Response to Dr. Rob Campbell's "Israel-Palestine Weekly Update - 8th December 2023"
Another excellent recap, many thanks.
As for Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, someone said this past week that his only purpose in going to Israel was to gather evidence to charge Hamas with terrorism, not Israel. The ICC apparently is considered a tool of the West.
Most of the military commentators, like Ritter, are essentially saying that Israel is losing the conflict, as they are taking heavy casualties while killing very few Hamas. Israel claims a thousand or so dead Hamas out of 20-30,000 Hamas fighters after two months. Do the math. At that rate, the war will go on for years. Israel doesn't have years.
The only advantage Israel gets from that is by demonstrating that they can't take out Hamas, they avoid having to deal with Hezbollah, which has said they won't go full-on war unless it looks like Hamas is being destroyed. However, if the mass murder of Palestinians continues, Hezbollah may be forced to intervene earlier, despite Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah having to consider the effect on his own people in Lebanon if Israel with the help of the US conducts an air war against Lebanon.
It appears that efforts are being planned by Russian and China and the Middle East nations to bring the issue to the UN Security Council again and put forth a draft Resolution which will force the US to either abstain or stand alone against the rest of the world. Personally i view this as irrelevant. If the rest of the world can't force Israel to stop - or force the US to force Israel to stop - then what does it matter if Israel and the US are geopolitically isolated?
The only way Israel will be stopped is by military force. This is the bottom line. Someone is going to have to defeat Israel militarily on the battlefield or by destroying enough of Israel's infrastructure and economy to force Israel to surrender. Only Hezbollah has that capability, possibly with the assistance of other regional states.
As for "anti-Semitism", I posted a comment at Antiwar.com that it's time to consider making "anti-Semitism" a valid position. "If you have the Devil's name, play the Devil's game", as they say. If critics of Israel are going to be called "anti-Semites" regardless, then accept that. Make it clear that no one wants to tar all Jews as Zionists or be in alignment with white racists - but if Jews world wide can't make it clear that they reject Zionism - like many Jews did back in the first half of the 20th Century, including prominent Jews like Albert Einstein - then they will just have to live with the consequences.
It is a valid principle that the only way to deal with criticism is to accept it and own it and reflect it back on those criticizing you. As ex-SEAL Richard Marcinko quotes a Chinese miliary in history, "Always treat the enemy as the enemy, because he will invariably treat you that way." While it is important to make technically correct conceptual distinctions, these distinctions are lost and are useless when engaging in public debate where there are no rules of debating.
So anti-Zionists are going to have to accept that they are going to be accused of anti-Semitism and if anti-Zionism is going to be equated with anti-Semitism, then anti-Zionists are going to have to equate "pro-Semitism" with "pro-Zionism". And if Jews don't like that, they can either step up and reject Zionism or accept that they will be equated with Zionism.
For the record, I have no ethnic or racial bias. I despise most of the human species. I don't have time for any other distinctions. The only classes of people I exempt from my disgust are 1) scientists and engineers who are doing actually useful work to advance the species, and 2) hot babes. Everyone else can drop dead as far as I'm concerned. I'm being rather hyperbolic, but you get the point.
You make so many good points Richard but I don't have time to comment in depth. I am really disappointed this morning that the US has used its veto once again but it is simply underlining its own isolation along with Israel and it is showing the whole world that the UN is simply not fit for purpose. I agree with you: Israel can be stopped only by military force.
m proud of you Campbell for doing this. I will support you. You are right about Palestine and Ukraine. Let's hope we see the USA and its lapdog (our vile Government and state) backed into a cul-de-sac by international opinion and power where it can be neutered.
Response to Dr. Rob Campbell's "Israel-Palestine Weekly Update - 8th December 2023"
Another excellent recap, many thanks.
As for Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, someone said this past week that his only purpose in going to Israel was to gather evidence to charge Hamas with terrorism, not Israel. The ICC apparently is considered a tool of the West.
Most of the military commentators, like Ritter, are essentially saying that Israel is losing the conflict, as they are taking heavy casualties while killing very few Hamas. Israel claims a thousand or so dead Hamas out of 20-30,000 Hamas fighters after two months. Do the math. At that rate, the war will go on for years. Israel doesn't have years.
The only advantage Israel gets from that is by demonstrating that they can't take out Hamas, they avoid having to deal with Hezbollah, which has said they won't go full-on war unless it looks like Hamas is being destroyed. However, if the mass murder of Palestinians continues, Hezbollah may be forced to intervene earlier, despite Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah having to consider the effect on his own people in Lebanon if Israel with the help of the US conducts an air war against Lebanon.
It appears that efforts are being planned by Russian and China and the Middle East nations to bring the issue to the UN Security Council again and put forth a draft Resolution which will force the US to either abstain or stand alone against the rest of the world. Personally i view this as irrelevant. If the rest of the world can't force Israel to stop - or force the US to force Israel to stop - then what does it matter if Israel and the US are geopolitically isolated?
The only way Israel will be stopped is by military force. This is the bottom line. Someone is going to have to defeat Israel militarily on the battlefield or by destroying enough of Israel's infrastructure and economy to force Israel to surrender. Only Hezbollah has that capability, possibly with the assistance of other regional states.
As for "anti-Semitism", I posted a comment at Antiwar.com that it's time to consider making "anti-Semitism" a valid position. "If you have the Devil's name, play the Devil's game", as they say. If critics of Israel are going to be called "anti-Semites" regardless, then accept that. Make it clear that no one wants to tar all Jews as Zionists or be in alignment with white racists - but if Jews world wide can't make it clear that they reject Zionism - like many Jews did back in the first half of the 20th Century, including prominent Jews like Albert Einstein - then they will just have to live with the consequences.
It is a valid principle that the only way to deal with criticism is to accept it and own it and reflect it back on those criticizing you. As ex-SEAL Richard Marcinko quotes a Chinese miliary in history, "Always treat the enemy as the enemy, because he will invariably treat you that way." While it is important to make technically correct conceptual distinctions, these distinctions are lost and are useless when engaging in public debate where there are no rules of debating.
So anti-Zionists are going to have to accept that they are going to be accused of anti-Semitism and if anti-Zionism is going to be equated with anti-Semitism, then anti-Zionists are going to have to equate "pro-Semitism" with "pro-Zionism". And if Jews don't like that, they can either step up and reject Zionism or accept that they will be equated with Zionism.
For the record, I have no ethnic or racial bias. I despise most of the human species. I don't have time for any other distinctions. The only classes of people I exempt from my disgust are 1) scientists and engineers who are doing actually useful work to advance the species, and 2) hot babes. Everyone else can drop dead as far as I'm concerned. I'm being rather hyperbolic, but you get the point.
You make so many good points Richard but I don't have time to comment in depth. I am really disappointed this morning that the US has used its veto once again but it is simply underlining its own isolation along with Israel and it is showing the whole world that the UN is simply not fit for purpose. I agree with you: Israel can be stopped only by military force.
Thank you very much for all your Work to compile everything in a good readable manner. I am looking every week for your writings.
It so good to be appreciated, makes it all worthwhile - thanks.
This is yet another excellent report. Thank you very much, dear Dr. Rob, for your amazing work.
m proud of you Campbell for doing this. I will support you. You are right about Palestine and Ukraine. Let's hope we see the USA and its lapdog (our vile Government and state) backed into a cul-de-sac by international opinion and power where it can be neutered.
Many thanks Tilly.