Israel-Gaza war

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

So I partied pretty hard last night without any news on at all. Last thing I heard before I went to sleep at 5:00 A.M.-ish was that a single woman had been killed in a rocket strike. I literally thought to myself "long time since I've heard that" because the Iron Dome usually handles these rockets. Wake up 12 hours later to find 300+ dead and hostages taken. Crazy stuff.

The moderator warning on top of the thread suggests I've missed some good Atlas drama though.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

So I partied pretty hard last night without any news on at all. Last thing I heard before I went to sleep at 5:00 A.M.-ish was that a single woman had been killed in a rocket strike. I literally thought to myself "long time since I've heard that" because the Iron Dome usually handles these rockets. Wake up 12 hours later to find 300+ dead and hostages taken. Crazy stuff.

The moderator warning on top of the thread suggests I've missed some good Atlas drama though.

Partying when we haven't had a fear and loathing update? Very disappointing.

I'll get one up today

Thanks for reading though!

Using the term "Judea and Samaria" on an international forum is dickish behavior.

I historically used the term West Bank. I will no longer do so after today.

(Also, plenty of pro-Israel politicians use the term so its really not an international problem, just a "this is the normal term" problem).

As a political nationalist myself, I applaud you for calling that, and I am not even that particularly pro-Israel.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Absolutely tragic and unjustifiable. Israeli civilians are not to blame for the conflict.

I totally agree.

As I've often said on Atlas, violence begets violence, which begets more violence, which begets more violence after that. It's an endless cycle.

Israeli civilians killed by rockets or kidnapped by Hamas will result in the IDF launching airstrikes on Gaza that will level whole apartment blocs and result in thousands of Palestinians dying. The generation of young Palestinian children who experience the horrors that are about to come to Gaza will grow up traumatized and radicalized against Israel. Those children, come 2040ish, will be the lifeblood of the next wave of violence, and the Israeli children traumatized by todays event will be compelled by the brutal reality of circumstance to kill those same Palestinians on the battlefield. Do you see how the cycle just perpetuates itself?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Absolutely tragic and unjustifiable. Israeli civilians are not to blame for the conflict.

I totally agree.

As I've often said on Atlas, violence begets violence, which begets more violence, which begets more violence after that. It's an endless cycle.

Israeli civilians killed by rockets or kidnapped by Hamas will result in the IDF launching airstrikes on Gaza that will level whole apartment blocs and result in thousands of Palestinians dying. The generation of young Palestinian children who experience the horrors that are about to come to Gaza will grow up traumatized and radicalized against Israel. Those children, come 2040ish, will be the lifeblood of the next wave of violence, and the Israeli children traumatized by todays event will be compelled by the brutal reality of circumstance to kill those same Palestinians on the battlefield. Do you see how the cycle just perpetuates itself?

Yes, but Sanchez,

A. Given that Islamic terrorism is so widespread even in countries where nothing of the sort has occurred (ie, Palestinians in Lebanon engaging in terrorism after not being in Israel, but also more broadly), don't you think this might keep happening even if Israel didn't retaliate?

B. If peace is impossible, what would you recommend Israel do? (This isn't a gotcha question -- I am genuinely curious, since your analysis in generally sage)

1. Yes. I don't hold the Israelis at fault for responding to this.

2. I have no idea what they should do. In hindsight, establishing a Jewish State in Palestine was probably not the best idea, but as I've said before, it's not like they can undo that, pack up all their stuff, and just go back to Poland as Helen Thomas (infamously) suggested. I have no idea how this cycle of violence will end, if it will ever end, or if its even supposed to end.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin tonight.

Odd déjà vu... it used to be Blue-Yellow colour scheme back in February of 2022.

Democratic Germany didn't have these embarrassing hangups and, unlike the crypto-Nazi West, knew when to stand against colonialism and apartheid.

I think Germany's desperation to be known for something other than the Holocaust is cringey indeed, but despite this embarrassing act of virtue signaling on their part, I think referring to the GDR as "Democratic Germany" is even cringier.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I understand Israel has apparently bombed Aleppo and Damascus according to Reuters? Anyone know more about this?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I don't buy Hamas hitting their own hospital for one second.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1719406520557814207

If the war’s end means Netanyahu’s (and I’m not sure it does - his original coalition partners probably want to remain in charge), then he will try to maintain (at least) an impression of a long war.

I don't understand why the Israeli people aren't demanding elections now. He got over 1,000 of them killed by pampering the settlers and ignoring everything else. Why do they trust him to lead this invasion?

People are ignoring totally the fact that this all happened on his watch. Trump even noted that.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

As someone who is firmly neutral in this latest conflict, I’d saying the pro-Palestine posters are winning the debate.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

As someone who is firmly neutral in this latest conflict, I’d saying the pro-Palestine posters are winning the debate.

It does seem that way, yes.

Spare Vosem, at least.