Ten Members Of Family Killed, Eight Were Children

An orphaned baby is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after it was injured in an Israeli airstrike, which destroyed a 3-story house and killed ten members of the child’s family.

Today Israeli bomb hit a home in the Gaza refugee camp. The house where a family had gathered to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

A baby (pictured) was brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for treatment after being injured in that airstrike, which destroyed a 3-story house and killed 10 members of the child’s family, including eight children who were located in the al-Shati refugee camp.

At least 20 other Palestinians were wounded after several nearby houses were damaged in the airstrike.

In addition, for those readers who claim to honor laws and international norms let’s start by enforcing UN Resolution 242 stating Israel must withdraw from occupied lands. The over-reach and lack of proportionality from Israel make me sick.

Let me cut to the core here. Palestinian aggression, if one wants to argue that point, could be contained rather than the wholesale murder which is now taking place. Netenyahu, however, needs to distract from his crimes. Israel has already this week attacked the most revered mosque in the world, murdered children, and lynched innocent civilians, along with now attacking news offices such as Associated Press and Al Jazeera.

Of course, that last group was going to be targeted as Israel can not abide honest and free coverage of their war crimes. Israel wants to kill Palestinians without press coverage.

Palestinians inspect their destroyed houses following overnight Israeli airstrikes in town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

‘Roadmap’ In Middle East Is Another Stunning Injustice For Palestinians

It was a most bizarre scene which played out in Washington on Tuesday.  And given what we have witnessed in Washington over the past weeks that is saying a lot.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is under indictment, was beaming alongside Donald Trump, who is undergoing an impeachment trial, as they both gleefully threw Palestinians under the bus in the Middle East.  The two legal outcasts were so proud of an idea that would allow for Jerusalem to be the undivided capital of Israel while relegating the Palestinian capital to a suburb.  It is nothing short of obscene.

I fully grasp the mouth-breathers in the Trump base have no scintilla of background about the scope of the issue at hand.  For the rest, we are aware that what has been proposed upends 60 years of bipartisan support for a negotiated process between Israelis and Palestinians, in which both make concessions and land swaps that would define the lines of a new map.  To sweep in a plan based on Jewish zeal, being pushed by Netanyahu to an under-educated and unstable person sitting in the Oval Office, is perhaps the most sickening blow towards the Palestinians since the creation of Isreal.  Before that the Balfour Agreement.

The plan is simply repulsive.  For instance, gerrymandering is at play in a way that makes what happens in the drawing of political lines in the U.S. seem like children’s play.  (Redistricting is a topic this blog has long been concerned about.)  The plan devised by the two felons-to-be would require the construction of a giant tunnel across Israel to connect two areas of Palestinian control.   Simply a most unforgivable proposal.

Neither of the international jokes who stood side-by-side Tuesday seemed at all aware that permanently legitimizing the illegal Israeli settlements on the West Bank is in clear violation of international law.  Since they both have evaded laws of many kinds in both their countries what does international ones mean?

Israel has stolen land again and again.  Their ruthless policy is the reason they face so much scorn on the world stage.  The fact that too many Jews have moved to Israel that land is scarce must not be the reason for stealing yet more land.   The creation of Israel was a decision made after emotional baggage from World War II needed to be dealt with.  I get that part of it, and understand it.  But the actual creation of this state in the Middle East, while undercutting Palestinians, was always going to be the seed of hatred and tensions.  Getting deeper into the bed with the Israeli governments over the many years has not made it any better.

I must say, as one who can trace his genealogy back to Cherokee Chief John Ross at the time of the Trail of Tears, that this whole sad episode is reminiscent of the treaties in this nation from the 19th century.  Power brokers who steal land, and push others aside.  Just as the removal of Native Americans was a mistake, so was the creation of Isreal.

We see that truth with each passing decade.

Good News: Netanyahu Unable To Form New Government

International events are percolating today, and while most of them are not the news which anyone can find uplifting, the following item is one that is not only most important, but a reason to give a fist pump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he could not form a new government after President Reuven Rivlin asked him to try in the wake of a deadlocked election.

Netanyahu’s decision to cut short his efforts leaves the country’s political future — and his own — uncertain. The opportunity to form a stable government will now fall to his rival Benny Gantz, who leads the main opposition Blue and White party.

Netanyahu needed the support of a 61-seat majority in Parliament, but his right-wing block had only 54 and he wasn’t able to get any left-wing party members to join him.

What should encourage us all to feel good about this matter is that to get back into power Netanyahu continues to include small and truly radical parties he has needed to get the numbers for a governing majority.  His desperation to be prime minister has allowed for some very shady actors to play a part in the governing coalition.  His need to stay in power has made for some dreadful policy outcomes.  That comes to an end now.

Corruption and illegal settlements have long concerned me.   Both of those issues are front and center when it comes to Netanyahu.  And it is why I have such disdain for him.

In February, Israel’s attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, said he intended to indict Netanyahu on three separate charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.  Without his governmental protection of elected office, he can be treated in the manner under the law that is only proper.

Music To Be Faced By Benjamin Netanyahu

And we continue to smile at the blogging desk of Caffeinated Politics.

As this week’s election results and exit polls continue to make grim reading for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister not only faces the possible end of his political career but also a probable court appearance and potentially even jail due to allegations of corruption.

This is where we clap and do head-stands.

With 97 percent of the votes counted as of Thursday afternoon, both Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc in the Knesset and the centrist and left-wing bloc led by the Blue and White party fell short of the 61 seats needed to form a government in the 120-seat Parliament.

More cheering.

In February, Israel’s attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, said he intended to indict Netanyahu on three separate charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Mandelblit is due to decide whether to formally charge Netanyahu by the end of the year after a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 2.

And cue the music.

Pleasure Following Israeli Elections, Defeat For Netanyahu

I am very pleased with the lack of a victory by Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s elections.  I simply can not express how much his being denied an outright victory, so to be unable to form another government, means to me.

Corruption and illegal settlements have long concerned me.   Both of those issues are front and center when it comes to Netanyahu.  And it is why I have such disdain for him.

I wrote in August 2010 the following.

But the world needs more than just cheap theatre from Israel.  We need some real dialogue from the main players in the Middle East on some of the thorniest issues yet to be resolved in the peace talks.  But nothing can happen if Israel sticks a pole into the eyes of the Palestinians by building more illegal homes.

When it comes to the corruption charges which have dogged him I made my views clear in February 2019.

As an American, I hope he is expelled from office like an olive pit.  His actions over the years have severely damaged a policy for a two-state solution.  Last week I read news reports where he encouraged Jewish Pride, the racist party of Rabbi Meir Kahane which encourages hatred of Arabs, to enter his coalition.

Then there is the Genesis Prize, an embarrassing $1 million annual scheme that Netanyahu concocted to dole out to wealthy American Jews whom he perceives as ‘valuable’. This year’s winner is, none other than Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.  He’s just been criminally charged for paying a trafficked slave in Palm Beach to perform sex acts on him.  (Wow.)

Netanyahu will, no doubt, accuse his political adversaries of a witch-hunt.  But with justice leading the way he will be saying those words as he also spits into the wind.

This time, with the election, it looks like some wind of change has brushed across Isreal.  And for good reason, as what Netanyahu did in the final hours of the campaign were deceitful. Netanyahu and his party have:

– Made racist, unfounded claims of rampant voter fraud by Arab citizens of Israel.

– Deployed racist robocalls warning of high turnout by Arab voters.

– Violated laws against electioneering on Election Day.

To secure a victory Netanyahu proved he would go to any ends to win–even using the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War, as a tool.  There is no way any reasonable voter could support the reckless candidate with his disregard for international norms that included holding permanently acquiring territory through war, or using military might against poor populations.  All of that is reprehensible.

Netanyahu is just another black eye for Zionists.

And today he lost his chance to outrun the law.

Wretched Moves By Netanyahu Will Kill Palestinians For Hopes Of Electoral Success

It must be election season in Israel as the nation is about to use their military on poor Palestinians.

Israel claims that Hamas, the Islamist terrorist organization that governs the Gaza Strip, was responsible for a rocket launched overnight that destroyed a private home in a farming community.  What did, or did not happen, is not clear.

What is clear is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a forceful response, using his strident tone to show strength as he maneuvers for an election only two weeks away.  He is even showing his ‘resolve’ by cutting short his US visit after meeting with Donald Trump.  This morning I read in the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, that the military alerted some reservists to prepare to be drafted in the event of a significant escalation.  Mind you, that is the first time in years that the army has taken that move.  Netanyahu must really be wary of the electors this cycle!

What many fear, of course, is the deranged military moves may indicate that the Israeli army is gearing up for a ground incursion into Gaza.  The ones who will be most hurt are the poor and young Palestinians.

The polls in Israel show Netanyahu’s party trailing a new political alliance, the moderate Kahol Lavan (“Blue and White”) party, in part because Netanyahu is facing indictment on corruption charges. To secure a victory Netanyahu has proven he will go to any ends to win–even using the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War, as a tool.  There is no way to support the reckless candidate while he shows such disregard for international norms that hold permanently acquiring territory through war is illegitimate, or using military might against poor populations which is reprehensible.

Just another black eye for Zionists.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Corruption Catches Up With Him

I am exceedingly pleased with the news that has been flying under the radar for many years.

Israel’s attorney general announced his plans to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.  First, and foremost, this was a legal matter that needed to be addressed.  I am always upbeat when justice prevails.   Or is on track to prevailing.

But the second reason this is warming to my heart is due to Netanyahu’s political future.  We are just 40 days away from him standing for re-election.  With the news today this places him in a most precarious position. That limbo, and possible fall, is precisely what would be in the best interest of the regional needs in the Middle East.   For far too long news operations from the BBC to The Economist have reported on his shady business dealings with wealthy businessmen, including a Hollywood movie producer, Israeli newspaper publishers, and the head of the country’s largest telecommunications conglomerate.

The process that is about to unfold is perfect political theater, but also perfect comeuppance to a truly underhanded leader.  Netanyahu, who is running for his fourth consecutive term as prime minister, is now entitled to a hearing to challenge the charges.  If the case proceeds, (and it will) he would be the first sitting prime minister to be indicted.

As an American I hope he is expelled from office like an olive pit.  His actions over the years have severely damaged a policy for a two-state solution.  Last week I read news reports where he encouraged Jewish Pride, the racist party of Rabbi Meir Kahane which encourages hatred of Arabs, to enter his coalition.

Then there is the Genesis Prize, an embarrassing $1 million annual scheme that Netanyahu concocted to dole out to wealthy American Jews whom he perceives as ‘valuable’. This year’s winner is, none other than Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.  He’s just been criminally charged for paying a trafficked slave in Palm Beach to perform sex acts on him.  (Wow.)

Netanyahu will, no doubt, accuse his political adversaries of a witch-hunt.  But with justice leading the way he will be saying those words as he also spits into the wind.

Readers who have been following this blog for a long time know I find the political leadership of Israel to be most frustrating.  I would never urge our nation to follow their lead on anything.  Until now.  This is an instance I hope our nation follows Israel’s lead and indicts our corrupt, fraudulent head of state.

President Netenyahu Led Donald Trump By The Nose Over Iran Nuclear Deal

Donald Trump’s reckless decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal moves the world community backwards. This decision reduces our standing in the international community and calls into question our commitment to international agreements.  I understand those facts are not understood by Trump, nor does he care.

But the facts of the matter must care to the citizenry.

The pattern Trump is using is to disrupt the existing alliances of this country and render our standing with other countries as unstable and unreliable.  If one has followed the news over the past months regarding Iran it was most plan to see Israeli President Netenyahu being behind the curtain willfully distorting the picture.  Gues who he leads by the nose!

Over and over the issues have been treated with the most careless use by the Trump Administration.  One of the most outrageous attempts at soiling the truth was Trump claiming–repeatedly–that Iran got “many billions of dollars, some of it in cash”.  Trump always makes it seem that the United States casually handed Iran billions of dollars in cash.   What he never is able to grasp is that this was always Iran’s money.   The money were Iranian assets that had been frozen. 

As for the $1.7 billion in cash that was received by Iran at the time of signing of the accord it has been explained often it was related to the settlement of a decades-old claim between the two countries. An initial payment of $400 million was handed over on Jan. 17, 2016, the same day Iran’s government agreed to release four American detainees, including The Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian.

It is only in the ginned up partisanship world that Trump uses for his own purposes where anyone suggests the cash could be viewed as a ransom payment.  But then Trump tried to sell bigotry over President Obama’s birth certificate, too.  

Trump’s undoing of the Iran deal is concocted to let him do what he wants to do–namely dismantle any deal made by Obama. It’s red meat to his under-educated base, without regard for any long term geopolitical consequences.

At the end of the day Trump left the Iran nuclear deal because of intense pressure from Israel and its powerful donors.  He couldn’t locate Iran on a map. He doesn’t care about Iran. He cares about political cover, funding, donor support, and avoidance of angering AIPAC.  And throw in doing whatever he can to undermine President Obama, our first African-American to sit in the Oval Office.  

Until we recognize the pernicious effect of Israel and its interest groups we will be doomed to perpetual war in the Middle East.