Saturday, 10 February 2024

FROM this week’s 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/. 

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 currrently ongoing tragic events in West Asia, in imperialistic Israel, Gaza, and adjoining nations, includes the following: 

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. 

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 VE group I refuse to name is, and has been for some time, clear, according to this from experts in that topic.

 In my opinion, a safe place for Jewish people has to exist because of the world’s collective failures in the 1930s and 40s (the problem was not only Germany, but every nation that rejected Jewish asylum seekers/refugees [including my nation - although Yorta Yorta man William Cooper was a notable “upstander”] or allowed antisemitism - and that continues now) ... but the Arab nations’ proposal for a single nation with Arab and Jewish provinces should have been given more consideration, IMO, and now that MUST be as part of a two state solution, lest Israel’s foundation and existence be inherently based on an injustice - which, as part of correcting an injustice, intrinsically morally weakens that foundation and existence.   I also note the importance of connection to land for many people - Israeli, Palestinian, Ukrainian, Kurdish, and many other people around the world, including my Wiradjuri and Widjabul people, the Wurundjeri, on whose land I currently reside, and many other Indigenous peoples. 

I will also include a standing note here that mainstream media continues to fail to report on the sexual assaults by _____ - which may be a bias resulting from having a majority cismale editors. I also note that I have seen reports of media bias towards Israel, but I have not seen that in the media I read - which may reflect my avoidance of conservative/right wing platforms. See also this, on when criticism of Israel becomes antisemitism, at which point I will reiterate my opinion that Israel’s conduct since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the collapse of the Oslo Accords has been particularly damaging of its standing (and devastating to those people on the receiving end), and its conduct now (which, irrespective of whether it is genocide or not, is appalling - Palestinian suffering is excruciating) risks an even more self-damaging Pyrrhic “victory”.

 

  • “What the Israeli Public Doesn’t See”   https://jewishcurrents.org/what-the-israeli-public-doesnt-see   “In largely ignoring the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the Israeli media both shapes and reflects public opinion”   A long read, but one which covers the issue well - particularly for people (such as myself) living outside of West Asia    
  • This explains the history well - including how Netanyahu used the genocidal _____ to destroy a two state solution, as _____ also did on 7th October. It is fairly clear that, from 2005, the USA should have been pressuring Israel to avoid going down that path - and yes, Israeli voters did vote for that harder line, but, given the preceding point, were they basing their decisions on accurate information or were they being misled? Very usefully, the article also outlines the crippling political problems on the Palestinian side as well, although I don’t know if enough information has been presented that the person being proposed as a Palestinian leader (a) has changed as claimed - but such changes of heart have been seen with Israelis such as Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon, and (b) is the right person for this role - leading a state is DIFFERENT to political and/or peace advocacy. Mandela actually made a reasonable effort at it, and Gandhi was right to stay clear of it. Those problems, incidentally, include Arab nations dithering about “the Palestinian issue”, as the article terms it:   “Israel should free M_____ B________. He is crucial to any hope of a longterm peace”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/08/freeing-marwan-barghouti-peace-israeli-gaza-war   Also, the following is significant, in relation to Arab attitudes:   “Saudis Contradict Blinken: Want Actual Palestinian State now, not Vague ‘Peace Process’”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/02/contradict-blinken-palestinian.html   

 




on peace/ceasefires:  

  • “Explainer: what is the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?”   https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-two-state-solution-to-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict-221872   “The two sides got very close to a deal in the 1990s but have drifted apart since then”       “Illusions and Obstacles to any Biden Initiative for a 2-State Solution after the Gaza Conflict”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/02/illusions-obstacles-initiative.html   “One of the most prominent results of [_____’s brutal and vile attack on 7th October] and Israel’s _ war against Gaza and its residents ... is the spread of Arab and international awareness and informing the public of the importance of the Palestinian issue, after its decline and marginalisation.   The Trump administration also succeeded [in making a deal] to integrate Israel into the Arab environment by normalising and establishing diplomatic relations ... at the expense of the Palestinian cause and not for its benefit, and [in violation of] the Arab initiative agreed upon by the Arabs at the Arab Summit in Beirut in 2002, “Land for Peace”, that is, Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Arab Territories in exchange for full Arab recognition of Israel and normalising relations with it.”   The article makes a realistic assessment of the options currently being considered by several parties   However   “UK and US may recognise state of Palestine after Gaza war – what this important step would mean”   https://theconversation.com/uk-and-us-may-recognise-state-of-palestine-after-gaza-war-what-this-important-step-would-mean-222538  

on human rights and human suffering (on both sides) aspects:    

on military aspects:    

  • “In Gaza, Continued Israeli Strikes Still kill Dozens of Palestinians Daily”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/02/continued-israeli-palestinians.html   Those killed are likely predominantly civilians, but they are NOT all be civilians - some will be members of _____ (some weeks ago I read an estimate that several thousand members of _____ had been killed: that number will have increased, but is not reported by Palestinian sources)   
  • a The Guardian exclusive reports:   “‘The destruction is massive … It’s a disaster area’: Israeli soldiers speak about fighting in Gaza”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/08/israeli-soldiers-idf-gaza-fighting-disaster-area   “Demobilised Israeli reservists have described how they deployed massive fire power in a brutal, complex and often one-sided war of sporadic but intense clashes that has reduced much of Gaza to ruins.   They spoke, too, of the challenge of fighting on unfamiliar ground that is well-known to _____ and which offered easy opportunities for surprise attacks   ...   Some had not seen Palestinian civilians at all, passing weeks in Gaza without encountering anyone other than small bands of Hamas militants. Others said they had been in close combat almost every day and considered those civilians who ignored Israeli instructions to flee as complicit with _____ and thus legitimate targets. Those interviewed also expressed sympathy for civilians and said they had tried to help them”   So, pretty much the sort of complex experiences/attitudes/emotions/actions that one would expect in a modern urban war. Those who considered civilians who had not fled as complicit are cause for grave concern; those who tried to help are cause for hope - maybe  

regionally:    

  • “H_____s may sabotage western internet cables in Red Sea, Yemen telecoms firms warn | Yemen | The Guardian”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/05/h_____s-may-sabotage-western-internet-cables-in-red-sea-yemen-telecoms-firms-warn   “Telecom firms linked to the UN-recognised Yemen government have said they fear Houthi rebels are planning to sabotage a network of submarine cables in the Red Sea critical to the functioning of the western internet and the transmission of financial data.   ...   Yemen Telecom said it had made both diplomatic and legal efforts during the past few years to persuade global international telecom alliances not to have any dealings with the H_____s since it would provide a [violent extremist] group with knowledge of how the submarine cables operated. It has been estimated that the Red Sea carries about 17% of the world’s internet traffic along fibre pipes.”   The effect of this would be major - far worse, I suspect, than the disruption to shipping. The existence of this risk shows (1) the dangers of putting all your eggs in one basket, as economists and economy-focused politicians favour and actively push for, (2) the dangers of ignoring local expertise, and (3) the potential dangers of dealing with groups out of expediency ... If those hadn’t happened, we would not have this risk but there would have been an unnoticeable increase in costs    There is a very good assessment of the implications, practicalities, statements made, etc relating to this matter at   “Can the H_____ Sever Global Underwater Cables off their Coast?”   https://youtu.be/2Mz3p8ixZTg?si=VYJMbPMVE2wCKUwu  

internationally:

 

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.

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 & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/  

 

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