For some reason the US is hard and fast allies with Israel. The relationship is described as “Ironclad” by many in the president’s administration. Why is this? What do we get from Israel? I know we get some science sharing and some intelligence sharing but we have those agreements with many countries. The US should not be aiding a state like Israel, with it’s authoritarian tendencies, in its mission to eradicate (commit genocide) the people who live in Gaza. There are 2.3-2.5 million people living in Gaza. They are not disposable, and their lives matter. Yes, Palestinian Lives Matter! #PLM

The first day after the attacks on Israel by Hamas the American media was shocked and horrified, understandably, as we all were, and had great sorrow for the victims of the terror attack by Hamas. Nothing would or could justify the brutal attack.

In the first few hours, the American media sympathized only with the Israeli victims, which was to be expected. But then days passed, during which Israel was bombing Gaza hard. Civilians were dying. Even after several Israeli leaders said they would strike unimaginably hard back at Hamas, and that Palestinians were “human animals” and then they removed all restraints from the IDF, the American media stuck with Israel. Then the siege began, and Israel cut off water, food and electricity from the Gaza Strip. Little sympathies for Palestinians was expressed. Why? According to the podcast/TV show “Morning Joe” it was because Arab countries were disgusted with the people of Gaza. The reason, they broadcast to us, was that Palestinians missed chance after chance to . . . do something. They weren’t clear. I guess accept defeat?

After a few days, the news media’s sympathy (and the over politicians’ biases)  crossed a line into clear favoritism for Israel and whatever propaganda Israel was selling, and our media began to encourage the violent ground, air and sea revenge war that Israel was planning. Revenge wars never eradicate terrorism – in fact they usually increase the number of angry people who can then be radicalized into terrorism. Thank the gawds that Secretary Blinken, for all his own personal biases towards Israel, has been talking down the Israeli governments bloodthirsty need for revenge at least a bit. The plan had been total genocide of the Palestinian people inside Gaza. Now it’s something else, though we will have to see what that something else turns out to be.

“Step Back from the Brink”: Ex-Israeli Peace Negotiator Daniel Levy Decries Israel’s Actions in Gaza

President Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday in an unprecedented show of support for the country following last week’s surprise attack by Hamas that killed over 1,400 Israelis, including many civilians. The United States continues to rush ammunition, air defenses and other weaponry to Israel ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. To end this conflict, former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy says, the U.S. must change course to end Israel’s impunity toward Palestinians. If Biden refuses to recognize Palestinian suffering, “then he is, by sins of omission, encouraging the kind of … genocidal language that is proliferating right now and that is incredibly dangerous to everyone,” says Levy.

Read the full story here.

From the NYT. Palestinian kids at a UN school in Gaza look up for the sound of airplanes

From Informed Comment:

The Real U.S. Intelligence Failure in Gaza: For years, U.S. officials have known that dire Conditions in Gaza could lead to violence

As officials in Washington scramble to address the rapid outbreak of war in Israel and Palestine, they are sidestepping the fact that they believed that such a dramatic outburst of violence was likely.

Since May 2021, when Hamas and Israel clashed in a brief war that left more than 200 Palestinians dead and much of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed, U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that living conditions in Gaza have become so intolerable that a cycle of violence would likely continue until the people of Gaza saw real improvements in their lives.

“If there isn’t positive change, and particularly if we can’t find a way to help Palestinians live with more dignity and with more hope, the cycle’s likely to repeat itself,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged at the end of the May 2021 war.

This map shows what has happened to Palestinian land since the state of Israel was created in the 1940s.

The people who live in Gaza today need better living conditions and freedom of movement or this will keep happening. Israel has to stop the siege, the blockage, the aggression. No one is happy with the present situation.