This is the best summation of this I've seen thus far, especially to be so brief. You've really done something necessary here and have the bonafides to back it up. I appreciate you posting this so very much.
I have a question in response to the final sentence of your piece, “The violent occupation rules all the land, and it has since 1967.”
What do you suppose the outcome would have been if the Palestinians had, at any point during the last 57 years, practiced non-violent/civil disobedience practices in the same manner of the Civil Rights Movement activists under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. or of the type of inspired by Mahatma Gandhi in India? Instead, the resistance has been driven by religiously inspired jihad, the most recent results of which - in reference to the actions of Hamas this past October 7th - include beheading civilians (via whatever might have been at hand, including a gardening hoe in one case), rape, infanticide, torture, arson, theft, murder, and the taking of hostages. All of these self-documented grizzly scenes broadcast via social media networks in realtime were celebrated, en masse, in the streets of other predominantly Muslim (not to mention elite U.S. colleges and universities) countries. These Palestinians - who have not been offered refuge in other Arab countries like Egypt for obvious reasons when one looks at what they’ve done in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan - have stated they have no intention of living in peace with Israel. Their own widely expressed position is one of uncompromising conflict that will end only with the extermination of the Jews as both a people and country. Is it then a surprise that peace hasn’t been achieved? And for you to proclaim that it really isn’t that complicated? Really? You don’t understand why the United States supports a democracy in the middle of a desert region where the majority of countries practice open sexism, religious intolerance, homophobia, racism, and capital punishment in corrupt “governments” headed by religious authoritarian zealots?
I’m an anti-theistic Left leaning Montanan who is disgusted by the hard Right Zionists and the course of action they’ve taken in response to the October provocation initiated by Hamas, but the moral confusion and insanity that surrounds those who view the Palestinians as a besieged brown skinned minority, brutally bullied by Israel is just mind-numbing. For anyone who can’t recognize the obvious subjective slant to the “clearest statement of the facts that I have seen” (a response left by a reader) needs to READ MORE. Not everything can be condensed to a five minute read, despite the author’s claims, and - guess what - YES, it is complicated!
Returning to my original question: what do you suppose the world’s response would have been (at anytime during the last 57 years of conflict) to non-violent tactics vs. Jihad, martyrdom, and suicide bombers?
This comment is so full of inaccuracies and gross mischaracterizations that it's hardly worth a response. But you have so perfectly embodied the figure that readily accepts every racist lie spoon-fed to them about the Palestinians that I feel I owe you an answer to your question: we know what the world's response would have been, because it happened. Palestinians have practiced peaceful resistance for decades, and every single time, it is met with brutal violence.
Now do yourself a favor: either visit the West Bank and educate yourself, or stop speaking about it. You are deeply ignorant, and this type of dehumanization of an entire race is what's led to the mass butchery we're all bearing witness to today.
I challenged your proposition that the conflict isn’t complicated. I stand by the reasons I offered that I believe negate your claim(s). The fact that you ignore all of the religious components - on both sides - that have created the horror that you refer to as “mass butchery” (which I wholeheartedly agree with) betrays your own biases. In your article, you leave out critical information regarding the role religion plays in this conflict and for that reason alone, your statement that this isn’t a complicated issue makes you look like the one who is “deeply ignorant”.
You swooped in to my post about the West Bank, immediately conflated Hamas with all Palestinians (Hamas has very little presence in the WB), conflated armed resistance to the settlements with the attacks on 10/7 (in case you did not know, there are no settlements in Gaza), and regurgitated every piece of propaganda that has fueled this bloody war. Most of the Palestinian resistance groups in the West Bank are not Islamic, but I wouldn’t expect you to have done the research. Your words are dangerous. Feel free to go back and read the reporting I have done on this topic. You can start here, where I discuss the topic of religion:
You are 100% correct. I did conflate the information you presented about the West Bank with Gaza. They are connected, but each facing their own distinct issues with different backstories. The news/media with the accompanying video images about the living hell that is Gaza have permeated my thoughts and clouded how I take in information and so I admit that my mind did immediately jump to that area. I am guilty of not taking the time to fully digest your words and thoughts, I apologize for my error. I appreciate the link you provided and will read it with an open mind.
We have always shaken our heads and shrugged, " There will never be peace in the Middle East". This wonderful article explains why. I have restacked.
The clearest statement of the facts that I have seen (partly because you have used the footnotes so well). Many, many thanks.
This is the best summation of this I've seen thus far, especially to be so brief. You've really done something necessary here and have the bonafides to back it up. I appreciate you posting this so very much.
Mother Nature needs to quicken her pace and eradicate a truly offensive species, or maybe the robots will beat her to it..
Stay safe Jasper…
I have a question in response to the final sentence of your piece, “The violent occupation rules all the land, and it has since 1967.”
What do you suppose the outcome would have been if the Palestinians had, at any point during the last 57 years, practiced non-violent/civil disobedience practices in the same manner of the Civil Rights Movement activists under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. or of the type of inspired by Mahatma Gandhi in India? Instead, the resistance has been driven by religiously inspired jihad, the most recent results of which - in reference to the actions of Hamas this past October 7th - include beheading civilians (via whatever might have been at hand, including a gardening hoe in one case), rape, infanticide, torture, arson, theft, murder, and the taking of hostages. All of these self-documented grizzly scenes broadcast via social media networks in realtime were celebrated, en masse, in the streets of other predominantly Muslim (not to mention elite U.S. colleges and universities) countries. These Palestinians - who have not been offered refuge in other Arab countries like Egypt for obvious reasons when one looks at what they’ve done in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan - have stated they have no intention of living in peace with Israel. Their own widely expressed position is one of uncompromising conflict that will end only with the extermination of the Jews as both a people and country. Is it then a surprise that peace hasn’t been achieved? And for you to proclaim that it really isn’t that complicated? Really? You don’t understand why the United States supports a democracy in the middle of a desert region where the majority of countries practice open sexism, religious intolerance, homophobia, racism, and capital punishment in corrupt “governments” headed by religious authoritarian zealots?
I’m an anti-theistic Left leaning Montanan who is disgusted by the hard Right Zionists and the course of action they’ve taken in response to the October provocation initiated by Hamas, but the moral confusion and insanity that surrounds those who view the Palestinians as a besieged brown skinned minority, brutally bullied by Israel is just mind-numbing. For anyone who can’t recognize the obvious subjective slant to the “clearest statement of the facts that I have seen” (a response left by a reader) needs to READ MORE. Not everything can be condensed to a five minute read, despite the author’s claims, and - guess what - YES, it is complicated!
Returning to my original question: what do you suppose the world’s response would have been (at anytime during the last 57 years of conflict) to non-violent tactics vs. Jihad, martyrdom, and suicide bombers?
This comment is so full of inaccuracies and gross mischaracterizations that it's hardly worth a response. But you have so perfectly embodied the figure that readily accepts every racist lie spoon-fed to them about the Palestinians that I feel I owe you an answer to your question: we know what the world's response would have been, because it happened. Palestinians have practiced peaceful resistance for decades, and every single time, it is met with brutal violence.
Now do yourself a favor: either visit the West Bank and educate yourself, or stop speaking about it. You are deeply ignorant, and this type of dehumanization of an entire race is what's led to the mass butchery we're all bearing witness to today.
--A Jew who has lived with Palestinians
This 💯
I challenged your proposition that the conflict isn’t complicated. I stand by the reasons I offered that I believe negate your claim(s). The fact that you ignore all of the religious components - on both sides - that have created the horror that you refer to as “mass butchery” (which I wholeheartedly agree with) betrays your own biases. In your article, you leave out critical information regarding the role religion plays in this conflict and for that reason alone, your statement that this isn’t a complicated issue makes you look like the one who is “deeply ignorant”.
You swooped in to my post about the West Bank, immediately conflated Hamas with all Palestinians (Hamas has very little presence in the WB), conflated armed resistance to the settlements with the attacks on 10/7 (in case you did not know, there are no settlements in Gaza), and regurgitated every piece of propaganda that has fueled this bloody war. Most of the Palestinian resistance groups in the West Bank are not Islamic, but I wouldn’t expect you to have done the research. Your words are dangerous. Feel free to go back and read the reporting I have done on this topic. You can start here, where I discuss the topic of religion:
https://infinitejaz.substack.com/p/you-dont-understand-how-bad-it-is
You are 100% correct. I did conflate the information you presented about the West Bank with Gaza. They are connected, but each facing their own distinct issues with different backstories. The news/media with the accompanying video images about the living hell that is Gaza have permeated my thoughts and clouded how I take in information and so I admit that my mind did immediately jump to that area. I am guilty of not taking the time to fully digest your words and thoughts, I apologize for my error. I appreciate the link you provided and will read it with an open mind.
I did not expect this response. Props to you, Chip.
This is a really old comment but as a Palestinian woman I have to thank you for your flexibility of mind. Truly shows great intellect.