arrogance of entitlement in which you get to complain about too much focus on Jews and Jewish suffering. Here's the thing- we get that you don't have compassion for us. Thats fine. Ferl free to slink away in a resentful huff. As for making comments about "nuance" and "context" you obviously are too oblivious to recognize how unoriginal you're being. Heard it. 1000 times before.
Your excuse that you're just bringing up the numbers of dead is BS and you know it. But I'll help you just in case you're not yet getting it- you've got a Jew problem. There's a chance you don't know it yet. Maybe you're in denial. But Imy inkling is you know exactly what you're doing. Which is choosing to ignore Hamas' crimes against humanity, taking Hamas at their word, ignoring the reality of how few civilian casualties there have been considering Hamas is literally hiding behind babies. You don't want to read about Jewish victims or concerns? Great. We get it. But we have always been the canary in the coal mine. The Islamists are no different to the nazis. They won't stop at the Jews. That's just how they get started. And if you were really concerned with Palestinians in any way, shape, or form, you'd be condemning Hamas and hoping for a regime change. Ie. Backing Israel. So how about you shift your paradigm a little? First step is dont be a cold bastard: and complain when you read October 7th testimony, that the articles are getting too Jewy. Next, adopt some nuance and context yourself and apply some critical thinking and interpretation when you read 'the numbers'.
There is nothing in the number of dead that indicates, absent other data, who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. By that measure America was the bad guy in WW 2 (500k) and Germany the good guys (about 7 M). It would seem the US was using "disproportionate force" in that conflict
Noted that you failed utterly to offer an alternative to Israel, save perhaps doing nothing but listening to the posturing morons in Kips Bay. There were two, interrelated reasons to attack Gaza. First, to punish those who murdered, raped, beheaded babies and did other unspeakably cruel things to civilians. Second, to rescue the hostages, if that were possible. Anyone who contends that an invasion of Gaza was unwarranted under the circumstances is either an idiot or on the side of the terrorists. Pick you poison
As far as the IDF shooting hostages, surely you don't contend it was deliberate? Shite happens in war. Pat Tillman being a case in point. In addition to the many incidents of friendly fire in our wars.
Firstly, this is security. Let me remind you that Hamas militants were on Israeli territory for a week or more, organizing new attacks, from the sea, from the side of the broken defense. Massive shelling of the south and center of Israel continued (this is approximately 5-7 salvoes per day, 30 missiles each only with a range of up to 80 kilometers, there were thousands of smaller missiles). To stop this, a ground operation was necessary. And this was one of the main reasons. The second (or first) is the release of the hostages.
Punishment is not a task, it is a consequence of completing the first two. And yes, I remind you of the old truth. Evil must be punished. Many people have forgotten about this or really don’t want it.
Who would you have to hate if Bibi wasn’t around? This isn’t Bibi’s war. It’s Israel’s war. There would be zero negotiations for hostages if Hamas hadn’t been degraded.
The response is not cruelty. It is necessity. It is war. And until there is a groundswell Palestinian civilian demand for Hamas to release all hostages and surrender, I don't care how many Palestinians die. Or how.
I agree. I recently expressed it in this manner. There is no such thing as a Palestinian because there is no such place as Palestine. There are Arab- Israelis. Unless there is a fundamental change with mentality, this identity crisis Isrealis will be locked in civil war.
Observe closely because we in the United States are on a similar path.
What other country -- name even one -- warns civilians to get out of harms way before they attack the enemy positions. Israel sends leaflets, text messages and other warnings to civilians to leave before fighting the terrorists who are hiding within and under schools, hospitals, apartment buildings and mosques. Here's your comment on the "unspeakable cruelty": destroy Hamas and free the Palestinian people.
Nearly a quarter of a million people have been killed during the war in Yemen according to UN statistics. Has either Saudi Arabia or have the Houthis even bothered to try to protect Yemeni civilians? Of course not. But I'll bet you have never protested this carnage or criticized either Iran or the Saudis. Israel and Bibi, however, are fair game aren't they.
They cleared out the north to remove the terrorists and destroy their infrastructure. It's almost been completed, including yesterday, blowing up a huge tunnel complex. Now Israel must destroy the southern terrorist infrastructure and is painstakingly doing it block by block, warning peope to leave harms way.
If Israel instead just blew up the whole area to be done with Hamas once and for all, hundreds of thousands of people would die. Obviously, they are not doing this.
To safe zones clearly indicated by Israel. The reason aid isn't pouring into Gaza is not because of Israel -- it's because of the UN and Hamas. Israel wants to inspect the trucks to make sure weapons aren't being smuggled in. Hamas and their bosom buddies UN are making that process difficult. Meanwhile, trucks with supplies that are moving through are being commandeered by Hamas and stolen for their own use and not civilians.
No other country you can think of? Well gee. Not many countries give warnings of incoming bombs during a war either. But you don't know of another country who does what? Has a strategy as a first step and then develops that strategy as the war goes on?
Builttoill, You seem unable to distinguish between accidental death (the civilians casualties in Gaza) and premeditated first-degree murder (the Israeli families slaughtered by Hamas). You also have conveniently overlooked the beastial rapes (of both females and males) and the brutalizing of the hostages by their Hamas captors for 2 1/2 months. The IDF fights wars: the Hamas/Palestinians commit atrocities.
You’re right about accidental. If you drop a shitload of bombs on a highly populated area of civilians, some civilians may be accidentally killed. Total accident. No intent to kill at all.
" If you drop a shitload of bombs (targeting the aggressor, Hamas) on a highly populated area of civilians (which is exactly why Hamas chose to place its infrastructure there), some civilians may be accidentally killed. (and it is all on Hamas)."
You're not getting it. When we say Hamas infrastructure, we mean also terror tunnels and weapons bases from which they are currently sending thousands of rockets to murder Israeli civilians, and around which they are holding hostages. Your inability to get your head around the most basic concepts is extraordinary. The point isn't that they want Hamas infrastructure elsewhere. The point is to destroy it and them. That's the goal. Hamas is just making sure they bring down as many civilians with them as possible as part of their PR war.
Dear Mr. Builttoill, the Arabs can make a choice. Relinquish the hate and integrate into Israeli society and develop a sense of national pride. It will take three generations. Sort of the reverse of what the cunning leftists have constructed here to destroy American exceptionalism.
The bombs are dropped on Hamas combatants and military centers. The civilians are killed because Hamas is hiding among them. Hamas is to blame for their deaths because it's using people as human shields. But we don't see you criticizing Hamas. I wonder why this glaring omission!
If you think that Israel is dumping bombs in heaps, then your knowledge is small.
For two weeks the IDF did not bomb residential areas, warned residents, and carried out strikes only along the border to prevent attacks. And only after that he began to strike at already known targets where the terrorists were located.
There would have been no deaths, accidental or otherwise, if Hamas had not invaded and murdered.
There would have been no deaths, accidental or otherwise, if Hamas, having invaded and murdered, had immediately offered to surrender, to save their own people.
There would be no more deaths going forward, accidental or otherwise, if Hamas surrendered today, lay down its arms, and sued for peace.
What is the cruelty in response ? Is it that the army is destroying terrorists? The fact that the soldiers (and these are citizens who left their families, jobs, normal lives) went to protect their relatives? Is it that every day of fighting reduces the risk of deaths in Israeli cities? Is it that young guys die so that civilians can survive?
This is not cruelty. This is the desire for a peaceful life. For 20 years, Israel made concessions and suffered shelling and terrorist attacks. Now he doesn't want to endure it. That's all.
Believe me .... I am horrified and haunted by the images coming out of Gaza however, which bet would you make? That Israel would stop the bombings after the Palestinians provide the locations of the tunnels and identify Hamas terrorists -or- that the Palestinians provide the locations of the tunnels and identify the Hamas terrorists after Israel stops the bombings?
My bet would be that Hamas never provides the locations of the tunnels. And also will not wear name tag stickers saying "Hi, I'm Ken. I'm a terrorist."
Meanwhile, the production of jihadists continues. 10 new ones for every civilian (especially child) killed. We have never learned this, and neither has Israel.
Agree with your second paragraph but don't understand your first. I think you're trying to say that the Palestinians can't tell the Israeli's where the tunnels are, or who the terrorists' are, because they've been kept in the dark. Joke right? Like ... I don't know what's going on when I see tons of dirt being excavated under a school. Or ... I don't know what's going on when I see the guy next door leaving for work in the morning carrying an AK. Or ... I don't know what's going on when I see the guy next door, who seems to wear a lot of green, having plenty of money and food but I'm just scraping by.
This is just one of many stories about Oct 7th. Incredulously, there are people who don't think Hamas were the perpetrators. That Israel is to blame for these atrocities. The world is in shambles. Right is wrong and Good is Evil. Sick. I feel for the babies who lost their parents in this bloody massacre. I hope they can be raised by their Aunt and Uncle and live a normal life. But, this is what the Hamas-Nazi's want to do. Get into the minds of the innocent. I read where one hostage who was released can't even speak. She has to whisper for fear of being shot or worse, raped. This is a black mark on civilization and, unfortunately, all the world cares about are the Gazan civilians. I hope and pray that someday soon we can have peace in the world. We desperately need it.
"all the world cares about are the Gazan civilians...."
I don't care one whit about them. They're complicit. More to the point, I want Biden summarily removed from office and Americans to withhold their taxes until aid is withheld from Gaza as the Taylor Force Act (and decency and sanity) requires.
One day we will look back on the indifference and outright hostility of the woke elite to accepting the truth of what happened on October 7 and realize it was a turning point for civilized society.
There are some days when I really can’t intellectually comprehend how little people care about the death of these people, or of Jews. The naked anti-Semitism, the utter illogical passion these clowns display in their embrace of Hamas is unfathomable.
While there are always "words" that can be spoken, those words must be carefully crafted to match the event under consideration. I am unsure there will ever be an adequate description to capture the pure "evil" that descended on the families of these two babies. Moving forward, they will need every bit of love, compassion, and honesty that is available to try to put the lives of their parents into some kind of heroic perspective. Thank you Bari for the way you have shared the story.
Yes, the common person in Gaza doesn't want missiles threatening him/her. But he/she likewise doesn't want Jews living in Israel, or for that matter probably anywhere else in the world. These are people warped by generations of Islamic hatred. It's a gargantuan error to project our values onto them.
They have an entirely different mind-set from ours in the west, basically no points of contact. I used to think that people were fundamentally the same everywhere,but this is not true. I realized this when I came in contact with Muslim students in my classes. At first it was hard for me to digest,but I eventually had to. The more religious students were the most fanatical, but even the less observant ones nevertheless adhered to their "tribal" identity. Those who didn't fit this pattern were a tiny minority. I live in Germany BTW, which is being overrun by Muslims who largely have no respect for the culture and laws of the country, but they come here because of the extremely generous financial benefits Germany affords them.
On New Year's Eve there was rioting in the major cities, with police being attacked and rockets shot into crowds. The New Year's Eve mass at Cologne cathedral could only be attended after passing through security checks after a bomb threat was made against the church. Yet still the powers that be tie the hands of the police instead of letting them react appropriately, with water cannon, for example. Grovelling pleas to please not attack the police just demonstrate weakness, whereas the only thing the perpetrators might respect is force. The few high-profile Muslims who dare to criticize the situation are beset by death threats and need 24 hour protection against their fellow religionists from the "religion of peace."
Indeed, T. Reid, you're right. Even more dreadful is that anti-Semitism is thriving in Europe which is being rapidly colonized by Islamists. European culture is being submerged and is drowning. Thank God for Geert Wilders.
It is impossible for me to "like" this interview. There are some feelings that are just utterly ineffable -- I simply have no words. None. Just utter heartbreak.
Heartbreaking. Such a beautiful couple. I suppose the "p's of s" we see demonstrating in our own streets will conjure up some justification for their murder. I am at the point, however, where it better not be within earshot of me. I am no longer in the mood to be "nice."
Every day since October 7 my heart has burned with anger for what was done to Israeli innocents, especially children. I am a former Christian pastor, Ph.D in New Testament studies, now an agnostic. Yet how can any sane individual not accept the counsel of Jesus when he said "Woe unto those who damage children, it is better that a mill stone be strung around their neck." Shalom to our Jewish brother's and sisters.
If I had the misfortune of being born in a gigantic trailer park of 2 million white people outside of New Orleans and it was run by the Tiki Torch guys from Charlottesville and they went into New Orleans and set a bunch of Black women on fire and then New Orleans started bombing the trailer park I would not be happy and I would be scared of dying from the bombs.
However, I would have zero anger towards New Orleans in that scenario because that would make me a scumbag.
You analogy is already playing out in Westport Ct. A Jewish kid was banished because he objected to Holocaust jokes and the BOE supported the kid telling them. Imagine if, instead of Holocaust jokes told to a Jewish kid, it had been slavery jokes told to a Black kid. The freaking town would have been set upon by the media, the usual suspects would have called for a Justice Dept investigation and the virtue signaling crowd would be kneeling in the streets, begging for forgiveness. It's all just so nauseating.
A middle school student saying dumb and hateful things to another student or a teacher is a pre-teen finding out where the boundary line is. When that boundary is crossed, it is the job of the teachers and admin to let them know what they did wrong, the where and why of the boundary, and provide a just punishment. The BOE of Westport failed the Jewish family horribly (may they get a lawyer who will get the full tuition and damages) The BOE and admininstrators also failed every student enrolled at that school, because all of those students need to know boundaries and have behavior expectations if we are to maintain a civil and functioning society.
If the teachers' union backed the BOE then they are short sighted jerks. When students are given permission to morph into bullies, then everyone becomes a target including the teachers and staff. Boundaries, behavior expectations, and just punishments are an essential part of making schools safe for students and staff.
A teaching moment. When we were al about 10 or 11, I remember a friend saying to one of our Jewish friends "I wish Hitler had finished the job." When the parents found out, I thought there'd be hell to pay. But our friend's parents were wise. They asked the malefactor to sit with them and they talked to him. In regret not anger.
Shared stories of relatives killed in the holocaust. Of children slaughtered. Entire families gone. The kid was in tears begging for forgiveness. The parents hugged and forgave him. I never heard another anti-Semitic word from him.
I have no issue with how Israel is handling Gaza, because all Gaza's government Hamas has to say to end the onslaught is two little words: "We surrender." The carnage in Gaza is on Gazans, not Israel, because Gazans elected a scorpion as its official leader. They knew that scorpion would sting them as easily as it stings anyone else; it's the nature of scorpions. Gazans freely elected Hamas, so they get what they get when Hamas slaughters more than a thousand Jews--and throws a baby into an EZ-Bake Oven. The Hell for that act isn't hot enough.
That said, most Gazans don't WANT to die, they want to live quietly, raise families, make money, all that. The minority that becomes Hamas, Hezbollah, or ISIS does not, so kill every one; and the overall Palestinian leadership that has been so profoundly corrupt and evil for nearly 100 years, selling out their own people day after day to stuff their bank accounts full of world relief money, kill them too.
Whoever's left needs a new Paladin to strike a deal with Israel to create two peaceful states, then work with Israel to destroy their common enemy: the Islamic fundamentalists who love to maim, slaughter, and kill whoever looks at them funny, Jew or Muslim; and their asshole ayatollah paymasters in Iran.
But until Hamas cries Uncle and gives back the hostages, Gazans become pink mist, and I have no issue with that. They don't want war, they shouldn't have started one.
"they want to live quietly, raise families, make money, all that. " you forgot to mention, "without Jews!" This will ensure that they will NEVER see the peace they desire. Their religious training and their holy book (actually, their hadith) say that a finl accounting will only occur when Jews are destroyed. The people are poisoned and there is no remedy.
If that's the case, then it's time for them all to die. But Islamic hadith aside, I don't believe that out of 2 million Gazans, most wouldn't rather live alongside Jews than not live at all. Everyday Gazans, I mean. Their leadership is poisoned beyond all hope, as are their 7th Century assassins called Hamas. Leaders and assassins need to eat Israeli lead, and Gazans need to wake the hell up. I hope this war does both.
Shane, I don't really disagree with you in general. From the very beginning I have said that the Gazans in particular, and Palestinians in general, had to be ultimately humiliated and isolated. They are a poisoned people and there are no real innocents other than the youngest among them. If they are willing to live along side of the Jews in relative peace, then fine. What they think in their minds and believe in their hearts must stay there. As Dennis Prager has said repeatedly, if someone treats you fairly then what they think is irrelevant. Unfortunately, I don't believe the Palestinians will accede to that belief. History has demonstrated as much.
Thanks for this, Robert, much agree. All Palis have to do to earn a state in my eyes is behave peacefully. Period. They don't have to LIKE Jews, they just have to not kill or harm them. If Palis can manage to do that, then they will eventually get a state, and realize all the Jew-hate they've been fed is baloney. If they don't, they'll continue to live in a pestilent hate-ghetto OF THEIR OWN DESIGN AND MAKING, because no sovereign neighbor would put up with Hamas-level abuse. I sure wouldn't.
Since I can't peer into the soul of every Pali, I am assuming that they're like most other people on Earth: a small percentage are kill-crazy psychopaths; another small percentage supports the crazies in order to get power and make money, but would support peaceniks if it got them the same money and power; a third small percentage fights the evil within; and the rest tune it out best they can in order to work, raise families, pay their bills, and live. Their vote was for Hamas, yes, but from what I gathered at the time, that's primarily because the PA was so corrupt and useless as to be not worth their vote, and they believed Hamas would continue its cold peace with Israel so more jobs would be available to Gazans in Israel.
That blew up in their faces, of course, and yes, they voted for Hamas for whatever reason, so they get what they get now. I have no issue with how Israel is conducting this war; all Hamas has to do to end it is say "We surrender. Here's your hostages." And the bombing would end. Until Hamas does that, let the bombs fall.
But I still believe that absent a Jew-hating infrastructure--government, schools, and imams--most Gazans would live quietly next to their Jewish-state neighbors if they can have a decent life, jobs, income, and future. Can Gaza and WB be shorn of that infrastructure? I hope so. Otherwise, the bombing continues.
Shane, it sounds like you believe all humans are born good, and it's something outside their nature may cause them to chose bad. Or, maybe it's just "go along to get along." It's that belief, and that behavior, that causes evil.
Please keep doing these articles. I see people denying this happened, and people I used to respect minimizing what happened. The articles make me cry but the truth needs to be put out there.
This feels like it might be a grossly misplaced comment, but I don’t have anywhere else to put what just happened. As your average 40 odd year old guy from the midwest, when I have some feelings, I need to put them someplace when the tank gets full or it will kill me. So hardly shocking to most I assume, I am doing this for me, ultimately. But maybe someone out there? I feel like there are more of me out there these days, but not sure they hang out in the comments section of thefp. Maybe someone who knows someone? Anyways.
All of this, every stitch of what has happened since the 7th has been building up on me for a while now. I have zero folks to even start to air some of this out to. Given where I live, and who my friends and family are, it would go sideways either on my end or theirs. Or worse there would be a shrug and the conversation would move on.
I sat down to read this since I knew listening to it would essentially be a non-starter for me mentally / emotionally. The text of it takes the edge off some of the feelings, even if only a little bit. I know I NEED to know about this, but I am just attempting to keep out of the red these days when it comes to my emotions. Up to the edge usually, but not in the red.
As I was reading I was listening to an album I have heard so many times that I know every word of every song, in the order that they appear in the album. I love this album and have loved this album for like 20 odd years. I love music in general, it has always served as a device to alter my mood. Usually for drawing and the like, but sometimes just to feel an unfamiliar thing. I am not however a music person. I almost never know what the name of the band is, or who is in it, or what the lore is around things etc. I don’t own any band shirts, and I can not tell you what genre almost anything fits into. But like most people if I hear something often enough I will know the words. Maybe that is from being a Bob Dylan fan growing up. Either way, if nothing else one would think if you knew the words you might have some inkling of what the song was about. Seems reasonable, but I guess if you don’t have a context or setting of something like a show these are just noises a person makes while playing an instrument. I don’t do shows, but that is a whole other kettle of fish.
The album is called “In the aeroplane over the sea” by an oddly named band called Neutral Milk Hotel. It is the only album of theirs I think I have ever heard, but I have intentionally listened to it probably 100 plus times. You can hear it here if you are unaware fwiw: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mQBJ39Z_w-YatJZBF14MSQ-Sj-8FF0lH0
So I am somewhere in the middle of the interview when the song “Oh Comely” starts playing. I have always had a soft spot for this song. I love the melody of it, the kind of tortured voice of it, and as far as the lyrics they always seemed a bit, idk profane? There was something in there that I felt like “best not to drill into it”. About 5 or so minutes into the song I notice I am not really reading anymore. I am just staring at the picture on screen. My face is wet and it's hard to swallow. Idk what got there first, the interview or the song. But either way, it wasn’t subtle about it.
So, long story longer, turns out the whole album was inspired by the artist reading “the diary of a young girl” and somehow I never made the connection. Given I am not Jewish, and was raised in trailers and shacks, but after 20 years, and 100 visits to this album I never made that connection. It all seems so on the nose for me to write this comment (essay at this point) especially here. Like I am some guy that just figured out art has meaning. But well I will take the feeling of being idiot over having this experience running laps in my head unobserved for the foreseeable. As always, remarkable work in the interview Bari, and I have no words to offer Maya and Dvir save other than I am so sorry, and thankful there was some trickle of light that managed to evade the dark. I guess that’s it.
The last bit, on hope for the future, Maya "wants to believe" that the "common people" of Gaza are just like her, wants peace, just wants to live and provide for their family.
That is amazing to me, and I don't mean that in any kind of positive sense. What possible evidence does she have for that belief?
Maybe I need to focus in on her *wanting* to believe that, suggesting that she doesn't actually believe it. Still, wanting to believe in the absence of any reason to do so and indeed with all evidence pointing to the opposite conclusion... that makes her a fool. Good-hearted and dealing with tragedy as best she can, better than most could do I suspect, but still... a fool.
According to recent polling by an Arab polling org., 70 % of Gazans are just fine with what Hamas did on Oct 7.
So even though Maya's husband Dvir grew up in peaceful contact with ordinary Gazans, such relations are no longer possible. From Dvir's childhood forward, Hamas has irrevocably poisoned Gazans' minds. How can trust ever be regained?
No two-state solution is in the foreseeable future at this point.
I found that jarring as well. If she really believes it she’s either destined for sainthood or she’s clueless or maybe she’s lying because it makes her sound better.
I pray for this family and for those babies. This also reinforces Israel needs to destroy every last one of these monsters.
I think you “hit the nail on the head” in the 4th paragraph of the introduction. There are a lot of people (mostly young based on the recent poll cited in TGIF this morning) who simply do not care about facts or truth about Hamas and what they did in October.
I think most people underestimate the power of a propagandized MSM. For the vast majority, MSM is how they know about the world -- what is important, what is not important, and what they should think about the issues (those that they are allowed to know about).
Not long ago, I saw an online quiz that evaluated one’s ability to distinguish between facts and opinions in news articles, Apparently, most people did poorly on the quiz. As a perfect example, at a recent dinner, a neighbor professed, “I never believe anything in the media!”... almost immediately thereafter, he expressed complete confidence in something he had read in the New Woke Times. People don’t even realize they’re doing it.
Haha new woke times. I hadn’t heard that one yet. I have however stopped listening to National Palestinian Radio
They must not have gotten their copy, yet.
https://www.transcend.org/tms/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sf-israel-projects-2009-global-language-dictionary.pdf
Thanks. Bookmarked.
Ignore on trick trolls
A refresher never hurts. I recommend making flash cards. You're welcome.
And we should not forget what our schools have been and not been teaching for a generation.
"...a generation? It began in 1905, inundated colleges 1962, grade and high schools 1970 ish.
I was debating on how many yo write but we do live longer 😉
I don't think you are right about people understanding what the MSM spews as propaganda. People were brought up to think that if it was announced on television or they read it in the news, it must be true.
Politicians have weaponized the MSM. Most large news outlets are conglomerates that are hard to challenge effectively. Even when they produce a falsehood and are disproven, they rarely retreat or retract.
Seldom does a news agency change its narrative. They remain consistent and maintain an agenda. We all know the "slant" from the Washington Post and The New York Times. They took a "progressive" approach to the news and only covered the side of the news that enforced their opinion.
I think you misread my comment. I said that people don’t realize how skewed MSM is (basically the same point you are making).
Yes.....so true....
https://www.transcend.org/tms/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sf-israel-projects-2009-global-language-dictionary.pdf
Research has shown that once a person has formed an opinion based on any source of news, it’s almost impossible to change their mind even if given irrefutable evidence they were lied to. It’s how propaganda works
i mentioned something to my Biden voting doctor JEWISH friend about what happened on Oct 7. she had no idea
Same. And the only reason they can give for voting for Democrats who hate them is, "Trump!" Who, by the way, doesn't hate Jews or Israelis.
OMG Bee drop that doctor friend immediately!
Puts the ISH in Jewish…
I'd be interested to see that quiz!!
https://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/news-statements-quiz/
Spoiler alert: this bunny got a perfect score. I suspect most TFP subscribers will, too.
Before you take it: Important to recognize that the quiz does not test what is true or false—instead it tests whether you recognize an opinion from a factual claim.
yes, I was a bit confused...but when I realized what they were doing, I reset and started over.
Me too. When I got my score, I realized what I'd done.
I got 7 out of 10
same
Same
10/10. Was this really difficult for anyone? Fact are statements you can prove (or disprove), opinions you cannot.
Easy. Got a perfect score
me. too
Young people don't watch or read MSM. They get their news through social media, if they are interested in news at all.
Yes, and it shows in the polls of their views: social media “news” is even MORE propagandized and siloed than MSM.
Yeah, ... that one about the New Yoke (oops, "woke") Times was also a new one on me.
However, I did a quick search ... and whaddaya know, *** the second HIT ***
(ehh... maybe 2-and-a-half th HIT)
[it *was* after the "People also ask" section...]
on the "SRP" (search results page)
"https://www.google.com/search?q=the+New+Woke+Times"
took me to ...
(well ... you 'could' see for yourself ...)
a web page at "realclearbooks dot com" --! --
... and, if you can't be bothered to click "from" that SRP "to" the hit that says
(something like)
= = =
The New Woke Times
RealClearBooks
https://www dot realclearbooks dot com › articles › 2020/11/23
Nov 23, 2020 — The Times let itself become hopelessly slanted. Captive to organized feedback on social media. Beholden to irredeemably conflicted staff members ...
= = =
then ... "see below" [in a comment] -- (probably the very 'next' comment!) -- for
the URL of that web page at "realclearbooks dot com".
Enjoy . . .
Here:
https://www.realclearbooks.com/articles/2020/11/23/the_new_woke_times_650657.html
Leftists. They are dismissed out of hand around here.
"For the vast majority, MSM is how they know about the world."
Right about that.
https://www.transcend.org/tms/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sf-israel-projects-2009-global-language-dictionary.pdf
The harsh truth of why people don't believe, and deny it? That is because Israel has suppressed the publication of the grim photos and videos of dying, screams. Jewish culture is "people of the word" and in that culture, words are more than enough. The rest of the world? Not like that! Words mean little or nothing. For everyone else, It's all about images. You want to make the world believe? Force everyone to see all that horrific footage that is ONLY shown to "the elite who matter". Don't let up. Force them to see it.
That is the way that My Lai was exposed. Without those photos, nobody would know nor care. Stop being so precious about yourselves and let those deaths speak! Let those deaths scream in the ears of the world. Force the world to take a side on THAT! You play into the hands of Hamas, and they use your squeamishness with glee.
It makes me infinitely sad to say this, but in today’s world, even if they saw it all — in live action — they still wouldn’t care. For them, it’s just “oppressors” getting what’s coming to them. Yes, things ARE that bad.
America was a very different place in the 1960s, and the silent majority seem to have a lot more power in the days of My Lai, when voting still mattered.
I honestly think that the antisemites would *enjoy* watching that footage. That seems reason enough to show it selectively.
I don't care to see it. Some of us already carry stuff within that cannot be unseen. Reasonable people know truth when exposed to factual evidence when presented.
Reading about it is painful and horrifying enough. I don't want to see the footage either.
I suppose I've always known that humans are capable of denying that which right in front of them--of saying that the sun is not shining when they are standing in its light and warmth--but it is only now that I am seeing this phenomenon displayed so widely and blatantly.
Yikes, that angle never even occurred to me...human nature...*sigh*
Well, if you’re gonna have Zionist apartheid system….
It’s not about squeamishness or respect for the word. It’s about sparing parents the pain and humiliation of videos of their children getting shot in the head becoming gleefully watched snuff videos for as long as the internet exists.
“By being silent is killing them again” - paraphrasing Eli Weisel.
And you think the people who would gleefully watch snuff videos don't already have the Hamas videos? Seriously? Hamas broadcast those to the world. WTAF are youthinking? You aren't protecting anyone or anything if you actually think about it. You are just being precious, silencing them in the last message their horrific deaths can speak.
And for this absurd fantasy of protecting parents, you give Hamas victory in the PR war? By your logic, no pictures of bodies stacked like cordwood at Belsen or Auschwitz should be shown to anyone.
Go look at the photos of My Lai. Ask why you and yours are so much more precious than theirs? Really look at them. Are those photos glorifying death?
It is an impossible choice.
No it's not. It's a choice that previous generations made without silly posturing over hurt feelings. This is war. The intent of the enemy is extermination! Grow the hell up.
As you say, plenty of video evidence is already out there. People who want to find it can. The major news outlets do not publish this kind of material anyway and people who don’t believe it now won’t have their mind changed by even more graphic footage. I live in Israel and know people who died. It’s not just “hurt feelings.” Get off your high horse and stop telling people in the midst of this why you think they should handle it differently.
Exactly. You live in Israel and are disconnected. This article is about a man from Israel that did not understand how people could not know. So he came here to tell his story. That is laudable. It is also preaching to the choir unfortunately.
I know what war is, Elizabeth. I also know Americans. I have seen enough. But I had studied these terrorists for decades. I don't need anything but the stories. For me only the initial report was needed. I know how they work, how to fight them, and the PR war that they wage.
The images and video is how to convince and change minds. That must be done. Failure to do so may doom Israel. I certainly hope not. I do know how this PR wargame goes though. Israel is not fighting that. Israel is playing into Hamas' war game. They are winning that. Think long and carefully about that.
It is also why the Allies force marched locals through the death camps in the 40's, after the liberation. How many people would have believed if it wasn't for that, and the newsreel footage?
Despite the irrefutable evidence leftists howl in attempting to deny the atrocities were the staged work of fiction.
I really don’t understand lefty anti Israel bias. Israel is the Jewish ancestral home. Complaining that they are colonizers is as absurd as accusing Arabs of colonizing the Arabian peninsula.
Leftists routinely create their own truth from whole cloth and then spew this truth to their adherents. You will then see this truth being fervently pushed forth in their propaganda outlets for a time. Soon thereafter a different truth will be sanctioned and the entire process begins again.
Mindless lockstepping lemmings.
It really is both pathetic and evil.
My Lai was all over the NYT’s front page. Forever.
The people at the NYT’s are young. They probably think it’s a Vietnamese noodle bowl.
Sadly true and funny too. Thanks for wisdom and the humor.
Yes, I'm not sure why Israel has not made those photos and videos public
As the saying goes, you can't fix stupid.
The new holocaust denier set.
I want them to know this Irish Catholic girl hears them. I will never forget. This was an unspeakable cruelty. Perpetrated by evil people. I pray you can remind these kids often what great parents they had. God bless you all.
A day of unspeakable cruelty, no doubt. I'd be interested if Bari has any intention of commenting on 2 1/2 months of unspeakable cruelty done in response. I suspect no.
Given that the cowards chose to hide in and among the people of Gaza how do you suggest Israel should have rooted them out and tried to rescue the hostages? Or are you just the posturing idiot you appear to be?
It is the PI it appears to be!
They just want Israel and all Jews to lie down and die.
What is it with the commenters on this board? Over and over, people toss in random insults to try to make their mediocre ideas supposedly carry more weight. Now including you. Do you feel smarter when you call someone else an idiot?
And you think Israel attacked Gaza to try to free the hostages? I'm not a military strategist, but there are some of them around. They would likely caution against random bombing if hostages are in there somewhere. Bibi doesn't care if hostages are killed--it strengthens his hand. He didn't seem concerned when the IDF shot three of the hostages who were walking toward them, unarmed and waving white flags.
We all come here to get a break from the trolls who parrot anti Israeel propaganda and latch onto every trope and excuse to demonize a democratic country that has been forced to fight a war based on endless terror attacks ending in this final unspeakable atrocity.
If you cannot tell the difference between a careful battle with the intent to dismantle a vast and genuinely evil terror network that started this battle and who drop leaflets to warn where bombs will fall, and who are avoiding casualties and endangering their own soldiers in doing so, and the genocidal sadists and their billionaire puppet masters who took great glee in burning, raping and beheading civilians on October 7th, then maybe AL Jazeera or Reuters would be a better fit for you than here.
After all, it's pretty poor taste to come on here looking for an argument and claiming moral equivalence when it's obvious that there are vast differences between what Hamas did and the impossible war Israel has been forced into.
If you had true compassion, you wouldn't dream of commenting here with such hubris and indignation about Israel's position. Amazing you can read or watch this interview and still be filled with such scorn for these people that you would immediately diminish their suffering by leaping into whataboutism that bears no similarities.
If you're concerned about Gazan suffering, then at least have the awareness to understand how Hamas has contributed to this. One can say all war is cruel. But in reality, the Israeli response is nor sadistic in intent. The fact you can read this Substack and remain so committed to your anti Israel bias, indicates that you're probably not overly empathic when it comes to Jews.
But complaining about ad hominems from others while you insult anyone who disagrees with you as 'mediocre' reveals that not only are you lacking in the most basic understanding on this topic, but you are also arrogant. A horrible combination when combined with your lack of compassion for the individuals in this story.
And as tough a concept as this is, the ratio of civilians casualties to terrorists is less than in any wars recently fought by the US and UK. Which is why US officials have stated that Israel is doing more to protect civilians than any other country would or has.
Your point about the deaths of the 3 hostages is convoluted and just comes across as grasping at anything to demonize Israel. It was a tragic mistake by jumpy soldiers left traumatized and on guard considering the many traps Hamas has laid including the sound of crying babies which on closer inspection were dolls wired to explode.
Hamas literally uses Israeli humanity against them. Includibg their use of Human shields. But as I say, perhaps you simply haven't evolved to the point you understand these things. The BBC would, in that case, be a place you could find many likeminded souls, happily ignoring and undermining what happened on Oct 7th, and screaming hysterically for a ceasefire that helps a murderous, corrupt oppressor of the Palestinians themselves, regroup.
Great points but they are probably pearls before swine in this case. The average Israel basher (in this conflict) has little if any knowledge of the decades that preceded it (Palestinian rejection of multiple offers, Arab armies invation of Israel in 1948)
So I see you're joining your colleagues in using insults to stand in for argument.
Preach it brother.
This arrogant fool needs a lesson in discernment and a reality check.
Too many mealy mouthed slackers out there just jumping through the hoops that the MSM/FNM holds out like it’s a game they’re gonna win. While I wouldn’t wish anyone go through the horrors the Israelis did on 10/7 (or in the previous vicious attacks since 1958) I also don’t get cowardly armchair critics who most likely have never seen friends or family butchered.
I am baffled at the ppl who just don’t understand how different the IDF operates from hamas or hezbollah or any other lowlife terrorist group. The Islamists are a whole new breed of insidious, violent monsters. I think the Israelis are too considerate.
Anyone who doesn’t fully understand the complete history of the Middle East should listen to Victor Davis Hanson. He is one of the worlds best military historians as well as brilliant on other topics.
I applaud ppl reading the voices of those who hold ideology that differs from their own but if you just want to pick a fight stay in your own lane. Too many folks here are pretty well educated and making false claims you lifted out of some commie rag ain’t gonna fly.
Seriously well posted thank you!
And thank you. Glad we are on the same page.
Nuance and Context- you are living up to your moniker. Thank you!
Well, that’s a lot of context, but not much nuance.
I came To The Free Press because Matt Taibbi talked up Bari Weiss and her regard for free speech after working on the Twitter Files. Since I got here, I have seen virtually nothing but Israel-Hamas, like I subscribed to an AIPAC newsletter. I didn’t come here looking for an argument, but one I disagree with is launched almost every day. I’m not claiming any moral equivalence, I’m pointing out facts like number of dead.
And I don’t think I called anyone mediocre. I mentioned mediocre ideas. Large difference.
Alright.Let's address your attitude problem. Firstly, feel free to leave anytime. There's something quite pathetic when you whine about a Substack's content when all you need to do is not read it.
But that's not what's going on here, is it? You want to be heard for the anti- Israel sentiment you harbor. You have some chip on your shoulder about a Jewish, Zionistic journalist devoting articles to rising antisemitism amid the Israeli-Hamas war, and in this instance, reporting on the victims of a horrendous, world changing slaughter just 2 months ago. You're offended that Bari is devoting too much ink to this cause. And of course, you compare her work to reading AIPAC. So let me explain. Those of us who don't support terror against innocent civilians are focused on news and commentary that deals with an ongoing war, ongoing horrific hostage situation, and jew hate that in many corners has reached levels we've not seen since pre-Holocaust times. Not only are we dealing with the unmasking of distortion and propaganda that has been funded by Qatari influence and has led to a crisis of antisemitism and disinformation in higher education and campus culture, but also with widespread denial that the October massacre rven happened. We are seeing the fruits of years of meddling and manipulation through a radical Islamic agenda married to a far left wing socialist ideology that is rotting both the brains and moral clarity of generations of people in Western democracies. Jewish people do not feel safe to look outwardly Jewish in otherwise safe cities. And rightly so based on the attacks and intimidation and calls for Jewish genocide that the very people who say they don't believe Palestinians should be collectively punished, are now collectively visiting on Jews based on misconceptions and deeply lacking understanding of what is actually going on in the middle east.
All you are doing when you show up like a half coherent drunk uncle at a wedding, is reveal your own obvious bias and problem with Jews through an obnoxious arrogance of entitlement in which you get to complain about too much focus on Jews and Jewish suffering. Here's the thing- we get that you don't have compassion for us. Thats fine. Ferl free to slink away in a resentful huff. As for making comments about "nuance" and "context" you obviously are too oblivious to recognize how unoriginal you're being. Heard it. 1000 times before.
Your excuse that you're just bringing up the numbers of dead is BS and you know it. But I'll help you just in case you're not yet getting it- you've got a Jew problem. There's a chance you don't know it yet. Maybe you're in denial. But Imy inkling is you know exactly what you're doing. Which is choosing to ignore Hamas' crimes against humanity, taking Hamas at their word, ignoring the reality of how few civilian casualties there have been considering Hamas is literally hiding behind babies. You don't want to read about Jewish victims or concerns? Great. We get it. But we have always been the canary in the coal mine. The Islamists are no different to the nazis. They won't stop at the Jews. That's just how they get started. And if you were really concerned with Palestinians in any way, shape, or form, you'd be condemning Hamas and hoping for a regime change. Ie. Backing Israel. So how about you shift your paradigm a little? First step is dont be a cold bastard: and complain when you read October 7th testimony, that the articles are getting too Jewy. Next, adopt some nuance and context yourself and apply some critical thinking and interpretation when you read 'the numbers'.
There is nothing in the number of dead that indicates, absent other data, who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. By that measure America was the bad guy in WW 2 (500k) and Germany the good guys (about 7 M). It would seem the US was using "disproportionate force" in that conflict
"The number of dead" is a nuanced figure that must be taken in context.
So much humanity…..
https://www.reddit.com/r/IsraelCrimes/comments/18o4i7j/an_exisraeli_soliders_tells_sarcastically_how/
“Including the sound of crying babies which on closer inspection were dolls wired to explode.”
Yeah….who told you that?….let me guess Israel/IDF.
Yes….shooting three shirtless men waving a white flag often makes people jumpy.
They do that stuff all the time. Just shot the wrong people this time.
But I’ve gotta hand it to you - that was a really impressive “everything is Hamas’ fault” reverse engineering.
“Careful battle.”
Lol.
Compost and Butthead. United in idiocy and slimy anti--Semitism.
Noted that you failed utterly to offer an alternative to Israel, save perhaps doing nothing but listening to the posturing morons in Kips Bay. There were two, interrelated reasons to attack Gaza. First, to punish those who murdered, raped, beheaded babies and did other unspeakably cruel things to civilians. Second, to rescue the hostages, if that were possible. Anyone who contends that an invasion of Gaza was unwarranted under the circumstances is either an idiot or on the side of the terrorists. Pick you poison
As far as the IDF shooting hostages, surely you don't contend it was deliberate? Shite happens in war. Pat Tillman being a case in point. In addition to the many incidents of friendly fire in our wars.
A little different.
Firstly, this is security. Let me remind you that Hamas militants were on Israeli territory for a week or more, organizing new attacks, from the sea, from the side of the broken defense. Massive shelling of the south and center of Israel continued (this is approximately 5-7 salvoes per day, 30 missiles each only with a range of up to 80 kilometers, there were thousands of smaller missiles). To stop this, a ground operation was necessary. And this was one of the main reasons. The second (or first) is the release of the hostages.
Punishment is not a task, it is a consequence of completing the first two. And yes, I remind you of the old truth. Evil must be punished. Many people have forgotten about this or really don’t want it.
Yes. The asshole thinks it was deliberate. Becusse he’s a jerk.
Builttoil, Israel response is both to free hostages and exact revenge. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Wish it were not this way.
Who would you have to hate if Bibi wasn’t around? This isn’t Bibi’s war. It’s Israel’s war. There would be zero negotiations for hostages if Hamas hadn’t been degraded.
The response is not cruelty. It is necessity. It is war. And until there is a groundswell Palestinian civilian demand for Hamas to release all hostages and surrender, I don't care how many Palestinians die. Or how.
Thank you Steven for this great post!!!
I agree. I recently expressed it in this manner. There is no such thing as a Palestinian because there is no such place as Palestine. There are Arab- Israelis. Unless there is a fundamental change with mentality, this identity crisis Isrealis will be locked in civil war.
Observe closely because we in the United States are on a similar path.
What other country -- name even one -- warns civilians to get out of harms way before they attack the enemy positions. Israel sends leaflets, text messages and other warnings to civilians to leave before fighting the terrorists who are hiding within and under schools, hospitals, apartment buildings and mosques. Here's your comment on the "unspeakable cruelty": destroy Hamas and free the Palestinian people.
Yes, Bibi told them to more south. Recently he began also bombing the south. No other country I can think of has done that.
Nearly a quarter of a million people have been killed during the war in Yemen according to UN statistics. Has either Saudi Arabia or have the Houthis even bothered to try to protect Yemeni civilians? Of course not. But I'll bet you have never protested this carnage or criticized either Iran or the Saudis. Israel and Bibi, however, are fair game aren't they.
They cleared out the north to remove the terrorists and destroy their infrastructure. It's almost been completed, including yesterday, blowing up a huge tunnel complex. Now Israel must destroy the southern terrorist infrastructure and is painstakingly doing it block by block, warning peope to leave harms way.
If Israel instead just blew up the whole area to be done with Hamas once and for all, hundreds of thousands of people would die. Obviously, they are not doing this.
So they're warning people to leave harm's way in the south?
And go where???
To safe zones clearly indicated by Israel. The reason aid isn't pouring into Gaza is not because of Israel -- it's because of the UN and Hamas. Israel wants to inspect the trucks to make sure weapons aren't being smuggled in. Hamas and their bosom buddies UN are making that process difficult. Meanwhile, trucks with supplies that are moving through are being commandeered by Hamas and stolen for their own use and not civilians.
And these are the people you support?
To hell. With their terrorist brothers.
No other country you can think of? Well gee. Not many countries give warnings of incoming bombs during a war either. But you don't know of another country who does what? Has a strategy as a first step and then develops that strategy as the war goes on?
Builttoill, You seem unable to distinguish between accidental death (the civilians casualties in Gaza) and premeditated first-degree murder (the Israeli families slaughtered by Hamas). You also have conveniently overlooked the beastial rapes (of both females and males) and the brutalizing of the hostages by their Hamas captors for 2 1/2 months. The IDF fights wars: the Hamas/Palestinians commit atrocities.
You’re right about accidental. If you drop a shitload of bombs on a highly populated area of civilians, some civilians may be accidentally killed. Total accident. No intent to kill at all.
" If you drop a shitload of bombs (targeting the aggressor, Hamas) on a highly populated area of civilians (which is exactly why Hamas chose to place its infrastructure there), some civilians may be accidentally killed. (and it is all on Hamas)."
The people of Gaza voted for Hamas. Run with outlaws, die with outlaws.
Hamas "chose" to place its infrastructure in Gaza? In that little, tiny strip of land? And their alternatives were...?
You will not believe. Hamas had an alternative. You'll never guess. Don't kill Israelis.
In the fields and farms. Not in and under homes, schools, hospitals, and mosques.
You're not getting it. When we say Hamas infrastructure, we mean also terror tunnels and weapons bases from which they are currently sending thousands of rockets to murder Israeli civilians, and around which they are holding hostages. Your inability to get your head around the most basic concepts is extraordinary. The point isn't that they want Hamas infrastructure elsewhere. The point is to destroy it and them. That's the goal. Hamas is just making sure they bring down as many civilians with them as possible as part of their PR war.
vote for killers. get killed. easy
Dear Mr. Builttoill, the Arabs can make a choice. Relinquish the hate and integrate into Israeli society and develop a sense of national pride. It will take three generations. Sort of the reverse of what the cunning leftists have constructed here to destroy American exceptionalism.
The bombs are dropped on Hamas combatants and military centers. The civilians are killed because Hamas is hiding among them. Hamas is to blame for their deaths because it's using people as human shields. But we don't see you criticizing Hamas. I wonder why this glaring omission!
If you think that Israel is dumping bombs in heaps, then your knowledge is small.
For two weeks the IDF did not bomb residential areas, warned residents, and carried out strikes only along the border to prevent attacks. And only after that he began to strike at already known targets where the terrorists were located.
There would have been no deaths, accidental or otherwise, if Hamas had not invaded and murdered.
There would have been no deaths, accidental or otherwise, if Hamas, having invaded and murdered, had immediately offered to surrender, to save their own people.
There would be no more deaths going forward, accidental or otherwise, if Hamas surrendered today, lay down its arms, and sued for peace.
How else do you get rid of 300 miles of tunnels?
Actions have consequences.
What is the cruelty in response ? Is it that the army is destroying terrorists? The fact that the soldiers (and these are citizens who left their families, jobs, normal lives) went to protect their relatives? Is it that every day of fighting reduces the risk of deaths in Israeli cities? Is it that young guys die so that civilians can survive?
This is not cruelty. This is the desire for a peaceful life. For 20 years, Israel made concessions and suffered shelling and terrorist attacks. Now he doesn't want to endure it. That's all.
Once the Palestinians show the Israelis where the tunnels are, who the terrorists are, and where the hostages are, it will all stop.
That is certainly a potential scenario. Another is that Israel stops bombing.
Believe me .... I am horrified and haunted by the images coming out of Gaza however, which bet would you make? That Israel would stop the bombings after the Palestinians provide the locations of the tunnels and identify Hamas terrorists -or- that the Palestinians provide the locations of the tunnels and identify the Hamas terrorists after Israel stops the bombings?
My bet would be that Hamas never provides the locations of the tunnels. And also will not wear name tag stickers saying "Hi, I'm Ken. I'm a terrorist."
Meanwhile, the production of jihadists continues. 10 new ones for every civilian (especially child) killed. We have never learned this, and neither has Israel.
Agree with your second paragraph but don't understand your first. I think you're trying to say that the Palestinians can't tell the Israeli's where the tunnels are, or who the terrorists' are, because they've been kept in the dark. Joke right? Like ... I don't know what's going on when I see tons of dirt being excavated under a school. Or ... I don't know what's going on when I see the guy next door leaving for work in the morning carrying an AK. Or ... I don't know what's going on when I see the guy next door, who seems to wear a lot of green, having plenty of money and food but I'm just scraping by.
War sucks but Israel could not avoid it. Hamas buried itself among civilians.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-twins-saved-by-parents-in-attacks-on-israel
This is just one of many stories about Oct 7th. Incredulously, there are people who don't think Hamas were the perpetrators. That Israel is to blame for these atrocities. The world is in shambles. Right is wrong and Good is Evil. Sick. I feel for the babies who lost their parents in this bloody massacre. I hope they can be raised by their Aunt and Uncle and live a normal life. But, this is what the Hamas-Nazi's want to do. Get into the minds of the innocent. I read where one hostage who was released can't even speak. She has to whisper for fear of being shot or worse, raped. This is a black mark on civilization and, unfortunately, all the world cares about are the Gazan civilians. I hope and pray that someday soon we can have peace in the world. We desperately need it.
"all the world cares about are the Gazan civilians...."
I don't care one whit about them. They're complicit. More to the point, I want Biden summarily removed from office and Americans to withhold their taxes until aid is withheld from Gaza as the Taylor Force Act (and decency and sanity) requires.
One day we will look back on the indifference and outright hostility of the woke elite to accepting the truth of what happened on October 7 and realize it was a turning point for civilized society.
There are some days when I really can’t intellectually comprehend how little people care about the death of these people, or of Jews. The naked anti-Semitism, the utter illogical passion these clowns display in their embrace of Hamas is unfathomable.
It is not unfathomable. It is quite simple - it's satanic.
Devastating story. Thank you for this interview.
While there are always "words" that can be spoken, those words must be carefully crafted to match the event under consideration. I am unsure there will ever be an adequate description to capture the pure "evil" that descended on the families of these two babies. Moving forward, they will need every bit of love, compassion, and honesty that is available to try to put the lives of their parents into some kind of heroic perspective. Thank you Bari for the way you have shared the story.
Yes, the common person in Gaza doesn't want missiles threatening him/her. But he/she likewise doesn't want Jews living in Israel, or for that matter probably anywhere else in the world. These are people warped by generations of Islamic hatred. It's a gargantuan error to project our values onto them.
They have an entirely different mind-set from ours in the west, basically no points of contact. I used to think that people were fundamentally the same everywhere,but this is not true. I realized this when I came in contact with Muslim students in my classes. At first it was hard for me to digest,but I eventually had to. The more religious students were the most fanatical, but even the less observant ones nevertheless adhered to their "tribal" identity. Those who didn't fit this pattern were a tiny minority. I live in Germany BTW, which is being overrun by Muslims who largely have no respect for the culture and laws of the country, but they come here because of the extremely generous financial benefits Germany affords them.
On New Year's Eve there was rioting in the major cities, with police being attacked and rockets shot into crowds. The New Year's Eve mass at Cologne cathedral could only be attended after passing through security checks after a bomb threat was made against the church. Yet still the powers that be tie the hands of the police instead of letting them react appropriately, with water cannon, for example. Grovelling pleas to please not attack the police just demonstrate weakness, whereas the only thing the perpetrators might respect is force. The few high-profile Muslims who dare to criticize the situation are beset by death threats and need 24 hour protection against their fellow religionists from the "religion of peace."
This is sadly more or less true throughout the Islamic world.
Indeed, T. Reid, you're right. Even more dreadful is that anti-Semitism is thriving in Europe which is being rapidly colonized by Islamists. European culture is being submerged and is drowning. Thank God for Geert Wilders.
It is impossible for me to "like" this interview. There are some feelings that are just utterly ineffable -- I simply have no words. None. Just utter heartbreak.
Agreed, Elisa Alrman, utter heartbreak.
Heartbreaking. Such a beautiful couple. I suppose the "p's of s" we see demonstrating in our own streets will conjure up some justification for their murder. I am at the point, however, where it better not be within earshot of me. I am no longer in the mood to be "nice."
Every day since October 7 my heart has burned with anger for what was done to Israeli innocents, especially children. I am a former Christian pastor, Ph.D in New Testament studies, now an agnostic. Yet how can any sane individual not accept the counsel of Jesus when he said "Woe unto those who damage children, it is better that a mill stone be strung around their neck." Shalom to our Jewish brother's and sisters.
If I had the misfortune of being born in a gigantic trailer park of 2 million white people outside of New Orleans and it was run by the Tiki Torch guys from Charlottesville and they went into New Orleans and set a bunch of Black women on fire and then New Orleans started bombing the trailer park I would not be happy and I would be scared of dying from the bombs.
However, I would have zero anger towards New Orleans in that scenario because that would make me a scumbag.
You analogy is already playing out in Westport Ct. A Jewish kid was banished because he objected to Holocaust jokes and the BOE supported the kid telling them. Imagine if, instead of Holocaust jokes told to a Jewish kid, it had been slavery jokes told to a Black kid. The freaking town would have been set upon by the media, the usual suspects would have called for a Justice Dept investigation and the virtue signaling crowd would be kneeling in the streets, begging for forgiveness. It's all just so nauseating.
A middle school student saying dumb and hateful things to another student or a teacher is a pre-teen finding out where the boundary line is. When that boundary is crossed, it is the job of the teachers and admin to let them know what they did wrong, the where and why of the boundary, and provide a just punishment. The BOE of Westport failed the Jewish family horribly (may they get a lawyer who will get the full tuition and damages) The BOE and admininstrators also failed every student enrolled at that school, because all of those students need to know boundaries and have behavior expectations if we are to maintain a civil and functioning society.
If the teachers' union backed the BOE then they are short sighted jerks. When students are given permission to morph into bullies, then everyone becomes a target including the teachers and staff. Boundaries, behavior expectations, and just punishments are an essential part of making schools safe for students and staff.
Emphasis on just punishment because of this farce of a punishment for a terrifying threat. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/teen-accused-planning-mass-shooting-ohio-synagogue-ordered-write-book-rcna130401
A teaching moment. When we were al about 10 or 11, I remember a friend saying to one of our Jewish friends "I wish Hitler had finished the job." When the parents found out, I thought there'd be hell to pay. But our friend's parents were wise. They asked the malefactor to sit with them and they talked to him. In regret not anger.
Shared stories of relatives killed in the holocaust. Of children slaughtered. Entire families gone. The kid was in tears begging for forgiveness. The parents hugged and forgave him. I never heard another anti-Semitic word from him.
What a blessing those adults were to him. Their loving approach of where the boundary was and why was very important for his well being.
But they WANT to die, so give them their wish!
Some do; most don't.
I have no issue with how Israel is handling Gaza, because all Gaza's government Hamas has to say to end the onslaught is two little words: "We surrender." The carnage in Gaza is on Gazans, not Israel, because Gazans elected a scorpion as its official leader. They knew that scorpion would sting them as easily as it stings anyone else; it's the nature of scorpions. Gazans freely elected Hamas, so they get what they get when Hamas slaughters more than a thousand Jews--and throws a baby into an EZ-Bake Oven. The Hell for that act isn't hot enough.
That said, most Gazans don't WANT to die, they want to live quietly, raise families, make money, all that. The minority that becomes Hamas, Hezbollah, or ISIS does not, so kill every one; and the overall Palestinian leadership that has been so profoundly corrupt and evil for nearly 100 years, selling out their own people day after day to stuff their bank accounts full of world relief money, kill them too.
Whoever's left needs a new Paladin to strike a deal with Israel to create two peaceful states, then work with Israel to destroy their common enemy: the Islamic fundamentalists who love to maim, slaughter, and kill whoever looks at them funny, Jew or Muslim; and their asshole ayatollah paymasters in Iran.
But until Hamas cries Uncle and gives back the hostages, Gazans become pink mist, and I have no issue with that. They don't want war, they shouldn't have started one.
"they want to live quietly, raise families, make money, all that. " you forgot to mention, "without Jews!" This will ensure that they will NEVER see the peace they desire. Their religious training and their holy book (actually, their hadith) say that a finl accounting will only occur when Jews are destroyed. The people are poisoned and there is no remedy.
If that's the case, then it's time for them all to die. But Islamic hadith aside, I don't believe that out of 2 million Gazans, most wouldn't rather live alongside Jews than not live at all. Everyday Gazans, I mean. Their leadership is poisoned beyond all hope, as are their 7th Century assassins called Hamas. Leaders and assassins need to eat Israeli lead, and Gazans need to wake the hell up. I hope this war does both.
Shane, I don't really disagree with you in general. From the very beginning I have said that the Gazans in particular, and Palestinians in general, had to be ultimately humiliated and isolated. They are a poisoned people and there are no real innocents other than the youngest among them. If they are willing to live along side of the Jews in relative peace, then fine. What they think in their minds and believe in their hearts must stay there. As Dennis Prager has said repeatedly, if someone treats you fairly then what they think is irrelevant. Unfortunately, I don't believe the Palestinians will accede to that belief. History has demonstrated as much.
Thanks for this, Robert, much agree. All Palis have to do to earn a state in my eyes is behave peacefully. Period. They don't have to LIKE Jews, they just have to not kill or harm them. If Palis can manage to do that, then they will eventually get a state, and realize all the Jew-hate they've been fed is baloney. If they don't, they'll continue to live in a pestilent hate-ghetto OF THEIR OWN DESIGN AND MAKING, because no sovereign neighbor would put up with Hamas-level abuse. I sure wouldn't.
I hate "That saids." Especially when "theys" voted them in, to a man. I doubt if their women have a say.
Since I can't peer into the soul of every Pali, I am assuming that they're like most other people on Earth: a small percentage are kill-crazy psychopaths; another small percentage supports the crazies in order to get power and make money, but would support peaceniks if it got them the same money and power; a third small percentage fights the evil within; and the rest tune it out best they can in order to work, raise families, pay their bills, and live. Their vote was for Hamas, yes, but from what I gathered at the time, that's primarily because the PA was so corrupt and useless as to be not worth their vote, and they believed Hamas would continue its cold peace with Israel so more jobs would be available to Gazans in Israel.
That blew up in their faces, of course, and yes, they voted for Hamas for whatever reason, so they get what they get now. I have no issue with how Israel is conducting this war; all Hamas has to do to end it is say "We surrender. Here's your hostages." And the bombing would end. Until Hamas does that, let the bombs fall.
But I still believe that absent a Jew-hating infrastructure--government, schools, and imams--most Gazans would live quietly next to their Jewish-state neighbors if they can have a decent life, jobs, income, and future. Can Gaza and WB be shorn of that infrastructure? I hope so. Otherwise, the bombing continues.
Shane, it sounds like you believe all humans are born good, and it's something outside their nature may cause them to chose bad. Or, maybe it's just "go along to get along." It's that belief, and that behavior, that causes evil.
And I'm guessing that you'd wouldn't get silly and think flying kites at your murderous neighbors would be a good idea...
Why do you capitalize black but not white? Is that ant tiki torch guys action or what?
Get a rifle. Learn how to use it.
You owe it to your children.
Please keep doing these articles. I see people denying this happened, and people I used to respect minimizing what happened. The articles make me cry but the truth needs to be put out there.
This feels like it might be a grossly misplaced comment, but I don’t have anywhere else to put what just happened. As your average 40 odd year old guy from the midwest, when I have some feelings, I need to put them someplace when the tank gets full or it will kill me. So hardly shocking to most I assume, I am doing this for me, ultimately. But maybe someone out there? I feel like there are more of me out there these days, but not sure they hang out in the comments section of thefp. Maybe someone who knows someone? Anyways.
All of this, every stitch of what has happened since the 7th has been building up on me for a while now. I have zero folks to even start to air some of this out to. Given where I live, and who my friends and family are, it would go sideways either on my end or theirs. Or worse there would be a shrug and the conversation would move on.
I sat down to read this since I knew listening to it would essentially be a non-starter for me mentally / emotionally. The text of it takes the edge off some of the feelings, even if only a little bit. I know I NEED to know about this, but I am just attempting to keep out of the red these days when it comes to my emotions. Up to the edge usually, but not in the red.
As I was reading I was listening to an album I have heard so many times that I know every word of every song, in the order that they appear in the album. I love this album and have loved this album for like 20 odd years. I love music in general, it has always served as a device to alter my mood. Usually for drawing and the like, but sometimes just to feel an unfamiliar thing. I am not however a music person. I almost never know what the name of the band is, or who is in it, or what the lore is around things etc. I don’t own any band shirts, and I can not tell you what genre almost anything fits into. But like most people if I hear something often enough I will know the words. Maybe that is from being a Bob Dylan fan growing up. Either way, if nothing else one would think if you knew the words you might have some inkling of what the song was about. Seems reasonable, but I guess if you don’t have a context or setting of something like a show these are just noises a person makes while playing an instrument. I don’t do shows, but that is a whole other kettle of fish.
The album is called “In the aeroplane over the sea” by an oddly named band called Neutral Milk Hotel. It is the only album of theirs I think I have ever heard, but I have intentionally listened to it probably 100 plus times. You can hear it here if you are unaware fwiw: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mQBJ39Z_w-YatJZBF14MSQ-Sj-8FF0lH0
So I am somewhere in the middle of the interview when the song “Oh Comely” starts playing. I have always had a soft spot for this song. I love the melody of it, the kind of tortured voice of it, and as far as the lyrics they always seemed a bit, idk profane? There was something in there that I felt like “best not to drill into it”. About 5 or so minutes into the song I notice I am not really reading anymore. I am just staring at the picture on screen. My face is wet and it's hard to swallow. Idk what got there first, the interview or the song. But either way, it wasn’t subtle about it.
So, long story longer, turns out the whole album was inspired by the artist reading “the diary of a young girl” and somehow I never made the connection. Given I am not Jewish, and was raised in trailers and shacks, but after 20 years, and 100 visits to this album I never made that connection. It all seems so on the nose for me to write this comment (essay at this point) especially here. Like I am some guy that just figured out art has meaning. But well I will take the feeling of being idiot over having this experience running laps in my head unobserved for the foreseeable. As always, remarkable work in the interview Bari, and I have no words to offer Maya and Dvir save other than I am so sorry, and thankful there was some trickle of light that managed to evade the dark. I guess that’s it.
I’ve also been knocked sideways by hearing meaningful music at an emotional time. Thanks for the link to this band.
They really are kind of unique, I guess that is why they have stuck with me for so long.
The last bit, on hope for the future, Maya "wants to believe" that the "common people" of Gaza are just like her, wants peace, just wants to live and provide for their family.
That is amazing to me, and I don't mean that in any kind of positive sense. What possible evidence does she have for that belief?
Maybe I need to focus in on her *wanting* to believe that, suggesting that she doesn't actually believe it. Still, wanting to believe in the absence of any reason to do so and indeed with all evidence pointing to the opposite conclusion... that makes her a fool. Good-hearted and dealing with tragedy as best she can, better than most could do I suspect, but still... a fool.
According to recent polling by an Arab polling org., 70 % of Gazans are just fine with what Hamas did on Oct 7.
So even though Maya's husband Dvir grew up in peaceful contact with ordinary Gazans, such relations are no longer possible. From Dvir's childhood forward, Hamas has irrevocably poisoned Gazans' minds. How can trust ever be regained?
No two-state solution is in the foreseeable future at this point.
I worry about her. She will put herself in terrible danger again
I found that jarring as well. If she really believes it she’s either destined for sainthood or she’s clueless or maybe she’s lying because it makes her sound better.