Palestine SitRep: Lebanese Resistance Causes Enemy Losses - Is Ready To Fight Off Attacks
At Naked Capitalism Yves Smith is taking another recommendable look at the situation in and around Palestine:
Israel Shifts to Targeted Escalation, With Justification for Entry into Lebanon One Likely Aim
After the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas’ political wing, in Beirut the situation at the border will probably escalate:
Alastair Crooke reported that Israel residents of in the north who had evacuated or otherwise fled demanded that they not be able to see Lebanese forces from the border. They told by the government that they would be able to return by the end of January, which seems a tall order (I did find corroboration in a print source but due to the state of search, cannot find it again). Given that Lebanon would never agreed to effectively cede territory to improve the mental health of these nearby Israeli neighbors, that commitment would imply an invasion, which is how Crooke read it.Scott Ritter appears to have seen similar demands, but depicted them as mere threat display, that Israel would not dare attempt an incursion because it was pretty sure to lose. As Ritter had early described, Israel lost its last two war games against Hamas and Hezbollah, even with the US joining the war. Ritter has also described how much better Hezbollah has gotten since 2006, when it beat Israel, while Israel’s forces, per Ritter, are third rate. And Hezbollah has a tunnel network that makes Hamas’ look like a poor cousin.
...
Aside from the successful Beirut attack amounting to a real blow and a morale booster for Israel, it also seems to be setting up the spin that a widening of the war in Lebanon would be the result of Hezbollah escalation, as opposed to as Israel initiative (hoping for a response to provocation as cover). For example, see the DW headline: Hezbollah’s revenge for Beirut killing: Will it lead to war?One wonders why Israel seems to be committing itself to an invasion of Lebanon. Is this strictly domestically driven, that it is politically unacceptable for Israel to have abandoned border towns? That Israel is worried about waning US support, witness the pressure to dial down (at least optically) Israel’s campaign in Gaza? Aljazeera articulates one widespread view, that Netanyahu is strongly motivated to keep the war at a high pitch, although he probably has some rabid allies:
...
Yes, Netanyahoo has some reasons to keep the war running by escalating it. But it is probably not because he fears an investigation into how it came to the war, as Aljazeerah implies. Such investigations can be fudged. But Netanyahoo has a higher (to him) personal interest.
A piece published two days ago by the Washington Post catches the essence of his motivation:
Splits are increasingly visible within the emergency war cabinet in which Netanyahu shares power with his political rival, former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, among others. Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have declined to appear with Netanyahu at some recent news conferences. Both have expressed more openness to the ideas pushed by Biden for a postwar government in Gaza that relies on a restored Palestinian Authority, a notion that Netanyahu and the more extremist members of his coalition have dismissed.Gantz, whose popularity has soared, has said that politics and investigations into the failures of Oct. 7 should wait until the war eases. As some troops withdraw from Gaza, political observers are watching closely for any sign that he might be ready to make a move.
Gantz could trigger new elections by persuading five members of the coalition, many of whom have criticized Netanyahu, to join a no-confidence vote.
“The minute Gantz felt like he could leave the war cabinet, that snowball would start rolling,” Talshir said. “That is beginning to feel more possible as the situation in Gaza is stabilizing.”
“Of course,” she added, “if we have a second front with Hezbollah, it would all change again.”
Netanyahoo wants to stay in power. At any price. As soon as he is out of office the prosecutors will relaunch the dormant bribe cases against him and his wive. Both are likely to end up in jail. Given that alternative, a war in Lebanon, even one which Israel is likely to lose, may well look like a good option. But the best case for such a war would involve some U.S. promise to have his back in that war and to come to his help should the adventure go as bad as it is likely to be become.
Will Biden promise such support? I doubt it.
Today Hizbullah's Secretary General Hassan Nasralla has given another speech.
He emphasized the successes of the campaign which Hizbullah started on October 8 2023, a day after Hamas' latest revolt against Israel, along the Lebanese border with Palestine.
- On the longer than 100 kilometer front all Israeli military bases have been targeted, as well as its settlements, with a total of 670 operations.
- 48 border posts have been targeted 495 times as well as 50 posts behind the borderline.
- 17 settlements, where Israeli soldiers went into hiding, have also been attacked.
- Technical surveillance equipment with a cost above a $100 million has been destroyed.
- The resistance published 90 videos and photos that showed the destruction of Israeli tanks and other vehicles.
- Israeli media is silent about the resistance successes.
- The eight Israeli hospitals nearest to the border have taken in some 2,000 wounded soldiers.
- 230-300,000 settlers have fled from northern Israel.
- 120,000 Israeli soldiers have to stay in the north to secure the border.
Nasrallah also empathized that the various resistance members can bring advantages to their respected homelands (Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen).
- Since 1948 it was Israel that displaced Lebanese people and built security zones on Lebanese land. Today the settlers are fleeing and Israel is building a security belt on its side of the border.
- Should the situation in Lebanon escalate it will have a chance to regain all its land that Israel still occupies.
- In Iraq the resistance now has a chance to again kick the U.S. out. The U.S. claims to be there to fight ISIS but ISIS is a U.S. product.
- In Yemen the resistance is winning international applause and respect for its Ansar Islam (Houthi) government.
- All resistance countries are in danger of Israeli attacks should the resistance in Gaza be defeated. Helping Gaza is thereby in the interest of all those countries.
Nasrallah closed his speech with the typical greetings to the martyrs and their families.
All together Nasrallah was in a good mood. He seems to think that Israel is currently deterred from attacking Lebanon.
But even if it were to attack Lebanon Hizbullah would use it as an opportunity to better its position.
Posted by b on January 5, 2024 at 16:13 UTC | Permalink
next page »My hope is that Hezbollah will "liberate" northern Israel and establish a Palestinian state there. Or will they simply annex their newly acquired lands to Lebanon?
Posted by: CIROC | Jan 5 2024 16:33 utc | 2
I believe it’s more about subjugation of the entire ME. The axis of resistance has thwarted the U.S./UK/Israel take over and subjugation of the ME continent. And now with the subdued Arab alliances moving towards break and new alliances, this is the West’s last gasp efforts of an attempt to rein in at least Syria & Lebanon, break them entirely.
Israel has never been more than an outpost.
With a maniacal “cabinet” of murderous thieves.
Heck… these same cult members managed to subdue to US/EU continents and brought them to heel didn’t they?? Why stop there?
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 5 2024 16:34 utc | 3
Daddy ! I don't feel safe with all those Americans in the USA , could you move them to Mexico ?
Posted by: Savonarole | Jan 5 2024 16:40 utc | 4
Non-dignified 3.14...using a hammer instead of a screwdriver as usual
It will be interesting (sad really) for Netty woo woo to go into Lebanon. Lebanon gets it's territory back, Syria will get the Golan back. Israel will have to keep it's security fence 20 km within it's current "Israel"territory. Lebanese and Syrians re-occupy their own liberated lands. Israeli casualties at about 1/2 of the current Ukie casualties along with a big boom is prognostics used by their veterans.
Posted by: Angelo | Jan 5 2024 16:43 utc | 5
I wondered if the Israelis were planning an invasion in Lebanon when I heard they had withdrawn much of their army and armour from Gaza. Seems like they have a death wish because if they loose in Lebanon, which seems likely, they are toast and will probably take the whole Middle East with them.
Posted by: Bill | Jan 5 2024 16:48 utc | 6
You, Yves Smith, Alastair Crooke, Scott Ritter..
Add Greenwald, Max Blumenthal, Craig Murray, Mearsheimer etc. etc.
Once again I & a few thousand others turn to a tiny bunch of retired/sacked/out-of-work journalists, diplomats, military officers & academics in order to understand what is going on in the world.
Meanwhile the millions who consider themselves well-informed continue to trust media and academia which we know are ignorant, biassed, deluded - often borderline insane in their certainties.
Does anyone else reflect on how insane this situation is? Can anyone think of a historical parallel?
Thank you.
Posted by: geoff chambers | Jan 5 2024 16:49 utc | 7
zionist 4
Nobody knows why positive zions and negative zions are attracted to eachother. All we know is that nothing else is attracted by the Zionist electrostatic force.
Posted by: Giyane | Jan 5 2024 16:52 utc | 8
geoff chambers | Jan 5 2024 16:49 utc | 8
Lead up to WW1 staring in 1908 or so. Remember the Krauts bayoneting babies and roasting them over an open fire on Xmas eve
Posted by: Angelo | Jan 5 2024 16:55 utc | 9
Giyane | Jan 5 2024 16:52 utc | 9
Correction added CNNs, CBCs, FOXs etc etc etc and most western politicians are attracted by the Zionist electrostatic force by the gravitational effect created in the void of their craniums.
Posted by: Angelo | Jan 5 2024 16:59 utc | 10
Nasrallah again today gave an important speech which is worth listening to.
While reviewing the actions and their wider meaning for each member of the Resistance Front he spoke at length about Yemen.
Here is what was happening in Sanaa today:
Capital, Sana'a, is witnessing an unprecedented march of millions under slogan “Blood of free people... on path to victory.”
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3293815.htm
Posted by: JB | Jan 5 2024 17:00 utc | 11
Availing myself of the rare opportunity to post early in the MoA community:
Hamas is the political/charity voice of the Palestinian independence movement; the Al’Qassam brigades are the military branch of the Palestinian independent rebellion.
This is the same structure as the IRA and Sinn Fein.
Israel’s continued insistence that Hamas==Al ‘Qassam is a preconsidered propaganda campaign.
Hamas delivers money and aid to suffering Palestinians in precisely the same way Sinn Fein delivered money and aid to suffering Irish.
Israel is currently battling the Al Qassam and Al Aqaba brigades: not Hamas.
Posted by: Pacifica Advocate | Jan 5 2024 17:04 utc | 12
Jewish fascism now occupies in the minds of many people the place left by German fascism.
This, for example, can be seen very well in Spain.
A century ago German fascism was the most influential among the most ape-like minds, nowadays the most ape-like minds are logically in love with Jewish fascism which was born in the Ukrainian, Polish, Belarusian and Lithuanian Yiddish people.
Posted by: Simon | Jan 5 2024 17:04 utc | 13
Yes, this is a bit off topic but most interesting nevertheless. You should listen to this Biden campaign video, and notice how his voice has been completely done over by AI, making him sound 20 years younger. The man could be dead, and we'd never know! All in the name of democracy too!
Posted by: Shahmaran | Jan 5 2024 17:05 utc | 14
Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies turn on IDF over its October 7 inquiry plans
Senior ministers criticise military for pushing ahead with probe into intelligence failures.
Posted by: Jonathan W | Jan 5 2024 17:05 utc | 15
Our resident Israeli apologists who would scream to high heaven if the shoe were on the other foot is of course first in, angrily denouncing reality as it begins to set in: Israel is seen by the world as a terrorist state, rightly. I sense increasing desperation from the apologists for Israels mass murder of Palestinians?
Did the bedwetting IDF turn out to be less effective than you hoped? Are you surprised the long suffering Palestinians didn't fold when your chickenshit terrorist army started an endless, cowardly bombing campaign?
The war crimes of Israel will be recorded for posterity, doubt it not. Israel has fallen back into terrorism..its area of primary expertise, along with torture and surveillance of innocents..which doesn't exactly bode well. The Israeli war criminals are desperate for escalation.
Posted by: Doctor Eleven | Jan 5 2024 17:08 utc | 16
The revenge fantasies of the powerless losers are hilarious!!!
Posted by: Zionist | Jan 5 2024 16:38 utc | 4
That's a quote from Dr. Strangelove?
Or Apocalypse Now? No that was the napalm thing.
Posted by: Jonathan W | Jan 5 2024 17:15 utc | 17
In 1948 a German scientist left "our colonial project" (Vladimir Jabotinsky) ... by the way let us remember that Vladimir Jabotinsky, founder (1917-) of "our colonial project", was Ukrainian and his right-hand man was a Pole
well, this German wrote: it is tragi comical that now fascism arises here just when it is buried in Europe
Posted by: Simon | Jan 5 2024 17:16 utc | 18
And yes: I am belaboring the poin: Israel is justifying its genocide in Gaza as a pointed attack against—what the Arab world sees as—a charitable organization that happens to have a formidable military bite.
Hamas is—I emphasize—NOT a military organization; Israel knows this. FFS, Israel literally created it.
Yet for some un-Christian, un-Jewish reason, Mossad, Sin Bet, and the Israeli government decided that the creation of Hamas was a good idea.
Personally, currently, I agree with all those forward-thinking Israeli “strategists”.
Personally, I think all Israelis are currently reconsidering their nationality, and because most of them are 1st to 3rd generation immigrants, I reckon most of them are looking for a way out.
Posted by: Pacifica Advocate | Jan 5 2024 17:19 utc | 19
There was a very interesting comment about psychopathy somebody posted in an earlier thread today. A psychopath lies even to his own disadvantage just to have the sense of control over other people. Now what made me think of psychopaths? Hmmm...
Posted by: Jonathan W | Jan 5 2024 17:23 utc | 20
thanks for this update b!
thanks to many posters too..
@ Pacifica Advocate | Jan 5 2024 17:19 utc | 20
i hope you are right in this... it is a tumultuous time for the israel people and you might be right.. i can't see this dynamic going away this time.. if israel is stupid enough to attack lebannon, i see this getting much, much worse and especially for israel.. it might happen given nutjobs present position..
Posted by: james | Jan 5 2024 17:24 utc | 21
Attacking Hizbullah went so well last I guess it's time to do it again. This time Hizbullah is even better armed. It won't end will for Iseral and I don't care.
Posted by: jo6pac | Jan 5 2024 17:24 utc | 22
Angelo 11
No, the emperor has no clothes. They all have to pretend to love Zions as if their lives and jobs depend on it.
Even billionaire Sikhs have to do it, closet bisexual blondes, animated aging waxwork dummies, mince-meat Princes and listed pillars of the Hanoverian establishment all have to profess sincere attraction to Satanyahu's indentured zions.
Posted by: Giyane | Jan 5 2024 17:25 utc | 23
The old Romans had a very simple religion: Domination, War, Victory.
The greatest insult to a Roman is "loser."
When they met the bloody Aramaic fantasies of Persian imperial times they fell in love, and since then (ca. 400-700) this fusion of Rome and bloody Aramaic fantasies has been renewed again and again and again ... until culminating in the Anglo-empire 2.0 (1945-) latest version of the empire of the Romans
While it is true that (1967-) the balls of the Romans hang in a glass case in a museum of the biblical asylum.
Posted by: Simon | Jan 5 2024 17:28 utc | 24
just picked this up from amarynth over at global south - had thought it likely other countries would join SA's genocide charge but I am surprised by Jordan
Jordan’s minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, announced that his country backs South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the ICJ. He added that the Jordanian government is working on a legal file to follow up on the case. Turkey, Malaysia, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had announced that they back the case too. https://globalsouth.co/2024/01/05/genocide-in-gaza-south-africas-case-at-the-icc/
Posted by: DuchessAndBob | Jan 5 2024 17:31 utc | 25
Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky; 17 October 1880 (Odessa) – 3 August 1940 (New York) … his Secretary Benzion Netanyahu, entering the final phase of Zionist goal.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-zionism-of-zeev-jabotinsky-and-benzion-netanyahu-9/
Israel is very good at killing women, children, and old men. Not so much with Hamas fighters.
Posted by: Michael Weddington | Jan 5 2024 17:36 utc | 27
@ DuchessAndBob | Jan 5 2024 17:31 utc | 26
thanks for all that..
Posted by: james | Jan 5 2024 17:39 utc | 28
Politically the Zionists are losing because they're losing militarily, and the Zionist Genocidal Project is essentially kaput. Three massive losses to which another can be added--the Occupied Palestine economy. The rabid ferocity most Zionists have blind them to those essential facts and they think the situation can be improved by attacking Hezbollah more directly. It's taken almost 80 years for the Zionists to run up against the walls they made themselves with they're exceptionalist ideology that made them a cancerous tumor within the Palestine body and the region of West Asia. And as with cancers, the challenge is to kill the tumor without also killing the body it resides within. The main problem is most people residing within Occupied Palestine are smitten by that same exceptionalist tumor and the rabidness it creates that immoralizes people, and thus there aren't enough sane people to change the political direction and help excise the tumor. And until that happens, the Zionists will continue to try and attain their Project's goals despite the fact that it's now kaput forever. Zionist psyche will demand Hezbollah be attacked, and that's why Nasrallah is confident and smiling.
@ Augusto Pi, #1
Turns out Israel is now discussing how they will run the outfit when they have taken all of it.🤣 Who's having a big mouth now? It is easy to talk from your armchair about ZioNAZI Rothschildistan imposing PA governance on Gaza, but let's see it happen.
Israel gears for a long-term, Hamas-balls-crushing operations in Gaza.So far it is ZioNAZI Rothschildistan that has had its balls crushed, and has only been able to get a few 1000 Hamas fighters out of a 30-40,000 force.
Your beloved pussies posing as "soldiers" are only successful against defenceless civilians, esp. children and babies, that has always been their specialty.
Hamas casualties, dear Augusto, are only collateral damage in the insane, psychopathic ZioNAZI drive to destroy Gaza and the Palestinians people.
Posted by: Ernesto Che | Jan 5 2024 17:40 utc | 30
Posted by: geoff chambers | Jan 5 2024 16:49 utc | 8
I'm 100% with you there.
I don't believe anything the establishment says and very little of what the tired old hacks repeat.
This is a crazy time to be living in.
Thank the good lord tobacco and Irish whiskey are still for sale is all I can say.
Posted by: Eoin Clancy | Jan 5 2024 17:41 utc | 31
Yes
Yes, since 1967 (when a great mental shift takes place among the American grandchildren of the Yiddish people) and more clearly since 1991 the mental Software or colective delusion of the grandchildren of the Yiddish people hold the reins of the Beast.
There are about one billion of us living within the borders of the Heirs Club of the British empire (aka The West) and 99% of us are mere horrified spectators of this Biblical-imperial brutality.
Posted by: Simon | Jan 5 2024 17:41 utc | 32
Nasrallah's star has fallen substantially. Hezbollah has been deterred and will not expand operations unless it has no other choice. While this does extract a cost in money and lives from Israel, this is absolutely a strategic Israeli victory, there is no way to hide it. Hezbollah bragging about destroying $100 million in surveillance equipment when the US has sent billions in weapons already and will soon send $14 billion more doesn't even rise to the level of a joke.
Posted by: Bob | Jan 5 2024 17:47 utc | 33
…… The eight Israeli hospitals nearest to the border have taken in some 2,000 wounded soldiers.…..
Are these in addition to the 5,000 IDF WIA from the Southern Front ?
Posted by: Exile | Jan 5 2024 17:55 utc | 34
doesn't even rise to the level of a joke.
Posted by: Bob | Jan 5 2024 17:47 utc | 34
Don't worry. You'll get the chance to laugh again when you see some more women and children lose their legs because it is going to be absolutely hilarious.
Posted by: Jonathan W | Jan 5 2024 17:55 utc | 35
RE: Posted by: Zionist | Jan 5 2024 16:38 utc | 4
I only hope that the Zios & Israelis are prepared for betrayal. The U.S. had bigger fish to fry than “defend” cultists land grabs. Have some weapons, have some $$, have some intel & mercs… but when the Lebanese missiles fly, the US will be sailing off to the Pacific to North Korea and will leave a ship or 2 to pick up those alive and swimming.
You’ve zero idea how much the Dem Zios hate you in Israel.
Consider it an “inter-tribal affair”…
If you’re a scripture fan… this may be the one where you’re burying your dead for 8 months….
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 5 2024 17:56 utc | 36
Russia has just recently moved troops in Syria to the border adjacent Lebanon and Syria. This needs to be a consideration as regards Israeli actions toward Lebanon and Syria. Some read this as signal to Blinken, Biden and Bibi to tone down aspirations for a more regional war. USUK neither in position to take on - Russia, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the apparent legions of non state actors in Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, all allied with the aforementioned national states - together a formidable array, clearly well organized and aligned.
Another unexpected regional act: Jordan is signing on the genocide complaint brought by South Africa. Will Egypt be next?
Posted by: abierno | Jan 5 2024 17:58 utc | 37
Isn't the problem for Lebanon, and Nasrullah/Hezbollah who are most definitely Lebanese no matterwhat western propaganda guff is issued, is that Israel may have lost the ground war in 2006, but it in did much of the development & reconstruction of Beirut from Israel’s 1980's devastation mainly from the air? Turning it into rubble and fomenting civil unrest iirc
Israel appears to be founded on the idea of inflicting terror and violence on the locals, and their neighbours. This seems to be an ineradicable and essential element of its (ie the State's) DNA and not to be underestimated, as we see.
Posted by: neoliberal nightmare | Jan 5 2024 18:00 utc | 38
The resident Zionist and Italian fascist poster "Augusto Pi" - presumably inspired from the treasonous swine Augusto Pinochet who turned Chile into a full US colony and a guinea pig for neoliberalism - is trying to obfuscate about current affairs in Israel, when even the less propagandistic media of the Zionist apartheid state admit there are very serious problems in the country and the continued war effort is to a great extent conditioned on the massive support from the Anglo-American empire and its vassals.
He is consoled by his deliberate avoidance of any info showing the serious losses that the Zionist genocidaires have suffered, amply documented by the resistance fighters and covered up by the western MSM, to maintain his supremacist narrative. Something like the Zionist version of the NAFO trash.
The interesting thing is that this clown pretends to be opposed to the very same powers in Ukraine as if it was an entire different slew of western neo-colonialists who are involved there backing the Maidanist fascist regime and not the exact same scum. I mean, I've witnessed various levels of dumbfuckery from numerous anarcho-Trotskyist crettins (usually reverse on these two international issues), but the western far-right tops the cake.
One could be certain though that the aforementioned poster, had he been around in WWII, would have been a great afficionado of Mussolini and his Teutonic ally Hitler.
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:01 utc | 39
Thanks for the comprehensive roundup of the Gaza fiasco, b. especially the Hezbollah update. I was quite surprised that Nazrallah threatened Oinkrael, the day after the Hamas attack, with a diversionary front, if the Jews didn't cease and desist with their Gaza assault. But I hadn't heard any details so it is comforting to learn that he fulfilled his promises, and then some.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jan 5 2024 18:07 utc | 40
Posted by: Eoin Clancy | Jan 5 2024 17:41 utc | 32
I'm curious about your view on the public opinion in Ireland. It is quite disturbing to see so many Irish swallowing hook, line and sinker the Anglo-American propaganda about the war in Ukraine, while being mostly against the criminality of Israel. Taking into account certain developments on the narrative/propaganda field I've witnessed, it appears that there has been a long effort to transform the "Children of God" into proper westerners/white liberals, a sad development that has seemingly met with some success.
Since you're obviously an anti-imperialist, what's your take on this? Is my grim view exaggerated?
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:07 utc | 41
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:01 utc | 40
Don't neocons themselves say that yesterday's Trotskyists are today's neocons?
Posted by: Jonathan W | Jan 5 2024 18:08 utc | 42
Isa Blumi's "Destroying Yemen- what great changes in Arabia tell us about the world" is the best introduction to the underlying dynamics here.
The arrival of Yemeni warriors on the political scene in the Levant could be epochal. Here is a taste of Blumi:
"...These are the men, cheeks bulging with the mild natural amphetamine qat, often in sarongs, who take on empire with Kalashnikovs and outdated anti-tank weapons. With weapons of the poor, these"backward tribal" warriors are fighting for the kinds of cause any millenial sometimes wants to embrace. As such thisenergetic, continued resistance to global capitalism and the fears that impetuous patriotism, love of family, and faith in god could treaten the larger still not entirely realised, globalist agenda will never receive the proper media and academic coverage that it deserves..." page 202
As Yemeni patriot Haykal Bafana tweeted in warning to the Sauds as they began their long war against Yemen, a war for pillage and the empire that sponsors them "Rule number one in Arabia's Fight Club : Don't Fuck with Yemen.
"Rule number two in Arabia's Fight Club being : DO NOT fuck with Yemen."
Israel has been fucking with Yemen for decades. Saudi Arabia for a century. The British and their new masters the Americans for almost two centuries. In the actions of the Ansarullah militias- which have been resisting the combined forces of the globalising empire for the past ten years- is evidenced the reality that, whether the rulers of Arabia want it or not (they don't) the Arab peoples are being drawn into a holy war for Palestine.
As to Iran, which has very little influence on the 'Houthis', the idea that it is at the centre of a web of resistance might be comforting to the Zionists, and it might make a good sales pitch for the MIC, is completely mistaken. Any US/Israeli aggression against Iran at this point would simply multiply the number of forces over which it has little and diminishing control.
War against Lebanon. War against Gaza. War against the West Bank. War against Yemen. War against Iraq. War against Russia, War against China. War against Iran, War against Syria... and then there are all those other smouldering wars from conflicts not quite exhausted, like the war in Libya, that in Somalia, the wars in Sudan and south Sudan, wars thoughout the Horn of Africa...
Posted by: bevin | Jan 5 2024 18:11 utc | 43
Posted by: Bob | Jan 5 2024 17:47 utc | 34
There is some validity in your criticism of Hezbollah and Nasrallah, but one has to take into account the extremely compromised political class of Lebanon. Large segments of the latter, along withtheir supporters are, to put it mildly fairly apatride if not borderline Zionists. There is an absolute need to leverage the situation and the political currents carefully.
In short, Nasrallah isn't the all-powerful leader of Lebanon who can steer the country as desired. It is imperative that the Lebanese majority comes to perceive the actions of Hezbollah as an acceptable and necessary counteraction to Israeli aggression. One may not like it, but one has to deal with the actual state of affairs on the ground.
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:14 utc | 44
is absolutely a strategic Israeli victory, there is no way to hide it.
My God how some ideologues will flatter themselves. What strategic victory?
Are we pretending that Israel has a strategy here? Israel's vicious little fascists have been let of the leash as a cats paw to try to provoke a regional war with Iran.
This genius strategy, no doubt conceived on the back of a napkin, isn't going to work..if they get their war it isn't going to play out the way Maerica foresees it. I'm not sure why I engage with non sequitur type messages like this, I suppose I'm exhausted by the constant stream of messaging that simply ignores realities.
That reality is, that through the hideous war crimes perpetuated on the peoples of Gaza and the West Bank, Israel has ensured it will not exist as a state. Today, tomorrow,.it doesnt matter..the writing is on the wall for all and sundry to see. Bulldozing children into the rubble doesnt hide the stain of your crimes. The reckoning approaches, but will not come in the manner or timeframe dictated by the murderous criminals of the West.
Posted by: Doctor Eleven | Jan 5 2024 18:20 utc | 45
I have stopped taking Ritter seriously a long time ago. He only wants to excite his cheerleaders.
Posted by: Augusto Pi | Jan 5 2024 16:29 utc | 1
------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, Pi, there is much truth in what you say about Scott Ritter. I have always respected him for standing up to the Bush/Cheney administration and exposing the lies about WMD in Iraq. And Scott was correct, more than he was wrong, about the situation in Ukraine. However, he seems to have gone overboard about Hamas capabilities in the Gaza strip.
On the other hand, why should Ritter, or you, want to demoralize the Palestinians, and their supporters around the world, while the game is still on. The Hamas resistance fighters probably knew that they were not Goliath is this fight with Israel, but Israel should also remember the consequences of their greatest myth.
Posted by: Ed | Jan 5 2024 18:25 utc | 46
Posted by: Shahmaran | Jan 5 2024 17:05 utc | 15
Nah, it is a recording studio produced reel for which he had the opportunity to do unlimited takes, and the editor then spliced together those segments with the least amount of Biden's typical slurring and running words together.
He still sounds like a geezer in that clip. I detect nothing remarkable there.
Posted by: nwwoods | Jan 5 2024 18:26 utc | 47
Don't neocons themselves say that yesterday's Trotskyists are today's neocons?
Posted by: Jonathan W | Jan 5 2024 18:08 utc | 43
They describe their political origins as Trotskyist (which they were indeed) unabashedly.
Contemporary Trotskyists are very often messed up ultra-progs who end up backing identity politics and carrying water for the imprialists. They typically denounce Israeli criminality, but almost all that I've known have backed the colour revolutions (i.e. imperialist aggressions) in Libya and Syria as popular revolutions. They aren't much better in other issues.
As a general rule I do not like to generalize, but most Trotskyists appear detached from reality (their views on Ukraine are also straight out of Tralaland), similar to Trotsky's own views on international politics after the Russian Civil War. No few ended up invoking "proletarial solidarity with the German worker" during WWII. Is it any wonder that the neocons came from their ranks?
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:26 utc | 48
Jonathan W | Jan 5 2024 17:23 utc | 21:
"There was a very interesting comment about psychopathy somebody posted in an earlier thread today. A psychopath lies even to his own disadvantage just to have the sense of control over other people. Now what made me think of psychopaths? Hmmm..."
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I've been reading Martha Stout's books on The Sociopath Next Door (etc) and in one of her books she outlines what she sees as the key differences between a genuine sociopath (sometimes called psychopath and sometimes called anti-social personality disorder) and someone with narcissistic personality disorder. These things overlap, of course, since every sociopath is a narcissist but not every narcissist is a sociopath.
Anyway, Stout drew attention to one critical aspect of the sociopath that distinguishes them from the narcissist. That is what she calls "the pity play".
The pity play is basically a pattern of behaviour in which the sociopath, getting caught, tries to get the pity of their interlocutor in a performance absent of genuine contrition, etc. It's often very effective even with very intelligent people.
Anyway, Stout's characterization reminded me of something that Michel Warshawski wrote about Israel some years ago that sums up that regime; you might find this of interest.
I give the whole paragraph although the key phrase is the following:
"Israel bombs and then wails in self-pity."
M. Warschawski:
"There was a time when the Zionist left was accused of “shooting and then crying.” Today we can say that it bombs and then whimpers in self-pity. Far from fighting for the society that it dreamed of not all that long ago, it is turning inward. It is accusing the whole world, the Palestinians first and foremost, of being responsible for its sorry fate, and dreaming of a more normal future in Europe or the United States. Undoubtedly this will only strengthen the forces of reaction in Israel."
Bombing and then wailing in self-pity is about as characteristically or clinically sociopathic as you can get. That is Israel today.
----------------------------------------------
see M. Warschawski at
https://monthlyreview.org/2004/12/01/the-new-israel/
Posted by: N Hanrahan | Jan 5 2024 18:28 utc | 49
Posted by: Ed | Jan 5 2024 18:25 utc | 47
Ed, your good faith post is rather misplaced here. You seem to be unaware of the political convixtions of the poster you responded. He's an Italian far-rightist and a solid Zionist. It won't tax your imagination to conceive the inspiration for his poster name too.
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:29 utc | 50
Maybe you meant a tactical victory. You know, like the momentary rush of adrenaline you get from say, assassinating an opponent, ignoring the strategic implications. Instead focusing on the supposed 'PR' benefit.
When you believe wars are fought for narratives, you tend to get caught up in really stupid thinking and actions. It's the opposite of strategy..it's reactionary improvisation. Putin is a strategist. I'm not sure any exist in Israel or Maerica.
For example, how killing people indiscriminately enmasse will ensure instead of quieting Resistance youbwill enflame it. Machiavelli has something to say about injuring men and their tendency to seek revenge.
Posted by: Doctor Eleven | Jan 5 2024 18:30 utc | 51
Posted by: Simon | Jan 5 2024 17:04 utc | 14
Terms are a story in themselves.
As far as I know, the concept of fascism originated in Italy.
In this case, you can quote WIKI without hesitation.
"It is usually assumed that the term "fascism" (it. Fascismo) was derived from the concept of fasces."
"
The symbol already appeared as the logo of the workers' newspaper Es muss Tag werden! in the year of the March Revolution of 1848. Furthermore, the fasces seem to have appeared in the parliamentary elections on 11 November 1919.[7] It was only later that they were chosen as the party badge of the Partito Nazionale Fascista. Benito Mussolini wanted to draw on the glory and splendour of the Roman Empire in his imagery and chose the symbol of the lictors for his political movement. He himself later explained that fascism demanded "discipline and an authority that penetrates the mind and rules it undisputedly. "
The basic concept probably goes back a few thousand years in human history.
It is about manipulating groups with inferiority complexes, or in other words, a new idea of domination seeks subjects.
The losers of a society, of which there are enough (majority) at least in "civilisation", can become "winners" if they can switch off their minds and follow the leader.
In principle, all these concepts are racist/discriminatory.
The discriminated often develop mirrored counter-concepts, 'black live matters' instead of 'live matters'.
At some point, emotion takes over.
Israel has a mixture of 'the chosen ones', 'the American exceptionalists' and German National Socialism.
Religion, history and the present (immigration) come together here.
Posted by: 600w | Jan 5 2024 18:30 utc | 52
Posted by: Simon | Jan 5 2024 17:04 utc | 14
Terms are a story in themselves.
As far as I know, the concept of fascism originated in Italy.
In this case, you can quote WIKI without hesitation.
"It is usually assumed that the term "fascism" (it. Fascismo) was derived from the concept of fasces."
"
The symbol already appeared as the logo of the workers' newspaper Es muss Tag werden! in the year of the March Revolution of 1848. Furthermore, the fasces seem to have appeared in the parliamentary elections on 11 November 1919.[7] It was only later that they were chosen as the party badge of the Partito Nazionale Fascista. Benito Mussolini wanted to draw on the glory and splendour of the Roman Empire in his imagery and chose the symbol of the lictors for his political movement. He himself later explained that fascism demanded "discipline and an authority that penetrates the mind and rules it undisputedly. "
The basic concept probably goes back a few thousand years in human history.
It is about manipulating groups with inferiority complexes, or in other words, a new idea of domination seeks subjects.
The losers of a society, of which there are enough (majority) at least in "civilisation", can become "winners" if they can switch off their minds and follow the leader.
In principle, all these concepts are racist/discriminatory.
The discriminated often develop mirrored counter-concepts, 'black live matters' instead of 'live matters'.
At some point, emotion takes over.
Israel has a mixture of 'the chosen ones', 'the American exceptionalists' and German National Socialism.
Religion, history and the present (immigration) come together here.
Posted by: 600w | Jan 5 2024 18:30 utc | 53
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:14 utc | 45
I agree with everything you said, and I'll add the obvious fact that Israel is seeking to expand the war as a means of drawing in the US directly, and Hezbollah must maneuver carefully in light of that risk. But ultimately it doesn't change the fact that if Israel is able to escalate and to cross redlines that Nasrallah has previously issued, then Hezbollah's position is substantially weakened.
Posted by: Bob | Jan 5 2024 18:32 utc | 54
What the events unfolding in the Middle East since October 7 have finally, and unequivocally, shown us is the utter moral void that is the heart of the Frankenstate we know as Israel. We have not just been shown this void, but we have been forced to look into it.
"And it ain't real pretty at all."
Our "leaders" in the Collective West resemble nothing so much as rabbits caught in the headlights.
Posted by: Hal Duell | Jan 5 2024 18:34 utc | 55
Oinkrael reminds me of the little demon which jumped on Sinbad's shoulders, wrapped its legs around Sinbad's neck, and threatened to choke him if he didn't do as he was told...
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jan 5 2024 18:35 utc | 56
Posted by: Ed | Jan 5 2024 18:25 utc | 47
Ed, your good faith post is rather misplaced here. You seem to be unaware of the political convixtions of the poster you responded. He's an Italian far-rightist and a solid Zionist. It won't tax your imagination to conceive the inspiration for his poster name too.
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:29 utc | 51
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your concern, Constantine. Yes, I have tangled with Pi before. However, in this case I agreed with the content of his post up to a point. The subject was about Scott Ritter, not Augusto Pi or his political views.
Posted by: Ed | Jan 5 2024 18:37 utc | 57
Augustio @ # 2
Ritter said IF China invaded Taiwan…. Big if. Ritter was speaking in the context of the US goading China into invading and China taking the bait. Which it has prudently restated so far.
Ritter’s an analysis was correct about Ukraine. You blew past that one!
And Ritter was correct about Iraq, but his unheeded analysis that Iraq did not possess WMD fell on deaf ears and Cheney invaded anyway so 500,000 Iraqi kids were murdered based on a pack of lies
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/537062-us-defend-taiwan-china/?ysclid=lr0yrsiu6a793486023
Posted by: Willow | Jan 5 2024 18:37 utc | 58
Israel is not so good at that either, since only about 20000 "civilians"
Civilians in air quotes? You are beneath contempt.
I know, all the dead babies were Hamas terrorists and even if they weren't it's their fault for living on land your disgusting country wants to steal. You had better hope there is no afterlife, as there's a eternally boiling vat of human excrement waiting for you.
Posted by: Doctor Eleven | Jan 5 2024 18:40 utc | 59
Capital, Sana'a, is witnessing an unprecedented march of millions under slogan “Blood of free people... on path to victory.” https://www.saba.ye/en/news3293815.htm
Posted by: JB | Jan 5 2024 17:00 utc | 12
Impressive. The article says 5 january 2024, but (one of) the pictures appears in an article that says 22 december 2023 ?
Posted by: Passerby | Jan 5 2024 18:40 utc | 60
Posted by: Genocidal | Jan 5 2024 18:36 utc | 58
------------------------------------------------------------------
Where on MoA was your claims about Hamas using "...child soldiers as documented at moa, women soldiers, out of uniform soldiers, and human shields."?
Sure someone (probably you) may have said it, or even provided some propaganda to that effect, but that is not "documentation."
You know like the 40 babies and all the raped women: Zio bullshit.
Posted by: Ed | Jan 5 2024 18:46 utc | 61
Zionism
Zionism or Biblcal fascism are two or three things:
(A) the delusional doctrine that says that the lands of "La Mancha" in Spain belong to a "Don Quixote de la Mancha" reading club, or some Argentine Catholics who claim the territory that in the past was the Vatican State. Here the funny thing about the case is that the Zionist founders who came (1917-) from Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Lithuania claim the lands of an Arab king who built the great Temple: Herod the Great
(B) on the other hand Zionism or Biblical fascism is the biblical-Aramaic doctrinethat establishes a radical distinction between "a (dominant) people" and the population that must be subdued, robbed and enslaved: "those people that you are going to dispossess" as the book of Deuteronomy says, that is: "the people of the land" ("am ha'eretz") in rabbinical literature, "those damned people" in Nazarene literature put this expression in the mouth of a Sadducee priest of the city-Temple
Posted by: Simon | Jan 5 2024 18:47 utc | 62
Good real james you're welcome for the link to global south about more countries joining SA's genocide petition against "israel". Besides here at MOA, amarynth and AHH are 2 who i turn to daily for info to keep up to date - especially in The Hearty Salon AHH updates a West Asia front thread chock full of what's happening. High value site i much appreciate and recommend.
Posted by: DuchessAndBob | Jan 5 2024 18:50 utc | 63
In 1948 a German scientist left "our colonial project" (Vladimir Jabotinsky) ... by the way let us remember that Vladimir Jabotinsky, founder (1917-) of "our colonial project", was Ukrainian and his right-hand man was a Pole
well, this German wrote: it is tragi comical that now fascism arises here just when it is buried in Europe
Posted by: Simon | Jan 5 2024 17:16 utc | 19
====================
One of Jabotinsky's right-hand men was Benjamin Netanyahu's father, Benzion Netanyahu (né Mileikowsky; 1910–2012), a historian specializing in the Jewish Golden age of Spain.
Both pere er fils Mileikowsky know damned well that the Jews flourished while living in the Muslim caliphate of Spain. The Arabs were the ones who treated the Jews best. J
Just like the Russians are those who have treated Ukrainians best.
I kind of like the idea of referring to Net only by the name Mileikowsky---but I guess unfortunately no one would know whom I am talking about.
Posted by: Jane | Jan 5 2024 19:00 utc | 64
@ james | Jan 5 2024 18:31 utc | 54
fake james is back.. reported...the hasbara shit artist is very predictable..
Posted by: james | Jan 5 2024 19:02 utc | 65
wow, b is fast.. he just deleted it, lol..
@ DuchessAndBob | Jan 5 2024 18:50 utc | 65
thanks again... in that i too read jordan signed onto south africas question of israels genocide to the icc.. i hope more sign on..
Posted by: james | Jan 5 2024 19:04 utc | 66
"Israel has never been more than an outpost.
With a maniacal “cabinet” of murderous thieves"
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 5 2024 16:34 utc | 3
I disagree.
Israel, under Rabin there was a chance of rapprochement-of course that potential 'olive branch' was destroyed by right wing Israeli Nazis.
Your Manichean ideas (good v evil; black v white) may seem 'just' in white tower theory, yet, in reality, are simplistic nothings.
The City is using the Ashkenazi Jews as proxies as surely has they are using the Ukrainians in the same capacity.
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:29 utc | 51
==============
Me myself I would not carry water for this Pi fellow in echoing his attack on Scott Ritter with its obvious motivations. Spending a whole comment on what in this context is a straw-man argument.
Adults do not expect anyone to be clairvoyant--never wrong. There are a lot of ways to be wrong, and a lot to be right, too.
I respect Scott Ritter on the basis of his record working and advocating for the United States while communicating effectively and truthfully with people in other countries.
I certainly do not give a hoot about what this Pi character says about him, other than for what it reveals about Pi himself.
Posted by: Jane | Jan 5 2024 19:13 utc | 68
RE: Posted by: canuck | Jan 5 2024 19:13 utc | 68
The fact Rabin was assassinated, in fact, makes and rests my assertions. And no, I don’t entertain “good vs evil” paradigms. It’s a waste of threads.
Many things are “simple”. Most in fact.
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 5 2024 19:22 utc | 69
Not directly on topic, but relevant to the conduct of the war in Israel: DPRK has 'opened a new front.' According to western sources, they are now supplying hypersonic missiles to Russia, and these 'kinzal' equivalents are already in use. This intelligence, along with some missile activity in the Yellow Sea, has spooked ROK and the US. It forces a recalculation of the correlation of forces globally and regionally. It pins US resources, as Hezbollah is pinning Israeli forces because, like Hezbollah, DPRK is a tough nut to crack. They are both highly capable and led by leaders that won't be intimidated.
Like China, DPRK has put itself on the board as a 'fleet in being,' a force capable of action, whose mere existence constrains enemy actions. Yemen already demonstrates that even minor actions by such forces can have powerful effects on the opponent. I think we can expect more elements of resistance to continue to emerge at the appropriate moment to keep the west off balance, unable to act decisively anywhere, as the Empire's wealth and power continue to decline. This doesn't satisfy American's hunger for immediate gratification, and innocents continue to be murdered by the Empire and its minions, but overall, it's a strategy that minimizes casualties and destruction, and is more certain of success than 'big arrow' offensives.
Immediate relevance to Gaza? The US can't strip its fleet assets from the far east to use against Yemen and Hezbollah without risking the defection of its 'allies' in the region. ROK's current government is subservient to the US, but the people of South Korea don't want war and have been very active for peaceful reunification. Any withdrawal of US 'protection' from the region will certainly activate them again, and even the reactionary leadership and corporate oligarchs will start to recalculate on which side their bread is buttered.
Posted by: Honzo | Jan 5 2024 19:23 utc | 70
I think the Marxist paradigm of class consciousness arising from one's relationship to the means of production accounts for the origin and nature of both neocons and trotskyites. Anarchism, Trotskyism, and fascism are all petite bourgeois ideologies in the Marxist schema, and neocons are a particular expression of petite bourgeois 'climbing.' In all cases, 'believers' align themselves with the interests of the big bourgeoisie when those conflict with the interests of the working class.
Posted by: Honzo | Jan 5 2024 19:37 utc | 71
The big question for me is, how will those people, who do the propaganda for genocide committed in front of the whole world, how will those people in the media, and the people behind the curtains, how will they 'climb down'?
Not to mention the perpetrators themselves and the rest of 'fellow travelers'. Will they say : "only, if I had known"?
Posted by: fanto | Jan 5 2024 19:40 utc | 72
Posted by: bevin | Jan 5 2024 18:11 utc | 43
============
Thanks for this interesting contribution on Yemen.
Recently I read the Wikipedia entry on Yemen---just wanted to learn more.
Wow, what an amazing culture! Sana'a looks like a beautiful city.
The many illustrations in the Wiki article are really worth a look. It looks as though Yemen has a lot of the water to be found on the Arabian Peninsula.
Their ancient culture is comparable to or maybe tops that of Egypt.
And wasn't Yemen home to some of the oldest Christian and Jewish communities?
New respect for Yemen all around.
Posted by: Jane | Jan 5 2024 19:42 utc | 73
of all the rassinfrassin duplicitous crap! i just dropped by consortium news (Robert Parry's early death was a loss of immense proportions) only to find a video of gideon levy saying that since one barbaric attack made jews become inhuman then it's understandable that since Palestinians have endured many times more attacks we know why they are many times more inhuman, violent, monstrous...
this jew is NOT defending Palestinians with these false allegations he is condemning them!!
Posted by: DuchessAndBob | Jan 5 2024 19:47 utc | 74
McDonald's CEO warns of hit from boycotts
https://youtu.be/K9Uf3eUWKE8?si=AlrK3J1EVnc-1Mzw
Boycotts do matter. Even a few percent get noticed.
Support local, small businesses, when possible. avoid global corporations, when possible. Every little bit counts when you have the opportunity.
Deprive the Zionists of as much of the money they use to corrupt and bully our politicians and campuses.
Posted by: Delhiliterally | Jan 5 2024 20:05 utc | 75
Thanks for the posting b
Lots going on...glad to read about nations supporting South Africa's genocide claim
In strong agreement with
"
Bombing and then wailing in self-pity is about as characteristically or clinically sociopathic as you can get. That is Israel today.
Posted by: N Hanrahan | Jan 5 2024 18:28 utc | 49
"
I expect that to occur as their position continues to disintegrate and that of Arab/West Asia nations are forced to come together around the Palestine situation.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 5 2024 20:09 utc | 76
In recent press conference, US spokesperson Kirby has conceded: "Hamas still has a significant force posture inside Gaza." This will reflect badly on Israel's position at the ICJ, as they will be claiming all of their activity had military targets and purpose. How to explain the poor results?
In Gaza, a meticulous accounting of all of Israel's activity -the result of every bombing, sniper attack, tank fire etc - has been undertaken by members of civil society and the NGOs. There will be precise measurement of all these attacks and all of the victims, and this will make up a major portion of the legal presentation.
A Russian spokesperson this week referred to the upcoming genocide hearing by noting that the Russian armed forces had been careful to keep an accurate account of all their targets in the SMO and the precise military reasoning behind each strike. He noted that, for its part, Israel likely had very little precise information to offer, ensuring their legal position as weak.
At this juncture, Israel has badly failed in its military operation, it faces legal repercussions, and it has no plan for the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis it has wrought. The obvious next step is that Israel must be removed from its security control of Gaza. This is now of utmost urgency due to US delaying efforts at UN. The cautious response to this week's provocations suggests the regional players expect advantageous results at ICJ.
Posted by: jayc | Jan 5 2024 20:15 utc | 77
Posted by: fanto | Jan 5 2024 19:40 utc | 73
Will they say : "only, if I had known"?
----
That's exactly what they will say. Here's a relevant example.
Hedge fund manager, Bill Ackerman (who just happens to be Jewish), recently started bashing Harvard for DEI, but he only started bashing when the pro-Palestinian demonstrations started. Here is how he covers his ass in his 4k word tweet:
The more I learned, the more concerned I became, and the more ignorant I realized I had been about DEI, a powerful movement that has not only pervaded Harvard, but the educational system at large.
Seriously, Bill, this DEI witchhunt/quota system has been going on for years; and you just figured that out?
Posted by: john brewster | Jan 5 2024 20:18 utc | 78
john brewster | Jan 5 2024 20:18 utc | 79
Sorry, that's Ackman, not Ackerman
Posted by: john brewster | Jan 5 2024 20:21 utc | 79
The people here need to decide whether Israel does not have the money or capacity to even enter Gaza, or has appetite for conflicts with both Hamas and Hezbollah.
It can't be both.
Posted by: Augusto Pi | Jan 5 2024 16:29 utc | 1
Actually, it can.
You're treating Israel as a monolithic entity, but it is far from it.
Some factions (e.g. Temple Movement and other extremists) have an appetite for conflicts with everyone residing in their "Greater Israel" - with the backing of the US evangelicals (and army) who dream of rapture and of continued AIPAC support.
Other factions (e.g. saner Zionists, progressives and the business community) understand the huge consequences Israel ia facing in blood, reputation and economic deterioration from continuing this madness.
Hence the disagreements noted.
I think Netyanahoo is a league of his own, caring only about keeping himself out of prison.
Israel was already facing severe internal turmoil prior to October 7. This has been swept under the war carpet, but only for the time being. It is still festering and will most likely erupt at some point.
Posted by: Lathe Biosas | Jan 5 2024 20:28 utc | 80
From the AJE blog
Israel’s Channel 12 News has reported that six families of people abducted during the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel have landed in Doha this afternoon to meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
According to the outlet, the families will discuss the lack of progress on the return of their relatives, and will also meet with the US ambassador to Qatar.
I would bet they are gathering evidence to sue the people responsible for putting an end to the negociations that were underway during the first 2 weeks after Oct 7. Beware silly EUrocrats, you are next on line for your support of genocidal maniacs!
Posted by: Minaa | Jan 5 2024 20:30 utc | 81
New respect for Yemen all around.
Posted by: Jane | Jan 5 2024 19:42 utc | 74
I started to pay more attention to Yemen during their heroic marches in 2011 against Saleh. I saw young people saying that they had millions of weapons in their country but decided that if meaningful long-term change was to happen, they should first try to bring it through the real way of Islam, peacefully. They left their weapons at home, wore pink ribbons, and marched calmly towards the snipers.
They died, but made it so that Saleh fled and the war of liberation started, and succeeded. It is from such blossoms of humanity that real progress is taking place.
Ever since, I admire the free, wild, kind spirit of those people. I wish I can visit Yemen some peaceful day...
Posted by: Lathe Biosas | Jan 5 2024 20:38 utc | 82
Hedge fund manager, Bill Ackerman (who just happens to be Jewish), recently started bashing Harvard for DEI, but he only started bashing when the pro-Palestinian demonstrations started. Here is how he covers his ass in his 4k word tweet:
The more I learned, the more concerned I became, and the more ignorant I realized I had been about DEI, a powerful movement that has not only pervaded Harvard, but the educational system at large.
Seriously, Bill, this DEI witchhunt/quota system has been going on for years; and you just figured that out?
Posted by: john brewster | Jan 5 2024 20:18 utc | 79
They actually pushed for DEI, once they got control of the university boards through their donations.
They've been pushing for DEI in the corporate world too, through their ESG scoring.
Ackmann is just mad that President Gay forgot who was in charge. They are supposed to use their DEI credentials to sanitize their support for Zionism, not treat Palestinians and their supporters fairly.
Posted by: Delhiliterally | Jan 5 2024 20:49 utc | 83
Jane | Jan 5 2024 19:42 utc | 74
Wow, what an amazing culture
Posted by: john | Jan 5 2024 20:50 utc | 84
Along with others, I tend to get caught up in either the situational reports or the HUGE big picture, but it just occurred to me, as though it had never before (but it has): None of this would even be necessary if it wasn't for the duplicitous, disingenuous refusal of the hardline Zionist "Greater Israel" faction in Tel Aviv and Washington (arguably London and even Moscow?) had just acted honestly with regard to either a one- or two-state solution. Literally either one would have prevented this war and genocide.
Frankly it's the same with Donbass, Ukraine and FUKUSNATO. It seems that certain types and groups of people are either unwilling to or incapable of good faith negotiations and/or sticking to stated agreements. I wonder why...
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jan 5 2024 20:59 utc | 85
Posted by: Constantine | Jan 5 2024 18:07 utc | 41
Taking into account certain developments on the narrative/propaganda field I've witnessed, it appears that there has been a long effort to transform the "Children of God" into proper westerners/white liberals, a sad development that has seemingly met with some success.
I'm sorry Constantine but I don't really understand what your above quote actually means.
Regarding Ireland's so called support of the Ukraine narrative, I'd like you to google MEPS, that's members of the European Parliament, Ms Claire Daly and Mr Mick Wallace, 2 of the 14 representatives my country has in this so called Parliament, and judge for yourself how the Irish really feel about Ukraine.
Regarding the Irish establishment, the influx of Ukrainian refugees and the establishment's support of the war against Russia has totally backfired.
As an anti-imperialiat nation, the public were deceived in that they believed Russia was acting like the US. The nonstop propaganda from our WEF government and media allowed this perception. However, Irish people can smell a scam a mile off and the non civil service employees have quickly realised from talking to their Eastern European colleagues the reality of the situation.
As a further note, Irish whiskey is the original liquor, it's made from original stock and not mixed. Scotland, in latin this country means the land of the Irish, blend different stocks of whisky, totally different to Irish whiskey.
Posted by: Eoin Clancy | Jan 5 2024 21:00 utc | 86
by Minaa | Jan 5 2024 20:30 utc | 82
It ends up in Israel propaganda as: Families of Hamas hostages are asking for killing Palestinians faster.
Posted by: whirlX | Jan 5 2024 21:01 utc | 87
"Israel has been fucking with Yemen for decades. Saudi Arabia for a century. The British and their new masters the Americans for almost two centuries. In the actions of the Ansarullah militias- which have been resisting the combined forces of the globalising empire for the past ten years- is evidenced the reality that, whether the rulers of Arabia want it or not (they don't) the Arab peoples are being drawn into a holy war for Palestine.
As to Iran, which has very little influence on the 'Houthis', the idea that it is at the centre of a web of resistance might be comforting to the Zionists, and it might make a good sales pitch for the MIC, is completely mistaken. Any US/Israeli aggression against Iran at this point would simply multiply the number of forces over which it has little and diminishing control."
@bevin
I have to agree 100%; excellent analysis
The number 40 (as in the 'forty dead babies killed on 7th October') is of great significance in the Jewish religion. In the Bible, next to the number seven, the number forty occurs most frequently. For example:-
Forty Days.
The rain which brought about the Deluge lasted forty days; the same period passed between the appearance of the mountain-tops and the opening of the windows in the ark.
Moses was without food on Mount Horeb for forty days.
After he was baptized Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness.
Goliath challenged the army of Israel for forty days.
40 days is the period required for purification after the birth of a male, while after that of a female it is twice that number of days.
Forty Years.
Isaac married when forty years old as did Esau.
Moses was 40 when he was called to become the deliverer of his people.
A multiplication of 40 by 3, or three generations, is seen in the 120 years of the life of Moses.
Israel sojourned forty years in the desert.
The same period is given for the rule of each of several of the judges, and for the reigns of David, Solomon, and Joash.
480 years are stated to have passed between the Exodus and the building of the Temple of Solomon, a multiplication of forty by twelve (generations).
Forty in the Talmud.
A woman marrying after forty can not bear children.
In connection with Psalm 95, it is said that the Messianic age would last forty years.
The number forty had a fatal significance in connection with the destruction of the Second Temple - forty years before this catastrophe the Sanhedrin "went into exile", that is, left the premises of the temple.
A dry season of forty days is the condition for ordering a public fast.
Forty is also given as the number of the "principal labours" which are forbidden on the Sabbath.
Israel was oppressed by the Philistines for forty years.
The year 2028 may hold a particular significance as it will be 80 years since the beginning of Israeli Zionist oppression of the Palestinians.
Posted by: Siddhartha | Jan 5 2024 21:14 utc | 89
The remaining prisoners are all, with the exception of 1 or 2, all IDF or paramilitaries. That makes them POWs.
Please note
Posted by: Exile | Jan 5 2024 21:17 utc | 90
Another unexpected regional act: Jordan is signing on the genocide complaint brought by South Africa. Will Egypt be next?
Posted by: abierno | Jan 5 2024 17:58 utc | 37
57 countries together (OIC) signed on to South Africa's application to the ICJ the very next day on 30th December 2023 but as usual these things go unreported.
It would be nice if Brazil, China, India and Mexico etc. make a statement (I have not seen any).
Why OIC did not do it: Arab / Muslim countries would not stand a chance. They already stand accused of supporting every terrorist group in history's humanity not to mention being anti-Israel and all the rest of it. Western MSM would have had a field day shredding their claims. But it's hard to attack the South African apartheid experience. As Mandela had said: we are not free until Palestine is free.
I do not think Russia will make any statement but I will be happy to be proven wrong.
Imho the irony is that Russia is fighting an existential battle against NATO in Ukraine but has been perfectly aligned with NATO on Israel for two decades: From 2002 until March 2021, Russia along with the EU, US and "UN" (whatever that is) has been part of the bloc proactively working for Israel to subvert Palestinian rights per international law.
The basis of Russia's SMO was that Donbas was a genocide situation. But prior to 2022 Russia did not file an application with ICJ over eight years of Ukronazi attacks.
If Donbas is genocide, clearly so is Gaza. Putin, Lavrov and other officials have only released a barrage of word salad that sounds like utter bunkum. (but only Karlof1 can provide the "correct" interpretation).
Russia does not want its assets in Syria to be threatened. It will work with Syria, Iran and BRICS to do the absolute minimum necessary to protect its interests without offending Israel.
Russia has observer status with OIC but imho that is only to keep an eye on their Central Asai interests. In another thread someone had said Chechnya and Dagestan are useful only as a kind of buffer zone for "Russia proper" while Chechens are the "sword arm of the RF", sent ahead to do the bloodiest fighting as with the nastiest Ukronazis early on in the SMO. (Forgive my cynicism but my Russian friends have made too many derogatory comments about farawy republics).
There may be seven times as many Muslims in Russia as dual citizen Russian Jews but to understand the connection refer to a Brookings Report "To understand the long standing Russia Israel
The other tribe: Israel’s Russian-speaking community and how it is changing the country"
Lily Galili (ex-Haaretz) September 21, 2020
OIC Welcomes South Africa’s International Court of Justice Suit against Israel Over Genocide
Date: 30/12/2023
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has welcomed the suit filed by the Republic of South Africa at the International Court of Justice for the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people committed by Israel, the occupying power.
The OIC has affirmed that the indiscriminate targeting by Israel, the occupying power, of the civilian population and the thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, killed, injured, forcibly displaced, and denied basic necessities and humanitarian assistance and the destruction of houses, health, educational and religious institutions, in their totality constitute mass genocide.
The OIC called upon the Court to respond expeditiously and take urgent measures to stop this mass genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli defense forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Posted by: pq | Jan 5 2024 21:17 utc | 91
"I think the Marxist paradigm of class consciousness arising from one's relationship to the means of production accounts for the origin and nature of both neocons and Trotskyites. Anarchism, Trotskyism, and Fascism are all petite bourgeois ideologies in the Marxist schema, and neocons are a particular expression of petite bourgeois 'climbing.' In all cases, 'believers' align themselves with the interests of the big bourgeoisie when those conflict with the interests of the working class."
Posted by: Honzo | Jan 5 2024 19:37 utc | 72
Wow!
Concise, scary and unfortunately, quite accurate.
Sober discussion with Trita Parsi from the Quincy Institute, speaking out truths the Western public needs to hear. Nothing new for barflies, but of note that it has >100,000 views in 1 day. The reporters are also approaching this totally unlike usual MSM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B5v0SYy-IU
Posted by: Lathe Biosas | Jan 5 2024 21:34 utc | 93
"Along with others, I tend to get caught up in either the situational reports or the HUGE big picture, but it just occurred to me, as though it had never before (but it has): None of this would even be necessary if it wasn't for the duplicitous, disingenuous refusal of the hardline Zionist "Greater Israel" faction in Tel Aviv and Washington (arguably London and even Moscow?) had just acted honestly with regard to either a one- or two-state solution. Literally either one would have prevented this war and genocide."
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jan 5 2024 20:59 utc | 86
With all due respect, Mr. Collins, you are targeting only the 'errand boys'; the head of the snake is the City of London
[...] The lawsuit says, “A single phone call by [Israeli military] to the commander responsible for the party to disperse it immediately in view of the expected danger would have saved lives and prevented the physical and mental injuries of hundreds of partygoers, including the plaintiffs.”The Israeli government ignored warnings years, months, and days before October 7. According to the New York Times, Tel Aviv received a detailed copy of the battle plans used by Hamas. “Israeli officials obtained Hamas’s battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show,” the report says. “But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.”
Haaretz notes that in the months leading up to the attack, the Israeli intelligence community received a report from a source inside that Hamas was gearing up for the assault on southern Israel. The outlet additionally reports that the day before the attack, the Israeli military had enough details about the attack to begin to prepare and warn the Nova concertgoers.
Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility for the attack and claims that an investigation is inappropriate while the war in Gaza is ongoing. Throughout his decades as Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu has supported Hamas in order to prevent negotiations on a two-state solution.
LIHOP
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jan 5 2024 21:49 utc | 95
Posted by: Honzo | Jan 5 2024 19:37 utc | 72
Posted by: canuck | Jan 5 2024 21:22 utc | 93
You are wrong in your assertion that Anarchists 'align themselves with the interests of the big bourgeoisie when those conflict with the interests of the working class'.
Anarchism is the 'purest' form of socialism and is opposed to Marxism and capitalism.
Posted by: Siddhartha | Jan 5 2024 21:54 utc | 96
https://english.almanar.com.lb/2018876
Detailed version Nasrallah speech
Posted by: pq | Jan 5 2024 21:58 utc | 97
It's good to see others expressing sane thoughts! Is-hell is a colonial-genocidal-project. The Resistance will survive the death throes of a drowning man, i.e. the West.
Posted by: Ole Skool | Jan 5 2024 22:02 utc | 98
Israel has had jews continuously residing for over 2000 years. Virtually all gazans are arab interlopers. Israel is the ancestral home of the jews not the arabs. MOA has to be reminded of the massive amount of colonizations and imperialism of the arabs and arab's major involvement in the slave trade. Also, virtually all the gazans are not a separate ethnic group, but are Arabs.
Those are facts, but they do not justify killing colonizers nor genocide nor ethnic cleansing of anybody. People need to make compromises and settle differences peacefully.
Posted by: Genocidal | Jan 5 2024 22:26 utc | 101
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Go vomit that myth to the Native Americans and the Australian Aboriginals, where it is NOT a 2000-year-old myth, but a reality that goes back 10 to 12 thousand years.
Posted by: Ed | Jan 5 2024 22:35 utc | 99
Mike pens goes to israel writes on a bomb about to dropped on Gaza. You think given even articles relating to the war crimes actions about to happen , ( this would link him directly) they would refrain , but no it's full steam ahead on the genocide train.
https://t.me/ResistanceTrenchGC2/111302
Posted by: Hankster | Jan 5 2024 22:36 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
The people here need to decide whether Israel does not have the money or capacity to even enter Gaza, or has appetite for conflicts with both Hamas and Hezbollah.
It can't be both.
As to Ritter, he has a big, big mouth. This is the guy whom I heard say in 2022 "mark my words, by the end of the year China will have taken Taiwan" (or words to that effect). And if memory serves, he is also among the guys who said the IDF would be pulverised if they even dared to enter Gaza. Turns out Israel is now discussing how they will run the outfit when they have taken all of it. Ouch.
It's easy to have a big mouth on a Youtube channel. The problem is that reality always catches up with the big statements.
This does not seem to be a problem for Ritter, though, as he will keep making more big statements about other conflicts, pleasing his (cough) fangirls online...
Meanwhile, Israel gears for a long-term, Hamas-balls-crushing operations in Gaza. I'd love to know how Ritter would have reacted when told, in October, that we would be where we are now.
I have stopped taking Ritter seriously a long time ago. He only wants to excite his cheerleaders.
Posted by: Augusto Pi | Jan 5 2024 16:29 utc | 1