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/.
Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.
Reporting on recent and currently ongoing tragic events in West Asia, in Israel, Gaza, and adjoining nations, includes the following:
- an opinion that “We have a tool to stop Israel’s war crimes: BDS | Naomi Klein | The Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/10/only-outside-pressure-can-stop-israels-war-crimes See also “Who is Israeli MP Ofer Cassif, why is he backing South Africa at the ICJ? | News | Al Jazeera” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/11/who-is-israeli-mp-ofer-cassif-why-is-he-backing-south-africa-at-the-icj and “It’s not just Israel in the dock over genocide, it’s everyone who looked away” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/12/israel-gaza-genocide-south-africa-the-hague and “Journalists need to keep talking about genocide” https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/01/10/gaza-israel-genocide-journalists/ an opinion that “South
Africa brought the case, but one man dragged Israel into the dock at
The Hague – Benjamin Netanyahu | Jonathan Freedland | The Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/12/south-africa-benjamin-netanyahu-the-hague-israel-case
- “After 3 months of devastation in the Israel-Hamas war, is anyone ‘winning’?” https://theconversation.com/after-3-months-of-devastation-in-the-israel-hamas-war-is-anyone-winning-220644 “Remaking Mistakes in Gaza - War on the Rocks” https://warontherocks.com/2024/01/remaking-mistakes-in-gaza/ This is a reference to repeating the mistakes the USA made in Iraq in 2003 (described in the article), and has excellent commentary about what the Allies did differently in World War (part) Two
- “Israeli Government Divided over Settling Israelis in Gaza” https://www.juancole.com/2024/01/government-settling-israelis.html “Israel’s ‘refuseniks’: ‘I will never justify what Israel is doing in Gaza’” https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240106-israel-s-refuseniks-i-will-never-justify-what-israel-is-doing-in-gaza “Thousands protest in Israel demanding captive release, government to resign | Israel War on Gaza News | Al Jazeera” https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/1/6/thousands-protest-in-israel-demanding-captive-release-government-to-resign “Will Beirut killings help embattled Netanyahu politically? | Israel War on Gaza News | Al Jazeera” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/7/victory-photo-will-beirut-killings-help-embattled-netanyahu-politically
- “Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war” https://cpj.org/2024/01/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/ by the Committee to Protect Journalists but Israeli “‘Journalists see their role as helping to win’: how Israeli TV is covering Gaza war” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/06/journalists-see-their-role-as-helping-to-win-how-israeli-tv-is-covering-gaza-war and “The far right infiltration of Israel’s media is blinding the public to the truth about Gaza | Etan Nechin | The Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/09/israel-media-gaza-benjamin-netanyahu-settler-movement See also “CNN Admits “Disturbing” Israel-Palestine Coverage Policy “Has Been in Place for Years”” https://www.juancole.com/2024/01/disturbing-palestine-coverage.html
on peace/ceasefires:
- “Blinken in Israel: Can the US dictate a less intense war in Gaza? | DW News” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6CVqQiPDJzM&list=WL&index=4&pp=gAQBiAQB and “Antony Blinken tells Israel: Palestinian rights are key to peace | Israel-Gaza war | The Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/violence-in-gaza-persists-as-antony-blinken-seeks-consensus-in-middle-east “Blinken said Arab leaders across the Middle East were ready to help with the reconstruction of Gaza, which has sustained massive destruction during the war, but only “through a regional approach that includes a pathway to a Palestinian state””
- “Benjamin Netanyahu’s biggest problem in negotiating an end to war with _____ and H_______h may be his own government” https://theconversation.com/benjamin-netanyahus-biggest-problem-in-negotiating-an-end-to-war-with-hamas-and-hezbollah-may-be-his-own-government-220736
on human rights and human suffering (on both sides) aspects:
- “Israeli
women and girls have suffered horrific sexual violence from _____.
Where is the outrage? | Deborah Lipstadt and Michèle Taylor | The
Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/11/israeli-women-and-girls-have-suffered-horrific-sexual-violence-from-_____-where-is-the-outrage
- “Israel: Gaza Workers Held Incommunicado for Weeks” https://www.juancole.com/2024/01/israel-workers-incommunicado.html “‘Threatened with rape’: Lama Khater recalls horrors while in Israeli jails | Israel War on Gaza | Al Jazeera” https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/1/10/threatened-with-rape-lama-khater-recalls-horrors-while-in-israeli-jails
- “Palestinians desperate to flee Gaza pay thousands in bribes to ‘brokers’” https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/jan/08/palestinians-flee-gaza-rafah-egypt-border-bribes-to-brokers
on military aspects:
- “Daily death rate in Gaza higher than any other major 21st Century conflict – Oxfam - The Australian Independent Media Network” https://theaimn.com/daily-death-rate-in-gaza-higher-than-any-other-major-21st-century-conflict-oxfam/
regionally:
- “Israel says Gaza fighting could last a year, amplifying fears of regional war” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/07/israel-says-gaza-fighting-could-last-a-year-amplifying-fears-of-regional-war and “Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran … how far could war in the Middle East spread?” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/07/israel-gaza-lebanon-iran-how-far-could-war-in-the-middle-east-spread and “Blinken returns to Middle East amid frantic efforts to stop spread of war” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/07/blinken-middle-east-efforts-stop-spread-war-israel-gaza-lebanon “US secretary of state begins visit in Jordan as fears grow Israel could expand Gaza conflict to Lebanon” and “Three months in, deaths mount as top diplomats try to stop spillover from Gaza war | SBS News” https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/three-months-in-deaths-mount-as-top-diplomats-try-to-stop-spillover-from-gaza-war/unhg5tld2 See also “What next after U.S. and UK strikes on the H_____s?” https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/yemen/what-next-after-us-and-uk-strikes-H_____s
- “Israel and H_______h edge closer to war as drone hits key Israeli command base | The Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/H_______h-drone-strike-hits-key-israeli-command-centre-safed and “‘Everyone is leaving’: bombardments drive tens of thousands from southern Lebanon | Lebanon | The Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/everyone-is-leaving-bombardments-drive-tens-of-thousands-from-southern-lebanon
- an opinion that “H_____ attacks are reaching boiling point – but a US-led military response would be a grave error” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/07/h_____-attacks-us-military-yemen-middle-east “the H_____s are positioning themselves as the only group that is taking concrete action against Israel”, and may not be controllable by Iran. The article also covers concerns about the fragility of peace in Yemen, but underplays, IMO, the significance of the attacks See also “US and UK navies repel largest attack yet by H_____s in Red Sea” https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240110-us-uk-repel-complex-drone-missile-attack-by-houthis-in-red-sea The increasing scale of attacks, which now no longer are linked to Israeli vessels, may lead to a damaging response - creating parallels of narcissism between the H_____s and the violent extremists who committed a mass atrocity on 7th October This all resulted in “US and UK strike H_____ targets in Yemen after attacks on shipping in Red Sea” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oXFEqAGbm2s and “Strikes on H______s could bring Biden closer to the regional war he sought to avoid | Yemen | The Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/12/yemen-houthi-airstrikes-red-sea-crisis-joe-biden-us-uk-australia
internationally:
- “In Blow to Democracy, British Parliament Votes to Outlaw University and Council Boycotts of Israel amid Gaza Genocide” https://www.juancole.com/2024/01/democracy-parliament-university.html This is appalling. The UK can no longer consider itself a full democracy - only partial
- “Homemade bomb planted on car at Sydney home flying Palestinian flag” https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/08/homemade-bomb-found-car-botany-palestine-flag-gaza-war-
Note: as with other mass murderers/serial killers/and the like, 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.
Note also that the genocidal intent of the VEs I refuse to name is clear, according to this from experts in that topic.
My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal.
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.
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