From the news: on the war in West Asia [Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, violence including SA & CSA/abuse/war, genocide, language. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Reporting on recent and currently ongoing tragic events in West Asia, in Israel, Gaza, and adjoining nations, includes the following: 

• “'Far too many' killed, US says, as Gaza deaths exceed 11,000”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/far-too-many-killed-in-israel-_____-war-us-says-as-fatalities-in-gaza-exceed-11-000/gqpudja0u   and   “Israel to begin fighting pauses in decision Biden hoped would come sooner”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/middle-east-news/2023/11/10/israel-gaza-pauses   and   “Netanyahu rejected ceasefire-for-hostages deal in Gaza, sources say”   and   “Israeli PM said to have turned down proposal in early talks and continues to take tough line”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/09/netanyahu-rejected-ceasefire-for-hostages-deal-in-gaza-sources-say   but   “Mossad, CIA chiefs discuss Gaza hostage deal at Qatar talks”   https://www.france24.com/en/video/20231110-mossad-cia-chiefs-discuss-gaza-hostage-deal-at-qatar-talks  
  

• “Israel must revive 'two-state solution', former PM Ehud Olmert tells FRANCE 24”   https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/t%C3%AAte-%C3%A0-t%C3%AAte/20231110-israel-should-revive-two-state-solution-former-pm-ehud-olmert-says   and   “Why so Many Jews Denounce Israel's War on Gaza”   https://www.juancole.com/2023/11/many-denounce-israels.html  
  

• “Analysis: How would Israel find, map, take and keep Gaza’s tunnels?”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/9/analysis-how-would-israel-find-map-take-and-keep-gazas-tunnels   and   “Israel’s attacks on Gaza: Examining the weapons and scale of destruction”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/11/9/israel-attacks-on-gaza-weapons-and-scale-of-destruction  
  

• “With all Eyes on Gaza, Extremist Israeli Squatters seek to Ethnically Cleanse the Palestinian West Bank”   https://www.juancole.com/2023/11/extremist-ethnically-palestinian.html   with the aid of the Israeli military:   “Israeli forces kill 18 Palestinians in daytime raid in West Bank”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/10/israeli-forces-kill-palestinians-in-daytime-raid-in-west-bank   and   clashes on the Israel-Lebanon border   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/10/israel-kills-more-hezbollah-fighters-border-lebanon  
  

• “Israel women’s groups warn of failure to keep evidence of sexual violence in _____ attacks”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/10/israel-womens-groups-warn-of-failure-to-keep-evidence-of-sexual-violence-in-_____-attacks   “Rights groups fear lack of investigative work means gender-based nature of some of violence has been overlooked”    and   “Israel archaeologists search for remains of _____ attack victims”   https://www.france24.com/en/video/20231110-israel-archaeologists-search-for-remains-of-_____-attack-victims   “Such was the devastation caused by the October 7 _____ attack on Israel, a team of archaeologists has been called in to help search for human remains that could help identify victims. They use techniques normally employed at ancient burial sites to scour the debris of ravaged kibbutzim”  
  

• “With no freshwater left, displaced Gaza families wash in polluted sea”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/8/no-running-water-war-displaced-gaza-families-bathe-wash-in-polluted-sea    and   “Gaza’s largest hospital being bombarded, WHO says”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/10/netanyahu-says-israel-is-not-seeking-to-occupy-gaza   &   “‘We are minutes away from death’: Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital under attack”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/11/we-are-minutes-away-from-death-gazas-al-shifa-hospital-under-attack   &   “Health centres in north Gaza under siege in ‘day of war against hospitals’”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/10/hospitals-in-north-gaza-come-under-siege-as-fighting-intensifies   &   “‘Unconscionable’: UN condemns ‘acts of war’ on Gaza hospitals”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/11/12/gaza-hospital-fighting   &   “Israel's War on Gaza's Hospitals and Patients: al-Shifa Bombed again, as 20 of 36 Hospitals Go Dark”   https://www.juancole.com/2023/11/israels-hospitals-patients.html   and   “Tens of thousands fleeing northern Gaza, says Israeli military, as WHO warns of disease risk”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/09/israel-_____-war-tens-thousands-palestinians-flee-gaza-military-who-disease-risk   and   “The New Humanitarian | Gaza: ‘How do we escape the slow death of starvation?’”   https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2023/11/07/gaza-how-do-we-escape-slow-death-starvation   and   “The man who shrouds the dead in Gaza”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/11/mena_abu-saher-the-man-who-shrouds-hundreds-of-palestinians-killed-in-gaza  
  

• “From outrage to hate: In the wake of October 7, Israel's far right seeks to extend its influence”   https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231108-from-outrage-to-hate-in-the-wake-of-october-7-israel-s-far-right-seeks-to-extend-its-influence   “Ministers from Israel’s extreme right have been making increasingly controversial statements since the _____ attacks on October 7 in a game of one-upmanship that has seen the right wing seek to extend its influence over Israel’s government and beyond”    

• “The New Humanitarian | In Israel, joint Jewish-Palestinian efforts look to salvage vision of a shared society”   https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2023/11/09/jewish-palestinian-efforts-for-shared-society    and   “Peace in Gaza | What’s Unsaid” - The New Humanitarian   “Palestinian peace activist Nivine Sandouka discusses the difficult way forward for building trust between Israelis and Palestinians. Hosted by Irwin Loy. What’s Unsaid is a bi-weekly podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world’s conflicts and disasters.”  Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-new-humanitarian/id1420089508?i=1000634246487  
  

• “US has struck Iran-linked site in Syria, Pentagon says, as fears of regional conflict grow”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/09/us-strikes-iran-weapons-storage-facility-syria-iirgc-pentagon-conflict   and   “US military buildup off Israeli coast requires balancing act between deterrence and escalation”   https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231110-israel-_____-war-the-us-military-s-delicate-balancing-act-to-prevent-an-escalation-of-the-conflict   and   “Understanding the Risks of U.S.-Iran Escalation amid the Gaza Conflict”   https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/iran-united-states/understanding-risks-us-iran   and   “How are leaders in the Muslim World reacting to the Gaza Conflict?”   https://www.juancole.com/2023/11/leaders-reacting-conflict.html   and   “Jason Wilson on Biden, Gaza and Ceasefires” - Yeah Nah Pasaran!   https://www.3cr.org.au/yeahnahpasaran   “This week we have a chat with Dr Jason Wilson about how Biden and the US Right are responding to the war on Gaza.”   Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/yeah-nah-pasaran/id1529396490?i=1000634355825   or at   https://www.3cr.org.au/yeahnahpasaran/episode/jason-wilson-biden-gaza-and-ceasefires   and   France’s President “Macron says ‘no justification’ for bombing civilians as he calls for Gaza ceasefire”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/10/macron-says-no-justification-for-bombing-civilians-as-he-calls-for-gaza-ceasefire   and   “70 UN Ambassadors in Geneva call for international action on Gaza”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143467   and   “Why [South and Central] America’s ‘pink tide’ is taking a stand against Israel”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/9/why-latin-americas-pink-tide-is-taking-a-stand-against-israel   and   “‘Inhumane’: Top Belgium officials criticise Israeli bombing of Gaza”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/10/top-belgium-officials-including-pm-criticise-israeli-bombing-of-gaza  
  
  On aerial bombardment, for context the following should also be noted:    Iraqi revolt against the British (1920s)   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Iraqi_revolt_against_the_British,   Tulsa race massacre (1921)   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Tulsa_race_massacre,   Second Sino-Japanese War   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Second_Sino-Japanese_War,   Second Italo-Abyssinian War   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Second_Italo-Abyssinian_War,   Bombing of Guernica   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bombing_of_Guernica&oldid=1183461085,  Strategic bombing during World War II   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II&oldid=1183929553,   Air raids on Japan   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Air_raids_on_Japan&oldid=1184652600,   Việt Nam War   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Vietnam_War,   Arab–Israeli conflict   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_conflict,   Iran–Iraq War   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War,   Somalia's campaign against Isaaq   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#Somalia's_campaign_against_Isaaq,   Chechen wars   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#Chechen_wars,   Syria   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#Syria,   Ukraine   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#Ukraine,   Aerial bombardment and international law   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombardment_and_international_law&oldid=1168686865,   and   Indiscriminate attack   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiscriminate_attack&oldid=1184612633   - particularly   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiscriminate_attack&oldid=1184612633#From_the_Gulf_War_onwards.  
  
  And on that, also note https://tthorncoyle.substack.com/p/on-culture-change,   and   “One Theory [“systems justification”] Explains Why We Can't Have Nice Things”   https://www.okdoomer.io/one-obscure-psycholtheory-explains-why-we-cant-have-nice-things/   - see also   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-justice-pacifists/202106/theory-system-justification-pr-cis,   https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/systems-justification-theory,   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=System_justification&oldid=1181918077,   and   https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv13qfw6w   - and an example of systems justification, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombardment_and_international_law&oldid=1168686865#International_law_up_to_1945 given by a notorious US figure, is:       “A fair reading of the [Rome Statute], for example, leaves the objective observer unable to answer with confidence whether the United States was guilty of war crimes for its aerial bombing campaigns over Germany and Japan in World War II. Indeed, if anything, a straightforward reading of the language probably indicates that the court would find the United States guilty. A fortiori, these provisions seem to imply that the United States would have been guilty of a war crime for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is intolerable and unacceptable.”   The reality is the behaviours and the extremist reaction to criticism is what is intolerable.   Also, see   “Why we Need Armistice Day Back: Remembering the Horrors of War”   https://www.juancole.com/2023/11/armistice-remembering-horrors.html   (although note that, here at least, it never went away)  
  

• “Understanding the International Criminal Court's Investigation in Israel and Palestine” - Global Dispatches   “The International Criminal Court is opening an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Palestine following the October 7 attacks and Israeli military action in Gaza. This may set into motion a process that leads to ICC indictments of Israelis and Palestinians. Joining me to explain what this investigation may look like and how it may unfold is Mark Kersten,  Senior Consultant of the Wayamo Foundation and an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley, in British Columbia.”   https://www.globaldispatches.org/   Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/global-dispatches-world-news-that-matters/id593535863?i=1000633793722   

• “More than one journalist per day is dying in the Israel-Gaza conflict. This has to stop”   https://theconversation.com/more-than-one-journalist-per-day-is-dying-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict-this-has-to-stop-217272   

• Australia’s Prime Minister “Anthony Albanese speaks with Palestinian Authority leader”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/anthony-albanese-speaks-with-mahmoud-abbas-reaffirms-support-for-two-state-solution/km4kzufkb   and “Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents record large spike in Australia, advocates say”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/10/islamophobic-and-antisemitic-incidents-rise-in-australia-advocates-say   “Reports include spitting at women, threats of violence, threats to mosques, synagogues amid Israel-_____ war in Gaza”   and   “Holocaust survivors ask Australians to ‘denounce antisemitism and hatred’”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/09/holocaust-survivors-ask-australians-to-denounce-antisemitism-and-hatred   (both antisemitism and anti-Palestinian/Islamophobia must be denounced - especially for the sake of Israel!!!)   and   “‘Deeply distressing’: premier condemns violence between Palestine and Israel supporters over Melbourne burger bar fire”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/10/palestine-and-israel-supporters-square-off-in-melbourne-after-burger-bar-fire   and   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/ugly-scenes-as-pro-palestinian-pro-israel-protestors-clash-after-melbourne-burger-shop-blaze/ptho4bjka  
  

Note: as with other mass murderers, violent extremists crave publicity, so I refuse to give that to them - I will avoid using their names (which is a policy adopted by good law enforcement and media for other mass murderers), and I will not give them the satisfaction of being described with the T word. 

This is explained further in my post at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2023/10/from-news-on-war-in-west-asia-content_25.html.  

Note also that the genocidal intent of the VEs I refuse to name is clear, according to this from experts in that topic.

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk.