#while you were asking 'is hamas a terrorist group and does israel have the right to collectively punish

[mirohtron]

100+ days of genocide and I'm still seeing idiots go "ok but hamas is bad too" girl what abt the country dickriding america

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Another independent Palestinian terrorist attack happened today, wounding two Palestinians who happened to drive by the terrorists, who intended to shoot at Israeli soldiers. The IDF neutralized them, while one soldier's life was saved thanks to his gear (I found the report on the shooting terrorist attack in both Hebrew and English, I only found the info on the two wounded Palestinians in Hebrew).

During the International Court of Justice's decision regarding provisional measures against Israel, only the majority opinion was read out loud. The minority opinion was published separately. The short of it is that the judge from Uganda found that South Africa didn't have a right to make this case at all, and therefore decided against every single provisional measure SA asked for, while the Israeli judge had the same conclusion, and a few words to add, as a child survivor of the Holocaust. He wrote, among other things, "Genocide is not just a word to me" (a sentiment that should be shared by everyone, not just survivors of genocide, IMO) and that essentially, the ICJ became a stage to put Able on trial for having been murdered by Cain, or in Barak's words, by focusing on Israel instead of on Hamas, South Africa "wrongly sought to impute the crime of Cain to Abel."

This footage aired a few days ago, but since I couldn't find it anywhere in English, I ended up editing it out of an article in Hebrew. What you can see here are two things... First, you'll see the Israeli Air Force following a Hamas squad, where the terrorists are carrying RPGs and going into a building. The IAF then strikes from the air that building, and what really stands out is the secondary explosions after the initial hit, indicating that the building was full of explosives. Second, you'll see Gazans evacuating to safety. As they do, they chant against Hamas. But what really got to me is how they're moving slowly next to Israeli tanks. If they were scared that the Israeli army would shoot at them indiscrimintaely as part of some attempted genocide, they would be rushing it out of there, and likely they wouldn't have even stepped anywhere near the tanks. They can walk slowly next to the IDF, because they're sure that the Israeli soldiers are NOT going to fire at them.

In the last couple of days, we've had repeated reports of Israelis being injured by Hezbollah fire into northern Israel (after civilian communities were continuously targeted, and people got killed by this Iran-funded terrorist group), and that IDF units which have concluded their fighting in Gaza, are now starting to train for a possible war in the north. Let's hope it won't come to that, but the only thing that might stop that option is a diplomatic agreement leading to Hezbollah leaving Israel's border, and there are no signs of those efforts succeeding for the time being.

The final warning before a subponea that the House committee investigating antisemitism had to issue Harvard, because the university hasn't produced the documents it was asked to, sure does make it sound like Haravard has nothing to hide...

Today, 4 months and a day after the Hamas massacre, they started removing the ruins of houses in kibbutz Be'eri, where over 100 members of the small, agricultural community had been slaughtered on Oct 7. This is a first step in re-building the kibbutz.

And this is one of the kibbutz members, Meni Goddard.

In continuation of yesterday's info on the number of Israelis already murdered by Hamas, and their bodies held hostage, today it was confirmed that Meni was murdered on Oct 7, and his body was kidnapped to Gaza. It was already known that his wife Ayelet was also murdered during the massacre. Kibbutz Be'eri currently has 11 members who are known to have been kidnapped to Gaza, of which 6 are bodies held hostage, depriving the dead of their right for decent burial, and their families and community of closure. May his memory be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[fairuzfan]

im sure you probably get asked this a lot, but i have no idea what the whole deal with israel and palestine is

the only thing ive heard is from someone i overheard next to me in a lecture that palestine terrorists attacked israel or something but im starting to think im missing a lot of important context with that

Hi, thanks for sending this in. I've had this in my inbox for a while now because I feel like I didn't know where to start. There is this new crash course online that educates about history and information regarding Palestine's colonization and the history leading up to October 7th, 2023. I recommend taking a look at this resource first:

Generally, a quick rundown is that on October 7th, a group of resistance fighters launched a coordinates attack on the state of Israel and took some hostages back to Gaza. They had done this specifically because Gaza was experiencing a critical point on the 20 year seige the Israeli state imposed on them — even before this they were struggling to find clean water and their economy was severely damaged since their imports were calculated by the calorie by Israel. So they were starved and malnourished, many people with medical issues were not granted access to seek help outside of Gaza if they needed specialized care.

In 2018, Gazans had launched the "Great March Of Return" where they marched en masse to the militarized fence separating Gaza and "Israel." This was, by all accounts, a peaceful protest, though the Israeli government responded with brutal force, killing children as small as 2 years old and elderly people as old as about 80 years old.

This had gone on for a while in 2018, after every Friday prayer, and hundreds died. Even if they were not killed, a large number of them were critically wounded. There are many Palestinians disabled from bullet wounds, and the Israeli government purposefully does not allow them to seek treatment if they require it.

This, coupled with the estimation that Gaza would be absolutely unlivable in a couple years, caused an armed resistance to break out, which is what you hear with the "terrorists" attacking Israeli settlements. Now the reports of who killed Israeli civilians is widely argued, with many claiming that Hamas (some of the resistance fighters) did not kill the majority of Israeli casualties, like in this account from a survivor in which they described that the majority of deaths from the kibbutz were because of Israeli indiscriminate firing:

I can't say I totally understand what is going on now with the resistance fighters, but I know that Israel has tried, and failed, a number of times to invade gaza, always getting fended off by the resistance.

Now, gazans are suffering collective punishment where they are bombed indiscriminately in residential areas, hospitals, and schools, all under the excuse that there are "Hamas tunnels" they wish to destroy that lie under Gaza. They provide no evidence of this — they just claim it and drop the bombs. About 10,000 Palestinians have died from the bombing, many of them in pieces, about half of them children. They are also suffering an unprecedented siege where absolutely NO water, fuel, or food is allowed in Gaza (except for like 20 trucks one time) since October 7th. Gazans are reported to have completely run out of clean water. A vast majority of them are showing symptoms from drinking dirty water like vomiting and diarrhea. The water in Gaza does not work, so they are suffering from sanitation issues that will no doubt make the spread of disease proliferate.

I can go on about the issues the Gazans face, but you can scroll through my blog to learn more. Right now Gaza is suffering a humanitarian crisis and genocide. Palestinians in the west Bank are getting arrested en masse, tortured and humiliated by Israeli police and settlers. They are also getting shot randomly. Right now is the collective effort to completely erase Palestinians off the face of the earth, led by Israel and the United States, all for their own selfish interests.

Check out some posts here as well:

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything. Feel free to dm.

[phoenixyfriend]

Suggested topics to call your reps about today, 1/30/24!

I’ve been doing two subjects per call recently; one is almost always about the events in the middle east, and then one is domestic policy. I’m including a bit of verbiage you can use as basis for what you say (if you agree with me), for a few of these.

BOTH SENATE AND HOUSE:

Foreign Policy: Reinstate funding for UNRWA. While the claims made by Israel that employees of the relief agency were involved in Oct. 7th are troubling, this arm of the UN is currently providing food, water, shelter, and medical care to the 2.3 million displaced peoples of Gaza. It is especially disturbing and concerning that the many children of Gaza, who are already suffering due to this conflict, are now having this support revoked.

Warn Congress to reaaaaally think about whether a strong response to the incident in Jordan, currently attributed to an Iraqi group backed by Iran, if we're truly looking to avoid a wider regional war as claimed. There is already growing unrest in Yemen and the threat of another civil war, fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and now the situation with the Islamic Resistance. Caution them against an overreaction of the kind that the US has a tendency towards.

FOR THE SENATE: Urge your senator to put their support behind Bernie Sanders and his motion to restrict funding to Israel until a humanitarian review of the IDF’s actions in Gaza has been completed.

FOR THE HOUSE: Urge your representative to put their support behind Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s petition for the US government to recognize the IDF’s actions in Gaza as ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, and put a stop to it.

Domestic Policy

House of Representatives:

Expansion of the child tax credit. The House of Representatives is currently voting on whether or not to expand the child tax credit that was instated during COVID-19. This credit offers a return on taxes for individuals with children, but currently does not apply to families that are too poor to qualify. During COVID, this tax credit was expanded to include those families, and child poverty fell to record lows, but as it was a temporary measure, those children are getting left behind again. Given the effectiveness the expansion of this tax regulation showed in the past, it would be a net positive for the country as a whole to codify it more permanently.

Other things coming up in the next week if you think your rep might be receptive:

H.R. 6976: Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act: Vote no. This act is discriminatory and enforces harsher penalties on immigrants than in legal citizens. While DUIs are a significant issue, enacting stronger guidelines on a small portion of the population that is already at risk from discriminatory police action is not a solution.

H.R. 6679: No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act - Vote no or dismiss if possible. Terrorism is already considered a reason to reject immigrants. This bill is pointless peacocking. You have better things to do with your time.

H.R. 6678: Consequences for Social Security Fraud Act - Vote no. This proposed act is discriminatory and enacts unduly harsh sentences against minorities. The system already has punishments for fraud; this specific act is unnecessary.

H.R. 5585: Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act - Are you sensing a pattern? It's discriminatory! Evading law enforcement on a motor vehicle is already illegal, you do not need to ADD IMMIGRATION PENALTIES.

Senate:

Abortion rights. Domestically, for the senate, push for abortion rights.

Specific things coming up in the next week if you think your Senator might be receptive:

H.R. 6914: Pregnant Students’ Rights Act - Call to ask that the resolution EXPLICITLY include abortion access, or otherwise vote against. This passed the house on strict party lines; other than a handful of abstentions, the vote was all republican for and all dems against. The text of the proposal is explicitly anti-abortion.

H.R. 6918: Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act - same as above, it was very partisan in the house vote, though less explicitly anti-abortion in the text. Nonetheless, it focuses explicitly on protecting funding to "pregnancy centers," which are often anti-choice and dedicated to pushing patients towards keeping a baby they don't want.

DOMESTIC POLICY, BOTH BRANCHES OF CONGRESS: Border policy is currently being hotly debated and negotiated. A very strong policy in favor of the Republican party is the status at the moment. Even some democrats are in favor of it due to small border communities being ill-equipped to handle large numbers of migrants, and states usually removed from the situation getting migrants bussed in from Texas despite telling Texas to knock it off. Despite some Republicans saying that they have gotten everything they could want out of the current deal, the party at large is refusing to pass it as the politics of the debate are more useful to the coming election than actually passing policy. This is also causing delays in passing the federal budget.

I... don't actually want to tell anyone WHAT to think of the border policy since I do not have any real knowledge on the budget impacts and resources dictating the actual problems (nor the racism or xenophobia, that part is obviously bullshit). I can recognize that too some degree, there is a genuine issue of manpower and budget restriction impacting the ability to house and process immigrants.

However, DREAMers are not being considered in the current deal, the delays in the deal are impacting the federal government and threatening a partial shutdown, and people are STILL getting hurt and even dying at the border.

I would focus on protection for DREAMers, chastising the Republicans for deliberately delaying the budget in order to use the border as a reelection premise instead of actually working on the policy they claim to want (emphasize that they are going to lose votes for focusing on reelection at the expense of their people), and protection for children, parents with those children, and nonviolent migrants in general.

[david-goldrock]

Hey, I'm sure you've been inundated with hateful messages since a fairly large blog pointed you out as a proud zionist. I don't think that's helpful for anyone and it speaks poorly of those who sent it. I'd like to ask you some questions though, and I won't call on you to answer them publicly but you may wish to reflect on them in private.

First, do you believe all the citizens of Palestine are guilty for what Hamas has done? If so, I might ask you why collective punishment was outlawed under the Geneva convention.

Second, why did the Israeli government need to make up a story about 40 beheaded babies, and why is that now debunked story worth so much more than the babies that have been killed by bombs or starved to death in Gaza now?

Third, why might the people of Gaza support Hamas? Even if you believe every single Palestinian does, why would such an awful terrorist group be so popular? Do you believe it is because they are just savages, frothing at the mouth to kill Jews and queers?

Fourth, what justifies the Nakba of the last century, the killing and displacement of 750,000 people?

Fifth, what of the documented cases going back decades of Israeli soldiers killing journalists, medics, and peaceful protesters, including non-Palestinians like Rachel Corrie? Why do you think she protested so vehemently?

Sixth, if you believe Israel has the right to reclaim the homeland of two thousand years ago, do you believe Native Americans have the right to violently take the land of the USA?

Finally, why do you think the Israeli organization Breaking the Silence exists, and what do their testimonies mean to you?

I see you enjoy Percy Jackson; those books were very dear to my heart when I was younger, specifically the messaging of compassion for others and standing up against unjust systems. There is no angry message that anyone could send that will make you change your mind, but I hope this, sent in good faith, might help you at least reflect.

Imma answer out of order, going from stuff that's related to the war, to stuff related to the conflict, to stuff pretty unrelated

Hey, I'm sure you've been inundated with hateful messages since a fairly large blog pointed you out as a proud zionist.

So that's what happened! that explains it, thanks

First, do you believe all the citizens of Palestine are guilty for what Hamas has done?

I guess you mean the civilian population as Hamas never declared independence. I do not consider them all guilty, but I consider many responsible, so let's break it down:

Guilty: any hamas memeber, any person who helps hamas (funds, weapon stashes, kindapee holding) and any person who volunteers or sends volunteers or incourage volunteers to serve as human sheidls. all of them are directly guilty

Responsable: reponsable is those who could have responded but don't. those who had information about the war and didn't share it with Israel, anybody who knows the location of kidnappees, terrorists or weapon stashes, etc.

The remaining, mostly children, are neither guilty nor responsible, and I am sorry they are in the crossfire. I wish hamas surrenders soon, but I am not very hopeful

why collective punishment was outlawed under the Geneva convention

collective punishment is outlawed because hurting those who aren't guilty is not okay, any child can tell you that. but this war isn't collective punishment. on the contrary: hamas members use the immence humanitarian support for the civilian population in gaza to remain afloat.

Second, why did the Israeli government need to make up a story about 40 beheaded babies

let's begin by saying that many babies were brutally murdered on Oct. 7, just so nobody gets any ideas

beheading specifically? well see, I was one of the people talking about the beheaded babies, so while I can't speak for my government, I can speak for myself

This was at a time things were pretty uncertain, and It wasn't clear what had and hadn't happened, and an esteemed journalist from abroad had made the claim, not the government, who only defended it. It felt like the horrors we saw were denied before we even got the moment to mourn for them. this is one of the few times in this war that Israel had shared false information, so I can see how one might get caught up on it, but this is 1 detail which was wrong, a few days after the horrific massecare.

babies that have been killed by bombs or starved to death in Gaza now?

I didn't see any proof for starvation, though I wouldn't be very surprised (even though gaza now gets almost twice as many humanitarian aid as it did on Oct. 6, much of the support goes to hamas, so maybe it did happen). About the bombs? I am not very glad about gazan babies and children dying by bomb strikes, but with all due respect, I prefer that the soliders we send into gaza stay alive than gazan children, so if a trapped house with a hamas base and a few children is standing, I prefer we bomb it than risk the lives of our soliders. you may disagree, that's an opinion, but I have friends in gaza at the moment, and I cannot go to another funeral, my heart has had enough

Third, why might the people of Gaza support Hamas? ... why would such an awful terrorist group be so popular?

For the same reason the rest of the arab world and some of the western world does: they kill jews. every time hamas does a terror attack, it's value in the polls skyrockets all over the middle east. they like to see dead jews. I genuinly wonder what other reason could it be in your mind? hamas and groups like it operated from before 1948, they are terrible for every infrastructure and chance for peace one might ever wish for, they call for the creation of a palestinian state on the entire land west of the jordan river, and for an Islamic caliphate, if you belive it's about land you understoon nothing

Even if you believe every single Palestinian does

Well, here is a poll from after Oct. 7

tell me yourself

Do you believe it is because they are just savages, frothing at the mouth to kill Jews and queers?

I do not think of them as savages, (hamas are worse than that, the rest are just misled by an awful culture that's filled to the brim with fundamental islamism), but yes, absolutly, they like hamas because they kill jews. they prefer them to fatah because fatah dares to talk with Israel. they support terrorist attacks, by the majority, they share candies when jews are slaughtered, yes, they like hamas because it is the main palestinian group killing jews.

Finally, why do you think the Israeli organization Breaking the Silence exists, and what do their testimonies mean to you?

This is the easiest question you could have given me, thank you. BTS, the extreme-left organization that supposedly devotes themselves to testemonies about IDF misconduct, are cowards.

I have seen their testemonies, and I have reviewd their cases, and I have 2 problems with them:

they generalize specific cases. one of their favorite stories is the story of how once a few soliders (I think in Hebron) were on duty on the time of the world cup, so they evacuated a family from their house for that day, confiscated their TV, and watched the game, what they tell you is that it's a common occourance, what they don't tell you is that It happened once, and the soliders were heavily (though not heavily enough) punished

they prefer to act as social justice warriors than doing the hard work. BTS has dozens of cases of solider misconduct, but many of them has never seen a court, military court or general court. they gather a bunch of evidence, and instead of acting as an increadible organization that keeps the sanctity of the weapon and take misbehaving soliders to court, they exagurate and publish those stories abroad, to get a pat on the back, give bs for antisemites to spew, and leave the soliders out in public. Instead of making both palestinians and israelis secure (because I don't want the guy who thought he can take sombody's home to watch the world cup to walk with me on the street either), they prefer getting a bit of praise from the enemies of the country and leave things be

>Sixth, if you believe Israel has the right to reclaim the homeland of two thousand years ago, do you believe Native Americans have the right to violently take the land of the USA?

That is less like '48 and more like the bar-cokhva revolt... there is an empire there and not an ungoverened body, the violence comes from the people and not the colonising force etc. but let's answer this quesiton anyway because of all of your questions, this one made me think the most

Yes and no. If the first people of the american continent wanted to reastablish governence they never had over empty streaches of land to have it, this is insane. But if the first people organized in a movement to reclaim some of the USA and establish independent states where they once lived, and at first tried a peaceful solution for years, I think I'd support their struggle, yes. That said, it would be suicidal. the time we tried to do something simmilar (the bar cochva revolt) it ended in 2000 years of diasporah, so while I'd support the cause, I'd not support a war against nuclear america, and neither would I support giving back times square or D.C, a settlement would have to be reached. I think many americans would support it as well, particularly from the left

Fourth, what justifies the Nakba of the last century, the killing and displacement of 750,000 people?

I think you were lied to about the nakba... the "nakba" is the event in which right after the establishment of Israel (the day after) a war broke out with 7 arab armies attacked the newform state. in this war, the arab leaders of the time told many arabs in the area to evacuate and return after the war is done and there are no more jews in Israel. in the mixed cities fights broke out, and the army that got there first expelled the population they didn't support (Hadera went jewish, Hebron went arab). lastly, a few (though very few) operations under plan D got arab out of their homes. remember: the jews in the entire arab world, including judea and sameria, got the same treatment, often worse. now for those so called "refugees" (calling the decendent of a person fleeing from a war he started and getting a foriegn ID or returning to live in the same land under a different governance "refugee" is absurd. by that defenition I am a judean-polish-czechoslovakian refugee, even though I was born here) that UNRWA talks about now? they don't have "a right to return" any more than a roman or greek person does. the latest coloniser thinks they can get special treatment. for their property? they can get compensation once the entirety of europe and MENA gives Israel the tens of bilions of dollars worth of property that was stolen from them in '39 and '48.

Fifth, what of the documented cases going back decades of Israeli soldiers killing journalists, medics

I have seen none, I have seen, many, MANY, cases though, of "medics" and "journalists" with guns and suicide bombers.

and peaceful protestors

whats peaceful to you? throwing rocks at soliders? many die from these attacks each year. crossing the border? that would get you arrested or killed in any country except in europe

Rachel Corrie

Well, I am sorry that she died, there certainly was a better way to deal with the situation. The supreme court of israel (which is very left leaning) determined that her actions constituded an act of war and such the soliders are not guilty. I disagree, but you cannot pretend like this is either A. a common occourance or B. a clear case of non-violent proccess. her actions were, and I quote the surprmeme court:

I see you enjoy Percy Jackson; those books were very dear to my heart when I was younger, specifically the messaging of compassion for others and standing up against unjust systems.

Well, I see percy jackson as more about acceptance and breaking cycles of violence, but idk. I do think we should stand up against bad systems, and believe me, I could fill a book with the troubles that I have with the IDF. it often puts things under the rug, sacrafices Israeli lives to look better, and many other problems, but I don't think it is unjust. on the contrary, I think any army in the world, and epecially the US's one, would have flattned gaza on the 8th. the IDF is the most moral army in the world (it is the only one even trying)

Hope you agree with me, and even if you don't, how did you say? "I hope this, sent in good faith, might help you at least reflect"

This is the first civil ask I got since, I think, december. thank you for being civil

[lgbtawarenessproject]

All Eyes on Rafah

It is the seventh of May, 2024. Israel is attacking Rafah. I know I haven’t been active on this account in a while, and I know this has nothing to do with queer news, but there is a genocide going on right now. If you think that the murder of 1.4 million refugees(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/6/why-is-israel-forcing-the-evacuation-of-part-of-rafah-gazas-last-refuge)  is okay, then you should ask yourself “what if that was my friend, my family member, why is it different if it isn’t?” Because it isn’t different. It isn’t. Every person in that city has friends, family members. Everyone in that city is being targeted. Whether they are a 3 month old baby, an 87 year old grandmother or otherwise. Rafah was supposed to be a refuge (https://www.vox.com/2024/2/16/24074311/israel-hamas-war-rafah-gaza-civilians) and now they are sending in airstrikes and ground troops.

Some of you seeing this are going to say that Palestine attacked first, and that Israel has the right to defend itself. You’re wrong. I’m not going to argue with you about who attacked first, there isn’t any point in it, but I want to ask you. Does self-defense look like the murder of over thirty thousand people? (https://time.com/6909636/gaza-death-toll/) What about more? This article is from March. Right now, they are in Rafah. A place they said they wouldn’t attack. (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/israel-continues-bombarding-gaza-including-places-it-told-palestinians-to-evacuate-to) It is easy, to blame this on Hamas. It is easy to say the Israelis are protecting themselves. This situation is a whole lot more complicated than that. With every person Israel kills, every man, woman, child, elder, with the excuse that “they were part of Hamas”, it makes you wonder if their definition of “Hamas” is instead, Palestinians. A minimum of 12,000 children have died (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/israel-continues-bombarding-gaza-including-places-it-told-palestinians-to-evacuate-to) . You don’t kill 12,000 children by accident. You don’t think that children are part of a terrorist organization. You kill 12,000 children because you want them to be scared of you, because you want them to fight back so you can kill more.

You cannot call every person who picks up a gun, a terrorist. If you were forced to watch someone kill your child, your kid sibling, your best friend, your grandmother, and you didn’t try to fight back? People would call you a monster. Yet- they call Palestinians monsters for doing just that. They call people who are in mourning monsters, after they killed their families. If you still side with Israel, you are a monster. If you still side with Israel after all that they have done, you are a monster. This isn’t a matter of religion, this isn’t a matter of stolen land, this is a genocide. This is a country committing war crimes. (https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1654922) (https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/06/04/israel-50-years-occupation-abuses) (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/31/have-war-crimes-been-committed-in-israel-and-gaza-and-what-international-laws-apply)

If your defense of Israel is that is antisemitic to go against them, choose a better one. Judaism is not a country; Judaism is not a government; Judaism is not the murder of thousands. If that is what you think Judaism is, then you are the one being antisemitic. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/04/09/israel-gaza-war-crimes-genocide/) (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/27/london-gaza-protest-openly-jewish-march-holocaust-survivors-palestine-demonstration) (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/israel-using-holocaust-as-a-cover-for-gaza-genocide-holocaust-survivor/3207269)

Neither group in this battle are my people, neither group are mine by genetics nor religion nor culture, but they are all humans. Every single one of them is a human. Every single person out there deserves a chance to live. Please put your eyes, put your attention, or Rafah. On the families that are trying to escape and to live. Please help them before it is too late. For the ones that it is too late. Donate, support, make you voices heard. We cannot let another genocide happen while we just stand back and watch. It shouldn’t be our responsibility to tell them to stop, it shouldn’t be our jobs to stop humans from killing humans. But we have to. Because they aren’t doing it themselves.

It is hard to watch these things when you know you can look away. It is hard to help when you know that it is easier not to. But do you want to tell your friends and family, your children and grandchildren, the people in Rafah, that you decided to stand back? That you had the opportunity to help, like very few have before, and you didn’t? Help these people. Get them to safety. Do your part. Whether that be donating a couple of dollars, sharing a video, going to protests, writing an essay. Do something. You can do something, so do it. I know it is scary, it is depressing, but they can't just look away as they are running and hiding for their lives. Even one small thing, can do a lot.

Please reblog and reply to this post with GFM's and other places to donate to. Additional information and updates are welcome.

Go here to keep updated on the situation in Rafah.

-Soul

[beardedmrbean]

The son of one of the founders of Hamas has blasted the terror group’s student supporters in the United States, accusing them of participating in Hamas’ brutal crimes and declaring they “need to go to a mental asylum.”

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, made the remarks as he appeared on “Dr. Phil Primetime” last week to debate two anti-Israel student activists from the University of Michigan.

“It’s very disappointing to see Americans supporting Hamas and thinking that Hamas is a cool thing, while Hamas does not respect any of those followers,” Yousef said on the April 2 episode.

The Hamas defector said the bloodthirsty terrorists would “torture them and massacre them with no mercy.”

Yousef went on to explain how the militants refer to their American supporters as “useful idiots.”

Yousef, who defected to Israel in 1997 and became a spy for the Shin Bet intelligence agency, insisted that anti-Israel protesters “don’t know what they’re supporting.”

He called Hamas a “monster that has been hijacking an entire society and endangering the entire Middle East, pushing the world toward a global war.”

“What’s happening is insanity,” he continued. “Those pro-Palestine need to go to a mental asylum.”

Yousef said he knew what he was talking about because he spent time in prison with Hamas leaders.

“I was born there and part of that culture, part of that religion,” he explained.

“Some people hear about Hamas or they see an avatar of a Hamas fighter carrying a rifle, a ‘freedom fighter,’ and they think it’s a fancy idea to support such a monster.”

When Yousef then took part in a debate with University of Michigan students Salma and Zaynab, he accused them of wearing keffiyehs — traditional Palestinian scarves — to distract from the fact that they have no legitimacy to speak on behalf of the cause.

“On what authority do you speak?” he asked, rhetorically. “You only speak on the authority of Hamas propaganda.”

Zaynab interjected, asking why he believed she was simply reciting Hamas talking points.

“Because if you were a decent human being, you can say that the thousands who were killed on Oct. 7, that was a crime against humanity. It was a genocide,” Yousef shot back.

He went on to say that the student activists are proving that Hamas wants to completely destroy Israel.

“We have the problem with the pro-Palestine [people] who are actually giving Hamas cover. They are participating in the crime,” he told the young women.

“I think enough is enough, and now it’s proven — and you’re helping Hamas prove it to the world — that Palestine depends on the destruction of the state of Israel,” he continued.

“You cannot even condemn Hamas and say what they did on Oct. 7 was an act of a savage group.

“And this is not acceptable, and we are not going to agree to it. And I tell you something: For the next 10, 20 years, the Palestinian people will pay the bill that Hamas has caused and most likely in blood.”

Even Dr. Phil took aim at the student activists after they refused to say whether they condemned the terrorist attack.

“There are some things that are just fundamental human decency, and when I ask you if what happened on Oct. 7 is something you condemn, and you say, ‘Well, you have to look at that by looking at hundreds of years of conflict.’ No, you don’t,” the TV show host said. “That’s either right or it’s wrong — and I don’t need a hundred years of conflict to know it was wrong,” he said to raucous applause. “Let me tell you something,” Dr. Phil continued, “when someone comes over a fence and goes into someone’s house and burns their infant in its crib, I don’t give a damn why they did it — it’s wrong.”

[hero-israel]

Hi. I’m sorry if this question has been answered before. I looked through your blog, and I found a few questions similar to mine, but not exactly what I wanted to know.

So, I’m an 18 year old from the New England region of the US. I’m not Jewish, ethnically or religiously. I have been following the events as they’ve been reported on since October 7th and have been disturbed and saddened by much of what I have seen.

I see that people have died on both sides, Israelis who were deliberately targeted, and people from Gaza who are trapped in a war zone. There is suffering all around. It is honestly shocking to me the fact that many people are not acknowledging this fact.

The Israeli government is, well, a government. Whether you agree with it’s policies or not. Hamas is not. Hamas is a terrorist group that is willing to steam roll over the people of Gaza in order to kill the people of Israel. The Palestinians get nothing out of Hamas’s actions, killing civilians didn’t advance the cause for Palestinian statehood, it’s probably set it back years, and now thousands of people have, and are going to, die.

It makes me genuinely angry that ‘terrorism is wrong’ is not something that everyone can agree on. No action that Israel did justifies Oct. 7th. Just like no amount of the US messing around in the Middle East justified 9/11.

I don’t know if I’m incredibly naive or what, but the amount of Anti-Semitic shit I’ve seen recently is astonishing to me. I knew that it was still a big problem, but I had hoped that there would have been a LOT more pushback to it.

I’m someone that doesn’t like to rock the boat. While I’ll passionately explain my views when asked or the topic is brought up, I don’t like to flaunt them about, because I know some people are fricking nuts, and I am but a petite teenage girl with social anxiety, who does not want to be attacked by crazy people over having a bumper sticker on my car.

I bring this up because it is a testament to how bad I think things are getting that I’m asking you what I should do to help? I’ve probably spent well over an hour trying to word this ask, but I genuinely think I need to do this or else I’m going to regret it. Does showing the Israeli flag actually do anything? Does posting on Tumblr actually do anything? If they do, I can do them. Hell, if it would help I could go to a protest. I’ve never been before, because I’ve always been nervous about confrontations, but I can do it.

I hope this doesn’t come off as me making this about myself. I’m asking this anonymously because I specifically DON’T want this to be about me. I just wanted to add the context so that I could convey A.) That reading your’s and others’ posts about this are encouraging me to want to do something, and B.) That I’m going to be going far out of my comfort zone for this, so if you have suggestions for what is actually helpful, so that I can focus my energy on that, I’d be very grateful.

Stay safe, and have a wonderful night.

Thank you for writing, and for being willing to go out of your comfort zone for the sake of standing up for Jewish peoples' rights and safety, along with standing up for the basic truth.

The important thing is that you don't have to go TOO FAR out of your comfort zone. It doesn't help anyone for you to be at physical risk. I would recommend against bumper stickers or for specifically conflict-based protests (especially against counter-protests).

What would be truly helpful and meaningful to the Jewish community around you would be for you to go to pro-Jewish / pro-Israel events. Surely a local synagogue or campus Hillel will know of some rallies or speeches, where just having you in the room would help show solidarity. If antisemites try to crash it, you are not obligated to engage them. Posting to your social networks would be great too - just something as simple as "Nothing justifies sending a door-to-door death squad to rape and murder children." Let people see that there is an option for non-Jews to truly be allies for us.

Again, thank you. I do hope you will show up. It would mean a lot to those who see you there.

[northwoodsfan]

Hi can you explain the whole Israel/Hamas war from a Christian perspective? I've been seeing so many takes from so many people and I have no idea which sources to trust.

God bless

Hi. It’s a very complicated answer I think and please bear in mind I’m giving you my opinion on it as there is some controversy within Christian circles just as there is everywhere else. First let me say this. I believe God (the one true God) hates war. Period. He loves all life. He created all of us in His image and therefore, taking of any life hurts Him deeply. Secondly, I don’t believe this is an Israeli-Palestinian war. I’ve chatted with Jews and Palestinians who would agree. This is an action against terrorism. Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not take into account the safety of its own people. Israel is under attack much like we in the USA were under attack with the 911 attack in 2001. The Middle East has always been a hotbed of hostility. The area we know as Palestine, or the Holy Land is an area promised to Isaac, the son of Abraham. However, Abraham had another son named Ishmael. The Muslims can trace their heritage back to Abraham through Ishmael. The Jews can trace their heritage back to Isaac. Isaac is referred to in Old Testament as the son of promise. The Old Testament also states that there will always be hostility between these people groups. The three major religions of the world (Muslim, Jewish, Christian) trace their heritage back to Abraham. While there are many differing opinions on this, I believe the major difference between these three groups boils down to which prophet you follow. We as Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the one sent from God to live in human form. To be completely God and completely man (don’t ask me how to explain that here! :) ) Jesus came to show us who God was, to die on the cross and to raise from the dead. These are historical facts by the way. We believe Jesus ascended into heaven with a promise to return. The Muslims, from my understanding point to Mohammed as their prophet. They recognize Jesus as a prophet but not the son of God. The Jews (as a religion) do not recognize Jesus as Messiah. There are, however many Jewish Christians, those who hold to their Jewish ethnicity but have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. As a Christian, I watch the conflict in the Middle East with a heavy heart and anxious anticipation. A heavy heart because all life is precious. But I also have excited anticipation. My belief in the Bible and the God of the Bible assures me that this conflict is a precursor to the return of Jesus Christ. He will come to end all war, all disease, all racism and relational conflict. All of these are a result of mankind’s sin and rejection of Jesus. Extreme Muslims refer to Jihad, a Holy war against anyone not Muslim and in a sense they are right. My hope and prayer is that everyone accept the free gift and forgiveness only offered through Jesus Christ. Hopefully that helps your understanding. Hate and war/murder and anger has never been something God sanctions. Have a Blessed New Year!

[cobaltstarling]

...Ok I'm going to say something that I know is a hot button topic right now, because I kinda need to get it off of my chest. I'm going to put it under read more, and I'm not going to tag it with anything. And any asks on it will likely be ignored because, I will admit, I don't really have much of a horse in this race, so to speak. It doesn't involve me, so... yeah.

Listening to the news, a lot of people are calling for Israel to ceasefire and try diplomacy.

Now, I'm not saying that what Israel is doing but right... but honestly, I'm not sure what the people who are suggesting that are on.

Like, how many people did Hamas kill? Like, 1,300, and 150 hostages?

Can you really think of ANY country who, after that sort of attack, would just not retaliate? Would want to try diplomacy?

Like

Let's just break this down to numbers.

9/11, terrible attack, started America's war on terror. Roughly 3,000 victims. American's population at the time? 285 million. So if we assumed that all of the victims were American (I know they weren't but bear with me)

What percentage of the population was that?

0.001%

And then America went to war. No talks about even attempting diplomacy, just going to war.

Now, we come back to the present. In the first attack alone, Israel lost 1,300 people, and then 150 were taken hostage. We're just gonna focus on the losses here.

So, 1,300 deaths, and the population of Israel is about 9.3 million.

What percentage of the population is that?

0.01%

So, give or take a bit, it was ten times as much of the population of Israel that America lost in 9/11...

And people are saying that Israel should call a ceasefire, should try diplomacy with, y'know, a group that is considered by many to be a terrorist organization.

Am I saying that Israel should have waited for the civilians to be evacuated before retaliating? Of course they should have, but I can see why they didn't. Again, not endorsing it, but I can see why. And honestly, I don't think Israel is going to stop. And again, while I don't agree, I can't really blame them.

It kinda just feels like... Imagine you're being bullied. This bully is big, and mean, and doesn't give a shit. You go to the teacher. And the teacher does absolutely fuck all. Tells you to try being nice to the bully.

So you try being nice to the bully... and the bully beats the shit out of you, just like normal.

That's... kinda what I feel would happen if Israel called a ceasefire or tried diplomacy. Hamas would just ignore the ceasefire or the attempts at diplomacy and attack again.

...But yeah, I guess this has been a little look into my mindset and how my mind works. As I said, this is more just to get my thoughts down and out there a LITTLE more than anything else, any asks or comments or whatever will likely be ignored. And yes, this is very much an outsider's point of view, I accept that. But yeah.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

A troubling situation for Jewish Democrats at the moment, so much so that they have written a letter to Biden complaining about antisemitic remarks against Israel made by prominent Representatives in the House. 

Of these, Congresswoman Omar once again demonstrates her failure to grasp either the conflict or the substance of such accusations. 

“Israeli airstrikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism.”

These airstrikes are targeted at Hamas terrorists and their weapons supplies. Yet Omar makes it sounds as though Israel has deliberately launched airstrikes against the civilian population.  

In fact, Israel takes special measures to minimise civilian casualties. And of course, she makes no mention of Hamas firing over 3000 rockets into Israel prior to Israel’s retaliation. 

The death of any Arab civilian in these airstrikes is a tragedy. To claim, however, that Israel caused those deaths deliberately is a slander, particularly when it is Hamas who has an express wish of murdering Jews whether in Israel or outside. 

We must be clear and unequivocal: antisemitism is unacceptable and has no place in any movement,” she continued. “Fighting bigotry of any kind means fighting bigotry of every kind.

Does that include the antisemitism of attacking the existence of the Jewish State, and denying Jews the right to live as a national people in their historic homeland? 

Omar’s cagey use of “any kind” and “every kind” of bigotry obscures the unique nature of antisemitic hatred. While many groups have faced persecution in history, the kinds of accusations against Jews are distinct: control of the world’s finances, causing wars, promoting immorality, poisoning people, etc. 

We cannot equate legitimate criticism of the Israeli government, its policy, and its military occupation with antisemitism. Connecting the actions of a foreign country’s government and military with an entire faith does nothing to keep the Jewish people safer.

Once again proof that Omar either cannot or will not listen to her critics properly. 

Many, many pro-Israel advocates (this one included) are careful to point out that criticism of Israeli policy is not antisemitic. If Omar took the time to read Israeli newspapers, she would find a diverse range of viewpoints on Israeli policies from various sides of the political spectrum. Israelis criticise Israeli policy every day. (Look at the ongoing election debacle over the last 2 years!)

This is not the point of contention. 

Attacks on Israel which are antisemitic include: 1)- comparing Israel to the Nazis, 2)- claiming that there is something wrong with Israel’s existence, 3)- denying Jewish history and precedence in Israel, 4)- accusations of “Judaization”, 5)- blaming Israel for retaliating against terror attacks incited by a violent, antisemitic terror organisation, 6)- sanitising Hamas’ murderous anti-Jewish hatred, 7)- implying that Jews have dual loyalty (”It’s all about the Benjamins, baby.”), 8)- calling for Israel’s eradication, 9)- isolating Jews for being pro-Israel, 10)- the BDS movement. 

Other examples may exist.

Omar should take a long, hard look at this list and ask herself whether she has crossed that boundary in the past. Several prominent Jewish Americans would argue that she has, in fact, crossed that boundary under the guise of political debate. 

Also, Omar once again shows her ignorance by refering to “an entire faith”. However, Jews are also an ethnicity with a national history. 

This is crucial, because anti-Israel advocates love to erase Jewish national history by referring to Jews as being only adherents of Judaism. Of course, they ignore the fact that so many Jewish teachings focus on settling in the Land of Israel. You cannot understand the central 5 books, the Torah, without this fact. 

Furthermore, if Omar were to investigate the antisemitic attacks she condemns, she would discover that several attackers used Israel as a justification for abusing Jewish people. So the antisemitic attackers draw a connection between Israel and the Jews. 

As perverse as these attackers are, that much is correct. Jews are connected to Israel by virtue of history, religion, ethnicity, nationality, culture, and language. 

Until Omar acknowledges this inescapable fact, her condemnation means virtually nothing. In fact, it is her comment which does nothing to make Jews safer, rather than legitimate critique of anti-Israel statements made by prominent Representatives. 

Here’s a simple test. Does Omar support the right of a Jewish American hold an Israeli flag with pride, sell produce from Israel, and give people a factual, objective glimpse into the country without being accused of “terrorism”, “apartheid”, and so on? 

If Omar has an issue with this, but is happy to celebrate Arabic flags and national identity, then we on the pro-Israel side may draw our conclusions accordingly. 

[gayfirebird]

Hey sorry this is completely out of the blue, but I stumbled upon your blog, and after reading your bio I was wondering if I could ask you if you knew anything about the current state of anti-zionism/anti-imperialism within Israel? Specifically if you know anything about any anti-zionist organizing within Israel? (for reference I'm American and a leftist but I don't know much about Israeli leftist groups). Sorry if this is a bother or It's too much!

I might elaborate this one day and write a longer more coherent post.

In general the way you wrote this question while well intenttioned puts me bit on edge.

I am a full Zionist, the Jewish people need a place to live, Zionist does not mean that I do not want peace and that I do not want a state for Palastinians.

People love to forget what happened prior to the establishment of the state of Israel, the horrible antisemitism (including American). The War of Independence was a war where many of the soldiers just escaped against all odds the concentration camps.after years of the war being over they were still tossed from one refuge camp to the next, almost all of them had barbed wires. When they eventually managed to get to Israel they fought with arms marked with numbers, like cattle, they didn't know Hebrew, many of them died undocumented illegal immigrants, lone survivors of famous families.

The establishment of the state of Israel is filled with bloodshed and I wish it wouldn't have been, but it is.

The things that are happening today however are very different, we have the upper hand both security-wise and economic-wise, and we have the choice to stop this.

Hamas does not have the best interest of the civilians when continuing to do things that they know will trigger unproportionate response from IDF, they are not trying to achieve security for their citizens.

And listen I serve in the military, yes as an educator, yes I hope that some of the people I talk to manage to think that not every single Palestinian wants us dead and that they were given a really shitty hand. I talk about how our heros (Palmah, Hahagana...) were terrorist groups working under the Brits noses and exploding supplies, these people are working for their freedom.

There is no reason to dwell on of what happened in the history was justified, I see much greater urgency in what is happening now and to tell you the truth our new prime minister, Naftally Bennet, scares me. While this Kneset is already legislating many pro lgbt laws and making my life as a trans man who needs government subsidized top surgery easier, He is very right winged and wants the occupied territories for religious reasons.

---------------------

This was longer then I intended it to be but I will summarize, being an Israeli and not getting out of here at the age of 18 while believing the way we are treating Palestinians is unethical and downright wrong is hard, many leave, many give in to violent and binary ways of looking at things, but I also love my country, I wish to continue education and maybe go to politics to change this injustice but sadly the right here, like in the us, is turning more and more cultist and calming anyone with views less violent is a traitor.

This does not stop me for a moment but i think its context you need to understand.

[eretzyisrael]

Is America Still Behind Us? Ask our Enemies.

Today Israel is living in “interesting times,” as the saying goes. The northern border is tense, as Iran continues its efforts to transfer more dangerous accurate missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and to build up its bases in Syria, while Israel continues to intercept them. Recently an ground-to-air missile fired at an Israeli aircraft missed its target and continued on until it eventually exploded several hundred kilometers to the south, near Dimona (speculations that this was actually an attempt to attack the nuclear research center nearby are most likely incorrect).

Meanwhile, the nuclear negotiations with Iran are moving rapidly in the direction of a return to the original, worthless, deal, and probably an end to sanctions – including sanctions for non-nuclear terrorism that are not related to the deal.

You have probably also heard about civil disturbances in Jerusalem. Western media have (of course) focused on a demonstration in which anti-Arab Jews chanted “death to Arabs,” but left out or minimized the fact that it was prompted by social media videos showing Arabs slapping and kicking Haredi Jews on the light rail system in Jerusalem. Arabs have rioted in the area around the old city for several days, throwing rocks, fireworks, and firebombs at police, and attacking Jewish passers-by. I’ve seen horrendous videosshowing groups of young Arabs surrounding Orthodox Jews, beating and kicking them mercilessly. As far as I know, no one has been murdered yet, but if the riots continue it is certain to happen. Demonstrations in sympathy with Jerusalem Arabs have started to take place in other Arab towns.

If that isn’t enough, Hamas or other factions in Gaza attacked southern Israel with a barrage of at least 36 rockets and mortar shells yesterday. They were either intercepted by Iron Dome or fell in open areas, with only some minor damage to buildings and agricultural equipment. But the potential for serious escalation remains.

It’s Ramadan, so some of this is inspired by the usual religious indignation that Jews have the chutzpah to exist in places that Muslim Arabs believe they shouldn’t. But all of these phenomena have a common contributing factor: the growing feeling on the part of Israel’s enemies that America is behind them, or at least that America will not stand behind Israel.

The Biden Administration’s series of appointments of people with clear anti-Israel attitudes to numerous positions related to security and foreign policy – the worst being the choice of Rob Malley as head envoy to the Iranian nuclear talks – sends a strong message, as does resuming aid to the Palestinian Authority and to the poisonous “refugee” agency UNRWA, and rejoining the UN’s ludicrously anti-Israel “Human Rights” Commission.

Meanwhile, the increasingly powerful left wing of the Democratic Party has been flexing its muscles: Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as other Democratic officials, spoke to the convention of the phony “pro-Israel pro-peace” J Street organization, calling for the ouster of PM Netanyahu and the restriction of military aid to Israel, and falsely saying that Israel was obligated by international law to provide Covid vaccinations to Palestinians in the PA and Gaza. They also excoriated former president Trump for his pro-Israel actions. Warren’s speech was particularly harsh.

In the US Congress, Rep. Betty McCollum (D, MN) introduced a bill that

Prohibits Israel from using US taxpayer dollars in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem for the military detention, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention; to support the seizure and destruction of Palestinian property and homes in violation of international humanitarian law; or, to extend any assistance or support for Israel’s unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory in violation of international humanitarian law.

The chance of such a bill passing are minuscule, and the Congress responded with a letter signed by some 330 members opposing the placing of conditions on the use of US military aid by Israel. But regardless of that, the bitterly anti-Israel and even antisemitic tone of McCollum’s bill, along with the list of cosponsors, indicates the depth of opposition to Israel by a growing faction of US lawmakers.

One can understand how all of these signals are received and decoded in Tehran, Ramallah, and Gaza, and as presented to the Palestinian street by Arab media. President Biden himself has said little, and has so far avoided the open conflict with Israel’s PM that characterized former president Obama. But the actions of his administration and much of his party speak loudly enough, and are amplified by those in the region that want to create problems for Israel.

Israelis are worried about the rioting in Jerusalem developing into another “stabbing intifada” like the period between 2015 and 2018 in which Palestinian terrorists murdered dozens of Jews. They are concerned that the rocket fire from Gaza will escalate into yet another war, in which hundreds of rockets a day will fall on Israeli towns and cities as far north as Tel Aviv. They can imagine the northern border erupting into a war with Hezbollah like the one in the summer of 2006; only this time, Hezbollah has 130,000 rockets that can hit every point in Israel. And of course, they can see Iran obtaining nuclear bombs under the protection of an international agreement that will criminalize Israel’s actions to prevent it.

They also know that Western media will cover all of these occurrences by following the now-standard procedure of “it all started when Israel hit back.” The disturbances in Jerusalem, in particular, have been presented as state-supported Jewish extremism, rather than what they were, primarily an outbreak of vicious Arab violence against soft targets which triggered a (rare and universally condemned) Jewish response. I can only imagine how another war with Hamas or Hezbollah would play in the NY Times and on CNN and NPR.

You probably remember those T-shirts bearing a picture of Israeli fighter jets and the legend “Don’t worry, America, Israel is behind you.” The joke, of course, was that the reality was the reverse. Unfortunately, that may no longer be the case.

Abu Yehuda

[militant-holy-knight]

Why the Palestinian Cause is So Hard to Support

I'd usually stay clear off from getting involved in the debate regarding Israel and Palestine because you are guaranteed to offend all sides of the political spectrum if you stand with either. You get labelled a fascist by liberals and "pro-kike" by the far-right if you say anything positive about Israel, or being accused of supporting terrorism if you stand with Palestine. I know that many of my Christian brothers and sisters will easily support Israel because its the only place in the Middle-East where Christians are safe and protected. It's a very convincing argument... One that Palestine cannot make for itself unfortunately in effort to gain the hearts and minds of the people. Let me explain why.

Palestinian nationalism is often erroneously associated with Islamism due to the massive support and sympathy Palestinians receive from the Muslim world because several holiest sites in Islam - the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Dome of the Rock - are within Jewish control and they can’t abide that. Also because Arab = Muslim in the minds of many people in the West, nevermind that not all Palestinians are Muslims. Here is a little known fact: the Munich terrorist attacks were carried out by a group of Palestinian Christians. The operation was titled “Iqrit and Biram”, named after two Christian settlements seized by Israeli Defense Forces and their terrorist leader used the codename Isa (Jesus in Arabic) was a Christian born from a Jewish mother and a Christian father. Back during the cold war, Palestinians were mostly a mostly secular movement in part because they were backed by the Soviet Union and they believed that regardless of your faith - whether Christian or Muslim - you were fighting to liberate yourself from Israeli oppression.

However, this changed in the 80s with the foundation of Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Nationalism had been viewed as an ungodly ideology by early Islamic thinkers, substituting "the nation" for God as an object of worship and reverence. The struggle for Palestine was viewed exclusively through a religious prism, as a struggle to retrieve Muslim land and the holy places of Jerusalem. While 90% of Palestinians are Sunnis, there has been a conflict between secularism and adherence to Islam. In the case of Hamas, Palestinian nationalism has almost completely fused with the ideologically pan-Islamic sentiments originally held by the Islamists.

The Islamic bitching about the Palestinians suffering oppression under the Israeli occupation doesn't convince me because for every Palestinian there are ten more Copts and Assyrians that do not enjoy equal rights. Muslim land is under occupation? The holy Christian sites of Alexandria and Constantinople are in the hands of the Muslims for centuries now. You could argue Antioch is also under Islamic occupation since Lebanon is now a Shia majority though this is only a recent development and Lebanon used to be the only Christian majority country in the Middle-East, and to be technical, the President of Lebanon is always a Maronite Catholic.

The occupation of Constantinople is particularly lamentable.  Itself It wouldn't be so bad if Turkey was a pluralistic society that respected the rights of other peoples, but its sham of secularism (which is pretty transparent to anyone observing current events) showed they never actually committed themselves to it even after abolishing the Ottoman caliphate. Consider the Christian Holocaust they have committed in the early 20th Century against the Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians (which they still deny it while at the same time boasting about it in private) and that now Turkey has less of half a percent of Christians. By contrast, Iraq under Saddam Hussein had at least a million Christians though this number has obviously went down because of its civil war. Let me ask you: what kind of secular society is this where the brutal dictatorship that is guilty of genocide actually treats its Christian minority better in comparison? And there are people that still use Turkey as the model of democracy for Muslim countries. Lets not pretend its the USA is the same way in regards to Islam demographics: there was a sizable Christian presence in Turkey before they discovered too late the appeal of pan-Islamism and decided their gavour subjects needed to die. 

The reality is that Turks don’t pray in the Hagia Sophia because mosques are lacking in Constantinople, they do it to rub it in the faces of the Greeks - and by extension - all of Christendom. Its a symbol of Islam prevailing over Christianity never mind that we were ahead of the curve, technologically and scientifically.

The reality is that Islamists can’t take infidels being in control of something they can’t have. Just like how Osama bin Laden denounced Sudan and Indonesia for granting independence to the Roman Catholic countries of South Sudan and East Timor - both of whom considered insignificant by the world community - because he believe any sort of land that was owned by the ummah should never be given to infidels. This is why these dipshits lay claim to Spain and Greece as theirs by right.

The reality is that whether you like it or not, Muslims are poised and eager to be biggest aggressor against Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu is quoted as saying  “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more ‎violence. If the Jews put ‎down their weapons ‎today, there would be no ‎more Israel”. I certainly don’t like the man and you certainly don’t have to, but to say he is incorrect would be a bold-faced lie. Even back in the day when the State of Israel was established, the General Secretary Abdul Rahman Azzam of the Arab League has been quoted as saying this genocidal threat:

"I personally wish that the Jews do not drive us to this war, as this will be a war of extermination and momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Tartar massacre or the Crusader wars. I believe that the number of volunteers from outside Palestine will be larger than Palestine's Arab population, for I know that volunteers will be arriving to us from [as far as] India, Afghanistan, and China to win the honor of martyrdom for the sake of Palestine … You might be surprised to learn that hundreds of Englishmen expressed their wish to volunteer in the Arab armies to fight the Jews.

"This war will be distinguished by three serious matters. First—faith: as each fighter deems his death on behalf of Palestine as the shortest road to paradise; second, [the war] will be an opportunity for vast plunder. Third, it will be impossible to contain the zealous volunteers arriving from all corners of the world to avenge the martyrdom of the Palestine Arabs, and viewing the war as dignifying every Arab and every Muslim throughout the world …

"The Arab is superior to the Jew in that he accepts defeat with a smile: Should the Jews defeat us in the first battle, we will defeat them in the second or the third battle … or the final one… whereas one defeat will shatter the Jew's morale! Most desert Arabians take pleasure in fighting. I recall being tasked with mediating a truce in a desert war (in which I participated) that lasted for nine months…While en route to sign the truce, I was approached by some of my comrades in arms who told me: 'Shame on you! You are a man of the people, so how could you wish to end the war … How can we live without war?' This is because war gives the Bedouin a sense of happiness, bliss, and security that peace does not provide! …

"I warned the Jewish leaders I met in London to desist from their policy, telling them that the Arab was the mightiest of soldiers and the day he draws his weapon, he will not lay it down until firing the last bullet in the battle, and we will fire the last shot …"

"I foresee the consequences of this bloody war. I see before me its horrible battles. I can picture its dead, injured, and victims … But my conscience is clear … For we are not attacking but defending ourselves, and we are not aggressors but defenders against an aggression! …"

Granted the authenticity of this quote has been questioned and many have accused it of being taken off context. But that is largely irrelevant because the discourse about Jews in the Muslim world would have been considered unacceptable by Western standards. Children over there are indoctrinated to be intolerant and hateful, the exact opposite of what us Westerners are taught. Rather than enjoying childhood, their kids are taught the glories of martyrdom and to die in the name of defeating Israel.

And that lead us to Hamas, a political party that was democratically voted into power and it’s explicit in wanting to exterminate all Jews - not just the ones in Israel though, but in the entire world. In case you don’t believe me, just read their Covenant, which is a official political document they established.

Article 7 mentions a prophecy attributed to Muhammed. 

The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree (evidently a certain kind of tree), would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews.

Article 22 states that the French revolution, the Russian revolution, colonialism and both world wars were created by the Zionists or forces supportive of Zionism:

You may speak as much as you want about regional and world wars. They were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making financial gains and controlling resources. They obtained the Balfour Declaration, formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their state. It was they who instigated the replacement of the League of Nations with the United Nations and the Security Council to enable them to rule the world through them. There is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it.

Article 32 of the Covenant refers to an antisemitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion:

Today it is Palestine, tomorrow it will be one country or another. The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying.

I know that not all Palestinians support Hamas since the PLO doesn’t recognize them, but enough Palestinians voted to get them into power - they are not a fringe movement. Following the 2007 coup, the Gaza Strip had exhibited the characteristics of Talibanization, a process whereby the Hamas government had imposed strict rules on women, discouraged activities commonly associated with Western or Christian culture, oppressed non-Muslim minorities, imposed sharia law, and deployed religious police to enforce these laws. While their PR wing denied efforts of Islamicizing the Gaza Strip, they have also added they don’t oppose it and believe in “persuasion”. One woman complained that women were not free to speak their minds or travel alone, and added:

"Hamas want to force themselves onto the people. They want the people to submit to them, this is their cover. They destroyed the reputation of Islam, by saying we're doing this because it is religion. This is how they won the elections."

Despite this, Hamas is somewhat aware of the weight of their words considering they have completely different rhetorics differing in the audience. When talking to an Arab crowd, they are explicitly anti-Semitic as one deputy member said on the Al-Aqsa TV:

If the enemy sets foot on a single square inch of Islamic land, Jihad becomes an individual duty, incumbent on every Muslim, male or female. A woman may set out [on Jihad] without her husband's permission, and a servant without his master's permission. Why? In order to annihilate those Jews. ... O Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters. O Allah, destroy the Americans and their supporters. O Allah, count them one by one, and kill them all, without leaving a single one

When talking towards the international audience, they slightly alter their tune to being simply anti-Zionist when talking to CBS:

We are not fanatics. We are not fundamentalists. We are not actually fighting the Jews because they are Jews per se. We do not fight any other races. We fight the occupiers.

What Hamas may not realize it is that their adherence to fundamentalism and marginalization of Palestinian Christians, who would have once fought on their side are now on the verge of extinction, plays directly into the hands of Israel’s PR. I am sure you have already heard this being said many times that Israel is the safest place for Christians in the Middle-East - a rather dubious claim given only two percent constitutes the Christian population in contrast to Lebanon’s 40%.

Of course this is a shrewd plan that Israeli politicians play to gain the support of the United States and Christendom at large, including the current President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro, a Roman Catholic like yours truly. This helps hide the more uncomfortable, darker reality around Israel: that far-right Jewish gangs regularly vandalize churches with price tag attacks, Orthodox Jews regularly spit on Christians when they come across in the streets or how some of them might have sympathies for extremists like the followers of Meir Kahane. I’ve also have personal criticism of Israel tolerating Islamist parties in the Knesset which is really galling considering that the MB is banned in certain Arab countries like their long arch-enemy Egypt (despite what their political enemies in the Islamic world would like to pretend, Zionism isn’t necessarily anti-Islam). Of course none of this can be even comparable to what Christians are facing in the Islamic world itself.

"Christians, natives of Arab countries, are escaping their countries of origin. This is a common statement nowadays everywhere and it is correct one hundred percent. Statistics show that a large number of them have emigrated to safer countries for them and for their children, like the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. The reason is the harassment to which they are subjected to by government agencies on the one hand and extremist groups on the other hand in countries they have inhabited for thousands of years…

"The Christians have lived in the territory currently referred to as [the Arab countries] for centuries alongside other religious groups, and particularly with Muslims who shared with them the afflictions of life. But the Christians have lost their partners for many reasons, including religious extremism among some Muslims, the demographic increases out of religious reasons, and the acts of discrimination, coercion, and individual and collective expulsion of Christians, and the pressures placed upon them even when they were serving their countries. There are many examples of that in Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Lebanon, Egypt, and other countries.

"Approximately 4 million Lebanese Christians have emigrated from their country as a result of the pressures placed upon them by others. About half a million Iraqi Christians have left their country for the same reasons… The situation gets worse today because of the discrimination by salafi [Islamic fundamentalist] extremists. In Palestine, the Christians are becoming almost extinct as a result of the control of extremist Muslims on the Palestinian issue and the marginalization of the role of the Christians, apart from the negative impact of the Intifada, which is led by Islamist organizations, on the Christians of Palestine. With regard to Christians in Egypt, the Copts, what happened and is happening to them equally on the part of the state and the Islamists will suffice to fill pages of books and newspapers to explain the coercion, discrimination and persecution. What is happening in Algeria, Mauritania, Somalia, and others is too long to explain.

"This situation is also reflected in non-Arab [Muslim] countries. In Islamic countries like Pakistan, Indonesia and Nigeria, Christians suffer from persecution. In Pakistan, Islamist [spiritual leaders] have issued a fatwa [religious opinion] permitting the killing of two Christians for every Muslim killed by the American attacks in Afghanistan, as though the Americans represent Christianity in the world. In other countries they [Christians] live in fear, under the shadow of threat, and face a growing cycle of assaults whenever the United States and its allies carry out a military operation against any country.

"Christians are afraid of what might happen to them in these countries. The situation is quite critical and requires urgent attention. It is difficult for us to imagine any other time in which the Christians have felt a greater danger than the danger they feel today in these countries…"

Keep in mind, this report I shared was from 2004. Things surely must have gotten worse like in the wake of the Arab Spring. But this brings me back to my original point... While our brothers in Christ have their priests killed, their churches bombed, their women raped and their people forced to flee, don’t expect me to take the Palestinian cause seriously, if even their own Christians are being persecuted. If Muslims argued that the Palestinians have lived in this patch of land that is now occupied by the Jews, remember the Copts, Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks have lived in these lands long before Muslims arrived, but that is just my Christian perspective. 

As a long Islamist saying goes “before Sunday, comes Saturday”. 

[diamondorloj]

do you know any neutral post that sums up the Israeli–Palestinian conflict because I don't know what to think. I don't want to dislike jews or Israel but it all sounds so bad? Send help

Hi! I super appreciate you asking because I know exactly how hard it is to even find one reliable source.

Of course it all sounds super bad, because Hamas is a well-oiled and functioning propaganda machine with a lot of money and children and parents willing to throw themselves in front of the camera to make Israel bad, and for some reason their pictures are always what get picked up by the media. Plus, there are super loud antisemitic voices everywhere chanting against Israel at every mention. And the BDS is lobbying pretty hard too, so it's very hard to not find a super negative picture.

It's a super tricky conflict. I'm not saying everything went well and Israel is a country with a pristine history. But here's some points to consider that are usually the biggest issues in any ''''controversy'''' around Israel- Jewish people have always lived and practiced Judaism for over 5000 years in Israel. They have been victims of pogroms and hatred and chased in the desert, but they have literally always been there and to say that Israel was a state installed by foreigners for foreigners coming to these lands is a blatant lie.

There are countries with way more questionable borders in existence, yet Israel is the only country to continuously has to defend its very existence.

The United Nations have two organisations for refugees. One is the UNHCR which deals with refugee questions for all over the world, except for one group. And the other is the UNRWA which is an organisation only for the Palestine/Gaza refugees. The differences between these organisations are more than in structure and beaurucracy, they have two different tasks: UNHCR aims to give refugees a home, UNRWA doesn't. When in 1951 the director of UNRWA proposed to give 250.000 refugees a home in different arabic countries, these governments were angry and strictly refused, leading to the director John Blanford to lose his job. Since then, no further attempts have been made.

Furthermore, the UNHCR only defines refugees as people who have actually fled from their homes. Meanwhile, the UNRWA broadens that definition to "people who lost their homes in 1948 and their descendants".

- Israel is the only country that won all their wars for their survival and in self-defense yet had to have the coniditions for peace dictated by the defeated enemies. Even more paradox, this was supported by countries which all defined their borders after winning wars over these territories -- like, look at an old map of Europe and you will see what I mean. Btw Europe, Germany and Poland drew their finite borders in 1990 but I guess Israel is the only ''''artificial'''' state

- One of Hamas' conditions was that no jewish people were allowed to live in Gaza, so for the first time in centuries if not more, there are no Jewish people living in Gaza. Weirdly, it doesn't seem enough because these people are still living somewhere else and not all dead, I guess.

- Hamas literally uses children and families as a shield, regularly raises palestine flags with swastikas and calls protests of throwing rocks, burning tires and attacking soldiers 'peaceful'. It's a terrorist organisation and literally has the destruction of Israel as a defining goal, yet we always expect Israel to work with them. Hamas wants to build a state based on ethnic purity and cleansing of the territory, but somehow everyone thinks it's okay.

- By the way, when the two state solution was on the table, it was refused because they didn't want Israel to even have a bit of Jerusalem, the capital city with which the jewish people has been connected for over 3000 years. Even weirder, this connection is widely known (famously written into the most read world book in the world, the Bible) and yet every country refuses to acknowledge it as the official capital city because they're afraid that terrorists will riot

- Israel is the only country which is continuously attacked by three organisations in the UN which only exist to represent the Palestine agenda and to defame Israel (they're three comitees and I can't remember their exact names even in German, but they're about realising Palestinian rights, researching the Israeli actions in regard to palestinian rights and there's something in the UN-department for politic agendas or somth)

- Every year. Every year, Israel is targeted by more UN-resolutions than all of the other 192 member countries together. No-one can tell me that this number is justifiable in the least, but it is a reality and it paints the picture of Israel in the media.

- Israel is also the only country in the UN that continuously has to defend its existence against other UN-members and that suffers threats from other members all the damn time. And not just any threats, Iran for example continuously threatens to wipe out Israel and supports Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, both of which are terrorist organisations with the goal of destroying Israel. And destroying Israel means killing all their Jewish citizens.

And we continuously forget that Israel is the only liberal democracy in that area, they're currently conducting investigations into Netanyahu and his regime and it's a country with a rich and vivid discourse nature. They just refuse to let their existence be up to debate, and frankly, neither should any of us.

So, does this mean no-one is allowed to criticise Israel? Absolutely not. It is a functioning democracy and like any country, it is not a moral entity and there is a lot of room for debate. But when looking into the arguments, you should keep in mind that there's a lot of antisemitism hidden as 'Israel critic' when it's just the same old shit. There's a test called "the 3 Ds" (in German) that can function as a broad test to see if you're reading legitimate critics or antisemitic shit:

- Demonisation (are they demonising Israel, for example by comparing Israel to the Nazis or the palestine refugee camp with Auschwitz)

- Double standards (are they criticising Israel for a behaviour or an act that they ignore or belittle when it's different state, for example how is it that Israel suffers resolutions for hurting human rights but China, Iran, Kuba and Syria don't)

- Delegitimisation (when they're arguing against Israel to exist; it's also a double standard bc it's refusing to allow Jewish people to have a state in which they can live a safe life)

I realise this won't directly answer your question and I easily get side tracked, but I feel like knowing about these difficulties and critically reading your sources will help you more than just drawing a timeline of events. Because there's a lot of anti-Israel propaganda even on Wikipedia, on seemingly normal internet platforms and even our big Western media liberally use Hamas material while refusing to show the Nazi swastikas blowing on burning kites they shoot over to Israel ground. And it's hard to be neutral about this topic, because it is a democracy which is never flawless against a terrorist organisation which demonstrates great finesse in painting the picture the way they want it. I don't think we should all be neutral about it. I am firmly pro Israel because I need my Jewish friends who are currently worrying about anti-judaic sentiments on the uprise everywhere in Europe to have a safe haven. I am pro Israel because it is a country with huge efforts and contributions to our world and advancing medicines etc every day. It's a LGBTQ friendly country (contrary to Hamas policy in which gay sex means 10 years of prison). It is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and deserves our support more than a terrorist organisation using their children as human shields. Yknow. Maybe that's not actually a topic to be neutral about.

[xtruss]

Transcript: Senator Bernie Sanders on "Face the Nation," May 23, 2021

— CBS News May 23, 2021 |

The following is a transcript of an interview with Senator Bernie Sanders that aired Sunday, May 23, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

JOHN DICKERSON: And we go now to Senator Bernie Sanders, who joins us from Burlington, Vermont. Good morning, Senator.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Good morning, JOHN.

JOHN DICKERSON: I want to start in the Middle East. You have made the case that how the US government responds in this ceasefire period says something about President Biden's commitment to human rights more broadly. And last Sunday, you wrote a piece in The New York Times that said the US must stop being an apologist for the Netanyahu government. Since you wrote that the president has been very supportive of Israel. Do you think the administration is being an apologist for the Netanyahu government?

SEN. SANDERS: Look JOHN, all that I think is that given the incredible suffering in Gaza, where we have a poverty rate of 56%, 70% of the young people are unemployed. And after the Israeli attacks, you have wastewater plants destroyed, clinics destroyed, hospitals destroyed. I think the United States has got to develop a even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We have to be pro-Israel, but we have to be pro-Palestinian. And I hope and believe the president understands that. And I was delighted to see that he is moving forward to try to rebuild with the international community, the destruction- rebuild Gaza after all of that destruction.

JOHN DICKERSON: You mentioned an even-handed approach. When I read a portion of your editorial to Prime Minister Netanyahu, he thought it was preposterous, your claim that he had created the conditions and that- that he'd made peace impossible because he said, how do you have negotiations with Hamas? They are dedicated to the destruction of Israel. President Biden again said that this week when he said, "Until the region says unequivocally they acknowledge the right of Israel to exist as an independent Jewish state, there will be no peace." How do you have an even-handed approach to terrorists who want to destroy Israel?

SEN. SANDERS: Well, what you have got to do is also understand that over the years, the Netanyahu government has become extremely right wing and that there are people in the Israeli government now who are overt racists. You have in West Jerusalem people being evicted from their homes. Tremendous pressure on people within Israel, the Arab community, as well as Gaza. So you have a very difficult situation. You have Hamas, a terrorist group. You have a right-wing Israeli government, and the situation is getting worse. And all that I'm saying is that the United States of America has got to be leading the world in bringing people together, not simply supplying weapons to kill children in Gaza. This last series of attacks killed 64 children and destroyed a large part of the infrastructure of Gaza in a community that has already been one of the most uninhabitable territories in the world.

JOHN DICKERSON: You have put forward legislation that would delay the sale of military equipment to Israel. Would you also put the same kind of conditions you'd like to see on that aid to Israel on any aid the US gives through the UN or otherwise to the Palestinians to make sure that Hamas doesn't get any of it?

SEN. SANDERS: Absolutely. Look, Hamas is a terrorist, corrupt, authoritarian group of people, and we have got to stand up to them. But once again, our job is not simply to put more and more military support for Israel. It is to bring people together, and we can't do it alone. We need the international community. But that's what I think we need to be doing.

JOHN DICKERSON: Let me ask you about how this has played out here at home. The Anti-Defamation League says there were 193 reports of anti-Semitic incidents this week, up from 131 the previous week. So that's during this period while the crisis began. In the past, you've said it should be possible to be a critic of Israeli policy, but not be anti-Semitic. But it doesn't seem to be playing out that way with this uptick in random attacks.

SEN. SANDERS: Anti-Semitism is rising in America. It's rising all over the world. That is an outrage. And we have got to combat anti-Semitism. We have to combat the increase in hate crimes in this country, against Asians, against African-Americans, against Latinos. So we got a serious problem of a nation which is being increasingly divided, being led by right wing extremists in that direction.

JOHN DICKERSON: There are a number of liberals who use the word apartheid to describe Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, a number of them liberals in the House who use that language. The executive director of the American Jewish Congress, who handled Jewish outreach for your campaign, has said that that word, Joel Rubin, has said that using that word has increased the level of vitriol that has contributed to this anti-Semitism. Do you think those who- who share your view should not use that kind of language?

SEN. SANDERS: Well, I think we should tone down the rhetoric. I think our goal is very simple. It is to understand that what's going on in Gaza today is unsustainable when you have 70% of the young people unemployed, when people cannot leave the community, when hospitals and wastewater plants have been destroyed. That is unsustainable. And the job of the United States is to bring people together. And that is what we have got to try to do.

JOHN DICKERSON: I want to switch to domestic affairs now. The president and Republicans have been going back and forth on this question of infrastructure. The president made another bid, shortened the price tag a little bit. But the central question of what infrastructure means, Republicans say it roads and bridges. Democrats say it includes lots of other things in the environment, childcare, elder care. Is that difference so big that it can't be fixed through bipartisan negotiations and Democrats should just go it alone?

SEN. SANDERS: Well, look, I think most working-class Americans understand that for the last 40 years, what the government has done is catered to the needs of the wealthy and large corporations. The rich are becoming much richer while real wages for average American workers have gone nowhere over the last many, many decades. And I think what we have got to do now, JOHN, is start paying attention to a struggling middle class and struggling working class. What does that mean? It means that at a time when half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, we have got to create millions of good paying, good paying jobs. That is rebuilding roads and bridges. We've talked about that forever, but it is also having to deal with the existential threat of climate. How do you not deal with climate when the scientists tell us that the very future of the planet is in peril? And furthermore, when I think about infrastructure, of course, it means education. How do we lead the world unless we have, in a competitive economy, world economy, the best-educated workforce in the world? Of course, it means childcare. Of course it means health care. And I think we've got to expand Medicare to cover dental, eyeglasses, hearing aids.

JOHN DICKERSON: So, Senator--

SEN. SANDERS: And of course, that means dealing with income and wealth inequality.

JOHN DICKERSON: So in 30 seconds we have left, Senator, with ambitions like that which the president shares, how do you do it through a bipartisan process? Aren't you going to have to go through reconciliation just with Democratic votes?

SEN. SANDERS: That's probably right. And I think that's what the American people want. We would like bipartisanship, but I don't think we have a seriousness on the part of the Republican leadership to address the major crisis facing this country. And if they're not coming forward, we've got to go forward alone.

JOHN DICKERSON: All right. Senator Bernie Sanders, thank you so much for being with us.