I realize, my dear readers, that many have picked a side in this fight, which really isn’t theirs, but which they have made theirs to the extent it often seems this fight is more important to them than events at home.
There is a difference between "religious" and "fanatic". Both qualities are to be found in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and even warm and fuzzy Buddhism. There are, to name just one example, Israeli settlers who are every bit as fanatical, dangerous, and destabilizing as jihadis. But insane "Muslims" are disproportionately covered by mainstream news in comparison to the settlers and other racists and extremists in Israel.
The only fanaticism I see in Judaism is that of self-defense against relentless attack. Leave them alone and they will be the most peaceful people on Earth.
"The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre or the Hebron massacre, was a shooting massacre carried out by Baruch Goldstein, an American-Israeli physician and extremist of the far-right ultra-Zionist Kach movement. On 25 February 1994, during the Jewish holiday of Purim, which had overlapped in that year with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Goldstein opened fire with an assault rifle on a large gathering of Palestinian Muslims praying in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. He killed 29 people, several as young as 12 years, and wounded 125. Goldstein was overpowered and beaten to death by survivors.
The atrocity strained the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo Accords peace process, immediately setting off mass protests by Palestinians throughout the West Bank. During the ensuing clashes, a further 20 to 26 Palestinians were killed while 120 were injured in confrontations with the Israeli military, and 9 Israeli Jews were also killed.
Goldstein was widely denounced in Israel and by communities in the Jewish diaspora, with many attributing his act to insanity. Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin condemned the attack, describing Goldstein as a "degenerate murderer" and "a shame on Zionism and an embarrassment to Judaism". Some Jewish settlers in Hebron lauded him as a hero, viewing his attack as a pre-emptive strike and his subsequent death as an act of martyrdom. Following statements in support of Goldstein's actions, the Jewish ultranationalist Kach party was banned and designated a terrorist organization by the Israeli government."
Never in my life have I been so disgusted as when I read in the Jerusalem Report dat Goldstein's grave had become a site of pilgrimage for (part of) the young generation in Israel.
It was the nineties that weaned me off any sympathies for Zionism and the State of Israel.
I am familiar with the Dancing Israelis. Based on the rules of prima facie evidence, I'm still waiting for the proof. Like the case of UFOs, there are some compelling circumstances, but no cigar yet.
Israel is surrounded by barbarians. The situation has changed little over the centurie, being littlt different today than right after America’s founding.
Sad truth there. I am Catholic. Anyone would be hard pressed to find a more harsh critic of e.g., the present pope (!!), many events in the history of the papacy, abuses and crimes perpetrated by "Christians" in the name of Christ etc etc. All criticisms that apply to all "organized religions" as many say. Or organizations in general for that matter. Confirmation bias is a force to be reckoned with.
I admire and respect your postings. All men are indeed flawed; we must have more self-awareness and reflection. We can disagree and still remain good neighbors.
*** Apology in advance to Mr. Briggs for following act of self-indulgence.*** Mr. Ayala, these Substack thread lines confuse me, so I’ve picked one of your comments out to post a reply, i.e., my comment here is meant to apply only to the dialogue between you and me. Getting these threads mixed up in a comment section about censorship, vaccines etc. is not a big deal for me. But an error in this forum that might heighten tensions or misunderstandings about Israel-Palestine conflict, is something to be prevented. A frustrating afternoon because I had to go into town and could not delay any longer. Immediately after my very long post about the Hebron killings 30 years ago. Felt uneasy about posting that and then dashing away from my keyboard. What some might see as a kind of hit and run tactic.
The Goldstein killings are not something I ever think about or have ever been preoccupied with. Today I suddenly remembered it in a flash, when a thread turned to the question of religious fanaticism. Jewish/Muslim tensions only took on meaning for me after I arrived in Germany 23 years ago and was exposed to Muslims and Islam for the first time. Before that, Islam very vaguely meant camels and snake charmers, palm trees. 😊
Having grown up in New York City, on the other hand, Jews naturally belonged to the fabric of everyday life. My sister’s best girlfriend in childhood was the daughter of a Jewish couple who lived two doors away from us. Our neighborly interactions consisted of mutual respect and fondness. They were the best of neighbors. Two American families, going about their lives, but also somehow different in ways we did not really understand. They obviously did not know just what to make of us Irish-Americans, and they puzzled us no less. 😊
In my first year of high school, I was assaulted and knocked unconscious on the subway, returning from school. I was with three friends from my neighborhood. Two of them Jews. The violence happened so fast that none of us had a chance to react before the assailant fled. My father was a police officer. He knew and got along very well with the parents of one of my Jewish friends who witnessed the crime, and so he asked for their permission to take Luis with him and ride the same subway line where the assault took place. To hopefully identify and arrest the guy.
My father is sitting next to Luis and tells him if the assailant enters the subway car, Luis should only give my father a little nudge with his elbow and whisper “that’s him”. Nothing more. Sure enough, same time of day at which I was attacked, along comes the criminal, strutting through the subway cars. Luis leaps to his feet, points at the guy, and yells at the top of his lungs — “THAT’S HIM!” 🤣 🤣 Police service revolver and handcuffs appear, and my father had the great satisfaction of making the arrest. Thanks to one righteous and very angry boy who threw caution to the wind.
This interminable tale, true story in every detail, is my way of saying I feel quite sure that ethnic groups, people of different faiths, etc etc have throughout history often found ways to live in relative harmony, based on respect and the golden rule. And that this mother of all “which came first, the chicken or the egg” puzzles, about who was in the Levant first, who can lay legal claim to this land, the answer, if any there be, has been lost over the millennia … this can only remain a futile contest bound to result in more suffering.
The individuals really responsible for all the hatred and bloodshed are not primarily motivated by defending any faith or preserving any culture or nation. They are unwitting tools in service of the father of lies, Lucifer the evil one. And as such they are worthy of our prayers, that they may find in themselves the truth and attain salvation. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God” Matthew 5:9
I did not at all take your comment as aggressive or disrespectful in any way. I strongly disagree with your opinion. With your opinion, but without animosity or hostility toward you personally. I would like nothing better than to have every opportunity to talk, understand one another. And in this way maybe generate a little peace for all.
Don't give it a second thought. Whatever one might say that is not a personal attack, I am not allergic to being corrected or criticized by anyone acting in good faith. And it's already clear to me that you are sincere and honorable in your intentions 😊
That’s because you are propagandised. Islam is only a threat to you because of your imperialism . It’s a threat to empire not America (where Muslim immigrants are in fact largely of the same belief as everybody else - see the pew surveys ).
That’s point one.
Point two is that the US allies with both Islamic jihadists, and in particular the gulf states who fund them.
Islam is a threat everywhere it has power. It was founded by a warlord. It is supremacist through and through. It is misogynist. It is a powerful, diabolical, psyop.
Which religion caused the wars in Afghanistan via allowing 9/11 to happen? Which propagandized the US and NATO into invading Iraq on completely false, and known at the time to be false, pretenses? Which religion is committing atrocities again civilians on a weekly basis, for decades, as they expand their territory into another religion's land? Which brags of its assassinations and ownership (by bribery and sexual honeypot schemes) of many leaders and businesspeople in most countries in the world? Which helped create terrorist groups that started the civil war in Syria?
Hint: the answer isn't Islam (other than partially, only as part of the last item I noted above). I am not blaming a "religion" for the troubles of the world, but if you're going to do so, it's clear which one you should pick.
Which religion considers women inferior? Which religion thinks FGM is ok? Which religion blames rape on women? Which religion thinks slavery is fine? Which religion’s founder had sex with a nine year old? Which religion thinks honor killings are fine?
When Christians do bad things it’s bc they’re not following their religion. When Muslims do bad things, it’s right in their documents, founder, and history.
Five Israelis, Mossad, were in place in NJ to film the towers being hit. They were arrested by local police and later interrogated by the FBI; they were found with boxcutters, explosive residue in their van, etc. They said "its the palestinians you should worry about!" when being arrested. One of their phones had a picture of himself holding up a lighter to the NYC skyline from the day before the attack. They were held under arrest for months until higher ups (Ashcroft) released them. Their shell company, Urban Moving Systems, had plenty of contact with another moving company down in Florida who ALSO employed Israeli nationals.... but that FL shell moving company actually helped someone move in to their apartment when they came to the US.... guess who.... one of the 9/11 hijackers!
You are just ignorant of these facts - it is otherwise plain to see that Israel attacked us and Israel reaped all the benefits. Read up on what I allege, best done going to archive.org or similar and searching the Dancing Israeli topic. FBI reports (redacted) and news reports from 2001 back up everything I said.
Well, the Father of the Faithful, call hem Abraham or Ibrahim, set the example to all his believers. Just look it up in Gen.14. Moses is not very different, Yahwe is a man of war (Ex.15) and David is the greatest warlord of all. Why do you think the Church has been the cheerleader of so many wars and battles? All they had to do was open Scripture and put their finger on the right verse.
USA created the Islamic 'Jihadists' to be a proxy against Russia expansion (by invitation of the democratically elected government) into Afghanistan. They did not exist before 1979. When Russia withdrew, the USA then pushed the Jihadists into Dagestan and Chechnya. But for Putin, they would have destroyed the whole of Russia.
The Gulf states do not 'fund' the fanatics and would kill them all if they were not protected (like Israel) by the US. The US taxpayers are the only ones who fund the jihadists, the money is laundered through dozens of NGOs and false CIA accounts.
Ahh ... now I see what you were replying to. Yes, the lengthier threads often confuse me too. Those crazy long lines. :) Prayers of peace for you, Tsipora!
I very much agree Briggs. We must break out of the mindset that you can't be a friend to the Jews without supporting the government of Israel. We all understand that not all friends of American Patriots are rabid supporters of the Biden administration. That any friend of the Europeans must support Brussels will not be generally acknowledged. It would be like saying(~2700 years ago) that anyone who wished Israel well must support the Ahab and Jezebel government. We must allow ourselves to think the forbidden thought that the Israeli government might not be acting in the best interests of the Israeli people.
I don't want to be forced to choose a side either and I know full well that both sides contain bloodthirsty men. But let's be clear, the Iranians demonstrated 3 days ago that they can put missiles over the Knesset with impunity, that they can strike any target in Israel and they chose, not civilian targets, not population centers, but military runways. Think that through before you cast the characters in your morality play.
Can't thank you enough for posting this today. The freaking deluge of Subtack content on this topic that's been posted since I joined in February is reaching a level that's making the platform a really difficult place to be. Every day I am faced with unsubscribing or unfollowing Substack creators who I have admired and agreed with on almost everything -- EXCEPT for Middle East history and current events in that region. Now, does that exception to the rule not seem just a little odd? :) :) When that particular nerve is touched, so many, which ever "side" they are on, display hardly any knowledge of history and opinions born of media manipulation and distortion in favor of Israel. The predominance of voices equating Hamas with the Islamic faith in its entirety and all Muslims everywhere is nothing less than amazing. And as usual, forgotten gems like Glubb's writings and the like are not to be found amid all the inflamed and DANGEROUS ignorance. God bless!
As one who has indeed picked sides on the conflict I appreciate this article. My grandfather served as a soldier in the British Mandate far in advance of 1947 and he reported both sides shooting at British troops. Ambushes, terror attacks, with terrorist groups blending into the civilian population (cough cough).
The difference was that the Jews were strangely protected from reprisals. No matter what they did (blowing up hotels, booby trapping the bodies of dead British soldiers) there were never any of the usual punishments that would have accrued to Kenyan insurgents or others engaged in similar attacks on British assets.
It's a clear indication of who was running the British Empire by that point in time. There should have been reprisals but the lives of actual Britons mattered little to those who were carving a new ethno-state out of that region. As a person of European descent I know full well that both groups are traditional enemies, but I have a clear bias in terms of which group is the aggressor in this conflict and which represents the greatest threat to the rapidly decaying west.
Hmmm. I’d add that the Brits abandoned the mandate to the U.N. after 2 years of sustained terrorism against the Brits. In fact, Brit leadership cared a lot for its own soldiers, they didn’t want any more to die in Palestine. How does this fact fit into your POV?
I do think we should continue to support Israel, not because they're all good etcetera (they're not), not because it's the wisest political thing to do (it's not) but because Hamas is evil.
In this war:
Israel is doing everything it can to avoid killing civilians.
Hamas is doing everything it can to include the killing of civilians -because to Hamas any dead Jew is good. And not just in Israel but in Gaza, putting their own civilians in harms way-for media attention.
If you are sure Hamas is all evil, then be equally sure that Israel has funded this evil from the very beginning. The videos are in the public domain. You may hear Netanyahu and Smotrich say that funding Hamas is the wisest thing to do (in order to prevent the implementation of the by now obsolete two-state solution.)
Furthermore if I may, I do not know where you picked it up that Israel is doing everything to avoid killing civilians, but please watch this short clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmNJH4UN3s.
Israel is using Artificial Intelligence to target as many familymembers of any real or presumed Hamasnik as they possibly can. The technology goes by the name of Lavender (Sonderbehandlung would have been appropriate too). The strategy is called "Where is Daddy?" They won't strike until they are sure the family is at home, preferably in bed. We got this piece of news from Yuval Abraham, does not sound like an Arabic name to me.
By the standards of universalist morality both sides are evil. By the standards of the tribal morality to which both sides subscribe the matter of which side is evil is entirely relative.
Unless you belong to one or the other tribe you have no grounds for making a judgement as to which is worse.
I feel the same way. How long did it take for the Catholics and Protestants to stop chopping one another up? And all these people say they believe in God?
The link to the video of John Mearsheimer on the Electronic Intifada program has been removed by YouTube. I assume, since you linked to it, that it was removed overnight. It's not the Palestinians who are clamping down on our First Amendment. That is why so many conservatives, while not supporting the Palestinians, no longer accept the pro-Israel propaganda, and view both sides with disdain.
Don't think so ... religion in general is not the cause. On the contrary, sincere and devout faith in God is a solution. Cynically using religion and abusing/manipulating believers through mass media manipulation designed to pit people against one another -- these are the causes. Nothing new. "Divide and rule" is an ancient strategy.
Wow! Spot-on and clear as a bell--reality-based analysis. A true American point of view.
Isn't it amazing that average Americans are completely blind to the reality of the situation in the Middle East?
MIllenia-old ethnic antipathies are none of our business.
If you want to live in a neighborhood, you need to fit in. If you can't fit in, it ain't my problem. You steal land, start fights and pick on others in your neighborhood, you need to deal with the consequences.
American ignorance of the reality of the Middle East is completely due to capture of the media and information sources. But they're not happy with that--they're working at the state-level--Florida, S. Dakota, other neocon-led states are making it illegal to criticize Israel.
It's hilarious to see the fake "conservatives" twisting themselves in knots, after screaming about censorship, DIE, and bias, now the neocon gang--Rufo, Shapiro, et al--screams "anti-semitism" and is all for censoring and criminal charges against those who speak the truth about their hostile foreign sponsor.
American interests should be the ONLY criteria for our foreign policy. Foreign powers have no place in our foreign policy decisions.
I want to make a few jests. Who says this is not a jestable topic? That's because you lack determination, folks!
I wish to see a war only with women and transsexuals. Obviously, Israelis have the upper-hand on that. The most important thing: keep men safe at home cooking BBQ as God intended.
No, seriously, why is it always men the ones who must kill one another for the obsessions of dumb people who believe uncritically the speech of the well known liars in power? Men should go on strike!
I could cite famous conservative activists like Pete Seeger when he sang Bach's cantata "Down by the river side", a famous pacifist song of the hardcore white nationalist right.
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield
down by the river side!
Study war no more!"
Or let me remember the immortal words of Pastor John Lennon, a direct disciple of G. Sorel, with his well known poem 'Imagine':
"Imagine having the entire home for yourself,
while your wife is at the front,
no need to put down the toilet seat,
or to wear socks while drunk.
You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not using idle words:
this is our destiny
since the beginning of creamer"
----
The only limitation of this plan of mass survival is the liberals and their egalitarianism. Their philosophy requires that an equal number of women and men die in useless wars, as they keep lining their pockets selling stocks.
It's certainly admirable the investment talent the liberals showcase every time a war happens. They have such an accurate foresight to buy low and sell high that a suspicious mind may conclude the game is rigged. Not my mind, though. Clearly the core moral values of the liberals prevent them from any form of cheating, at anything. There is no evidence to the contrary, and they will make sure there will never be evidence.
To conclude. I'm surprised I have not yet listened a single leftist criticizing the intrinsic violence of capitalism as the underlying cause of war. One cannot rely on those people to follow the script. They always go for the plot twist. Maybe they end up supporting the questionable business practices of semiconductor companies in China. State capitalism is the answer they give for every problem. So, maybe, if China offers help in bombing the Middle East, the Western leftists decide to support that too.
I will not argue with you, but I will suggest that you are using a very incomplete and biased history to inform you views. I would suggest listening to this interview with Benny Morris the outstanding, but unbiased, historian of 1948 who clearly acknowledges the suffering and displacement on both sides,:
Benny Morris is a British-born, Israeli Jew, so the idea he is unbiased is for the birds. He is famous for his work showing Ben Gurion ordered ethnic cleansing ‘from the river to the sea’, to use a contemporary term, then rescinded the order with a substantial Arab minority remaining in Israel. Morris is on record, for example in Haaretz, arguing Ben Gurion’s loss of nerve was the critical error leading to the ongoing Arab ‘problem’. Frankly, he is correct, in my view, though unlike Morris I am agnostic which side ends up in the sea.
You may not like what Glubb is saying but he was British, a devout Christian (a lay minister) and unlike Morris, there on the ground, at the time. He wrote in retirement, in England, having been sacked by King Hussein in 1957. He never returned to the region. He is biased, like everyone, but shares neither nationality, religion, nor ethnicity with the participants; he spoke both Arabic and Hebrew. You could do worse than read his books.
Thank you. Of course it's not just the fact that our government is picking a side, but that in today's society, for some reason each one of us is expected to.
One Jewish wrong as compared to so many from their enemies. It would be constructive for the followers of Islam to condemn their own terrorists with the same sincerity as Jews condemn their own extremists. Sadly, a large majority of Islamists support the attacks on Israel.
I respect your position. Yet I submit for your consideration the fact that morality is not relative. Morality is founded on the Golden Rule. If one does something they would not want done to them, it is immoral on its face.
You may be an exception, but traditional Jewish and Arab morality both are not universal but relative. It is there in the Talmud, and it is there in the Arab proverb "I, against my brothers. I and my brothers against my cousins. I and my brothers and my cousins against the world."
This is the morality that motivates each to wish for the extermination of the other. European Christian morality is otherwise.
EDIT: I'm *assuming* you're Jewish. If not, and if apologies are in order, I apologise.
Sarge, there’s only one thing I would say: as an American Christian I fear jihadist Islam. I don’t fear religious Jews.
There is a difference between "religious" and "fanatic". Both qualities are to be found in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and even warm and fuzzy Buddhism. There are, to name just one example, Israeli settlers who are every bit as fanatical, dangerous, and destabilizing as jihadis. But insane "Muslims" are disproportionately covered by mainstream news in comparison to the settlers and other racists and extremists in Israel.
The only fanaticism I see in Judaism is that of self-defense against relentless attack. Leave them alone and they will be the most peaceful people on Earth.
"The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre or the Hebron massacre, was a shooting massacre carried out by Baruch Goldstein, an American-Israeli physician and extremist of the far-right ultra-Zionist Kach movement. On 25 February 1994, during the Jewish holiday of Purim, which had overlapped in that year with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Goldstein opened fire with an assault rifle on a large gathering of Palestinian Muslims praying in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. He killed 29 people, several as young as 12 years, and wounded 125. Goldstein was overpowered and beaten to death by survivors.
The atrocity strained the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo Accords peace process, immediately setting off mass protests by Palestinians throughout the West Bank. During the ensuing clashes, a further 20 to 26 Palestinians were killed while 120 were injured in confrontations with the Israeli military, and 9 Israeli Jews were also killed.
Goldstein was widely denounced in Israel and by communities in the Jewish diaspora, with many attributing his act to insanity. Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin condemned the attack, describing Goldstein as a "degenerate murderer" and "a shame on Zionism and an embarrassment to Judaism". Some Jewish settlers in Hebron lauded him as a hero, viewing his attack as a pre-emptive strike and his subsequent death as an act of martyrdom. Following statements in support of Goldstein's actions, the Jewish ultranationalist Kach party was banned and designated a terrorist organization by the Israeli government."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_the_Patriarchs_massacre
Never in my life have I been so disgusted as when I read in the Jerusalem Report dat Goldstein's grave had become a site of pilgrimage for (part of) the young generation in Israel.
It was the nineties that weaned me off any sympathies for Zionism and the State of Israel.
Are you familiar with the Dancing Israelis? I doubt it - they are the ones attacking us, not the other way around.
I am familiar with the Dancing Israelis. Based on the rules of prima facie evidence, I'm still waiting for the proof. Like the case of UFOs, there are some compelling circumstances, but no cigar yet.
There are photos of them you lying Israeli Hasbarat.
Take your 30 shekels.
Israel is surrounded by barbarians. The situation has changed little over the centurie, being littlt different today than right after America’s founding.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h4lE5f_-97A
Foght them in the ME today, or on America’s streets tomorrow.
A couple more excellent sources of news
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=glE8pzMo36g&t=373s&pp=2AH1ApACAQ%3D%3D
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jp7MORoeoU
Enjoy.
Exactly.
Those of Biblical leanings take for granted that their crowd are civilized and benign.
Never read any history I guess.
Sad truth there. I am Catholic. Anyone would be hard pressed to find a more harsh critic of e.g., the present pope (!!), many events in the history of the papacy, abuses and crimes perpetrated by "Christians" in the name of Christ etc etc. All criticisms that apply to all "organized religions" as many say. Or organizations in general for that matter. Confirmation bias is a force to be reckoned with.
I admire and respect your postings. All men are indeed flawed; we must have more self-awareness and reflection. We can disagree and still remain good neighbors.
*** Apology in advance to Mr. Briggs for following act of self-indulgence.*** Mr. Ayala, these Substack thread lines confuse me, so I’ve picked one of your comments out to post a reply, i.e., my comment here is meant to apply only to the dialogue between you and me. Getting these threads mixed up in a comment section about censorship, vaccines etc. is not a big deal for me. But an error in this forum that might heighten tensions or misunderstandings about Israel-Palestine conflict, is something to be prevented. A frustrating afternoon because I had to go into town and could not delay any longer. Immediately after my very long post about the Hebron killings 30 years ago. Felt uneasy about posting that and then dashing away from my keyboard. What some might see as a kind of hit and run tactic.
The Goldstein killings are not something I ever think about or have ever been preoccupied with. Today I suddenly remembered it in a flash, when a thread turned to the question of religious fanaticism. Jewish/Muslim tensions only took on meaning for me after I arrived in Germany 23 years ago and was exposed to Muslims and Islam for the first time. Before that, Islam very vaguely meant camels and snake charmers, palm trees. 😊
Having grown up in New York City, on the other hand, Jews naturally belonged to the fabric of everyday life. My sister’s best girlfriend in childhood was the daughter of a Jewish couple who lived two doors away from us. Our neighborly interactions consisted of mutual respect and fondness. They were the best of neighbors. Two American families, going about their lives, but also somehow different in ways we did not really understand. They obviously did not know just what to make of us Irish-Americans, and they puzzled us no less. 😊
In my first year of high school, I was assaulted and knocked unconscious on the subway, returning from school. I was with three friends from my neighborhood. Two of them Jews. The violence happened so fast that none of us had a chance to react before the assailant fled. My father was a police officer. He knew and got along very well with the parents of one of my Jewish friends who witnessed the crime, and so he asked for their permission to take Luis with him and ride the same subway line where the assault took place. To hopefully identify and arrest the guy.
My father is sitting next to Luis and tells him if the assailant enters the subway car, Luis should only give my father a little nudge with his elbow and whisper “that’s him”. Nothing more. Sure enough, same time of day at which I was attacked, along comes the criminal, strutting through the subway cars. Luis leaps to his feet, points at the guy, and yells at the top of his lungs — “THAT’S HIM!” 🤣 🤣 Police service revolver and handcuffs appear, and my father had the great satisfaction of making the arrest. Thanks to one righteous and very angry boy who threw caution to the wind.
This interminable tale, true story in every detail, is my way of saying I feel quite sure that ethnic groups, people of different faiths, etc etc have throughout history often found ways to live in relative harmony, based on respect and the golden rule. And that this mother of all “which came first, the chicken or the egg” puzzles, about who was in the Levant first, who can lay legal claim to this land, the answer, if any there be, has been lost over the millennia … this can only remain a futile contest bound to result in more suffering.
The individuals really responsible for all the hatred and bloodshed are not primarily motivated by defending any faith or preserving any culture or nation. They are unwitting tools in service of the father of lies, Lucifer the evil one. And as such they are worthy of our prayers, that they may find in themselves the truth and attain salvation. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God” Matthew 5:9
I did not at all take your comment as aggressive or disrespectful in any way. I strongly disagree with your opinion. With your opinion, but without animosity or hostility toward you personally. I would like nothing better than to have every opportunity to talk, understand one another. And in this way maybe generate a little peace for all.
We are of like mind. Let us be examples to the descendants of Isaac and Ismael.
Sorry Prodigal, I put a comment in the wrong place and redressed the mistake.
I did not mean to correct you in any way.
I could hardly think ill of someone with such a wonderful name :)
The birdpart is OK (if you leave out the beauty), as the wife of Moses I hope not to be remembered.
Please forgive me for being presumptuous ... and thank you for teaching me something new.
Don't give it a second thought. Whatever one might say that is not a personal attack, I am not allergic to being corrected or criticized by anyone acting in good faith. And it's already clear to me that you are sincere and honorable in your intentions 😊
Thank you, I wish the world were teeming with people like you.
How kind ... but in my less than kind moments, not sure if that would be such a great thing :) :)
I heard Norman Finkelstein say the other day that people sometimes don't like him because he is relentless (in his way of argueing).
Bless you man, thought I, the relentlessness of gentle hearts is a precious gift to mankind.
That’s because you are propagandised. Islam is only a threat to you because of your imperialism . It’s a threat to empire not America (where Muslim immigrants are in fact largely of the same belief as everybody else - see the pew surveys ).
That’s point one.
Point two is that the US allies with both Islamic jihadists, and in particular the gulf states who fund them.
Islam is a threat everywhere it has power. It was founded by a warlord. It is supremacist through and through. It is misogynist. It is a powerful, diabolical, psyop.
Which religion caused the wars in Afghanistan via allowing 9/11 to happen? Which propagandized the US and NATO into invading Iraq on completely false, and known at the time to be false, pretenses? Which religion is committing atrocities again civilians on a weekly basis, for decades, as they expand their territory into another religion's land? Which brags of its assassinations and ownership (by bribery and sexual honeypot schemes) of many leaders and businesspeople in most countries in the world? Which helped create terrorist groups that started the civil war in Syria?
Hint: the answer isn't Islam (other than partially, only as part of the last item I noted above). I am not blaming a "religion" for the troubles of the world, but if you're going to do so, it's clear which one you should pick.
Which religion considers women inferior? Which religion thinks FGM is ok? Which religion blames rape on women? Which religion thinks slavery is fine? Which religion’s founder had sex with a nine year old? Which religion thinks honor killings are fine?
When Christians do bad things it’s bc they’re not following their religion. When Muslims do bad things, it’s right in their documents, founder, and history.
“Allowing 9/11 to happen”? So you think it was a conspiracy then?
Sounds like the answer to all these questions in your mind is “America,” but that’s not a religion, silly.
Five Israelis, Mossad, were in place in NJ to film the towers being hit. They were arrested by local police and later interrogated by the FBI; they were found with boxcutters, explosive residue in their van, etc. They said "its the palestinians you should worry about!" when being arrested. One of their phones had a picture of himself holding up a lighter to the NYC skyline from the day before the attack. They were held under arrest for months until higher ups (Ashcroft) released them. Their shell company, Urban Moving Systems, had plenty of contact with another moving company down in Florida who ALSO employed Israeli nationals.... but that FL shell moving company actually helped someone move in to their apartment when they came to the US.... guess who.... one of the 9/11 hijackers!
You are just ignorant of these facts - it is otherwise plain to see that Israel attacked us and Israel reaped all the benefits. Read up on what I allege, best done going to archive.org or similar and searching the Dancing Israeli topic. FBI reports (redacted) and news reports from 2001 back up everything I said.
Well, the Father of the Faithful, call hem Abraham or Ibrahim, set the example to all his believers. Just look it up in Gen.14. Moses is not very different, Yahwe is a man of war (Ex.15) and David is the greatest warlord of all. Why do you think the Church has been the cheerleader of so many wars and battles? All they had to do was open Scripture and put their finger on the right verse.
USA created the Islamic 'Jihadists' to be a proxy against Russia expansion (by invitation of the democratically elected government) into Afghanistan. They did not exist before 1979. When Russia withdrew, the USA then pushed the Jihadists into Dagestan and Chechnya. But for Putin, they would have destroyed the whole of Russia.
The Gulf states do not 'fund' the fanatics and would kill them all if they were not protected (like Israel) by the US. The US taxpayers are the only ones who fund the jihadists, the money is laundered through dozens of NGOs and false CIA accounts.
Then you probably have not met the religious settlers (many Americans BTW) in the West Bank.
Ahh ... now I see what you were replying to. Yes, the lengthier threads often confuse me too. Those crazy long lines. :) Prayers of peace for you, Tsipora!
Just be careful of the spit. Some will spit on you.
boom
No great nation is ever invaded from without until it is first hollowed out by traitors within.
Are you sure you understand which is who?
And so you should. Ye shall know them by their deeds. Judaism = betterment for mankind; Islam = envy, covetousness, violence and hate.
I very much agree Briggs. We must break out of the mindset that you can't be a friend to the Jews without supporting the government of Israel. We all understand that not all friends of American Patriots are rabid supporters of the Biden administration. That any friend of the Europeans must support Brussels will not be generally acknowledged. It would be like saying(~2700 years ago) that anyone who wished Israel well must support the Ahab and Jezebel government. We must allow ourselves to think the forbidden thought that the Israeli government might not be acting in the best interests of the Israeli people.
I don't want to be forced to choose a side either and I know full well that both sides contain bloodthirsty men. But let's be clear, the Iranians demonstrated 3 days ago that they can put missiles over the Knesset with impunity, that they can strike any target in Israel and they chose, not civilian targets, not population centers, but military runways. Think that through before you cast the characters in your morality play.
Can't thank you enough for posting this today. The freaking deluge of Subtack content on this topic that's been posted since I joined in February is reaching a level that's making the platform a really difficult place to be. Every day I am faced with unsubscribing or unfollowing Substack creators who I have admired and agreed with on almost everything -- EXCEPT for Middle East history and current events in that region. Now, does that exception to the rule not seem just a little odd? :) :) When that particular nerve is touched, so many, which ever "side" they are on, display hardly any knowledge of history and opinions born of media manipulation and distortion in favor of Israel. The predominance of voices equating Hamas with the Islamic faith in its entirety and all Muslims everywhere is nothing less than amazing. And as usual, forgotten gems like Glubb's writings and the like are not to be found amid all the inflamed and DANGEROUS ignorance. God bless!
Briggs is one of the few voices of sanity on this topic.
Couldn't agree more.
As one who has indeed picked sides on the conflict I appreciate this article. My grandfather served as a soldier in the British Mandate far in advance of 1947 and he reported both sides shooting at British troops. Ambushes, terror attacks, with terrorist groups blending into the civilian population (cough cough).
The difference was that the Jews were strangely protected from reprisals. No matter what they did (blowing up hotels, booby trapping the bodies of dead British soldiers) there were never any of the usual punishments that would have accrued to Kenyan insurgents or others engaged in similar attacks on British assets.
It's a clear indication of who was running the British Empire by that point in time. There should have been reprisals but the lives of actual Britons mattered little to those who were carving a new ethno-state out of that region. As a person of European descent I know full well that both groups are traditional enemies, but I have a clear bias in terms of which group is the aggressor in this conflict and which represents the greatest threat to the rapidly decaying west.
Hmmm. I’d add that the Brits abandoned the mandate to the U.N. after 2 years of sustained terrorism against the Brits. In fact, Brit leadership cared a lot for its own soldiers, they didn’t want any more to die in Palestine. How does this fact fit into your POV?
Sir John Glubb is a great author/historian !
I do think we should continue to support Israel, not because they're all good etcetera (they're not), not because it's the wisest political thing to do (it's not) but because Hamas is evil.
In this war:
Israel is doing everything it can to avoid killing civilians.
Hamas is doing everything it can to include the killing of civilians -because to Hamas any dead Jew is good. And not just in Israel but in Gaza, putting their own civilians in harms way-for media attention.
This war is also winnable. (Ukraine is not.)
If you are sure Hamas is all evil, then be equally sure that Israel has funded this evil from the very beginning. The videos are in the public domain. You may hear Netanyahu and Smotrich say that funding Hamas is the wisest thing to do (in order to prevent the implementation of the by now obsolete two-state solution.)
Furthermore if I may, I do not know where you picked it up that Israel is doing everything to avoid killing civilians, but please watch this short clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmNJH4UN3s.
Israel is using Artificial Intelligence to target as many familymembers of any real or presumed Hamasnik as they possibly can. The technology goes by the name of Lavender (Sonderbehandlung would have been appropriate too). The strategy is called "Where is Daddy?" They won't strike until they are sure the family is at home, preferably in bed. We got this piece of news from Yuval Abraham, does not sound like an Arabic name to me.
By the standards of universalist morality both sides are evil. By the standards of the tribal morality to which both sides subscribe the matter of which side is evil is entirely relative.
Unless you belong to one or the other tribe you have no grounds for making a judgement as to which is worse.
Keep out of it.
Thank you for this article. We need more stuff like this.
I feel the same way. How long did it take for the Catholics and Protestants to stop chopping one another up? And all these people say they believe in God?
The link to the video of John Mearsheimer on the Electronic Intifada program has been removed by YouTube. I assume, since you linked to it, that it was removed overnight. It's not the Palestinians who are clamping down on our First Amendment. That is why so many conservatives, while not supporting the Palestinians, no longer accept the pro-Israel propaganda, and view both sides with disdain.
I am in no way advicating for violence, but nuking the cube and wailing wall would solve a lot of problems. . .
Don't think so ... religion in general is not the cause. On the contrary, sincere and devout faith in God is a solution. Cynically using religion and abusing/manipulating believers through mass media manipulation designed to pit people against one another -- these are the causes. Nothing new. "Divide and rule" is an ancient strategy.
Wow! Spot-on and clear as a bell--reality-based analysis. A true American point of view.
Isn't it amazing that average Americans are completely blind to the reality of the situation in the Middle East?
MIllenia-old ethnic antipathies are none of our business.
If you want to live in a neighborhood, you need to fit in. If you can't fit in, it ain't my problem. You steal land, start fights and pick on others in your neighborhood, you need to deal with the consequences.
American ignorance of the reality of the Middle East is completely due to capture of the media and information sources. But they're not happy with that--they're working at the state-level--Florida, S. Dakota, other neocon-led states are making it illegal to criticize Israel.
It's hilarious to see the fake "conservatives" twisting themselves in knots, after screaming about censorship, DIE, and bias, now the neocon gang--Rufo, Shapiro, et al--screams "anti-semitism" and is all for censoring and criminal charges against those who speak the truth about their hostile foreign sponsor.
American interests should be the ONLY criteria for our foreign policy. Foreign powers have no place in our foreign policy decisions.
It's MAGA. Not MIGA.
Well met!
Great post, Professor Briggs. I agree.
I want to make a few jests. Who says this is not a jestable topic? That's because you lack determination, folks!
I wish to see a war only with women and transsexuals. Obviously, Israelis have the upper-hand on that. The most important thing: keep men safe at home cooking BBQ as God intended.
No, seriously, why is it always men the ones who must kill one another for the obsessions of dumb people who believe uncritically the speech of the well known liars in power? Men should go on strike!
I could cite famous conservative activists like Pete Seeger when he sang Bach's cantata "Down by the river side", a famous pacifist song of the hardcore white nationalist right.
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield
down by the river side!
Study war no more!"
Or let me remember the immortal words of Pastor John Lennon, a direct disciple of G. Sorel, with his well known poem 'Imagine':
"Imagine having the entire home for yourself,
while your wife is at the front,
no need to put down the toilet seat,
or to wear socks while drunk.
You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not using idle words:
this is our destiny
since the beginning of creamer"
----
The only limitation of this plan of mass survival is the liberals and their egalitarianism. Their philosophy requires that an equal number of women and men die in useless wars, as they keep lining their pockets selling stocks.
It's certainly admirable the investment talent the liberals showcase every time a war happens. They have such an accurate foresight to buy low and sell high that a suspicious mind may conclude the game is rigged. Not my mind, though. Clearly the core moral values of the liberals prevent them from any form of cheating, at anything. There is no evidence to the contrary, and they will make sure there will never be evidence.
To conclude. I'm surprised I have not yet listened a single leftist criticizing the intrinsic violence of capitalism as the underlying cause of war. One cannot rely on those people to follow the script. They always go for the plot twist. Maybe they end up supporting the questionable business practices of semiconductor companies in China. State capitalism is the answer they give for every problem. So, maybe, if China offers help in bombing the Middle East, the Western leftists decide to support that too.
So you picked a side. Which is ok. Everybody does.
Some people choose a side because they bear the full consequences of their choice.
Other people simply have the urge to belong to a side.
I don't count you to the latter ( I generally greatly enjoy your display of erudition)
But you cherry-picked and formed an opinion on the writings of Glubb.
It is the consideration of the Arab population of Palestine as "natives" that requires a closer look.
From 1900 till 1948 the Arab population grew from around 300.000 to 1.250.000.
A considerable part of this came from immigration.
It was driven by the Economic disparities between Palestine and the surrounding lands.
The economic growth in Palestine was mainly attributable to the Jewish immigrants.
The wages, standard of living, and life expectations were the drivers, not the forceful expulsion of the Arabs from their homelands.
These Arabs had no historical or geographical binding with Palestine.
On the other hand, it was not the European Jews that created the biggest Jewish population increase, especially after 1948.
With the Pan-Arabic expulsion of 900.000 Jews in Muslim countries between 1920 and 1970, 600.000 had no other place to go than Israel.
The Arabs must have apprehended this. As if by design.
Their miscalculation was the spectacular success of the Jewish state.
Add to this the following contemplations:
The Palestinian refugees are the only refugees in the world that keep their status ad infinitum.
Who benefited from this?
The Palestinians arguably received more financial aid than any people in history.
Who benefited from this?
My arguments may seem anecdotal. I have others if you want.
I lived in Israel for 30 years. I work with Arabs. I have Arab friends and colleagues.
I know that history is written from different viewpoints.
Victory or defeat is a very fluid concept, especially in the Middle East.
But especially the Jews have no choice.
The moment they let down their shield it will be the end of them.
"It is the consideration of the Arab population of Palestine as "natives" that requires a closer look."
And European Jewish colonists ARE "natives"???!!!!
Regardless, though, "The moment they let down their shield it will be the end of them." So what?
That's NOT America's problem.
We have American problems.
The $10 million a day we've shoveled into Israel for the last 60 years could be used here, in America. To raise OUR shields, for OUR country.
How many ethnic/regional conflicts are there in the world? Why should America be involved in any of them?
Why should American blood and treasure be wasted to engage in a millenias-old conflict that has NOTHING to do with America or Americans?
I will not argue with you, but I will suggest that you are using a very incomplete and biased history to inform you views. I would suggest listening to this interview with Benny Morris the outstanding, but unbiased, historian of 1948 who clearly acknowledges the suffering and displacement on both sides,:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1948-with-benny-morris-part-1/id1539292794
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1948-with-benny-morris-part-2/id1539292794
Benny Morris is a British-born, Israeli Jew, so the idea he is unbiased is for the birds. He is famous for his work showing Ben Gurion ordered ethnic cleansing ‘from the river to the sea’, to use a contemporary term, then rescinded the order with a substantial Arab minority remaining in Israel. Morris is on record, for example in Haaretz, arguing Ben Gurion’s loss of nerve was the critical error leading to the ongoing Arab ‘problem’. Frankly, he is correct, in my view, though unlike Morris I am agnostic which side ends up in the sea.
You may not like what Glubb is saying but he was British, a devout Christian (a lay minister) and unlike Morris, there on the ground, at the time. He wrote in retirement, in England, having been sacked by King Hussein in 1957. He never returned to the region. He is biased, like everyone, but shares neither nationality, religion, nor ethnicity with the participants; he spoke both Arabic and Hebrew. You could do worse than read his books.
Thank you. Of course it's not just the fact that our government is picking a side, but that in today's society, for some reason each one of us is expected to.
One Jewish wrong as compared to so many from their enemies. It would be constructive for the followers of Islam to condemn their own terrorists with the same sincerity as Jews condemn their own extremists. Sadly, a large majority of Islamists support the attacks on Israel.
Take your own side by all means, but don't expect us to do likewise on *moral* grounds. Your morality is not ours. I hope you can see this.
I respect your position. Yet I submit for your consideration the fact that morality is not relative. Morality is founded on the Golden Rule. If one does something they would not want done to them, it is immoral on its face.
You may be an exception, but traditional Jewish and Arab morality both are not universal but relative. It is there in the Talmud, and it is there in the Arab proverb "I, against my brothers. I and my brothers against my cousins. I and my brothers and my cousins against the world."
This is the morality that motivates each to wish for the extermination of the other. European Christian morality is otherwise.
EDIT: I'm *assuming* you're Jewish. If not, and if apologies are in order, I apologise.
I can certainly see your point. Yet the morality in question seems more like vendetta for its own sake. I wonder if the tail is wagging the dog.