Tag: Hamas

A Warning Unheeded

Does anyone remember why Israel is totally destroying Gaza?

If not then here is your refresher….07 October 2023 Hamas launched a bunch of missiles into Israel proper and killed many Israelis and this dastardly attack was the excuse the BiBi needed to justify his total destruction of Gaza to get those bad guys….a defensive move he would have the world believe.

But those Israelis may have died just to satisfy BiBi bloodlust.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed – known as MBZ – was particularly concerned. “He spoke with me about this often in the months leading up to the war,” recounts President Isaac Herzog, who maintains friendly relations with bin Zayed. “He constantly conveyed messages that the situation needed to be defused. He even sent a special envoy to Israel who met with the prime minister. The emir seemed to sense that the area was on the verge of explosion.”

Bin Zayed would also speak directly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These conversations followed a standard procedure: A representative from the Emirati embassy would come to the prime minister’s bureau, bringing a special phone device that ensured the confidentiality of the call.

But this time, the call initiated by bin Zayed was unusual. A week and a half before October 7, 2023 the Emirati ruler called Netanyahu from the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi and spoke with him for 45 minutes.
In that conversation, bin Zayed warned that Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, was planning a major operation against Israel. Bin Zayed expressed concern that the event in question would not only lead to bloodshed but also destabilize the entire region and undermine the Abraham Accords.
…
Also present during the call was a close adviser to bin Zayed, a Palestinian who had emigrated years ago from Gaza to Abu Dhabi and maintained strong ties in the Strip. According to the adviser, the Emirati ruler impressed upon Netanyahu the need to prepare for the threat.
“The emir explained that, in his assessment, Sinwar was preparing for a major event,” the adviser says. “He told Netanyahu that Israel should be ready. Concurrently, he recommended trying to find an economic solution for the Strip and calming the West Bank to prevent escalation.”
Now ask yourself….what kind of low life son of a bitch would sacrifice that many of his countrymen to satisfy his bloodlust?
And why are the Israelis not up in arms at the carelessness of BiBi?
What a screaming prick this POS is and yet he still sits in the seat of power in Israel….does that mean that Israelis approve of this cold blooded bullshit?
Call me antisemitic if you like but I believe that anyone that approved of this is a worthless low life POS….is a coward and a blatant racist.
Thoughts?
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”

BiBi Rejects Plan

Go figure!

There is a plan for Gaza that could stop most of the killing but as if right on cue BiBi reject the plan….yes I wrote about the plan when it was announced….

Is This Another Donny Bullsh*t Deal?

I said then the BiBi would crush any and all attempts top stop Israel’s killing spree….

And now fast forward to this week….

Israel has slammed the door on a Trump-backed roadmap for peace in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said his government is “ruling out” the 15-point proposal, which envisioned Hamas surrendering its arms in stages to a new Palestinian authority while Israel gradually pulled out of the parts of Gaza it still occupies, reports the New York Times. Israel instead wants Hamas to fully disarm before it pulls out, but Hamas says it won’t disarm until Israeli forces are gone

“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, per the BBC. His public dismissal marks an unusual break with President Trump, who touted the deal with his “Board of Peace” and Hamas as a major advance late last month. The prime minister, heading into a challenging reelection bid, has pledged “absolute victory” over Hamas since its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli communities. A US-brokered ceasefire in October 2023 paused the fighting but left key questions—above all who ultimately rules Gaza—unresolved.

Of course BiBi had to make it sound like he was open to improvement….

But even with the BoP adopting his talking points, Netanyahu has still rejected the deal. “They (the US) have ideas, some of which are acceptable to ​us and some of which are unacceptable to us,” he said on Sunday.

Following Netanyahu’s comments, a US official told Israel’s Channel 12 that the US wasn’t concerned, framing his public position as purely political since elections are coming up in Israel. “We understand his political needs [in this election period]. We have no problem with that, as long as he continues to do what we ask — especially as regards reining in the strikes in Gaza,” the US official said.

And then there is Hamas….

Hamas has maintained it won’t go through with the plan unless Israel lives up to its commitments, which include ending its attacks in Gaza and withdrawing back to the original yellow line created after the ceasefire deal was signed more than nine months ago. At the time, Israel was left with 53% of Gaza under its control, but it has increased to about 70% as the IDF has been conducting ground incursions.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters that Hamas was still committed to the plan and called on the US to pressure Israel. “We expect the mediators and the US guarantor to press Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons, while continuing to jeopardize the region’s security and stability,” he said.

There is the sticking point….Israel will always find something that they will threaten Israel’s security so they do not have to stop what they are doing in Gaza….and they are trying to rid Gaza of all Palestinians so that Israel can expand even further.

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

Hamas Update

Last week it was announced, vaguely, that Hamas in Gaza has agreed to disarm…..and now we have a few details (not many)….

But in case my post was missed…..(not many did)….

Is This Another Donny Bullsh*t Deal?

More news has come out over the weekend….

Hamas confirmed Friday that it will begin disarming as part of a deal announced by President Trump that also requires Israel to end its strikes and withdraw from Gaza. It marks a potential breakthrough in ending the war, but implementation faces major challenges. Hamas also said that laying down its heavy weapons, which would come later in the process, was contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government adamantly rejects, the AP reports. Israel has not officially commented on the deal, which is part of a US-brokered ceasefire announced last October.

That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw, and an International Stabilization Force was to deploy. But progress stalled, with Israel saying everything hinged on Hamas disarming, and Hamas accusing Israel of violating the agreement by continuing to carry out regular strikes on Gaza.

  • Expectations of implementation are low, the AP reports. Disarming would represent a sea change for Hamas, whose founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and which sees its arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles, and explosives, as lying at the heart of its identity. Israel, meanwhile, appears unlikely to pull back significant forces or make other concessions ahead of its October elections.
  • While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has yet to comment, Itamar Ben-Gvi, Israel’s hardline national security minister, said parts of the agreement are “unacceptable” and Israel’s targeted killings in Gaza “must continue,” the New York Times reports.
  • A copy of the agreement obtained and verified by the AP said that all weapons held by the Hamas-run police will be transferred to the US-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, upon its arrival in the enclave. It’s not clear when that would happen since it is contingent on other steps. A process to decommission and store heavy weapons, military production sites, and tunnels will begin after the arrival of the Palestinian committee and the deployment of international forces. The process will be linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal, according to the agreement.
  • During his Cabinet meeting on Friday, Trump said the newly-minted agreement will have “ups and downs.” Still, he said, the deal is a “great breakthrough” that has been helped along by the US and Israel’s war with Iran, which has served as Hamas’ prime backer. “Nobody’s ever thought that would be possible to disarm Hamas,” Trump said. “That shows you how much success we’re having with Iran, because if you go four months ago or five months ago, a deal like that would have been impossible.”
  • Asked whether he thought the deal would go through, he acknowledged that it is a “very complex situation” in Gaza, the BBC reports. “The people are very complex and difficult. In many cases wonderful, in many cases not so wonderful.” He declined to say which would come first, Israeli withdrawal or Hamas disarmament.

This just made me think of more questions…..why would Hamas disarm and leave Israel to run through Gaza willy nilly killing Palestinians?

Israel will be happy but is it because the killing will stop or is it because they will have a free hand in Gaza?

Israeli officials have made clear they have no intention of following the plan, as a senior Israeli official quoted by Israeli media as Netanyahu met with Mladenov said that Israel would not fully withdraw from Gaza and would retain its ability to strike “any threat,” meaning its attacks will continue.

Following the announcement of Hamas agreeing to the disarmament plan, which would involve the group handing its weapons to a new Palestinian body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, Israel escalated its attacks in Gaza, killing at least 19 Palestinians, including multiple children.

(antiwar.com)

There is your answer….Israel has NO intention to observe the deal.

How long before Donny screws this up?

Is this the end of Gaza as a separate entity?

What about the West Bank?

This is not good news for anyone but Israel.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is This Another Donny Bullsh*t Deal?

The news is out and the media is having a go at the story….it appears that Hamas has come to an agreement in Gaza….

President Trump said Thursday that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions, and long timelines remained to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory. Neither Hamas nor Israel gave immediate indication that they had agreed, the AP reports. The White House announcement comes nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.

  • “The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the Iran-backed militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force, and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave after more than two years of war. But Hamas had insisted on implementing the first phase before moving to discuss its weapons. The group’s founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and it has been reluctant to give up an arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, that lies at the heart of its identity.

Hamas announced earlier this month that it had dissolved its government in Gaza and was preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of the ceasefire deal.

  • US and Board of Peace officials, describing the deal to reporters on condition of anonymity under guidelines set by the White House, gave an extremely optimistic assessment of the agreement that laid out a scenario very similar to the one described by Trump and his top aides when the Board of Peace, an international body established by Trump to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, was first formed.
  • The Gaza police force, however, does not include the vast majority of Hamas militants and heavy weaponry is not included in that part of the agreement, according to the officials. Instead, the surrender of heavy weapons and the decommissioning of Hamas tunnels and other infrastructure are to come later in a process that could take between 200 and 350 days, a Board of Peace official said.
  • A U.S. official said that Israel, which has been deeply skeptical about Hamas’ willingness to give up its guns or relinquish at least behind-the-scenes control of Gaza, had been consulted at every step of the negotiation. However, the official said Israel was not being asked to do anything more than what it had initially committed to when it agreed to Trump’s 20-point plan, which essentially involves withdrawing its forces from Gaza and committing to ending airstrikes on the territory. Israel’s UN mission said it had no immediate comment.

As usual with any deal the Donny says he has made there is few to no specifics….just manure about how well he is doing.

How long before this ‘deal’ falls through?

And will the boss, Israel, allow the deal to go through?

Is this just another Donny pipe dream that leads nowhere?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Will It Last?

Since today is the big day this question could be about the upcoming 4 years but it is not rather it is about the ceasefire deal in the Middle East which began yesterday.

The AP reports Majid al-Ansari said in a post on X that the ceasefire will start at 8:30am local time Sunday. He advised people to exercise caution when the agreement goes into effect and to wait for directions from officials.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The exchange will begin Sunday at 4pm. During each exchange, prisoners will be released by Israel after the hostages have arrived safely. The remainder, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.

The plan says that during phase one, some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners will be released, in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages, both alive and dead. Among the prisoners, 1,167 are residents in Gaza who were held by Israel but were not involved in Oct. 7. All women and children under 19 from Gaza held by Israel will be freed during this phase. All Palestinian prisoners who were convicted of deadly attacks will be exiled, either to Gaza or abroad, and barred from returning to Israel or the West Bank. Some will be exiled for three years and others permanently, according to the plan.

Despite the ceasefire news, sirens sounded across central Israel on Saturday, with the army saying it intercepted projectiles launched from Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis have stepped up their missile attacks in recent weeks. The group says the attacks are part of their campaign aimed at pressuring Israel and the West over the war in Gaza. There were also continued Israeli strikes into Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 23 people were killed in the previous day.

So will this ceasefire last?

Likely not…..

The ceasefire agreement regarding the Gaza Strip can be welcomed as a modest reprieve from the immense suffering that the residents of that territory have endured for the past 15 months.

The Israeli military assault on the Strip has inflicted deaths that according to the official count has passed more than 46,600. This tally likely undercounts actual deaths by more than 40 percent, with the majority of fatalities being women, children, and the elderly.

This is in addition to all the other suffering from continuing military operations. There have been more than 111,265 reported injuries, including life-changing disabilities in an environment in which Israel has largely destroyed the healthcare system.

The agreement also commits Israel to allowing an increased number of trucks bearing badly needed humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Other benefits include the release of a number of Israeli hostages that Hamas took in its attack in October 2023. Also to be released are several hundred Palestinians whom Israel has imprisoned. The Palestinians can be considered hostages, too. Although some of those to be released have been given sentences of imprisonment, many of the Palestinians Israel incarcerates are held indefinitely without charge, incommunicado, and without legal representation.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/gaza-ceasefire-2670860243/

I have not decided if the swearing in is worth my attentio9n.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is There A Gaza Deal?

After many long months of death and destruction there is news that there is a ceasefire deal for Gaza….

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal, mediators announced Wednesday, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies. The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in Qatar, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. It would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes, and would also flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.

With good news there is always a caveat when Israel is involved….

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night addressed the ceasefire deal being worked out between Israel and Hamas, emphasizing that the agreement is not yet complete. He later went further, claiming Hamas backtracked on a previous understanding of the three-phase deal. The AP reports that claim “could indicate that obstacles remain” to actually implementing the deal, which would see dozens of Israeli hostages released by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel and hundreds of displaced Palestinians being allowed to return to their homes in Gaza.

Then the news, if you were paying attention, it was a Trump envoy that moved the negotiations along to this point….

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, did more to pressure Israel to agree to a hostage and ceasefire deal in one meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than President Biden did in an entire year, two Arab officials have told The Times of Israel.

Witkoff met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday and got him to make concessions, which Israeli media said was the deciding factor that led to the ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday.

It’s unclear how Witkoff got Netanyahu to agree to the deal, but the Biden administration refused to use any of its leverage over Israel to force a deal and continued providing huge amounts of military aid to support the genocidal slaughter in Gaza.

Even though Witkoff played a crucial role in the deal, Biden took credit for the agreement. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

In brief remarks at the White House, Biden credited his foreign policy team, who he referred to as “peacemakers” despite their role in backing the slaughter in Gaza. When asked by a reporter if he or Trump should get credit for the deal, Biden said, “Is that a joke?”

Biden also credited his strong backing of Israel as a factor that led to the deal. But unconditional US support for Israel emboldened Netanyahu to sabotage previous negotiations and escalate elsewhere in the region.

The ceasefire deal is based on an outline Biden proposed back in May 2024, which Hamas accepted months ago. The agreement involves three phases and does not commit Israel to a permanent ceasefire.

(antiwar.com)

My hat goes off to the Trump admin if the report is true….Trump may have done what Biden was unwilling top do.

Now I ask what was said to get this process to this point?

We there threats or promises?

And not to worry this will not be the end for Israel will find an excuse to kill more and destroy more….usually the two most common excuses are ‘self-defense’ and ‘national security’

I hope I am wrong but I feel this is far from over.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A Deal? (Maybe)

I could spend my time telling my readers about the first night of the DNC….but why? It is same as it has been for many decades….lots of chest thumping and opponent banging.

Instead I will telling you about something truly good news….well the possibility that is….a possible ceasefire deal for the Middle east.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. He called on Hamas to do the same. Blinken was on his ninth urgent mission to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began more than 10 months ago. He did not say whether the “bridging proposal” addressed concerns cited by Hamas, the AP reports. He said, without offering specifics, there are still “complex issues” requiring “hard decisions by the leaders.”

Even if the militant group accepts the proposal, negotiators will spend the coming days working on “clear understandings on implementing the agreement,” Blinken said. Hamas has said it is losing faith in the US as a mediator, accusing American negotiators of siding with Israel as it makes new demands that the militant group rejects. Blinken did not say whether the proposal addressed Israel’s demand for control over two strategic corridors inside Gaza—which Hamas has said is a nonstarter—or other issues that have long bedeviled the negotiations.

Before meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken said the proposal was “probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” the New York Times reports. His visit came days after mediators, including the US, expressed renewed optimism that a deal was close.

I know I am a cynic but this is suspicious to me.  I mean after months of cheer leading for Israel the US has found a way to possibly end this conflict and just in time to be used as a campaign meme.

But is this the good news that it could be?

“The Prime Minister reiterated Israel’s commitment to the current American proposal on the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israel’s security needs, which he strongly insists on,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

According to The Times of Israel, the statement was the first time Netanyahu publicly backed the US proposal even though it included his demands. Hamas rejected the proposal a day earlier due to the added conditions. Israeli officials later told Axiosthat Netanyahu only said he accepted the US proposal because he knew Hamas wouldn’t accept it.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Hamas said the US proposal lacked a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The group also said that the US proposal would ensure Israel maintains control of the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and the Netzarim Corridor, a piece of land that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip.

Netanyahu began demanding these conditions during previous negotiations after Hamas agreed to the language in the ceasefire proposal unveiled by President Biden back in May. Israeli officials and media outlets have acknowledged that by inserting the new demands, Netanyahu was trying to sabotage the chances of a deal with Hamas.

Do not get too excited for if something can go wrong this will be the place for it to happen.

They talk about hostages and so on….but I have read nothing about Israel guarantee that humanitarian and medical supplies will be free flowing into the region.

Maybe that will come out later.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Crap On So Many Levels

Since I have a round of doctor visits set for this afternoon I am just re-posting an older post with some addendum.

No need to give me some diatribe on what one thinks of HAMAS….this is just me letting you know there are more stories about this war than the corporate owners of the news and certain lobbyists want us to read/hear.

No need to comment….this is just an FYI of sorts.

I recently wrote a post for my other blog, Gulf South Free Press, about some of the lame rhetoric around the HAMAS/Israel mash-up…..it can be read here….

Crap On So Many Levels

But more of the racist rhetoric has come to light.

Like to barbaric words of an Israeli town leader….

David Azoulai, the council head of the northern Israeli town of Metula, has called for Israel to make the Gaza Strip look like the infamous Nazi-operated Auschwitz concentration camp.

According to The Jerusalem Post, Azoulai said Gaza should be emptied of Palestinians and flattened. He suggested the Israeli Navy could transport Palestinians to refugee camps in Lebanon.

“Then, a security strip should be established from the sea to the Gaza border fence, completely empty, as a reminder of what was once there. It should resemble the Auschwitz concentration camp,” Azoulai said.

“Tell everyone in Gaza to go to the beaches. Navy ships should load the terrorists onto the shores of Lebanon. The entire Gaza Strip should be emptied and leveled flat, just like in Auschwitz. Let it become a museum, showcasing the capabilities of the State of Israel and dissuading anyone from living in the Gaza Strip. This is what must be done to give them a visual representation,” he added.

Many Israeli officials have been calling for other countries to take Palestinian refugees to facilitate the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip. A leaked document authored by Israel’s Intelligence Ministry said the best option for a post-war Gaza would be for the entire population to be pushed into Egypt, but Cairo is strongly opposed to the idea, forcing Israeli officials to look elsewhere.

(antiwar.com)

Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in his words?

Apparently Americans are not the only people with no grasp of history.

Then there is the racist attack by a military leader….

Yair Ben David, a commander in the 2908th Battalion, said in a video posted on social media, that they had “entered Beit Hanoun and did there as Shimon and Levi did in Nablus,” referring to the biblical story in which all the male inhabitants of the city were massacred.

“The entire Gaza should resemble Beit Hanoun,” he added, referring to the ruined city in northern Gaza.

“Gaza must look like Beit Hanoun today.”

David said that the destruction was “only the beginning” and would instil “fear among the nations around us, in the cities of Lebanon, in the cities of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), and among all those sitting around us who think it’s possible to harm the dignity of the people of Israel.”

(middleeasteye.net)

That is just pathetic BS from a racist pig.

And an Israeli real estate company proposes another direction for Gaza….

…

a proposal by an Israeli real estate developer specializing in the construction of illegal settlements to build beachfront homes for Jewish colonists over the bombed-out ruins of Gaza.

“A house on the beach is not a dream,” reads an advertisement published by Harey Zahav – an Israeli company notorious for building settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank – that drew international attention following last week’s Practical Preparation for Gaza Settlement Conference in Tel Aviv.

The ad depicts an artist’s rendering of luxury homes superimposed over an actual photograph of a Gaza neighborhood destroyed by Israeli attacks – which have killed nearly 20,000 people while displacing over 85% of the embattled strip’s 2.3 million people since early October.

While the Israeli government funds settler organizations, Harey Zahav’s proposal is not believed to be state-supported. However, critics noted that Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel has drafted a plan to forcibly expel Gazans into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and that a separate proposal by the right-wing think tank Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy declared that “there is currently a unique and rare opportunity to evacuate the entire Gaza Strip.”

(antiwar.com)

Israel has been stealing land in the West Bank for decades why not in Gaza as well….

Then there is an official article written for the War Department on Israel/Gaza….

The official U.S. military publication Army University Press published an article written on behalf of the Department of Defense calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and destruction of Lebanon in a November 2023 online exclusive.

This outlet is described on its website as “the US Army’s premier multimedia organization”, and an “entry point for cutting-edge thought and discussion on topics important to the Army and national defense”, which “makes timely and relevant information available to leaders in the military, government, and academia.”

While the article notes that “the views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, or any other agency of the U.S. government,” the fact that such a radical proposal was published in the top U.S. Army publication, demonstrates that explicit support for ethnic cleansing and genocide is well accepted in its intellectual and policy-making circles.

https://www.uncaptured.media/p/pentagon-publishes-proposal-for-ethnic

Does that sound like something that should have been in an official publication of the Pentagon?

I know I know….wipe out HAMAS and be done with it…..well sports fans you are not going to totally wipe them out….if anything this war is creating more and more members for Hamas.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Yes! We Have A Deal

Since it is the day before T’giving I will only post once today….I have prep work to do since I do the heavy lift on the cooking and Sue has a house to get ready for the family to show up….which is good for the next three days will probably be slow here on IST with cooking eating and shopping by the blogosphere.

Now for the good news…..

After all the Middle East fighting and death and destruction hostages have been taken and the world has been demanding a ceasefire and a release of those hostages. After round upon round of talks and negotiations it appears that the final leg of this process would be the Israeli Knesset’s approval of any deal.

And it appears we have a deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won the approval of his Cabinet early Wednesday for a deal that would exchange prisoners in Israel for hostages in Gaza, the AP reports. In a televised address Tuesday night, Netanyahu had assured his nation that the war against Hamas will go on either way. “Tonight we stand before a difficult decision, but it is the right decision. All security organizations support it fully,” he said of the proposal. Israeli officials said the tentative deal calls for Hamas to release 50 women and children, while about 150 Palestinian women and teenagers being held in Israeli prisons would be freed, the New York Times reports. Hamas took about 240 hostages in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The Cabinet debated the exchange proposal into early Wednesday. The fighting would be stopped for several days under the terms; Netanyahu told his ministers that the break was only tactical and that the offensive against Hamas in Gaza would resume. “We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals.” The exchange probably wouldn’t take place before Thursday to allow for judicial review in Israel. Netanyahu’s government has faced pressure from the hostages’ families to reach a deal for their release.

According to Axios, the first phase of the deal will involve Hamas releasing about 50 Israeli women and children, while Israel is expected to release about 150 Palestinian women and children. The releases will take place during the four-day pause.

Israel will also allow 300 aid trucks per day to enter Gaza from Egypt during the pause and for some fuel to be delivered. In a potential second phase of the deal, Hamas could release dozens of more hostages in exchange for an extension of the ceasefire by several days.

An Israeli official said that over the next 24 hours, the names of the Palestinian prisoners who will be released will be made public. This will be done to give Israelis the opportunity to appeal their release, signaling their freedom is not guaranteed.

The deal with Hamas received support from most ministers within the Israeli government except three members of the extremist Jewish Power Party. Ahead of the cabinet vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the war would continue after the short ceasefire.

(antiwar.com)

Keep in mind this is the Middle East if something can go wrong with this deal….It Will!

Hopefully this deal is a good sign for the region.

I am glad to hear that families on both sides of this conflict can be reunited with their loved ones….hopefully this is just the beginning.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and has many things to be thankful for in the lives.

Be Well….And Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

When I Doubt–Resign

Since the newest conflict exploded in Gaza my post have been about there needs to be ma more thought out response by Israel and too many armchair analyst too those comments as my support for HAMAS….that is BS I have never supported an attack of terrorism whether disguised as self-defense or as an outright attack.

My opposition to an all out push to destroy a foe is from years of watching such actions create more problems than they eliminate.

I recently read a report about employee of the US State Department….

An official with the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM) announced his resignation on Wednesday due to President Biden’s full-throated support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza that came after the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Josh Paul said in a statement on his LinkedIn account that he had worked for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for 11 years. He strongly condemned the Hamas’ attack on Israel, describing it as a “monstrosity of monstrosities,” but said Israel’s response will only make things worse.

“I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people – and is not in the long term American interest. This Administration’s response – and much of Congress’ as well – is an impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia. That is to say, it is immensely disappointing, and entirely unsurprising,” Paul wrote.

Paul continued to criticize the history of the US’s “blind support” for Israel. “Decades of the same approach have shown that security for peace leads to neither security, nor to peace. The fact is, blind support for one side is destructive in the long term to the interests of the people on both sides. I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it for longer,” he said.

Discussing his time at the PM, Paul said he had made moral compromises but that he had reached his limit. “In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact. I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms to Israel – I have reached the end of that bargain,” he said.

According to the State Department’s website, the PM is the department’s “principal link” to the Defense Department and “provides policy direction in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, defense strategy and plans, and defense trade.” Paul said he was proud of some work he had done at the PM, including “on pending Administration decisions to transfer lethal weapons to countries that abuse human rights” and involvement in the policy of fueling the Ukraine war.

I agree since for decades HAMAS has been a thorn in Israel’s side and after several ‘wars’ the problem remains.

Then there is what the SecState has to say…..

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday rejected the idea of the US calling for a ceasefire in Gaza when confronted with the massive number of child casualties in Israel’s onslaught.

Blinken claimed that the death of children on both sides hits him “right in the heart” but did not criticize Israel’s vicious bombing campaign. He pointed to US efforts to get Israel to allow aid trucks to enter Gaza through Egypt, and Brennan then asked why the US isn’t pushing for at least a temporary ceasefire.

“Israel has to do everything it can to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Blinken said, referring to the October 7 Hamas attack. “Freezing things in place where they are now would allow Hamas to remain where it is and to repeat what it’s done some time in the future. No country could accept that,” Blinken said.

Blinken made a similar argument earlier this year when rejecting the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, saying a pause in fighting would only benefit Russia. Now, it’s clear Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed after months of brutal fighting and heavy Ukrainian casualties.

(antiwar.com)

Blinken sounds more like the SecDef than the US top diplomat…..his words are unacceptable.

Ask yourself….just who makes the State Department policy?

Should not be that hard of a question to answer.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”