peace
January 15, 2025 11:43 AM Subscribe
Israel and Hamas have agreed a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal following 15 months of war, mediators Qatar and the US say. The ceasefire deal will take effect on 19 January, but a long-term truce is still being negotiated. BBC live coverage. Al Jazeera live coverage.
The ceasefire deal will take effect on 19 January
Oh hey, that's a very specific date, almost as though it's designed to head off something the day after that?
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:55 AM on January 15 [20 favorites]
Oh hey, that's a very specific date, almost as though it's designed to head off something the day after that?
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:55 AM on January 15 [20 favorites]
Those of us old enough to remember the Iran hostage release are having flashbacks about timing right about now.
posted by straw at 12:07 PM on January 15 [92 favorites]
posted by straw at 12:07 PM on January 15 [92 favorites]
that's a very specific date, almost as though it's designed to head off something the day after that?
These military restrictions on Israel that Trump said he’d remove… are they in the room with us?
posted by Lemkin at 12:07 PM on January 15 [18 favorites]
These military restrictions on Israel that Trump said he’d remove… are they in the room with us?
posted by Lemkin at 12:07 PM on January 15 [18 favorites]
Paul Poast: "Two thoughts on the Gaza ceasefire:
- I'm glad there is a ceasefire
- Its easy to agree to a ceasefire when there isn't much left to fire upon."
posted by mittens at 12:13 PM on January 15 [53 favorites]
- I'm glad there is a ceasefire
- Its easy to agree to a ceasefire when there isn't much left to fire upon."
posted by mittens at 12:13 PM on January 15 [53 favorites]
I guess there will be no "hell to pay". To me, the terms at this point are almost besides the point. Let peace break out.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:21 PM on January 15
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:21 PM on January 15
Glad to see something being agreed to between these two sides.
I noticed that there's a "laddered schedule" of Israeli hostages being handed over as time goes on, yet the schedule seemed to run out before the estimated number of hostages does -- or did I mis-read that? Given the power imbalance, the disparity in the numbers on each side of those exchanges doesn't surprise me.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:29 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
I noticed that there's a "laddered schedule" of Israeli hostages being handed over as time goes on, yet the schedule seemed to run out before the estimated number of hostages does -- or did I mis-read that? Given the power imbalance, the disparity in the numbers on each side of those exchanges doesn't surprise me.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:29 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
Jeremy Scahill's take is that this deal is actually a result of Trump's and Steven Witkoff's pressuring Netanyahu, but that it's unlikely the second and third phases of the agreement will be implemented. (those second and third phases call for withdrawing Israeli troops from the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors and for large numbers of Palestinian prisoners to be released)
posted by warreng at 12:40 PM on January 15 [6 favorites]
posted by warreng at 12:40 PM on January 15 [6 favorites]
I am glad that there is going to be a ceasefire, but extremely unglad that Netanyahu deliberately waited for Trump to get elected to agree to one.
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:45 PM on January 15 [11 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:45 PM on January 15 [11 favorites]
The proactive thing would be to flood the "leftist media" with gratitude and adulation for the Biden Administration for getting this done in the final days before leaving office, and dismiss anyone who says Trump had a hand in it as fearful pandering to the new administration.
Ah, it's nice to fantasize that someone would use propaganda in a left-leaning way....
Also, isn't Israel's track record that they claim that Hamas violated the ceasefire so they can restart the bombing, even though literally nothing happened?
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:51 PM on January 15 [27 favorites]
Ah, it's nice to fantasize that someone would use propaganda in a left-leaning way....
Also, isn't Israel's track record that they claim that Hamas violated the ceasefire so they can restart the bombing, even though literally nothing happened?
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:51 PM on January 15 [27 favorites]
I'll take the under, thanks.
posted by pthomas745 at 12:54 PM on January 15 [4 favorites]
posted by pthomas745 at 12:54 PM on January 15 [4 favorites]
Ryan Grim: "From 2020 to 2024, Democrats saw a staggering dropoff in support at the presidential level, with some 19 million people who voted for Joe Biden staying home (or not mailing in their ballots) in 2024. Now, a new survey conducted by YouGov suggests Biden’s support for Israel’s unrelenting assault on Gaza played a surprisingly large role in the choice of those previous Biden supporters not to vote. [...] The top reason those non-voters cited, above the economy at 24 percent and immigration at 11 percent, was Gaza: a full 29 percent cited the ongoing onslaught as the top reason they didn’t cast a vote in 2024."
posted by mittens at 1:06 PM on January 15 [62 favorites]
posted by mittens at 1:06 PM on January 15 [62 favorites]
I am going to push back on the whole this is like Iran-Contra thing - If you take a look at the previous I/P thread, you will note the following:
Israeli reporting indicates that Witkoff was successful in negotiations with Israel, because Witkoff is a real estate guy who does not care about diplomatic protocols and successfully pressured them to agree to terms.
Ben-Gvir is on record as repeatedly obstructing negotiations for the past year.
Biden himself essentially said that this is the same deal as was agreed to in May, which was scuttled with little pushback from the US. If it's the same deal as in May, then why didn't he force the issue then? Is he or is he not the president of the US, the most powerful country in the world?
Anyway, I am cautiously optimistic, but in the meantime, Israel is still killing Palestinians.
posted by toastyk at 1:10 PM on January 15 [30 favorites]
Israeli reporting indicates that Witkoff was successful in negotiations with Israel, because Witkoff is a real estate guy who does not care about diplomatic protocols and successfully pressured them to agree to terms.
Ben-Gvir is on record as repeatedly obstructing negotiations for the past year.
Biden himself essentially said that this is the same deal as was agreed to in May, which was scuttled with little pushback from the US. If it's the same deal as in May, then why didn't he force the issue then? Is he or is he not the president of the US, the most powerful country in the world?
Anyway, I am cautiously optimistic, but in the meantime, Israel is still killing Palestinians.
posted by toastyk at 1:10 PM on January 15 [30 favorites]
The proactive thing would be to flood the "leftist media" with gratitude and adulation for the Biden Administration for getting this done in the final days before leaving office, and dismiss anyone who says Trump had a hand in it as fearful pandering to the new administration.
Gratitude and adulation from whom?
posted by smelendez at 1:16 PM on January 15 [6 favorites]
Gratitude and adulation from whom?
posted by smelendez at 1:16 PM on January 15 [6 favorites]
Trump, it sounds like.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:23 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 1:23 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
"These plunderers of the world, after exhausting the land by their devastations, are rifling the ocean: stimulated by avarice, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor; unsatiated by the East and by the West: the only people who behold wealth and indigence with equal avidity. To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace."
--- Calgacus the Caledonian, via Tacitus. From the 1st century AD, but still as relevant as ever.
posted by SPrintF at 1:25 PM on January 15 [26 favorites]
--- Calgacus the Caledonian, via Tacitus. From the 1st century AD, but still as relevant as ever.
posted by SPrintF at 1:25 PM on January 15 [26 favorites]
Trump, it sounds like
To elaborate: if the cause of the ceasefire is indeed that the next administration was going to let Israel bomb even harder, seems like the credit could arguably be given to the next administration. Probably not going to be great peace terms though. If people didn’t vote for Biden because they wanted peace in Gaza, this is arguably a reason for them to be happy.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:29 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
To elaborate: if the cause of the ceasefire is indeed that the next administration was going to let Israel bomb even harder, seems like the credit could arguably be given to the next administration. Probably not going to be great peace terms though. If people didn’t vote for Biden because they wanted peace in Gaza, this is arguably a reason for them to be happy.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:29 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
Haaretz's editorial - ungated - National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir unequivocally confirmed on Tuesday the suspicion that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been delaying the return of the hostages – even at the cost of their lives – and is drawing out the war based on personal interest: his political survival.
A deal for releasing the hostages has been on the table for an entire year, and Netanyahu has repeatedly scuttled it to preserve his government, which is dependent upon his criminal alliance with the Kahanist right wing.
On Tuesday, Ben-Gvir called on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in informing Netanyahu that if the prime minister signs a hostage release deal, they would both quit the coalition. "Over the past year, through our political power, we have succeeded in preventing that deal from going through, time after time," Ben-Gvir acknowledged.
posted by toastyk at 1:38 PM on January 15 [22 favorites]
A deal for releasing the hostages has been on the table for an entire year, and Netanyahu has repeatedly scuttled it to preserve his government, which is dependent upon his criminal alliance with the Kahanist right wing.
On Tuesday, Ben-Gvir called on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in informing Netanyahu that if the prime minister signs a hostage release deal, they would both quit the coalition. "Over the past year, through our political power, we have succeeded in preventing that deal from going through, time after time," Ben-Gvir acknowledged.
posted by toastyk at 1:38 PM on January 15 [22 favorites]
Gratitude and adulation from whom?
Anyone who is more interested in throwing some sand in the gears of the fascist propaganda machine and creating some friction than they are in continuing to kick the democrats already on their way out the door.
posted by Reverend John at 1:39 PM on January 15 [10 favorites]
Anyone who is more interested in throwing some sand in the gears of the fascist propaganda machine and creating some friction than they are in continuing to kick the democrats already on their way out the door.
posted by Reverend John at 1:39 PM on January 15 [10 favorites]
The top reason those non-voters cited, above the economy at 24 percent and immigration at 11 percent, was Gaza: a full 29 percent cited the ongoing onslaught as the top reason they didn’t cast a vote in 2024
The full survey is here.
That is an accurate statement of the responses to question 20. Question 20 follows 19 other questions, including:
6. The $18 billion in weapons the U.S. provided to Israel over the last year, funded by taxpayer dollars, would be better spent lowering costs and supporting Americans dealing with inflation and struggling to afford basics like housing and healthcare.
8. If Kamala Harris had pledged to break from President Biden’s policy toward Gaza by promising to withhold additional weapons to Israel for committing human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians, would it have made you [more or less] likely to vote for Harris, or would it not make any difference?
10. If the Democratic party were to pressure Israel to end military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, would it make you feel [more or less] favorably about the Democratic party, or would it not make any difference?
This poll got exactly the answer it was designed to get and tells us nothing about how a different policy on the war in Gaza would have affected the election.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:44 PM on January 15 [23 favorites]
The full survey is here.
That is an accurate statement of the responses to question 20. Question 20 follows 19 other questions, including:
6. The $18 billion in weapons the U.S. provided to Israel over the last year, funded by taxpayer dollars, would be better spent lowering costs and supporting Americans dealing with inflation and struggling to afford basics like housing and healthcare.
8. If Kamala Harris had pledged to break from President Biden’s policy toward Gaza by promising to withhold additional weapons to Israel for committing human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians, would it have made you [more or less] likely to vote for Harris, or would it not make any difference?
10. If the Democratic party were to pressure Israel to end military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, would it make you feel [more or less] favorably about the Democratic party, or would it not make any difference?
This poll got exactly the answer it was designed to get and tells us nothing about how a different policy on the war in Gaza would have affected the election.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:44 PM on January 15 [23 favorites]
Gratitude and adulation from whom?
Everyone -- patriotic soldiers! Patriotic shopowners! Patriotic children with small puppies! Groups of people waving tiny flags! That's how propaganda works. You find one on-message person and extrapolate that everyone feels the same as them, and anyone that doesn't is an enemy of all that is good.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:44 PM on January 15 [5 favorites]
Everyone -- patriotic soldiers! Patriotic shopowners! Patriotic children with small puppies! Groups of people waving tiny flags! That's how propaganda works. You find one on-message person and extrapolate that everyone feels the same as them, and anyone that doesn't is an enemy of all that is good.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:44 PM on January 15 [5 favorites]
I hear y'all on suspicions about the shenanigans behind this, as well as trepidation for what kind of peace this will be for Palestinians going forward, but just to focus for a moment on the expressions of those who are most closely affected here: Gazans shed tears of joy, disbelief at news of ceasefire deal.
Let us be grateful for this moment, at least.
posted by splitpeasoup at 1:46 PM on January 15 [28 favorites]
Let us be grateful for this moment, at least.
posted by splitpeasoup at 1:46 PM on January 15 [28 favorites]
Is he or is he not the president of the US, the most powerful country in the world?
How late in the afternoon is it?
posted by Lemkin at 1:58 PM on January 15 [14 favorites]
How late in the afternoon is it?
posted by Lemkin at 1:58 PM on January 15 [14 favorites]
This poll got exactly the answer it was designed to get and tells us nothing about how a different policy on the war in Gaza would have affected the election.
Which aspects of those prior questions do you feel were inaccurate?
posted by Gadarene at 2:03 PM on January 15 [8 favorites]
Which aspects of those prior questions do you feel were inaccurate?
posted by Gadarene at 2:03 PM on January 15 [8 favorites]
Deja vu of Reagan with Carter.
posted by wittgenstein at 2:14 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]
posted by wittgenstein at 2:14 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]
Inaccurate, no - spun really hard, yes. Survey design is a thing, and you can to a pretty large extent get the answers you want through use of emotive language, whether the answer is true right now or will be true five minutes after closing the survey or not. Having read through the rest of the questions, I'm honestly surprised only 29% of people answered that way.
posted by ngaiotonga at 2:15 PM on January 15 [10 favorites]
posted by ngaiotonga at 2:15 PM on January 15 [10 favorites]
The poll's third question (and first on Gaza) asks for ceasefire support.
Strongly favor ...........................................................................56%
Somewhat favor ........................................................................18%
Somewhat oppose .......................................................................5%
Strongly oppose ......................................................................... 4%
Undecided ..............................................................................18%
Totals .................................................................................101%
It doesn't seem surprising a populace that largely wants a ceasefire would go on the answer the other questions as they did.
posted by coffeecat at 2:17 PM on January 15 [6 favorites]
Strongly favor ...........................................................................56%
Somewhat favor ........................................................................18%
Somewhat oppose .......................................................................5%
Strongly oppose ......................................................................... 4%
Undecided ..............................................................................18%
Totals .................................................................................101%
It doesn't seem surprising a populace that largely wants a ceasefire would go on the answer the other questions as they did.
posted by coffeecat at 2:17 PM on January 15 [6 favorites]
ProPublica - A Year of Empty Threats and a “Smokescreen” Policy: How the State Department Let Israel Get Away With Horrors in Gaza - Authorities in and outside government said the acquiescence to Israel as it prosecuted a brutal war will likely be regarded as one the most consequential foreign policy decisions of the Biden presidency. They say it undermines America’s ability to influence events in the Middle East while “destroying the entire edifice of international law that was put into place after WWII,” as Omer Bartov, a renowned Israeli-American scholar of genocide, put it. Jeffrey Feltman, the former assistant secretary of the State Department’s Middle East bureau, told me he fears much of the Muslim world now sees the U.S. as “ineffective at best or complicit at worst in the large-scale civilian destruction and death.”
posted by toastyk at 2:23 PM on January 15 [23 favorites]
posted by toastyk at 2:23 PM on January 15 [23 favorites]
destroying the entire edifice of international law that was put into place after WWII
Vietnam
Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala
Iran-Contra
Iraq War
Some edifice.
Anyway, this is incredible news, and seeing the celebrations of those who are most effected by it is all the confirmation I need.
posted by gwint at 2:37 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]
Vietnam
Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala
Iran-Contra
Iraq War
Some edifice.
Anyway, this is incredible news, and seeing the celebrations of those who are most effected by it is all the confirmation I need.
posted by gwint at 2:37 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]
I wish they'd cease firing now. The IDF has a history of escalating bombing and violence when they know they're going to have to stop shortly. Why take the weekend to kill hundreds more people when they could just stop right now?
posted by Frowner at 2:38 PM on January 15 [30 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 2:38 PM on January 15 [30 favorites]
Mod note: several comments removed. Please avoid making America the subject of this post. It’s about Israel and Gaza .
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 2:59 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 2:59 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]
It's hard to feel truly celebratory after so much death and suffering and destruction, but this is a good thing. I have long feared that the Israeli government and military was going to simply keep going until the entire population of Gaza was dead or displaced while the rest of the world stood by and let it happen, or even enabled it.
posted by orange swan at 4:01 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]
posted by orange swan at 4:01 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]
If this actually holds, the next stage will be political upheaval in Israel.
posted by cell divide at 4:25 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]
posted by cell divide at 4:25 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]
I wish they'd cease firing now. The IDF has a history of escalating bombing and violence when they know they're going to have to stop shortly. Why take the weekend to kill hundreds more people when they could just stop right now?
Tradition. That sounds flippant but that's basically what the Palestinians have been reporting and been borne out throughout the year, anytime ceasefire is close they ramp up the strikes. If there is strategic value, you have to consider their own reporting and soldier testimonies that there's little discipline left when it comes to committing war crimes, with tacit approval on the strike pattern. Investigations will always come later, well, if it happens at all.
Just to reiterate toastyk, the tail end of the last open war thread especially had a lot of links, but there's basically a clear divergence between takes inside Israel, Palestine, and outside. No one is thanking Biden amongst the hostage families, the media, the population - I'm not talking about the government and its allies and proxies because they're not thanking anybody, but in the reverse, they are cursing Trump.
posted by cendawanita at 4:31 PM on January 15 [13 favorites]
Tradition. That sounds flippant but that's basically what the Palestinians have been reporting and been borne out throughout the year, anytime ceasefire is close they ramp up the strikes. If there is strategic value, you have to consider their own reporting and soldier testimonies that there's little discipline left when it comes to committing war crimes, with tacit approval on the strike pattern. Investigations will always come later, well, if it happens at all.
Just to reiterate toastyk, the tail end of the last open war thread especially had a lot of links, but there's basically a clear divergence between takes inside Israel, Palestine, and outside. No one is thanking Biden amongst the hostage families, the media, the population - I'm not talking about the government and its allies and proxies because they're not thanking anybody, but in the reverse, they are cursing Trump.
posted by cendawanita at 4:31 PM on January 15 [13 favorites]
All the Palestinians I follow on various platforms are expressing pure relief, and I'm delighted for them. I recognize that a cease-fire isn't the end goal and I'm very afraid of what might happen before the agreement takes effect, but for right now, I just want to enjoy this moment of hope.
posted by peppermind at 4:32 PM on January 15 [10 favorites]
posted by peppermind at 4:32 PM on January 15 [10 favorites]
Gazans shed tears of joy, disbelief at news of ceasefire deal
Where is that link supposed to go?
posted by JoeXIII007 at 4:43 PM on January 15
Where is that link supposed to go?
posted by JoeXIII007 at 4:43 PM on January 15
Google suggests Reuters: Gazans shed tears of joy, disbelief at news of ceasefire deal
posted by gwint at 4:51 PM on January 15 [6 favorites]
posted by gwint at 4:51 PM on January 15 [6 favorites]
That prophetic scene in Charlie Wilson's War seems timely. Again.
posted by Citizen Cane Juice at 4:59 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
posted by Citizen Cane Juice at 4:59 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
Re: cursing Trump - to also reshare links as recap:
This analysis piece was published just before this big push: The Biden Administration’s False History of Ceasefire Negotiations: At a workshop in Geneva in November, a recently retired US ambassador, who had just returned from meeting White House officials, claimed, “There are currently three ceasefire deals on the table and Hamas isn’t responding to any of them.” The veteran diplomat acknowledged the suffering in Gaza but blamed it on Hamas’ “rejection” of an agreement to end the war.
To my surprise, a former senior Israeli security official in the room rushed to challenge this claim, which he described as a “shameful attempt to rewrite history and blame Hamas rather than Netanyahu for the obstruction of ceasefire talks.”
A few weeks later in Doha, I met a senior Arab official who emphasized to me one of the most crucial things Biden can do in his “lame duck” period is name and shame Netanyahu for systematically foiling ceasefire talks. But the official quickly added the White House is “instead rewriting history.”
Since July, all of the sources I have spoken to confirmed that Hamas had accepted Biden’s ceasefire proposal that was endorsed by the UN Security Council, which is premised on an 18-weeks long ceasefire divided into three phases, at the end of which there would be a permanent end to the Gaza war after all hostages have been released. The same sources, as well as Israeli media, and the Egyptian mediators have consistently blamed Netanyahu for obstructing the talks and refusing to end the war.
Even in the latest ongoing round of negotiations, senior Israeli security officials are sounding the alarm that their Prime Minister is still sabotaging the talks. Yet, the White House keeps insisting that Hamas is “the obstacle.”
The reality is that since July, US president Joe Biden has completely stopped pressuring Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire-hostage deal. Rather than tell the truth about Netanyahu repeatedly foiling the talks, the outgoing president and his administration are choosing instead to try and rewrite the history of what has really unfolded over 15 months of negotiations
Also relevant for domestic US politics: A Palestinian source directly involved in the negotiations told me then that Hamas’ leader Yahia Sinwar sent them clear instructions to stick to the July 2 Biden proposal instead of getting stuck in a limbo of endless negotiations. Hamas refused to show up for the August round of talks as long as Israel rejected the most important two stipulations of Biden’s proposal: gradual IDF withdrawal from Gaza and ending the war.
Remarkably, the Americans pressed Egypt and Qatar to issue a false statement on August 16 that emphasized “talks were serious and constructive and were conducted in a positive atmosphere,” although there were no talks to begin with.
A senior Arab official involved in the negotiations told me both Israel, Qatar and Egypt objected to the idea of issuing this statement, but the Americans argued it was necessary to create domestic pressure on Netanyahu to narrow the gaps. The actual goal, according to this official, was likely to make it harder for Iran and Hezbollah to retaliate and to allow Kamala’s Democratic National Convention to pass peacefully without disruptions.
The official added that Netanyahu had been sending his advisor, Ophir Falk, to the talks to undermine Israel’s negotiating team, and that the US asked mediators on multiple occasions to prevent him from attending the meetings.
As soon as the DNC ended, Biden blamed Hamas again for the failure of the talks, and effectively stopped trying to get a deal, with US officials declaring in September that a ceasefire deal has become unlikely during Biden’s term. Since then, the White House has attempted to re-write history and promote an official narrative blaming Hamas for Netanyahu’s systematic foiling of the talks.
Amid the deadlock, Qatar declared in early November that it was suspending its mediation role, which a senior Arab official told me was intended to create domestic pressure on Netanyahu. The Qataris also suspended Hamas’ office in Doha and Hamas leaders left the country by mid-November.
And much of this is corroborated in the Jacob Magid reporting shared upthread ('Trump envoy swayed Netanyahu more in one meeting than Biden did all year')
-----
3 days ago:
⚡️ 🛑 Journalist Ariel Segal, close to Netanyahu: "We are the first to pay the price for Trump's election. We are being raped to accept the deal. I don't think this is what we planned and waited for. We expected that we would take control of northern #Gaza and prevent humanitarian aid."
Or you can have Noga Tarnopolsky's reporting, which doesn't include the rape colloquialism and it's got a clip from the tv panel: 💥Stunned like the true believer he is, Netanyahu proxy @ErelSegal laments: "We're the 1st to pay a price for Trump's election. [The deal] is being forced upon us… We thought we'd take control of northern Gaza, that they'd let us impede humanitarian aid"
----
The Haaretz analysis piece that was summing up the story over the weekend (when the first wave of upset proxies started to move out*) (ungated), and key for me: A week before Trump's inauguration, Jerusalem already sees a change in the rules of the game that has broken the deadlock in the hostage negotiations. Unusually, the outgoing Biden administration has let Witkoff lead the process, on the grounds that any obligations the United States undertakes will be incumbent on Trump, not on Biden.
Another "successful" gamble so they won't get the presumed blame, but bullies understand other bullies, so they're not getting credit either. Well, maybe in the US. Better recall Iran-Contra than perhaps he's the compromised candidate, I guess.
*I'm counting this WaPo piece about Israel wanting to move ahead and make its own heavy bombs as such
-----
Gregg Carlstrom: Donald Trump will take credit for pushing the deal over the finish line after months of failure by Biden. Meanwhile Republicans, who cannot criticize Trump, will pretend that Trump had nothing to do with the deal
(QTing Tom Cotton blaming "lame duck" Biden for "cramming down" the deal. So sad when paid-for advocates aren't sharing the same set of talking points)
posted by cendawanita at 5:00 PM on January 15 [26 favorites]
This analysis piece was published just before this big push: The Biden Administration’s False History of Ceasefire Negotiations: At a workshop in Geneva in November, a recently retired US ambassador, who had just returned from meeting White House officials, claimed, “There are currently three ceasefire deals on the table and Hamas isn’t responding to any of them.” The veteran diplomat acknowledged the suffering in Gaza but blamed it on Hamas’ “rejection” of an agreement to end the war.
To my surprise, a former senior Israeli security official in the room rushed to challenge this claim, which he described as a “shameful attempt to rewrite history and blame Hamas rather than Netanyahu for the obstruction of ceasefire talks.”
A few weeks later in Doha, I met a senior Arab official who emphasized to me one of the most crucial things Biden can do in his “lame duck” period is name and shame Netanyahu for systematically foiling ceasefire talks. But the official quickly added the White House is “instead rewriting history.”
Since July, all of the sources I have spoken to confirmed that Hamas had accepted Biden’s ceasefire proposal that was endorsed by the UN Security Council, which is premised on an 18-weeks long ceasefire divided into three phases, at the end of which there would be a permanent end to the Gaza war after all hostages have been released. The same sources, as well as Israeli media, and the Egyptian mediators have consistently blamed Netanyahu for obstructing the talks and refusing to end the war.
Even in the latest ongoing round of negotiations, senior Israeli security officials are sounding the alarm that their Prime Minister is still sabotaging the talks. Yet, the White House keeps insisting that Hamas is “the obstacle.”
The reality is that since July, US president Joe Biden has completely stopped pressuring Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire-hostage deal. Rather than tell the truth about Netanyahu repeatedly foiling the talks, the outgoing president and his administration are choosing instead to try and rewrite the history of what has really unfolded over 15 months of negotiations
Also relevant for domestic US politics: A Palestinian source directly involved in the negotiations told me then that Hamas’ leader Yahia Sinwar sent them clear instructions to stick to the July 2 Biden proposal instead of getting stuck in a limbo of endless negotiations. Hamas refused to show up for the August round of talks as long as Israel rejected the most important two stipulations of Biden’s proposal: gradual IDF withdrawal from Gaza and ending the war.
Remarkably, the Americans pressed Egypt and Qatar to issue a false statement on August 16 that emphasized “talks were serious and constructive and were conducted in a positive atmosphere,” although there were no talks to begin with.
A senior Arab official involved in the negotiations told me both Israel, Qatar and Egypt objected to the idea of issuing this statement, but the Americans argued it was necessary to create domestic pressure on Netanyahu to narrow the gaps. The actual goal, according to this official, was likely to make it harder for Iran and Hezbollah to retaliate and to allow Kamala’s Democratic National Convention to pass peacefully without disruptions.
The official added that Netanyahu had been sending his advisor, Ophir Falk, to the talks to undermine Israel’s negotiating team, and that the US asked mediators on multiple occasions to prevent him from attending the meetings.
As soon as the DNC ended, Biden blamed Hamas again for the failure of the talks, and effectively stopped trying to get a deal, with US officials declaring in September that a ceasefire deal has become unlikely during Biden’s term. Since then, the White House has attempted to re-write history and promote an official narrative blaming Hamas for Netanyahu’s systematic foiling of the talks.
Amid the deadlock, Qatar declared in early November that it was suspending its mediation role, which a senior Arab official told me was intended to create domestic pressure on Netanyahu. The Qataris also suspended Hamas’ office in Doha and Hamas leaders left the country by mid-November.
And much of this is corroborated in the Jacob Magid reporting shared upthread ('Trump envoy swayed Netanyahu more in one meeting than Biden did all year')
-----
3 days ago:
⚡️ 🛑 Journalist Ariel Segal, close to Netanyahu: "We are the first to pay the price for Trump's election. We are being raped to accept the deal. I don't think this is what we planned and waited for. We expected that we would take control of northern #Gaza and prevent humanitarian aid."
Or you can have Noga Tarnopolsky's reporting, which doesn't include the rape colloquialism and it's got a clip from the tv panel: 💥Stunned like the true believer he is, Netanyahu proxy @ErelSegal laments: "We're the 1st to pay a price for Trump's election. [The deal] is being forced upon us… We thought we'd take control of northern Gaza, that they'd let us impede humanitarian aid"
----
The Haaretz analysis piece that was summing up the story over the weekend (when the first wave of upset proxies started to move out*) (ungated), and key for me: A week before Trump's inauguration, Jerusalem already sees a change in the rules of the game that has broken the deadlock in the hostage negotiations. Unusually, the outgoing Biden administration has let Witkoff lead the process, on the grounds that any obligations the United States undertakes will be incumbent on Trump, not on Biden.
Another "successful" gamble so they won't get the presumed blame, but bullies understand other bullies, so they're not getting credit either. Well, maybe in the US. Better recall Iran-Contra than perhaps he's the compromised candidate, I guess.
*I'm counting this WaPo piece about Israel wanting to move ahead and make its own heavy bombs as such
-----
Gregg Carlstrom: Donald Trump will take credit for pushing the deal over the finish line after months of failure by Biden. Meanwhile Republicans, who cannot criticize Trump, will pretend that Trump had nothing to do with the deal
(QTing Tom Cotton blaming "lame duck" Biden for "cramming down" the deal. So sad when paid-for advocates aren't sharing the same set of talking points)
posted by cendawanita at 5:00 PM on January 15 [26 favorites]
Did you all see this part up there?
posted by Lemkin at 5:22 PM on January 15 [27 favorites]
The reality is that since July, US president Joe Biden has completely stopped pressuring Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire-hostage deal.Just wanted to make sure no one missed that.
posted by Lemkin at 5:22 PM on January 15 [27 favorites]
Donald Trump will take credit for pushing the deal over the finish line after months of failure by Biden. Meanwhile Republicans, who cannot criticize Trump, will pretend that Trump had nothing to do with the deal
lol it’s Operation Warp Speed all over again
posted by Apocryphon at 5:52 PM on January 15 [5 favorites]
lol it’s Operation Warp Speed all over again
posted by Apocryphon at 5:52 PM on January 15 [5 favorites]
I wish I could volunteer to go to Gaza to help rebuild. I suspect that would be voluntourism and the money would be better spent on direct aid.
posted by constraint at 5:52 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]
posted by constraint at 5:52 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]
Two twts back to back on my TL:
Dimi Reider (5h ago): The Gaza ceasefire will only start on Sunday. Israel's past conduct suggest next four days are going to be extra brutal, even by this war's standards.
Osama Abu Rabee (4h ago): The intensity of the airstrikes on Gaza City is now unprecedented.
O Allah, grant safety, grant safety…
-------
We Have a Ceasefire Deal, but This Isn’t the End -
The widely reported agreement must hold. We haven’t begun to understand the full scope of the horrors Israel wrought. And Palestine is still not free. by Muhammad Alsaafin
Annelle Sheline (one of those who resigned from the State Dept) writes for Responsible Statecraft: Speculation on social media and after Biden’s remarks was rife about how long the deal is likely to last. After boasting that he achieved his goal of a ceasefire by his inauguration, Trump may lose interest in reining in Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The deal may last through the first phase of 42 days, but beyond that the Israeli press has reported that Netanyahu promised Smotrich that the fighting would resume.
(Going to count on that infamous thin skin to keep it current in his endocrinal system, if you ask me)
In the meantime, accusation confession etc, and in the West Bank (it's never just Gaza): Israel admits soldiers used ambulance in raid on refugee camp
But back in Gaza: Almost 100 strikes located in Gaza 'humanitarian zone', BBC Verify analysis suggests
(Heh. "suggests")
In Israel: (Haaretz, ungated) 'Cutting the Head Off 200 Organizations': Inside Israel's War on NGOs That Aid Palestinians -
The Israeli government has announced regulations that could bar NGOs and their workers from the country. Three senior officials in the field worry the move will stop humanitarian aid to the West Bank and Gaza. 'The West should know what's going on,' says one
(Speaking of aid.)
posted by cendawanita at 6:28 PM on January 15 [13 favorites]
Dimi Reider (5h ago): The Gaza ceasefire will only start on Sunday. Israel's past conduct suggest next four days are going to be extra brutal, even by this war's standards.
Osama Abu Rabee (4h ago): The intensity of the airstrikes on Gaza City is now unprecedented.
O Allah, grant safety, grant safety…
-------
We Have a Ceasefire Deal, but This Isn’t the End -
The widely reported agreement must hold. We haven’t begun to understand the full scope of the horrors Israel wrought. And Palestine is still not free. by Muhammad Alsaafin
Annelle Sheline (one of those who resigned from the State Dept) writes for Responsible Statecraft: Speculation on social media and after Biden’s remarks was rife about how long the deal is likely to last. After boasting that he achieved his goal of a ceasefire by his inauguration, Trump may lose interest in reining in Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The deal may last through the first phase of 42 days, but beyond that the Israeli press has reported that Netanyahu promised Smotrich that the fighting would resume.
(Going to count on that infamous thin skin to keep it current in his endocrinal system, if you ask me)
In the meantime, accusation confession etc, and in the West Bank (it's never just Gaza): Israel admits soldiers used ambulance in raid on refugee camp
But back in Gaza: Almost 100 strikes located in Gaza 'humanitarian zone', BBC Verify analysis suggests
(Heh. "suggests")
In Israel: (Haaretz, ungated) 'Cutting the Head Off 200 Organizations': Inside Israel's War on NGOs That Aid Palestinians -
The Israeli government has announced regulations that could bar NGOs and their workers from the country. Three senior officials in the field worry the move will stop humanitarian aid to the West Bank and Gaza. 'The West should know what's going on,' says one
(Speaking of aid.)
posted by cendawanita at 6:28 PM on January 15 [13 favorites]
I wish I could volunteer to go to Gaza to help rebuild
The shattered hospitals and universities may return someday.
The shattered bodies and families are gone forever.
To everyone who perpetrated, enabled, and excused this, I wish you ill.
posted by Lemkin at 6:48 PM on January 15 [11 favorites]
The shattered hospitals and universities may return someday.
The shattered bodies and families are gone forever.
To everyone who perpetrated, enabled, and excused this, I wish you ill.
posted by Lemkin at 6:48 PM on January 15 [11 favorites]
Israel doesn't seem to have much credibility here considering their repeated violations of their deal either Hezbollah.
posted by Mitheral at 6:48 PM on January 15 [4 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 6:48 PM on January 15 [4 favorites]
Deja vu of Reagan with Carter.
Well, perhaps a difference here is that Biden made it happen. But either way, if this fails, the NYT and the media will blame Biden. If it succeeds, the NYT and the media will fall over themselves to laud Trump. So I get that feeling of deja vu too, in that Biden will likely suffer the same historical fate as Carter, even though he doesn't deserve it.
I wish peace to the Gazans for the suffering they have endured at Israel's hands. I hope there is ultimately accountability for Israelis who are responsible for war crimes, at all levels.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 6:57 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]
Well, perhaps a difference here is that Biden made it happen. But either way, if this fails, the NYT and the media will blame Biden. If it succeeds, the NYT and the media will fall over themselves to laud Trump. So I get that feeling of deja vu too, in that Biden will likely suffer the same historical fate as Carter, even though he doesn't deserve it.
I wish peace to the Gazans for the suffering they have endured at Israel's hands. I hope there is ultimately accountability for Israelis who are responsible for war crimes, at all levels.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 6:57 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]
israel, hamas ceasefire accord followed by airstrikes on gaza
posted by i used to be someone else at 8:37 PM on January 15 [5 favorites]
posted by i used to be someone else at 8:37 PM on January 15 [5 favorites]
> The shattered bodies and families are gone forever.
Yes. And the monsters that wrought this will never be held to account. And they will continue to push for more until the genocide is complete.
So the question is what can be done for those that yet live.
posted by constraint at 9:45 PM on January 15 [4 favorites]
Yes. And the monsters that wrought this will never be held to account. And they will continue to push for more until the genocide is complete.
So the question is what can be done for those that yet live.
posted by constraint at 9:45 PM on January 15 [4 favorites]
Some suggestions for action items:
Donate to the following orgs on the ground in Gaza:
PCRF
Doctors Without Borders
Gaza Soup Kitchen
UNRWA
Workshops4Gaza - learn something and donate to a cause within Gaza
eSims for Gaza - help people in Gaza get internet access
Gaza funds - support a Palestinian household in Gaza via GoFundMe or Chuffed - Palestinians still have to pay for rent, food, and medicine in a genocide, all of which is hard to come by.
Molly on BlueSky highlights a Palestinian account every day.
You can also donate or volunteer for The Hind Rajab Foundation, which is pursuing legal action against perpetrators of the genocide.
US/Israeli politics:
Activists have been demanding that their cities divest from investments in Israel - the latest I'm aware of happened in Denver two days ago.
Contact your legislators to oppose the $8 billion arms sale to Israel.
Oppose mask bans.
Join a BDS campaign.
posted by toastyk at 10:14 PM on January 15 [23 favorites]
Donate to the following orgs on the ground in Gaza:
PCRF
Doctors Without Borders
Gaza Soup Kitchen
UNRWA
Workshops4Gaza - learn something and donate to a cause within Gaza
eSims for Gaza - help people in Gaza get internet access
Gaza funds - support a Palestinian household in Gaza via GoFundMe or Chuffed - Palestinians still have to pay for rent, food, and medicine in a genocide, all of which is hard to come by.
Molly on BlueSky highlights a Palestinian account every day.
You can also donate or volunteer for The Hind Rajab Foundation, which is pursuing legal action against perpetrators of the genocide.
US/Israeli politics:
Activists have been demanding that their cities divest from investments in Israel - the latest I'm aware of happened in Denver two days ago.
Contact your legislators to oppose the $8 billion arms sale to Israel.
Oppose mask bans.
Join a BDS campaign.
posted by toastyk at 10:14 PM on January 15 [23 favorites]
Now we're cookin' - let's see if the same stunts yield the same results (recap, if you haven't been paying attention - precious successful ceasefire bids gets broken down at the Israeli side, with the Biden admin playing cover blaming Hamas) with the incoming admin (via Drop Site News):
🚨BREAKING: Netanyahu’s office says the Israeli security cabinet has delayed its planned meeting to approve a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, accusing the group of seeking “last-minute concessions.”
According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, “Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions. The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”
The meeting, initially scheduled for 11am (4am EST), was postponed. The Jerusalem Post reported that the delay was due to the hostage deal delegation still working in Qatar and not yet back in Israel. The cabinet will meet once the delegation returns.
----
Update: JUST IN: Hamas has reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday, senior official Izzat el-Reshiq shared in a statement Thursday morning.
posted by cendawanita at 2:29 AM on January 16 [12 favorites]
🚨BREAKING: Netanyahu’s office says the Israeli security cabinet has delayed its planned meeting to approve a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, accusing the group of seeking “last-minute concessions.”
According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, “Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions. The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”
The meeting, initially scheduled for 11am (4am EST), was postponed. The Jerusalem Post reported that the delay was due to the hostage deal delegation still working in Qatar and not yet back in Israel. The cabinet will meet once the delegation returns.
----
Update: JUST IN: Hamas has reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday, senior official Izzat el-Reshiq shared in a statement Thursday morning.
posted by cendawanita at 2:29 AM on January 16 [12 favorites]
I guess we'll see if someone shouting on a telephone something to the effect of, "Don't fuck with my inauguration vibe if you know what's good for you" does more for pushing this peace plan past Netanyahu's intransigence than the current plan of worse-than-nothing.
Which consists of not turning off the weapons faucet, having two carrier groups hover over the regional gangster for protection, interfering with motions at the UN, trying to interfere with the various international courts, and lying about why deals broke down.
posted by Slackermagee at 5:16 AM on January 16 [5 favorites]
Which consists of not turning off the weapons faucet, having two carrier groups hover over the regional gangster for protection, interfering with motions at the UN, trying to interfere with the various international courts, and lying about why deals broke down.
posted by Slackermagee at 5:16 AM on January 16 [5 favorites]
Israeli attacks kill at least 80 in Gaza after ceasefire deal announced
IDF doing a “smoke ‘em while you got ‘em” in response to the impending ceasefire.
posted by rodlymight at 5:40 AM on January 16 [3 favorites]
IDF doing a “smoke ‘em while you got ‘em” in response to the impending ceasefire.
posted by rodlymight at 5:40 AM on January 16 [3 favorites]
Does anyone really believe Netanyahu is serious about committing to a lasting ceasefire? At best, he seems willing to hand Donald a symbolic "win" with the phase 1 return of 33 hostages. And that's assuming that Netanyahu can get his right-wing political allies to acquiesce to even that. Donnie will be upset if he doesn't get a hostage return that he can gloat about; but at the end of the day, everyone will just blame Hamas anyways. And then it'll be back to business as usual, I fear.
posted by fikri at 5:57 AM on January 16 [5 favorites]
posted by fikri at 5:57 AM on January 16 [5 favorites]
Mod note: Several more comments removed. As mentioned previously, please keep the focus of this thread on Israel/Palestine/Gaza etc and avoid turning this thread into a referendum on US politics.
If we have to keep moderating this thread about this, we're going to have ask people to refrain from commenting in the thread which could lead to some bans, temporary or otherwise. We don't want to do that, but the subject of the thread is clear re: a possible peace deal between two non-American regions and folks need to be mindful of that.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 6:58 AM on January 16 [2 favorites]
If we have to keep moderating this thread about this, we're going to have ask people to refrain from commenting in the thread which could lead to some bans, temporary or otherwise. We don't want to do that, but the subject of the thread is clear re: a possible peace deal between two non-American regions and folks need to be mindful of that.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 6:58 AM on January 16 [2 favorites]
Does anyone really believe Netanyahu is serious about committing to a lasting ceasefire?
Not for me personally, no. But like with the fall of Assad, there's tremendous value to the cessation of active violence (severely curtailing the loss of life for one). And I've used this example before, but it's like being overly concerned that it was the Red Army under Stalin that freed the first WW2 concentration camps in Europe. You're gonna have to eke out your wins when you can - that's certainly how the Western politicians have presented their case - but you don't have to become a patsy for it.
What comes next, or even right now, remains tremendously important. But the carte blanche to kill, which should have run out months ago, is up. Or should be.
So many Palestinians could even barely get a good night's sleep, what more any other basic needs. And if people can't give a fuck about them, well, it's not like Israel isn't facing a spike in suicides amongst its enlisted, and the hostages themselves being faced with deaths (usually by Israeli hands, if we follow the reporting of this last year, and do a distribution).
And I definitely agree about Hamas being blamed. Look at this forum this year as just a casual barometer at the discipline required to stay ignorant over fifteen months. That's a lot of conditioning to thank for.
posted by cendawanita at 7:21 AM on January 16 [17 favorites]
Not for me personally, no. But like with the fall of Assad, there's tremendous value to the cessation of active violence (severely curtailing the loss of life for one). And I've used this example before, but it's like being overly concerned that it was the Red Army under Stalin that freed the first WW2 concentration camps in Europe. You're gonna have to eke out your wins when you can - that's certainly how the Western politicians have presented their case - but you don't have to become a patsy for it.
What comes next, or even right now, remains tremendously important. But the carte blanche to kill, which should have run out months ago, is up. Or should be.
So many Palestinians could even barely get a good night's sleep, what more any other basic needs. And if people can't give a fuck about them, well, it's not like Israel isn't facing a spike in suicides amongst its enlisted, and the hostages themselves being faced with deaths (usually by Israeli hands, if we follow the reporting of this last year, and do a distribution).
And I definitely agree about Hamas being blamed. Look at this forum this year as just a casual barometer at the discipline required to stay ignorant over fifteen months. That's a lot of conditioning to thank for.
posted by cendawanita at 7:21 AM on January 16 [17 favorites]
And...according to Al-Jazeera, Hamas' military wing accuses Israel of bombing one of the locations where one of the female hostages was being held. Congrats.
posted by toastyk at 7:23 AM on January 16 [5 favorites]
posted by toastyk at 7:23 AM on January 16 [5 favorites]
Seeing some reporting that Israel is already reneging on the agreement and doing their usual song and dance of blaming Hamas for it.
posted by windbox at 7:26 AM on January 16 [7 favorites]
posted by windbox at 7:26 AM on January 16 [7 favorites]
Al-Jazeera, Hamas' military wing accuses Israel of bombing one of the locations where one of the female hostages was being held
Heyyyy at least they're improving. It used to be it required nothing more than a man clearly not speaking Arabic waving a white piece of cloth right in front of their faces to get shot at, no questions (which itself was an improvement over being oneshot by a helicopter or a tank on October 7 itself).
posted by cendawanita at 7:36 AM on January 16 [2 favorites]
Heyyyy at least they're improving. It used to be it required nothing more than a man clearly not speaking Arabic waving a white piece of cloth right in front of their faces to get shot at, no questions (which itself was an improvement over being oneshot by a helicopter or a tank on October 7 itself).
posted by cendawanita at 7:36 AM on January 16 [2 favorites]
I win the under bet.
Netanyahu has always been the problem here.
https://www.mediaite.com/news/just-in-netanyahu-puts-the-brakes-on-ceasefire-deal-blaming-hamas-for-reneging-on-agreement/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark
posted by pthomas745 at 7:39 AM on January 16 [3 favorites]
Netanyahu has always been the problem here.
https://www.mediaite.com/news/just-in-netanyahu-puts-the-brakes-on-ceasefire-deal-blaming-hamas-for-reneging-on-agreement/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark
posted by pthomas745 at 7:39 AM on January 16 [3 favorites]
It did not hit me until now, but maybe there is hope in how history does not follow a script
Maybe, this moment in time ("peace"), this ceasefire we can hope for come Sunday and which will be preceded by increased violence from Israel no doubt, and lies and noise from all the usual suspects re: Hamas and how somehow Hamas is the problem.. this moment that may have been born from any number of gross egotistical calculations that have nothing to do with 'morality' or anything higher than the basest motivations.. But this moment can result in any number of outcomes, right?
We have to remember, we do not know how the script plays out. Everything ends: my life, your parents' lives, the lives of your children. This must end. I don't pray but prayers for Palestine and thanks for posting links re: aid and support. We can repost those on occasion, it's good to do that.
posted by ginger.beef at 7:53 AM on January 16 [4 favorites]
Maybe, this moment in time ("peace"), this ceasefire we can hope for come Sunday and which will be preceded by increased violence from Israel no doubt, and lies and noise from all the usual suspects re: Hamas and how somehow Hamas is the problem.. this moment that may have been born from any number of gross egotistical calculations that have nothing to do with 'morality' or anything higher than the basest motivations.. But this moment can result in any number of outcomes, right?
We have to remember, we do not know how the script plays out. Everything ends: my life, your parents' lives, the lives of your children. This must end. I don't pray but prayers for Palestine and thanks for posting links re: aid and support. We can repost those on occasion, it's good to do that.
posted by ginger.beef at 7:53 AM on January 16 [4 favorites]
Reporter Sam Husseini dragged out of Blinken's briefing for asking "Why aren't you at the Hague?"
posted by toastyk at 9:58 AM on January 16 [12 favorites]
posted by toastyk at 9:58 AM on January 16 [12 favorites]
The US is one of the primary brokers of the ceasefire, and the primary weapons dealer. The US news is entirely full of coverage and speculation about be relative roles of Biden and Trump both. How narrow is the no-USA mod rule to be interpreted here?
posted by kensington314 at 3:15 PM on January 16 [11 favorites]
posted by kensington314 at 3:15 PM on January 16 [11 favorites]
as just a casual barometer at the discipline required to stay ignorant.
The concentration camp example is interesting. Also, the Soviets liberated a lot of allied prisoner of war camps. From the various pows I've talked to no one ever complained that it was the Soviets that liberated them. for example, the Soviets fed them, gave them access to weapons, vodka and freedom of movement. (imagine drinking a few shots and fishing with Russian hand grenades) The barometer was also there before and during the war and many people chose to remain ignorant as to the warnings or conceded there was nothing that could do. I think that is somewhat accurate for that time frame.
the ceasefire agreement indeed included Americans from both the current Administration and the incoming Administration. I've read reports that various envoys of President Biden pllaced emphasis on Trump's mediator.
why is that.
during the early part of the Vietnam War,, the United States refrained from bombing Hanoi repeatedly for fear of a wider escalation and reprisals from Russia and China not to mention Cambodia and Laos. By 1972 that didn't seem so feasible hence Operation linebacker 2, to show that United States will kill on Christmas and doesn't care about repercussions from Vietnamese allies. For all intense purposes, United States bombed the North Vietnamese back to the peace table. Within a month, Paris Peace accords were signed.
I'm not sure, I'm not really sure if anybody's quite sure how this deal came about but the force brought to bear during the Vietnamese conflict I think is akin to the type of force the United States is diplomatically using, the promise that if a ceasefire doesn't hold, more weapons and the blind eye shall come forth. there's also the fact that our carrier groups really need refitting.
posted by clavdivs at 4:37 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]
The concentration camp example is interesting. Also, the Soviets liberated a lot of allied prisoner of war camps. From the various pows I've talked to no one ever complained that it was the Soviets that liberated them. for example, the Soviets fed them, gave them access to weapons, vodka and freedom of movement. (imagine drinking a few shots and fishing with Russian hand grenades) The barometer was also there before and during the war and many people chose to remain ignorant as to the warnings or conceded there was nothing that could do. I think that is somewhat accurate for that time frame.
the ceasefire agreement indeed included Americans from both the current Administration and the incoming Administration. I've read reports that various envoys of President Biden pllaced emphasis on Trump's mediator.
why is that.
during the early part of the Vietnam War,, the United States refrained from bombing Hanoi repeatedly for fear of a wider escalation and reprisals from Russia and China not to mention Cambodia and Laos. By 1972 that didn't seem so feasible hence Operation linebacker 2, to show that United States will kill on Christmas and doesn't care about repercussions from Vietnamese allies. For all intense purposes, United States bombed the North Vietnamese back to the peace table. Within a month, Paris Peace accords were signed.
I'm not sure, I'm not really sure if anybody's quite sure how this deal came about but the force brought to bear during the Vietnamese conflict I think is akin to the type of force the United States is diplomatically using, the promise that if a ceasefire doesn't hold, more weapons and the blind eye shall come forth. there's also the fact that our carrier groups really need refitting.
posted by clavdivs at 4:37 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]
Hah! Ha ha ha: Israel’s Netanyahu confirms ceasefire deal reached
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a Gaza ceasefire and captives deal has been reached, The Associated Press news agency reports.
The announcement on Friday came a day after Netanyahu’s office said there were last-minute snags in talks to free captives in return for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu said he will convene his security cabinet later on Friday and then the government to approve the ceasefire agreement.
Must be quite the phone call.
posted by cendawanita at 6:31 PM on January 16 [7 favorites]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a Gaza ceasefire and captives deal has been reached, The Associated Press news agency reports.
The announcement on Friday came a day after Netanyahu’s office said there were last-minute snags in talks to free captives in return for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu said he will convene his security cabinet later on Friday and then the government to approve the ceasefire agreement.
Must be quite the phone call.
posted by cendawanita at 6:31 PM on January 16 [7 favorites]
Too bad, so sad: Ben Gvir says his party will quit government if cabinet implements hostage-ceasefire deal
posted by cendawanita at 6:51 PM on January 16 [4 favorites]
posted by cendawanita at 6:51 PM on January 16 [4 favorites]
What’s the cook-o-meter ratings when it’s Nick Kristof saying the below?
To the extent that the Gaza ceasefire deal is largely the same as what was on the table eight months ago, it seems to me less a tribute to Biden's deal-making skill than an indictment of it. Biden refused to use leverage over Netanyahu, so Bibi rolled him. Then Trump pushed, and Netanyahu agreed to essentially the same deal -- but many thousands of Palestinian lives were lost (to American weaponry) in the interim. Yes, this is simplistic and there's more to the story, but it reflects the frustration that so many Middle East-watchers have had with Biden's refusal to use his leverage or to condition arms transfers; instead, Biden kept asking Bibi "pretty please" to do better, and the upshot was that hostages remained in Gaza and Palestinian children died. I fear Trump's management of the Middle East will be worse, but at least he understands arm-twisting.
ICYMI: New submissions on incitement to genocide filed to international criminal court
An Israeli lawyer has filed submissions to the international criminal court (ICC) alleging incitement to genocide against Palestinians by eight Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The lawyer, Omer Shatz, who is also a counsel to the ICC, says that it is the first time where a case for incitement to genocide has been framed as a crime that can be independently prosecuted irrespective of whether genocide or intent to commit genocide has been proven.
A 170-page submission, which he says took a year to prepare with students at the International Law In Action clinic at Sciences Po in Paris, where he is a lecturer, accuses the eight, who also include the former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, of having “publicly and directly incited others to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza”.The new submissions say: “Unlike all other ICC crimes and modes of liability, this inchoate crime (incitement to genocide) can and indeed must be independently investigated and prosecuted, regardless of whether genocide has been committed or not.”
(...)Shatz added: “There were (in the past) cases of incitement to genocide in the case law, in Rwanda and so on but it was always attached to the genocide and this is the first time saying, irrespective of whether you believe it is or it is not (genocide), you can go ahead with incitement.”
Related from +972: What is the duty of the Israeli left in a time of genocide?
The nearly two dozen such activists who spoke to +972 also recognize that a ceasefire in itself wouldn’t change the political structures in Israel and the US — those that made it possible for people in both societies to participate in starving and murdering Palestinians on a mass scale. Even if a deal is reached, the process of reckoning with being part of an eliminationist society, one that has crossed new thresholds in its dehumanization of Palestinians, is just beginning.
“So many people here are in a fascist frenzy,” activist and podcaster Yahav Erez told +972. “I ask myself, ‘You’re living in a genocidal state, almost everybody around you has zero empathy toward anyone who’s not ‘their’ people, and you’re still in contact with them — how can you be giving them legitimacy?’ But on the other hand, I was once just like them.”
Facing these seemingly insurmountable challenges, Israel’s radical leftists have set their sights on long-term political change. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not immortal; the militaristic center and messianic far-right currently appear to be his most likely successors. Leftists’ goal is to lay down the groundwork that could make them a viable political force once the war ends. To do so, they are now compelled to re-examine how they understand their own power, their base, and their ability to create change.
Speaking of Yahav Erez, her podcast is now on yt, and she hosted an episode with two Israeli musicians who've been doing and performing anti-war songs, and this is the bonus episode of their performance.
Under this rather cordial title, Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal brings hope for devastated northern Gaza, WaPo follows up on the (ICYMI) story where an NGO was leaned on by the Biden administration to retract their report on famine in Gaza:
The report, produced by the famine-tracking organization Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) just weeks before Biden was due to leave the White House, threatened to further tarnish the administration’s legacy in Gaza and was challenged internally by a senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“This title says that a Famine is unfolding without any caveats,” Sonali Korde, a senior USAID official, wrote to FEWS NET in correspondence obtained by The Washington Post. She “strongly” recommended that the organization responsible for the report change the title to say “risk” of a famine instead — a less severe assessment that the authors of the report said was not supported by the available facts.
Korde did not respond to a request for comment.
When the report published in late December without changes to the title, the Biden administration ordered the famine warning be deleted from FEWS NET’s website — the first such retraction in the organization’s 40-year relationship with the U.S. government.
Three U.S. officials told The Post that the decision caused a firestorm among staff at USAID, and raised fears that governments in Africa and elsewhere would question the credibility of the famine-warning organization, which receives $60 million each year from USAID. These officials, like some others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal disagreements.
“The perception is that USAID put its thumb on the scale to shield Israel and the United States from criticism,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior Biden administration official and current president of Refugees International. “FEWS NET is the gold standard in famine tracking and this is the type of incident that can just demolish its credibility.”
(...) Publicly criticizing the famine report based on a drop in northern Gaza’s population is a tactic some senior administration officials wanted to avoid because doing so only underscored how the besieged area has become unlivable.
But Jack Lew, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a staunch advocate for the country within the Biden administration, slammed the famine report publicly, calling it “inaccurate” and “irresponsible” — and noting that Israeli estimates put the post-exodus population in northern Gaza at between 5,000 and 9,000.
The basis of Lew’s critique appeared to be that FEWS NET relied on larger population estimates furnished by the United Nations instead of the Israeli government’s data. But that’s no justification for calling the report irresponsible, aid experts said.
“He directly mischaracterized what the document actually said,” Konyndyk said.
Lew declined requests for comment.
Ah well, it's not like the US didn't negatively impact the polio vaccination uptake anyway (eg).
posted by cendawanita at 7:33 PM on January 16 [13 favorites]
To the extent that the Gaza ceasefire deal is largely the same as what was on the table eight months ago, it seems to me less a tribute to Biden's deal-making skill than an indictment of it. Biden refused to use leverage over Netanyahu, so Bibi rolled him. Then Trump pushed, and Netanyahu agreed to essentially the same deal -- but many thousands of Palestinian lives were lost (to American weaponry) in the interim. Yes, this is simplistic and there's more to the story, but it reflects the frustration that so many Middle East-watchers have had with Biden's refusal to use his leverage or to condition arms transfers; instead, Biden kept asking Bibi "pretty please" to do better, and the upshot was that hostages remained in Gaza and Palestinian children died. I fear Trump's management of the Middle East will be worse, but at least he understands arm-twisting.
ICYMI: New submissions on incitement to genocide filed to international criminal court
An Israeli lawyer has filed submissions to the international criminal court (ICC) alleging incitement to genocide against Palestinians by eight Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The lawyer, Omer Shatz, who is also a counsel to the ICC, says that it is the first time where a case for incitement to genocide has been framed as a crime that can be independently prosecuted irrespective of whether genocide or intent to commit genocide has been proven.
A 170-page submission, which he says took a year to prepare with students at the International Law In Action clinic at Sciences Po in Paris, where he is a lecturer, accuses the eight, who also include the former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, of having “publicly and directly incited others to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza”.The new submissions say: “Unlike all other ICC crimes and modes of liability, this inchoate crime (incitement to genocide) can and indeed must be independently investigated and prosecuted, regardless of whether genocide has been committed or not.”
(...)Shatz added: “There were (in the past) cases of incitement to genocide in the case law, in Rwanda and so on but it was always attached to the genocide and this is the first time saying, irrespective of whether you believe it is or it is not (genocide), you can go ahead with incitement.”
Related from +972: What is the duty of the Israeli left in a time of genocide?
The nearly two dozen such activists who spoke to +972 also recognize that a ceasefire in itself wouldn’t change the political structures in Israel and the US — those that made it possible for people in both societies to participate in starving and murdering Palestinians on a mass scale. Even if a deal is reached, the process of reckoning with being part of an eliminationist society, one that has crossed new thresholds in its dehumanization of Palestinians, is just beginning.
“So many people here are in a fascist frenzy,” activist and podcaster Yahav Erez told +972. “I ask myself, ‘You’re living in a genocidal state, almost everybody around you has zero empathy toward anyone who’s not ‘their’ people, and you’re still in contact with them — how can you be giving them legitimacy?’ But on the other hand, I was once just like them.”
Facing these seemingly insurmountable challenges, Israel’s radical leftists have set their sights on long-term political change. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not immortal; the militaristic center and messianic far-right currently appear to be his most likely successors. Leftists’ goal is to lay down the groundwork that could make them a viable political force once the war ends. To do so, they are now compelled to re-examine how they understand their own power, their base, and their ability to create change.
Speaking of Yahav Erez, her podcast is now on yt, and she hosted an episode with two Israeli musicians who've been doing and performing anti-war songs, and this is the bonus episode of their performance.
Under this rather cordial title, Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal brings hope for devastated northern Gaza, WaPo follows up on the (ICYMI) story where an NGO was leaned on by the Biden administration to retract their report on famine in Gaza:
The report, produced by the famine-tracking organization Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) just weeks before Biden was due to leave the White House, threatened to further tarnish the administration’s legacy in Gaza and was challenged internally by a senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“This title says that a Famine is unfolding without any caveats,” Sonali Korde, a senior USAID official, wrote to FEWS NET in correspondence obtained by The Washington Post. She “strongly” recommended that the organization responsible for the report change the title to say “risk” of a famine instead — a less severe assessment that the authors of the report said was not supported by the available facts.
Korde did not respond to a request for comment.
When the report published in late December without changes to the title, the Biden administration ordered the famine warning be deleted from FEWS NET’s website — the first such retraction in the organization’s 40-year relationship with the U.S. government.
Three U.S. officials told The Post that the decision caused a firestorm among staff at USAID, and raised fears that governments in Africa and elsewhere would question the credibility of the famine-warning organization, which receives $60 million each year from USAID. These officials, like some others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal disagreements.
“The perception is that USAID put its thumb on the scale to shield Israel and the United States from criticism,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior Biden administration official and current president of Refugees International. “FEWS NET is the gold standard in famine tracking and this is the type of incident that can just demolish its credibility.”
(...) Publicly criticizing the famine report based on a drop in northern Gaza’s population is a tactic some senior administration officials wanted to avoid because doing so only underscored how the besieged area has become unlivable.
But Jack Lew, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a staunch advocate for the country within the Biden administration, slammed the famine report publicly, calling it “inaccurate” and “irresponsible” — and noting that Israeli estimates put the post-exodus population in northern Gaza at between 5,000 and 9,000.
The basis of Lew’s critique appeared to be that FEWS NET relied on larger population estimates furnished by the United Nations instead of the Israeli government’s data. But that’s no justification for calling the report irresponsible, aid experts said.
“He directly mischaracterized what the document actually said,” Konyndyk said.
Lew declined requests for comment.
Ah well, it's not like the US didn't negatively impact the polio vaccination uptake anyway (eg).
posted by cendawanita at 7:33 PM on January 16 [13 favorites]
Haaretz (follow-up) analysis (I assumed it was filed just before the feint that fizzled out anyway but no, it included that episode too): How Trump Scared Netanyahu Into Accepting a Cease-fire Deal With Hamas -
Cynical, unwilling, fearful: Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejected this same hostage deal when the Biden administration proposed it months ago, has now been bulldozed into wide-ranging concessions. For the hostages, and for Israel, this is the only morally correct end to an unbearable saga
Ungated : It may be too late to embrace an alternative diplomatic arrangement. Hamas is in a better position to take control of civilian affairs in Gaza and gradually rebuild its military strength. The Israeli public will be surprised when it finds out what the person who says he wishes to be remembered as Israel's defender had to concede during the negotiations. It's not just control of the Philadelphi route, but also the Netzarim corridor, including the ability to genuinely monitor the return of over one million Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza. He also agreed to allow the entry of 600 trucks with humanitarian aid per day, 100 more than the daily average before the war.
During the months in which he rejected the plan, which had already been proposed last May by the Biden administration, Netanyahu was mainly worried about his radical right-wing allies Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who threatened to dismantle his coalition. It now appears that Trump left him with no other choice. For years, people have been saying that Netanyahu is the sum of all his fears; it turns out that Trump scares him even more, perhaps justifiably so.
Some of the prime minister's blind followers are going through a painful sobering up these days. Trump is not an admirer of Israel or Netanyahu.
(...) The hostage deal will begin to be implemented, most likely, early next week. Both sides have an incentive to maintain the cease-fire for six weeks and to complete the release of 33 hostages in exchange for over 1,200 Palestinian prisoners. The true test will come with the second phase. It involves the release of the second group of Israeli hostages, alive and dead, upon the completion of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Trump sounded sure of himself, but it's going to be a tough mission that's full of tensions.
Lol trying to imagine western media trying to be anti-Trump and anti-Palestine at the same time from this Sunday. What will the ensuing coverage would be like - celebrate non-American war criming a little too much next thing you know orange man sends this gang to the Hague out of professional jealousy.
posted by cendawanita at 8:53 PM on January 16 [6 favorites]
Cynical, unwilling, fearful: Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejected this same hostage deal when the Biden administration proposed it months ago, has now been bulldozed into wide-ranging concessions. For the hostages, and for Israel, this is the only morally correct end to an unbearable saga
Ungated : It may be too late to embrace an alternative diplomatic arrangement. Hamas is in a better position to take control of civilian affairs in Gaza and gradually rebuild its military strength. The Israeli public will be surprised when it finds out what the person who says he wishes to be remembered as Israel's defender had to concede during the negotiations. It's not just control of the Philadelphi route, but also the Netzarim corridor, including the ability to genuinely monitor the return of over one million Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza. He also agreed to allow the entry of 600 trucks with humanitarian aid per day, 100 more than the daily average before the war.
During the months in which he rejected the plan, which had already been proposed last May by the Biden administration, Netanyahu was mainly worried about his radical right-wing allies Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who threatened to dismantle his coalition. It now appears that Trump left him with no other choice. For years, people have been saying that Netanyahu is the sum of all his fears; it turns out that Trump scares him even more, perhaps justifiably so.
Some of the prime minister's blind followers are going through a painful sobering up these days. Trump is not an admirer of Israel or Netanyahu.
(...) The hostage deal will begin to be implemented, most likely, early next week. Both sides have an incentive to maintain the cease-fire for six weeks and to complete the release of 33 hostages in exchange for over 1,200 Palestinian prisoners. The true test will come with the second phase. It involves the release of the second group of Israeli hostages, alive and dead, upon the completion of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Trump sounded sure of himself, but it's going to be a tough mission that's full of tensions.
Lol trying to imagine western media trying to be anti-Trump and anti-Palestine at the same time from this Sunday. What will the ensuing coverage would be like - celebrate non-American war criming a little too much next thing you know orange man sends this gang to the Hague out of professional jealousy.
posted by cendawanita at 8:53 PM on January 16 [6 favorites]
Let's not forget that the Israelis and the US expanded their violence beyond Gaza, and it might just be too messy and annoying for Trump, as we remember that the Kushners have designs on the West Bank:
The US Navy just revealed its tally of surface-to-air missiles fired to repel Houthi drone and missile attacks - nearly 400 individual munitions while battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea over the past 15 months.
Those in Trump's orbit are warning the Israelis against letting the ceasefire in Lebanon collapse, after senior Israeli officials indicate they want to stay in southern Lebanon past the agreed-upon 60 days.
Qatar's PM calls on Israeli forces to withdraw from Syria's buffer zone.
Did I miss any places that Israel may still be occupying and/or bombing?
Didn't watch this yet, but Mehdi Hasan hosted a town hall with Palestinian journalist Muhammad Shehada and Israeli journalist Noga Tarnopolsky discussing the ceasefire.
posted by toastyk at 9:06 PM on January 16 [6 favorites]
The US Navy just revealed its tally of surface-to-air missiles fired to repel Houthi drone and missile attacks - nearly 400 individual munitions while battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea over the past 15 months.
Those in Trump's orbit are warning the Israelis against letting the ceasefire in Lebanon collapse, after senior Israeli officials indicate they want to stay in southern Lebanon past the agreed-upon 60 days.
Qatar's PM calls on Israeli forces to withdraw from Syria's buffer zone.
Did I miss any places that Israel may still be occupying and/or bombing?
Didn't watch this yet, but Mehdi Hasan hosted a town hall with Palestinian journalist Muhammad Shehada and Israeli journalist Noga Tarnopolsky discussing the ceasefire.
posted by toastyk at 9:06 PM on January 16 [6 favorites]
Found the article I wanted regarding Kushner - he doubled his stake in an Israeli firm that stands to gain from expanding Israeli settlements.
posted by toastyk at 10:13 PM on January 16 [3 favorites]
posted by toastyk at 10:13 PM on January 16 [3 favorites]
IDF in crisis, despite a cease-fire - why fewer Israelis were turning up to fight in Gaza - ungated Milshtein also saw soldiers experiencing trauma after "their own friends [were] hurt, and things they see happening to the other side too. It's etched in your mind. Some are in direct confrontations with civilians … families and children. Even if after October 7 empathy for them is very limited, the images of destruction and explosions and shooting seep into your consciousness. Only psychopaths could be indifferent to that."
AlJazeera live update - Israeli security cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire deal, at least 113 Palestinians were killed, including 28 children and 31 women, in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the announcement of a ceasefire deal that is due to start on Sunday, according to the enclave’s civil defence.
Elsewhere:
A Delta passenger complained about JFK ground crew wearing a keffiyeh.
The Vancover Library has implemented a ban on Palestinian symbols of support like pins or keffiyehs unless the person wearing the item(s) speaks Palestinian Arabic.
posted by toastyk at 7:04 AM on January 17 [7 favorites]
AlJazeera live update - Israeli security cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire deal, at least 113 Palestinians were killed, including 28 children and 31 women, in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the announcement of a ceasefire deal that is due to start on Sunday, according to the enclave’s civil defence.
Elsewhere:
A Delta passenger complained about JFK ground crew wearing a keffiyeh.
The Vancover Library has implemented a ban on Palestinian symbols of support like pins or keffiyehs unless the person wearing the item(s) speaks Palestinian Arabic.
posted by toastyk at 7:04 AM on January 17 [7 favorites]
The AHA has vetoed the “Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza", despite it being supported by 428 of its members.
posted by toastyk at 8:51 AM on January 17 [5 favorites]
posted by toastyk at 8:51 AM on January 17 [5 favorites]
Also despite the resolution simply saying, more or less, "it's bad that all the universities in the Gaza have been razed, archives lost, etc. And as historians who value education, we should help Gaza rebuilt its educational infrastructure." Nothing about a boycott. The leadership also had the option of putting the question to the full membership (the initial vote was only people who attended the vote in-person and their recent conference, so there is a reasonable case to make about letting the whole membership decide). But no, they opted to veto.
posted by coffeecat at 9:12 AM on January 17 [3 favorites]
posted by coffeecat at 9:12 AM on January 17 [3 favorites]
Well, I guess I wasn't being hyperbolic when I noted that it needed discipline to stay this ignorant.
New report, staying on that theme: MIT Shuts Down Internal Grant Database After It Was Used to Research School’s Israel Ties -
A new report from MIT Coalition for Palestine details Israeli-funded research into everything from drone swarms to underwater surveillance.
---
One down, one to go: Netanyahu 'vows to continue Gaza war' to secure support for ceasefire -
The Israeli prime minister is attempting to prevent his government from collapsing amid far-right resignation threats
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to continue Israel's war on Gaza in a bid to stop far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from exiting his coalition, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
The Israeli outlet reports that Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party and one of the staunchest opponents to a deal that would end the war, felt like his demands were met following the latest meeting with Netanyahu.
Between that and the following clips from Biden's last interview as president on MSNBC, I'm feeling like my grasp of English is shakier than usual or I'm just watching an excellent handoff to the sort of values Republicans represent:
- Biden: And I said, “Bibi, you can't be carpet bombing these communities.” And he said to me, “well, you did it, you carpet bombed.” Not his exact words, but “you carpet bombed Berlin. You dropped a nuclear weapon.”
That... Is... What is that? A defence?
This one I'm just like, well you would say that: Lawrence: Did did you have reason to believe that Netanyahu was delaying ceasefire for his own politics, and with the political knowledge that a ceasefire would help your reelection campaign?
Biden: I don't think that was his calculus.
I finally caught up with this and his announcement at the start of this news cycle, watching them, and barely anyone is mentioning his malapropisms/miscues anymore. I think at one point he named Hezbollah as the people who broke out of Gaza on Oct 7. This interview isn't particularly better either.
But back to the Smotrich story and all that, Mairav Zonsvein adds more in talking about this Israel Hayom article: According to this report, Trump and Biden promised Netanyahu he can resume war in Gaza if Hamas violates ceasefire or rearms- similar to situation in Lebanon. Even without that promise, easy for Bibi to find a way to violate and blame Hamas..
--- on the more longer term war crimes stuff ---
New Haaretz article: Constant Handcuffs and No Showers: Gazans Detail Abuse in Israeli Detention
ungated: At the Anatot base, detainees are held blindfolded and handcuffed for weeks. At Ofer, they don't get to change their clothes for months. At Sde Teiman, they're interrogated to deafening music accompanied by beatings. In the run-up to this week's hostage deal, they told lawyers that violence occurs at every step of the way
Could Israel's 'Immoral Witnesses' in Gaza Unwittingly Help End the IDF's Impunity?
The concept of moral witness underlay an international conference I organized in 2004 in Jerusalem on soldier testimony and human rights. (The conference took place on February 29 and March 1, 2004, under the auspices of the Center for International Development and Conflict Management of the University of Maryland and the Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University Law School, with funding from the Ford Foundation.) One premise of this initiative was that the more we heard about the ugliness of repression from the repressors themselves, the more we could stir public opinion to address the abuse.
One of the speakers at the conference in Jerusalem more than 20 years ago poured cold water on that premise. Ilana Hammerman, an Israeli translator and activist, had at that point co-edited two volumes of vivid testimonies by Israeli soldiers distraught by what they had seen in their military service—one devoted to the First Intifada, the second to Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
In her remarks at the conference, Hammerman looked back with humility at her high hopes for the first book. "I thought that testimonies this powerful would be capable of shattering the blissful complacency of a lot people," she said. "I was wrong." One critic complained, "But we already knew all of this." This irked Hammerman. "Few people actually read the book," she responded, "not because they already 'knew,' but because they wanted the repression to continue." Chastened but still hopeful, she produced the volume featuring soldiers in Lebanon—only "to receive the same lesson."
A couple of weeks after the conference, the organization Breaking the Silence was founded by veteran Israeli soldiers. (I'd like to think there was a causal link, but it was a coincidence.) Staffed by reservists and ex-soldiers, Breaking the Silence amplifies the voice of those troubled by what they experienced while serving in the occupied territories, with the objective of "push[ing] Israeli society to face the reality it has created." It leverages the credibility that those who served in the IDF—considered patriots—enjoy among Israeli Jews to influence those who are inclined to dismiss or ignore the testimony of Palestinians and reports by news media and conventional human rights organizations. For 21 years, the organization has indeed been "breaking the silence" about the brutality of Israel's occupation and challenging the state of denial.
Breaking the Silence embodies the role of "moral witness." It is probably the leading organization of its kind in the world; its courage and the quality of its work are formidable. While it has raised awareness among some Israelis in uniform, I remain uncertain about the influence this group of veterans has had on the overall behavior of Israeli troops, and in hastening an end to the occupation, one of its stated goals. The Israeli Jewish public has found ways to avert its gaze from "moral witnesses," especially since the horrors of October 7.
These days, it might be the turn of "immoral witnesses" to rattle complacency. I refer to the many Israeli soldiers who documented their unconscionable behavior in Gaza in video clips and selfies on Twitter, TikTok and Telegram. Thanks to organizations that have been connecting the dots, Israeli authorities are now cautioning ex-soldiers of their legal risks abroad. Authorities have also placed new restrictions on media coverage of soldiers on combat duty. However, for some legal experts, the best way for Israel to mitigate legal risks to its soldiers and officials abroad is for the Israeli government to actually hold abusers accountable to Israel's own laws.
It is one thing for Israelis that the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for their prime minister and former defense minister, along with a Hamas commander. It is quite another for ordinary Israeli Jews to worry that they could be served with a summons while vacationing or working abroad.
Too bad. So sad. I guess it's just not relatable content for me, not being American or a westerner (because I do think the discomfort that this should be extended to all war criminals is what the Israeli state is counting on, a bit like an abusive hostage situation). (Don't worry, my country commits other relatable crimes)
posted by cendawanita at 10:23 AM on January 17 [14 favorites]
New report, staying on that theme: MIT Shuts Down Internal Grant Database After It Was Used to Research School’s Israel Ties -
A new report from MIT Coalition for Palestine details Israeli-funded research into everything from drone swarms to underwater surveillance.
---
One down, one to go: Netanyahu 'vows to continue Gaza war' to secure support for ceasefire -
The Israeli prime minister is attempting to prevent his government from collapsing amid far-right resignation threats
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to continue Israel's war on Gaza in a bid to stop far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from exiting his coalition, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
The Israeli outlet reports that Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party and one of the staunchest opponents to a deal that would end the war, felt like his demands were met following the latest meeting with Netanyahu.
Between that and the following clips from Biden's last interview as president on MSNBC, I'm feeling like my grasp of English is shakier than usual or I'm just watching an excellent handoff to the sort of values Republicans represent:
- Biden: And I said, “Bibi, you can't be carpet bombing these communities.” And he said to me, “well, you did it, you carpet bombed.” Not his exact words, but “you carpet bombed Berlin. You dropped a nuclear weapon.”
That... Is... What is that? A defence?
This one I'm just like, well you would say that: Lawrence: Did did you have reason to believe that Netanyahu was delaying ceasefire for his own politics, and with the political knowledge that a ceasefire would help your reelection campaign?
Biden: I don't think that was his calculus.
I finally caught up with this and his announcement at the start of this news cycle, watching them, and barely anyone is mentioning his malapropisms/miscues anymore. I think at one point he named Hezbollah as the people who broke out of Gaza on Oct 7. This interview isn't particularly better either.
But back to the Smotrich story and all that, Mairav Zonsvein adds more in talking about this Israel Hayom article: According to this report, Trump and Biden promised Netanyahu he can resume war in Gaza if Hamas violates ceasefire or rearms- similar to situation in Lebanon. Even without that promise, easy for Bibi to find a way to violate and blame Hamas..
--- on the more longer term war crimes stuff ---
New Haaretz article: Constant Handcuffs and No Showers: Gazans Detail Abuse in Israeli Detention
ungated: At the Anatot base, detainees are held blindfolded and handcuffed for weeks. At Ofer, they don't get to change their clothes for months. At Sde Teiman, they're interrogated to deafening music accompanied by beatings. In the run-up to this week's hostage deal, they told lawyers that violence occurs at every step of the way
Could Israel's 'Immoral Witnesses' in Gaza Unwittingly Help End the IDF's Impunity?
The concept of moral witness underlay an international conference I organized in 2004 in Jerusalem on soldier testimony and human rights. (The conference took place on February 29 and March 1, 2004, under the auspices of the Center for International Development and Conflict Management of the University of Maryland and the Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University Law School, with funding from the Ford Foundation.) One premise of this initiative was that the more we heard about the ugliness of repression from the repressors themselves, the more we could stir public opinion to address the abuse.
One of the speakers at the conference in Jerusalem more than 20 years ago poured cold water on that premise. Ilana Hammerman, an Israeli translator and activist, had at that point co-edited two volumes of vivid testimonies by Israeli soldiers distraught by what they had seen in their military service—one devoted to the First Intifada, the second to Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
In her remarks at the conference, Hammerman looked back with humility at her high hopes for the first book. "I thought that testimonies this powerful would be capable of shattering the blissful complacency of a lot people," she said. "I was wrong." One critic complained, "But we already knew all of this." This irked Hammerman. "Few people actually read the book," she responded, "not because they already 'knew,' but because they wanted the repression to continue." Chastened but still hopeful, she produced the volume featuring soldiers in Lebanon—only "to receive the same lesson."
A couple of weeks after the conference, the organization Breaking the Silence was founded by veteran Israeli soldiers. (I'd like to think there was a causal link, but it was a coincidence.) Staffed by reservists and ex-soldiers, Breaking the Silence amplifies the voice of those troubled by what they experienced while serving in the occupied territories, with the objective of "push[ing] Israeli society to face the reality it has created." It leverages the credibility that those who served in the IDF—considered patriots—enjoy among Israeli Jews to influence those who are inclined to dismiss or ignore the testimony of Palestinians and reports by news media and conventional human rights organizations. For 21 years, the organization has indeed been "breaking the silence" about the brutality of Israel's occupation and challenging the state of denial.
Breaking the Silence embodies the role of "moral witness." It is probably the leading organization of its kind in the world; its courage and the quality of its work are formidable. While it has raised awareness among some Israelis in uniform, I remain uncertain about the influence this group of veterans has had on the overall behavior of Israeli troops, and in hastening an end to the occupation, one of its stated goals. The Israeli Jewish public has found ways to avert its gaze from "moral witnesses," especially since the horrors of October 7.
These days, it might be the turn of "immoral witnesses" to rattle complacency. I refer to the many Israeli soldiers who documented their unconscionable behavior in Gaza in video clips and selfies on Twitter, TikTok and Telegram. Thanks to organizations that have been connecting the dots, Israeli authorities are now cautioning ex-soldiers of their legal risks abroad. Authorities have also placed new restrictions on media coverage of soldiers on combat duty. However, for some legal experts, the best way for Israel to mitigate legal risks to its soldiers and officials abroad is for the Israeli government to actually hold abusers accountable to Israel's own laws.
It is one thing for Israelis that the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for their prime minister and former defense minister, along with a Hamas commander. It is quite another for ordinary Israeli Jews to worry that they could be served with a summons while vacationing or working abroad.
Too bad. So sad. I guess it's just not relatable content for me, not being American or a westerner (because I do think the discomfort that this should be extended to all war criminals is what the Israeli state is counting on, a bit like an abusive hostage situation). (Don't worry, my country commits other relatable crimes)
posted by cendawanita at 10:23 AM on January 17 [14 favorites]
Related from +972: What is the duty of the Israeli left in a time of genocide?
I was really interested in what this article had to say about the inclusion (or rather, lack thereof) of Mizrahi Israelis into the peace movement.
But on another issue, this quote grabbed me as important when talking about strategy and tactics:
posted by jb at 11:34 AM on January 17 [5 favorites]
I was really interested in what this article had to say about the inclusion (or rather, lack thereof) of Mizrahi Israelis into the peace movement.
But on another issue, this quote grabbed me as important when talking about strategy and tactics:
"Cialic, in contrast, describes the use of uncompromising language within the Israeli left and among activists abroad as evidence of a “loser” mentality. “It’s the politics of self-expression and not the politics of building power or playing to win,” he argued. “When you are holding a sign in the street in Hebrew, you are in conversation, trying to communicate something to the Israeli public. If your message straight away makes people close up, or they don’t even understand it and get angry, then you have failed in your act of communication and you have failed in this political action.”"Also from +972: Grappling with Jewish fears in a just Palestinian struggle
"Compared to the murderous war that Israel is currently waging against 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, such issues may feel insignificant. But it is nevertheless crucial that our camp takes these matters seriously, and doesn’t seek to ignore or minimize them.....So long as our movement dismisses Jewish fear, the Israeli and global right (and their centrist accomplices) will keep weaponizing it to reject our demands and justify the subjugation and mass killing of Palestinians...I didn't know that Naomi Klein said this, but she is very, very right: "Naomi Klein...wrote similarly in the aftermath of October 7 that we must always “side with the child over the gun.”"
...Recognizing the settler-colonial nature of Zionism, the ethnic cleansing of the Nakba and ever since, and the Palestinian right of return: none of these basic tenants of the movement should negate the recognition that Israeli Jews do constitute a distinct people, with no less of a right to self-determination as any other nation in the world — so long as that right does not come at the expense of the same right of Palestinians...
And even if one were to contemplate banishing the roughly 7 million Jews who now live here — where would we go?...
We have already seen how the attempt to right the wrong done to Jews in Europe by wronging Palestinians has led to a catastrophe. We must not think that righting that wrong can be achieved by wronging Jews once again. The answer has to be decolonizing this land with all its inhabitants having the right to stay here along with returning Palestinian refugees — as two nations with equal individual and collective rights."
posted by jb at 11:34 AM on January 17 [5 favorites]
It's difficult and I don't even know if I would even see it fully resolved in my lifetime but that question of balancing fear against crimes to me is urgent. Very urgent. Because Israel, as I've said repeatedly, isn't unique. It's holding a very unique spot in western political angst because of the crimes that civilization has done to its fellow westerners (that later transformed into all Jewish people) but postcolonialism has produced MANY Israels, in that previously oppressed people having been empowered to then oppress others (Indian Hindu majority, Indonesians, Pakistani Muslim majority, UAE, my own country, China). But for every Islamophobic and sinophobic asshole and institution, it seems like every other circle where that discourse is happening, nobody is willing to coddle fascists this much. Why is that? People can balance talking, even imperfectly, on the genuine harm systemic sinophobia and Islamophobia in the West has caused, as they talk about China or KSA - it's seen as gauche and embarassing and frankly distracting in the society itself to be bringing up active racism happening elsewhere when the matter is what happens when you're holding power.
The same apologetics do occur, and to my eyes, you rarely see it entertained seriously when it comes to China, BUT you do see it nearly the same levels when it comes to India (see how much hindutva casteism is extant in the West by now with equally terrible instincts on how to address it). I have my thinking as to why. But regardless, regardless, as an exercise of imagination, I want people to call forth every detail of the Rape of Nanking and the street violence inflicted on American East Asians in the last three years everytime you want to handwring about how the Israeli political majority is so justified in its fear, just to double-check if you've applied the same when talking about China and its treatment of Xinjiang.
posted by cendawanita at 5:14 PM on January 17 [6 favorites]
The same apologetics do occur, and to my eyes, you rarely see it entertained seriously when it comes to China, BUT you do see it nearly the same levels when it comes to India (see how much hindutva casteism is extant in the West by now with equally terrible instincts on how to address it). I have my thinking as to why. But regardless, regardless, as an exercise of imagination, I want people to call forth every detail of the Rape of Nanking and the street violence inflicted on American East Asians in the last three years everytime you want to handwring about how the Israeli political majority is so justified in its fear, just to double-check if you've applied the same when talking about China and its treatment of Xinjiang.
posted by cendawanita at 5:14 PM on January 17 [6 favorites]
Belatedly, I do want to thank the western babying of Israel though. I've not seen this much improvement in domestic discourse because that very same similarity means that, "why are we acting like Zionists?" is a potent question, and one that does get lobbed at the ethnonationalist Muslims who wear a keffiyeh but oppress on people's right to practice their faith, or plus, in the case of our other non-muslim indigenous groups, forcibly removing them from their land.
Israels everywhere, for those with the eyes to see.
posted by cendawanita at 5:57 PM on January 17 [3 favorites]
Israels everywhere, for those with the eyes to see.
posted by cendawanita at 5:57 PM on January 17 [3 favorites]
Remiss to not have shared the full text of the ceasefire agreement. Struck by how in one direct way, Hamas didn't achieve its original intention to have a hostage exchange with Palestinians already held in Israel, but only because there are just more Palestinians being added to the hold.
----
3. Prisoner Exchange:
a. The 9 ill and wounded from the list of 33 will be released in exchange for the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences.
b. Israel will release 1000 Gazan detainees from 8 October 2023 that were not involved in 7 October 2023
c. The Elderly (men over 50) from the list of 33 will be released in exchange for an exchange key of 1:3 life sentences + 1:27 other sentences.
d. Ebra Mangesto and Hesham el-Sayed - will be released according to an exchange key of 1:30, as well as 47 Shalit prisoners.
e. A number of Palestinian prisoners will be released abroad or in Gaza based on lists agreed upon between both sides.
----
Looking at 3b and the number. This is one murderously stupid army.
posted by cendawanita at 12:14 AM on January 18 [2 favorites]
----
3. Prisoner Exchange:
a. The 9 ill and wounded from the list of 33 will be released in exchange for the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences.
b. Israel will release 1000 Gazan detainees from 8 October 2023 that were not involved in 7 October 2023
c. The Elderly (men over 50) from the list of 33 will be released in exchange for an exchange key of 1:3 life sentences + 1:27 other sentences.
d. Ebra Mangesto and Hesham el-Sayed - will be released according to an exchange key of 1:30, as well as 47 Shalit prisoners.
e. A number of Palestinian prisoners will be released abroad or in Gaza based on lists agreed upon between both sides.
----
Looking at 3b and the number. This is one murderously stupid army.
posted by cendawanita at 12:14 AM on January 18 [2 favorites]
SkyNews interview with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani, in which he reveals the ceasefire agreement is basically the same one that was on the table in December 2023. He called the last year a waste of time and lives for all involved in the violence and bombing.
Since this was just published this morning, I don’t have an ungated link, but WSJ just published a “how it happened” article on the Gaza ceasefire.
posted by toastyk at 7:41 AM on January 18 [5 favorites]
Since this was just published this morning, I don’t have an ungated link, but WSJ just published a “how it happened” article on the Gaza ceasefire.
posted by toastyk at 7:41 AM on January 18 [5 favorites]
In partial: Haaretz | Israel at War: What you need to know -day 470
—Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told the Saudi outlet Al Arabiya that the deal would not have been possible without U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's looming inauguration and his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff's mediation efforts, adding that Witkoff had been "exercising pressure, especially on the Israeli government."
—Far-right Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich said that Netanyahu had agreed to his request to change the direction of the Gaza war to allow a "gradual takeover" of Gaza and to keep it "'uninhabitable."
—Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he and his fellow Otzma Yehudit party MKs will resign from the government on Sunday to protest the cease-fire deal with Hamas.
So that’s…
posted by rubatan at 3:21 PM on January 18 [5 favorites]
—Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told the Saudi outlet Al Arabiya that the deal would not have been possible without U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's looming inauguration and his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff's mediation efforts, adding that Witkoff had been "exercising pressure, especially on the Israeli government."
—Far-right Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich said that Netanyahu had agreed to his request to change the direction of the Gaza war to allow a "gradual takeover" of Gaza and to keep it "'uninhabitable."
—Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he and his fellow Otzma Yehudit party MKs will resign from the government on Sunday to protest the cease-fire deal with Hamas.
So that’s…
posted by rubatan at 3:21 PM on January 18 [5 favorites]
Happy Sunday from my timezone:
Trump was ‘the closer’ on Gaza cease-fire deal -
The U.S. president-elect claiming credit for the Israel-Hamas agreement has infuriated Joe Biden and his aides, but few in the region doubt it’s true.
But Trump’s determination to claim the breakthrough as his own sticks in the craw for Biden and his aides. As far as the president is concerned, the deal is within “the precise contours” of a plan he set out in May, and was relentlessly pushed by the likes of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mideast envoy Brett McGurk, as well as by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Biden’s team simply invited Trump officials to join in the effort as they would inherit any deal that was struck.
So, who’s right? Was this a Biden or Trump win?
Truth is, Biden aides have been tireless in their efforts to wrestle Netanyahu and Hamas’ leadership into an agreement. And at various times over the past 15 months, they really believed they were close — only for everything to fall apart. Almost a year ago, in February, Biden told reporters he was hopeful there would be a deal struck very soon. And again, in the run-up to the Democratic convention, U.S. officials said agreement was near. But each time, they were frustrated.
What really appears to have shifted the dynamic, however, was a Jan. 7 remark by Trump, coupled with a very aggressive push by his soon-to-be special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff — at least that’s the view of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and several seasoned observers of the region.
(This feels like the TikTok own goal too - and just like that one, so much of it was tee'd up by Trump's previous admin actually but Democrats have to be very stupid about Israel, so here we are)
Hahhhhhhhhhhh: “All hell will break out. If those hostages aren’t back, I don’t want to hurt your negotiation, if they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Trump told reporters.
At the time, most commentators took the warning to be directed at Hamas and scoffed at the threat. After all, what more could Trump do against Hamas that Netanyahu hadn’t done already? The Palestinian militant group lost its top military commanders, including Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, and its ranks have been devastated.
But it wasn’t really Hamas that Trump was addressing.
“It wasn’t a warning to Hamas. It was a warning to Netanyahu. To Bibi,” Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, told POLITICO. A senior Israeli official, who asked to remain anonymous as they aren’t authorized to talk with the media, agreed that was how Netanyahu read it as well.
And when asked by POLITICO why the Israeli prime minister now appeared ready to agree to a deal he’d dismissed before, Olmert simply said:“Because he’s afraid of Trump.”
Olmert and Bannon aren’t alone in their view either. No one disputes that the context of the negotiations has changed recently. “The humanitarian toll in Gaza and Hezbollah’s decision to ink a separate cease-fire deal with Israel in November made Hamas more flexible,” noted Hugh Lovatt and Muhammad Shehada of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Most decisive, however, appears to be pressure from the incoming Trump administration on Netanyahu to accept the deal.”
There are still those eg in BBC via their breakdown here (How historic Gaza deal was sealed with 10 minutes to spare, but even as that piece tried to really emphasize the work from Biden's people and presenting Hamas by being on the back foot, by the time you get to the back half of the report, you can't find reality unless you're a right-wing evangelical (of all stripes 😌)
(Just to note, the main article I'm sharing here is European Politico too, and more directly under Axel Springer, who is more rightwing and pro-Israel but also quite the Trump anti - which is probably why American Politico reporting will probably 'improve' in the incoming term)
posted by cendawanita at 8:38 PM on January 18 [10 favorites]
Trump was ‘the closer’ on Gaza cease-fire deal -
The U.S. president-elect claiming credit for the Israel-Hamas agreement has infuriated Joe Biden and his aides, but few in the region doubt it’s true.
But Trump’s determination to claim the breakthrough as his own sticks in the craw for Biden and his aides. As far as the president is concerned, the deal is within “the precise contours” of a plan he set out in May, and was relentlessly pushed by the likes of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mideast envoy Brett McGurk, as well as by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Biden’s team simply invited Trump officials to join in the effort as they would inherit any deal that was struck.
So, who’s right? Was this a Biden or Trump win?
Truth is, Biden aides have been tireless in their efforts to wrestle Netanyahu and Hamas’ leadership into an agreement. And at various times over the past 15 months, they really believed they were close — only for everything to fall apart. Almost a year ago, in February, Biden told reporters he was hopeful there would be a deal struck very soon. And again, in the run-up to the Democratic convention, U.S. officials said agreement was near. But each time, they were frustrated.
What really appears to have shifted the dynamic, however, was a Jan. 7 remark by Trump, coupled with a very aggressive push by his soon-to-be special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff — at least that’s the view of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and several seasoned observers of the region.
(This feels like the TikTok own goal too - and just like that one, so much of it was tee'd up by Trump's previous admin actually but Democrats have to be very stupid about Israel, so here we are)
Hahhhhhhhhhhh: “All hell will break out. If those hostages aren’t back, I don’t want to hurt your negotiation, if they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Trump told reporters.
At the time, most commentators took the warning to be directed at Hamas and scoffed at the threat. After all, what more could Trump do against Hamas that Netanyahu hadn’t done already? The Palestinian militant group lost its top military commanders, including Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, and its ranks have been devastated.
But it wasn’t really Hamas that Trump was addressing.
“It wasn’t a warning to Hamas. It was a warning to Netanyahu. To Bibi,” Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, told POLITICO. A senior Israeli official, who asked to remain anonymous as they aren’t authorized to talk with the media, agreed that was how Netanyahu read it as well.
And when asked by POLITICO why the Israeli prime minister now appeared ready to agree to a deal he’d dismissed before, Olmert simply said:“Because he’s afraid of Trump.”
Olmert and Bannon aren’t alone in their view either. No one disputes that the context of the negotiations has changed recently. “The humanitarian toll in Gaza and Hezbollah’s decision to ink a separate cease-fire deal with Israel in November made Hamas more flexible,” noted Hugh Lovatt and Muhammad Shehada of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Most decisive, however, appears to be pressure from the incoming Trump administration on Netanyahu to accept the deal.”
There are still those eg in BBC via their breakdown here (How historic Gaza deal was sealed with 10 minutes to spare, but even as that piece tried to really emphasize the work from Biden's people and presenting Hamas by being on the back foot, by the time you get to the back half of the report, you can't find reality unless you're a right-wing evangelical (of all stripes 😌)
(Just to note, the main article I'm sharing here is European Politico too, and more directly under Axel Springer, who is more rightwing and pro-Israel but also quite the Trump anti - which is probably why American Politico reporting will probably 'improve' in the incoming term)
posted by cendawanita at 8:38 PM on January 18 [10 favorites]
Hmmm. The stupidest wedge issue to have been squandered by the Democrats of all time (and probably a republican one too once we get well into 2025 - it'll be the battle of the sons-in-law as I said before and other interests, eg Gulf states, versus Israel on having a hot war):
Trump invites anti-Zionist rabbi to White House (or the Ynet version)
US President-elect Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the anti-Zionist leader of the Satmar Hasidic community, for a meeting at the White House. The move, announced by Trump's campaign on Friday, is described as "recognition of his support during the election."
This landmark meeting will be the first time a sitting US president hosts a Hasidic leader at the White House. Trump's team emphasized that Rabbi Teitelbaum's blessing was considered a "significant factor in his victory" and that Trump was seeking a special blessing ahead of his presidency.
The Satmar sect, which is widely known for its opposition to secular Zionism and the Israeli occupation, has maintained a strong presence in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in New York City since October 7.
Back home, the media bubble is leaking:
journalist Ronen Bergman (clip on local show): “How many times have you heard Hamas doesn't want a deal? This statement, every time you heard it, was a lie... There is a large number of abductees who died because of IDF's actions”
Can't come soon enough but in the meantime: Drop Site News - NEWS: Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has decided to cancel the administrative detention orders against settlers from “Judea and Samaria” (the illegally occupied West Bank), ordering their immediate release to their homes.
He linked this to the ongoing deal. “In light of the expected release of terrorists in Judea and Samaria, as part of the deal, I decided to release the settlers held in administrative detention and convey a clear message of strengthening and encouraging the settlement, which is at the forefront of the struggle against Palestinian terrorism and facing growing security challenges,” Katz said. “It is better for the families of Jewish settlers to be happy than the families of released terrorists.”
The decision took Israel’s internal security agency the Shin Bet by surprise, as there had been no prior discussion regarding the security implications of this measure, especially during heightened tensions in the West Bank. The Shin Bet officially stated that “the decision was made without accepting the Shin Bet’s consideration of its security implications.”
posted by cendawanita at 10:18 PM on January 18 [2 favorites]
Trump invites anti-Zionist rabbi to White House (or the Ynet version)
US President-elect Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the anti-Zionist leader of the Satmar Hasidic community, for a meeting at the White House. The move, announced by Trump's campaign on Friday, is described as "recognition of his support during the election."
This landmark meeting will be the first time a sitting US president hosts a Hasidic leader at the White House. Trump's team emphasized that Rabbi Teitelbaum's blessing was considered a "significant factor in his victory" and that Trump was seeking a special blessing ahead of his presidency.
The Satmar sect, which is widely known for its opposition to secular Zionism and the Israeli occupation, has maintained a strong presence in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in New York City since October 7.
Back home, the media bubble is leaking:
journalist Ronen Bergman (clip on local show): “How many times have you heard Hamas doesn't want a deal? This statement, every time you heard it, was a lie... There is a large number of abductees who died because of IDF's actions”
Can't come soon enough but in the meantime: Drop Site News - NEWS: Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has decided to cancel the administrative detention orders against settlers from “Judea and Samaria” (the illegally occupied West Bank), ordering their immediate release to their homes.
He linked this to the ongoing deal. “In light of the expected release of terrorists in Judea and Samaria, as part of the deal, I decided to release the settlers held in administrative detention and convey a clear message of strengthening and encouraging the settlement, which is at the forefront of the struggle against Palestinian terrorism and facing growing security challenges,” Katz said. “It is better for the families of Jewish settlers to be happy than the families of released terrorists.”
The decision took Israel’s internal security agency the Shin Bet by surprise, as there had been no prior discussion regarding the security implications of this measure, especially during heightened tensions in the West Bank. The Shin Bet officially stated that “the decision was made without accepting the Shin Bet’s consideration of its security implications.”
posted by cendawanita at 10:18 PM on January 18 [2 favorites]
Palestinians in Gaza celebrate Israel-Hamas ceasefire -
Ceasefire announced more than two hours later than scheduled due to Israel-Hamas dispute over naming captives.
The juxtaposition with all the rubble as far as the eyes can see is really something
posted by cendawanita at 4:21 AM on January 19 [4 favorites]
Ceasefire announced more than two hours later than scheduled due to Israel-Hamas dispute over naming captives.
The juxtaposition with all the rubble as far as the eyes can see is really something
posted by cendawanita at 4:21 AM on January 19 [4 favorites]
There are so many issues to choose from, though, cendawanita, from TikTok, to immigration, that the Dems fumbled the bag on that it’s debatable if this is precisely the one that sank them. But it certainly didn’t help.
Anyway something to keep an eye on:
Zeteo does a deep dive into Marian Barghouti aka the “Palestinian Mandela”, whom Hamas and other factions are pushing the release of.
posted by toastyk at 8:13 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
Anyway something to keep an eye on:
Zeteo does a deep dive into Marian Barghouti aka the “Palestinian Mandela”, whom Hamas and other factions are pushing the release of.
posted by toastyk at 8:13 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
That's fair - far be it for me to also insist that this is the exact factor. But it's definitely a key one for the election, though regardless, for me, it has always been a matter of dereliction in moral AND political leadership - I'd beat this drum even if it's not "election year".
Anyways, speaking of stupid idiots, Muhammad Shehada is noting that it seems the first batch of hostages apparently had been held in North Gaza all along:
This will go down as one of Israel's biggest failures
The hostages were in Northern Gaza all along, under the IDF's nose this whole time
They raided every inch of northern Gaza & couldn't find a single clue on their whereabouts
Another reminder why a ceasefire is the only way!
Hamas handed the 3 hostage over to the Red Cross in the very heart of Gaza city, at the Saraya Square; an area the IDF raided repeatedly
So when Israel cut off all food & water to Northern Gaza & implemented the "General's plan", they were threatening the lives of their hostages
posted by cendawanita at 10:17 AM on January 19 [4 favorites]
Anyways, speaking of stupid idiots, Muhammad Shehada is noting that it seems the first batch of hostages apparently had been held in North Gaza all along:
This will go down as one of Israel's biggest failures
The hostages were in Northern Gaza all along, under the IDF's nose this whole time
They raided every inch of northern Gaza & couldn't find a single clue on their whereabouts
Another reminder why a ceasefire is the only way!
Hamas handed the 3 hostage over to the Red Cross in the very heart of Gaza city, at the Saraya Square; an area the IDF raided repeatedly
So when Israel cut off all food & water to Northern Gaza & implemented the "General's plan", they were threatening the lives of their hostages
posted by cendawanita at 10:17 AM on January 19 [4 favorites]
*snorts*
(NBC) Trump's Middle East envoy is considering a visit to the Gaza Strip amid ceasefire deal -
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, plans to be a near-constant presence in the region in an attempt to prevent the deal from unraveling.
“Remember, there’s a lot of people, radicals, fanatics, not just from the Hamas side, from the right wing of the Israeli side, who are absolutely incentivized to blow this whole deal up,” the transition official said.
Visiting Gaza would allow Witkoff to see for himself what the dynamics are there, rather than taking Israel’s or the Palestinians’ word for it, the official said, adding: “You got to see it, you got to feel it.”
While managing the current phase of the deal and negotiating the next, Trump and his team also are contending with longer-term solutions.
“If we don’t help the Gazans, if we don’t make their life better, if we don’t give them a sense of hope, there’s going to be a rebellion,” the transition official said.
The question of how to rebuild Gaza remains, as well as where some 2 million Palestinians can be relocated in the meantime. Indonesia, for instance, is among the locations under discussion for where some of them could go, the transition official said.
Even the question of whether Gazans would be willing to relocate is up in the air. The idea of relocation is deeply controversial among Palestinians and fellow Arabs. Many believe that relocating would be the first step in Israel forcing them off their land.
(...) Witkoff, a real estate developer who has known Trump for decades, went into negotiations for a deal — joining President Joe Biden’s team that’s been working toward it for more than a year — with a singular directive from Trump, the transition official said: Get the hostages home, and if you don’t, come back and explain why.
(...) Witkoff used Trump’s history with Israel and dynamic with Netanyahu to pressure the Israelis. In one instance, he went to see the prime minister on the Sabbath to have a blunt exchange. Witkoff privately has told people his comments to Netanyahu that Saturday, Jan. 11, were not a threat, and that he had been invited to the prime minister’s residence by one of Netanyahu’s closest aides, Ron Dermer.
Witkoff was in search of a reality check from Netanyahu about what he was willing to do, and candidly told him what was needed to get to an agreement, including for Israel to send a high-level representative to the negotiations in Doha who could make decisions in real time, the transition official said. He essentially conveyed to the prime minister, “If you’re not intent on making a deal, then tell me, and I’ll get on the plane and I’ll go home.”
posted by cendawanita at 10:31 AM on January 19 [6 favorites]
(NBC) Trump's Middle East envoy is considering a visit to the Gaza Strip amid ceasefire deal -
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, plans to be a near-constant presence in the region in an attempt to prevent the deal from unraveling.
“Remember, there’s a lot of people, radicals, fanatics, not just from the Hamas side, from the right wing of the Israeli side, who are absolutely incentivized to blow this whole deal up,” the transition official said.
Visiting Gaza would allow Witkoff to see for himself what the dynamics are there, rather than taking Israel’s or the Palestinians’ word for it, the official said, adding: “You got to see it, you got to feel it.”
While managing the current phase of the deal and negotiating the next, Trump and his team also are contending with longer-term solutions.
“If we don’t help the Gazans, if we don’t make their life better, if we don’t give them a sense of hope, there’s going to be a rebellion,” the transition official said.
The question of how to rebuild Gaza remains, as well as where some 2 million Palestinians can be relocated in the meantime. Indonesia, for instance, is among the locations under discussion for where some of them could go, the transition official said.
Even the question of whether Gazans would be willing to relocate is up in the air. The idea of relocation is deeply controversial among Palestinians and fellow Arabs. Many believe that relocating would be the first step in Israel forcing them off their land.
(...) Witkoff, a real estate developer who has known Trump for decades, went into negotiations for a deal — joining President Joe Biden’s team that’s been working toward it for more than a year — with a singular directive from Trump, the transition official said: Get the hostages home, and if you don’t, come back and explain why.
(...) Witkoff used Trump’s history with Israel and dynamic with Netanyahu to pressure the Israelis. In one instance, he went to see the prime minister on the Sabbath to have a blunt exchange. Witkoff privately has told people his comments to Netanyahu that Saturday, Jan. 11, were not a threat, and that he had been invited to the prime minister’s residence by one of Netanyahu’s closest aides, Ron Dermer.
Witkoff was in search of a reality check from Netanyahu about what he was willing to do, and candidly told him what was needed to get to an agreement, including for Israel to send a high-level representative to the negotiations in Doha who could make decisions in real time, the transition official said. He essentially conveyed to the prime minister, “If you’re not intent on making a deal, then tell me, and I’ll get on the plane and I’ll go home.”
posted by cendawanita at 10:31 AM on January 19 [6 favorites]
WaPo: Joy and grief as Gazans return to communities smashed to rubble (ungated) - Videos showed men, women and children, some with backpacks, some with rolled-up blankets or mattresses, walking along a wide, dusty road. They returned to a landscape brutalized by bombs: pancaked apartment blocks, a human skull lying on the dusty ground.
“The city that always embraced hope and life has been transformed into rubble and ruins as a result of the brutal and systematic aggression,” Ahmad Soufi, the mayor of Rafah, told reporters Sunday morning. “Entire neighborhoods were wiped out, the infrastructure destroyed and the city became uninhabitable.”
An absurd moment - apparently Hamas gave the Israeli hostages a "goodie bag" with "certificates of release" before releasing them.
The Gaza family killed minutes before ceasefire.
My two genocides - Enmeshed in two genocides I am: the first, the Holocaust, took place in Europe during World War II; the second, in occupied Gaza, set off by Hamas’ onslaught on Israel on October 7, 2023. I came into the world on November 1, 1943. Place of Birth: Camp Westerbork, a transit camp in the northeastern Holland. By then, some 100,000 Dutch Jews and several hundred Sinti and Roma had been deported to the death camps in Poland. I am a victim of that genocide, neither perpetrator nor bystander. As for Gaza, there I am complicit, if only because the slaughter of 6,000,000 European Jews, including 1.5 million children, serves as a cover for the ongoing genocide in West Asia. Put differently: “Gaza” is the first genocide carried out in my name.
posted by toastyk at 8:42 PM on January 19 [5 favorites]
“The city that always embraced hope and life has been transformed into rubble and ruins as a result of the brutal and systematic aggression,” Ahmad Soufi, the mayor of Rafah, told reporters Sunday morning. “Entire neighborhoods were wiped out, the infrastructure destroyed and the city became uninhabitable.”
An absurd moment - apparently Hamas gave the Israeli hostages a "goodie bag" with "certificates of release" before releasing them.
The Gaza family killed minutes before ceasefire.
My two genocides - Enmeshed in two genocides I am: the first, the Holocaust, took place in Europe during World War II; the second, in occupied Gaza, set off by Hamas’ onslaught on Israel on October 7, 2023. I came into the world on November 1, 1943. Place of Birth: Camp Westerbork, a transit camp in the northeastern Holland. By then, some 100,000 Dutch Jews and several hundred Sinti and Roma had been deported to the death camps in Poland. I am a victim of that genocide, neither perpetrator nor bystander. As for Gaza, there I am complicit, if only because the slaughter of 6,000,000 European Jews, including 1.5 million children, serves as a cover for the ongoing genocide in West Asia. Put differently: “Gaza” is the first genocide carried out in my name.
posted by toastyk at 8:42 PM on January 19 [5 favorites]
An absurd moment - apparently Hamas gave the Israeli hostages a "goodie bag" with "certificates of release" before releasing them.
In Great Moments of Cope, I am also seeing cookie cutter griefing that they look relatively healthy. Apparently Hamas has stockpiles of the Substance, because apparently this is proof that they were drugged.
(Don't worry about bias, earlier this month I was laughing with Palestinians for doing ad-hoc awards ceremonies to award each other for surviving the last year.)
Anyway, domestic xiaohongshu moment, per this Hebrew twt: All channels have been broadcasting Al Jazeera (which is banned by law) for hours. Reality is stronger than an unnecessary and stupid law. I hope Minister Kari will not impose sanctions.
(In the meantime MP Ofer Cassif posted about the settlers rampaging in the West Bank and torching homes. He's using the word "pogrom," if you're sensitive to that sort of thing)
Speaking of al-Jazeera, the Arabic news is running with this - per Muhammad Shehada: 🚨Hamas says it does NOT want to rule Gaza after the war & plans to hand over government to an independent technocratic committee
Talks were held recently in Cairo on this with Hamas & the Palestinian authority to establish such a transitional committee
Hamas also proposed supporting a new Palestinian Authority technocratic government that enjoys the endorsement of all political factions
posted by cendawanita at 8:51 PM on January 19 [4 favorites]
In Great Moments of Cope, I am also seeing cookie cutter griefing that they look relatively healthy. Apparently Hamas has stockpiles of the Substance, because apparently this is proof that they were drugged.
(Don't worry about bias, earlier this month I was laughing with Palestinians for doing ad-hoc awards ceremonies to award each other for surviving the last year.)
Anyway, domestic xiaohongshu moment, per this Hebrew twt: All channels have been broadcasting Al Jazeera (which is banned by law) for hours. Reality is stronger than an unnecessary and stupid law. I hope Minister Kari will not impose sanctions.
(In the meantime MP Ofer Cassif posted about the settlers rampaging in the West Bank and torching homes. He's using the word "pogrom," if you're sensitive to that sort of thing)
Speaking of al-Jazeera, the Arabic news is running with this - per Muhammad Shehada: 🚨Hamas says it does NOT want to rule Gaza after the war & plans to hand over government to an independent technocratic committee
Talks were held recently in Cairo on this with Hamas & the Palestinian authority to establish such a transitional committee
Hamas also proposed supporting a new Palestinian Authority technocratic government that enjoys the endorsement of all political factions
posted by cendawanita at 8:51 PM on January 19 [4 favorites]
So it seems that the US did have the power to force Israel to accept a ceasefire all along and that this is in fact "how stuff works."
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 9:08 PM on January 19 [8 favorites]
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 9:08 PM on January 19 [8 favorites]
mydonkeybenjamin: Yeah, in the earlier threads there were lots of MeFites being very loud and angry about how Israel would never bomb hospitals (they did), the death count from the Gaza Health Ministry was an overcount (it was a vast undercount), Biden can't just make a ceasefire happen (he could have at any point), "from the river to the sea" is antisemitic (it's not), and Hamas are uniformly evil rapist terrorists while the IDF is moral and upright (lolsob).
It's been pretty notable how few of those MeFites have been in any of the more recent Gaza threads, or issued any kind of apology or mea culpa to those of us who have been correct the entire time.
posted by adrienneleigh at 1:20 AM on January 20 [15 favorites]
It's been pretty notable how few of those MeFites have been in any of the more recent Gaza threads, or issued any kind of apology or mea culpa to those of us who have been correct the entire time.
posted by adrienneleigh at 1:20 AM on January 20 [15 favorites]
Thanks for your comment, adrienneleigh. I have been feeling both overjoyed about the ceasefire and also sad/angry/bitter about all the death and suffering that could have been prevented, and some of those feelings just spilled out here.
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 2:40 AM on January 20 [1 favorite]
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 2:40 AM on January 20 [1 favorite]
few ... Mefites ... issued any kind of apology or mea culpa to those of us who have been correct the entire time
This is quite possibility the most self-absorbed thought to ever be posted to MetaFilter. Congratulations on your side's "win" I guess.
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 4:33 AM on January 20
This is quite possibility the most self-absorbed thought to ever be posted to MetaFilter. Congratulations on your side's "win" I guess.
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 4:33 AM on January 20
Apologies, humility, shame... No, but they still read and they definitely see.
The work so many users have put into these threads this last year has been incredible, and it has made the confronting of reality unavoidable.
I would keep schtum too if my efforts to make the explicitly unconscionable acceptable had been rendered so impossible
posted by Kitten as a cat at 5:04 AM on January 20 [5 favorites]
The work so many users have put into these threads this last year has been incredible, and it has made the confronting of reality unavoidable.
I would keep schtum too if my efforts to make the explicitly unconscionable acceptable had been rendered so impossible
posted by Kitten as a cat at 5:04 AM on January 20 [5 favorites]
Hopefully the peace lasts and the incoming committee is adept in working the Trump administration to maintain peace as Israel tries to renege.
posted by Slackermagee at 5:18 AM on January 20 [4 favorites]
posted by Slackermagee at 5:18 AM on January 20 [4 favorites]
Palestinians in Gaza are finally sharing what their neighbours in Israel had managed to live through most* of the last 15 months: mornings devoid of airstrikes and bombings.
*lest we forget the drones the Iron Dome didn't manage to strike down. I think there was one in Tel Aviv just before the ceasefire.
However, other things Israelis just can't relate to: Earlier we reported that 47 bodies have been found in the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, and transferred to the European Gaza Hospital.
Medical sources now tell Al Jazeera that the corpses of 97 Palestinians have now been recovered from various areas in the destroyed city since the ceasefire took effect on Sunday.
The Palestinian Civil Defence agency said the search for an estimated 10,000 bodies buried in rubble since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza continues on the second day of the truce.
Over 550 Aid Trucks Enter Gaza On First Day Of Ceasefire (previous weekly average: 40)
Gaza ceasefire deal: Palestinian leader Khalida Jarrar expected to be released -
The leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, held in solitary confinement for six months, is among 1,900 prisoners set to be freed on Sunday
Unlike the Israeli hostages (of those still alive despite IDF's best efforts), like the others I'm so struck by the physical changes on her. Also, she's from the PFLP, which as left as you can get from Hamas. ("B-b-but, I thought Israel is committed to looking for secular partners for peace and not with religious zealots?" What am I saying, haven't we all been witnessing their government.)
Speaking of religious zealots: Biden aides admit they mistakenly targeted 2 US citizens immune from settler sanctions -
Officials tell ToI vetting process failed to identify pair accused of violence against Palestinians as dual nationals ineligible for targeting under executive order signed by US president
(If I say this seems on-brand, is that ageism?)
It’s unclear whether the lawsuit will be seen through, though, because US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state Marco Rubio revealed earlier this week at his confirmation hearing that the incoming administration will end the Biden administration’s sanctions regime against allegedly violent Israeli settlers.
And on that note: The Settler Couple Running a Network of Israeli Communities Across Europe, Funded by Israel
Tehila and Netanel Darmon are revolutionizing how Israeli community centers operate across Europe – with generous funding and influence from Israel's government (ungated)
Good news ahead for other US allies though: Saudi Crown Prince MBS Moves to Exploit Void Left By Iran- The kingdom is wasting no time filling the void in the Middle East left by a crippled Iran, which has seen its proxies destroyed, its enemies emboldened and its regional influence decimated. (well at least they don't do the smarmy thing of heaving a journalist out of the press room and pretend they have the moral high ground)
Back to Palestine, from Doctors Against Genocide: A MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE ON ISRAEL'S GENOCIDE ENABLEMENT APPARATUS IN GAZA AND ABROAD - This report, submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health on 10 January 2025, outlines a two-pronged framework of Israel’s Genocide Enablement Apparatus, which has accelerated the annihilation of Palestinian people since October 2023 through the Israeli-led destruction of the healthcare sector in Gaza, and the simultaneous repression of healthcare workers implemented by American, British and Canadian (hereafter ‘Western’) medical and cultural institutions. Additionally, this report establishes a medical definition of genocide, built from lessons from the ongoing genocide in Gaza, to enable and support the role of healthcare workers both as key frontline protectors of the right to health and life, and as meaningful actors in the early prevention of genocide.
The report highlights the urgent need for a medical definition of genocide to enable timely interventions by healthcare workers, particularly those who witness the systematic destruction of human lives in real time. Current legal frameworks, often slowed by political considerations and the prolonged process of establishing intent, delay critical action. A medical framework, rooted in observable impacts on health and life, empowers healthcare workers to act swiftly, preventing escalation and saving lives. Without a medical definition, healthcare workers are left without the tools to act decisively in the face of unfolding atrocities, hindering efforts to prevent further death and destruction.
Belated, this was filed in the New Yorker last week: Netanyahu’s Media Poison Machine -
The talk-show host Yinon Magal is at the center of a campaign to protect the Prime Minister and destroy the opposition.
Of note: As Israel has carried out a devastating war of retribution in Gaza, Magal and his guests have projected a reassuring sense of moral conviction. Watching Channel 14, it is easy to believe that “we are winning, and everything is honey,” as Oren Persico, a writer for the media-criticism publication the Seventh Eye, put it. “After the trauma of October 7th, people were longing for that.”
Feels like the whole article could serve as context for Ask Project's (previously linked) recent vox pop posted in early January, "Do Your Know how many civilians have been killed in Gaza?". It's rife with triggering dehumanizing language though, so fair warning.
In any case, I don't feel like I have a "side" or if I "won" anything. But I do feel contempt. I am neither angry nor pleased. Just contemptuous for every single bit of normalization that went on because Trump and the Bushes broke people's brains so bad, so just like how minoritarian Americans can't believe people sharing their identity can be as oppressive as others the moment they have power, no one could say peep about Democrats because "Trump would be worse". Your kids get beaten and gassed and thrown in lockup, "Trump would be worse". Your friends and families literally lost their lives while holding a blue passport, be they as soldiers or antiwar activists, but "Trump would be worse". For you. Trump would be worse for you, is what I have concluded.
posted by cendawanita at 5:56 AM on January 20 [9 favorites]
*lest we forget the drones the Iron Dome didn't manage to strike down. I think there was one in Tel Aviv just before the ceasefire.
However, other things Israelis just can't relate to: Earlier we reported that 47 bodies have been found in the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, and transferred to the European Gaza Hospital.
Medical sources now tell Al Jazeera that the corpses of 97 Palestinians have now been recovered from various areas in the destroyed city since the ceasefire took effect on Sunday.
The Palestinian Civil Defence agency said the search for an estimated 10,000 bodies buried in rubble since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza continues on the second day of the truce.
Over 550 Aid Trucks Enter Gaza On First Day Of Ceasefire (previous weekly average: 40)
Gaza ceasefire deal: Palestinian leader Khalida Jarrar expected to be released -
The leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, held in solitary confinement for six months, is among 1,900 prisoners set to be freed on Sunday
Unlike the Israeli hostages (of those still alive despite IDF's best efforts), like the others I'm so struck by the physical changes on her. Also, she's from the PFLP, which as left as you can get from Hamas. ("B-b-but, I thought Israel is committed to looking for secular partners for peace and not with religious zealots?" What am I saying, haven't we all been witnessing their government.)
Speaking of religious zealots: Biden aides admit they mistakenly targeted 2 US citizens immune from settler sanctions -
Officials tell ToI vetting process failed to identify pair accused of violence against Palestinians as dual nationals ineligible for targeting under executive order signed by US president
(If I say this seems on-brand, is that ageism?)
It’s unclear whether the lawsuit will be seen through, though, because US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state Marco Rubio revealed earlier this week at his confirmation hearing that the incoming administration will end the Biden administration’s sanctions regime against allegedly violent Israeli settlers.
And on that note: The Settler Couple Running a Network of Israeli Communities Across Europe, Funded by Israel
Tehila and Netanel Darmon are revolutionizing how Israeli community centers operate across Europe – with generous funding and influence from Israel's government (ungated)
Good news ahead for other US allies though: Saudi Crown Prince MBS Moves to Exploit Void Left By Iran- The kingdom is wasting no time filling the void in the Middle East left by a crippled Iran, which has seen its proxies destroyed, its enemies emboldened and its regional influence decimated. (well at least they don't do the smarmy thing of heaving a journalist out of the press room and pretend they have the moral high ground)
Back to Palestine, from Doctors Against Genocide: A MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE ON ISRAEL'S GENOCIDE ENABLEMENT APPARATUS IN GAZA AND ABROAD - This report, submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health on 10 January 2025, outlines a two-pronged framework of Israel’s Genocide Enablement Apparatus, which has accelerated the annihilation of Palestinian people since October 2023 through the Israeli-led destruction of the healthcare sector in Gaza, and the simultaneous repression of healthcare workers implemented by American, British and Canadian (hereafter ‘Western’) medical and cultural institutions. Additionally, this report establishes a medical definition of genocide, built from lessons from the ongoing genocide in Gaza, to enable and support the role of healthcare workers both as key frontline protectors of the right to health and life, and as meaningful actors in the early prevention of genocide.
The report highlights the urgent need for a medical definition of genocide to enable timely interventions by healthcare workers, particularly those who witness the systematic destruction of human lives in real time. Current legal frameworks, often slowed by political considerations and the prolonged process of establishing intent, delay critical action. A medical framework, rooted in observable impacts on health and life, empowers healthcare workers to act swiftly, preventing escalation and saving lives. Without a medical definition, healthcare workers are left without the tools to act decisively in the face of unfolding atrocities, hindering efforts to prevent further death and destruction.
Belated, this was filed in the New Yorker last week: Netanyahu’s Media Poison Machine -
The talk-show host Yinon Magal is at the center of a campaign to protect the Prime Minister and destroy the opposition.
Of note: As Israel has carried out a devastating war of retribution in Gaza, Magal and his guests have projected a reassuring sense of moral conviction. Watching Channel 14, it is easy to believe that “we are winning, and everything is honey,” as Oren Persico, a writer for the media-criticism publication the Seventh Eye, put it. “After the trauma of October 7th, people were longing for that.”
Feels like the whole article could serve as context for Ask Project's (previously linked) recent vox pop posted in early January, "Do Your Know how many civilians have been killed in Gaza?". It's rife with triggering dehumanizing language though, so fair warning.
In any case, I don't feel like I have a "side" or if I "won" anything. But I do feel contempt. I am neither angry nor pleased. Just contemptuous for every single bit of normalization that went on because Trump and the Bushes broke people's brains so bad, so just like how minoritarian Americans can't believe people sharing their identity can be as oppressive as others the moment they have power, no one could say peep about Democrats because "Trump would be worse". Your kids get beaten and gassed and thrown in lockup, "Trump would be worse". Your friends and families literally lost their lives while holding a blue passport, be they as soldiers or antiwar activists, but "Trump would be worse". For you. Trump would be worse for you, is what I have concluded.
posted by cendawanita at 5:56 AM on January 20 [9 favorites]
notable how few of those MeFites have been in any of the more recent Gaza threads,
Well, I avoid arguing with my beloved family members who still insist Ivermectin is the real cure and who warn me to never take the Pfizer vaccine. I mean, they may well be right... but by now we're all pretty well vaccinated, so... what's the point of bringing it up? Anyway, since you asked the question I might as well summarize where my thoughts are at the conclusion of the war...
Israel has successfully conducted a ground operation clearing out Hezbollah fighters, making it safe for the UN to actually do their job and realize there were over 100 weapon caches along the border. Air-strikes alone were ineffective at curtailing Hezbollah rocket fire - over 10,000 rockets were fired into Israel up until the point Israel conducted the ground clearing operations. The 22nd Chinese peacekeeping force released video footage of Hezbollah firing rockets into Israel around 800m from their compound, using the UN base as human shields. A similar story played out in Gaza, air-strikes followed up by extensive clearing operations - rocket fire continued in each area not cleared until most of the area was cleared by ground operations.
Since it seems a ceasefire has been called, I can say the IDF conduct hasn't yet crossed the red line for me. The two largest losses of life are still by far the 471 killed in the Al Ahli hospital explosion (wikipedia) where physical evidence on the ground overwhelmingly points to a stray PIJ rocket, and the 364 "accidental" (according to Hamas) deaths at the Nova Music Festival (wikipedia) as they tried to capture soldiers for use as hostages.
The largest loss of life from the IDF side is still the Jabalia refugee camp strike (wikipedia) estimated at 120 deaths. The other notably big ones approaching that figure - the Al-Mawasi attack (wikipedia), or the Al-Tabeen school attack (wikipedia) - both have Hamas claiming 90 deaths, but the physical evidence simply doesn't add up, like the Al-Ahli explosion. I think this conflict has underscored more than ever that we should not trust what someone else is saying, but go and look at the physical evidence and decide for yourself. How large was the impact crater? What was the physical damage?
Reading between the lines, the war achieved both of Israel's short term and long term goals, so they felt comfortable giving Trump the ceasefire win. In the short term, the "grass cutting" in Gaza and Lebanon eliminated the source of the 20,000 rockets fired at Israel over the past year. In the long term, Mike Walz, Trump's National Security Advisor - declared that Hamas will never again govern Gaza and if Hamas reneges on the ceasefire, the US will support Israel "in doing what it has to do." Did Trump guarantee support for eliminating Hamas in return for a ceasefire? It's something that would benefit both sides.
As for me personally? Politically, I've been a left leaning voter all my adult life, and have always enthusiastically (attempted) to convince my friends and family to vote the same. I'll be voting right wing in the next election, and I'll be convincing my friends to do the same.
posted by xdvesper at 6:35 AM on January 20
Well, I avoid arguing with my beloved family members who still insist Ivermectin is the real cure and who warn me to never take the Pfizer vaccine. I mean, they may well be right... but by now we're all pretty well vaccinated, so... what's the point of bringing it up? Anyway, since you asked the question I might as well summarize where my thoughts are at the conclusion of the war...
Israel has successfully conducted a ground operation clearing out Hezbollah fighters, making it safe for the UN to actually do their job and realize there were over 100 weapon caches along the border. Air-strikes alone were ineffective at curtailing Hezbollah rocket fire - over 10,000 rockets were fired into Israel up until the point Israel conducted the ground clearing operations. The 22nd Chinese peacekeeping force released video footage of Hezbollah firing rockets into Israel around 800m from their compound, using the UN base as human shields. A similar story played out in Gaza, air-strikes followed up by extensive clearing operations - rocket fire continued in each area not cleared until most of the area was cleared by ground operations.
Since it seems a ceasefire has been called, I can say the IDF conduct hasn't yet crossed the red line for me. The two largest losses of life are still by far the 471 killed in the Al Ahli hospital explosion (wikipedia) where physical evidence on the ground overwhelmingly points to a stray PIJ rocket, and the 364 "accidental" (according to Hamas) deaths at the Nova Music Festival (wikipedia) as they tried to capture soldiers for use as hostages.
The largest loss of life from the IDF side is still the Jabalia refugee camp strike (wikipedia) estimated at 120 deaths. The other notably big ones approaching that figure - the Al-Mawasi attack (wikipedia), or the Al-Tabeen school attack (wikipedia) - both have Hamas claiming 90 deaths, but the physical evidence simply doesn't add up, like the Al-Ahli explosion. I think this conflict has underscored more than ever that we should not trust what someone else is saying, but go and look at the physical evidence and decide for yourself. How large was the impact crater? What was the physical damage?
Reading between the lines, the war achieved both of Israel's short term and long term goals, so they felt comfortable giving Trump the ceasefire win. In the short term, the "grass cutting" in Gaza and Lebanon eliminated the source of the 20,000 rockets fired at Israel over the past year. In the long term, Mike Walz, Trump's National Security Advisor - declared that Hamas will never again govern Gaza and if Hamas reneges on the ceasefire, the US will support Israel "in doing what it has to do." Did Trump guarantee support for eliminating Hamas in return for a ceasefire? It's something that would benefit both sides.
As for me personally? Politically, I've been a left leaning voter all my adult life, and have always enthusiastically (attempted) to convince my friends and family to vote the same. I'll be voting right wing in the next election, and I'll be convincing my friends to do the same.
posted by xdvesper at 6:35 AM on January 20
You mean, UMNO??
posted by cendawanita at 7:07 AM on January 20
posted by cendawanita at 7:07 AM on January 20
xdvesper: i have no idea what reality you are living in, but it's definitely not the one we have here where at least 10% of the pre-Oct7 population of Gaza is dead and many more are missing, starving, and/or permanently disabled.
posted by adrienneleigh at 11:31 AM on January 20 [9 favorites]
posted by adrienneleigh at 11:31 AM on January 20 [9 favorites]
Well Israel is already violating the ceasefire as they are doing in Lebanon, but I expect nothing to come of it. And settlers are torching homes and cars in the West Bank. So who’s “winning” exactly?
posted by toastyk at 2:53 PM on January 20 [3 favorites]
posted by toastyk at 2:53 PM on January 20 [3 favorites]
The people not being turned into hamburger by indiscriminate bombing. Maybe Trump shouts at Netanyahu to cut the shit tomorrow, maybe he doesn't.
Neither Biden nor Harris would have done anything so, at least in this case, there is literally no better option save this country immolating overnight and eliminating any military backstop and protection Israel relies on while warcriming.
Yeah, it sucks that Trump walked the ball into the endzone unimpeded. Boy, wish there was another team on this fucking field.
posted by Slackermagee at 4:21 PM on January 20 [3 favorites]
Neither Biden nor Harris would have done anything so, at least in this case, there is literally no better option save this country immolating overnight and eliminating any military backstop and protection Israel relies on while warcriming.
Yeah, it sucks that Trump walked the ball into the endzone unimpeded. Boy, wish there was another team on this fucking field.
posted by Slackermagee at 4:21 PM on January 20 [3 favorites]
Boy, wish there was another team on this fucking field.
You'd think this was better understood but somehow multifactorial derangement got in the way.
posted by cendawanita at 5:09 PM on January 20 [2 favorites]
You'd think this was better understood but somehow multifactorial derangement got in the way.
posted by cendawanita at 5:09 PM on January 20 [2 favorites]
As for me personally? Politically, I've been a left leaning voter all my adult life, and have always enthusiastically (attempted) to convince my friends and family to vote the same. I'll be voting right wing in the next election, and I'll be convincing my friends to do the same.
Yes, I see you
I saw you then, see you now, you are a type alright
posted by ginger.beef at 9:03 PM on January 20 [6 favorites]
Yes, I see you
I saw you then, see you now, you are a type alright
posted by ginger.beef at 9:03 PM on January 20 [6 favorites]
This is quite possibility the most self-absorbed thought to ever be posted to MetaFilter. Congratulations on your side's "win" I guess.
Why, just why
Such a turd of a comment
posted by ginger.beef at 9:40 PM on January 20 [6 favorites]
Why, just why
Such a turd of a comment
posted by ginger.beef at 9:40 PM on January 20 [6 favorites]
A veritable buffet of news that might incite some "I Told You So" energy from various sundry, so just saying, I see you:
'In every street there are dead': Gaza rescuers reckon with scale of destruction
For example, this statement (in Arabic) which is more assertive than what the BBC is willing to allow for now in the above article: Ministry of health bulletin today says the confirmed Palestinian death toll grew by 122 over the last 24 hours. For the first time, 62 of the bodies are "recovered," meaning that with the ceasefire, Palestinians returning to neighborhoods found them in the streets or under rubble
Witkoff being interviewed by ToI: There’s more value in freeing hostages, solving disputes diplomatically than resuming war
Netanyahu has reportedly told coalition partners that those incentives came in the form of US assurances that Israel can resume fighting after the first phase of the deal, which would appear to be a violation of its terms.
But asked to elaborate on the US incentives provided to Israel, Witkoff suffices with, “The incentives were to get these people home.”
“I don’t want to discuss promises that were made. The agreement speaks for itself, but I think that everyone is well motivated to negotiate in a good faith way and to see if we can resolve all of this amicably and in a peaceful way and in a diplomatic way,” Witkoff says.
Asked whether he believes Israel will withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor border stretch between Gaza and Egypt, Witkoff avoids answering directly.
“That’s ultimately up to Israel,” he says.
“The Philadelphi Corridor obviously has commercial significance to Egypt — as a trading partner — and also to the people who are living in Gaza. They’ve got to get materials in, but there are security issues around it, so we have to solve that,” Witkoff adds.
Within Trump's list of EOs cancelling previous EOs, we have a couple that would bring back ICC sanctions (which confused me initially, because I thought the Congress passed a similar law...?) and the sanctions on settlers.
A visual guide to the destruction of Gaza -
Satellite imagery, video footage and graphics show how Gaza has been left in ruins by Israel’s war against Hamas
Drop Site News utilizing their in with the Hamas leadership: In an exclusive interview with Drop Site News, a senior Hamas official said that the group intends to uphold its side of the “ceasefire” deal—despite claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he received assurances from both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump that Israel can resume its war against Gaza after the first phase of the agreement.
“We are committed to this deal. We will exert the maximum efforts to give this deal a chance to succeed. We are looking for how to prevent the war again, how to protect our people. We will do the best to protect this deal,” said Dr. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau. “What kind of side deals they have done, this is their business. But what I can say here: the American administration led by Biden, we consider complicit—directly complicit—in the genocide.”
Fwiw elsewhere I am seeing reports that contrary to fears (and hopes??), that there's been no looting and aid is being processed as best they can.
Other Drop Site stuff on their socmed-
🚨BREAKING: Israeli forces have closed a large number of checkpoints, gates, and bypass roads throughout the West Bank. Palestinian news outlets reported that all cities in the region have been effectively separated, leaving thousands of Palestinians stranded on the streets.
▪️ Full closure of all entrances to Ramallah.
▪️ Complete closure of all entrances to Hebron.
▪️ All entrances to Qalqilya have been shut.
▪️ Entrances to Salfit are completely closed.
▪️ All entrances to Bethlehem have been sealed.
---
Noga Tarnopolsky: 💥For a long time there've been rumors that the Netanyahous threatened harm to the hostages whose family members were more overtly anti-Netanyahu. Yesterday, behind the scenes of hostage release, we got proof. (link to Hebrew clip, with translations, of one of those family members speaking)
posted by cendawanita at 10:41 PM on January 20 [7 favorites]
'In every street there are dead': Gaza rescuers reckon with scale of destruction
For example, this statement (in Arabic) which is more assertive than what the BBC is willing to allow for now in the above article: Ministry of health bulletin today says the confirmed Palestinian death toll grew by 122 over the last 24 hours. For the first time, 62 of the bodies are "recovered," meaning that with the ceasefire, Palestinians returning to neighborhoods found them in the streets or under rubble
Witkoff being interviewed by ToI: There’s more value in freeing hostages, solving disputes diplomatically than resuming war
Netanyahu has reportedly told coalition partners that those incentives came in the form of US assurances that Israel can resume fighting after the first phase of the deal, which would appear to be a violation of its terms.
But asked to elaborate on the US incentives provided to Israel, Witkoff suffices with, “The incentives were to get these people home.”
“I don’t want to discuss promises that were made. The agreement speaks for itself, but I think that everyone is well motivated to negotiate in a good faith way and to see if we can resolve all of this amicably and in a peaceful way and in a diplomatic way,” Witkoff says.
Asked whether he believes Israel will withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor border stretch between Gaza and Egypt, Witkoff avoids answering directly.
“That’s ultimately up to Israel,” he says.
“The Philadelphi Corridor obviously has commercial significance to Egypt — as a trading partner — and also to the people who are living in Gaza. They’ve got to get materials in, but there are security issues around it, so we have to solve that,” Witkoff adds.
Within Trump's list of EOs cancelling previous EOs, we have a couple that would bring back ICC sanctions (which confused me initially, because I thought the Congress passed a similar law...?) and the sanctions on settlers.
A visual guide to the destruction of Gaza -
Satellite imagery, video footage and graphics show how Gaza has been left in ruins by Israel’s war against Hamas
Drop Site News utilizing their in with the Hamas leadership: In an exclusive interview with Drop Site News, a senior Hamas official said that the group intends to uphold its side of the “ceasefire” deal—despite claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he received assurances from both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump that Israel can resume its war against Gaza after the first phase of the agreement.
“We are committed to this deal. We will exert the maximum efforts to give this deal a chance to succeed. We are looking for how to prevent the war again, how to protect our people. We will do the best to protect this deal,” said Dr. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau. “What kind of side deals they have done, this is their business. But what I can say here: the American administration led by Biden, we consider complicit—directly complicit—in the genocide.”
Fwiw elsewhere I am seeing reports that contrary to fears (and hopes??), that there's been no looting and aid is being processed as best they can.
Other Drop Site stuff on their socmed-
🚨BREAKING: Israeli forces have closed a large number of checkpoints, gates, and bypass roads throughout the West Bank. Palestinian news outlets reported that all cities in the region have been effectively separated, leaving thousands of Palestinians stranded on the streets.
▪️ Full closure of all entrances to Ramallah.
▪️ Complete closure of all entrances to Hebron.
▪️ All entrances to Qalqilya have been shut.
▪️ Entrances to Salfit are completely closed.
▪️ All entrances to Bethlehem have been sealed.
---
Noga Tarnopolsky: 💥For a long time there've been rumors that the Netanyahous threatened harm to the hostages whose family members were more overtly anti-Netanyahu. Yesterday, behind the scenes of hostage release, we got proof. (link to Hebrew clip, with translations, of one of those family members speaking)
posted by cendawanita at 10:41 PM on January 20 [7 favorites]
Yesterday's (now-closed) AJ liveblog recap:
- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says 915 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip today.
- Israeli settlers have launched attacks on the villages of Funduq and Jinsafut, located east of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, with more than a dozen Palestinians reported injured.
- The Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting that Israeli forces have shot and killed a young child in central Rafah in southern Gaza.
- The Palestinian Civil Defence says 137 bodies have been found in Rafah since the start of the ceasefire.
- According to the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy, Palestinian telecommunications companies have restarted partial operations of their sites in the Rafah and North Gaza governorates.
posted by cendawanita at 12:40 AM on January 21 [3 favorites]
- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says 915 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip today.
- Israeli settlers have launched attacks on the villages of Funduq and Jinsafut, located east of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, with more than a dozen Palestinians reported injured.
- The Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting that Israeli forces have shot and killed a young child in central Rafah in southern Gaza.
- The Palestinian Civil Defence says 137 bodies have been found in Rafah since the start of the ceasefire.
- According to the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy, Palestinian telecommunications companies have restarted partial operations of their sites in the Rafah and North Gaza governorates.
posted by cendawanita at 12:40 AM on January 21 [3 favorites]
On the topic of the IDF and their conduct:
IDF Chief Herzl Halevi resigns due to Oct 7 failures. ungated
Brutal beatings, diseases, starvation – my Palestinian friends in the West Bank who served time in Israeli prisons since late 2023 returned with appalling reports of what can only be called systematic torture - ungated - Brutal beatings are a recurring motif in each story. They happen during roll calls, during searches of the cells, whenever detainees are being moved from one place to another. For the past year, court hearings mostly took place via video conference with the prisons, without the defendants being brought physically to court. But so bad is the situation, that some of the prisoners are requesting of their lawyers that the court hearings with them in absentia, because even the way from the cell to the room in which the camera is installed is a Via Dolorosa of physical abuse and humiliation.
None of the stories that follow reveal anything that was previously unknown. Everything, down to the minutest detail, already fills volume upon volume in the reports of human rights organizations. But what I have to tell are not testimonies in a report, but the product of intimate, heartfelt conversations with people I knew who survived the inferno. Not one of them is the person they were before. What I heard from my friends is the lot of many thousands of others, and it is told with names changed and identifying details blurred because of the fear of revenge, which came up in every conversation.
Right now - Israel opens days-long Counter-terrorism Operation in Jenin, West Bank - ungated The operation, named "Iron Wall," will continue "as long as necessary" and will involve IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police forces. Its goals are to ensure the army's freedom of action across the West Bank, while targeting terrorist infrastructure and immediate threats.
posted by toastyk at 7:09 AM on January 21 [9 favorites]
IDF Chief Herzl Halevi resigns due to Oct 7 failures. ungated
Brutal beatings, diseases, starvation – my Palestinian friends in the West Bank who served time in Israeli prisons since late 2023 returned with appalling reports of what can only be called systematic torture - ungated - Brutal beatings are a recurring motif in each story. They happen during roll calls, during searches of the cells, whenever detainees are being moved from one place to another. For the past year, court hearings mostly took place via video conference with the prisons, without the defendants being brought physically to court. But so bad is the situation, that some of the prisoners are requesting of their lawyers that the court hearings with them in absentia, because even the way from the cell to the room in which the camera is installed is a Via Dolorosa of physical abuse and humiliation.
None of the stories that follow reveal anything that was previously unknown. Everything, down to the minutest detail, already fills volume upon volume in the reports of human rights organizations. But what I have to tell are not testimonies in a report, but the product of intimate, heartfelt conversations with people I knew who survived the inferno. Not one of them is the person they were before. What I heard from my friends is the lot of many thousands of others, and it is told with names changed and identifying details blurred because of the fear of revenge, which came up in every conversation.
Right now - Israel opens days-long Counter-terrorism Operation in Jenin, West Bank - ungated The operation, named "Iron Wall," will continue "as long as necessary" and will involve IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police forces. Its goals are to ensure the army's freedom of action across the West Bank, while targeting terrorist infrastructure and immediate threats.
posted by toastyk at 7:09 AM on January 21 [9 favorites]
This Moment - or why I cannot mourn Gaza
I cannot mourn the dead of Gaza yet because it is not over.
posted by adamvasco at 7:34 AM on January 21 [3 favorites]
I cannot mourn the dead of Gaza yet because it is not over.
posted by adamvasco at 7:34 AM on January 21 [3 favorites]
An interesting analysis on the schisms happening in right-wing politics on Israel/Palestine - A handful of Hitler-philic, Holocaust-denying Christian nationalists with hundreds of thousands of backers are charging fellow pro-Zionist Christians with apostasy. The commentator Stew Peters — a millennial man of MAGA and vehement critic of Christian Zionism who advocates monarchical rule in America — is one example. He has drifted away from Trump in recent months due to his embrace of nonwhite, non-Christian supporters like biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy. But Trump’s ties to Jewish campaign megadonors like Miriam Adelson — owner of a massive Las Vegas casino complex and one of the 10 richest women in America, who backed Trump’s 2024 race with over $100 million — has been a major nail in that coffin. He chides successive American governments and Christian Zionists for backing Israel at U.S. taxpayer expense while Americans struggle to cover their bills. He has also drawn particular attention to the historic and ongoing damage to Palestinian and Lebanese Christians under Israeli bombardment.
Contradictory messages from the Trump administration happening with regards to staff picks:
Pro-Israel Republicans alarmed over Trump's Defense Department appointee - Michael DiMino, who was a military analyst at the CIA and an official at the Defense Department during the first Trump administration, has been a fellow at Defense Priorities, a Koch-funded isolationist think tank founded by allies of libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). He has called for a reduced U.S. presence in the Middle East and argued that the U.S. does not have any critical interests in the region.
In a webinar in February 2024 with Defense Priorities, DiMino, who was sworn in on Monday, declared that the Middle East does “not really” matter for U.S. interests, arguing that “vital or existential threats” in the Middle East are “best characterized as minimal to nonexistent,” and that the U.S.’ role in the region has not provided any benefits.
Trump's UN nominee Elise Stefanik endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank during a Senate confirmation hearing, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
Anyway, the social media algorithms may be re-aligning - claims that "free palestine" is now censored on TikTok is rampant, which the company denies, claiming "temporary instability".
I posted a link about mutual aid this morning, and also came across this list of various orgs that are helping people in Gaza.
posted by toastyk at 8:55 AM on January 22 [6 favorites]
Contradictory messages from the Trump administration happening with regards to staff picks:
Pro-Israel Republicans alarmed over Trump's Defense Department appointee - Michael DiMino, who was a military analyst at the CIA and an official at the Defense Department during the first Trump administration, has been a fellow at Defense Priorities, a Koch-funded isolationist think tank founded by allies of libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). He has called for a reduced U.S. presence in the Middle East and argued that the U.S. does not have any critical interests in the region.
In a webinar in February 2024 with Defense Priorities, DiMino, who was sworn in on Monday, declared that the Middle East does “not really” matter for U.S. interests, arguing that “vital or existential threats” in the Middle East are “best characterized as minimal to nonexistent,” and that the U.S.’ role in the region has not provided any benefits.
Trump's UN nominee Elise Stefanik endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank during a Senate confirmation hearing, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
Anyway, the social media algorithms may be re-aligning - claims that "free palestine" is now censored on TikTok is rampant, which the company denies, claiming "temporary instability".
I posted a link about mutual aid this morning, and also came across this list of various orgs that are helping people in Gaza.
posted by toastyk at 8:55 AM on January 22 [6 favorites]
I did offhandedly say I can spot the republican schism coming (even if I'm not sure where it'll land) but pro-Israel sentiments amongst that base isn't as strong, CUFI notwithstanding (republican antisemitism is more straightforward than democrat antisemitism*, imo).
*Unlike my many and storied typos, I mean that.
posted by cendawanita at 9:25 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]
*Unlike my many and storied typos, I mean that.
posted by cendawanita at 9:25 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]
People are welcome to throw in their thoughts (but nothing too complicated, we're not dealing with 5D chess here), but my feeling is the type of postings is as important as the political position (ambassadorship vs WH insider) + New Pettiness is replacing Old Pettiness: Trump administration unwilling to grant extension for IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, wants it done by Sunday
Outgoing Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Herzog confirms to the radio network that Jerusalem is in talks with the US on the matter, and believes that they will “reach an understanding” and be granted the extension.
Good luck. Read all that plus toastyk's link with the understanding that gossip disguised as scoops somehow already covered in the NYT is being circulated about Qatari money links (which is as likely as anything; it's just never covered with the same amount of bated breath as Israeli ones when it comes to Palestine).
Plus: Trump fires Brian Hook, his Iran envoy in first term
It’s unclear exactly why Trump axed Hook, but the president says he and three others “are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again.”
Hook was a hawkish adviser who backed the maximum pressure sanctions regime Trump instituted against Iran.
Big "HEH": Hamas commander previously declared dead by Israel reemerges in Gaza - How convenient! The thir--tieth thousand time's the charm, I guess.
In a rare admission, the IDF acknowledged errors in its earlier intelligence assessment. "Following a reevaluation, it appears the intelligence upon which the IDF and Shin Bet relied was not sufficiently accurate," the statement read.
Would it be the same kind of inaccuracy that's led to October 7 or the various domestic terror attacks inside the actual borders of Israel itself in the last 15 months including the recent stabbing one?
From the same intelligence that got us all all that: Rescuers Have Recovered 200 Bodies From Rubble in Gaza, With 10,000 More Buried -
Officials estimate that 2,840 people’s bodies were evaporated entirely by Israeli attacks.
Back to Trump's first administration's pet project (that Biden continued, natch): The Fallacy of the Abraham Accords -
Why Normalization Without Palestinians Won’t Bring Stability to the Middle East
On the genpop side: 1 in 4 US voters support Hamas over Israel in Gaza war, new poll reveals
The poll, conducted between January 15-16, 2025, sampled 2,650 registered voters and found that 21 per cent of respondents sided with the Palestinian group, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US State Department.
The survey revealed stark divisions in American public opinion, particularly across party lines. Among Democrats, 75 per cent expressed support for Israel, while 25 per cent were more inclined to back Hamas.
Republican voters displayed overwhelming support for Israel, with 81 per cent in favour, though 19 per cent still expressed some level of backing for Hamas.
Huh, nearly hitting 1/5 of the Republicans alone....
Will the ceasefire last?
Trump has changed the calculus for Israel and the Middle East.
Netanyahu even said during a meeting of his security cabinet on 17 January that he has received guarantees from the incoming Trump administration that, unless and until its security demands are met, Israel would be able to resume the war in Gaza. And to do so with full American diplomatic, political and military support. The current agreement may thus turn out to be a prisoner exchange deal, not a permanent ceasefire.
Reports in the Israeli press suggest that Netanyahu may have promised his coalition partners a return to fighting after the hostages have been released, or most of the hostages in any case. One far-right cabinet member, the finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, was convinced to stay. Another, Itamar Ben-Gvir, however, resigned as national security minister, but with promises to return if the fighting is indeed resumed.
Trump is less predictable. One member of his incoming national security team told me the reason he has pushed for a ceasefire has a lot to do with his interest in moving forward to “bigger prizes” in the Middle East: a normalisation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and then some kind of normalisation between Iran and the US. The economic possibilities behind these projects are practically limitless, but they depend on an end to the war in Gaza. And then, who knows, a Nobel Peace Prize – a long-term Trump goal – might be in the offing.
Can someone implant an earwig to let him know that should include peace in the West Bank too, where Operation Iron Wall is still ongoing? (Although I'm sure it will be executed and conducted with the same level of professionalism and accuracy). Eg: Israel arrests 64 Palestinians in West Bank following release of 90 prisoners as part of swap deal -
Child, 7, among those detained
Back on the liberal-now-fashy side of things: Google facilitated AI tools for Israeli military during war on Gaza, says report -
Tech giant handled requests from Israel's defence ministry for greater access to its services from the onset of 15 month conflict, the Washington Post reported
Plus: Last month, MEE reported that Google had been matching donations made by its employees across the world to pro-Israeli charities in the US, including one supporting Israeli soldiers who were fighting in Gaza, and a Christian Zionist group that aimed to help Israel “reclaim” the West Bank.
Leaked internal webpages seen by MEE showed that the company had helped facilitate donations to a non-profit called Friends of the Israeli Defence Forces (FIDF), and HaYovel, an organisation that sends volunteers to work on farms in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
At Smotrich's orders: Amnesty International loses tax benefits in Israel -
Israel's Tax Authority, acting on instructions from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, revokes Amnesty International's tax benefit due to organization's anti-Israel activities, support for BDS.
This is from one of the lawyers representing the Arab League at the ICJ in South Africa's case against Israel: States & the EU must wake up to the illegality of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory -
Six months on from the ICJ ruling that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory is illegal, states & the EU are still in denial
posted by cendawanita at 1:41 AM on January 23 [6 favorites]
Outgoing Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Herzog confirms to the radio network that Jerusalem is in talks with the US on the matter, and believes that they will “reach an understanding” and be granted the extension.
Good luck. Read all that plus toastyk's link with the understanding that gossip disguised as scoops somehow already covered in the NYT is being circulated about Qatari money links (which is as likely as anything; it's just never covered with the same amount of bated breath as Israeli ones when it comes to Palestine).
Plus: Trump fires Brian Hook, his Iran envoy in first term
It’s unclear exactly why Trump axed Hook, but the president says he and three others “are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again.”
Hook was a hawkish adviser who backed the maximum pressure sanctions regime Trump instituted against Iran.
Big "HEH": Hamas commander previously declared dead by Israel reemerges in Gaza - How convenient! The thir--tieth thousand time's the charm, I guess.
In a rare admission, the IDF acknowledged errors in its earlier intelligence assessment. "Following a reevaluation, it appears the intelligence upon which the IDF and Shin Bet relied was not sufficiently accurate," the statement read.
Would it be the same kind of inaccuracy that's led to October 7 or the various domestic terror attacks inside the actual borders of Israel itself in the last 15 months including the recent stabbing one?
From the same intelligence that got us all all that: Rescuers Have Recovered 200 Bodies From Rubble in Gaza, With 10,000 More Buried -
Officials estimate that 2,840 people’s bodies were evaporated entirely by Israeli attacks.
Back to Trump's first administration's pet project (that Biden continued, natch): The Fallacy of the Abraham Accords -
Why Normalization Without Palestinians Won’t Bring Stability to the Middle East
On the genpop side: 1 in 4 US voters support Hamas over Israel in Gaza war, new poll reveals
The poll, conducted between January 15-16, 2025, sampled 2,650 registered voters and found that 21 per cent of respondents sided with the Palestinian group, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US State Department.
The survey revealed stark divisions in American public opinion, particularly across party lines. Among Democrats, 75 per cent expressed support for Israel, while 25 per cent were more inclined to back Hamas.
Republican voters displayed overwhelming support for Israel, with 81 per cent in favour, though 19 per cent still expressed some level of backing for Hamas.
Huh, nearly hitting 1/5 of the Republicans alone....
Will the ceasefire last?
Trump has changed the calculus for Israel and the Middle East.
Netanyahu even said during a meeting of his security cabinet on 17 January that he has received guarantees from the incoming Trump administration that, unless and until its security demands are met, Israel would be able to resume the war in Gaza. And to do so with full American diplomatic, political and military support. The current agreement may thus turn out to be a prisoner exchange deal, not a permanent ceasefire.
Reports in the Israeli press suggest that Netanyahu may have promised his coalition partners a return to fighting after the hostages have been released, or most of the hostages in any case. One far-right cabinet member, the finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, was convinced to stay. Another, Itamar Ben-Gvir, however, resigned as national security minister, but with promises to return if the fighting is indeed resumed.
Trump is less predictable. One member of his incoming national security team told me the reason he has pushed for a ceasefire has a lot to do with his interest in moving forward to “bigger prizes” in the Middle East: a normalisation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and then some kind of normalisation between Iran and the US. The economic possibilities behind these projects are practically limitless, but they depend on an end to the war in Gaza. And then, who knows, a Nobel Peace Prize – a long-term Trump goal – might be in the offing.
Can someone implant an earwig to let him know that should include peace in the West Bank too, where Operation Iron Wall is still ongoing? (Although I'm sure it will be executed and conducted with the same level of professionalism and accuracy). Eg: Israel arrests 64 Palestinians in West Bank following release of 90 prisoners as part of swap deal -
Child, 7, among those detained
Back on the liberal-now-fashy side of things: Google facilitated AI tools for Israeli military during war on Gaza, says report -
Tech giant handled requests from Israel's defence ministry for greater access to its services from the onset of 15 month conflict, the Washington Post reported
Plus: Last month, MEE reported that Google had been matching donations made by its employees across the world to pro-Israeli charities in the US, including one supporting Israeli soldiers who were fighting in Gaza, and a Christian Zionist group that aimed to help Israel “reclaim” the West Bank.
Leaked internal webpages seen by MEE showed that the company had helped facilitate donations to a non-profit called Friends of the Israeli Defence Forces (FIDF), and HaYovel, an organisation that sends volunteers to work on farms in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
At Smotrich's orders: Amnesty International loses tax benefits in Israel -
Israel's Tax Authority, acting on instructions from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, revokes Amnesty International's tax benefit due to organization's anti-Israel activities, support for BDS.
This is from one of the lawyers representing the Arab League at the ICJ in South Africa's case against Israel: States & the EU must wake up to the illegality of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory -
Six months on from the ICJ ruling that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory is illegal, states & the EU are still in denial
posted by cendawanita at 1:41 AM on January 23 [6 favorites]
We're back to targeting foreign students based on their participation in pro-Palestinian protests.
Haaretz - Netanyahu rushes to Elon Musk's defense. ungated
I can't help but remember this Onion article: FBI uncovers Al-Qaeda plot to just sit back and enjoy collapse of the US.
Al-Jazeera live updates - Israeli raid forces Palestinians to flee their homes in Jenin, kill 2 more Palestinians.
posted by toastyk at 7:44 AM on January 23 [5 favorites]
Haaretz - Netanyahu rushes to Elon Musk's defense. ungated
I can't help but remember this Onion article: FBI uncovers Al-Qaeda plot to just sit back and enjoy collapse of the US.
Al-Jazeera live updates - Israeli raid forces Palestinians to flee their homes in Jenin, kill 2 more Palestinians.
posted by toastyk at 7:44 AM on January 23 [5 favorites]
Oh I didn't realize being a WH stenographer isn't president-specific.... Anyway -
Barak Ravid: (translated) 🇺🇸🇮🇷 President Trump is expected to place responsibility for the Iranian issue on his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, two senior American officials told me..
🚨Why is this important
Trump's move, which has not yet been officially announced, is a sign that the US president wants to try and reach a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
Anyway, probably unrelated: Drop Site News, summarizing a Fox News interview: BREAKING | Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, expresses a commitment to reaching the second phase of the ceasefire deal and an openness to reach “understandings about everything” with Hamas.
In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff also announced he would travel to Gaza to be part of an inspection team to ensure compliance with the deal. Here are some other key remarks he made:
I'm selecting only these:
🔸️ Said senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk’s recent statement to The New York Times that Hamas is prepared to enter a dialogue with the new Trump administration would be “good” if true.
🔸️ Emphasized Qatar’s leadership in the broader normalization process and its crucial role in peace efforts.
🔸️ Witkoff said he believed a long elusive normalization deal with Saudi Arabia could be reached. He went further, saying he believed every country in the region could get “on board” with such a deal.
🔸️ “Normalization means the beginning of the end of war. It means the entire region becomes investable. Becomes financeable.”
---
Probably also unrelated: Israel said seeking 30 more days to withdraw from Lebanon, citing Hezbollah violations
Uh-huh.
Otherwise: (+972)Leaked documents expose deep ties between Israeli army and Microsoft -
Since Oct. 7, the Israeli military has relied heavily on cloud and AI services from Microsoft and its partner OpenAI, while the tech giant’s staff embed with different units to support rollout, a joint investigation reveals.
posted by cendawanita at 10:27 AM on January 23 [4 favorites]
Barak Ravid: (translated) 🇺🇸🇮🇷 President Trump is expected to place responsibility for the Iranian issue on his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, two senior American officials told me..
🚨Why is this important
Trump's move, which has not yet been officially announced, is a sign that the US president wants to try and reach a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
Anyway, probably unrelated: Drop Site News, summarizing a Fox News interview: BREAKING | Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, expresses a commitment to reaching the second phase of the ceasefire deal and an openness to reach “understandings about everything” with Hamas.
In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff also announced he would travel to Gaza to be part of an inspection team to ensure compliance with the deal. Here are some other key remarks he made:
I'm selecting only these:
🔸️ Said senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk’s recent statement to The New York Times that Hamas is prepared to enter a dialogue with the new Trump administration would be “good” if true.
🔸️ Emphasized Qatar’s leadership in the broader normalization process and its crucial role in peace efforts.
🔸️ Witkoff said he believed a long elusive normalization deal with Saudi Arabia could be reached. He went further, saying he believed every country in the region could get “on board” with such a deal.
🔸️ “Normalization means the beginning of the end of war. It means the entire region becomes investable. Becomes financeable.”
---
Probably also unrelated: Israel said seeking 30 more days to withdraw from Lebanon, citing Hezbollah violations
Uh-huh.
Otherwise: (+972)Leaked documents expose deep ties between Israeli army and Microsoft -
Since Oct. 7, the Israeli military has relied heavily on cloud and AI services from Microsoft and its partner OpenAI, while the tech giant’s staff embed with different units to support rollout, a joint investigation reveals.
posted by cendawanita at 10:27 AM on January 23 [4 favorites]
Anyway since Musk is giving institutions like ADL or AIPAC or the Ben Shapiro podcast universe some light workout in doing some twisties on how he's not an antisemite, I'm sure this series of decisions will be nothing for them.
posted by cendawanita at 10:45 AM on January 23 [3 favorites]
posted by cendawanita at 10:45 AM on January 23 [3 favorites]
The Zionists know that Musk is anti-semitic, but it doesn't matter. He is an ally regardless and he's very useful.
When you're part of a violent nationalist movement, you will make friends where you can get them, and Musk will always align with Israel's interests over human rights because it serves his greater goals.
posted by cell divide at 12:18 PM on January 23 [4 favorites]
When you're part of a violent nationalist movement, you will make friends where you can get them, and Musk will always align with Israel's interests over human rights because it serves his greater goals.
posted by cell divide at 12:18 PM on January 23 [4 favorites]
That's right. But now it's evident that Trump can be swayed into not supporting a hot war (because it's "bad" for business) on multiple fronts, a preference that would have landed Democrats in donor hot water at the very least at this point, being called antisemitic etc. I know the Democratic Party is ironically more thoroughly pro-Israel despite having a more thorough base that is inclined to be sympathetic to "human rights" while at the same time live in constant threat of having that questioned. I know that Trump lives in a world of a different political calculation, even if the Republicans share the same Democratic fragility though less concerned with rights in the same way. Hence the clear schism incoming. (But who knows, a clear rupture seems inevitable with Musk too, if only Trump can only become bored and annoyed, but that could still be a partnership that lasts years).
posted by cendawanita at 4:08 PM on January 23 [3 favorites]
posted by cendawanita at 4:08 PM on January 23 [3 favorites]
Re: Israel on Lebanon ceasefire violations - is this not the pot calling the kettle black?
Of interest that I haven’t read all the way through yet:
Economist on the Houthis moneymaking machine - requires free registration to read the article.
No matter what, Israel and the US cannot avoid the “problem” of Palestinians having their own land in order to do a deal in the MidEast - UAE in discussions about role in postwar Gaza but say conditions remain unmet.
Times of Israel interview with Barbara Leaf where she reveals insights about Bidens term and the MidEast.
posted by toastyk at 8:05 AM on January 24 [4 favorites]
Of interest that I haven’t read all the way through yet:
Economist on the Houthis moneymaking machine - requires free registration to read the article.
No matter what, Israel and the US cannot avoid the “problem” of Palestinians having their own land in order to do a deal in the MidEast - UAE in discussions about role in postwar Gaza but say conditions remain unmet.
Times of Israel interview with Barbara Leaf where she reveals insights about Bidens term and the MidEast.
posted by toastyk at 8:05 AM on January 24 [4 favorites]
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posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:51 AM on January 15 [13 favorites]