The last year has witnessed escalating horrors in plain sight. The ignorance of the global community of journalists makes this a problem not only for international human rights, but also any claim to democracy. When journalism reduces itself to propaganda in the service of empire, we all have a problem. I published the first piece yesterday in an ongoing series exploring what could soon reveal itself as the first year of WWIII. https://open.substack.com/pub/shahidbuttar/p/the-first-year-of-world-war-iii
Sadly this piece reads from the perspective of someone who believes in Israel's fundamental right to exist; a two state solution type of liberal where the Palestinians are expected to be "reasonable" and give up half their homeland to an outside host, because said host went through something that had nothing to do with them and hides behind a thin veneer of western liberalism.
Well it's not a "conflict", it's an occupation, and nothing will rectify it by anything other than ending the occupation. And no one has the right to dictate how resistance happens, no matter how violent or depraved, sorry. Not your call.
Israel's veil has been shattered, and no one really believes Israel to be any kind of benevolent entity on anyone's behalf. Israel was forced into existence through bloodshed perpetuated by its self-proclaimed terrorist founders against an indigenous population. All cries of "terrorism" "beheadings" "human shields" have been shown over the year to have been pure projection of acts that zionists have themselves perpetuated for over 80 years. Even their pretense of keeping Jews safe has been an utter lie; it's not something they're effective in doing or even trying to do. There is no more dangerous place for a Jew to be than in Israel. Just a bloody tragedy by a profoundly broken, deranged society.
"about the taking of hostages, about decapitated mothers and babies"
Babies baked in the oven, mother’s breast cut off and used as a soccer ball…lol. Like the breast would still hold its shape and not become a slab of skin.
One of Hamas' goals was to stop the Abraham accords which would have cut off Palestinians for good. And to expose to the world Israel’s slow moving genocide that had been going on for 75. In September, Netanyahu held up a map of the area with no Palestine on it.
It was a prison break by people who got no help from the international community.
The day after Hamas attacked I thought, it's inevitable when the boot has been on the neck for decades. I understand anger and rage, what I don't understand is what Hamas hoped to accomplish.
Israel is sowing the seeds of its eventual destruction with every new evil act they commit in full view of the world. The pager bombs in particular will come to be seen as a turning point. By that act alone they'll probably cost western electronics companies many tens of billions of dollars of revenue over the next decade. China will rise faster now because wide swaths of the world see the US continuing to support Israel despite it all
The Israeli government officials should take the opportunity on the Day of Atonement to do some profound soul searching.
Since they don’t subscribe to international laws, conventions, or decisions they believe what they’re doing isn’t illegal, immoral, or unethical.
“To live outside the law you must be honest,” as Bob Dylan sang. Israel hasn’t been honest. They create fictions to justify their actions. I find it hard to understand why an air strike on a tent city is necessary to find a few Hamas fighters who might be sheltered there. Isn’t that what ground troops are for? Tanks firing on UN force’s HQ in Southern Lebanon? What was the justification on that. None. Silence and crickets.
I’m a diaspora Jew. If this is what it means to have a homeland I’m not interested.
Israel's wars have accomplished a very great thing; they have assured the survival of the Jewish people against those wishing to annihlate them. Israel's army failed in that task on October 7th, with the gruesome results we are all too familiar with. The fight against Hamas, Hizbullah, the Houthis, the Iraqi proxies and the fanatical religious regime in Iran, however, is indeed a necessary fight for survival. Sometimes the only answer is violence if we are to survive. We are in the natural world, after all.
Bill Arkin here: Your solution condemns Israel to a perpetual fight. As a veteran, I fundamentally believe in the use of force. But the use has to follow from a desire to have a peaceful outcome. That is not in sight today. Yes, the alternative is for Israel to fight forever, from its point of view. I'd just prefer to see some organic solution that doesn't rely upon an unattainable military solution.
Hey Bill, thanks for replying. Almost everyone in Israel wants a peaceful outcome. Nobody in Israel wants to leave their families and send their kids to fight this. We can't always get what we want and there isn't always a solution. If we have to fight forever, we will choose that over destruction.
Why did October 7th happen? Israel was not in Gaza. There was a "ceasefire" with Hamas. Hamas committed its atrocities without provocation and Hizbullah followed suit immediately, again with no provocation. Did Israel ever do anything to the Houthis in Yemen before they decided to fire ballistic missiles at Israeli population centers?
Fundamentally, some people do not think like you and me, they have different goals and different cultures. Sometimes there is no agreement and there is no getting along. Then we are left with simply trying to avoid being hit by missiles and by barbarous raids of murder, rape and kidnapping.
What was the provocation that invited a mob to infiltrate into family houses, burn them to the ground, shoot RPGs at ordinary cars driving down the street, kidnap, rape and mutilate young men and women, gun down a peaceful music festival, continue to fire missiles indiscriminately at population centers and hold 100 hostages in captivity to this day? What kind of discussion do you imagine having with the people who did that? What will peace with the Houthis look like, or the Iranians?
Seriously, though, if one can't think beyond immediate cause and effect then one can never solve problems. It's just act, react, act, react, endlessly.
Now they don't need a provocation, they can just point to "decades long oppression" as an excuse for going into peoples' houses and shooting entire families dead. I'll remind you that Israel was not present in Gaza, the whole strip had been ruled with an iron hand by Hamas since Israel left in 2005. At what point will you give the Palestinians the courtesy of taking them at their word and holding them accountable for their actions?
Bottom line: There will never—ever—be justification for the atrocities committed by the individuals calling themselves #Hamas one year ago.
In initiating their part of a larger ongoing Genocidal effort, these individuals brought upon themselves (and the unfortunate citizens who happen to live in territory Hamas controls) the unmitigated wrath of a People subjected to various schemes for “ethnic cleansing” over millennia.
Haman. Hitler. Hamas.
The goal is always the same: Eradicate the Jews.
You have chosen to be “impartial”—which in this specific matter is tantamount to supporting Hamas.
Really? Being pro-Hamas is your worry when responding to someone using a supposedly unjustifiable attack to justify the “unmitigated wrath” brought upon “unfortunate citizens who happen to live in the territory that Hamas controls”. (that territory being the place they were born into and since imprisoned by massive walls and a blockade of any manner of escape which is in reality “controlled” by Israel itself)
That you would entertain and legitimize the idea of impartiality as being pro-Hamas is pathetic and undignified for anyone who calls themselves a journalist let alone a layman.
Horseshit. Not supporting Israel's policies doesn't make you a supporter of Hamas. It isn't antisemitism either. It's using reason, logic, and information to form an opinion on a matter of grave importance.
It’s been a year since I was compelled against my better judgment to scrawl the following. I was thinking of updating it, but … never mind. Nothing has changed.
LOL. You need to get out of the matrix & back into reality. Neither God or Jesus exists. And the Bible is a man-made book full of fiction. They're ALL designed to mentally control people like you through organized religion.
Thank you and -- the full truth about US genocide in 40 minutes:
Atrocity Inc: How Israel Sells The Destruction Of Gaza
Grayzone – OUTSTANDING - Watch @MaxBlumenthal new documentary takedown of the media deceptions and hoaxes Israel pushed to manufacture consent for its genocidal assault on Gaza
So no homage to Vladimir Putin & his birthday? After all the attack on this day last year was to honor the probable mastermind of the Hamas attack on Israel, using intelligence Putin got from Trump. Yes, we know that Russian guests of the Oval Office ambassador Kislyak & foreign minister Lavrov asked for & received from Trump US intelligence on Israeli military operations, which Trump likely updated with additional top secret information he confiscated from the White House. The machiavellian Putin wanted to divert attention from his barbaric war on Ukraine & turn the tide of war in Russia's favor, while provoking social unrest in the US, causing trouble for Biden while reducing Biden's support from key constituencies in the far left, youth & Muslim communities, & boosting Putin's puppet's chances of regaining the US presidency, virtually all accomplished by this attack on Israel on his birthday by the proxy group of his most faithful ally assisting his war against Ukraine, which had met with Russian officials at various times both before & after the attack.
Bill Arkin here: Israel would like to think it lives in an age of annihilation; it does not. It doesn't have a total war stategy against its many (and growing number of) enemies. It ignores the changing nature of the nation state, particularly in that region. You posit two alternatives as strawmen: total victory or acceptance of terrorism. That is a flawed analysis. There is a third way to look at the problem, one that is far more applicable to the modern era: to recognize the humanity of those you are fighting (for both sides) and thus actually find a negotiated solution. Do Israel's enemies want nothing but the elimination of Israel? Is that the only basis on which to fight? Does Israel think that by killing today's fighters it is eliminating the threat in the long term? Or is it just a holding action with no end in sight? These are questions relevant to the real world, not "leftist" arguments. Neither side has the ability to achieve total victory (the World War II model). That argues that while military solutions might provide some degree of satisfaction today, they are not the road to building security.
Perhaps you were one of the hundreds at the ceremonies these past two days, and one more tomorrow on 8 October, with bereaved family members, both Israeli and Palestinian. If not here’s the information about the final online event tomorrow:
October 6th, 7th, and 8th, - virtual gatherings each day at 2:00 PM ET / 9:00 PM Jerusalem Time to honor those we've lost and envision a future of justice, peace, and safety for all.
In these gatherings, we will create a space to process grief, address the oppressive systems that perpetuate profound suffering, and foster a shared vision of reconciliation, justice, and collective liberation.
The gatherings will be facilitated by Nonviolence International, Parents Circle Families Forum/American Friends of Parents Circle Families Forum, and Combatants for Peace/American Friends of Combatants for Peace.
Hi Fentanyl, Bill Arkin here: "Normalization" of relations with Israel by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states is exactly what I'm talking about, that coexistence is possible. I don't think it was forged by the threat of Iran, but by common interests that also have to do with radical Islamist threats, which affect those countries as well.
Who were Israel’s enemies prior to 1948? Oh right, it had none because it hadn’t yet begun to exist on the stolen land of those neighbors you call enemies.
One more comment. Since you aren't Jewish you don't understand the cultural and religious background when I ask for compassion and goodwill. Especially this time of year with Yom Kippur in a few days.
If you're really interested in learning about Jewish history I recommend this book (1170 pages--it's comprehensive):
You have a lot of anger in this comment. Your rhetoric is full of emotion and conjecture and short on logic and facts. In short, I disagree with your opinion.
Also, don’t confuse Gazans with Hamas. Also, don’t confuse Jews with Israelis. And don’t confuse government with its citizens.
The last year has witnessed escalating horrors in plain sight. The ignorance of the global community of journalists makes this a problem not only for international human rights, but also any claim to democracy. When journalism reduces itself to propaganda in the service of empire, we all have a problem. I published the first piece yesterday in an ongoing series exploring what could soon reveal itself as the first year of WWIII. https://open.substack.com/pub/shahidbuttar/p/the-first-year-of-world-war-iii
Sadly this piece reads from the perspective of someone who believes in Israel's fundamental right to exist; a two state solution type of liberal where the Palestinians are expected to be "reasonable" and give up half their homeland to an outside host, because said host went through something that had nothing to do with them and hides behind a thin veneer of western liberalism.
Well it's not a "conflict", it's an occupation, and nothing will rectify it by anything other than ending the occupation. And no one has the right to dictate how resistance happens, no matter how violent or depraved, sorry. Not your call.
Israel's veil has been shattered, and no one really believes Israel to be any kind of benevolent entity on anyone's behalf. Israel was forced into existence through bloodshed perpetuated by its self-proclaimed terrorist founders against an indigenous population. All cries of "terrorism" "beheadings" "human shields" have been shown over the year to have been pure projection of acts that zionists have themselves perpetuated for over 80 years. Even their pretense of keeping Jews safe has been an utter lie; it's not something they're effective in doing or even trying to do. There is no more dangerous place for a Jew to be than in Israel. Just a bloody tragedy by a profoundly broken, deranged society.
Yeah this got me…
"about the taking of hostages, about decapitated mothers and babies"
Babies baked in the oven, mother’s breast cut off and used as a soccer ball…lol. Like the breast would still hold its shape and not become a slab of skin.
One of Hamas' goals was to stop the Abraham accords which would have cut off Palestinians for good. And to expose to the world Israel’s slow moving genocide that had been going on for 75. In September, Netanyahu held up a map of the area with no Palestine on it.
It was a prison break by people who got no help from the international community.
The day after Hamas attacked I thought, it's inevitable when the boot has been on the neck for decades. I understand anger and rage, what I don't understand is what Hamas hoped to accomplish.
Israel is sowing the seeds of its eventual destruction with every new evil act they commit in full view of the world. The pager bombs in particular will come to be seen as a turning point. By that act alone they'll probably cost western electronics companies many tens of billions of dollars of revenue over the next decade. China will rise faster now because wide swaths of the world see the US continuing to support Israel despite it all
The Israeli government officials should take the opportunity on the Day of Atonement to do some profound soul searching.
Since they don’t subscribe to international laws, conventions, or decisions they believe what they’re doing isn’t illegal, immoral, or unethical.
“To live outside the law you must be honest,” as Bob Dylan sang. Israel hasn’t been honest. They create fictions to justify their actions. I find it hard to understand why an air strike on a tent city is necessary to find a few Hamas fighters who might be sheltered there. Isn’t that what ground troops are for? Tanks firing on UN force’s HQ in Southern Lebanon? What was the justification on that. None. Silence and crickets.
I’m a diaspora Jew. If this is what it means to have a homeland I’m not interested.
Israel's wars have accomplished a very great thing; they have assured the survival of the Jewish people against those wishing to annihlate them. Israel's army failed in that task on October 7th, with the gruesome results we are all too familiar with. The fight against Hamas, Hizbullah, the Houthis, the Iraqi proxies and the fanatical religious regime in Iran, however, is indeed a necessary fight for survival. Sometimes the only answer is violence if we are to survive. We are in the natural world, after all.
Bill Arkin here: Your solution condemns Israel to a perpetual fight. As a veteran, I fundamentally believe in the use of force. But the use has to follow from a desire to have a peaceful outcome. That is not in sight today. Yes, the alternative is for Israel to fight forever, from its point of view. I'd just prefer to see some organic solution that doesn't rely upon an unattainable military solution.
Hey Bill, thanks for replying. Almost everyone in Israel wants a peaceful outcome. Nobody in Israel wants to leave their families and send their kids to fight this. We can't always get what we want and there isn't always a solution. If we have to fight forever, we will choose that over destruction.
Why did October 7th happen? Israel was not in Gaza. There was a "ceasefire" with Hamas. Hamas committed its atrocities without provocation and Hizbullah followed suit immediately, again with no provocation. Did Israel ever do anything to the Houthis in Yemen before they decided to fire ballistic missiles at Israeli population centers?
Fundamentally, some people do not think like you and me, they have different goals and different cultures. Sometimes there is no agreement and there is no getting along. Then we are left with simply trying to avoid being hit by missiles and by barbarous raids of murder, rape and kidnapping.
"No provocation" is a funny construction. It is the very dehumanizing I'm trying to touch upon.
What was the provocation that invited a mob to infiltrate into family houses, burn them to the ground, shoot RPGs at ordinary cars driving down the street, kidnap, rape and mutilate young men and women, gun down a peaceful music festival, continue to fire missiles indiscriminately at population centers and hold 100 hostages in captivity to this day? What kind of discussion do you imagine having with the people who did that? What will peace with the Houthis look like, or the Iranians?
Decades-long oppression? Just brainstorming here.
Seriously, though, if one can't think beyond immediate cause and effect then one can never solve problems. It's just act, react, act, react, endlessly.
Now they don't need a provocation, they can just point to "decades long oppression" as an excuse for going into peoples' houses and shooting entire families dead. I'll remind you that Israel was not present in Gaza, the whole strip had been ruled with an iron hand by Hamas since Israel left in 2005. At what point will you give the Palestinians the courtesy of taking them at their word and holding them accountable for their actions?
A lot of heartfelt words.
Bottom line: There will never—ever—be justification for the atrocities committed by the individuals calling themselves #Hamas one year ago.
In initiating their part of a larger ongoing Genocidal effort, these individuals brought upon themselves (and the unfortunate citizens who happen to live in territory Hamas controls) the unmitigated wrath of a People subjected to various schemes for “ethnic cleansing” over millennia.
Haman. Hitler. Hamas.
The goal is always the same: Eradicate the Jews.
You have chosen to be “impartial”—which in this specific matter is tantamount to supporting Hamas.
I believe that is a mistake.
Bill Arkin here: To fall into the trap of being pro-Hamas is certainly a danger.
It's not.
Really? Being pro-Hamas is your worry when responding to someone using a supposedly unjustifiable attack to justify the “unmitigated wrath” brought upon “unfortunate citizens who happen to live in the territory that Hamas controls”. (that territory being the place they were born into and since imprisoned by massive walls and a blockade of any manner of escape which is in reality “controlled” by Israel itself)
That you would entertain and legitimize the idea of impartiality as being pro-Hamas is pathetic and undignified for anyone who calls themselves a journalist let alone a layman.
Bill Arkin here: Being pro-Israel or pro-Hamas connotes analytic blindness.
Horseshit. Not supporting Israel's policies doesn't make you a supporter of Hamas. It isn't antisemitism either. It's using reason, logic, and information to form an opinion on a matter of grave importance.
It’s been a year since I was compelled against my better judgment to scrawl the following. I was thinking of updating it, but … never mind. Nothing has changed.
biffogram.substack.com/p/days-of-rage
israel will be defeated and its actions have only ensured people around the globe will fight the colony
Israel will never be defeated. Read your Bible. God's chosen land. The birthplace of Jesus Christ. Israel will be forever blessed..
LOL. You need to get out of the matrix & back into reality. Neither God or Jesus exists. And the Bible is a man-made book full of fiction. They're ALL designed to mentally control people like you through organized religion.
Delusional
Thank you and -- the full truth about US genocide in 40 minutes:
Atrocity Inc: How Israel Sells The Destruction Of Gaza
Grayzone – OUTSTANDING - Watch @MaxBlumenthal new documentary takedown of the media deceptions and hoaxes Israel pushed to manufacture consent for its genocidal assault on Gaza
https://x.com/TheGrayzoneNews/status/1843318219404186024
or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFEurGy05ps&rco=1
----------------------------------------------------------------
I disagree. Things are much better for Israel.
So no homage to Vladimir Putin & his birthday? After all the attack on this day last year was to honor the probable mastermind of the Hamas attack on Israel, using intelligence Putin got from Trump. Yes, we know that Russian guests of the Oval Office ambassador Kislyak & foreign minister Lavrov asked for & received from Trump US intelligence on Israeli military operations, which Trump likely updated with additional top secret information he confiscated from the White House. The machiavellian Putin wanted to divert attention from his barbaric war on Ukraine & turn the tide of war in Russia's favor, while provoking social unrest in the US, causing trouble for Biden while reducing Biden's support from key constituencies in the far left, youth & Muslim communities, & boosting Putin's puppet's chances of regaining the US presidency, virtually all accomplished by this attack on Israel on his birthday by the proxy group of his most faithful ally assisting his war against Ukraine, which had met with Russian officials at various times both before & after the attack.
Bill Arkin here: Israel would like to think it lives in an age of annihilation; it does not. It doesn't have a total war stategy against its many (and growing number of) enemies. It ignores the changing nature of the nation state, particularly in that region. You posit two alternatives as strawmen: total victory or acceptance of terrorism. That is a flawed analysis. There is a third way to look at the problem, one that is far more applicable to the modern era: to recognize the humanity of those you are fighting (for both sides) and thus actually find a negotiated solution. Do Israel's enemies want nothing but the elimination of Israel? Is that the only basis on which to fight? Does Israel think that by killing today's fighters it is eliminating the threat in the long term? Or is it just a holding action with no end in sight? These are questions relevant to the real world, not "leftist" arguments. Neither side has the ability to achieve total victory (the World War II model). That argues that while military solutions might provide some degree of satisfaction today, they are not the road to building security.
But Israel has God. No greater power in the world.
Perhaps you were one of the hundreds at the ceremonies these past two days, and one more tomorrow on 8 October, with bereaved family members, both Israeli and Palestinian. If not here’s the information about the final online event tomorrow:
October 6th, 7th, and 8th, - virtual gatherings each day at 2:00 PM ET / 9:00 PM Jerusalem Time to honor those we've lost and envision a future of justice, peace, and safety for all.
In these gatherings, we will create a space to process grief, address the oppressive systems that perpetuate profound suffering, and foster a shared vision of reconciliation, justice, and collective liberation.
The gatherings will be facilitated by Nonviolence International, Parents Circle Families Forum/American Friends of Parents Circle Families Forum, and Combatants for Peace/American Friends of Combatants for Peace.
To register:
https://www.afcfp.org/upcomingevents
Hi Fentanyl, Bill Arkin here: "Normalization" of relations with Israel by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states is exactly what I'm talking about, that coexistence is possible. I don't think it was forged by the threat of Iran, but by common interests that also have to do with radical Islamist threats, which affect those countries as well.
Who were Israel’s enemies prior to 1948? Oh right, it had none because it hadn’t yet begun to exist on the stolen land of those neighbors you call enemies.
Goodwill wins Hearts and Minds. Destruction and death breeds followers of hate-filled ideologies.
One more comment. Since you aren't Jewish you don't understand the cultural and religious background when I ask for compassion and goodwill. Especially this time of year with Yom Kippur in a few days.
If you're really interested in learning about Jewish history I recommend this book (1170 pages--it's comprehensive):
https://www.amazon.com/History-Jewish-People-Hillel-Ben-Sasson/dp/0674397312
Grabbing a copy of this book. Thank you David 🙏
You have a lot of anger in this comment. Your rhetoric is full of emotion and conjecture and short on logic and facts. In short, I disagree with your opinion.
Also, don’t confuse Gazans with Hamas. Also, don’t confuse Jews with Israelis. And don’t confuse government with its citizens.
Shalom!