Thoughts on the Israeli-Hamas War
What the
President did not discuss are the specific
chips that probably are on the bargaining table in the negotiations that are taking place somewhere between
our diplomats, and perhaps those of the parties involved in these struggles and
other intermediaries as well.
That’s what the presence of President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken in the area were all about. That’s what got a few hostages freed and seems to be delaying forward movement by the Israeli troops massed on the border of the Gaza Strip.
 |
| 'So, this is the deal, Bibi' |
It appears to me that President Biden laid it on the line to Netanyahu that so long as the United States was standing behind Israel, they had to hold off on moving its massed troops into the Gaza Strip. That might disturb the delicate negotiations that are going on. That seems to be the case as negotiations proceed.
Let’s take a look at the bargaining chips in those negotiations. We’ll look at the Israel-Hamas War first.
· Israel can claim that It was attacked by Hamas militants on October 7, an attack that violated the rules of war civilized nations follow. With no specific military objective, Hamas militants murdered and kidnapped innocent civilians, including infants, in Israeli communities near the Gaza border. Israel cannot be blamed for the recent confrontation.
· Israel can claim that while it initially worked to bring about a ‘twostate solution,’ as envisioned by the United Nations resolutions bringing about partition of Palestine in 1948 and the establishment of the State of Israel, it was the failure of Arab groups to act on this ‘two state solution,’ and to militarily oppose it without success for more than half a century that brought nationalist politicians to power in Israel who are no longer supportive of such a ‘two-state solution.’ Because Israel is a democracy though, many Israelis favor such a solution and the present government’s position clearly is reversible.
· Israel has clear military superiority over its Arab opponents in Palestine, who are impotent without the backing of Iran.
· Israel will argue that it has always attempted to avoid involving civilian deaths in their efforts to defend Israel from Hamas attacks. Air and artillery bombardments were always preceded by warnings to civilians. Even now, Israel has delayed invading northern Gaza, until civilians there follow their warnings and move southward. Hamas has always placed its military installations such as missile launching sites in civilian locations, so that Israel might be hesitant to attack them. Israel can argue that the day those Hamas rocket attacks stop will be the day Israel’s defensive response stops, enabling both civilian populations to sleep better. Israel will argue that it wants to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, whose supply of food, water, and power they control, but these efforts have been obstructed by Hamas. They don’t want distribution of such aid to be in the questionable hands of Hamas.
· Israel will claim the economic, diplomatic, and military backing of the United States, which cannot be ignored.
· Israel will point out that historically, Jews have lived on the area known as Palestine for many centuries and have as much right to be there as do Arabs.
· Israel will argue that Palestinians living in territories occupied by Israel, outside of its borders, living under the Palestinian Authority, reluctantly working with the Israeli government, ‘have it much better’ than do those in Gaza where is Hamas government is only interested in the destruction of Israel.
* *
Those supporting the Palestinian side of this struggle have the following ‘chips’ with which to bargain.
· Numero Uno: Iran! The Hamas military effort in Gaza, as well as that of Hezbollah, on Israel’s northern border, are supported by Iran, who denies that, but remains an important factor in any negotiations. (I find it hard to believe that in some way, they are not already involved in negotiations, that probably go beyond the Israeli-Hamas conflict.)
· They will argue that the State of Israel displaced Arabs living in Palestine for many years, taking land that never belonged to them, and which they believe the United Nations had no right to give to the State of Israel in 1948.
· Hamas holds almost 200 hostages.
· They will argue that the UN’s 1948 Palestine partition agreement was more favorable to Palestine’s Jews than to its Arabs.
· They will argue that the State of Israel allows and encouraged Israeli settlements to be established in areas of Palestine that were intended to be a Palestinian state, existing side-by-side with Israel, making a ‘two-state’ solution impossible.
· They will argue that Palestinians who were unjustly forced out of Palestine by the State of Israel in 1948, live in squalor in refugee camps, which their descendants still inhabit. This applies to Gaza as well. And that Israel is to blame for these camps.
· They will argue that Israeli attacks on Gaza are not directed at military targets, but at defenseless civilians and their descendants there, who were chased out of Israel in 1948.
* *
And now, let’s
look at the situation in Ukraine.
Historically, many think of Ukraine as a part of Russia. Until the Soviet Union broke up in 1990, Ukraine belonged to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly known as the USSR. A year later it declared its full independence although in 1945, it was, as one of the USSR’s republics, a founding member of the United Nations.
But starting in 1991,
it assumed its full separate identity.
Back when the Tsars ruled Russia until after the First World War, Ukraine
was considered part of Russia. But even
before that rule by the Tsars, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the basis of today’s
Russia, had its ancient beginnings with migrants from the area known as
Ukraine. But Ukraine was always different
in that Ukrainians spoke a different language and had a functioning economy
different from that of the rest of Russia.
But that didn’t stop it from inspiring the provincial locale of some Russian
plays (Chekov?) or some Russian music (Mussorgsky?).
Ukraine’s chips on the table there include (1) Ukraine’s valuable location on the Black Sea, centering on the Crimean peninsula. That provides ready access to the world’s oceans. (2) Ukraine also produces sufficient grain to be among the world’s prime exporters. (3) The government of Ukraine has the support of the United States, which is supplying it with military equipment. (4) Ukraine seeks the return of Ukrainian orphans taken to Russia for adoption and ‘Russification.’ Consider these to be among Ukraine’s bargaining chips.
In Russia’s hands are the chips representing the fact that (1) many Ukrainians, particularly in its two eastern provinces, Donetsk and Luhansk, (oblasts they call them) primarily speak Russian as their primary language and consider themselves Russians first. Another chip is that during the Second World War, (2) many Ukrainians stood with Russia while other Ukrainians manifested their long-standing animosity toward Russia by being sympathetic toward the German invaders of the USSR. Although rarely spoken about except by Russian politicians, this is not forgotten, and this attitude is still present among some of Ukrainians fighting against Russia today and is not to their credit.
* *
The United States may be willing to continue to provide both humanitarian aid and military hardware to Israel, where Hamas has committed appalling acts of brutality against civilians, as well as to Ukraine, where Russia has committed appalling acts of brutality against civilians, but it will be connected in both situations to bargaining dealing with the issues mentioned above, where I have loosely attempted to describe some of the arguments of both sides.
Israel has been urged by President Biden, who made it clear that the United States stands strongly behind Israel, to exercise restraint in responding to Hamas’ attack on civilians. That may be a hard pill for some Israelis to swallow, but in fact, Israeli troops have not yet moved into Gaza, although bombing does continue so long as Hamas shoots off missiles.
Looking ahead, if the ongoing negotiations succeed in ending the present hostilities, the question of Israeli settlements in territory intended to be part of a Palestinian state in a 'two-state solution' must be addressed, and that will be an ever more difficult pill for Israel to swallow, requiring at least a change in Israel's present Knesset make-up. one hard nut to crack.
Also, our Congress is crippled by the Republican-caused chaos in the House of Representatives where the inability to pass legislation may delay or otherwise affect our helping Ukraine and Israel.
There also is the growth of antisemitism in the United States, where there is extensive well-financed and organized publicity and misinformation concerning the suffering of Palestinians, especially in academic circles and among college students, and resulting acts of violence toward Jews. And on the other side, the descriptions and illustrations of the bloody acts by Hamas committed on innocent civilians has already resulted in criminal acts of violence against Palestinians in this country. Neither are justified except in the eyes of extremists who are up to no good.
Keep reading reliable newspapers to be aware of the latest developments in these very fluid situations.
JL
* * *
Here’s a piece from
Jackpotpourri’s archives, originally appearing in December of 2017. It still rings true.
Living in a Time Warp
We live in the Twenty-first century. At least that’s what a glance at the calendar indicates. In “senior” or “over-55” communities, many of which we have down here in Florida, most folks are still living in the Twentieth century! Take a look at the entertainment provided in their “clubhouses,” the music they listen to and even the kind of restaurants in which they eat.
Too-Jays, a delicatessen chain, has 27
restaurants in South Florida. There are numerous other purveyors of
pastrami, corned beef, chopped liver and other delicacies, loaded in great quantities
between two slices of crisp-crusted yet soft rye bread served with a side of
cole slaw or half sour pickles here in the Sunshine State. But clearly,
this is a Twentieth century thing for the Twentieth
century people inhabiting much of Palm Beach,
Miami-Dade and Broward counties. T'ain't so elsewhere.
The last time I was up in New York, it was
difficult to find such delicatessens in the “hipper” regions of lower
Manhattan. There remained a few on the lower East Side and on the upper
West Side, but they are far outnumbered by Twenty-first century eateries
specializing in Japanese, Indian or Thai cuisine or a mélange known as Asian
Fusion. Strictly Chinese restaurants have become rarities in the Twenty-first century except in
South Florida, and even there, they are gradually disappearing. Long time
favorites such as the Carnegie Deli and the Stage Deli are history in the Big
Apple, but there is an acceptable delicatessen called the Stage Deli in Naples,
on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where there also are many retirees living in the last
century.
Rodgers with either Hart or Hammerstein,
Jerome Kern, the Gershwin Brothers, Irving Berlin and all the other stalwarts
of the Broadway Musical scene in the Twentieth
century survive in
Florida on innumerable stages, far more than on the Great White Way.
Retirees flock to hear singers who offer “tribute” performances dedicated to,
or are attempted imitations of, Sinatra, Streisand, the Beatles, the Four
Seasons, the Beach Boys and others who hearken back to the days when Rhythm and
Blues gave birth to Rock ‘n Roll.
Hip-hop, even the intellectualized version presented in Lin Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton,” have yet to penetrate South Florida’s retirees, who still flock to revivals of “Fiddler on the Roof.”
 |
| "If I were a rich man," sang Tevya |
The appeal of such nostalgia seems to be useful to seniors in postponing the prospect of growing older, which would come with accepting the fact that the Twentieth century is history.
Armed with Twenty-first century technology, many
retirees with Twentieth century habits still limit using their costly “smartphones” to just
making telephone calls, and many still have the simpler clam shell type phones
which can’t do much more than that. And if they need a ride
somewhere, they are often more likely to call a cab, or try to hail one if they
are in a big northern city, rather than order a ride via Uber or Lyft
which Twenty-first century people do.
Yes, this even extends to the way they
dress. In the Twentieth century world of South Florida, many men still wear white sneakers
(usually New Balance) whereas those elsewhere, living in the Twenty-first
century, wear sneakers featuring all of the colors of the rainbow.
Yes, we are living in a time warp down here
in Florida, where the Twenty-first
century is on the other side of the horizon for
many of us, even though the calendar says that right now, it is almost 2018.
JL
* * *
A Radical Idea to Save Baseball
It’s official. A national survey of Americans’ sports watching preferences, in person and on TV, put baseball in third place, way behind football and basketball. As a fan of baseball, a sport with more demands than just pushing a ball over a line or through a hoop, I am disappointed. But constructively, let’s take a look at what’s wrong with baseball.
Despite recent changes (designated hitter, pitching clock, larger bases, infielder positioning limits, minimum batters relievers face), more must be done. Right now, the clear superiority of pitching over hitting is the core of the problem. Pitchers have developed a great variety of deliveries (curve balls, sliders, sinkers, cutters, change-ups, fast balls … both 2 and 4 seam, knuckle balls, etc.) that put batters, however talented, at a great disadvantage, at least while the pitcher’s arm remains strong. And most of the time, that is about five innings, longer for the true aces.
Most major league teams have at least one or two or even more pitchers who can fool batters for that length of time. Sometimes they give up a first-inning run or two, before getting into their rhythm. But the first five innings of most ball games see far less hitting than the rest of the game. Go look at some box scores and you will see it. A good number of games reach that point with zero-to-zero scores. The real action starts when the relief pitchers and closers take to the mound. I usually ignore baseball games on TV until the fifth inning, when the real game starts.
To remedy this, how about limiting all pitchers to three innings on the mound. After that, goodbye! Take a shower, even if you have a no-hitter working. Who wants to watch that during the early innings of a game anyway?
And as for relief pitchers coming out of the bullpen, many are as tricky as many starters. Therefore, I suggest that it be permitted to bring in a relief pitcher only after a run is scored or if there are two men on base, or if the pitcher being relieved has pitched their proposed maximum of three innings. Why add to the advantages pitchers already have in their bag of tricks … and that, in my opinion, is what is ruining the game.
The present rule (a relief pitcher must pitch to three batters before being replaced, unless he just comes in to pitch to one batter to end an inning) should be replaced since it gives an advantage, even with that three-batter minimum, to a well-stocked bullpen.
Bringing in a relief pitcher for just one inning or a closer for a game’s final three outs to lock in a victory should not be allowed. Whoever is pitching, unless they have been scored upon or put two men on base, would have to stay on to finish their three inning stint, even if it is in the apparent last inning of a game.
This is the way to make baseball more exciting. It should be tried in a minor league setting first, but only a major league setting can prove whether it is or is not a good idea. Meanwhile, save some time by skipping viewing the first four innings of most baseball games. The excellence of too many starting pitchers has made it that way. It's time to give the game back to those swinging bats and running bases.
JL
* * *
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