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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 2nd, 2023

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  • Are any Republicans calling for a ceasefire? You can’t in one breath admonish them for misleading you then in the other call for them to set policy.

    I understand the frustration. I really do.

    Whether justly or not, Israel is a long time ally in a region that is very unstable (I’m talking beyond Palestine/Israel).

    I don’t know what the right answer is. But between one side that wants to turn Palestine to glass and the other that wants to work towards a ceasefire, I’ll go with the latter. I’d love it if the US froze all weapons sales too.






  • Pug,

    I respect you and I agree with your take.

    I just wanted to add some context though. Hamas enjoys wide support among Palestinians and Hamas’s explicit objective, as outlined in its charter, is the eradication of the state of Israel. If the Palestinian people won’t accept that the Israeli state is here to stay then the differences are to remain irreconcilable. 10 million jews aren’t going to pack up and leave. The 68 borders aren’t happening either, no matter what kind of wishful thinking we employ. This is unfortunate, but it’s the reality we have to contend with sadly.

    Don’t get me wrong though: this is no justification to use the security threat as casus belli in the way IDF is conducting this war. Plenty of reprehensible actions coming from the Israeli military. There is absolutely no way forward until the current political regime in Israel is replaced with better leadership.


  • What other options do the Palestinian people have

    That’s part of the crux. Both the Palestinians and the Israelis need better leadership.

    Unfortunately, we are never returning to the 68 borders. If I had the power to magically make it happen, I would do it in a snap. But the reality is that it’s never happening. Each side has to concede something to move forward. Palestinians need to accept the Jewish state at this point --whether it’s fair or not. 10 million Israelis are not going to just up and leave as much as we wish that could happen. Israelis need to demolish illegal settlements and restore occupied territories even if they are not going to concede the 68 borders.

    I don’t really know what the best answer is but the onus is on both parties. I agree Israel has the upper hand militarily, but Israel does not want another 100 years of suicide bombers either. There has to be a path forward.


  • We agree a lot more than you think. I’m not saying the Palestinians don’t feel justified in fighting. Hamas still enjoys broad support among Palestinians.

    The point where we diverge I think is that it goes both ways. The Palestinians never accepted the establishment of a Jewish state, even before the Peele commission even happened. The issue as I see it, that sentiment never wavered even though the context has changed drastically.

    Not that any of that justifies the conduct of the IDF in this current conflict. We agree - all I’m saying it’s not so simple as an occupying force creating an apartheid condition.


  • I don’t know that Israel closed all diplomatic options. There were plenty of offers on the table that Hamas / PLO walked away from.

    I don’t think Israel are good guys and they are effective opportunists with the land grabs / settlements. I also don’t think Hamas cares one bit about the Palestinian people either. I feel like they always seem to get carte blanche to act with impunity because the Palestinians are oppressed --which, don’t get me wrong, they absolutely are. It just seems we always single out one party, but to me they are both culpable of exploiting the suffering of the Palestinians. Just my opinion.