Conflict between Palestine and Israel escalates

[Hades]

Things can get pretty dire if you're an American soldier these days

You can be send to die in a pointless Middle Eastern war just because Trump wants to distract from Epstein/doubling down on his mistake to seem in control. You get send in with a government that has proven they don't have any sort of plan and were acting at faulty information delivered by an untrustworthy ally, and when things go wrong its the drunk crusading larper Pete Hegseth that is responsible for getting you back home safe.

Sounds like a horror story. Though since the American armed forces are said to lean Republican I'd need to know what they voted before I'd pity them that much. If they voted for Trump they kinda brought the misfortune on themselves.

 

[Seanchaidh]

Interesting reading for those interested in history as well as the creation and propagation of flimsy media narratives:

https://electronicintifada.net/content/debunking-lie-israel-created-hamas/51350

Despite its deep roots in Palestinian society, there is a pervasive, false narrative about the origins of Hamas that is widely promoted, particularly in the West – including among some sympathetic to the Palestinian national liberation cause.

That narrative goes like this: Hamas was encouraged or even created by Israel to undermine the secular Palestine Liberation Organization of the late leader Yasser Arafat.

But this narrative is a myth that emerged from both anti-Hamas elements within Palestinian society and by Israeli intelligence.

(It goes on, I'm not quoting all of it here.)

It also cites this from 2011, which is interesting in its own right:

https://electronicintifada.net/content/palestine-papers-and-gaza-coup/9200

Until now, the most comprehensive and essential account of these events was contained in David Rose’s April 2008 Vanity Fair article, “The Gaza Bombshell.”

An initial reading of the Palestine Papers supports Rose’s account and provides details of hitherto unknown secret, high-level “Quadripartite” meetings among Israeli, American, Egyptian and Palestinian officials whose explicit goal appears to have been to undermine the national unity government. The essential point here is that part of the PA — loyal to Mahmoud Abbas and backed by the US — was actively plotting with Israel and its allies against the legitimately-constituted unity government.

(This article also goes into more detail.)

 

[Chimpzy]

Things can get pretty dire if you're an American soldier these days

You can be send to die in a pointless Middle Eastern war just because Trump wants to distract from Epstein/doubling down on his mistake to seem in control. You get send in with a government that has proven they don't have any sort of plan and were acting at faulty information delivered by an untrustworthy ally, and when things go wrong its the drunk crusading larper Pete Hegseth that is responsible for getting you back home safe.

Sounds like a horror story. Though since the American armed forces are said to lean Republican I'd need to know what they voted before I'd pity them that much. If they voted for Trump they kinda brought the misfortune on themselves.

And apparently you may also risk going hungry, smelly and/or barefoot.

Cookies, deodorant, socks. Iran war puts military packages in limbo

Thousands of boxes sent to service members in Middle East are stuck in limbo. The Postal Service has indefinitely suspended delivery amid Iran war.

www.usatoday.com

 

[BrawlMan]

​

 

[Chimpzy]

Netanyahu says Israeli soldier pictured hitting Jesus statue in Lebanon will face "harsh disciplinary action"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a soldier seen in a photo hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer will face "harsh disciplinary action."

www.cbsnews.com

Ok, that's it! Now they've really gone too far!!!!!!

 

[Gergar12]

Did Trump try to use nuclear codes? No evidence to back viral claim

Larry Johnson - a retired CIA analyst - claimed Trump tried to access nuclear codes but was stopped by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

www.newsweek.com

Had this been any other modern day president I would have already dismissed it as a un-serious joke. The fact that many people haven't is a little unsettling.

 

[Agema]

Netanyahu says Israeli soldier pictured hitting Jesus statue in Lebanon will face "harsh disciplinary action"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a soldier seen in a photo hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer will face "harsh disciplinary action."

www.cbsnews.com

Ok, that's it! Now they've really gone too far!!!!!!

Hell, they destroyed a whole Iranian synagogue. A statue of Jesus is small fry.

Obviously, they claimed destroying the synagogue was "collateral damage". I'm not remotely convinced: I think it's very likely that Israel wants to push the remaining Iranian Jews to leave Iran because it infuriates Israel when Jews are not loyal to Israel.

 

[Satinavian]

Netanyahu says Israeli soldier pictured hitting Jesus statue in Lebanon will face "harsh disciplinary action"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a soldier seen in a photo hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer will face "harsh disciplinary action."

www.cbsnews.com

Ok, that's it! Now they've really gone too far!!!!!!

Well, that is the kind of thing that could piss off the US evangelicals. Of course they don't want that all over the media.

 

[Chimpzy]

World's biggest condom maker Karex set to raise prices due to Iran war

Malaysia-based Karex produces more than five billion condoms a year and supplies global brands like Durex and Trojan.

www.bbc.com

The inflation jokes write themselves

 

[thebobmaster]

World's biggest condom maker Karex set to raise prices due to Iran war

Malaysia-based Karex produces more than five billion condoms a year and supplies global brands like Durex and Trojan.

www.bbc.com

The inflation jokes write themselves

Talk about your boners.

 

[Gordon_4]

Talk about your boners.

Gotta make the hard choices.

 

[Seanchaidh]

 

[Gordon_4]

Netanyahu says Israeli soldier pictured hitting Jesus statue in Lebanon will face "harsh disciplinary action"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a soldier seen in a photo hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer will face "harsh disciplinary action."

www.cbsnews.com

Ok, that's it! Now they've really gone too far!!!!!!

 

[Hades]

The Trump administration keeps pointing to the fact how terrible an Iran with nukes would be when they fail to explain why they started a war without concrete reason or even a basic strategy or war aims , but this only highlights their failing. Because right now all they managed to tell Iran is that nuclear weapons are their only hope for survival and that the US will keep trying to destroy them if they fail to get these weapons. And that is all on Trump.

Trump told the iranians two things. He told them that if the US and Iran have a deal about nuclear arms then a loony president can at any times kill this deal solely because he hates his predecessor. Secondly he told them that if negotiations start again about this subject that the US will then use this to lure in their leadership , murder them and then start a war with Iran.

So exactly what other option is Iran left with ? Negotiations on the subject clearly does not work out for them and hoping that the US electorate will elect a president that can be trusted certainly is not an option anymore.

 

[Agema]

The Trump administration keeps pointing to the fact how terrible an Iran with nukes would be when they fail to explain why they started a war without concrete reason or even a basic strategy or war aims , but this only highlights their failing.

I fear that it's worse than that.

I think that Trump has a pattern of losing interest in things he can't easily do, that require lots of attention, concentration and patience. He's reached an impasse with Iran where he can't get what he wants, so he's just going to wander off to do something else, leaving a completely messed up status quo for the world to endure.

After all, why does he care? As a billionaire, high fuel costs make only the most trivial of differences to him, whilst he's making billions through corruption and crypto wheezes, and his mates in the US fossil fuel industry rake in massive profits.

 

[Thaluikhain]

After all, why does he care? As a billionaire, high fuel costs make only the most trivial of differences to him, whilst he's making billions through corruption and crypto wheezes, and his mates in the US fossil fuel industry rake in massive profits.

While yes, he does seem to desperately need to seem to be the best at everything (not sure how much is his mindset or his propaganda), and so needs to claim a win of some sorts. Personally, I think if he betrayed Israel and stop giving them weapons, he could get some concessions from Iran and call it a win, and much of the world would as well, but sadly that seems unlikely.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I think that Trump has a pattern of losing interest in things he can't easily do, that require lots of attention, concentration and patience. He's reached an impasse with Iran where he can't get what he wants, so he's just going to wander off to do something else, leaving a completely messed up status quo for the world to endure.

He's also used to getting what he wants immediately through intimidation ("I'll sue you for ten billion dollars!"), so against a country that won't instantly fold under pressure, he just doubles down (like threatening to wipe out an entire civilization), and if that doesn't work he gets confused and flounders.

And a large part of this whole ordeal was his resentment that something still had Obama's name on it instead of his.

 

[Agema]

While yes, he does seem to desperately need to seem to be the best at everything (not sure how much is his mindset or his propaganda), and so needs to claim a win of some sorts. Personally, I think if he betrayed Israel and stop giving them weapons, he could get some concessions from Iran and call it a win, and much of the world would as well, but sadly that seems unlikely.

Sure, but the USA dropping Israel is still a concession, and the more concessions it makes, the less it looks like it won.

Secondly, the USA simply is not going to stop backing Israel. It needs a sea change in US perceptions and policy to do so, and whilst the cracks might have appeared in the love affair, collapse is probably still well off.

Thirdly, I don't think Iran would be heavily motivated by the USA offering to stop backing Israel. Iran's first and foremost interest is the security and advantage of Iran itself, and Israel is in ways not much of a problem, so it isn't going to surrender a core benefit for a peripheral one. Plus, whether Iran could trust the USA to honour it.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Sure, but the USA dropping Israel is still a concession, and the more concessions it makes, the less it looks like it won.

Secondly, the USA simply is not going to stop backing Israel. It needs a sea change in US perceptions and policy to do so, and whilst the cracks might have appeared in the love affair, collapse is probably still well off.

Thirdly, I don't think Iran would be heavily motivated by the USA offering to stop backing Israel. Iran's first and foremost interest is the security and advantage of Iran itself, and Israel is in ways not much of a problem, so it isn't going to surrender a core benefit for a peripheral one. Plus, whether Iran could trust the USA to honour it.

True, something of wishful thinking on my part, however, I do feel if Iran could be seen as the ones who curbed Israel's everything, there'd be political capital in that.

 

[Agema]

True, something of wishful thinking on my part, however, I do feel if Iran could be seen as the ones who curbed Israel's everything, there'd be political capital in that.

Iran gets political capital just from a "draw". It would be a global embarrassment and weakening for the USA, just like Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been an embarrassment and weakening for Russia, even if it ends up keeping a few oblasts of Ukrainian land.

That said, whilst the USA's humiliation would be a victory for all its enemies, Iran itself might find a moral victory much less satisfying than a material one.