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Home » Who are the pro-Hamas demonstrators and what is attracting them?

Who are the pro-Hamas demonstrators and what is attracting them?

The New Neo Posted on by

I bet you’ve all seen those huge crowds of pro-Palestinian, and often pro-Hamas, protesters in many major cities. For example, here’s an article about today’s display on the Brooklyn Bridge.

They’re numerous, they’re mostly young, they’re loud and bold, and they’re organized. I don’t think for a moment that these are spontaneous. They probably represent a number of groups coming together and aided by social media connections, much as with the Floyd protests in the summer of 2020. One group is immigrants from Arab countries, who are the easiest to understand. And we know that colleges are rife with anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian academic instruction as well as activism. But I think there are other elements at work, too.

I don’t use TikTok, but I’ve heard that Palestinian propagandists are extremely active on it and that their output is especially influential on young people. I also think one of the appeals is the Romantic intensity of the supporters of the cause, something I wrote about long ago in this article. Plus there’s always the appeal of old-fashioned anti-Semitism, jack of all trades and everything to everybody.

We also have the same types who when I was a student were enamored of handsome Che and his beret. You might call the phenomenon “sympathy for the demonic,” which gets turned and twisted into a kind of bizzaro virtue-signaling. The 1972 Munich Olympic massacre of the Israeli athletes was shocking in its day, but you know what? It helped put the PLO on the map and the terrorists learned the lesson that brutality makes fans of a certain segment of the public, which considers the intensity of the terrorism a reflection of the intensity – and therefore the justness – of the cause.

There were no cellphones in 1972 and there was no social media to spread the word, but there was the next best thing – TV coverage at a worldwide event [emphasis mine]:

“From start to finish, it was the first time terrorists had hijacked a televised event and turned it into their own drama,” says Bruce Hoffman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who has studied terrorism for decades.

In 1968, about 11 international terrorist groups were operating. A few years after the Munich massacre, that number was more than 50, Hoffman says. A large reason for that was the global attention the attack received.

“I think other aggrieved persons saw terrorism as a vehicle to attract attention to themselves and their cause and also coerce governments. I mean, you had these small nonstate actors … with limited weaponry and constrained capacity for violence, forcing governments to deal with them,” Hoffman says. …

“And these kinds of violent attacks actually succeed in putting the issue on the international agenda,” Elgindy says. From there, the PLO notched two diplomatic wins: 20 Arab League countries recognized the organization as the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people” in October 1974. A month later, the United Nations gave the PLO observer status.

Young people have been most negatiely affected by the pandemic lockdowns and school closings, plus they probably know nothing of the relevant history of the Middle East, and the vacuum can be filled in with TikTok garbage. They were raised on a high level of pretend fantasy violence in video games, rap music, horror films, shows like Game of Thrones, and violent online porn. Does the news from October 7 even move them, or does it seem merely exciting?

Comments

Who are the pro-Hamas demonstrators and what is attracting them? — 76 Comments

  1. Demonstrations are sexy and sexually arousing for those involved, At the bottom, it’s all about sex. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that, after each demonstration a lot of the demonstrators got laid.

    I am not being facetious. I speak from experience. Also, see “Getting Straight”, a 1970 film about campus unrest staring Elliot Gould and Candice Bergen. Quentin Tarantino cited it as one of his favorite films.

  2. Otter.
    I saw that film. After the riots of, iirc, 1968 “I didn’t get out of bed for a week.”

  4. Maybe can mark it down to Cultural Marxism Seminaries working on young minds for the last 3 decades

  6. In Xenophon’s “Education of Cyrus” (“The Cyropaedia”) the author observes that young men in their teens need to be closely supervised in all that they do, because they are prone to getting carried away by their youthful enthusiasms. Such as riotous and violent/murderous behavior of the sort perpetrated by the young men of Hamas.

  8. Re: Political activism / romantic

    Bruce Cockburn, a Christian folk rocker who went left, went to Central America in the 80s and got radicalized, then wrote a magnificent song capturing the sexual romanticism of radical politics.
    _____________________________

    Don’t the hours grow shorter as the days go by
    You never get to stop and open your eyes
    One day you’re waiting for the sky to fall
    The next you’re dazzled by the beauty of it all

    When you’re lovers in a dangerous time
    Lovers in a dangerous time

    These fragile bodies of touch and taste
    This vibrant skin—this hair like lace
    Spirits open to the thrust of grace
    Never a breath you can afford to waste

    When you’re lovers in a dangerous time
    Lovers in a dangerous time

    When you’re lovers in a dangerous time
    Sometimes you’re made to feel as if your love’s a crime—
    But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight—
    Got to kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight

    –Bruce Cockburn – Lovers In A Dangerous Time
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IX4gWkFqvU
    _____________________________

    Being radical can be a deeply felt experience. I don’t mean to defend it. My point is that those on the radical left are in a serious trance that they find fulfilling.

    They are well beyond argument.

  9. Don’t forget that Hate is by far the most powerful emotion. Hate can get people to accomplish things that Love could only dream of accomplishing an equivalent level.

    You can wallow in hate, as an activist. It can be very fulfilling, if you have the right kind of mind, and in today’s schools, the children are being” very carefully taught “.

  10. I think they’re mostly young, ignorant idiots who think the Palestinian cause is romantic and exciting. They also think wearing a keffiyeh looks exotic and cool.

  11. Reminds me of the Vietnam protests, but much larger because of the internet connection factor.

    Most of them know little of the history of Israel and the Palestinians. They’ve obviously been propagandized against Israel. The Palestinian “resistance” = Viet Cong “agrarian reformers.” All very much the oppressed versus the oppressors. How much more virtuous can you be than to cheer on the oppressed Palestinians versus the oppressive Jews?

    Once again, it’s a bunch of know nothings’ doing their thing. And if it creates a lot of sexual activity, it will seem to them as if it’s really meaningful.

    Truth is that the people who took over our schools were the “know nothing” children of the Vietnam era.

    How many times are we going to have to repeat the 60s/70s before we wise up?

  13. How many of the “mostly peaceful” pro-Palestine protesters are paid to be there?

    There is nothing certain except death and taxes, and hate.
    (Morbid proverb, but true.)
    https://nypost.com/2023/11/04/metro/pro-palestine-rally-sponsors-raked-in-9m-in-city-funds/

    Big Apple taxpayers have shelled out nearly $9 million since 2010 — including $3.3 million the past two years — to four nonprofits that helped spearhead anti-Israel protests where demonstrators openly cheered Hamas’ terrorist attacks on the Jewish State.

    A Post examination of city records shows more than $4.25 million – or nearly half — of the cash was funneled through yearly pots of political pork that City Council members dish out to help raise local support and sway votes during re-election bids.

    And nearly $2 million of the Council’s so-called “discretionary funds” were awarded to the anti-Israel groups after a November 2021 general election spawned a mass influx of socialists and other new far-left members to the legislative body.

    The remaining $4.46 million was paid out to the nonprofits through government contracts awarded by city agencies.

    The biggest winner: The Arab American Association of New York, a Brooklyn-based group that helped plan a hate-filled “Flood Brooklyn for Palestine” protest in Bay Ridge on Oct. 21, where protestors called for the eradication of Israel and held a sign of the Israeli flag in a trash basket that read “Please keep the world clean!
    …
    Kagan, a Jewish refugee from Belarus, said the funds he approved were earmarked for karate classes, student tutoring, and other youth programs, adding he plans to ask the nonprofits to prove they made good on their promises.

    “I demand accountability; the taxpayers deserve accountability,” he said. “If a single dollar went to funding hate rallies, then I’ll be introducing [a] transparency resolution to remove these funds.”

    There seem to be a huge number of people who don’t understand that money is fungible. Will he follow through on his threat? Probably not.

    Once again, taxpayers are asked to fund both sides of a conflict.
    However, some groups actually do need the help, considering how much effort their government expends on endangering them.
    https://nypost.com/2023/11/06/news/schumer-wants-1-2b-in-new-security-funding-for-us-religious-groups-intolerance-has-reached-a-boiling-point/

    “The thing that religious leaders, particularly our Jewish religious leaders, have clamored for is more money for the Nonprofit Security Grant [Program],” he said. “It’s been very successful, but the money has more or less run out.”
    …
    Congress approved $305 billion for the program in the most recent fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. The program, created in 2017, allows institutions to buy security equipment and to hire contracted security guards with the money, but they cannot hire personnel directly because of the constitutional separation of church and state.

    “There was $679 million worth of grants that people applied for, but only $305 million was in the bill,” Schumer said. “So we’re trying to raise it dramatically because of the great need since the 7th of October.
    …
    “It can be money for cameras or with fences or doors, harder doors, different windows. It can’t be for personnel directly, but they can hire security guard services as well,” Schumer said.

    “Everyone can apply. Muslims are the second most frequent target, and they would be able to apply, too,” noted Schumer, who is the country’s highest-ranking Jewish official.

    Jews make up about 2% of the US population but nearly 10% of reported hate crimes in the most recent annual FBI data, which showed 1,124 reported anti-Jewish crimes in 2022, up 36% from the 824 such incidents in 2021.

    I would also like to know: what percentage of the US population is Muslim (legal and il-); what percentage of reported hate crimes affected them; how much of the already-dispersed money went to protect synagogues against rampant anti-Semitic attacks; and how much to mosques against almost non-existent Islamophobia attacks?
    How much of the new funds would do you suppose each group would get with Biden Inc running the grant process?

    https://abc7chicago.com/fbi-hate-crime-statistics-racism-antisemitism-islamophobia/13930789/

    The FBI’s report, analyzed by the ABC7 Data Team, shows that while more than half of religion-motivated hate crimes were targeted against Jews in 2022, and 8% against Muslims, nearly two thirds of hate crimes committed nationally were still racially motivated.

    I am checking out the FBI data site for more information and will follow-up in another comment.

  14. How many times are we going to have to repeat the 60s/70s before we wise up?

    –J.J.

    The Strauss-Howe hypothesis is roughly summarized by the four-generation scenario:
    _________________________________

    Hard times create strong men.
    Strong men create good times.
    Good times create weak men.
    And, weak men create hard times.
    _________________________________

    The 60s/70s hippies thing was just a recent instance of the model.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory

  15. I’ve said it once if I said it hundreds of times:

    Arafat was a freakin’ genius….

    – – – – – – – – – – – – –
    Meanwhile…stay tuned for your weekly (daily? hourly?) dose of “Biden”‘s warning to us against the SHEER EVIL of Islamophobia…

    + Bonus:
    (Who needs Tarantino…?)
    “Archaeologists identify remains of at least 10 people missing in Gaza massacre;
    “Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists aid IDF in efforts identify remains in homes burnt by Hamas terrorists in October 7 massacre.”—
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/379854

    And Jordan is stepping up!!!
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/379858

  16. And Giulio Meotti with another dire warning—his area of expertise—though, frankly, I don’t know if anyone reads him, let alone pays him any attention….
    “Israel will win. The West is over;
    “Support for Hamas originates in the heart of darkness of Western consciousness, There are more fans of Hamas in the West than in Gaza.”—
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/379863

    Nonetheless, as dire warnings go, this one is right up there!

    + Related? You decide…
    “Moroccan Spy-Ring Scandal Rocks Dutch Intel Services”—
    https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/moroccan-spy-ring-scandal-rocks-dutch-intel-services/
    What secrets, though, might the Dutch have to hide?

  17. If you still had any illusions about impartial journalism, watch how Reuters framed this event. Although they were quoting the Sheriff’s statement until late in the story, which is problematical in itself without a copy of the source for context.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/us/california-jewish-man-dies-after-altercation-israel-palestinian-protests-2023-11-07/

    Nov 6 (Reuters) – A Jewish man who fell to the ground in an altercation amid pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian street protests in California died on Monday, and his death was determined to be a homicide, law enforcement and a Jewish organization said.

    Paul Kessler, 69, died of blunt force head trauma a day after the altercation on Sunday, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said, adding that witnesses described the incident as battery.

    As of Monday night, no suspect was in custody in what the sheriff’s office said “appears to be isolated and not part of a large effort,” though it had not ruled out a hate crime.

    The incident took place as emotions have run high in the United States over the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, with U.S. officials and civil rights groups warning of increased threats against Jews, Muslims and Arab Americans since fighting broke out on Oct. 7.

    Last month an Illinois man was charged with hate crimes for stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy to death and wounding his mother in an attack that officials said targeted them for their religion in a response to the war.

    The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles identified the victim as a Jewish man and labeled the incident as the fourth act of antisemitic violence in the Los Angeles area this year and the second since Oct. 7.

    Separate pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations occurred simultaneously on Sunday in the city of Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles (65 km) west of Los Angeles, the sheriff’s office said.

    Kessler was involved in a physical altercation between counter-protesters, the sheriff’s office said, citing witness accounts. It did not specify which side instigated the altercation.

    “During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground. Kessler was transported to an area hospital for advanced medical treatment. On November 6, 2023, Kessler succumbed to his injuries,” the statement said.

    Deputies asked the public for help in what it called “an active and ongoing investigation.” The sheriff’s office said it would hold a news conference on Tuesday about the incident.

    The leader of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, citing conversations with local government officials, said a pro-Palestinian protester had struck the victim on the head with a megaphone.

    Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and chief executive of the group, said investigators have identified the person but that they have not made an arrest because the probe was ongoing.

    “This is what’s happening in American right now. There is a culture of fear and a culture of really terror against the Jewish community happening,” Farkas said.

    Kessler, who was carrying an Israeli flag at the demonstration, came from a family of philanthropists who were devastated by his death, Farkas said.

    The Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, also expressed grief over what it called a “tragic and shocking loss,” while also asking people to “refrain from jumping to conclusions” or “sensationalizing such a tragedy for political gains.”

    “CAIR-LA and the Muslim community stand with the Jewish community in rejecting any and all violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or incitement of hatred,” the statement said.

    Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Rami Ayyub, Robert Birsel and Gerry Doyle

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    For the record:
    https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/about-us/trust-principles.html

    The Trust Principles are:
    That Reuters shall at no time pass into the hands of any one interest, group, or faction;
    That the integrity, independence, and freedom from bias of Thomson Reuters shall at all times be fully preserved;
    That Reuters shall supply unbiased and reliable news services to newspapers, news agencies, broadcasters, and other media subscribers and to businesses, governments, institutions, individuals, and others with whom Reuters has or may have contracts;
    That Thomson Reuters shall pay due regard to the many interests which it serves in addition to those of the media; and
    That no effort shall be spared to expand, develop, and adapt the news and other services and products of Thomson Reuters so as to maintain its leading position in the international news and information business

  18. Well, Zerohedge FINALLY can let its hair down—not that it was EVER shy of doing so)…but this is a pretty grotesque effort…though it’s always interesting to see how ZH’s pro-Russian/anti-Zionist stances consistently percolate to the top…so no surprises on that score:
    “Young, Bold, & Angry: The Youth-Led Revival Of The Palestinian Cause”—
    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/young-bold-angry-youth-led-revival-palestinian-cause
    – – – – – – – – – – –
    And some are even noticing that Glenn Greenwald, in spite of some truly herculean efforts to shine light on the perversity and criminality of the Democratic Party, its autocrats, censors, liars and henchpeople, has reverted to questionable form where the Middle East is concerned…
    https://instapundit.com/615546/

    Interesting times…

  19. This is the Sheriff’s office’s statement (from the Red State post which leads with the relevant information). There is no mention of the megaphone battery, which might lead readers to wonder why the dead man “fell” backwards and died of “blunt force head injury and the manner of death homicide” with no blunt force instrument in sight.
    https://nixle.us/ETJRK

    https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2023/11/07/breaking-death-of-jewish-man-attacked-by-pro-hamas-demonstrator-in-california-ruled-homicide-n2165990

    As RedState reported Monday afternoon, a Hamas supporter hit Paul Kessler over the head with a megaphone during a confrontation on Sunday, causing Kessler to fall and hit his skull on the pavement. Video posted to social media showed Kessler lying in a pool of blood, and he died of his injuries on Monday morning.

  20. I don’t know, AF, but that last paragraph you cited (of Reuters’ oh-so virtuous—and professional(!)—credo)…

    “That no effort shall be spared to expand, develop, and adapt the news and other services and products of Thomson Reuters so as to maintain its leading position in the international news and information business”

    …would appear to give Reuters carte blanche to smear, incite and lie about Israel in any form and every way imaginable—that is, as long as doing so would “MAINTAIN ITS LEADING POSITION in the international news and information business…”!

    And—by golly!—Reuters almost always rises to the occasion! To be fair, though, “That’s Entertainment!”

    (Actually, that last graf would seem to be THE GOLD STANDARD of the entire global corrupt media!)

  21. Well you’re meant to blame his death on the sidewalk (of course).

    Reuters at its professional best!
    (On the other hand, how else is it supposed to “maintain its leading position in the international news…”?

  23. Everyone’s a’ doin’ it!
    (And, after all, why not…?)

    “U.S. watchdogs warn of dangers of aid to Hamas-controlled Gaza, detail how Taliban diverted money;
    “The USAID inspector general has warned of the possibility of U.S. humanitarian aid to Gaza being diverted to benefit Hamas. This is a long-running problem, especially in light of past U.S. aid diverted to the Taliban in Afghanistan, through the creation of fraudulent NGOs and co-opting UN facilities by force.”—
    https://justthenews.com/accountability/watchdogs/watchdogs-warn-dangers-aid-hamas-controlled-gaza-report-taliban-diverts-us
    File under: “Biden”, the Compassionate…

  24. Nothing like a little global “confidence building”…
    “Hamas leader claims civilians were not killed in Oct. 7 massacre;
    “Moussa Abu Marzouk tells BBC: ‘Women, children, and civilians were exempt’ from massacre.”—
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/379862

    I guess the corrupt media will just have to quote verbatim—journalism, and all that—since everyone’s entitled to their opinion(TM)…

  25. Good analysis as always. Alan Dershowitz wrote an interesting book some twenty years ago on “why terrorism works” (with that exact title). He concluded that it works because it makes gullible people in the West and elsewhere believe that if people are willing to go to such extremes, even to the extent of sacrificing their own lives, their cause must be desperate and just. That there’s another explanation, namely terrorism being psychological warfare with a clear strategic perspective and the folks blowing themselves up mere useful idiots, never occurred to Lefties.

  26. And some are even noticing that Glenn Greenwald, in spite of some truly herculean efforts to shine light on the perversity and criminality of the Democratic Party, its autocrats, censors, liars and henchpeople, has reverted to questionable form where the Middle East is concerned…

    No surprise there. Greenwald’s been consistently anti-Israel. Reminds me of Christopher Hitchens, who also seemed to see the light on many important issues but retained his grudge against Israel.

  28. yes that was glorious carving up, I wonder if anything remnick wrote going back to his Russian reporting, was ever true, I did not plow through the Bridge, but I key worded certain section, to see how Procopian (Justinians hagiographer who subsequently went Michael Cohen, in secret writings) he can be,

  29. Neo says:

    “…… plus they probably know nothing of the relevant history of the Middle East…………”

    Neo, you are being way too kind to them.
    They probably know next to nothing about any history and what they do know is probably all wrong.

  30. A theory – We are spoiled by the modern world as it has existed over the past half-dozen decades or so. I think that many of us have forgotten how the world actually is and about the excrutiating trade-offs that are necessary to create the conditions that we have lived in since about the middle of the 20th century. Americans have not had to make any hard choices within the lifetimes of the living. The generations that made all of the hard choices in the first half of the 20th are gone.

    One can think of one’s self as a “good person” if one is against killing. So the utopian reasons that, since killing is bad, a “good person” wants to stop all of the killing, now. The realist understands that one side of this conflict is made up of genocidal barbarians who use civilians as human shields. And that forcing Israel to stop before they have completely eliminated Hamas is effectively fighting on the side of the genocidal barbarians.

    The latter position is tragic, and correct. The former position is foolish and morally idiotic. But Americans haven’t experienced the tragic nature of reality for going on 80 years, and it feels good to be “virtuous.”

    As I finish, I realize that this is just an extended statement of the four generation scenario that huxley quoted above. It is such a shame that the sacrifice and hard work of the WWII generation has bred disaster for their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Could there have been any other way?

  31. IrishOtter49…”Demonstrations are sexy and sexually arousing for those involved, At the bottom, it’s all about sex. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that, after each demonstration a lot of the demonstrators got laid.”

    Maybe among some of the boys, but how about the girls? Just about any college0age woman who is at all attractive can have sex whenever she wants to. (Unless the intimidation by the Sex Police has gotten even worse than I think it has)

  32. wll they know the narratives proferred by Said and Ilan Pappe, to use two examples some 40 years apart, Daniel Silva the spy novelist who I thought had a clue until TDS infected him, also Pope Pius derangement, see Pacepa fort the roots, used Benny Morris, who was one of the early revisionists, One can look at the Atlantic in horror, to see what the foreign policy establishment in aspic looks like or Trofimov’s feed from the Journal,

  33. Separate thought – WSJ is reporting this morning that Israel is planning to administer Gaza indefinately. This is not an ideal situation, but how could Israel do anything different? When the US was a steadfast ally, they might have counted on the US to manage a coalition of international peacekeepers to keep the Israeli military from inflaming the Palestian population.

    I can’t see how Israel can count on the US anymore. Republicans are steadfast, at least for now. After Obama’s treachery and now seeing that the energy in the Democratic party is coming from the coalition of hardened anti-Semites and sentimental fools, I can’t see how Israel could have any confidence that a future Democrat in the White House wouldn’t sell them down the river.

    So the anti-Israel lobby will be accomplishing exactly the opposite of their stated goal.

  34. these student bodies did not appear out of thin air, the actors like Qatar China, Iran understand that personnel is policy, so the monies they supply in indirect ways, and direct ones, determine what profile is selected, as I’ve wagged how many Senators would fail the Menendez test, one would hope a few, but their level of selfawareness is extraordinary,

  35. I am not so sanguine, the Arabist/Marxist hold every lever of power from internal security, to the foreign intelligence, so how long can Israel prevail, if the entire world including America, turns against it,

  36. its ironic since Haaretz has been among the worst of the self hating broadsheets except possibly maariv, that employs caspit, who gave sunday’s scoop

    ttps://twitter.com/amirtibon/status/1721764689053467110

  37. I agree with Bauxite and anticipate that this will be a continued management and economic thorn in Israel’s side. Further, if Israel administers Gaza, all the haters will be able to say, “See, Israel really does occupy Gaza!”

    It may be the least bad, but definitely not a good solution.

  38. the details are similar enough in 2000, Arafat perhaps encouraged by figures on his left like Barghouti, to stage this most recent intifada, the pretext was Sharon was walking on the Temple mount, that was balderdash, they were primed to attack specially with the training that Al Aqsa the action arm of Fatah, who were trained by Tenet as part of Clinton’s road map to nowhere, in all the latest countersurveillance techniques, Yassin’s cadres likewise waited on shipments of materiel from Iran, to continue the fight,

  40. Well…we’re about to find out what all those warships and submarines were REALLY sent there for…
    (Hold on to yer hats…)

  41. “. . . were REALLY sent there for…(Hold on to yer hats…) ”

    Are you looking at a particular data point, Barry, or a combination of many? Are you thinking of a “preemptive” (if yet belated!) strike on Hezbs in the Leb on an immediate horizon? Or just issuing a general “Lookout! Here something comes!”?

  43. neo:
    They’re numerous, they’re mostly young, they’re loud and bold, and they’re organized.

    Sounds a lot like OWS; same level of knowledge about what they’re “protesting”. Probably same paycheck.

  45. no he’s just a scarecrow full of straw, you look at nodes, Malley Bitar Tatabatai, Ali
    Youssef that makes a quinella, two at state, pentagon, nsc, and those are the ones we know about, there was that non binary gal, with the Georgetown sheepskin,

  46. Well, one HAS TO protect one’s allies….

    (And if those allies might just feel—ARDENTLY—like obliterating their enemies, well then, who are “we” to say, NO!… But what we certainly CAN do is use—manipulate—those ARDENT ambitions TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER, MORE PEACEFUL PLACE! YES WE CAN!!)

  47. Ok, thanks. Reason I asked — apart from a native curiosity — is I’m still monitoring i24English broadcasts, seeing there the clear uptick in Hezb launched missilery in the last few days, with consequent calls (drumbeats?) from the i24 studio guest “experts” for preemptive finality on the northern front. It’s just a looming possibility, kinda like the buildup of magma on the Reykjanes peninsula the last week . . . she’s gonna pop soon, but where and when exactly no one can predict with certainty.

  48. as robert gates pointed out, biden has gotten more wrong in foreign policy, in 40 years that he could recall, and then he proceeded to endorse him, (are we the only ones not on crazy pills)

  49. Also, about Greenwald, ironic that he’s both Jewish and gay, yet he evidently sympathizes with the Muslim anti-Semites who throw gays off of rooftops.

  50. Well you know they have to liberate Holy Lebanese Soil…so Hezbullah could decide to ratchet it up at any time…
    Also true of the Iran/Hezbullah forces in SW Syria…
    Aaand, my word!!, the Houthis, too!—Gosh, who knew those Yemenites were so technologically advanced!!?

    File under: “So far, as far as we can ascertain, there is no indication, as far as we can tell, that Iran is at all involved in these attacks on Israel…”
    – – – – – – – – –
    Hold onto yer hats (continued)…

    “Commercial jet appears to fly over Israel as rockets explode overhead…”
    https://nypost.com/2023/11/07/news/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-and-analysis-on-gaza-invasion/

  51. Amos Hochstein surely ain’t visiting Leb today in order to advance a crushing of Lebanese energy production (busy, busy!) but it’s gotten to the point I’m leaning to his presence as a preventative measure, since the IDF can’t start the obliteration of Hezb infrastructure while “Biden’s” rep is on the ground there.

  52. he’s team burisma, its always important to know what jacket they are wearing, at atlantic council

  53. When I was in college in the Sixties, there were lots of weird ideas floating around. While the promoters got all the ink, they were a very small minority and the rest of us looked at them as nutcases.
    Is the proportion of the gullible much higher than sixty years ago, or is it more publicity?
    If the former, which is to say primed for the next Silly Thing, actual cause TBD, what has changed?

  54. People have divided the world into the “dog” and “underdog.” And there is a naive desire to root for the perceived “underdog.” Forget good and evil, right or wrong. Forget the overall picture. It’s all about who they perceive at any given time as the “underdog.”

    Or as a lot of people state: “The World loved Israel until 1967 when it trounced Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.” after which, it was no longer perceived as the “underdog.”

    Something else is that there is a romanticization of “Life During Wartime.” Like these people who romanticize it could survive during wartime. Most of them I doubt could. (I am not sure I could.)

    The Irish drive me nuts because they all l-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ve the Palestinians because they see them as analogous to their experience with the British. If they could look at the OVERALL HISTORY, they should realize that the population most “analogous” to them in terms of history and homeland, it is the Israelis, The Arabs are the population most analogous to what they see as the British colonizers.

  55. The Irish drive me nuts because they all l-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ve the Palestinians because they see them as analogous to their experience with the British. If they could look at the OVERALL HISTORY, they should realize that the population most “analogous” to them in terms of history and homeland, it is the Israelis, The Arabs are the population most analogous to what they see as the British colonizers.
    ==
    Both analogies stink. Ireland’s political class and chatterati are awful. And that’s nothing new.

  56. some of them, like gerry adams parents backed the Nazis, the Soviets and the Libyans were the next up in their parade of relevants

  59. A clip circulating here in Israel shows a pro-Hamas protest somewhere in the West (I think it may be Spain…) They are chanting something in Arabic.

    Then an Israeli starts an alternate chant in Hebrew – which sounds to the crowd like Arabic. But his chant translates as “Palestinians are bastards/sons of whores”.

    And the crowd around him picks it up, and goes with it.

    Most of the young people are cluelessly following fashion… I certainly give credence to the “get me laid” theory expounded earlier in the comments.

    And most of the older people are aging hippies and boomers trying to recapture the glory days… with whatever brain cells they have left after all those hash brownies. For them the radical pose is an automatic reflex, how they shore up their identity.

  60. And most of the older people are aging hippies and boomers trying to recapture the glory days
    ==
    Hippies were an odd minority even at the time. Anyone of age to have been one is now eligible for Medicare and full Social Security. We’re all aging, but only some of us are aged.

  61. @ JohnTyler > “They probably know next to nothing about any history and what they do know is probably all wrong.”

    I blame it all on Howard Zinn.

    I made it through about 1.5 chapters of Zinn’s book before tossing it, for the same reasons as Grabar, although my experience predates her book.

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/02/08/debunking-left-wing-historian-howard-zinn-is-like-shooting-fish-in-a-barrel/

    Howard Zinn’s book, The People’s History of the United States, is one of the most famous American history textbooks ever written. His goal was to change the way Americans saw their own history by writing from the perspective of those he called “underdogs.” In doing so, he thoroughly distorts the true historical record and paints America as an inherently unjust nation.

    Mary Grabar believes that at the root of his agenda is a desire to see America turned into a classless society, a case she makes in her book, Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America. Grabar, resident fellow at the Alexander Hamilton Institute, outlines the history and influence The People’s History of the United States since its publication in 1980, and in case the title isn’t obvious enough, Grabar’s book aims to discredit both Howard Zinn’s methods and content.
    …
    To fit his narrative, Zinn justifies willfully misrepresenting historical facts.

    Zinn claims there is no such thing as a pure fact, but all facts are open to interpretation. He states there were themes of profound meaning to him that he found missing in most history books. He wrote his book with these themes in mind, willing to bend facts or leave out key details to support his narrative. All that mattered to Zinn was his supposed higher purpose.
    …
    Grabar further notes Zinn was not a fan of the NAACP. In the 1960s he was instrumental in organizing the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a radical group that rejected NAACP’s methods and liberal underpinnings. Instead SNCC embraced communism and more militant action.

    That last bit of data should tell you what Zinn’s narrative & purpose was.

    This is how the post ends, and it is wildly relevant since 10/7.

    Zinn continuously broke the standards of the American Historical Association, misrepresenting sources, omitting critical information, falsifying evidence, and even plagiarizing. Grabar asks a good question at the end of her book: Would Zinn’s defenders support distorted history for another purpose? Although most would answer no, there are still many who aren’t willing to decry Zinn’s book.

    Grabar sums up Zinn’s book like this: “The stories he put into A People’s History of the United States weren’t balanced factual history, but crude morality tales designed to destroy Americans’ patriotism and turn them into radical leftists.”

    Today, it seems that most would answer YES, and Zinn has achieved his design.

  62. “The Little Drummer Girl” was a book by John LeCarre and a movie starring Diane Keaton (1984). The opening scene is a very attractive German coed dropping a suitcase off at the home of the Israeli ambassador. She tells the wife that it’s for the daughter, a schoolmate of the German girl.

    As the girl gets back on the motorbike, driven by an Arab, you can see she is fully aroused, practically groping the driver. As they pull away you hear an explosion.

    Keaton played a lecturer in the UK who is recruited by Mossad while thinking she is to meet a Middle eastern terror mastermind. The Ironies They Do Abound in this movie.

    I have not seen the 2018 miniseries of the same name.

  63. @ miguel > “its ironic since Haaretz has been among the worst of the self hating broadsheets”
    I corrected the link, and quoted it below, with a note about the author.
    He and his family fortunately did survive, and CBS published their story.
    The few English-language Xeets on his account show that he is anti-Bibi and pro-Biden (the public face thereof).

    ttps://twitter.com/amirtibon/status/1721764689053467110
    Amir Tibon @amirtibon (Diplomatic Correspondent for Haaretz Newspaper, Israel.)
    A month ago, at this hour, I had to tell my two daughters – 3.5 years old and 20 months old – that they must remain completely silent. No word, no cry.
    It was 7AM, they had just woken up in a dark room with no electricity or food, and five people were shouting outside the window.

  65. It annoys the hell out of me when these idiots call Israelis colonizers. Who do they think were there before the Palestinians? Do they think Israel was made up out of thin air? Jews have always been in Israel. Not always in the best of circumstances, but they’ve been there. The Palestinians are Arabs. Where do they think Arabs came from? Educated people know who the colonizers are.

    Looking over the above, I see I answered my own questions.

    The protesters don’t think.

  66. For those who have not yet connected Miguel’s cryptic oracles, the Armin Rosen Xeet (X-tweet) goes with the Tablet post on Jewish security and Qatar.
    The connection is important, but definitely in the deep weeds.

  68. thanks Ali Soufan, has been a terrorist apologist at least since 2009, when he reached the big time with tearful ‘tearful confessions’ to isikoff, mayer, priest et al, in part contradicted by his bureau partner greg gaudin, in the weeds of the iG report

    the palestinians are bedouin meaning they were nomadic, if memory serves arafat and said were both born in cairo, the husseini family had gotten their cred from having opposed mohammed ali, the

  69. @ Bill K > “Further, if Israel administers Gaza, all the haters will be able to say, “See, Israel really does occupy Gaza!” [truthfully for a change – AF]
    It may be the least bad, but definitely not a good solution.”

    Israel may be thinking of the old proverb, May as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.
    IOW go ahead and do what you are already accused of doing, because the accusations won’t end either way.

  71. Florence Pugh plays the Keaton character, in the latest iteration, Charles Dance plays the foil to the Israelis Picton, (ironically appropriate since he signed that damnable manifesto) the book has the Israeli narrate the terrorist Khalil who Dan Silva repurposed almost 20 years later for his Gabriel Allon character

  72. “Israel may be thinking of the old proverb, May as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.
    IOW go ahead and do what you are already accused of doing, because the accusations won’t end either way.”

    That’s a good proverb for Republican candidates who think they can escape the MSM hatchet by making nice with Democrats or appeasing them on policy issues. It might work while they’re running against other Republicans, but in the general election they will be the second coming of Adolf Hitler regardless.

  73. Miguel: if I remember the book correctly, Commander Picton was a veteran British covert action/SAS officer who fought the Irgun and the Haganah in Mandatory Palestine. He makes it clear to the visiting Mossad officers that he has no use for them, their “shitty little country”, or Jews in general. I haven’t seen the 2018 TV series, but Charles Dance was certainly the right man for that part. Given his recently revealed views, I mean. A shame. I very much enjoyed his performance as Sgt. Guy Perron in the 1980s TV serialization of “The Jewel in the Crown”.

  74. Interesting they cast the role with a much younger woman in 2018. I always thought Keaton was too old for the part in the first movie, although they altered the plot to accomodate her age. I suppose they needed an actress with gravitas to carry the film, and Keaton had the chops for that.

    And I had forgotten about the twisted British relationships in the region. Begin was the PM in those days, and he’d been a part of the Israeli terror campaign against the Brits after WW II. Also, the only really effective Arab infantry unit was the Arab Legion, with its British officers.

    That was a meme explored in one of Terry Prachett’s satirical Discworld books. He makes fun of the idea that the only good fighting units (in the country used as a stand-in for Arabs) are the ones led by foreigners.

    Thing was, the character the late Sir Terry used as sophisticated was educated in the west. And in the real world, Arab armies don’t survive long. The air and armor do better than the infantry, but because they lack the robust enlisted support troops, they can only do it briefly. Then it’s “you can’t shoot back, we must have cease fire.”

  75. See also, “China can build or buy aircraft carriers, but that doesn’t mean they can fight them.”

  76. Pingback:Victim envy - The New Neo

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