Comments on: The Ignatius report on the war in Rafah: will Israel scale back?

By: Don

Don — Wed, 22 May 2024 16:03:56 +0000

There is definitely an Israeli deep state that’s in bed with the American deep state, attempting to take down Bibi, and using street demonstrators to agitate.

By: Barry Meislin

Barry Meislin — Wed, 22 May 2024 15:57:54 +0000

I’ll just add an “encouraged” after that last word (i.e., “embraced”)….

(Ah but “encouraged” by whom…?)

By: Miguel cervantes

Miguel cervantes — Wed, 22 May 2024 13:16:57 +0000

We know the answer halavi eisenkot perhaps even gallant were willing to strike a body blow against bibi (i dont want to hear they wouldnt dare the evidence has made itself crystal clear) look at milley kelley mattis and co in this neck of the woods

Ah pantsless mcguirk a walking talking blackmail target re that apocryphal scene atop the baghdad embassy

By: Barry Meislin

Barry Meislin — Wed, 22 May 2024 13:04:55 +0000

“The can gets kicked down the road…”

Indeed, it’s one rather common “solution”…

In Israel, too.
And so the can got kicked down the road countless times….
(But what was the ALTERNATIVE? Ah, there’s the rub….)
…until Oct. 7, when it became understood—to most, no not all, alas—that THAT was, um, NOT going to “work” anymore.

The huge problem is that there is a DIRECT CONNECTION between kicking that can and the events of Oct. 7.
It SHOULD HAVE BEEN understood; after all, there was a precedent in October 1973—which Oct 7. was symbolically (they LOVE their symbolism, don’t they?) supposed to echo…resonating like a tremendous gong.

(File under 20-20 hindsight? Well, yes; but NO!)

STILL, they allowed it to happen. In spite of warnings, theoretical and warnings real.
They permitted it to succeed. They turned their backs, closed their eyes, believed in their own cleverness.

How many times can a country—a person?—F*&% Up and stay in contention…or even stay alive?

How did THEY allow this carnage even to happen?

So we’re back to: it happened because kicking the can became the modus vivendi. The smart thing. POLICY.

(To be sure, there were other reasons—sinister and nefarious reasons—why the policy of kicking the can was reinforced, defended, embraced.)

By: Miguel cervantes

Miguel cervantes — Wed, 22 May 2024 12:42:08 +0000

I credited ignatius early work body of lies had a little too much commentary it was about someone like zarqawi even though they gave him syrian characteristics it would be nearly a decade till it became predictive with islamic state

By: Richard+Aubrey

Richard+Aubrey — Wed, 22 May 2024 12:38:39 +0000

Barry. Good point. But not one which occurs to those trying to figure out how to keep Something from troubling them. The can gets kicked down the road.

But what is the Something which Israel will have to keep at bay forever or destroy entirely?

By: Miguel cervantes

Miguel cervantes — Wed, 22 May 2024 12:14:55 +0000

2006 2009 2012 2014 2021 now tell me how israel been ‘letting’ gaza do anything now the eu and the un and the us govt have their blood soaked hands up to their elbows

What are the works of gazans blowing up discoteques synagogues pizzerias that what they do what theyve been doing for 30 years

By: Art Deco

Art Deco — Wed, 22 May 2024 11:35:00 +0000

I seem to recall the Ignatius is the sort of journalist who places pieces in Foreign Affairs now and again. I think I’ve been seeing his byline for about 40 years know. Don’t recall him as been peculiarly hackish.
==
My guess would be that he’s a conduit for his sources. Austin-Blinken-Sullivan-Mayorkas are not an impressive crew even when they’re not being frankly criminal.

By: Barry Meislin

Barry Meislin — Wed, 22 May 2024 11:21:17 +0000

Permit me to enquire whether a perimeter can be held “indefinitely”…

(Put another way, what is ONE big difference between the Six-Day and Yom-Kippur/Ramadan Wars…? Or between Dien Bien Phu, 1954, and Saigon, 1975?)

By: Barry Meislin

Barry Meislin — Wed, 22 May 2024 11:11:54 +0000

A huge advantage of all this, for “Biden”, is that just like Gaza “became” a honeycomb of multi-level and multi-directional tunnels, a place seething with missiles and rockets…as “a result” of Israel’s withdrawal from there; and just like South Lebanon “became” a honeycomb of even more sophisticated tunnels, a place seething with missiles and rockets…as “a result” of Israel’s withdrawal from there; so the West Bank will “become” honeycombed with multi-level and multi-directional tunnels, a place seething with missiles and rockets…as “a result” of Israel’s withdrawal from there.

It’s what’s called “win-win”—at least for “Biden” and the Palestinians (but then we’ve been saying for some time now that the Democratic Party plays by “Palestinian Rules”…or was it that the Palestinians play by “Democratic Party Rules”?, can’t remember [scratches head]—well, doesn’t really matter all that much in any event).

N.B. Perhaps all that tunnel building won’t really be necessary for Abbas or his successor if they can muster enough missiles and rockets—oh, and drones, too, why not?—to blanket the Jewish State with incoming “gifts” all the time. (Hey, kind of like what Gaza has been able to do—and what Hezbullah WILL do if/when they feel the time is ripe!)

To be sure, maybe “Biden”—under the good ole’ “Bidenesque” rationale that “his” goal is to create a better world, one of peace, understanding brother/sister/xhe-hood, whatever—REALLY wants to force the Israelis into a position where to survive they WILL HAVE TO TRULY genocide (verb transitive—huh?) the Palestinians once and for all…which, “he” hopes, would—FINALLY—make Israel that PARIAH NATION that so many would like it to be…with all that that entails….

File under: Eureka!