One of the biggest demonstrations in British history too place today, demanding Israel stop defending itself. I'm scared for Israel, with that level of either public ignorance or hostility in advanced countries. This was a helpful article, but academics are already redefining all the terms & slogans - like jihad & from the river to the sea - in their unmistakably Orwellian way.
Are you sure this speech was given in 2014? As Jordan Peterson posted on X to a lot of online criticism: "Give them hell!" Gloves are off. 30 days today.
Anyone feeling there is some degree of moral equivalence between the two sides should ask themselves these questions formulated by Sam Harris:
1. Can you imagine Israel using Israeli women and children as human shields, as Hamas does with Palestinian women and children?
2. If they did, would that deter Hamas from attacking and thus killing innocents, or would it encourage them to do so?
The fascinating thing is that those who posit that there is moral equivalence, or that one side is as bad as the other, or even that Hamas is justified in its brutal actions decline to answer. They know the answers (which are, after all, perfectly obvious) yet still refuse to say them. To my mind that makes them wicked: they know the side they support is evil, and they don't care.
The notion that Hamas' war against Israel is a justifiable act to free Palestine is a lie written with the blood of innocents, and the myth that Hamas is a representative government deserving of diplomacy and negotiation is disgusting to me. Michael Walzer's commentary speaks well to the idea that terrorism as a force for change will always put tyranny on the throne it seeks to assume.
It is absolutely eerie how apropos this article from >10 years ago is to the current conflict. All the same players, all the same lies - just magnified. It’s as if Hamas decided that since it worked so well last time… “if a little is good, a lot is better”. Depressingly, it seems to be working. The IDF needs to finish the job this time and eliminate Hamas as a military and political entity. Hamas Delenda Est
The article is incredible at describing the very dangerous myths that people would rather believe than to face the very disturbing fact of the evil that is present. I've sent it to everyone I know.
Another myth- Isreal is a "colonizer" when the exact opposite is true. Muslims conquered Jerusalem in the 6th century. Bringing up another myth/lie- that Jews aren't indigenous to the area.
It's the Blood Libel all over again. The antisemites will find a reason, even a lie, to make their cause seem just and blame the Jews.
Jew-hatred is special. Racism in America or South Africa or Japan, for example, is bad, immoral. It's not genocidal. The antisemitism of the jihadists is no different than nazism. In fact all antisemitism is the same - it seeks annihilation of every Jew.
These jihadist islamists desire a Middle East without Jews - a two state solution is not acceptable to them. One side wants the other side dead.
It's Pastor Niemöller - FIRST THEY CAME; after the Jews they'll come after all other "infidels." This is everyone's fight.
The Jews have been a success in every corner of the world they've lived because they assimilate, work hard, and obey the laws. Are there "bad" Jews? Of course there are. There is bad in EVERY group! Jews have also contributed significantly to the betterment of these societies as much as any immigrant group.
If Hamas and those it claims to represent need to lie about its actions and Israel's actions one must conclude the cause of Hamas is unjust. If not, why lie?
Fact - on October 7th we saw the mask finally removed and all the depravity and ugliness of Hamas revealed. Yet still there are those who refuse to look.
Do not treat them as "reasonable people." Do not listen to their siren's song. Reject their lies. Do not regard them as "good but misguided." They are the handmaidens of evil..
Give them no succor or rest. Hound them from our land and from decent society.
What I find striking in this time is the US preference for war with Russia via its Ukrainian proxy, when clearly Russia desired a negotiated settlement. While at the same time attempting a negotiated settlement with Hamas who are 100% committed to war and the complete destruction of Israel.
What now appears likely is the destruction of the Ukrainian state and all but certain loss of Donbas & Crimea, and likely loss of the rest of its coastal areas.
Meanwhile, the Arab/Islamic world is coalescing around Hamas and seeing what is perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity to destroy Israel without triggering a larger conflagration with the US led NATO coalition. Another US lead middle east war would likely unleash the large & restive Islamic population in the US & Europe who are young, disenfranchised and dangerously energized against the aging, demoralized & impotent US & European leadership and citizenry. (Except, perhaps, here in Texas)
It's hard to see how this series of events does not lead to disaster and massive bloodshed in the west, while Russia and China (and the 'third world' countries) stand back and watch their geopolitical rivals make a series of potentially fatal mistakes.
Well, for nearly a decade before hostilities began, then immediately after they began, and then again a few months after they began. Now that the tide is turning in Russia's favor, Ukraine has little to leverage as Russia already controls the east, Crimea and soon the entire coast. Plus, Russia is acquiring valuable intelligence about US/NATO systems, strategies and tactics.
Of course, Russia has long been on the record warning that Ukraine's admission to NATO would provoke an immediate military response. Not too unlike what one might imagine the USA's response would be if, say, Russia planned to install a military-missile base in Cuba. Which is to say, it was an utterly predictable response by Russia and one NATO did nothing to prevent. Based on current commentary from political and military leaders, this war is 'a great investment' for the US. Let that sink in.
Famously, former US Russia ambassador/now head of CIA William Burns sent a internal memo ('Nyet means nyet') stating that across the entire political spectrum of Russian leadership, any further eastward incursion of NATO, particularly into Ukraine, would be perceived as an existential threat to Russia's security and would be dealt with as such.
Right up to the commencement of hostilities, Russia sought assurances from the US/NATO that Ukraine would not be admitted to NATO to prevent war. (Why bother, one might ask, when all previous assurances were honored in the breach, e.g. from James Baker's 'not one inch eastward' up to the the Minsk Agreement, which Angela Merkel admitted was merely a ploy to buy time for Ukraine to prepare for war)
At the outset, Russia clearly miscalculated and thought Ukraine would sue for peace soon after being invaded by what was a modest sized Russian attack force, and certainly one incapable of defeating and occupying all of Ukraine. Even then, there is data indicating that Zalensky was open to negotiating, but the Azov nationalists were vehemently/violently opposed and he punted.
A few months later, peace efforts by Erdogan in Turkey led to a tacit agreement between Russia/Ukraine that was to be fleshed out, but BoJo intervened with Zalensky informing him that the US/NATO would not go along with any peace deal with Russia.
Now it seems clear that the US/NATO severely underestimated Russia's military staying power, especially in light of the uncertainties stemming from a potentially large war in the middle east. For its part, NATO leadership are looking increasingly like impotent bloviators while Russia has fully converted to a wartime economy and appears quite content with a war of attrition.
What is needed in the West is the rise of a new Charles Martel or Rodrigo Diaz to galvanize its neutered populace. Orban and a few others already get it. There is no temporizing with Islam
And the true war mongers and perpetrators of war are those who hold only Israel to account. I believe that myth number 7, Hamas will stop if Israel is wiped out, is the unspoken one that non Muslims believe most fervently. Never spoken, but lurking in the back ground. Like Christianity, but prosecuted in a much more twisted manner, Islam is to convert the world. The difference is in how it is done. In the end though, it s God's plan being executed as he dictates. The end is indisputable, the time is not known. Even if you don't believe the Bible, it is a scientific fact this world will not last forever. And nothing guarantees it will be "climate change" that spells the end of earth. I find it amusing growing up in the sixties and living in Omaha NE, which we knew was number one on Russia's hit list of who to nuke first because we lived right next to SAC HQ,, practicing nuke strike drills at school, getting under our 4 legged desks with hands folded behind our necks was a valid thing to teach. Civility and gentleness have never averted or won a war. And people die. More by fentanyl in this country than any bombings of Gaza by Israel.
Outstanding. Nothing has changed today. When the massacre occurred on 10/7 I said that Israel needs to go it alone. Hopefully the U.S. supports them this time, but they need to eliminate the threat. It will be challenging and lots of people will die, but they are an existential threat. I’m not convinced we won’t attack Iran either. A nuclear weapon in the hands of a death cult is not a risk even the authoritative regimes of the Middle East are probably comfortable with.
This also explains the reporting from Gaza and why the NYTs recently hired a Nazi sympathizer. Nothing is as it seems and everything is as it seems.
Hamas and some portion of the civilians living there are a death cult with the sole mission of killing Jews. If they can accomplish this feat, they will move on to the west. They keep telling us who they are and what they want. Let’s finally believe them.
One of the biggest demonstrations in British history too place today, demanding Israel stop defending itself. I'm scared for Israel, with that level of either public ignorance or hostility in advanced countries. This was a helpful article, but academics are already redefining all the terms & slogans - like jihad & from the river to the sea - in their unmistakably Orwellian way.
Alternative headline format least 2 of these myths: You know nothing Jon Snow.
Are you sure this speech was given in 2014? As Jordan Peterson posted on X to a lot of online criticism: "Give them hell!" Gloves are off. 30 days today.
Wow, incredible write-up, thank you for the education. Yes, this needs to be shared worldwide!
Anyone feeling there is some degree of moral equivalence between the two sides should ask themselves these questions formulated by Sam Harris:
1. Can you imagine Israel using Israeli women and children as human shields, as Hamas does with Palestinian women and children?
2. If they did, would that deter Hamas from attacking and thus killing innocents, or would it encourage them to do so?
The fascinating thing is that those who posit that there is moral equivalence, or that one side is as bad as the other, or even that Hamas is justified in its brutal actions decline to answer. They know the answers (which are, after all, perfectly obvious) yet still refuse to say them. To my mind that makes them wicked: they know the side they support is evil, and they don't care.
The notion that Hamas' war against Israel is a justifiable act to free Palestine is a lie written with the blood of innocents, and the myth that Hamas is a representative government deserving of diplomacy and negotiation is disgusting to me. Michael Walzer's commentary speaks well to the idea that terrorism as a force for change will always put tyranny on the throne it seeks to assume.
https://www.theatlantic.com/feed/author/michael-walzer/
We're not going to win the information war because Jew-haters control the flow of information. Period.
Israel should treat the propagandists for outlets like the BBC, CNN and the NYT as enemy combatants and inciters of hate.
It is absolutely eerie how apropos this article from >10 years ago is to the current conflict. All the same players, all the same lies - just magnified. It’s as if Hamas decided that since it worked so well last time… “if a little is good, a lot is better”. Depressingly, it seems to be working. The IDF needs to finish the job this time and eliminate Hamas as a military and political entity. Hamas Delenda Est
The article is incredible at describing the very dangerous myths that people would rather believe than to face the very disturbing fact of the evil that is present. I've sent it to everyone I know.
Another myth- Isreal is a "colonizer" when the exact opposite is true. Muslims conquered Jerusalem in the 6th century. Bringing up another myth/lie- that Jews aren't indigenous to the area.
Thank you for posting this. Here are TRUTHS:
It's the Blood Libel all over again. The antisemites will find a reason, even a lie, to make their cause seem just and blame the Jews.
Jew-hatred is special. Racism in America or South Africa or Japan, for example, is bad, immoral. It's not genocidal. The antisemitism of the jihadists is no different than nazism. In fact all antisemitism is the same - it seeks annihilation of every Jew.
These jihadist islamists desire a Middle East without Jews - a two state solution is not acceptable to them. One side wants the other side dead.
It's Pastor Niemöller - FIRST THEY CAME; after the Jews they'll come after all other "infidels." This is everyone's fight.
The Jews have been a success in every corner of the world they've lived because they assimilate, work hard, and obey the laws. Are there "bad" Jews? Of course there are. There is bad in EVERY group! Jews have also contributed significantly to the betterment of these societies as much as any immigrant group.
If Hamas and those it claims to represent need to lie about its actions and Israel's actions one must conclude the cause of Hamas is unjust. If not, why lie?
Fact - on October 7th we saw the mask finally removed and all the depravity and ugliness of Hamas revealed. Yet still there are those who refuse to look.
Do not treat them as "reasonable people." Do not listen to their siren's song. Reject their lies. Do not regard them as "good but misguided." They are the handmaidens of evil..
Give them no succor or rest. Hound them from our land and from decent society.
What I find striking in this time is the US preference for war with Russia via its Ukrainian proxy, when clearly Russia desired a negotiated settlement. While at the same time attempting a negotiated settlement with Hamas who are 100% committed to war and the complete destruction of Israel.
What now appears likely is the destruction of the Ukrainian state and all but certain loss of Donbas & Crimea, and likely loss of the rest of its coastal areas.
Meanwhile, the Arab/Islamic world is coalescing around Hamas and seeing what is perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity to destroy Israel without triggering a larger conflagration with the US led NATO coalition. Another US lead middle east war would likely unleash the large & restive Islamic population in the US & Europe who are young, disenfranchised and dangerously energized against the aging, demoralized & impotent US & European leadership and citizenry. (Except, perhaps, here in Texas)
It's hard to see how this series of events does not lead to disaster and massive bloodshed in the west, while Russia and China (and the 'third world' countries) stand back and watch their geopolitical rivals make a series of potentially fatal mistakes.
Russia wants a negotiated settlement? Since when?
Well, for nearly a decade before hostilities began, then immediately after they began, and then again a few months after they began. Now that the tide is turning in Russia's favor, Ukraine has little to leverage as Russia already controls the east, Crimea and soon the entire coast. Plus, Russia is acquiring valuable intelligence about US/NATO systems, strategies and tactics.
Of course, Russia has long been on the record warning that Ukraine's admission to NATO would provoke an immediate military response. Not too unlike what one might imagine the USA's response would be if, say, Russia planned to install a military-missile base in Cuba. Which is to say, it was an utterly predictable response by Russia and one NATO did nothing to prevent. Based on current commentary from political and military leaders, this war is 'a great investment' for the US. Let that sink in.
Famously, former US Russia ambassador/now head of CIA William Burns sent a internal memo ('Nyet means nyet') stating that across the entire political spectrum of Russian leadership, any further eastward incursion of NATO, particularly into Ukraine, would be perceived as an existential threat to Russia's security and would be dealt with as such.
Right up to the commencement of hostilities, Russia sought assurances from the US/NATO that Ukraine would not be admitted to NATO to prevent war. (Why bother, one might ask, when all previous assurances were honored in the breach, e.g. from James Baker's 'not one inch eastward' up to the the Minsk Agreement, which Angela Merkel admitted was merely a ploy to buy time for Ukraine to prepare for war)
At the outset, Russia clearly miscalculated and thought Ukraine would sue for peace soon after being invaded by what was a modest sized Russian attack force, and certainly one incapable of defeating and occupying all of Ukraine. Even then, there is data indicating that Zalensky was open to negotiating, but the Azov nationalists were vehemently/violently opposed and he punted.
A few months later, peace efforts by Erdogan in Turkey led to a tacit agreement between Russia/Ukraine that was to be fleshed out, but BoJo intervened with Zalensky informing him that the US/NATO would not go along with any peace deal with Russia.
https://intellinews.com/former-german-leader-schroeder-divulges-more-detail-on-thwarted-russia-ukraine-peace-deal-297990/?source=russia.
Now it seems clear that the US/NATO severely underestimated Russia's military staying power, especially in light of the uncertainties stemming from a potentially large war in the middle east. For its part, NATO leadership are looking increasingly like impotent bloviators while Russia has fully converted to a wartime economy and appears quite content with a war of attrition.
What is needed in the West is the rise of a new Charles Martel or Rodrigo Diaz to galvanize its neutered populace. Orban and a few others already get it. There is no temporizing with Islam
And the true war mongers and perpetrators of war are those who hold only Israel to account. I believe that myth number 7, Hamas will stop if Israel is wiped out, is the unspoken one that non Muslims believe most fervently. Never spoken, but lurking in the back ground. Like Christianity, but prosecuted in a much more twisted manner, Islam is to convert the world. The difference is in how it is done. In the end though, it s God's plan being executed as he dictates. The end is indisputable, the time is not known. Even if you don't believe the Bible, it is a scientific fact this world will not last forever. And nothing guarantees it will be "climate change" that spells the end of earth. I find it amusing growing up in the sixties and living in Omaha NE, which we knew was number one on Russia's hit list of who to nuke first because we lived right next to SAC HQ,, practicing nuke strike drills at school, getting under our 4 legged desks with hands folded behind our necks was a valid thing to teach. Civility and gentleness have never averted or won a war. And people die. More by fentanyl in this country than any bombings of Gaza by Israel.
Thank you for the article
Outstanding. Nothing has changed today. When the massacre occurred on 10/7 I said that Israel needs to go it alone. Hopefully the U.S. supports them this time, but they need to eliminate the threat. It will be challenging and lots of people will die, but they are an existential threat. I’m not convinced we won’t attack Iran either. A nuclear weapon in the hands of a death cult is not a risk even the authoritative regimes of the Middle East are probably comfortable with.
This also explains the reporting from Gaza and why the NYTs recently hired a Nazi sympathizer. Nothing is as it seems and everything is as it seems.
Hamas and some portion of the civilians living there are a death cult with the sole mission of killing Jews. If they can accomplish this feat, they will move on to the west. They keep telling us who they are and what they want. Let’s finally believe them.