I'm astonished by the reductive and factually incorrect Newspeak on The Free Press's "coverage" of Israel v. Hamas. Newspeak is being kind because Orwell defined that as a consequence of the fall of democracy. What's depressing is that Ms. Weiss and her clique seem oblivious to the rational analyses of others. The Free Press pieces on the Middle East in the last few months have been shamefully reductive, ignorant of the facts and deeply amoral. But since I know they won't be receptive to ideas, let me argue (as a Jew who's read the Torah in Hebrew) why what Israel is doing now will HURT Jews and lead antisemitism, already on the upswing, to surge. I know I'm preaching to a frightened crowd that doesn't want to be "converted" by facts, so I won't suggest anything they'd view as unorthodox (eg the forced poverty of the Gazans, which has created long lines of young men eager to join Hamas. Shamefully Free Press readers are only to read stuff that confirms their reptilian fears. Anyway here's trying to convey why Barrie and people like Niall whom I'm embarrassed at having published as an LA Times book editor should care:
1. The ridiculous CW that "there are no options" other than Israelis killing Gazans is more obviously ridiculous to Israeli's enemies than Barri and Niall think. Israeli's last three campaigns to "externinate" Hamas (yes, Palestinians in their view are stupid dark skinned "rats") have failed to accomplish that goal. Israelis know this but Americans led by Weiss are so clueless that they're advocating actions that will redound to their Jewish disadvantage. Of course the Oct. 7 Hamas slaughter of Israelis was horrific. But it was not a Holocuast nor a pogrom. Israel has since killed scores more of Gazans than Hamas did. How many more must die? I'm guessing Bari and Niall will say "countless" because they're operating from the sort of blood vengeance that the foundational Jewish text (the Torah) condemned. In other words, they're Jews who know nothing about Judaism. But ignorance is bliss in the "Free" lol press. So I'll conclude by saying "Yes! Keep the slaughter going!" But where should the killing end?" The Free Press may respond like Netanyahu that "it should end when we kill all of our opponents." But the joke is on these writers because any people systemically condemned to poverty will eventually rise against their perceived oppressors. That's the basic argument. Should anyone on this thread care to do a few minutes of research, check out the Jewish authored RAND report on "Contiguity." (That's hard to spell but maybe some FP readers could google it.) It says what I've said before.
I'm astonished by the reductive and factually incorrect Newspeak on The Free Press's "coverage" of Israel v. Hamas. Newspeak is being kind because Orwell defined that as a consequence of the fall of democracy. What's depressing is that Ms. Weiss and her clique seem oblivious to the rational analyses of others. The Free Press pieces on the Middle East in the last few months have been shamefully reductive, ignorant of the facts and deeply amoral. But since I know they won't be receptive to ideas, let me argue (as a Jew who's read the Torah in Hebrew) why what Israel is doing now will HURT Jews and lead antisemitism, already on the upswing, to surge. I know I'm preaching to a frightened crowd that doesn't want to be "converted" by facts, so I won't suggest anything they'd view as unorthodox (eg the forced poverty of the Gazans, which has created long lines of young men eager to join Hamas. Shamefully Free Press readers are only to read stuff that confirms their reptilian fears. Anyway here's trying to convey why Barrie and people like Niall whom I'm embarrassed at having published as an LA Times book editor should care:
1. The ridiculous CW that "there are no options" other than Israelis killing Gazans is more obviously ridiculous to Israeli's enemies than Barri and Niall think. Israeli's last three campaigns to "externinate" Hamas (yes, Palestinians in their view are stupid dark skinned "rats") have failed to accomplish that goal. Israelis know this but Americans led by Weiss are so clueless that they're advocating actions that will redound to their Jewish disadvantage. Of course the Oct. 7 Hamas slaughter of Israelis was horrific. But it was not a Holocuast nor a pogrom. Israel has since killed scores more of Gazans than Hamas did. How many more must die? I'm guessing Bari and Niall will say "countless" because they're operating from the sort of blood vengeance that the foundational Jewish text (the Torah) condemned. In other words, they're Jews who know nothing about Judaism. But ignorance is bliss in the "Free" lol press. So I'll conclude by saying "Yes! Keep the slaughter going!" But where should the killing end?" The Free Press may respond like Netanyahu that "it should end when we kill all of our opponents." But the joke is on these writers because any people systemically condemned to poverty will eventually rise against their perceived oppressors. That's the basic argument. Should anyone on this thread care to do a few minutes of research, check out the Jewish authored RAND report on "Contiguity." (That's hard to spell but maybe some FP readers could google it.) It says what I've said before.
Shouldn't isn't going to enter Biden's calculous, nor will there be any serious move to disenfranchise Harris. It's going to be a rematch of Trump vs Biden.
Your willingness to continue to support Biden is emblematic of the willful isnorance that has consumed Democrats since 2016.
That ignorance is seriously costing the US domestically and internationally.
All too true, but it seems clear to me that we will need to negotiate and ultimately sacrifice nato expansion, in order to break the axis between Moscow and Beijing. We cannot afford to claim Russia is an aggressor, while our artillery fires on targets in range of Russian border. Imagine what we would,do if their artillery was on the Canadian border or in Cuba or Mexico. For peace to last, There must be a neutral buffer state between Russia and NATO. This was the plan for Ukraine back is 1990 when Baker negotiated with Gorbechev. The Russians have repeatedly demanded this as a condition. Therefore to reach a Nash equilibrium end state, Zalinski must be denied support until he agrees to negotiations leading to surrender of all Russian speaking regions of eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Maybe he can keep Odessa and have port on Black Sea if he is a good boy and plays ball nicely. Having all these vassals is fun is it not? In any rate, Israel may be forced to use nukes of Iran if they their is an attack from Lebanon or Syria on northern Israel. In this case they will not hold back and will totally flatten all major cities and army bases and oil fields. Israel has the needed attack submarine fleet and Cruze missiles to accomplish this.
What an ignorant bunch of nonsensical ridiculousness. This basically verbalizes Putin's wet dream and tries to couch it as being in the interest of the US. It is obviously not. To write this one must either be a hopeless fool, or a smart proxy for the other side.
My my tough guy full of talk. Your guys are getting creamed, you have zero ability to advance, your divisions are decimated. Yet you cannot face the truth and attack
the messenger and his motives. Well then, maybe you should explain where victor is hiding.. How many billions and dead are you willing to throw down a rat hole. What’s the plan? Where are the brigades? Where are the artillery rounds. Grow up.
Where did you see the tough guy talk? I just simply pointed out that you are repeating Putin's propaganda. And you went and added today's Russian TV talking point to yesterday's. Kind of tipping the probability towards "the shill" as opposed to "the fool" likelihood.
From Independence into the 1970s, Israel was an idea. Now it's merely a garrison. The idea is gone. Not words, not emotions, not bullets--all of those will fly. But the philosopher who could best describe what Israel already is, and will continue to become, is Carl Schmitt.
I do not understand why so many commenters think the Biden administration is weak: First, our President told Iran, without ever actually mentioning them by name, “don’t. Second, the Biden administration unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets. Thirdly, we sent two strike groups to the wrong gulf the Med instead of the Persian Gulf. Fourth, after 19 attacks and 30 casualties we sent two jets to bomb a Home Depot store full of rockets. Fifth, we are to provide $100M in humanitarian aid to the Hamas controlled Health Ministry. And finally the Administration has strengthened their talking points by saying “don’t do it”. Cumulatively, these actions and words should send a crystal clear message that we say what we do not mean, and we do what we don’t intend to do.
This is a very important article. I hope it is read by all of Substack's readers. Iran is playing the Long Game. Ultimately, this is Iran's war against the Great Satan, ie the US. Currently, Israel is only a proxy, an immediate goal.
Clearly, the immediate scenario is tying up Israel in the South, then launching a war in the North, Golan and Lebanon. Then an Intifada in the West Bank. This will tie up Israel and the US. The goal is the elimination of Israel.
The battlefield in the United States has already been prepared. With the intentional collaboration of two of our recent presidential terms, Iran got the message that it was eventually OK to have an atomic bomb and massive amounts of money were given to Iran to insure their not using the bomb. Money is fungible and is funding the war against the Great Satan.
Meanwhile in the US, the Left has inadvertently functioned as a "Fifth Column". The Left espouses "social justice", "social democracy", etc. ultmately hoping to weaken our current form of government and replace it with a "socialist" system. Iran has cleverly leveraged the Left's activities to further weaken the US for Iran's gains. How, by the creation of "useful idiots", by the domestic softening of our young and gullible old. The leftist Educrats, Media, and Culturalists have established that the US and Israel are colonial oppressors, confusing and neutralizing our young and giving our gullible old a reason to vote. This in turn weakens our resistance to defending our existence. For example, note the justifications for the protests that have occurred over the last four years, especially recently.
One of the great ironies of Iran's leveraging of the Left is that in order for the Left to get votes, the Left pretends to defend the very groups, ie LGBT+, Jews, Arabs, BLM, etc that the regime in Iran abhors. As Eric Hoffer pointed out, these would be the first ones to be eliminated were Iran to be successful.
However, the greatest irony in all of this is how many Jews and supporters of Israel have fallen for the Leftist line for so long, and are only now beginning to understand that they have been duped. As Stalin and Mao clarified, the Left is for the Great Helmsman and no one else.
In addition, open border policies have made us extremely vulnerable. We have no idea how many enemy combatants have entered the US over this open border. We have established that many have been turned back, but only a few are needed to successfully paralyze our infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Xi does not need to attack Taiwan. He can neutralize it with blockades. Bullying/Attacking a weaker Philippines will get him that much closer to Australia.
And all the while, Kim Jung Un gloats. Iran will fight to the last Arab and pick up the pieces of the Middle East. Xi will get all the oil he needs, and Putin will wear down Ukraine.
What would the response of the United States be in such a situation? We know. 78 years ago it dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 120,000 people immediately with many more dying and being maimed afterwards by radiation effects. Iran is a true and active threat to Israel's immediate existence. It has the nuclear weapons and Iran does not (yet). Connect the dots.
It's one thing to act. It's another to kill thousands of civlians in Gaza, most of whom have NOTHING to do with Hamas and do not support Hamas. I obviously, as a Jew, am not going to support or praise what Hamas did . However, to claim that their vicious attack justifies Isreal then killing ten times as many Palestinian civilians (in "exchange" or "retaliation" for the Israeli lives lost) is the very height of hypocrisy. I thought Niall Ferguson was smarter than that, but apparently not. I am so tired of this idea that is so prevalent among right wingers , that Israeli lives are worth so much more than Palestinian lives. I do not support Hamas and am dismayed by the rise in anti-Semitism since their attacks. I was shocked by the lack of compassion for Israeli lives lost. On the other hand, given this kind of response, I can't say I'm surprised those who support the Palestinian cause hate people who support Israel so much. Unfortunately the loudest voices in terms of people, like me, who don't believe Israel should be destroyed, nor that it does not have a right to exist, are people like the authors of this piece. it would be so nice if you had a just a tiny bit more diversity in your paper, not all these trump supporting right wing jerks, many of them racist and sexist. (here I'm not referring to this article, but others you have recently published. )
One of the solutions in Gaza is obvious: flood the tunnels with a few million acre-feet of water from the nearby Mediterranean. A few dozen powerful pumps and a dozen miles or so of 24-inch pipe would be a good start. It severely limits both collateral damage and the PR problem that goes with it. Egypt did exactly that in 2015 and it worked very well.
Israel is not fighting a war to prevent the enemy from displaying a successful "proof of concept."
that concept was proven about 1400 times. It is because it was proven that Israel has gone to war, and yes, it is a war of extermination. Until anyone left in Gaza will not dare to mention the name Hamas.
"...Severing the tentacles of the Islamic Republic’s “octopus” would not only allow Israel to come out stronger, but would go some way toward winning back the long-lost confidence of America’s regional partners, particularly in the Gulf...."
It would also go a long way towards restoring the confidence of the American public in the ability of our government to execute a foreign policy that enhances the security of the United States and our allies that are willing to stand up to the world's bad actors.
Jake Sullivan, like Ben Rhodes in the Obama administration, is not the foreign policy guru that he thinks he is, and he as been adept at carrying out Biden's storied history of f***ing up foreign policy matters.
I'm astonished by the reductive and factually incorrect Newspeak on The Free Press's "coverage" of Israel v. Hamas. Newspeak is being kind because Orwell defined that as a consequence of the fall of democracy. What's depressing is that Ms. Weiss and her clique seem oblivious to the rational analyses of others. The Free Press pieces on the Middle East in the last few months have been shamefully reductive, ignorant of the facts and deeply amoral. But since I know they won't be receptive to ideas, let me argue (as a Jew who's read the Torah in Hebrew) why what Israel is doing now will HURT Jews and lead antisemitism, already on the upswing, to surge. I know I'm preaching to a frightened crowd that doesn't want to be "converted" by facts, so I won't suggest anything they'd view as unorthodox (eg the forced poverty of the Gazans, which has created long lines of young men eager to join Hamas. Shamefully Free Press readers are only to read stuff that confirms their reptilian fears. Anyway here's trying to convey why Barrie and people like Niall whom I'm embarrassed at having published as an LA Times book editor should care:
1. The ridiculous CW that "there are no options" other than Israelis killing Gazans is more obviously ridiculous to Israeli's enemies than Barri and Niall think. Israeli's last three campaigns to "externinate" Hamas (yes, Palestinians in their view are stupid dark skinned "rats") have failed to accomplish that goal. Israelis know this but Americans led by Weiss are so clueless that they're advocating actions that will redound to their Jewish disadvantage. Of course the Oct. 7 Hamas slaughter of Israelis was horrific. But it was not a Holocuast nor a pogrom. Israel has since killed scores more of Gazans than Hamas did. How many more must die? I'm guessing Bari and Niall will say "countless" because they're operating from the sort of blood vengeance that the foundational Jewish text (the Torah) condemned. In other words, they're Jews who know nothing about Judaism. But ignorance is bliss in the "Free" lol press. So I'll conclude by saying "Yes! Keep the slaughter going!" But where should the killing end?" The Free Press may respond like Netanyahu that "it should end when we kill all of our opponents." But the joke is on these writers because any people systemically condemned to poverty will eventually rise against their perceived oppressors. That's the basic argument. Should anyone on this thread care to do a few minutes of research, check out the Jewish authored RAND report on "Contiguity." (That's hard to spell but maybe some FP readers could google it.) It says what I've said before.
I'm astonished by the reductive and factually incorrect Newspeak on The Free Press's "coverage" of Israel v. Hamas. Newspeak is being kind because Orwell defined that as a consequence of the fall of democracy. What's depressing is that Ms. Weiss and her clique seem oblivious to the rational analyses of others. The Free Press pieces on the Middle East in the last few months have been shamefully reductive, ignorant of the facts and deeply amoral. But since I know they won't be receptive to ideas, let me argue (as a Jew who's read the Torah in Hebrew) why what Israel is doing now will HURT Jews and lead antisemitism, already on the upswing, to surge. I know I'm preaching to a frightened crowd that doesn't want to be "converted" by facts, so I won't suggest anything they'd view as unorthodox (eg the forced poverty of the Gazans, which has created long lines of young men eager to join Hamas. Shamefully Free Press readers are only to read stuff that confirms their reptilian fears. Anyway here's trying to convey why Barrie and people like Niall whom I'm embarrassed at having published as an LA Times book editor should care:
1. The ridiculous CW that "there are no options" other than Israelis killing Gazans is more obviously ridiculous to Israeli's enemies than Barri and Niall think. Israeli's last three campaigns to "externinate" Hamas (yes, Palestinians in their view are stupid dark skinned "rats") have failed to accomplish that goal. Israelis know this but Americans led by Weiss are so clueless that they're advocating actions that will redound to their Jewish disadvantage. Of course the Oct. 7 Hamas slaughter of Israelis was horrific. But it was not a Holocuast nor a pogrom. Israel has since killed scores more of Gazans than Hamas did. How many more must die? I'm guessing Bari and Niall will say "countless" because they're operating from the sort of blood vengeance that the foundational Jewish text (the Torah) condemned. In other words, they're Jews who know nothing about Judaism. But ignorance is bliss in the "Free" lol press. So I'll conclude by saying "Yes! Keep the slaughter going!" But where should the killing end?" The Free Press may respond like Netanyahu that "it should end when we kill all of our opponents." But the joke is on these writers because any people systemically condemned to poverty will eventually rise against their perceived oppressors. That's the basic argument. Should anyone on this thread care to do a few minutes of research, check out the Jewish authored RAND report on "Contiguity." (That's hard to spell but maybe some FP readers could google it.) It says what I've said before.
Shouldn't isn't going to enter Biden's calculous, nor will there be any serious move to disenfranchise Harris. It's going to be a rematch of Trump vs Biden.
Your willingness to continue to support Biden is emblematic of the willful isnorance that has consumed Democrats since 2016.
That ignorance is seriously costing the US domestically and internationally.
All too true, but it seems clear to me that we will need to negotiate and ultimately sacrifice nato expansion, in order to break the axis between Moscow and Beijing. We cannot afford to claim Russia is an aggressor, while our artillery fires on targets in range of Russian border. Imagine what we would,do if their artillery was on the Canadian border or in Cuba or Mexico. For peace to last, There must be a neutral buffer state between Russia and NATO. This was the plan for Ukraine back is 1990 when Baker negotiated with Gorbechev. The Russians have repeatedly demanded this as a condition. Therefore to reach a Nash equilibrium end state, Zalinski must be denied support until he agrees to negotiations leading to surrender of all Russian speaking regions of eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Maybe he can keep Odessa and have port on Black Sea if he is a good boy and plays ball nicely. Having all these vassals is fun is it not? In any rate, Israel may be forced to use nukes of Iran if they their is an attack from Lebanon or Syria on northern Israel. In this case they will not hold back and will totally flatten all major cities and army bases and oil fields. Israel has the needed attack submarine fleet and Cruze missiles to accomplish this.
What an ignorant bunch of nonsensical ridiculousness. This basically verbalizes Putin's wet dream and tries to couch it as being in the interest of the US. It is obviously not. To write this one must either be a hopeless fool, or a smart proxy for the other side.
My my tough guy full of talk. Your guys are getting creamed, you have zero ability to advance, your divisions are decimated. Yet you cannot face the truth and attack
the messenger and his motives. Well then, maybe you should explain where victor is hiding.. How many billions and dead are you willing to throw down a rat hole. What’s the plan? Where are the brigades? Where are the artillery rounds. Grow up.
Where did you see the tough guy talk? I just simply pointed out that you are repeating Putin's propaganda. And you went and added today's Russian TV talking point to yesterday's. Kind of tipping the probability towards "the shill" as opposed to "the fool" likelihood.
I am not talking about propaganda. The propaganda is all the happy talk about victory. We are being creamed.
From Independence into the 1970s, Israel was an idea. Now it's merely a garrison. The idea is gone. Not words, not emotions, not bullets--all of those will fly. But the philosopher who could best describe what Israel already is, and will continue to become, is Carl Schmitt.
I do not understand why so many commenters think the Biden administration is weak: First, our President told Iran, without ever actually mentioning them by name, “don’t. Second, the Biden administration unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets. Thirdly, we sent two strike groups to the wrong gulf the Med instead of the Persian Gulf. Fourth, after 19 attacks and 30 casualties we sent two jets to bomb a Home Depot store full of rockets. Fifth, we are to provide $100M in humanitarian aid to the Hamas controlled Health Ministry. And finally the Administration has strengthened their talking points by saying “don’t do it”. Cumulatively, these actions and words should send a crystal clear message that we say what we do not mean, and we do what we don’t intend to do.
This is a very important article. I hope it is read by all of Substack's readers. Iran is playing the Long Game. Ultimately, this is Iran's war against the Great Satan, ie the US. Currently, Israel is only a proxy, an immediate goal.
Clearly, the immediate scenario is tying up Israel in the South, then launching a war in the North, Golan and Lebanon. Then an Intifada in the West Bank. This will tie up Israel and the US. The goal is the elimination of Israel.
The battlefield in the United States has already been prepared. With the intentional collaboration of two of our recent presidential terms, Iran got the message that it was eventually OK to have an atomic bomb and massive amounts of money were given to Iran to insure their not using the bomb. Money is fungible and is funding the war against the Great Satan.
Meanwhile in the US, the Left has inadvertently functioned as a "Fifth Column". The Left espouses "social justice", "social democracy", etc. ultmately hoping to weaken our current form of government and replace it with a "socialist" system. Iran has cleverly leveraged the Left's activities to further weaken the US for Iran's gains. How, by the creation of "useful idiots", by the domestic softening of our young and gullible old. The leftist Educrats, Media, and Culturalists have established that the US and Israel are colonial oppressors, confusing and neutralizing our young and giving our gullible old a reason to vote. This in turn weakens our resistance to defending our existence. For example, note the justifications for the protests that have occurred over the last four years, especially recently.
One of the great ironies of Iran's leveraging of the Left is that in order for the Left to get votes, the Left pretends to defend the very groups, ie LGBT+, Jews, Arabs, BLM, etc that the regime in Iran abhors. As Eric Hoffer pointed out, these would be the first ones to be eliminated were Iran to be successful.
However, the greatest irony in all of this is how many Jews and supporters of Israel have fallen for the Leftist line for so long, and are only now beginning to understand that they have been duped. As Stalin and Mao clarified, the Left is for the Great Helmsman and no one else.
In addition, open border policies have made us extremely vulnerable. We have no idea how many enemy combatants have entered the US over this open border. We have established that many have been turned back, but only a few are needed to successfully paralyze our infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Xi does not need to attack Taiwan. He can neutralize it with blockades. Bullying/Attacking a weaker Philippines will get him that much closer to Australia.
And all the while, Kim Jung Un gloats. Iran will fight to the last Arab and pick up the pieces of the Middle East. Xi will get all the oil he needs, and Putin will wear down Ukraine.
Entirely correct.
What would the response of the United States be in such a situation? We know. 78 years ago it dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 120,000 people immediately with many more dying and being maimed afterwards by radiation effects. Iran is a true and active threat to Israel's immediate existence. It has the nuclear weapons and Iran does not (yet). Connect the dots.
And what exactly is NATO saying? Shouldn't this be a NATO issue with allied support for Israel?
NATO has nothing to do with Israel at all. You might as well as what the Organization of American States thinks on the issue.
It's one thing to act. It's another to kill thousands of civlians in Gaza, most of whom have NOTHING to do with Hamas and do not support Hamas. I obviously, as a Jew, am not going to support or praise what Hamas did . However, to claim that their vicious attack justifies Isreal then killing ten times as many Palestinian civilians (in "exchange" or "retaliation" for the Israeli lives lost) is the very height of hypocrisy. I thought Niall Ferguson was smarter than that, but apparently not. I am so tired of this idea that is so prevalent among right wingers , that Israeli lives are worth so much more than Palestinian lives. I do not support Hamas and am dismayed by the rise in anti-Semitism since their attacks. I was shocked by the lack of compassion for Israeli lives lost. On the other hand, given this kind of response, I can't say I'm surprised those who support the Palestinian cause hate people who support Israel so much. Unfortunately the loudest voices in terms of people, like me, who don't believe Israel should be destroyed, nor that it does not have a right to exist, are people like the authors of this piece. it would be so nice if you had a just a tiny bit more diversity in your paper, not all these trump supporting right wing jerks, many of them racist and sexist. (here I'm not referring to this article, but others you have recently published. )
So what exactly do you suggest Israel do?
Ferguson's article is an accurate assessment.
One of the solutions in Gaza is obvious: flood the tunnels with a few million acre-feet of water from the nearby Mediterranean. A few dozen powerful pumps and a dozen miles or so of 24-inch pipe would be a good start. It severely limits both collateral damage and the PR problem that goes with it. Egypt did exactly that in 2015 and it worked very well.
Israel is not fighting a war to prevent the enemy from displaying a successful "proof of concept."
that concept was proven about 1400 times. It is because it was proven that Israel has gone to war, and yes, it is a war of extermination. Until anyone left in Gaza will not dare to mention the name Hamas.
"...Severing the tentacles of the Islamic Republic’s “octopus” would not only allow Israel to come out stronger, but would go some way toward winning back the long-lost confidence of America’s regional partners, particularly in the Gulf...."
It would also go a long way towards restoring the confidence of the American public in the ability of our government to execute a foreign policy that enhances the security of the United States and our allies that are willing to stand up to the world's bad actors.
Jake Sullivan, like Ben Rhodes in the Obama administration, is not the foreign policy guru that he thinks he is, and he as been adept at carrying out Biden's storied history of f***ing up foreign policy matters.
Well that was depressing.