These are pivotal times. The horrific attacks on civilians in Gaza carry enough of a humanitarian imperative to demand a permanent cease-fire and a truly free Palestinian state, but for those individuals motivated by a largely non-empathetic pragmatism, there are other reasons to shut this monstrosity down.
The danger of escalation to a worldwide event increases by the day. The stand-alone vote at the UN from the US (even the UK at least abstained) shows the precarious nature of this ride-or-die alliance with Israeli Zionism. The world is not with the US or Israel on this one. Live-streamed genocide will do that to you. The fact that Israel will likely see itself mired down in guerrilla-style urban skirmishes which can never be truly won will likely erode some of the support from even the Israeli population. We have all seen how these situations have played out in the past. The public desires a quick and magnificent victory and when this does not occur, the leaders start looking for other avenues to shore up support. A certain way to do this would be to escalate the conflict into neighboring areas in an attempt to pull the United States in (even more than it already is) and to obfuscate the initial cause of what could become a worldwide conflict. We have already seen this happening with Israeli strikes on neighbors as well as the assassination of Iranian Gen. Mousavi. It is obvious that Netanyahu wants this to spread.
Perhaps the most frightening possibility would be a direct attack on US interests that would pull the nation into a war that could rapidly escalate worldwide. We all know how cooler heads do not prevail in situations such as this. The voices for calm are never heard but the drumbeat for war becomes all-encompassing. It most certainly would not be unheard of for a false flag event to be the spark for such a situation. Again, it’s definitely been done before to pull nations into war and to think Israel is not up to this is beyond naive. And never forget Israel has nukes.
To counter this threat, we really need to be aware of the ways the state of Israel primes the American populace with disinformation that makes the average American think they have something in common with the Zionist experiment. Decent Americans want Jewish people to be safe and this is played upon. Also, it is also no accident that Evangelicals are staunch supporters of Israel, no matter what atrocities they commit for numerous batshit reasons, none of which are really about seeing Jewish people as human (well I guess they are okay with them if they convert real fast before the end battle to be presided over by their “The Prince of Peace”). This crazy group along with those who want Jewish people to be safe for normal reasons becomes a wide group of allies available in the US.
Perhaps the most frightening possibility
would be a direct attack on US interests
that would pull the nation into a war that
could rapidly escalate worldwide
It’s so very important to realize through all of this that voices for peace are being silenced as Jewish protesters are treated with violence and subjugation when they speak for the humanity of the Palestinians, both in Israel and abroad. The government of Israel absurdly proclaims it all to be antisemitism even when the voices against the Zionist endeavor are Jewish. Again, it is about confusing the narrative and disallowing any discernment.
There are clear statements occurring however that leave little room for doubt. When Israeli political leaders are saying openly genocidal statements, speaking of using nuclear weapons to wipe out Gaza—let’s take them at their word and agree this is complete and utter madness and murder, and for all our sake, not continue on the ride with them.
It is difficult to understand how we arrived at a place where truth is so hard to come by…as in here’s a seemingly heartfelt narrative and description from an Israeli with absolutely no proof that is taken at face value, but actual footage of civilian murder is outright ignored in the American press. You would think something as obvious as the murder of Rachel Corrie years ago (literally rolled over by a settler project bulldozer) would have clued in Americans, but probably most have no idea who this heroine even was. But they have heard gang rape and beheaded baby stories that don’t hold up to scrutiny. The clear things that have happened are vague and nebulous to the average American but the atrocity porn stories are as vivid as their imaginations will paint. It is truly bizarre. It’s one of those times that you know history will vindicate those of us who were able to keep a cool head and not believe propaganda, but will there be much of a world left if this escalates?
In a related manner, I was listening to a podcast called “Bad Hasbara” from Matt Lieb. He’s an American secular Jewish man who does an excellent job describing the methods of disinformation so common to the Zionist blueprint. He is a comedian so don’t expect staid commentary from him—just a very easy listen with fascinating insights….. He tells about the process of Birthright. I thought Birthright was the name of an anti-abortion group! It’s actually a program that brings Jewish American kids and young adults to Israel for a free trip and a heavy dose of propaganda. He describes a masterful method of making the kids feel as if they are not safe anywhere but in Israel and how the existence of Israel is necessary for their safety. They play upon generational trauma. They instill that you need to move there or at least go home with the knowledge that this is the only place that truly gets you. I couldn’t help but think the same manipulation is being used on the US citizens who aren’t Jewish as well, as if we need to ally with Israel as a bulwark against “the sons of darkness” as Netanyahu famously and disgustingly proclaimed. I am struck by the obvious and also symbolic racism from people who want to claim that geography as their own ancestral land, but have an obvious racism against the non-whites who really are from there. When things are this disjointed, it’s for a reason…it’s all made up.
It’s so very important to realize through all
of this that voices for peace are being silenced
as Jewish protesters are treated with violence
and subjugation when they speak for the
humanity of the Palestinians, both in Israel and abroad
One interesting point made by Lieb is that the whole experience of doing Birthright leaves one feeling that the Israeli enterprise is like a cult. This got me thinking…..Israel is a little like Scientology got the chance to take over another country. Instead of claims of antisemitism, they’d just use lawyers to drown out those who dared to criticize. But the notion is the same, and don’t get me started on Netanyahu/L Ron Hubbard. It’s no accident they were never in the same room. Maybe Birthright is their SeaOrg. It’s a nation with a cult mentality and a notion that it is them against the world and anything is permissible to obtain what they want, even, and especially, disinformation. Spahn Ranch writ large. Maybe we can start a race war by putting bloody graffiti out there and confusing everyone about what exactly is going on. Cults can be very, very large too. And even “respectable” leaders can be bloodthirsty murderers; they just find ways to do it at enormous scales. The basic culty psychological mechanics are the same.
But there is one thing that is completely clear: there is no sane argument that allows for murdering children or eliminating a people. Period.
The existential danger to much of the world is still real even if Israel is behaving like an unhinged cult. Yes, by all rules of reality, a nation like that should be imploding completely by now, but this has not occurred. The United States has to extract itself from this sick partnership or it will make the carnage of the last century seem downright peaceful. It’s not a place any of us want to go.
Kathleen Wallace writes out of the US Midwest. Her writing is collected on her Substack page.
Source: CounterPunch