There is no solution. I was born in the British Mandate. My parents told me of the atrocities committed by Arabs from the early 1930s. There was no Israel then. The excuse of occupation is a bullshit excuse. My parents always said there will be no peace there.
What is the point of Israel having nuclear weapons when it allows a terror state like Iran to dictate that it wants to destroy Israel. Iran has no claim whatsoever to it. Therefore, send Iran a message in private, to stop all support for Hamas, Hezbollah, Houtis, with 48 hours; an ultimatum. Otherwise Israel drops the big one.
How do we allow a terror state death cult to dictate the terms? Don’t worry, once Iran gets a nuclear weapon, and we are told they are not far away, they will use it. Enough is enough! There is no rationality with subhumans. The world will scream, but no matter what Israel does, the world screams, so do what is right and let the world scream. Otherwise these savages are coming after anyone; Christians, Hindus, whites; anyone.
I think some of them are waking up. October 7 was a moment in time that created moral clarity. The tares, of their own volition, are separating themselves from the wheat.
And yet so many in the west, like the young people marching with their absurd "Queers for Palestine" placards, simply won't believe any of this. They don't want to. Why don't they want to? I don't know. I don't know if it's straight up anti-semitism, or naive idealistic support of the supposed underdog. I'm inclined to the latter, for a lot of them. The irony of course is that the Jews have been the underdogs for a very long time; now that they can finally fight back, they are the bad guys.
The reasons for support of Hamas by "Queers for Palestine" has to do with the members of these types of groups having no clear positive sense of self, no sense of belonging in their families or communities and no clear positive sense of their individuality.
Belonging to groups that completely nullify the individual, who judge people by their physical/material being in the world rather than evaluating the content of one's character and ignore meritocracy, allow such people who are alienated from self and others to have a sense of belonging while not having to look at the pain, emptiness and anger that lies within. Belonging to groups/movements that do not recognize the individual allows these alienated, lost and angry people to project their angst and anger onto the outer world. It is so much easier and less painful to do this than it is to look inside and be accountable.
They see the world in black and white. Victim and perpetrator. They are, dishonestly, projecting their own sense of victimhood onto the world outside of themselves.
This is both sad and horrifying. I agree with your conclusions and the reasons for them. However, I fear for the future. Radical Islam, possibly much larger than thought, would explode a nuke in Tev Aviv without compunction. We in the West won’t contemplate a similar response until our backs are against the wall and we’re bleeding out.
I would bet my life that the Israelis already have nuclear weapons. When the Jews/Israelis say never again they mean it. If their backs are up against the wall they will act.
"We will do this to honor the many Muslims, among them our fellow Israelis, who condemned the slaughter of October 7 and stood up to Hamas." Yair Sheleg can't find those Muslims,, nor have I haired of them. I would have hoped that Israeli Arabs would have vociferously and immediately condemned this violent and stood side by side with their Jewish compatriots. That did not happen. Arabs I have worked with and have friendly relations with did not call or message. Can you explain this? And honestly, if we could treat all Gaza's like Hamas, we would, and maybe we should. I have a son down there, and if I could make him safe by wiping Gaza clean as a slate, my friend, I would do it because they are as Amalek in my eyes. They would look upon our mercy as weakness and use our weakness to kill us. Do you doubt it? I do not. The only reason we cannot do that is not because of the American or Europeans. It's because what acting like that would do to us. Still, if it would bring my son back safely..... what would you do?
To think our illustrious Illiberal/NDP Coalition Party funds UNWRA, should be enough to make any Canadian turn away from them completely. They aid in the teaching of hatred and murder of Jewish people in Palestine. That is tragic and can never end in a peaceful resolution. Ever.
Although many people mindlessly claim that there is some “national liberation movement” exception to the prohibition of terror as a crime against humanity, there is no such exception. Terror is outlawed under every circumstance. So the chant of “by any means” is incorrect.
In 2004, the Security Council passed Resolution 1566, “Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations” - which unlike Chapter VI is the Charter section makes the substance of the resolution binding and effectively incorporates it into international law.
Section 1 provides a condemnation “in the strongest terms [of] all acts of terrorism irrespective of their motivation, whenever and by whomsoever committed, as one of the most serious threats to peace and security”. Section 2 calls upon all member states to cooperate in denying terrorists safe haven and cooperate in their extradition.
Section 3 provides explicitly “that criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act, which constitute offenses within the scope of and as defined in the international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism, are under no circumstances justifiable by consideration of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other similar nature, and calls upon all States to prevent such acts and, if not prevented, to ensure that such acts are punished by penalties consistent with their grave nature.”
A convenient listing of the relevant instruments can be found here. Not one contains a “national liberation movement” exception. It’s another bit of anti-Israel propaganda that it is past time to call out.
Thank you for this Michael. My dad Donald Brief passed away nearly one year ago-I am glad he did not live to see what is happening today. Prayers for Israel that somehow they can emerge whole from this nightmare. My husband Saul and I,along with my Brief family have faith that Israel can survive and remain a homeland for the Jewish people
A question for Michael Oren and all those commenting here: do you believe that Israel will survive to celebrate its 100th birthday intact as a Jewish democratic state? I tend to be optimistic but if we accept the view that Middle Eastern Islamic fanaticism is as powerful as it seems, I am not at all certain that Israel can survive. Especially with not only Iran but Russia and perhaps China as enemies. Oh, and an America crippled by internal divisions.
I am inclined to say that Hamas set the rules when they treated noncombatants as legitimate targets, so why shouldn't Israel play by the same rules? There is (as the article pointed out) much evidence that the Gazans, celebrating the barbarous atrocities with glee, support the rape, torture, execution, murder of innocent civilians, and the butchering of infants. Why should they be exempt from the pain they wish on others?
I want desperately to say that if "the world" (or at least the UN) have already condemned Israel for committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, then let Israel show them what that really looks like. Once you've been unjustly tried and convicted, why not do what you've been convicted of? Why must the victims sit and suffer as they are called the villains?
Why were they wearing cameras indeed?
But the most salient point is the last. The civilized do not behave in the savage way the uncivilized Hamas marauders have, not because Hamas and the Gazans don't deserve it (they do), but because it would degrade the Israelis and make them no different than Hamas. Because it would be a violation of the Israeli spirit. Because it would invite the condemnation of G-d. G-d who does not delight in spilled innocent blood as Hamas tells us their god does.
There are 5 million Palestinians in Palestine and the large majority of them do *not* support Hamas. Biden is right. I do not get what your point is. Are you saying that it is OK to slaughter all the people in Gaza?
I suggest there is a better way to separate the Palestinians who are not Hamas from those who are. After that, if Hamas and their fellow travelers still in Gaza decide to attack again, drop incendiaries on Gaza like the Allies did on Dresden and Hamburg in WW II.
There is no solution. I was born in the British Mandate. My parents told me of the atrocities committed by Arabs from the early 1930s. There was no Israel then. The excuse of occupation is a bullshit excuse. My parents always said there will be no peace there.
What is the point of Israel having nuclear weapons when it allows a terror state like Iran to dictate that it wants to destroy Israel. Iran has no claim whatsoever to it. Therefore, send Iran a message in private, to stop all support for Hamas, Hezbollah, Houtis, with 48 hours; an ultimatum. Otherwise Israel drops the big one.
How do we allow a terror state death cult to dictate the terms? Don’t worry, once Iran gets a nuclear weapon, and we are told they are not far away, they will use it. Enough is enough! There is no rationality with subhumans. The world will scream, but no matter what Israel does, the world screams, so do what is right and let the world scream. Otherwise these savages are coming after anyone; Christians, Hindus, whites; anyone.
Spot on! After the Jews will come Christians and after the Christian's will come all the rest of the "unbelievers."
Many Israelis are aware.
I say, beware to the rest of the world.
The rest of the West are asleep, and have been for some time.
I think some of them are waking up. October 7 was a moment in time that created moral clarity. The tares, of their own volition, are separating themselves from the wheat.
And yet so many in the west, like the young people marching with their absurd "Queers for Palestine" placards, simply won't believe any of this. They don't want to. Why don't they want to? I don't know. I don't know if it's straight up anti-semitism, or naive idealistic support of the supposed underdog. I'm inclined to the latter, for a lot of them. The irony of course is that the Jews have been the underdogs for a very long time; now that they can finally fight back, they are the bad guys.
The reasons for support of Hamas by "Queers for Palestine" has to do with the members of these types of groups having no clear positive sense of self, no sense of belonging in their families or communities and no clear positive sense of their individuality.
Belonging to groups that completely nullify the individual, who judge people by their physical/material being in the world rather than evaluating the content of one's character and ignore meritocracy, allow such people who are alienated from self and others to have a sense of belonging while not having to look at the pain, emptiness and anger that lies within. Belonging to groups/movements that do not recognize the individual allows these alienated, lost and angry people to project their angst and anger onto the outer world. It is so much easier and less painful to do this than it is to look inside and be accountable.
They see the world in black and white. Victim and perpetrator. They are, dishonestly, projecting their own sense of victimhood onto the world outside of themselves.
This is both sad and horrifying. I agree with your conclusions and the reasons for them. However, I fear for the future. Radical Islam, possibly much larger than thought, would explode a nuke in Tev Aviv without compunction. We in the West won’t contemplate a similar response until our backs are against the wall and we’re bleeding out.
I would bet my life that the Israelis already have nuclear weapons. When the Jews/Israelis say never again they mean it. If their backs are up against the wall they will act.
"We will do this to honor the many Muslims, among them our fellow Israelis, who condemned the slaughter of October 7 and stood up to Hamas." Yair Sheleg can't find those Muslims,, nor have I haired of them. I would have hoped that Israeli Arabs would have vociferously and immediately condemned this violent and stood side by side with their Jewish compatriots. That did not happen. Arabs I have worked with and have friendly relations with did not call or message. Can you explain this? And honestly, if we could treat all Gaza's like Hamas, we would, and maybe we should. I have a son down there, and if I could make him safe by wiping Gaza clean as a slate, my friend, I would do it because they are as Amalek in my eyes. They would look upon our mercy as weakness and use our weakness to kill us. Do you doubt it? I do not. The only reason we cannot do that is not because of the American or Europeans. It's because what acting like that would do to us. Still, if it would bring my son back safely..... what would you do?
Sobering facts, not fables, are what the entire world, especially academia and news networks, need to hear.
To think our illustrious Illiberal/NDP Coalition Party funds UNWRA, should be enough to make any Canadian turn away from them completely. They aid in the teaching of hatred and murder of Jewish people in Palestine. That is tragic and can never end in a peaceful resolution. Ever.
Although many people mindlessly claim that there is some “national liberation movement” exception to the prohibition of terror as a crime against humanity, there is no such exception. Terror is outlawed under every circumstance. So the chant of “by any means” is incorrect.
In 2004, the Security Council passed Resolution 1566, “Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations” - which unlike Chapter VI is the Charter section makes the substance of the resolution binding and effectively incorporates it into international law.
Section 1 provides a condemnation “in the strongest terms [of] all acts of terrorism irrespective of their motivation, whenever and by whomsoever committed, as one of the most serious threats to peace and security”. Section 2 calls upon all member states to cooperate in denying terrorists safe haven and cooperate in their extradition.
Section 3 provides explicitly “that criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act, which constitute offenses within the scope of and as defined in the international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism, are under no circumstances justifiable by consideration of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other similar nature, and calls upon all States to prevent such acts and, if not prevented, to ensure that such acts are punished by penalties consistent with their grave nature.”
A convenient listing of the relevant instruments can be found here. Not one contains a “national liberation movement” exception. It’s another bit of anti-Israel propaganda that it is past time to call out.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2009/10/united-nations-treaties-against-international-terrorism
Thank you for this Michael. My dad Donald Brief passed away nearly one year ago-I am glad he did not live to see what is happening today. Prayers for Israel that somehow they can emerge whole from this nightmare. My husband Saul and I,along with my Brief family have faith that Israel can survive and remain a homeland for the Jewish people
Well said Michael. Gary and I rely on your wisdom to understand the facts. Stay safe, we love you!
A question for Michael Oren and all those commenting here: do you believe that Israel will survive to celebrate its 100th birthday intact as a Jewish democratic state? I tend to be optimistic but if we accept the view that Middle Eastern Islamic fanaticism is as powerful as it seems, I am not at all certain that Israel can survive. Especially with not only Iran but Russia and perhaps China as enemies. Oh, and an America crippled by internal divisions.
The Ambassador gave us a GREAT interview at JEWDICIOUS. Thank you, Michael!! https://tinyurl.com/3s9yvy7j
"Hamas and other Jihadist groups enjoy their job and assume that a great many others will applaud them. " - They are vile. All of them.
The conclusion unfortunately does not follow from the argument and reads like something pasted on.
Body camera footage provides a first-person-shooter game view, which very likely resonates with their young target audiences.
I am inclined to say that Hamas set the rules when they treated noncombatants as legitimate targets, so why shouldn't Israel play by the same rules? There is (as the article pointed out) much evidence that the Gazans, celebrating the barbarous atrocities with glee, support the rape, torture, execution, murder of innocent civilians, and the butchering of infants. Why should they be exempt from the pain they wish on others?
I want desperately to say that if "the world" (or at least the UN) have already condemned Israel for committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, then let Israel show them what that really looks like. Once you've been unjustly tried and convicted, why not do what you've been convicted of? Why must the victims sit and suffer as they are called the villains?
Why were they wearing cameras indeed?
But the most salient point is the last. The civilized do not behave in the savage way the uncivilized Hamas marauders have, not because Hamas and the Gazans don't deserve it (they do), but because it would degrade the Israelis and make them no different than Hamas. Because it would be a violation of the Israeli spirit. Because it would invite the condemnation of G-d. G-d who does not delight in spilled innocent blood as Hamas tells us their god does.
There are 5 million Palestinians in Palestine and the large majority of them do *not* support Hamas. Biden is right. I do not get what your point is. Are you saying that it is OK to slaughter all the people in Gaza?
I suggest there is a better way to separate the Palestinians who are not Hamas from those who are. After that, if Hamas and their fellow travelers still in Gaza decide to attack again, drop incendiaries on Gaza like the Allies did on Dresden and Hamburg in WW II.
https://mikealexander.substack.com/p/a-proposal-for-the-israeli-palestinian