“Don’t stop talking about Palestine,” says a billboard on the Jersey Turnpike. And more and more Americans are heeding the advice.
The Biden administration is panicked. It won’t do a thing to stop Israel from renewing its hateful obliteration of Gaza after a week-long truce, and it knows that this stance is alienating the progressive base.
So Biden says this time Israel must be more careful. “Be surgical, be targeted, be precise, try to minimize civilian casualties wherever possible.” J Street the liberal Zionist organization that sure looks like a rightwing Zionist organization in this war echoes the Biden line. Israel needs to exercise greater caution.
So this is how you deal with a monster– Lecture it on etiquette. When by your own logic, it was committing war crimes for 47 days before its pause?
And Israel doesn’t heed the advice. Another 700 Palestinians killed in a mere 24 hours. 6,000 of the total dead are children. Look at the merciless cruelty inflicted on individuals who have lost their entire families and are merely trying to limp out of the way of the bombers. Look at the snipers picking off Palestinian children in their mother’s arms.
Still, Israel can count on American support. The Democratic establishment will fall into line to ignore this. Smart people like Amy Walter will say that it’s always been good “geopolitics” to support Israel, when it’s never been in the U.S. interest, despite all the propaganda. No the U.S. has alienated the world and all Americans of conscience by maintaining blind support for Israel — in the Israel lobby’s interest, the official Jewish community’s interest. And virtually the entire House signs off on a bill equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
And Israel can count on Tom Friedman to explain the necessity for the slaughter of
Palestinian civilians, so as to deter Hamas. “You destroy our villages, we will destroy yours 10 times more. This is ugly stuff, but the Middle East is a Hobbesian jungle.”
But this armchair warrior who won’t regret the Iraq war is 70 now. He can’t stay at the wheel forever. And that’s why the Democrats are terrified. They are losing their grip on the young. Look at this poll published by the Wall street Journal.
It’s not just Palestinian solidarity types who understand the impulse for the Hamas attack. Half of American youth does.
“Roughly half [51%] of Americans 18 to 24 years old think Hamas’s October attack was justified by grievances of the Palestinians, according to a Harvard Harris Poll. Just 9% of people aged 65 and older feel the same.”
Among 25-34 year olds, the numbers are nearly the same: 48% said justified; 52% said unjustified.
Yes that is shocking, so let’s repeat it. Of all Americans under 35, roughly half see the Hamas attack on civilians as justified by the grievances of the Palestinians.
Young Americans are seeing the enormity of apartheid. They are reading Mohammed El-Kurd. They are seeing Tareq Hajjaj’s incredible you-are-here reporting from Gaza.
They can’t unsee the genocide. They won’t stop talking about Palestine.
If attitudes of Americans are changing, it is in no small part due to the hard, courageous work you and the others here have done over the years. That is a worthy legacy. As for Friedman, I recall reading From Beirut to Jerusalem when it came out in paperback, over 30 years ago. I highlighted paragraphs on many pages. At the time, it was my main source of information about the region, and I mistook it for wisdom. I’ve learned a lot since then from several sources, none more important than this one. I avoid reading his column now, but when his name comes up, I recall his explanation of the reason why the U.S. invaded Iraq after 9/11: to tell the Arabs “suck on this.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwFaSpca_3Q
I was amazed to see my comment on that article by Friedman was OK’d by the NYT moderators:
“… this war [in Iraq] is the most important liberal, revolutionary U.S. democracy-building project since the Marshall Plan.” (Thomas L Friedman, 30 November 2003). A period of time sparing us from Mr Friedman’s opinions on war and peace would be of great benefit.
A tiny victory, but a heartening one.
Long time poll watchers like myself have learned not to trust polls, however, that “just 9% of people over 65 feel the same” I believe is wrong. Had dinner with three friends all PhD’s at a university close by 2 had core Christian pastors all over 65 all extreme extreme displeasure about what Israel is doing. All three retired university Prof’s. Those three have already decided they will not be voting for Biden again.
The ratio of murdered Israeli’s 1200 and murdered Palestinians closing in on 15 to 1 with close to 16,000 murdered after the weekend
Then met with the Republican Trump (3 have fallen off the Trump wagon, 3 still on) group I have been regularly talking with about issues last six years, they expressed anger towards Israel and what they are seeing on screens. I have convinced all of them to surf channels. Let them know years ago I choose to suffer through watching their channel Fox periodically. All over 65. In fact all mid 70’s. All had fair paying jobs at GM, Delphi, Frigidaire here in Dayton. All those jobs long gone.
Today on Morning Joe, we have Joe, Mika etc all banging on the Israel is right drums. Mika nodding her head as Jeffrey Goldberg repeats one of the persistently repeated Israeli mantras HAMAS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THE MURDERS ISRAEL HAS COMMITTED. . The 16,000 and counting murdered Palestinians are all the result of self inflicted murders, message being repeated over and over again.. Goldberg almost flips a fuse when Joe Scarborough or someone mentions reconstruction funds being raised. Goldberg quickly responds talking about raising funds is like putting the “cart before the horse.” It was clear from Goldberg’s comments he does not support people thinking about people wanting to raise funds to rebuild Gaza. That was visibly clear this morning on Morning Joe Then we see watch images of Palestinian adults children being transported on carts being pulled by donkey’s etc as Richard Engel reports Palestinians may not be able to access the “QR code” being put on Israeli flyers and out on phone messages on their smart phones with information about how Palestinians can go from quadrant 122 to quadrant 3 so that they are not blown apart. I can bet their are diabolical Israeli’s laughing behind the scenes as Palestinians told to leave the north now scrambling around like mice in a cage or an “open air prison” frantically wondering where the hell to go. What the fuck? You know there are sick Israeli’s and others snickering about this. I do believe that is how demented some Israeli’s have gotten.
We know Hamas members who committed those heinous acts have lost their minds
FMR Ambassador Michael Oren was on Jose Diaz Balarts program this morning/Monday. Oren still does not even get that he needs to at least try to fake some compassion for the 16,000 and counting murdered Palestinians while he goes on an on about the hostages. Yes they need to be released anyone sane wants that to happen.