* * *
 |
| Damage in Israeli town near Gaza. Smuggling in the kind of weaponry to do this kind of damage could not have gone unnoticed. |
‘It appears to
me that the Hamas attack into Israel was in part facilitated by an emphasis on
the West Bank and the Israeli settlements scattered there in the allocation of
Israel's intelligence and military resources. It appears to me that the necessity of
cooperating with Israel's far-right parties to maintain Netanyahu's Knesset
majority resulted in this allocation, those parties really wanting to include
those territories in Israel permanently. This diverted attention from Gaza, but
I strongly suspect that some in Israel's intelligence apparatus have had to
been aware of what was being prepared there, but no one was listening. This
won't reach the headlines, however, until the crisis is resolved. Netanyahu
failed to protect the lives of Israelis and for political purposes, is now
toast, his alliance with far-right parties being the cause of that. Look for a coalition government within a
year.’
* *
A day later, the influential Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz published the following as its lead editorial, going down the same path I had started down with what I had written a day earlier (finally included above) but in far greater detail. (Ha’aretz is Israel’s third largest and most highly respected newspaper, publishing both Hebrew and English editions.)
Here is their editorial. I have added some commentary ... in blue ... where their hurried English translation might seem confusing, but I have deleted none of their words.
'Netanyahu Bears Responsibility for This Israel-Gaza War'
Ha’aretz Editorial
Oct 8,
2023
‘The disaster that befell Israel on the holiday of Simchat Torah
is the clear responsibility of one person: Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime
minister, who has prided himself on his vast political experience and
irreplaceable wisdom in security matters, completely failed to identify the
dangers he was consciously leading Israel into when establishing a government
of annexation and dispossession, when appointing Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar
Ben-Gvir to key positions, while embracing a foreign policy that openly ignored
the existence and rights of Palestinians.
Netanyahu will certainly try to evade his responsibility and
cast the blame on the heads of the army, Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet
security service who, like their predecessors on the eve of the Yom Kippur War, Netanyahu will justifiably claim, saw a low probability of war with (resulting in) their preparations for a Hamas attack proving (to have been) flawed (inadequate).
They scorned the enemy and its offensive military capabilities.
Over the next days and weeks, when the depth of Israel Defense Forces and
intelligence failures (will) come to light, a justified demand to replace them and
take stock will surely arise.
However, the military and intelligence failure does not absolve
Netanyahu of his overall responsibility for the crisis, as he is the ultimate
arbiter of Israeli foreign and security affairs. Netanyahu is no novice in this
role, like Ehud Olmert was in the Second Lebanon War. Nor is he ignorant in
military matters, as Golda Meir in 1973 and Menachem Begin in 1982 claimed to
be.
Netanyahu also shaped the policy embraced by the short-lived
“government of change” led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid: a multidimensional
effort to crush the Palestinian national movement in both its wings, in Gaza
and the West Bank, at a price that would seem acceptable to the Israeli public.
In the past, Netanyahu marketed himself as a cautious leader who
eschewed wars and multiple casualties on Israel’s side. After his victory in
the last election, he replaced this caution with the policy of a “fully-right
government,” with overt steps taken to annex the West Bank, to carry out ethnic
cleansing in parts of the Oslo-defined Area C, including the Hebron Hills and
the Jordan Valley.
This also included a massive expansion of settlements and
bolstering of the Jewish presence on Temple Mount, near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as
well as boasts of an impending peace deal with the Saudis in which the Palestinians
would get nothing, with open talk of a “second Nakba” (displacement of Palestinian population) in his governing
coalition. As expected, signs of an outbreak of hostilities began in the West
Bank, where Palestinians started feeling the heavier hand of the Israeli
occupier. Hamas exploited the opportunity in order to launch its surprise
attack on Saturday.
Above all, the danger looming over Israel in recent years has
been fully realized. A prime minister indicted in three corruption cases cannot
look after state affairs, as national interests will necessarily be subordinate
to extricating him from a possible conviction and jail time.
This was the reason for establishing this horrific coalition (with the extreme right) and the judicial coup advanced by Netanyahu, and for the enfeeblement of top army and intelligence officers, who were perceived as political opponents. The price was paid by the victims of the invasion in the Western Negev (parts of Israel adjacent to the Gaza Strip).’
* *
Monday evening (afternoon in the U.S.), I watched Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu speak, correctly describing the unity of all Israelis, regardless of politics, in working to destroy the threat posed, and carried out, by Hamas. He also thanked the many nations standing with Israel at this time. No one should have any argument with him on that.
Undoubtedly Gaza
City will shortly be demolished to the point of it being uninhabitable, as
Israel retaliates. All Gaza,
even beyond the city, is totally dependent on Israel for electricity, water, and
food, all of which have been cut off.
Israeli troops are poised for a possible invasion of the Gaza Strip with
its population of two and a half million, something that would be a costly
action.
The question of the many thousands of Palestinian civilians who
will die in carrying that out, and how to rescue the many hostages taken by
Hamas, part of their savage plan to forestall Israeli
retaliation, was not part of Netanyahu’s remarks, but these issues will probably be the subject of behind-the-scenes talks conceivably now going on in Western and Arab nation capitals.
And afterwards, where Gaza’s population would end up would
be another problem. Israel certainly would not want them to rebuild a hostile
Gaza on the remaining rubble of that place after this week’s action against Israel starting there.
It appears clear that part of the problem facing negotiators,
whoever they are and wherever they may be, is Hamas’ contention that taking and
holding hostages is a tool which is something legitimate to use. Western nations are appalled by this because
it means that such acts of terrorism including the taking of hostages would become
legitimatized at least on a short-term basis.
For years, the
position of the United States and most Western nations has been simply that you
just did not bargain with terrorists (at least openly).
Hamas is trying to change this and once they accomplish that, at least the
short-term goals of any terrorist group can quickly be attained by a few
kidnappings. This is part of the
problem. Adding to the tension are increasing acts of violence on the West Bank
and the border with Lebanon.
Netanyahu self-servingly spoke of not believing ‘propaganda’ being spread to disturb Israeli unity at this point, obviously referring to the ideas such as what were in the Haaretz editorial above. And while he spoke of a coalition government sharing power with the opposition, that was meaningless so long as the extreme right-wingers who enable him to remain Prime Minister would still be in positions of power. (Two of their firebrands are named in the first paragraph of the Ha'aretz editorial.) Their presence ruled out the possibility of realistic negotiations because of their position of wanting the West Bank to officially be part of Israel, open to full settlement, with no protection of Palestinian interests, and in fact their replacement by Jewish settlers.
Ulltimately, Netanyahu cannot escape blame for government
policies that to some extent motivated Hamas to act at this time. He might have been unaware of it but he put
politics ahead of protecting the people, a far more important duty of a head of
state. It is also odd that Netanyahu ignored his flank, seeming to be unaware
that the growing amity between Israel and Saudi Arabia might serve to arouse
Iran, an adversary of that country in the region, to do something to disrupt
this burgeoning relationship through their Hamas surrogate. That’s exactly what may have happened.
I believe that both the radical Palestinian and Israel extremists agree on one thing. Both want a ‘one state’ solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, each envisioning a total exclusion or elimination of the other side. This will never happen, neither peacefully nor violently. There will be peace only when the advocates of a two-state solution, with two nations existing side-by-side, regain control of the situation in Jerusalem and the Arab capitals.
That was the way it was supposed to be until Hamas broke away from their more conciliatory Palestinian brethren on the West Bank and until the Likud Party started making deals with extremists in order to stay in power in Israel. The deal Netanyahu made is explained in the last two paragraphs of the Ha'aretz editorial, where it is described as a 'horrific coalition.' Go back and read them now, and understand why the 'enfeeblement' of Israel's military and intelligence officers, who might have known something of Hamas' agressive preparations, took place.
When a political party like Israel’s Likud seeks and accepts the
support of a small party of dangerous radicals to establish a legislative
majority, they risk losing control of their agenda as the price for that support. That is what happened in Israel and is also
occurring right here in the United State House of Representatives.
But right now, a solution for Israel is
more important. Our Congress is barely
simmering, while the Middle East is boiling.
We would not want it to boil over.
JL
* * *
If Your Jail Just Had One Cell Available…
MSNBC ran a documentary this past weekend about Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, who last year flew 49 migrants awaiting adjudication of their immigration status, from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, with false promises of jobs there. This was a political stunt, playing with people’s lives, paid for by Florida’s taxpayers. The aim was to embarrass liberals who favor immigration in the eyes of DeSantis’ conservative supporters who oppose immigration. These immigrants were lied to, and just dropped off on Martha’s Vineyard unannounced. Some might call their trip an act of kidnapping on DeSantis’ part.
Also in the headlines lately has been New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez who has been accused of accepting bribes to take certain actions, using his influence as a Senator. As I see it, there was no ideological basis for Menendez’ supposed crime. Supposedly, he was just using his office to make money. Some might call such actions corruption or crookedness.
In my opinion, Ron DeSantis is a far greater criminal than Bob Menendez, whose supposed crimes were based on plain, old-fashioned, greed. Unfortunately, that happens every day with many politicians. Ron’s, however, involved morality, honesty, and mistreating fellow human beings, all things that Republicans don’t understand, and are not daily occurrences.
(As an aside to these comments, those illegal acts of which Donald F. Trump is accused seem to be based on plain, old-fashioned, greed AND also involve morality, honesty and mistreating fellow human beings, making him a two-time loser.)
I really don’t understand how anyone who follows the news can consider voting for either Bob, Don, or Ron, should their names appear on a ballot.
Here’s a hypothetical question: If your local jail had only one cell available, who would you prefer got it, a corrupt crooked Senator or an immigrant-kidnapping Governor?
JL
* *
*
Coach Lou Holtz Speaks Out Against the ‘Transfer Portal’ and ‘N.I.L.’
Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, now 87 and a legend in his own time, recently spoke at a gathering at which he pointed out that the ‘transfer portal’ was destroying college football. That’s just what this blog has been repeatedly pointing out for the past two years, Lou!
He also blamed those ‘NIL’
contracts whereby college athletes could profit from use of their name, image,
or likeness in advertising or marketing.
He was correct there too. There’s
plenty of time to make a buck after they turn pro, but college is not the place
for it. The free education athletes get
(worth at least $50,000 a year in most private colleges, and at least $25,000
in most State schools) should be sufficient reward.
JL
* *
*
Look for the results of Trivia Quiz #11 (Football Teams and States) and a brand new Trivia Quiz #12 within the next week or so.
* * *
Housekeeping on
Jackspotpourri
Email Alerts: If you are NOT receiving emails from me alerting you each time there is a new posting on Jackspotpourri, just send me your email address and we’ll see that you do. And if you are forwarding a posting to someone, you might suggest that they do the same, so they will be similarly alerted. You can pass those email addresses to me by email at jacklippman18@gmail.com.
Forwarding Postings: Please forward this posting to anyone you think might benefit from reading it. Friends, relatives, enemies, etc.
If you want to send someone the
blog, exactly as you are now seeing it, with all of its bells
and whistles, you can just tell folks to check it out by visiting https://jackspotpourri.blogspot.com or
by providing a link to that address in your email to them. I
think this is the best method of forwarding Jackspotpourri.
There’s another, perhaps easier, method of forwarding it though! Google Blogspot, the platform on which Jackspotpourri is prepared, makes that possible. If you click on the tiny envelope with the arrow at the bottom of every posting, you will have the opportunity to list up to ten email addresses to which that blog posting will be forwarded, along with a comment from you. Each will receive a link to the textual portion only of the blog that you are now reading, but without the illustrations, colors, variations in typography, or the 'sidebar' features such as access to the blog's archives.
Either way will work, sending them the link to https://jackspotpourri.blogspot.com, or clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this posting, but I recommend sending them the link.
Again, I urge you to forward this posting to anyone you think might benefit from reading it.
JL
*
* *
No comments:
Post a Comment