This is a fair and well educated hypothesis Thom poses. And I am in 100% agreement with the sentiments of the entire piece. It is an ominous sign for the health of objective truth when an extremely well informed person (arguing in good faith) is publicly ridiculed for voicing sound logic in a moment of crisis. This attack on Thom is uncomfortably reminiscent of the "raise your flag not questions" aftermath of 9/11.
There is more than enough evidence (if we're living in actual reality) to illuminate an extraordinarily probable direct line of sensitive information traveling from Trump to Putin to Iran to Hamas (and surely others in a similar manner).
The world must be rid of predatory no-souls the likes of Trump and Putin. If we continue to accept their illegitimate power, we can only expect more terrorism the world over. That is the only tool they know besides bribery. It is time to be done with them.
The hell that rages in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza are positively linked in one way, if nothing else: Corruption, cruelty, and control.
My heart is heavy for the people of Israel, Palestine, and Ukraine (as well as all other victims of unprovoked violence around the globe). I'm so sorry.
I think yesterday I ran into a report that Jack Smith's Mar a Lago filings claimed he expected to prove WHY Trump hoarded the documents. It's all fine and good to make fun of "his Precious," etc. But the dark side of the evidence may be, classified s---t is "fungible."
I am sick of a world being run by sociopathic men who express their feelings through violence against innocent civilians because they're not brave enough to face each other across the negotiating table.
Hamas will not negotiate. Israel left Gaza in 2005. Jewish settlements near Gaza were vacated, but Hamas refused to accept the land. Terrorists. Decapitated babies and burnt people alive on video.
The only piece of information that is relevant is that Israel has been occupying land against international law for over 50 years, all the while denying the Palestinian people their rights to agriculture, due process and a humane existence. Period. Israel has never agreed to return the occupied land and made a disingenuous motion to vacate a tiny portion of the settlements (while new ones were being established). How much do you expect the Palestinian people to take?
Sadat lost his life because he participated. In Jordan, they experienced Black September when they were negotiating. 1995 Oslo established the master plan but Rabin was murdered.
I am no apologist for Netanyahu the putz, but Hamas precluded negotiaton for a two state solution. Sharon gave up and gave them their own government, their own everything plus additionally returned the settlements surrounding Gaza.
I know a lot of "Palestinians" who happen to live in the US. Most fled because of Moslem, as opposed to Israeli opression. Some did leave because they left their lands. I know a lawyer about 10 years older than me whose entire practice was bringing them to the US. He usually could find a foundation or bring an action in Israeli court to get compensation for their land. Under Israeli law they have rights if they have a deed.
I'm sure that there are miscarriages of justice and there are some victims but in Israel Arab citizens serve in government, are free to work and ave civil rights. Druze, who are moslem but not Arab, serve in the military. I was not a big fan of Likud, but Israel is a democracy. The people who elected the right wingers are mainly comprized of untra othodox and Sephardic. As many if not more Jews were kicked out of Arab countries ion 1948 as Palestinians who fled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_exodus_from_the_Muslim_world#:~:text=In%20June%201948%2C%20soon%20after,left%20the%20country%20for%20Israel.
In most cases Palestanians were told to flee by tthe Artab Legion who thought they would drive all Jews into the sea or kill them.
Most of us have an amygdla, and when threatened, it's fight or flight.
Hi Daniel. Everyone has an amygdala. Not that this is relevant and certainly not critical, but in my personal studies. I learned that the Druze were Jews who adopted Islam, perhaps as a ruse (the Druze ruse), they have their own traditions and religious practices which are Jewish in origin, though modified over time by distance from their origins. This about the only thing that could be done,under the Caliphate, because non Muslims,if Christians or Jews, Zoroastrians in Iran, could practice their religion if they paid the jizzyah (poll tax) and were willing to live as second class citizens(dhimmis) and the jizzyah was onerous, so onerous that Bogomil Christians in what is now Bosnia converted to Islam to escape it.
Hindu's (polytheists) and atheist (which were unknown at the time, either converted or lost their heads.
During the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, Islam was considered an Arab only religion, and they made it almost impossible to convert (which is simple as saying the Shahada), then going to Mosque five times a day. Indians captured during the invasions of the Indus Valley, finding it difficult to convert, presented a problem, as they were property and thus had value, the answer was found in the Quran, which a Surah (verse) provided an exemption for "peoples of the book" (Christians and Jews). Conversion to Judaism was difficult and required extensive instruction and memorization by Rabbis, however all that was required of Christians was to be dunked in a stream.
The Druze found a solution, in becoming Muslim, with a spin, maintaining the faith and traditions of Israel.
They are very secretive and insular. Outwardly they present as Muslim, among themselves it is a different story.
Yes, Daniel...that's exactly what I mean. They're not brave enough to face "the other" across the negotiating table. I'm also not implying that that's easy. It's emotionally risky to let someone see your real feelings...your hurt, your anger, your feelings of powerlessness. I think it's especially difficult for most men who are raised to disavow those feelings, who are ridiculed for letting those feelings show, who are trained as very young boys to suppress feelings but act them out by being "tough," "strong," aggressive.
But in the right human context, with a sensitive mediator and truly brave leaders, negotiations can be achieved. Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin achieved this with the wisdom and courage of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter creating the holding environment. Within 13 days at Camp David in 1978, both men were gradually able to become vulnerable while retaining their dignity, and to present both of their countries with decades of mutual regard and lasting peace.
I also realize, sadly, that Sadat was assassinated and so was Yitzhak Rabin a couple of decades later, so there can be a terrible price to pay for men who don't toe the macho line.
I was a "settlement judge" for 20 years in DC and board certified mediator in Florida before and after that. I am a big believer in "transactional analysis." My last name gives me biblical precedence, so if I get the BATNA and WATNA from both sides and divide by four, that's the answer about 85% of the time.
BATNA stands for "Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement," and WATNA stands for "Worst Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement."
Transactional analysis is a psychoanalytic theory and method of therapy wherein social interactions (or “transactions”) are analyzed to determine the ego state of the communicator (whether parent-like, childlike, or adult-like) as a basis for understanding behavior.
Daniel, with those credentials and experience not to mention your last name, I choose you to negotiate an agreement in Israel/Palestine...😁👍
I'm a psychoanalytically trained psychotherapist and remember transactional analysis. In the decades that followed, as theories progress, I believe we have even better ways of understanding what really motivates individuals and shapes and delimits their belief systems. But you are a wise mediator who recognizes that there are unconscious processes affecting your mediation clients. Lucky for them that you had that way of understanding.
Daniel, oh I so appreciate your introduction of TA into the conversation.
Allow me to expand for the reader
Parent child is talking down to a person or group
Child parent is whining and manipulation, crying victim, being petulant (Trump anyone) His public demeanor is a reflection of his interaction with daddy Fred.
Parent to Parent is where common ground can be met.
When being controlled by the amygdala, motivated by hatred, fear and revenge there is no chance of a parent parent reconciliation and that is what mediation is premised on.
In today's misery, HAMAS as the angry, petulant, vengeful child and Israel is the wounded parent, and Hezbollah is headed towards a harsh spanking. It is unavoidable.
The west bank Palestinians, being Sunni, are not being manipulated (though Iran tries) and motivated by Iran, but dependent on Jordan and the Kingdom which are Sunni.
However I have seen Iranian produce comic books and text books that portray Israel as fanged vampires, and ogres.
There is only one solution, no matter how just people may think the cause, and that is to severely punish, into extinction, HAMAS, that it never rears its head again.
Madeline, I don't think you will find this sentiment among the Shia, the Sunni yes, like Saudi Arabia, but not the Shia, especially not Iran and it's clones, HAMAS and Hezbollah.
The whole leitmorif of Iran is to wage war against Israel and drive them into the sea.
Once one takes a hard stance, then there is no backing off, not without disestablishing your own raison de existence
The suspicions you give voice to were there, so it's reaffirming to know you had them also. It's also affirming that Newsweek has picked this line of thought up. As to your thousands of hysterical repliers to your tweet, I'm noticing that the Trump circus is picking up their social media input; I think we should prepare ourselves for a flood of disinformation and heckling leading up to the election.
. The attack was a Hamas intelligence success. The first-blush reaction was to wonder how Israeli intelligence could have missed such a large, coordinated attack.
I would flip that around: The event is evidence that Hamas’s own intelligence capabilities are more formidable than we imagined.
There are many components to an operation like the 10/7 attack.
Finance: You have to get the funding from somewhere.
Force Management: You need to recruit, train, and assign personnel.
Logistics: You need to amass the materiel, store it, and then get it to the staging areas in a coordinated and clandestine manner. (My edit) from speed boats to 2,200 rockets, and paragliders, that is a lot of equipment smuggled into Gaza, how in the hell were they able to smuggle such a quantity of large war machines into Gaza, no body is asking that question. Tunnels are not big enough and digging large tunnels to carry such equipment means leaving huge piles of sand and dirt behind, such activity would be noticed at least via satellite. Why wasn't it?)
Each of these phases is ripe for penetration or leakage. We’re talking about hundreds of people, thousands of weapons, and millions of dollars. There are physical things in the real world which take up space. There are communications records. There are financial trails. Those are a lot of tracks to cover. (This is the best explainer I’ve seen about what was involved.)
And so I suspect that Hamas wasn’t just concealing their activity, but was actively creating a false intelligence picture for the Israelis.
If the success of this operation were due only to Israeli mistakes, that would, in a way, be good news. Failures can be tightened up. I am concerned that the success instead suggests that Hamas is more capable and proficient than we believed.
William, I have some input regarding the failure of Shin Bet SIGint to be domain aware regarding the operation. A MSNBC analyst suggest a primitive communication method was used to avoid detection. He didn't flesh out the method but that makes sense considering that Israel security is top notch with leading tech. They were caught flat footed so there was a weakness. The US knew the weakness? and included that information in a secure document? Someone leaked that info? My guess is Shin Bet has plugged the deficiency but damage has been done. The rocket mfg could have been accomplished over time using PVC pipe sent to Gaza to repair their sewer system. Electronics and explosives might have come from Egypt over time. Hamas is quite difficult in that they do not want to negotiate so options are limited right now. Seems most or all of Islam wants death to Israel. Peace
Thanks for the insight. I know that HAMAS has a serious network of underground tunnels, that I presume over the entire Gaza strip, and from what I've seen of a HAMAS video they are huge and made of concrete. This means that Egypt is complicit.
As regards signit, Al Qaeda long ago led the way with couriers, paper and pigeons.
Yes I know that HAMAS and Hezbollah have no interest in negotiation. Israel has its back against the sea. HAMAS and Hezbollah are not Sunni, they are Shia and sponsored by Iran.
What ever Sunni were in HAMAS and Hezbollah, they are either converted or killed.
And as I posted the Shia (Iran and it's foundlings) are motivated by one thing, to drive Israel into the sea and obliteration of the Jews, that leaves Israel with only one option. There is no negotiation, and that option means the death of the captives.
And the Israeli ethos is like the Marines, leave no one behind. Not when they freed 1000 Palestinians to secure the release of one Israeli soldier.
Like I said a rock and a hard place, accept extermination or accept martyrdom.
I once had a conversation with a Curd from Iraq. This was in San Diego twenty years ago. He was here in the US to earn enough cash to buy a wife back home. He hated modern society and said he didn't believe science. Intergration and cultural adaptation takes time and old ways die hard. I say education is the way forward if civilization can last that long. God help the civilians in Gaza and Israel. Looks like Iran, PLO and Doha want to talk it over. Killing and bombs do not solve issues so that is a positive.
Reynolds, a slight correction no offense it is Kurd, not Curd. Iran has no intention on mediation or a settlement. I believe that extinguishing the state of Israel is baked into their founding document,
The Mulllahs whole raison de existence, is based on this eternal hostility towards Israel. There was a time when Jews could live peacefully in Iran, as second class citizens, but as I understand most if not all had left Iran because of hostility to the Jews, which is religious in nature, and remediation of that stance is a self inflicted existential threat to the Mullahocracy.
Without Israel and America as a common threat, what else does Iran have to hold it's fractured and increasingly secular society together and stay in power.
They are already willing to kill girls who object to the dress code and morality police.
I’ve wondered why Trump’s one on one w Putin in Helsinki did not get much blow back. The press conference got some when he defended Putin as not interfering w American elections ( and then on the flight back home added the “not” as in I don’t see why Putin would “not” have interfered. But still he met w Putin for at least 2 hrs w just an interpreter and destroyed the interpreter’s notes. Try to convince me he’s not a useful idiot. I understand the stupidity of the Jim Jordans but the Lindsay Grahams??!
The media was complicit in Helsinki, our media was excluded from the meeting, and though the press did mention it briefly, they never laid into, like they have done with say, Hunter.
If I strain had I can see the complicity of some media but the BBC? NPR? The usual MSNBC/CNN progressives? And then the big two: NYT and WaPo? I sometimes think a shiny object like the more than usual incompetent press conference took the focus off the meeting. Maybe the main stream media is a chip off the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. They’re doing it again by airing his rants between recesses of the NY fraud case. He deserves absolutely no air time.
There is no such thing as MSM, there is only a corporate media, and it serves it's corporate masters.
I explained before corporations are run by boards of directors, and have one agenda, to ensure a healthy positive return for investors, and investors in corporations are other corporations and financial institutions. They hire and fire executives, whose marching orders are to ensure a healthy positive rate of return for investors. if they fail they get replaced, if they succeed, depending on how much profit they make, they get handsomely reward.
The directors of most boards, sit on other boards as well, especially the ones that are investors in other corporations. Behind it all are the oligarchs, the Plutocrats, the Billionaires.
These are the owners of a ship called U.S.A, they set the course the ship will sail, every four years there is an election by passengers as to whom the Captain will be. The ship will then veer port or starboard, but inevitably there will be a correction, because the ship owners are the ones who set the course (agenda) and that is why nothing really substantial ever gets done.
The needs of the owners are not the needs of the passengers, and the passengers only get the illusion that they matter.
Corporate media or whatever you want to call it is still responsive to its readers/viewers. These media companies cannot or will not remain viable if not profitable or funded by the Feds ( NPR/WETA). And the irony that most news organization of the big 3 were historically not profitable but then along came mergers and acquisitions and these news orgs had to pull their weight. The major problem is not that corporate executives control the news ( which is still not autocratic) but since Citizens United the money in politics has made it impossible for any new non-corporate entity to influence elections. It’s all about major donors w their PACs and corporations having first amendment rights too. Isn’t that right, Scalia?
The corporate media is not responsive to its viewers. It is responsive to its advertisers, all the viewers do is provide numbers, which the advertisers (which are a cabal of their own, as there are so few of them) determine where to place ads, depending on their viewership, they use things like the Nielsen service, to determine where to place ads. Fox has a locked in monopoly on the right, so MSNBC had no choice but to tailor its programming to liberals, but with restrictions, such as don't have subjects that hurt advertisers and owners. Thus you will see a dearth of articles or subjects on talk shows like Rachels or Chris's that even bring PhRMA, AHIP or the carbon cabal into scrutiny.
Even NPR/WETA are subject to those restraints, because government is sensitive to the needs of the money powers (Campaign donations, PACs, Dark money which can crush a candidate and party). Also NPR is not 100 percent funded by government, and even supposedly neutral media like PBS are dependent on contributions, by millionaires and corporations, like Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.
Citizens United decision by a corrupt and bought Supreme court, bought and paid for by the billionaires behind the corporations that also control the corporate media.
Perhaps you aren't old enough, I am, because this problem of the corporate media, and money in politics is older, much older than Citizens United.
You picked the wrong person to quarrel with.
My knowledge and involvement politics go back to Nixon vs JFK in 1960.
Not even a humble brag! I’m old enough to march in Washington in 1971 and vote for McGovern in ‘72. The Watergate break-in was front page news almost every morning in the WaPo paper delivered to my dorm. Even w all that I’m not so cynical ( as you) that there are not authentic, humane people or individuals. In case you missed it , Kevin Phillips died today, the strategist of Nixon’s racist southern strategy. But he realized the was wrong to manipulate voters and elect people who care little for the middle or lower class citizen. He saw the extremism coming. Just because the MSM doesn’t always see the despicable politicians ( Reagan/Trump) or groups ( Freedom Caucus/Fox news) until the damage is beyond a quick fix, doesn’t mean that all is lost. MSNBC has conservatives and libertarians on frequently. CNN recently tried a CEO that wanted to be more like Fox but failed. Your failure to understand journalism and its limitations is exceeded only by your ego ( and what’s sounding like narcissism ). I don’t have all the answers and neither do you. If you look a little closer, there still are standards in the media. Doesn’t mean there won’t be bad decisions ( like giving Trump all that free air time in 2015-16.
Was this early on enough that the theme was still, maybe he'll "rise to the occasion?" In my idiosyncratic brain-cloud, it's filed under: Try to Imagine if a Democratic President Snatched the Notes."
In some sense it (media being complicit as well as the rest of the wild claims and the failure to follow up) is not even disinformation. Something else and I'm not sure the word "beyond" gets it either. Purely fabrications, often on top of fabrications for the sheer purpose of taking command, or at least holding the ship's bridge after killing the crew, because they seem to have convinced themselves it is either us or total annihilation, end-of-the-world ginned-up hysteria. Our side or nothing nihilism. Not unlike the dog who catches the car, no idea what to do with it, except chew it to pieces (big dog!). They have no other purpose in mind, unlike a mechanic.
Mr Srong although I like your comment. I am confused as to which comment you are replying. Not mine, as I never mentioned disinfo, I mentioned that out corporate media did not complain, as you would expect them to do, by being excluded from Trumps meeting with Putin in Helsinki. Who knows what went on there.
I am sure that you had some cogent and relevant thought, but your comment picks up in the middle of it. I've done that before, and worse. and have had to go back and edit my comment.
It’s money. Our government representatives are funded by corporations & billionaires and individuals who care more about “their team”. T has just been great for the R team by riling up the base & giving cover for the economic benefits of the rich as well as supporting creeping fascism.
Bibi is a Trump clone, as lying and thieving as Trump. Even the Israeli military hates him. This attack serves him well, just like an outside attack on America would have served Trump.
Thom's hypothesis makes plenty of sense, especially in light of the recent revelations about Agent Orange's sharing classified info with that Australian businessman after he left office. Orange Man loves to impress people he admires, and who does he admire more than Vladimir Putin?
About the inconsistency some have noted between the GOP's opposition to military aid to Ukraine and their full-throated support for military aid to Israel, their devotion to Putin surely figures in the former, but as to the latter -- it's worth remembering the role Israel plays in the apocalyptic prophecies of the white evangelicals so crucial to the GOP base. It's very possible to enthusiastically support Israel while being blatantly antisemitic, as neo-Nazis and their political allies tend to be.
Evangelicals are anti semites. Their revelations says that at the battle of Medigo (Armigedin) all Jews will be wiped out, except for 240,000 who convert to Christianity.
Israel has known this, but ignored it because the Evangelicals were a source of political support and finances for the state.
The Evangelical support is not based on philosemitism, but awaiting the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, which their grifting pastors told them was necessary for the end times.
As regards evangelicals and neo NAZI's. while in my mind there is no doubt that there is crossover, not all NAZI's are Evangelicals and not all Evangelicals are NAZI's, but they do share what they consider a common enemy, gays, trans, and self validating women (women who do not submit to rule by men, and who threaten their dominance by, for one championing or having an abortion)
The antisemitism of NAZI's is quite difference than that of Evangelicals, it is racist and conspiritorial. their ideology is based on the likes of Hitler and the Tsarist manufactured Protocols the Learned Elders of Zion, a filthy piece of antisemitic propaganda manufactured by the Russian secret police to justify pogroms and drive Jews out of Russia,into the Pale of Settlement.
Again, always some overlap, as I am sure that many NAZI's are also Evangelicals, and the Catholic Church has a long history of antisemitism.
It certainly seems to be as a direct result of Trump’s cosying up to ‘friends and allies’ of Putin both before and during his time in the Oval office that Hamas were able to so dramatically blindside the Israeli military.
At the very least the burden of proof to show that this is not the case now lies completely on Trump, his family,friends and the GOP.
Congratulations Tom I'm getting the right wing fascist attention! Where to begin? In my opinion, the right wing globalist autocrat dictators do not care about the citizens of Israel or America or any other Nation for that matter. I wouldn't be surprised if Netanyahu knew about the attack ahead of time but wanted to become a war time Prime Minister. Of course Trump is capable of selling ANY poor people on Earth out for a few bucks. Apparently not all that much money according to the Australians. Have to wonder if the Trump humpers no about Australia?
I have had the same thought. Could there be a Putin, Bibi, Trump connection. I would like to know where the misnamed Freedom Caucus comes down on this.Rand Paul (a Libertarian) previously blocked funding for Israel's Iron Dome and it shows as HAMAS launched 2,200 rockets into Israel. I imagine he is now busy crawling into a hole to cover his ass. Along with the rest of the misnamed neo NAZI "Freedom Caucus"
Perhaps one more piece in the puzzle is the curious relationship of bibi to Vlad. I have seen bibi respond to questions about Russia almost with a wink and a nod. Frightening that some many lives are now at risk with the interlocking relationships.
I have puzzled over this surprise attack by Hamas. While the guys pulling the triggers are lost to reason, surely their leadership knows this is basically suicide. What is the purpose? Who is driving this action, financing the weapons and supplies?
As always in such cases, I remind myself of the Sicilian mantra: When something happens that makes no sense or cannot be explained, always ask: Who benefits?
Netanyahu, yes. He has gone from fascist dictator to war time leader and savior in a few days.
Iran, wanting to derail the Israel-Saudi peace treaty...
And Vladimir Putin. He is desperate to cripple Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. With an election coming, the Russians are well aware of how dangerous a rift between the Democratic Party and Israel -- and by extension, America's Jewish voters -- can be.
It is unfortunate that we live in a world where this tragedy must be analyzed in this light, but such is the state of Geopolitical power politics.
Can anyone explain why Biden and others are not taking this opportunity to give Netanyahu a choice. This is the moment when his corruption and his attempts to undermine the judiciary to consolidate his power should be stopped in their tracks and reversed in exchange for US support and recognition, along with demands that measures be taken to relieve the horrific conditions imposed upon the Palestinians by his hardline and hateful approach. The intelligence failure was a direct consequence of the civil unrest for many months caused by Netanyahu's authoritarian/fascist aggression.
I can explain the intelligence failure, they learned this from Al Qaeda and Isis, they don't rely on electronic communication, the airwaves are silent, they use paper, world of mouth, couriers on motorbikes, vehicles, even bicycles, and no matter how sophisticated is our or Israels signint, it it can't pick up on paper and word of mouth. I would not be surpised if they even used carrier pigeons.
All that is unquestionably true. However, by alienating completely and isolating the people, the Israelis in power made it impossible to gauge the mood of the Palestinian people and the militants among them, to infiltrate on any level, or to allow for some tiny measure of hope and feeling of being human. Netanyahu incurred incredible contempt with his arrogance and corruption along with his extreme right-wing henchmen. The less vengeful and extreme people were unable to have any influence and were excluded from the planning. Foreign operatives had a free hand because everyone was distracted, everyone became paranoid and hateful of the persecutors, and Hamas was their proxy in settling old scores. Trump could have had some influence if he had been a real president, but he was busy making money and carrying out the fascist agenda.
There is truth in your comment, but that is no excuse for HAMAS terrorists killing kids at a concert, cutting the throats of women, children, dogs, slaughtering so many people and thinking they could get away with it. If that happened in your neck of the woods, you wouldn't be scratching the ground to justify and make excuses.
I had a lot of sympathy for the displaced Palestinians, especially those in the west bank that were killed and displaced by right wing settlers.
I have absolutely no sympathy with right wingers, be they American, Israelis or Palestinians.
Shame on you for making thoughtless excuses and rationalizations.
I have always blamed Israelis and Palestinians, idiots and bigots inflamed by religion and the cause of their own problems, but HAMAS has tipped the balance.
I repeat the right wing extremists be it American, Russian, English, German, French, Israeli or Muslim are the bane of the world and as long as they exist there will never be peace on earth.
You might want to try reading what I write instead of reading something between the lines that is not there. I never even remotely suggested that I excuse the terrorism of Hamas or of anyone else. Take it a little easier on the bottle or whatever it is that is getting you juiced up. You may be a genius but you are a long way from being a mind reader, Pal.
Give it a rest. Take a break. You are off on a tangent in your own universe. I know what I believe and write what I believe and whatever implications or inferences you draw are in your own head, which is where they should stay. Having an awareness of contributing factors and conditions and holding people responsible for their conduct and corruption in no way relieves others of their culpability or guilt. Those who enable terrorists, especially those in positions of power are no better than the terrorists and in many cases, the terrorists would not be taking the actions that they do without the autocratic and corrupt leaders setting the stage for them. Casting aspersions is for the right-wing fanatics. Your comments were and are offensive and presumptuous.
This is a fair and well educated hypothesis Thom poses. And I am in 100% agreement with the sentiments of the entire piece. It is an ominous sign for the health of objective truth when an extremely well informed person (arguing in good faith) is publicly ridiculed for voicing sound logic in a moment of crisis. This attack on Thom is uncomfortably reminiscent of the "raise your flag not questions" aftermath of 9/11.
There is more than enough evidence (if we're living in actual reality) to illuminate an extraordinarily probable direct line of sensitive information traveling from Trump to Putin to Iran to Hamas (and surely others in a similar manner).
The world must be rid of predatory no-souls the likes of Trump and Putin. If we continue to accept their illegitimate power, we can only expect more terrorism the world over. That is the only tool they know besides bribery. It is time to be done with them.
The hell that rages in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza are positively linked in one way, if nothing else: Corruption, cruelty, and control.
My heart is heavy for the people of Israel, Palestine, and Ukraine (as well as all other victims of unprovoked violence around the globe). I'm so sorry.
John, I second your sentiments, totally.
I think yesterday I ran into a report that Jack Smith's Mar a Lago filings claimed he expected to prove WHY Trump hoarded the documents. It's all fine and good to make fun of "his Precious," etc. But the dark side of the evidence may be, classified s---t is "fungible."
I am sick of a world being run by sociopathic men who express their feelings through violence against innocent civilians because they're not brave enough to face each other across the negotiating table.
Hamas will not negotiate. Israel left Gaza in 2005. Jewish settlements near Gaza were vacated, but Hamas refused to accept the land. Terrorists. Decapitated babies and burnt people alive on video.
The only piece of information that is relevant is that Israel has been occupying land against international law for over 50 years, all the while denying the Palestinian people their rights to agriculture, due process and a humane existence. Period. Israel has never agreed to return the occupied land and made a disingenuous motion to vacate a tiny portion of the settlements (while new ones were being established). How much do you expect the Palestinian people to take?
Actually land for peace has been the policy since 1967. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_for_peace#:~:text=The%20name%20Land%20for%20Peace,of%20belligerency%20(Making%20Peace).
Sadat lost his life because he participated. In Jordan, they experienced Black September when they were negotiating. 1995 Oslo established the master plan but Rabin was murdered.
I am no apologist for Netanyahu the putz, but Hamas precluded negotiaton for a two state solution. Sharon gave up and gave them their own government, their own everything plus additionally returned the settlements surrounding Gaza.
I know a lot of "Palestinians" who happen to live in the US. Most fled because of Moslem, as opposed to Israeli opression. Some did leave because they left their lands. I know a lawyer about 10 years older than me whose entire practice was bringing them to the US. He usually could find a foundation or bring an action in Israeli court to get compensation for their land. Under Israeli law they have rights if they have a deed.
I'm sure that there are miscarriages of justice and there are some victims but in Israel Arab citizens serve in government, are free to work and ave civil rights. Druze, who are moslem but not Arab, serve in the military. I was not a big fan of Likud, but Israel is a democracy. The people who elected the right wingers are mainly comprized of untra othodox and Sephardic. As many if not more Jews were kicked out of Arab countries ion 1948 as Palestinians who fled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_exodus_from_the_Muslim_world#:~:text=In%20June%201948%2C%20soon%20after,left%20the%20country%20for%20Israel.
In most cases Palestanians were told to flee by tthe Artab Legion who thought they would drive all Jews into the sea or kill them.
Most of us have an amygdla, and when threatened, it's fight or flight.
Hi Daniel. Everyone has an amygdala. Not that this is relevant and certainly not critical, but in my personal studies. I learned that the Druze were Jews who adopted Islam, perhaps as a ruse (the Druze ruse), they have their own traditions and religious practices which are Jewish in origin, though modified over time by distance from their origins. This about the only thing that could be done,under the Caliphate, because non Muslims,if Christians or Jews, Zoroastrians in Iran, could practice their religion if they paid the jizzyah (poll tax) and were willing to live as second class citizens(dhimmis) and the jizzyah was onerous, so onerous that Bogomil Christians in what is now Bosnia converted to Islam to escape it.
Hindu's (polytheists) and atheist (which were unknown at the time, either converted or lost their heads.
During the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, Islam was considered an Arab only religion, and they made it almost impossible to convert (which is simple as saying the Shahada), then going to Mosque five times a day. Indians captured during the invasions of the Indus Valley, finding it difficult to convert, presented a problem, as they were property and thus had value, the answer was found in the Quran, which a Surah (verse) provided an exemption for "peoples of the book" (Christians and Jews). Conversion to Judaism was difficult and required extensive instruction and memorization by Rabbis, however all that was required of Christians was to be dunked in a stream.
The Druze found a solution, in becoming Muslim, with a spin, maintaining the faith and traditions of Israel.
They are very secretive and insular. Outwardly they present as Muslim, among themselves it is a different story.
Thanks for the response but the Wikipedia references and anecdotes sort of do serve as an apology for the real suffering being inflicted upon the Palestinian people on a daily basis: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/israel-and-palestine
Yes, Daniel...that's exactly what I mean. They're not brave enough to face "the other" across the negotiating table. I'm also not implying that that's easy. It's emotionally risky to let someone see your real feelings...your hurt, your anger, your feelings of powerlessness. I think it's especially difficult for most men who are raised to disavow those feelings, who are ridiculed for letting those feelings show, who are trained as very young boys to suppress feelings but act them out by being "tough," "strong," aggressive.
But in the right human context, with a sensitive mediator and truly brave leaders, negotiations can be achieved. Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin achieved this with the wisdom and courage of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter creating the holding environment. Within 13 days at Camp David in 1978, both men were gradually able to become vulnerable while retaining their dignity, and to present both of their countries with decades of mutual regard and lasting peace.
I also realize, sadly, that Sadat was assassinated and so was Yitzhak Rabin a couple of decades later, so there can be a terrible price to pay for men who don't toe the macho line.
I was a "settlement judge" for 20 years in DC and board certified mediator in Florida before and after that. I am a big believer in "transactional analysis." My last name gives me biblical precedence, so if I get the BATNA and WATNA from both sides and divide by four, that's the answer about 85% of the time.
BATNA stands for "Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement," and WATNA stands for "Worst Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement."
Transactional analysis is a psychoanalytic theory and method of therapy wherein social interactions (or “transactions”) are analyzed to determine the ego state of the communicator (whether parent-like, childlike, or adult-like) as a basis for understanding behavior.
https://www.amazon.com/Im-Ok-Youre-Practical-Transactional/dp/0060023856
Ain't HartmannReport participants just the best?!
Daniel, with those credentials and experience not to mention your last name, I choose you to negotiate an agreement in Israel/Palestine...😁👍
I'm a psychoanalytically trained psychotherapist and remember transactional analysis. In the decades that followed, as theories progress, I believe we have even better ways of understanding what really motivates individuals and shapes and delimits their belief systems. But you are a wise mediator who recognizes that there are unconscious processes affecting your mediation clients. Lucky for them that you had that way of understanding.
Daniel, oh I so appreciate your introduction of TA into the conversation.
Allow me to expand for the reader
Parent child is talking down to a person or group
Child parent is whining and manipulation, crying victim, being petulant (Trump anyone) His public demeanor is a reflection of his interaction with daddy Fred.
Parent to Parent is where common ground can be met.
When being controlled by the amygdala, motivated by hatred, fear and revenge there is no chance of a parent parent reconciliation and that is what mediation is premised on.
In today's misery, HAMAS as the angry, petulant, vengeful child and Israel is the wounded parent, and Hezbollah is headed towards a harsh spanking. It is unavoidable.
The west bank Palestinians, being Sunni, are not being manipulated (though Iran tries) and motivated by Iran, but dependent on Jordan and the Kingdom which are Sunni.
However I have seen Iranian produce comic books and text books that portray Israel as fanged vampires, and ogres.
Hamas will not agree to mediate.
With petulant kids, behavior analysis works.
There is only one solution, no matter how just people may think the cause, and that is to severely punish, into extinction, HAMAS, that it never rears its head again.
Madeline, I don't think you will find this sentiment among the Shia, the Sunni yes, like Saudi Arabia, but not the Shia, especially not Iran and it's clones, HAMAS and Hezbollah.
The whole leitmorif of Iran is to wage war against Israel and drive them into the sea.
Once one takes a hard stance, then there is no backing off, not without disestablishing your own raison de existence
Absolutely nothing would surprise me with Trump, and I do think it’s possible he shared Israel’s intelligence with Putin.
The suspicions you give voice to were there, so it's reaffirming to know you had them also. It's also affirming that Newsweek has picked this line of thought up. As to your thousands of hysterical repliers to your tweet, I'm noticing that the Trump circus is picking up their social media input; I think we should prepare ourselves for a flood of disinformation and heckling leading up to the election.
Apparently a couple of them have already subscribed to substack.
From the TRIAD
. The attack was a Hamas intelligence success. The first-blush reaction was to wonder how Israeli intelligence could have missed such a large, coordinated attack.
I would flip that around: The event is evidence that Hamas’s own intelligence capabilities are more formidable than we imagined.
There are many components to an operation like the 10/7 attack.
Finance: You have to get the funding from somewhere.
Force Management: You need to recruit, train, and assign personnel.
Logistics: You need to amass the materiel, store it, and then get it to the staging areas in a coordinated and clandestine manner. (My edit) from speed boats to 2,200 rockets, and paragliders, that is a lot of equipment smuggled into Gaza, how in the hell were they able to smuggle such a quantity of large war machines into Gaza, no body is asking that question. Tunnels are not big enough and digging large tunnels to carry such equipment means leaving huge piles of sand and dirt behind, such activity would be noticed at least via satellite. Why wasn't it?)
Each of these phases is ripe for penetration or leakage. We’re talking about hundreds of people, thousands of weapons, and millions of dollars. There are physical things in the real world which take up space. There are communications records. There are financial trails. Those are a lot of tracks to cover. (This is the best explainer I’ve seen about what was involved.)
And so I suspect that Hamas wasn’t just concealing their activity, but was actively creating a false intelligence picture for the Israelis.
If the success of this operation were due only to Israeli mistakes, that would, in a way, be good news. Failures can be tightened up. I am concerned that the success instead suggests that Hamas is more capable and proficient than we believed.
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William, I have some input regarding the failure of Shin Bet SIGint to be domain aware regarding the operation. A MSNBC analyst suggest a primitive communication method was used to avoid detection. He didn't flesh out the method but that makes sense considering that Israel security is top notch with leading tech. They were caught flat footed so there was a weakness. The US knew the weakness? and included that information in a secure document? Someone leaked that info? My guess is Shin Bet has plugged the deficiency but damage has been done. The rocket mfg could have been accomplished over time using PVC pipe sent to Gaza to repair their sewer system. Electronics and explosives might have come from Egypt over time. Hamas is quite difficult in that they do not want to negotiate so options are limited right now. Seems most or all of Islam wants death to Israel. Peace
Thanks for the insight. I know that HAMAS has a serious network of underground tunnels, that I presume over the entire Gaza strip, and from what I've seen of a HAMAS video they are huge and made of concrete. This means that Egypt is complicit.
As regards signit, Al Qaeda long ago led the way with couriers, paper and pigeons.
Yes I know that HAMAS and Hezbollah have no interest in negotiation. Israel has its back against the sea. HAMAS and Hezbollah are not Sunni, they are Shia and sponsored by Iran.
What ever Sunni were in HAMAS and Hezbollah, they are either converted or killed.
And as I posted the Shia (Iran and it's foundlings) are motivated by one thing, to drive Israel into the sea and obliteration of the Jews, that leaves Israel with only one option. There is no negotiation, and that option means the death of the captives.
And the Israeli ethos is like the Marines, leave no one behind. Not when they freed 1000 Palestinians to secure the release of one Israeli soldier.
Like I said a rock and a hard place, accept extermination or accept martyrdom.
I once had a conversation with a Curd from Iraq. This was in San Diego twenty years ago. He was here in the US to earn enough cash to buy a wife back home. He hated modern society and said he didn't believe science. Intergration and cultural adaptation takes time and old ways die hard. I say education is the way forward if civilization can last that long. God help the civilians in Gaza and Israel. Looks like Iran, PLO and Doha want to talk it over. Killing and bombs do not solve issues so that is a positive.
Reynolds, a slight correction no offense it is Kurd, not Curd. Iran has no intention on mediation or a settlement. I believe that extinguishing the state of Israel is baked into their founding document,
The Mulllahs whole raison de existence, is based on this eternal hostility towards Israel. There was a time when Jews could live peacefully in Iran, as second class citizens, but as I understand most if not all had left Iran because of hostility to the Jews, which is religious in nature, and remediation of that stance is a self inflicted existential threat to the Mullahocracy.
Without Israel and America as a common threat, what else does Iran have to hold it's fractured and increasingly secular society together and stay in power.
They are already willing to kill girls who object to the dress code and morality police.
I’ve wondered why Trump’s one on one w Putin in Helsinki did not get much blow back. The press conference got some when he defended Putin as not interfering w American elections ( and then on the flight back home added the “not” as in I don’t see why Putin would “not” have interfered. But still he met w Putin for at least 2 hrs w just an interpreter and destroyed the interpreter’s notes. Try to convince me he’s not a useful idiot. I understand the stupidity of the Jim Jordans but the Lindsay Grahams??!
The media was complicit in Helsinki, our media was excluded from the meeting, and though the press did mention it briefly, they never laid into, like they have done with say, Hunter.
If I strain had I can see the complicity of some media but the BBC? NPR? The usual MSNBC/CNN progressives? And then the big two: NYT and WaPo? I sometimes think a shiny object like the more than usual incompetent press conference took the focus off the meeting. Maybe the main stream media is a chip off the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. They’re doing it again by airing his rants between recesses of the NY fraud case. He deserves absolutely no air time.
There is no such thing as MSM, there is only a corporate media, and it serves it's corporate masters.
I explained before corporations are run by boards of directors, and have one agenda, to ensure a healthy positive return for investors, and investors in corporations are other corporations and financial institutions. They hire and fire executives, whose marching orders are to ensure a healthy positive rate of return for investors. if they fail they get replaced, if they succeed, depending on how much profit they make, they get handsomely reward.
The directors of most boards, sit on other boards as well, especially the ones that are investors in other corporations. Behind it all are the oligarchs, the Plutocrats, the Billionaires.
These are the owners of a ship called U.S.A, they set the course the ship will sail, every four years there is an election by passengers as to whom the Captain will be. The ship will then veer port or starboard, but inevitably there will be a correction, because the ship owners are the ones who set the course (agenda) and that is why nothing really substantial ever gets done.
The needs of the owners are not the needs of the passengers, and the passengers only get the illusion that they matter.
Corporate media or whatever you want to call it is still responsive to its readers/viewers. These media companies cannot or will not remain viable if not profitable or funded by the Feds ( NPR/WETA). And the irony that most news organization of the big 3 were historically not profitable but then along came mergers and acquisitions and these news orgs had to pull their weight. The major problem is not that corporate executives control the news ( which is still not autocratic) but since Citizens United the money in politics has made it impossible for any new non-corporate entity to influence elections. It’s all about major donors w their PACs and corporations having first amendment rights too. Isn’t that right, Scalia?
The corporate media is not responsive to its viewers. It is responsive to its advertisers, all the viewers do is provide numbers, which the advertisers (which are a cabal of their own, as there are so few of them) determine where to place ads, depending on their viewership, they use things like the Nielsen service, to determine where to place ads. Fox has a locked in monopoly on the right, so MSNBC had no choice but to tailor its programming to liberals, but with restrictions, such as don't have subjects that hurt advertisers and owners. Thus you will see a dearth of articles or subjects on talk shows like Rachels or Chris's that even bring PhRMA, AHIP or the carbon cabal into scrutiny.
Even NPR/WETA are subject to those restraints, because government is sensitive to the needs of the money powers (Campaign donations, PACs, Dark money which can crush a candidate and party). Also NPR is not 100 percent funded by government, and even supposedly neutral media like PBS are dependent on contributions, by millionaires and corporations, like Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.
Citizens United decision by a corrupt and bought Supreme court, bought and paid for by the billionaires behind the corporations that also control the corporate media.
Perhaps you aren't old enough, I am, because this problem of the corporate media, and money in politics is older, much older than Citizens United.
You picked the wrong person to quarrel with.
My knowledge and involvement politics go back to Nixon vs JFK in 1960.
Not even a humble brag! I’m old enough to march in Washington in 1971 and vote for McGovern in ‘72. The Watergate break-in was front page news almost every morning in the WaPo paper delivered to my dorm. Even w all that I’m not so cynical ( as you) that there are not authentic, humane people or individuals. In case you missed it , Kevin Phillips died today, the strategist of Nixon’s racist southern strategy. But he realized the was wrong to manipulate voters and elect people who care little for the middle or lower class citizen. He saw the extremism coming. Just because the MSM doesn’t always see the despicable politicians ( Reagan/Trump) or groups ( Freedom Caucus/Fox news) until the damage is beyond a quick fix, doesn’t mean that all is lost. MSNBC has conservatives and libertarians on frequently. CNN recently tried a CEO that wanted to be more like Fox but failed. Your failure to understand journalism and its limitations is exceeded only by your ego ( and what’s sounding like narcissism ). I don’t have all the answers and neither do you. If you look a little closer, there still are standards in the media. Doesn’t mean there won’t be bad decisions ( like giving Trump all that free air time in 2015-16.
Was this early on enough that the theme was still, maybe he'll "rise to the occasion?" In my idiosyncratic brain-cloud, it's filed under: Try to Imagine if a Democratic President Snatched the Notes."
In some sense it (media being complicit as well as the rest of the wild claims and the failure to follow up) is not even disinformation. Something else and I'm not sure the word "beyond" gets it either. Purely fabrications, often on top of fabrications for the sheer purpose of taking command, or at least holding the ship's bridge after killing the crew, because they seem to have convinced themselves it is either us or total annihilation, end-of-the-world ginned-up hysteria. Our side or nothing nihilism. Not unlike the dog who catches the car, no idea what to do with it, except chew it to pieces (big dog!). They have no other purpose in mind, unlike a mechanic.
Mr Srong although I like your comment. I am confused as to which comment you are replying. Not mine, as I never mentioned disinfo, I mentioned that out corporate media did not complain, as you would expect them to do, by being excluded from Trumps meeting with Putin in Helsinki. Who knows what went on there.
I am sure that you had some cogent and relevant thought, but your comment picks up in the middle of it. I've done that before, and worse. and have had to go back and edit my comment.
Where is the edit button? I push on the buttons and none of them say edit?
to the right side, in line with share, like and reply are three dots . . . click on those and you have two choices, edit or delete.
It’s money. Our government representatives are funded by corporations & billionaires and individuals who care more about “their team”. T has just been great for the R team by riling up the base & giving cover for the economic benefits of the rich as well as supporting creeping fascism.
Jared's middle east peace plan?? Jared Kushner sells out bibi for a few silver coins???
Bibi is a Trump clone, as lying and thieving as Trump. Even the Israeli military hates him. This attack serves him well, just like an outside attack on America would have served Trump.
Thom's hypothesis makes plenty of sense, especially in light of the recent revelations about Agent Orange's sharing classified info with that Australian businessman after he left office. Orange Man loves to impress people he admires, and who does he admire more than Vladimir Putin?
About the inconsistency some have noted between the GOP's opposition to military aid to Ukraine and their full-throated support for military aid to Israel, their devotion to Putin surely figures in the former, but as to the latter -- it's worth remembering the role Israel plays in the apocalyptic prophecies of the white evangelicals so crucial to the GOP base. It's very possible to enthusiastically support Israel while being blatantly antisemitic, as neo-Nazis and their political allies tend to be.
Evangelicals are anti semites. Their revelations says that at the battle of Medigo (Armigedin) all Jews will be wiped out, except for 240,000 who convert to Christianity.
Israel has known this, but ignored it because the Evangelicals were a source of political support and finances for the state.
The Evangelical support is not based on philosemitism, but awaiting the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, which their grifting pastors told them was necessary for the end times.
As regards evangelicals and neo NAZI's. while in my mind there is no doubt that there is crossover, not all NAZI's are Evangelicals and not all Evangelicals are NAZI's, but they do share what they consider a common enemy, gays, trans, and self validating women (women who do not submit to rule by men, and who threaten their dominance by, for one championing or having an abortion)
The antisemitism of NAZI's is quite difference than that of Evangelicals, it is racist and conspiritorial. their ideology is based on the likes of Hitler and the Tsarist manufactured Protocols the Learned Elders of Zion, a filthy piece of antisemitic propaganda manufactured by the Russian secret police to justify pogroms and drive Jews out of Russia,into the Pale of Settlement.
Again, always some overlap, as I am sure that many NAZI's are also Evangelicals, and the Catholic Church has a long history of antisemitism.
I am blown away by Thom's courage and wisdom. A true modern day prophet and truth teller.
Yes, and assembling the background/sources. So appreciated.
It certainly seems to be as a direct result of Trump’s cosying up to ‘friends and allies’ of Putin both before and during his time in the Oval office that Hamas were able to so dramatically blindside the Israeli military.
At the very least the burden of proof to show that this is not the case now lies completely on Trump, his family,friends and the GOP.
Hopefully this will stick with agent orange and there will be enough votes to end his candidacy permanently.
Congratulations Tom I'm getting the right wing fascist attention! Where to begin? In my opinion, the right wing globalist autocrat dictators do not care about the citizens of Israel or America or any other Nation for that matter. I wouldn't be surprised if Netanyahu knew about the attack ahead of time but wanted to become a war time Prime Minister. Of course Trump is capable of selling ANY poor people on Earth out for a few bucks. Apparently not all that much money according to the Australians. Have to wonder if the Trump humpers no about Australia?
I have had the same thought. Could there be a Putin, Bibi, Trump connection. I would like to know where the misnamed Freedom Caucus comes down on this.Rand Paul (a Libertarian) previously blocked funding for Israel's Iron Dome and it shows as HAMAS launched 2,200 rockets into Israel. I imagine he is now busy crawling into a hole to cover his ass. Along with the rest of the misnamed neo NAZI "Freedom Caucus"
Perhaps one more piece in the puzzle is the curious relationship of bibi to Vlad. I have seen bibi respond to questions about Russia almost with a wink and a nod. Frightening that some many lives are now at risk with the interlocking relationships.
I have puzzled over this surprise attack by Hamas. While the guys pulling the triggers are lost to reason, surely their leadership knows this is basically suicide. What is the purpose? Who is driving this action, financing the weapons and supplies?
As always in such cases, I remind myself of the Sicilian mantra: When something happens that makes no sense or cannot be explained, always ask: Who benefits?
Netanyahu, yes. He has gone from fascist dictator to war time leader and savior in a few days.
Iran, wanting to derail the Israel-Saudi peace treaty...
And Vladimir Putin. He is desperate to cripple Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. With an election coming, the Russians are well aware of how dangerous a rift between the Democratic Party and Israel -- and by extension, America's Jewish voters -- can be.
It is unfortunate that we live in a world where this tragedy must be analyzed in this light, but such is the state of Geopolitical power politics.
Yikes! This makes sense with what he would do. Makes me sick!
Can anyone explain why Biden and others are not taking this opportunity to give Netanyahu a choice. This is the moment when his corruption and his attempts to undermine the judiciary to consolidate his power should be stopped in their tracks and reversed in exchange for US support and recognition, along with demands that measures be taken to relieve the horrific conditions imposed upon the Palestinians by his hardline and hateful approach. The intelligence failure was a direct consequence of the civil unrest for many months caused by Netanyahu's authoritarian/fascist aggression.
I can explain the intelligence failure, they learned this from Al Qaeda and Isis, they don't rely on electronic communication, the airwaves are silent, they use paper, world of mouth, couriers on motorbikes, vehicles, even bicycles, and no matter how sophisticated is our or Israels signint, it it can't pick up on paper and word of mouth. I would not be surpised if they even used carrier pigeons.
All that is unquestionably true. However, by alienating completely and isolating the people, the Israelis in power made it impossible to gauge the mood of the Palestinian people and the militants among them, to infiltrate on any level, or to allow for some tiny measure of hope and feeling of being human. Netanyahu incurred incredible contempt with his arrogance and corruption along with his extreme right-wing henchmen. The less vengeful and extreme people were unable to have any influence and were excluded from the planning. Foreign operatives had a free hand because everyone was distracted, everyone became paranoid and hateful of the persecutors, and Hamas was their proxy in settling old scores. Trump could have had some influence if he had been a real president, but he was busy making money and carrying out the fascist agenda.
There is truth in your comment, but that is no excuse for HAMAS terrorists killing kids at a concert, cutting the throats of women, children, dogs, slaughtering so many people and thinking they could get away with it. If that happened in your neck of the woods, you wouldn't be scratching the ground to justify and make excuses.
I had a lot of sympathy for the displaced Palestinians, especially those in the west bank that were killed and displaced by right wing settlers.
I have absolutely no sympathy with right wingers, be they American, Israelis or Palestinians.
Shame on you for making thoughtless excuses and rationalizations.
I have always blamed Israelis and Palestinians, idiots and bigots inflamed by religion and the cause of their own problems, but HAMAS has tipped the balance.
I repeat the right wing extremists be it American, Russian, English, German, French, Israeli or Muslim are the bane of the world and as long as they exist there will never be peace on earth.
You might want to try reading what I write instead of reading something between the lines that is not there. I never even remotely suggested that I excuse the terrorism of Hamas or of anyone else. Take it a little easier on the bottle or whatever it is that is getting you juiced up. You may be a genius but you are a long way from being a mind reader, Pal.
I read your comment and regardless of your intentions, I was spot on in my assessment.
By the way I have never done drugs, and had my last drink of alcohol in 1989
You can try to insult me, but frankly I could care less what you or anyone thinks of me. I know who and what I am and that is all that matters.
Not a mind reader but I respond to your own words. If you didn't mean what you said, then consider what you wrote before hitting POST
Give it a rest. Take a break. You are off on a tangent in your own universe. I know what I believe and write what I believe and whatever implications or inferences you draw are in your own head, which is where they should stay. Having an awareness of contributing factors and conditions and holding people responsible for their conduct and corruption in no way relieves others of their culpability or guilt. Those who enable terrorists, especially those in positions of power are no better than the terrorists and in many cases, the terrorists would not be taking the actions that they do without the autocratic and corrupt leaders setting the stage for them. Casting aspersions is for the right-wing fanatics. Your comments were and are offensive and presumptuous.