The Surprise Attack on Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ by Hamas
Note:
This article was originally written on Sunday October 8, 2023, just one day after the October 7 attack on Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ by Hamas. This was the first of three articles I've written about the current war in Gaza, which has gripped the headlines, even taking away attention from the war in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ to the detriment of Ukrainians ๐บ๐ฆ, who are losing public opinion around the world, and are losing support from the various governments that have supported them throughout their war against the Russians ๐ท๐บ.
The biggest threat to Ukraine aid ๐บ๐ฆ in the West have come in the form of the Republican Party here in the United States ๐บ๐ธ, particularly the House Republicans led by current Speaker Mike Johnson, who is both a hard right Evangelical Christian ✝️ and an election denier. He pushed a lot of the bogus election interference claims made by the MAGA Republicans after Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden, and he voted in favor of overturning the results of the 2020 election to allow Trump to stay in power, in direct violation of the US Constitution ๐บ๐ธ. He has also opposed providing aid to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, pretty much since day one of the Russian invasion ๐ท๐บ back in February 24, 2022. So, not a great guy.
The other major threats to Ukraine aid ๐บ๐ฆ in the West come from Europe, with the pro-Russian prime ministers ๐ท๐บ in both Slovakia ๐ธ๐ฐ and Hungary ๐ญ๐บ. Elections were held in Slovakia ๐ธ๐ฐ which brought a right-wing pro-Russian party ๐ท๐บ to power. So, now Slovakia ๐ธ๐ฐ has a pro-Russian government ๐ท๐บ, and Ukraine aid ๐บ๐ฆ coming in from that country is somewhat in doubt. And of course, you have Viktor Orbรกn, who has been the prime minister of Hungary ๐ญ๐บ since 2010. Orbรกn is probably the most pro-Russian ๐ท๐บ and pro-Putin politician in Hungary ๐ญ๐บ's history, and the most pro-Russian ๐ท๐บ and pro-Putin politician in the entire European Union ๐ช๐บ right now. That's why some have called him, "Putin's man in Europe ๐ช๐บ." Some have also called him the "Hungarian Donald Trump ๐ญ๐บ" because of how pro-Putin he is, how far-right he is, and how much of a wannabe autocrat he is. I mean, he essentially is a dictator in all but name. He's what Trump wants to be.
He is probably the biggest threat to democracy inside of Hungary ๐ญ๐บ right now, and he is the biggest challenge and obstacle that the EU ๐ช๐บ has faced since the refugee crisis in the 2010s caused by the Syrian Civil War ๐ธ๐พ and the Libyan Civil Wars ๐ฑ๐พ, something that Orbรกn himself used to get re-elected, as did many right-wing populists in Europe ๐ช๐บ. Using European racism and xenophobia ๐ช๐บ to their advantage. He's consistently opposed providing any aid to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ ever since the invasion started. I mean, he did voice some token solidarity with Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ in the immediate days after the invasion started, but none of his actions since then have suggested that he's with Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. I mean, most recently, the EU ๐ช๐บ held a meeting or a conference of some kind to discuss Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ's accession into the organization, and Orbรกn refused to support any motion to allow Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ to join the EU ๐ช๐บ.
But, he sort of played himself because by boycotting the vote to allow Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ to begin EU accession ๐ช๐บ, he inadvertently allowed it to go through, and he made the EU ๐ช๐บ decide to take steps to suspend Hungary ๐ญ๐บ's ability to vote in key EU decisions ๐ช๐บ, so that he can't pull a stunt like this ever again. But, he did managed to block the EU ๐ช๐บ's efforts to provide €50 billion aid ๐ถ to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, which is probably why the EU ๐ช๐บ is taking steps to suspend his vote. Now, everyone just sees him for what he really is, a pawn of Russia ๐ท๐บ. A willing pawn to be sure, but a pawn nonetheless. This isn't even the only time he's stood in the way of the West's efforts to punish Russia ๐ท๐บ to protect Putin, or stood in the way of efforts to boost European security to defend Russia ๐ท๐บ and Putin's imperialist ambitions. He's also blocked Finland ๐ซ๐ฎ and Sweden ๐ธ๐ช's efforts to join NATO, along with Recep Tayyip Erdoฤan of Turkey ๐น๐ท. It didn't work with Finland ๐ซ๐ฎ, but so far, it's still working with Sweden ๐ธ๐ช because even by December of this year, 2023, Sweden ๐ธ๐ช is still not in NATO yet. At least Erdoฤan agreed to end his opposition to Sweden ๐ธ๐ช joining NATO.
So, the future of Ukraine aid ๐บ๐ฆ is uncertain, and there are men in power positions in both America ๐บ๐ธ and Europe ๐ช๐บ who are against sending further aid to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, and are willing to do anything to prevent further aid from being sent to the beleaguered nation. It's gotten so bad that just last week, Ukrainian president ๐บ๐ฆ, Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to fly over to the United States ๐บ๐ธ to meet with American policymakers ๐บ๐ธ, and plead and beg to them to not cut off the tap of US aid to Ukraine ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ. But, the Republicans at least, weren't very convinced, thus, the aid package proposal remains in limbo.
The Republicans have said that they'll only vote to give more aid to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ if there's a bill or policy proposal about the southern border with Mexico ๐ฒ๐ฝ. They're tying a domestic issue with a foreign policy issue to try to blackmail the Biden administration into making concessions and giving them what they want, or at least, hold the Biden administration hostage and prevent it from pursuing the foreign policy goals they want. Even though, supporting Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, and giving them the weapons and supplies they need is in America ๐บ๐ธ's best interests, and allowing that aid to dry up will just endanger American national security ๐บ๐ธ, and embolden our greatest adversary right now, Vladimir Putin.
When all this was going on, Putin did one of his usual end of the year Q&A talk sessions with Russian state media ๐ท๐บ, after skipping out on it last year. And he was all smug, and self-congratulatory, saying that the West is weak, and their support to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ is wavering, and that Russia ๐ท๐บ will inevitably win. His ultimate plan right now is to prolong the war as long as possible, and hope that the West becomes so fatigued by the war, that they all collectively decide to cut their funding and aid to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, allowing the Russians ๐ท๐บ to wear the Ukrainians ๐บ๐ฆ down completely once the Ukrainians ๐บ๐ฆ run out of their Western-supplied weapons completely, and take more of their land, and force them into capitulating. Perhaps, even turning it into a frozen conflict that Putin can just restart at his convenience to terrorize Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ further.
What he really wants is for Trump to get re-elected in the 2024 presidential election, because if Trump is in power, then he'll basically just let Putin do whatever he wants, and let him have his way with Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. That is why we cannot let our support Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ waver, and why we must continue supporting them, and give them the means to defeat Russia ๐ท๐บ, and win the war. A Ukrainian victory ๐บ๐ฆ would be good for all of us. This is why we must vote to re-elect Biden, and deny Trump the second term he wants. Trump is Putin's man in America ๐บ๐ธ, and anyone Putin supports or wants is not worth supporting in my eyes.
But, all of these issues with wavering support for Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ I think really began with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ. I mean, support for Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ was still pretty solid even despite the counteroffensive not going exactly as planned, and there was no indication that it was wavering. That is, until Hamas launched their daring attack on Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, killing thousands of people and taking hundreds hostage.
When that attack happened, both the media and the US government ๐บ๐ธ shifted its focus towards Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, Gaza, and the Middle East as a whole, and away from Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. This was also around the same time that Kevin McCarthy was ousted by Speaker of the House by a vote of no confidence instigated by Matt Gaetz, and there was that whole circus in the House where they struggled with selecting a new Speaker, until they finally settled on Mike Johnson who is more hostile towards Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ and towards the Biden administration itself. And that's really when support for Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ started to wobble a bit, and when people really started asking whether or not the US ๐บ๐ธ would continue supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. So, the timeline of events fits.
And now, there's a bit of a crisis within the Democratic Party. I mean, it's not so much a crisis within the party itself, but within the Democrats' vote base. A lot of Arab-Americans and left-leaning Americans ๐บ๐ธ in general have voiced their displeasure with Biden's handling of the war in Gaza, saying that he's too pro-Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, and that he's not pro-Palestinian ๐ต๐ธ enough, and that he should be pressuring Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ into a ceasefire to stop the killing inside of Gaza, all of the senseless bombing and killing of Palestinian civilians ๐ต๐ธ. I mean, it's sort of funny in a morbid way to think that this war started over the killing of Israeli civilians ๐ฎ๐ฑ and that it may end over the killing of Palestinian civilians ๐ต๐ธ. But, that's the nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ. It hasn't changed in the hundred years since it started right after Britain ๐ฌ๐ง established Mandatory Palestine over the corpse of the Ottoman Empire ๐น๐ท.
This has always been tricky problem or issue that the US ๐บ๐ธ has had to deal with, and navigate through. The US ๐บ๐ธ has always been criticized for being too soft on Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, and not putting enough pressure on them to shape up and change their behavior, whenever they commit war crimes or violate international law such as with those settlements in the West Bank. This is especially the case because the US ๐บ๐ธ is by far Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ's biggest patron. They are their main source of funds and weaponry.
So, if any country in a position to put pressure on Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ and make them end their occupation of the Palestinian territories ๐ต๐ธ, and punish them when they conduct war in a very unsavory and unlawful manner, it's the US ๐บ๐ธ. But, the US ๐บ๐ธ has been hesitant to take those measures because they don't want anger the Israelis ๐ฎ๐ฑ, and risk losing an important strategic alliance in a region that's either hostile or ambivalent to US interests ๐บ๐ธ. They also don't want to seem antisemitic to Israelis ๐ฎ๐ฑ or to Jewish people ✡️ outside of Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ who generally support Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, or have relatives inside Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, or even have dual-citizenship with Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ.
But, by placating to Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ so much, not criticizing them when they do bad things, the US ๐บ๐ธ risks losing the support of Muslims ☪️ and Arabs around the world. That's so many liberals are afraid this whole war inside Gaza will tank Arab-Americans' ๐บ๐ธ and Muslim-Americans' ☪️๐บ๐ธ support for Biden in the 2024 election and swing the vote in Trump's favor. They also risk radicalizing the Left, and turning them into raving antisemites. If you don't think left-wing antisemitism exists, think again, because it does, and it all mostly stems from opposition to Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ and support for Palestine ๐ต๐ธ.
A lot of leftists end up hating Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ so much that they end up hating Jews ✡️ as a whole, and buying into antisemitic conspiracy theories, and also becoming shills and apologists for actual terrorists. I mean, I can't count the number of leftist commentators who have either expressed pro-Hamas sentiments after the attacks happened and after the war in Gaza started, or at least, refused to condemn Hamas's attack, but it is a lot. These people have doubled down on their hatred for Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ and blind devotion to Palestine ๐ต๐ธ that they've baked it into their identity as leftists. You aren't considered a real leftist anymore unless you support Palestine ๐ต๐ธ and hate Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ.
But, I think Arab-Americans ๐บ๐ธ and Muslim-Americans ☪️๐บ๐ธ at least, are little bit more pragmatic than that. Even they oppose Biden's handling of the war in Gaza, when push comes to shove, they'd still likely vote for him. Why wouldn't they? Trump is way worse for Arabs and Muslims ☪️ than Biden. I mean, let's not forget that Trump was the man who instituted a Muslim travel ban ☪️ at the beginning of his presidency, and has promised to reinstate it, and do a lot more if he gets re-elected. This is why I don't understand people who say that they won't vote at all next year if the choice is between Trump or Biden again. I mean, I'm not crazy about the idea of a Trump and Biden rematch either, but it is what it is, and we'll just have to deal with it if it does happen that way. Unless Nikki Haley somehow manages to snag the Republican nomination instead of Trump, Trump/Biden 2024 is what we'll have to deal with. And not voting at all will only help Trump win. If you really don't like Trump, and you don't want him to win, then you have to vote for Biden. It's simple as that.
All of the problems that you may have with US policy ๐บ๐ธ towards Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ and Palestine ๐ต๐ธ will be worse under second Trump presidency than under a continued Biden presidency. I mean, Trump supported Benjamin Netanyahu, the man who people mainly blame for the security and intelligence failure that allowed Hamas to breach the Israeli border ๐ฎ๐ฑ and commence their attack. He also enabled the further construction and spread of Israeli settlements ๐ฎ๐ฑ in the West Bank, which are designed to nullify the peace process and make a two-state solution impossible, which is the solution that many leftist have said they wanted. They want a two-state solution, but the Israeli settlements ๐ฎ๐ฑ in the West Bank make a two-state solution impossible. And Trump is in favor of those settlements.
He also decided to build the US Embassy ๐บ๐ธ in Jerusalem, something that many people criticized at the time because Jerusalem is not the official capital of Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ. Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ doesn't really have an official capital city. Tel Aviv has been sort of treated as de facto capital instead of Jerusalem. And placing the embassy there completely undermines the idea of a two-state solution, and the idea of Jerusalem being an international city for Israelis ๐ฎ๐ฑ and Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ by making Jerusalem an Israeli city ๐ฎ๐ฑ, something that Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ and pro-Palestinian groups and individuals ๐ต๐ธ are against. So, if you want things to improve inside Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, and you want the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ to end, then you can't let Trump win because he'll just make everything worse. Like, significantly worse. Not voting and sitting the election out is not going to solve anything. You have power as a voter to make sure our country goes in the right direction, and doesn't veer off into insanity and dystopia. Use it. With that out of the way, enjoy the article.
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Most of the Western world supported Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, while most of the Islamic world ☪️ and "Global South" supported Hamas, or the Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ more broadly; they support the Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ more than they do Hamas specifically, or at least, they won't say they support Hamas publicly because it's kind of political suicide to do so. The biggest supporter of Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ obviously being the United States ๐บ๐ธ, and the biggest supporter of Hamas being Iran ๐ฎ๐ท, and its own proxy militia group, Hezbollah. And of course, Jewish communities ✡️ around the world are rallying to the support of Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ. Conversely Palestinian communities ๐ต๐ธ and pro-Palestinian activists ๐ต๐ธ are rallying to the support of, not so much, Hamas, but the Palestinian cause ๐ต๐ธ in general.
Now, a lot of people are talking about this, including people who usually don't talk about Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ or Palestine ๐ต๐ธ or the Middle East in general. I've seen a lot of people talking about how this whole situation is a powder keg, and spark a larger war in the Middle East, especially if Hezbollah or Iran ๐ฎ๐ท get directly involved; there's potential for spillover into Lebanon ๐ฑ๐ง if the war expands beyond the Gaza Strip, and the area around the Gaza Strip. I've seen some say that this could lead to World War III, which I think is beyond stupid. No matter how bad or how big this war may or may not get, no matter if Iran ๐ฎ๐ท gets involved somehow, and no matter if Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ attacks Iran ๐ฎ๐ท with airstrikes, it won't lead to World War III, I can promise you that.
I've seen a lot of people who mostly talk about Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ get in on this, and trying to link this current situation in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. There's a lot of confusion about what exactly is going on, there's the notorious fog of war, and we don't have all the facts, and we probably won't know until this war is over.
There's a lot of disinformation, and misinformation, like this pro-Ukrainian YouTuber ๐บ๐ฆ, Professor Gerdes (he's an American ๐บ๐ธ) showed a bunch of tweets on Twitter (or X as it's called now) showing Jordanians ๐ฏ๐ด lining up at the border to join the fight in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ on Hamas's side. I don't know if that's actually true, or that's just misinformation, it's hard to tell on social media these days.
There's just a lot of people who aren't the most qualified to talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ talking about it as if they know something about it. But, by talking about it, and talking about it now when it's in the news, shows how little they know about it. I mean, I don't know everything about Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ, and I don't feel I'm all that qualified to competently talk about it without seeming ignorant or insensitive. So, right up front, I apologize if I get anything wrong.
This is a very sensitive and touchy topic, and you have to be careful with how you talk about it because you might offend one side or the other, or you might inadvertently perpetuate hatred between the two sides. This is not really a black and white issue, and I don't think people should treat it as if it is. I personally think it's very dangerous and irresponsible to link this current war in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ to what's happening in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. These conflicts are not the same, they happened for different reasons, and are being fought differently from each other. They really aren't all that comparable at all.
This conflict arguably has more in common with the Indonesian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฉ with the Free Papua Movement, where a bunch of separatists in Western New Guinea are fighting for independence from Indonesia ๐ฎ๐ฉ to form their own state called West Papua, and an armed wing of that movement called the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) is fighting a guerrilla insurgency campaign against the Indonesian military ๐ฎ๐ฉ, and using terrorist tactics to achieve its aims.
Now, that conflict is even murkier than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ, especially because of the Indonesian military ๐ฎ๐ฉ alleged human rights abuse towards the Papuans (the indigenous Melanesian ethnic group that lives in Western New Guinea and the neighboring country known as Papua New Guinea ๐ต๐ฌ), and the heavy-handed methods they've used to crack down and suppress the Free Papua Movement. But, also because of the TPNPB's use of hostage taking. They most recently took a New Zealand pilot ๐ณ๐ฟ hostage and are still holding him hostage, despite the New Zealand government ๐ณ๐ฟ's best efforts to negotiate his release.
Another thing that makes it difficult to sympathize or support the TPNPB and the Free Papua Movement as a whole is their vocal support and solidarity for the so-called "pro-Russian separatists ๐ท๐บ" in Donbas and for Russia ๐ท๐บ's full-scale invasion of Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. They have seemingly fallen for Russia ๐ท๐บ's propaganda regarding the conflict in Donbas, and regarding their justification for their full-scale invasion of Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ that it's somehow an anti-imperialist effort, when it's clear not. It's an imperialist effort by a decrepit regime trying to restore an empire that it feels it deserves to have.
Of course, that doesn't mean the conflict in Indonesia ๐ฎ๐ฉ over Western New Guinea is in any way comparable to the war in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, nor is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ. The Papua conflict ๐ฎ๐ฉ has never really gained as much traction or has grabbed the world's immediate attention or imagination the way the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ, and it doesn't really seem like the Free Papua Movement will really amount to anything, given how little attention has been paid to this issue by the international community.
If either side was pressured by the international community more explicitly to do something or change course, things might change. But right now, no, the international community has paid so little attention to this issue that the prospect things dramatically changing are low; it's very unlikely that Western New Guinea will become independent, at least anytime soon.
Personally, I disapprove of the TPNPB's violent and terroristic activities, especially the kidnapping stuff, and I think if the leaders of the Free Papua Movement denounced such behavior, and pressed for peace, then more people would be supportive of their cause. Of course, Indonesia ๐ฎ๐ฉ bares some responsibility too as they're acting like a colonialist and imperialist power, and they need to change course.
This isn't even the first time that Indonesia ๐ฎ๐ฉ has acted imperialistically and acted like a colonial power. The biggest example was their brutal invasion and 24 year long occupation of East Timor ๐น๐ฑ. They literally invaded and took it over immediately after it gained independence from Portugal ๐ต๐น. And they've been accused of human rights abuses and even crimes against humanity as their treatment of the Timorese people ๐น๐ฑ during the occupation has been considered a genocide. So, Indonesia ๐ฎ๐ฉ has done a lot of bad things, and likely still continues to do bad things, and needs to shift away from that imperialist mindset otherwise their young democracy will be negatively affected, and more human suffering will ensue.
Another more apt comparison would be the situation in India ๐ฎ๐ณ regarding the independence movement in the state of Punjab. The Indian government and military ๐ฎ๐ณ are fighting a low-level insurgency within Punjab, conducted by Sikh separatists ๐ชฏ who wish to create an independent Sikh state ๐ชฏ called Khalistan due to feelings that the Indian government ๐ฎ๐ณ has mistreated and persecuted the Sikh minority ๐ชฏ in the country.
Many Khalistani supporters and Khalistani groups have used terrorist tactics to achieve their aims of breaking away from India ๐ฎ๐ณ. One of the most infamous attacks was when a bunch of pro-Khalistan Sikh terrorists ๐ชฏ detonated a bomb onboard a Canadian plane ๐จ๐ฆ bound for India ๐ฎ๐ณ in 1985. It was considered to be the deadliest terrorist attack in North America until 9/11 happened, and outdid it ten fold.
So, for this reason, the Khalistan movement is just associated with terrorism in the eyes of many non-Sikh ๐ชฏ Indians ๐ฎ๐ณ. Like, when they hear the word "Khalistan," when they see Sikhs ๐ชฏ, especially those who advocate for the creation of Khalistan, they're immediately suspicious, and think that they are terrorists or they support terrorism. And this of course leads to a lot of anti-Sikh sentiment ๐ชฏ in India ๐ฎ๐ณ, especially among the Hindu majority ๐️, which leads to a whole other can of worms, and just makes things messier and more complicated.
And of course, the Khalistan issue is at the root of the recent deterioration of relations between Canada ๐จ๐ฆ and India ๐ฎ๐ณ. Canadian Prime Minister ๐จ๐ฆ, Justin Trudeau blamed India ๐ฎ๐ณ for the assassination of a Canadian Sikh ๐จ๐ฆ๐ชฏ named Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was a supporter of the Khalistan movement, and was a leader within that movement. And as a result, India ๐ฎ๐ณ now hates Canada ๐จ๐ฆ, and hates Trudeau in particular, and they sees him and the Canadian government ๐จ๐ฆ as a whole as Khalistan supporters, even though they actually aren't. It's a very messy situation, and a very morally murky conflict (between India ๐ฎ๐ณ and the Khalistan movement).
But, those are a couple of the conflicts that I think are far more comparable to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ than the Russo-Ukrainian War ๐ท๐บ๐บ๐ฆ is. Another comparable conflict would be the conflict between Turkey ๐น๐ท and the PKK, and the Turkish-Kurdish issue ๐น๐ท as a whole. Hell, even the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan ๐ฆ๐ฟ and Armenia ๐ฆ๐ฒ is more comparable to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ than the Russo-Ukrainian War ๐ท๐บ๐บ๐ฆ is. The only current conflict or potential conflict that could be compared to the Russo-Ukrainian War ๐ท๐บ๐บ๐ฆ is the China-Taiwan issue ๐จ๐ณ๐น๐ผ, and even that's not a perfect match; the China-Taiwan issue ๐จ๐ณ๐น๐ผ has a lot more in common with the Korean War ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฐ๐ท, and the on-going tensions between North Korea ๐ฐ๐ต and South Korea ๐ฐ๐ท.
Some historical wars that are comparable to the current Russo-Ukrainian War ๐ท๐บ๐บ๐ฆ include the Second Sino-Japanese War ๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ต, the Russo-Japanese War ๐ท๐บ๐ฏ๐ต, the Russo-Georgian War ๐ท๐บ๐ฌ๐ช, and ironically, the Gulf War and the Iran-Iraq War ๐ฎ๐ท๐ฎ๐ถ, but again, those aren't perfect comparisons. Every conflict is different, and while there may some similarities between other conflicts, past or present, they aren't exactly alike. So, just because Zelenskyy voiced support for Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ doesn't mean that the current Israel-Hamas war ๐ฎ๐ฑ or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ as a whole is in anyway similar to the Russo-Ukrainian War ๐ท๐บ๐บ๐ฆ.
Speaking of which, I did see how Professor Gerdes lament how Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ was so quick to support Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ in its war against Hamas, and yet, Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ has been unwilling to do the same for Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. Well, you have to keep in mind that Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ is friends with Russia ๐ท๐บ. Like, Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ and Russia ๐ท๐บ have had pretty close and friendly relations with each other for the past few decades ever since Putin's been in power in Russia ๐ท๐บ and Netanyahu has dominated Israeli politics ๐ฎ๐ฑ. So, Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ likely didn't support Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, or provide them any military aid as to not piss off Russia ๐ท๐บ. That's just how foreign relations can be sometimes. Plus, I don't like Netanyahu, and I think Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ deserves far better than him.
Also, I think people should avoid conflating Hamas with Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ. Ever since this war started, I've seen a lot of people conflate Hamas with Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ as a whole, and using the terms Hamas and Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ interchangeably. And of course, people use Hamas and what they did to promote anti-Palestinian ๐ต๐ธ, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim ☪️ sentiments.
Yes, Hamas is a Palestinian group ๐ต๐ธ, yes, there are a lot of Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ that support Hamas. But, not every Palestinian ๐ต๐ธ is a terrorist, and not every Palestinian ๐ต๐ธ, Arab, or Muslim supports Hamas. I mean, most people were able to make this distinction with Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) ๐ต๐ธ, or other Palestinian terrorist groups ๐ต๐ธ like Fatah and Black September (a breakaway organization from Fatah). Why can't they make the same distinction with Hamas?
I mean, it's a lot easier to separate Hamas from Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ and the Palestinian cause ๐ต๐ธ as whole since Palestine ๐ต๐ธ isn't their name, and they're more of an Islamist organization ☪️, and not every Palestinian ๐ต๐ธ is an Islamist ☪️. The Palestinian movement ๐ต๐ธ in general is mostly secular, so they aren't as on board with Hamas as some might think.
Of course, as I said, that doesn't mean there isn't support for Hamas in Palestine ๐ต๐ธ elsewhere in the Arab and Muslim world ☪️, there is, but that's only because they see them as the most effective and the ones getting things done compared to the weak, corrupt, and ineffective Palestinian Authority ๐ต๐ธ. I mean, Hamas is pretty awful. They are terrorists, and they have killed a lot of people, done a lot of terrible things. But considering their alternatives, it's no wonder why so many Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ support them, and how they've taken in by their propaganda.
It's not even just Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ, Arabs, and Muslims ☪️ who have been taken in by Hamas's propaganda, it's also pro-Palestinian activists ๐ต๐ธ, people who aren't Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ, who aren't Arabs, and who aren't Muslims ☪️. They too have been fooled by Hamas, and have chosen to just accept them and what they're doing just because they're opposing Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ. That's really why Leftists in the West in particular are okay with Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups ๐ต๐ธ because they don't like Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, they don't like what Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ does to the Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ, and so, they're willing to tolerate or support these groups, despite how violent they are and how terroristic they are.
And think pro-Palestinian activists ๐ต๐ธ share some of the blame for why this conflict is so messy, murky, and so morally grey. They contribute to the problem of violence because by supporting these groups, or not criticizing them when they do bad things; they are inadvertently conflating Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ with terrorists.
That's the exact opposite of what those people want obviously, but they're contributing to the problem they're complaining about by not criticizing groups like Hamas, especially when they do things like this. Supporting Hamas, or excusing Hamas, or downplaying what they did undermines the Palestinian cause ๐ต๐ธ in a huge and profound way.
But, that's really all I have to say about the current situation in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ. I don't like Hamas, I don't like what they did, and I think, they should be defeated. Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ's military response is justified in this instance; hopefully, they don't kill any civilians of their own, or commit any atrocities or war crimes; however unlikely that might be. But, I don't hate Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ, and I don't think Hamas's actions should reflect on Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ as whole, or be used as an excuse to hate Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ, or Arabs, or Muslims ☪️.
I was also kind of annoyed by the amount of pro-Ukrainian YouTubers ๐บ๐ฆ talking about this war, and trying to compare it or link it to the war in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. These two wars are completely different, and should be treated as such. The only YouTuber that I saw talk about this war competently was Ward Carroll. He just gave the facts that we currently know, didn't spread any rumors, didn't invoke Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, didn't try to fear monger, didn't get political, didn't take sides, he did it the right way. His video on the matter is the only one that I actually feel comfortable recommending right now. In fact, I'll link it right now.
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๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ
I just found another good video to watch about the current war in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ. It's by a YouTuber called Preston Stewart, he's a military guy. I think he was an active service member at one point, but he's retired now, he's out of service and in civilian life. So he's a veteran; a lot of vets like to talk about military news and military history. If they don't join a PMC (private military company) or become police officers, then they become military columnists, military bloggers, and military historians.
So, Preston is very typical of a lot of vets, what he's doing is not out of the ordinary for guys who retire from military service. He talks about military topics on his channel, mostly modern, current day stuff. He's done a lot of videos about the war in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, he's done some videos about Taiwan ๐น๐ผ, and he's done a couple videos about Afghanistan ๐ฆ๐ซ. Now he's talking Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, since the war in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ and Gaza is the big topic in the news right now, and the big topic in military and geopolitics circles.
It's kind of eclipsed the war in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ a little bit in the minds of journalists, media pundits, geopolitics experts and enthusiasts, and military experts and enthusiasts. It's kind of taken attention away from Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ a little bit. That's not to say these people have lost interest in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, but the situation in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ is so big and so flashy that they feel they had to talk about it in a way they didn't talk about the clashes and fighting in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ that happened in 2021.
Or the current situation in Azerbaijan ๐ฆ๐ฟ regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, how Azerbaijan ๐ฆ๐ฟ defeated the Artsakh defense forces and ceased full control of Nagorno-Karabakh last month, resulting in a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians into Armenia ๐ฆ๐ฒ (they fear persecution and even ethnic cleansing by the Azerbaijanis ๐ฆ๐ฟ). Or the terrorist attack in Turkey ๐น๐ท and subsequent Turkish airstrikes in Iraq ๐น๐ท๐ฎ๐ถ last week; or the accidentally shoot down of a Turkish drone ๐น๐ท by US forces ๐บ๐ธ.
But, he did do a good video on the topic. He was just talking about the things we know right now, and acknowledged that war in Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ is dynamic, and ever changing, and will likely be different after his video is published. He didn't really try to explain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ, but he did acknowledge that it is a very complicated issue, and it's not one you can easily explain in a few minutes or even an hour. Much like Ward Carroll (call sign: Mooch), Preston mostly just focused on the military aspect of the war, and how Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ is responding to Hamas, and how Hamas was even able to launch a surprise attack despite Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ having one of the most sophisticated security apparatuses in the entire world.
I mean, the Israelis ๐ฎ๐ฑ pride themselves on their intelligence service, Mossad, which some have said is more powerful, secretive, and capable than even the CIA, and their air defense systems, which are some of the most sophisticated in the world; of course they is, they got them from us, the US ๐บ๐ธ; and yet these comparatively less sophisticated or advanced Hamas terrorists were able to catch the Israelis ๐ฎ๐ฑ flatfooted, and leave them unprepared for the barrage of rocket attacks, shootings, and kidnappings.
One thing I'm glad that Preston didn't do was invoke Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ or compare this war to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. That's the problem that a lot of pro-Ukrainian channels ๐บ๐ฆ have run into where they just compare this war to the war in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, even though as I said, these two wars are not actually all that comparable. The only thing that makes them remotely comparable is that Russia ๐ท๐บ and Hamas are both supported by Iran ๐ฎ๐ท, that's it.
Other than that, these wars are completely different, and should treated and talked about as such. It's like these people have talked about Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ for so long that they just have this tendency or this urge to compare every conflict to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, or find someway to link it to Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. Preston didn't make that mistake, and I'm glad, and that's why I'm recommending his video to you.
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๐จ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ
JJ McCullough uploaded a new video yesterday talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ specifically. It's not so much a history lesson about the conflict, how it started, and it how it has played out over past the half century, but rather, an explanation of current global perceptions of the conflict. JJ seeks to explain why so many people in so many other countries are so emotionally, philosophically, and politically invested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต๐ธ, when they themselves are not Israelis ๐ฎ๐ฑ or Palestinians ๐ต๐ธ, or even Jews ✡️, Arabs, or Muslims ☪️. It's a pretty interesting and thought provoking watch.
JJ, for the most part, takes a very analytical and impartial position, never stating his own opinions on the matter, which viewpoint of the conflict he holds, if he holds any at all; and he does, or at least, he used to; he is mostly pro-Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, though he was a lot more aggressively pro-Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ in his 20s than he currently is in his 30s, and I get the sense that he doesn't feel as strongly about this issue as he used to, and isn't as emotionally invested in it as he used to, at least from what I saw in this video.
He only intents on telling you what other people think, rather than what he thinks. So, if you're someone who just barely started paying attention to this conflict this month after Hamas launched their surprise attack on Israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ, and massacred all those people and took all those people hostage on Saturday October 7, 2023, and you're wondering why is the world so focused on this particular conflict and other world conflicts, then this video is worth a watch.
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