Israel-Palestine Weekly Update
1st December 2023
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There have been far fewer deaths and much less destruction in Israel-Palestine this week (thank God), largely due to the ‘humanitarian ceasefire’ which has facilitated the entry of much needed relief supplies into Gaza and the exchange of ‘hostages’ for ‘prisoners’. There is much speculation as to why the Israelis agreed to the ceasefire following much bellicose language that insisted on the continuation of genocide in Gaza. Some believe that the Israelis have been fought to a standstill by Hamas and are reluctant to involve themselves in urban warfare in which they would be at a disadvantage against an enemy more familiar with the terrain and having possession of an underground tunnel network. This is all very reminiscent of Iwo Jima, where the Japanese invested in a large tunnel network that delayed the Americans for months. As Scott Ritter has pointed , some of the Japanese held out until 1948! People who have seen Flags of my Fathers and Letters to Iwo Jima will know this. Scott provides some analysis of the ground war here .
Of course, Israel could be responding to world pressure by agreeing to and extending the ceasefires or it may simply not know what to do. Whether Netanyahu ignored intelligence in order to start a war he thought would save him politically is anyone’s guess. But it is not working for him - so far. The bad feeling towards Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, which accusations of anti-Semitism have attempted to minimise over the years, is much stronger than Netanyahu appreciated. Most people are not anti-Semitic; they are simply anti-genocide or anti-oppressor or anti-ethnic cleansing. And the people of the world have been out on the streets in their millions to let the Israelis know this. Perhaps, Netanyahu also underestimated the capacity of the Arab world to unite around this issue - which they appear to be doing. As I suggested last week, maybe the West’s version of good strategy is to chuck everything up in the air and hope the pieces fall to positions that will favour it.
‘Terrorism’ and The Moral War
The more I read about this conflict, the more convinced I am that the legacy media’s coverage immediately after October 7th was designed to convince us that Hamas is a terrorist organisation whose actions on that day provided complete justification for the Israeli terrorism that followed in Gaza. This is part of Israel’s moral war if you like. Even though the IDF and Hamas have committed similar acts, moral philosophers in the consequentialist school will condemn the the former more than the latter because it has inflicted about ten times more damage on people. Israel, therefore, is not in a morally defensible position really (imv) - and it will stay there as long as Hamas doesn’t commit more atrocities. Cue Israeli false flags in order to redress the moral imbalance.
In considering the issue of terrorism, we must also be mindful of the fact that the West falsely labels different organisations ‘terrorist’ for political reasons (as you know) - so its judgements are not reliable. Once a ‘terrorist’ organisation is so labeled, it gives the West license to refuse to negotiate with it or even destroy it. And in our Woke world, people are asked to provide moral condemnation on bended knee - as Jeremy Corbyn was asked to do by Piers Morgan (not literally). I understand that the UK is considering applying the ‘terrorist’ label to Hamas but as a write this has not yet been done. I am not going to opine regarding Hamas’s ‘terrorist’ status because it’s too complicated - and labels matter less than actions. ‘One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’, someone once said.
So, in judging organisations and groups, I think it is important to examine what they do rather the label that has been attached to them. Insofar as Hamas has targeted civilians, whether killing them or taken them hostage, it is terroristic. Insofar as Israel has abducted people, including children, and has deliberately killed civilians, it is also terroristic.
In making judgements about terrorism, we must also be aware that the Israeli state has been committing acts that could easily fall under the definition of terrorism for decades. Some would describe Israel as a terrorist state therefore, just like its US mentor. Many believe that the US has aided and abetted terrorism in Ukraine and elsewhere for many years - so this is nothing new. So, neither Israel nor the US can claim to be free from accusations of terrorism. Therefore, if a commentator calls Hamas a terrorist organisation, in the next sentence he or she must also call the Israeli state a terrorist organisation. It has to be said that Hamas are also freedom fighters and that Israel is an oppressor and an illegal occupier of lands that do not belong to it. Which of the two has the moral high ground is something for people to decide for themselves.
Terrorism and Propaganda
But the Israeli propaganda machine would be failing in its duty if it did not attempt to portray Hamas as some sort of monster, the like of which we have seen only small glimpses of in the Nazis and Vlad the Impaler.
This is required because many people know the horrors of what is happening in Gaza and one way to justify them is to persuade people that innocents are being sacrificed in order to save the rest of us from the monster. In the history of propaganda, it’s nothing new really!1
The Israel propaganda machine has been in overdrive recently and people like Elon the Musk appear to have been overwhelmed by it. After meeting with Netanyahu, and visiting the sites of Hamas’s atrocities Musk appeared to have had a Damascene conversion in which he became convinced that Hamas can be and must be destroyed and that Israeli actions in Gaza are justified as part of this imperative. The poor Palestinians, he said, must be re-educated so that they no longer hate Israelis. In doing so Musk showed his total ignorance of the history of the conflict. Musk also turned down an invitation to visit Gaza - which he was morally obliged to do, explaining that it was too dangerous. I am not going to sit in judgement of Musk because I am not acquainted with all the facts or the nature of the pressure that could have been placed on him to cooperate. However, many will judge him harshly for this.
More evidence is coming to light that the Israelis killed many of their own on October 7th, including this story from South Front.
Owen Jones - A Dose of Humanity
The Israelis also invited journalists, politicians etc. to the premiere of a film documenting Hamas’s atrocities on October 7th. The more wary among them would have expected a propaganda fest and these included one Owen Jones; a former comrade of mine on the left. Jones used to be associated with the Labour left but I’m not sure that he still is. He writes for the Guardian. Anyway, he attended the film’s premiere and produced this response. I think it’s worth listening to every second of Jones’s 25 minutes because it represents good journalism plus a selfless expression of humanity unhindered by politics or ideology. He came across as genuine to me but more cynical observers may not agree. The most important point he makes, in my view, is that we should not use a study of atrocities as part of propaganda designed to persuade people to accept more atrocities in retaliation. After being critical of Owen during the dark days of the Corbynite era, he has now ascended in my estimation. Well said Owen Jones!2
300,000 Flee Israel
Gilbert Doctorow is reporting that 300,000 Israelis have fled abroad since October 7th. I wonder how many will return.
Disease Could be Killer in Gaza
The WHO has warned that diseases such as cholera could kill more Palestinians than Israeli bombs because sanitation has collapsed and there is no safe drinking water. This is exacerbated by the current lack of medicines for the people.
Terrorists kill Three Israelis at Bus Stop
Two Palestinian gun men opened fire at a bus stop in West Jerusalem killing three and injuring three before they were killed by Israeli police. Hamas confirmed that they were among its members who had responded to years of torture and killing by the Israelis.
Humanitarian Pause and Hostage/Prisoner Release
The ‘humanitarian’ pause (originally 4 days but extended to eight) has allowed Israeli hostages to be exchanged for Palestinian ‘prisoners’ and stories of Israeli atrocities are coming to light. The term, ‘prisoners’ has an air of legitimacy about it that is not afforded to the term ‘hostages’ but it is becoming clear that the Israeli incarceration of many Palestinians could more accurately be described as ‘kidnapping’, sometimes in its most literal sense. Even MSNBC is reporting that many of the released child ‘prisoners’ were not dealt with by the Israeli courts but were imprisoned (abducted!) without charge.
Israel has banned its released hostages from talking to the press threatening to impose hefty fines on those who do not conform. This shows what sort of democracy Israel has. The Palestinians celebrated wildly after come of their prisoners were released, as you can see here.
On the first day, 13 Israeli hostages were released after a delay, according to Al Jazeera. Four Thai Nationals were among those released under Red Cross supervision.
The photo above is of Malak Suleiman who was 16 years old in 2016 when Israeli forces kidnapped her while she was on her way back from school. They accused her of "trying to stab them". She is clearly happy to be back and is photographed here with her mother (I think).
On the second day, 14 Israelis, including 9 children were released by Hamas along with 4 Thai workers. 39 Palestinians are expected to be released from Ofer prison. At the end of the 27th November, Hamas had handed over 50 Israelis and 20 foreign workers while the Israelis released around 150 prisoners. Yet according to Al Jazeera the Israelis have arrested a further 133 Palestinians so we’re back to square one if this is true. This will continue to happen as long as Israel continues to be the occupier.
On the 28th, Israel released another 30 prisoners while Hamas released 10 hostages in return. On the 29th November, Hamas released 14 hostages in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners. More exchanges took place on the 30th November after the ceasefire was extended until the end of that day.
Ceasefire Ends December 1st
The ceasefire ended on December 1st. Tass reported that this was due to Hamas violations of the treaty while Al Jazeera claims that according to Hamas agreement on extending the treaty could not be reached due to Israeli intransigence. On Dec 1st, Israeli bombing of residential buildings killed more than a hundred in Gaza at the rime I published this. Talks between Hamas and Israel aimed at resuming the ceasefire continued throughout the day. Al Jazeera is reporting that Israel is telling Palestinians to evacuate certain areas and is then attacking them when they do so. They also state that Palestinians in Gaza are starving, have no electricity, no clean water or winter clothes.
Released Palestinian Prisoners - Testimonies
Among those released by the Israelis was teenager Zeina Abdo who was jailed for putting a Palestinian flag on social media. On October 7th, she and many other teenage girls were beaten and assaulted by Israeli guards in retaliation. The fact that ‘beaten’ and ‘assault’ are used separately suggest that the assault could have been sexual. Some of the treatment she describes as receiving on a regular basis sounds like torture. You can read more here. Another prisoner who was released this week told of beatings, rape, sexual harassment and even murder as regular occurrences in Israeli jails. You can listen to his brief testimony here. Ahed Tamimi was also released this week and spoke of the tortuous living conditions and treatment at the hands of Israeli guards who humiliate and beat all female prisoners. I must point out that I cannot corroborate any of these claims.
Why I Rejected Zionism
A Jewish woman explains why she came to reject Zionism after finding out certain things she didn’t know about the relationship between Israel and Palestine. Jimmy Dore and Kurt Metzger discuss her interview here (6 mins). She did not know that up to 700,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. She did not know that much of the land that now constitutes Israel was stolen from the Palestinians or that Gaza has been under blockade for 16 years. Al Jazeera has produced a short historical summary going back to the Balfour Declaration in 1948 with maps and graphs. It is well worth a look.
Hamas - Could they be winning?
Yes, according to Julian Macfarlane at News Forensics, they are winning by not losing.
In this article Julian also provides some historical background which some may find useful.
Scott Ritter expresses something similar in this interview (23 mins).
Gaza
More than a 1.8 million people have been displaced in the besieged coastal enclave of Gaza by the 26th November. Most of these are being housed in UN Relief Work Agency accommodation in central/north Gaza and Khan Younis and Rafa. You can read more detail here. While the ceasefire was in place, the Israelis attempted to prevent Palestinians returning to their homes in the north, according to Rybar.
Al-Shifa Hospital
RT is reporting a claim that the Israelis had already discovered Hamas’s HQ prior to attacking the hospital so there was no need to destroy it and kill so many people. The HQ was not in the hospital, according to this - as Hamas has been insisting. So, if this story is true, the hospital was attacked and destroyed along with many innocents as an end in itself. Many wounded patients remain at the hospital in appalling (heart rendering) conditions (see photo).
West Bank
While the Gaza ceasefire was in place, the Israelis attacked Palestinians on the occupied West Bank, killing 8, including a child. The Israelis have now killed 239 civilians here since October 7th - according to Al Jazeera. Israeli settlers in the West Bank (who are well-armed) have carried out 220 attacks on Palestinian communities since October 7th, according to human rights groups (reported by Bloomberg). The IDF claims that there have been 770 attacks on Israeli settlers in the West Bank since October 7th. Tensions between Palestinian and Israeli communities have increased enormously along with fear of being attacked. During the ceasefire, the Israelis have continued their raids on towns such as Nablus and Jenin. In Jenin, on November 30th Israeli soldiers killed two boys aged 8 and 15. They also killed a 21 year old man outside Ofer prison. Illegal Israeli settlers have been attacking Palestinians more frequently since October 7th and have been condemned by the European Commission which could decide to impose sanctions on those guilty of this.
According to Al Jazeera:
Israeli forces surrounded Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank at dawn on Thursday (30th Nov), according to Wafa news agency. They also obstructed ambulances and interrogated emergency medical workers.
Lebanon/Hezbollah
This area in the north has also been subject to the ceasefire.
Houthis
The Houthis have attacked another ship linked to Israel; this time in the Indian Ocean. The ship sustained some damage. The ship was attacked by a Shaheed 136 drone on Friday 24th November. On the 27th, a group of Houthi militants attacked a ship in the Red Sea but their attempt to capture or destroy ‘Central Park’ was foiled by the US. Houthis allegedly launched two missile strikes from Yemeni territory against the US Navy destroyer USS MASON, but missed. Things are getting a little scary if these claims are true. Another report claims the missiles missed by some ten nautical miles which could suggest that the attempt was more of a warning than an attack.
UN General Assembly Resolution Demands Israel Leave Golan Heights
91 countries supported the resolution for Israel to leave the Syrian Heights which they have occupied illegally since 1967. 8 voted against and 62 abstained. General assembly resolutions are not binding and will therefore be ignored.
Protests
The scale of protests in support of Palestine throughout the world has been colossal. There have been protests in London and many other UK cities; Dublin; Cork; Limerick; Belfast; Aukland; Sydney; Melbourne; Brisbane; Adelaide; Perth; Renne; Paris (and many other cities in France); Lahore; New York; Washington; many cities in the Netherlands and 38 cities in Spain; Rabat (Morocco); Mexico; Iraq; Indonesia; Qatar and Afghanistan. You can read more here. But there have also been protests against anti-Semitism in some places that have attracted far fewer people. According to Jimmy Dore (6 mins), 95% of world protests have been pro-Palestinian (or anti-genocide).
US Embassy Havana Cuba
Cuban President, Miguel Diaz-Canel, marched at the head of protesters to the US embassy while chanting: ‘Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people’ - according to Slavyangrad. You can find out more here.
New York
On Black Friday, pro-Palestinian protesters in New York chanted ‘while you’re shopping bombs are falling’. You can see some brief footage here if you have Telegram.
London
On the 25th November, more than 300,000 people marched for a permanent ceasefire and Palestinian freedom. This was the fifth such march and was smaller than the others, according to Socialist Worker.
Boris Johnson attended a march against anti-Semitism the following day which was much smaller but still attracted tens of thousands:
The slogan Never Again is Now could equally apply to the Palestinians who, some would argue, are suffering a genocide at the hands of a fascist state. The march was attended by a number of celebrities from British TV who joined other protesters in expressing their concern about a recent rise in anti-Semitism. Some school children wearing Jewish insignia or skullcaps have been attacked, which is concerning. You can read more here.
Celtic v Athletico Madrid
Celtic fans flew Palestinian flags in their match with Athletico Madrid in spite of threats. You can see some footage here. Celtic fans have been supporting Palestine for many years: the above photo is seven years old.
UK Walkouts
On Friday 24th, there were walkouts at workplaces and Universities throughout the UK, including London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Brighton. Even schools, school children and parents were involved in the protests.
Indonesia
Thousands demonstrated in West Java over the weekend calling for a permanent ceasefire.
Tel Aviv
100,000 Israeli protested in Tel Aviv over the weekend concerned about hostages whose release was delayed for some hours.
Spain Recalls Israeli Ambassador
Following in the footsteps of South Africa and other countries, Spain has recalled its ambassador to Israel. Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s PM, had a meeting with Netanyahu, after which he declared his support for a Palestinian state.
That’s all for this week. Many thanks for you views, subscriptions, likes and kind comments.
Non subscribers can view Updates on Telegram: https://t.me/UWUupdate.
My sister was so frightened by the media assertion that ‘Saddam Hussein is the new Hitler bent on conquering the world’ that she wanted to nuke Bagdad!
Thanks to my mate Peter James for the link.
Thank you Richard. I think I have made some of the points you draw attention to but thanks. Having concern about actions and consequences IS a moral position that's why I have made reference to consequentialism and have pointed out that it is the actions of both parties that should concern us rather than labels. I'm not really sure what an 'anti-moralist' is - could you explain please.
Response to The Busker's "Israel-Palestine Weekly Update"
The distinction between Hamas actions and Israel's actions is easily made. Israel is an occupying state. Hamas is a resistance organization. Therefore, nothing Israel does can be considered "morally correct." So the question resolves around whether the actions of Hamas can be so considered.
People like to condemn the deaths of Israeli civilians at Hamas' hands. There is an assumption that every Jew in Israel who is not in the military is a legitimate "civilian". There are two problems with this. One, most Israelis serve in the IDF at some point - which ipso facto makes them military targets, whether they are in uniform at the time or not and once they have been released from service and are now in the reserves. Second, EVERY Jew (or anyone else) in Israel who did not emigrate before the the state of Israel was formed and/or who did not acquire his property by legitimately purchasing it from a Palestinian is an "occupier" by definition - and is thus a legitimate target.
There is, of course, the question of strategy. As I've always said with regard to so-called "terrorism", it is pointless to gun down random individuals. You attack the leaders of your enemies and their capable enforcers. You don't waste efforts on meaningless individuals in a vain attempt to get the government you oppose overthrown by its own population.
This is the Carlos Marighella concept, articulated in his "Minimanual of the Urban Guerilla" described here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimanual_of_the_Urban_Guerrilla. It's an invalid concept. If one goes back to the time of "The People's Will" in Russia, one finds that group explicitly advocating producing terror in the minds of the government - not the civilian population. That is the correct approach.
As I have often asked, "Why the hell is Benjamin Netanyahu still alive?" He and his cronies are the legitimate and strategically correct targets. But it was Arafat and his PLO idiots who engaged in random terrorism internationally in order to bring attention to the Palestinians' plight - and thus got the Palestinians labeled as "terrorists" - an appellation that Hamas, a legitimate local resistance front, has now inherited.
It is now pretty clear from reports from Israel that the Hamas attack on October 7 was directed against military targets primarily and with the additional goal of obtaining civilian hostages to exchange from Palestinian hostage in Israeli prisons. The attack on the musical event appears to have been opportunistic, not originally intended.
Many of the alleged "civilians" killed were actually IDF or former IDF. Many of the actual civilians killed were likely killed by panicked police and IDF military who used indiscriminate fire against people they could not identify positively as Hamas. It has even been suggested that there may have been orders to do so under the alleged "Hannibal Directive" which is intended to prevent IDF personnel from being taken hostage, although there appears to be no proof of this.
Finally, released Israeli hostages so far have not condemned their treatment by their Hamas captors.
All of this is putting a severe dent in the description of Hamas as "terrorists". But nothing can erase the clear images and videos of mass casualties among actual civilians in Gaza - as well as the terrorist actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
In any event, as a committed "anti-moralist", moral and ethical questions do not interest me. What matters are actions and consequences, both on an individual level and scaled up to society and civilization.