Thank you for this comprehensive review. It is pretty clear there will be no outcome from this that anyone could call “winning.”
It is also clear that Robert Gates’ assessment of Biden was prescient: wrong on every foreign policy issue.
I wish more Americans could understand that the political squabbles in this country over abortion rights and climate change are mere distractions from existential threats to our way of life. We are at risk of subjugation, and yes, extermination, from a nuclear-powered, irrational, medieval warlord country. Gleaming centrifuges mask the primitive, uncivilized insanity of these abominable brutes.
This war in Israel is only an avatar for their larger ambitions of world domination and destruction of Western lives and values.
Remember the signs that procaimed love conquers hate. Hate is now on full display and many of those sign holders are largely silent right now . Or worse for many of them have vilified Israel and Israelis (Jews) for decades. Look no further than most college campuses : students and their professors. Once the language of condemnation is softened ( in many cases not at all, just the opposite) you know where they stand and it is about hate not love
You heard that 31 Harvard organizations released a statement saying that Israel is to blame for the attack? And here I thought they only let smart people into Harvard.
How many will be doxxed, canceled, kicked out of school? None. Imagine if they supported the KKK openly - results? Except the KKK hasn't murdered anyone since the 1980's, whereas Hamas murdered hundreds this past weekend.
Not sure what you’re referring to here Re being canceled??? But re KKK analogy, the whole thing hinges on the term “support” You are assuming that the changes in policy that allowed Iran to access its $16 billion was a show of support for Hamas. Did it end up in some way supporting Hamas. That’s very possible. No one is hiding this. It is an important fact that needs to be addressed. What I do t like about this article is that it doesn’t help readers understand how to think about the issues. It just provides a specific perspective and set of facts as if that’s the whole story. That’s not journalism. That’s advocacy.
I am assuming nothing and making a simple comparison. These useful idiots in NYC, DC, and other Western locations are in public displaying support for Hamas. Hamas is a violent, barbaric terrorist organization that just engaged in cold blooded mass murder of civilians in Israel. None of these supporters will be doxxed, fired, canceled. etc. Imagine people were similarly supporting the KKK in public in these locations, what would happen?
Sweden, ten years ago the least violent nation in Europe, just announced that it is deploying its military to fight the escalating murder and crime being perpetrated by Middle Eastern refugee's on Swedish citizens. One in four Swedish women can expect to be raped in her lifetime. In France and Britain, refugee mass rioting, burning and looting, organized crime and random street murder, all while carrying a foreign flag. And the forced introduction of migrants into vulnerable communities which destroys small English villages. Women report being followed about the street by immigrants "rubbing themselves". In all cases law enforcement and citizens face irrational violence, unsafe streets and "no go" zones where Sharia law rules supreme. Grooming gangs and violent crime serves the fascist EU globalist compromised elected political leadership which simply ignores the safety of its native born while expanding the persecution of citizens for speech/thought crimes and the implementation of travel restrictions.
What is the purpose of allowing millions of military aged men to illegally flood a nation pretending to be persecuted refugee's, syphon billions in benefits at the expense of the working class, then when established, fly home on vacation to the lands they fled? And who benefits from the chaos and disorder?
The central banking globalist billionaire Davos boys and girls, and in America the DNC/Biden, Cheney/Republican grifters that serve it, declared long ago that the Nation State/America is obsolete. During the Covid lockdown the DNC encouraged division, violence, looting and destruction of small business. Drug cartels distribute fentanyl at will in major cities across America. Marxist trolls have destroyed American education and American infrastructure is in collapse. In 2008 D.C. stood by while Wall Street, having gutted American industry, looted pension funds and life savings then drove millions from their homes. The DNC and the D.C. surveillance state bureaucracy has violated every principle of freedom treasured by the American Republic. There's billons for Ukraine and luxury hotels for illegals but no money for the American homeless. The Soros/Davos pipelined D.A.'s from major American cities aren't prosecuting violent crime and looting. Davos declares free speech in America dead and Hillary Clinton opines that some Americans need "re-education". Is any of this happening by accident?---Congresswoman Green is asking for the inspection of Hamas weaponry to see if any came from the Afghanistan drawdown or the Ukraine. Interesting that the House lost its speaker ensuring D.C. chaos just before the assault.
The violence, mayhem and genuine horror in Israel is the manipulated result of criminal financiers investing in, profiting from and manipulating religious, ethnic and political division. It's a well funded industry. Blood in the streets pays. It is a cabal of numbered accounts, shell companies, baksheesh and murder and you are footing the bill. Orwell is spinning in his grave. How long, before it is America's turn?
Sorry Rod. I thought about that after I wrote posted it. I'm guilty of not checking the source when I heard it. Pardon my knee-jerk. But I'm also certain that rape and the sexual assault of Swedish women has escalated due to forced immigration. (Thanks for keeping me honest.)
As it turns out statistics on rape in Sweden are hard to come by. Some women there are indeed reporting sexual harassment and assault by immigrants, fear of going out alone at night and the necessity of avoiding certain areas in their towns and cities. It's a consequence of forced illegal migration. But 1 in 4 women? My bad. The Swedish military is being deployed to fight escalating organized crime and violence inside the immigrant community.
As a note. Swedish law has recently removed coercion and the threat of violence as a criteria and lowered the bar to simple consent. Rape is what the woman says it is. Interestingly, make of it what we may, one of the sexual assault charges against Julian Assange was a broken condum.
Thank you for your work it is so important and absolutely brilliant in a time where journalism is in crisis. There is so much unintelligent , irresponsible and inciting narratives used to divide the US. Your work brings reason, truth and logic to counteract.
When you can write about the recent Iran and US deal. Also about its history. Thank you. Ana
Sadly, the Democratic Party foreign policy experts have degrees from the Neville Chamberlin School of Diplomacy. Creating a piece of paper treaty with evil people will deliver peace. Hamas and the people of Gaza have shown the world who they are. The rest of the world must steel ourselves to finish this in a way that will lead to peace. I doubt the left will have the stomach for that. But it must get done.
Sadly AL I think you underestimate those on "the left" responsible. This cannot be simple incompetence. As we write they are saying that those of us saying in response to those billions recently released to Iran had nothing to do with this, of course it did. That to say so is misinformation, and MISINFORMING. A clear threat in light of the recent warning about FBI activity involving US citizens.
Another thought. Napoleon said that one should not always attribute to conspiracy that which might just be plain stupidity. Maybe what is going on is stupidity incompetently consummated.
Ok Bari, this can and should be the Free Press’s Finest Hour. While others, as you rightly claim, are “equivocating and conceptualizing and minimizing”, the Free Press can report and then investigate and report on this awful weekend. You do that and your startup will no longer be just that. Good luck. I truly believe the American people are counting on you.
My Sicilian is showing. So many aspects of this, geography, history and religion lead us to the present mess. There will be no positives to come of this, I would give Gazans fair warning then just burn it down. Catch the terrorists as they flee and hunt the rest down. 30 years ago NPR featured an attempt by Israeli and Palestinian lawyers to find a solution. The only thing they could agree on is that they had to throw out EVERYTHING that had taken place to that point. Riiight. Also- the media are showing they asses. BBC coverage has been 90% focused on Gaza. At this hour Fox is showing programming from 8 hours ago. Only CNN is showing what is happening in Israel and talking to people in Israel. Shame on the BBC!!! I have watched hours and hours of climate hysteria to get international news and now I WILL NEVER WATCH ANOTHER MINUTE OF BBC- EVER. Just embarrassing.
Hi Michael. Avoid BBC when global events break- their quest for nuance ( their nuance invariably aligning with their established worldview) forces their heads up their own asses. Same with CNNI and Sky.
i24, the Israeli English language news is doing great coverage. You may need to download the app.
On 9/11 I was watching BBC, I never forgot that because the broadcaster was talking about how Bush's withdrawal from the anti defense missile pact couldn't have stopped this. Watching the buildings burn I was astounded that was the key conclusion of the broadcaster!
It’s also very interesting that the media is reporting that the Biden administration released $6 billion to Iran, but this article confirms it was actually $16 billion. The initial $6 billion is only the amount that was held by South Korean banks, but Iraqi banks released an additional $10 billion at the request of the administration. Why is it our media defaults to half truths so reflexively?
If you think BBC coverage is bad, try NPR 😀. Now that is truly a wonder to behold.
And they are all 💯 convinced of how good and virtuous they are and how they care about "people" (except for all the dirty rats who deserve to be murdered in the cause of "justice").
100%. Had NPR on briefly at 3 random times today. Was disgusted to hear just what you said. First thing I heard this morning- blaming Israel for not making better use of the period of relative quiet and peace they have had lately. The next 2 clips I heard were about Gaza and the horrors people are encountering there. I’ll be sure to contribute extra to their multitudes of pledge drives this year.
You are correct about CNN, first time I've ever admired any reporting from Anderson Cooper. However, others on CNN continually using "right wing" and "far right" Israeli government, appeasing the Biden regime. FOX and Breitbart are useless.
Thank you for this helpful summary. Praying for the souls of the innocents murdered, their grieving loved ones, and all of us who grieve with them their losses and the loss of the world we thought we knew. Fervent prayers for those still held captive, that they should be safe from further harm. And, because this sinner’s dark Scots/Viking heart cannot help it, I pray that all those who carried out this evil will reap unfathomable sorrow and pain, that their souls will be flung to the deepest hell imaginable, for eternity. O lord hear my prayer…
This is not the end of Biden's destructive handiwork. It is not even the beginning of the end. It is only the end of the beginning of the destruction that America has endured since January 20,2020. Unless this entire serpent's nest on the Potomac is cleaned out, America will soon share Israel's sorrow. As this article cogently lays out, all of this is properly laid at the doorstep of the Senile Imbecile who is destroying America. Remove Joe Biden and his cabal of saboteurs NOW.
Two weeks ago I listened to your Honestly episode about Leonard Cohen in Israel during the Yom Kippur war while staining my deck in the warm late summer sun. Shocking that this is where we are. Thank you, Bari Weiss and The Free Press team for this coverage. I will share widely. And I echo Ana’s request below for some context for the Iran deal since all I heard was from the mainstream and we all know how truthful they are. Israel is in my prayers.
The Obama-Clinton-Biden corruption of our system is complete. They got here by calling their domestic political opponents Nazis. It is now clear who are the Nazis and their supporters in the West. It's not the people who objected to the removal of historical statues.
What we've seen is a pogrom in the style of the Nazis, and our elites are lining up to celebrate or make some excuses to continue enabling it.
The dupes throughout our system are far too self-regarding to ever admit to themselves or anyone else how profoundly wrong they are.
Our universities support Hamas. The Democratic Socialists support Hamas. The State Dept. supports Iran and will give Hamas a scolding as they thwart Israel. There will be an easy scapegoat in Netanyahu and then the business of encircling civilization with barbarism will continue.
Re: "Over the past two decades, Iran started positioning the Axis of Resistance as a way to dominate the region. It found a receptive ear in Barack Obama, who was looking to pave the road for a quick American exit from Iraq—and from other regional entanglements that might lead America into another deadly and pointless Middle Eastern war. Obama believed the Iranians to be the only power strong enough to run the region without American help. We see now how well that turned out."
Hey Barak. The Nobel Committee called. They want their Peace Prize back.
There are times when barbarism should be met with barbarism. The article lists a series of prior incursions and terrorist attempts by Hamas into Israel. That seems remarkably similar to the typical urban predator rap sheet here in the US, allowed to continue their crimes, including murder, in the name of progressive kindness.
I hope I am wrong but the rescue of the hostages seems like a movie fiction in this situation. They now deserve vengeance.
And let's add something, Israel needs to understand many American and elites view their country as a white supremacist bastion colony. That sounds insane but its true. They have massive influence in academia and are in control of many city councils and other elected positions. They hate your country with a passion and vie the killings as a needed step in decolonizing the region. They are that evil.
Yes indeed. As my friend put it, we have a very real fifth column in the US now, and they are in positions of great power and influence. The fact that one woman involved in the recently discovered Iranian influence operation is still at the Pentagon and still has her security clearance - wow.
Of course we have all the useful idiots as well, the AOCs and others and the "democratic socialists" demonstrating in Times Square and in front of the White House ON THE SIDE of the perpetrators, while the bodies are still warm and while Israeli civilians are hostages in Gaza undergoing God knows what horrors.
I have grown tired of the elite media response to this as if Israel has some role in what began over the weekend. As a younger man, I can remember learning during this peace process that Arafat always had a map behind his desk of the Middle East without Israel on it. The Palestinians don't want peace, just victory.
What happens to Gaza now is total war. In this coming war, there are no civilians. Everyone in Gaza is complicit in this. Success must be made not only in eliminating Hamas but also in breaking the will of those who live there. They must either be open to peace or face total war until they submit. Total war is a nasty business. The progressive left will begin to howl soon with the just measures Israel will take. It will be interesting to see how it gets covered. We are in for an interesting ride.
I am afraid that you are correct. It is either this or solve the problem the “old” way and get destroyed when Hamas sneaks in and Iranian nuclear device and destroys most of Israel several years from now.
I tend to share the pessimism of the author of the article - Israel will feel "restrained" by the world response and its supposed allies such as us pressuring them to stand down and will just do the usual bomb and leave operation, then back to the status quo.
OTOH it seems that Iran and its proxies like Hamas are seeking all out regional war because they think they can win this time. So the "peacemakers" will be proven wrong no matter what.
I think Israel is past that. What will happen is they will start the seige and invade. It will be a slow,methodical punishing campaign. I think to quote an old movie, Hamas has called down the whirlwind and the consequences will be severe. We should stand by them until Hamas and the people who support them are broken.
However the strategy seems to be to provoke an all out war in the region so Israel is facing attacks on all fronts, combined with the inevitable Western fifth column media outrage campaign over killings of Palestinians (who will get all the front page sob stories that the Israeli victims are not getting now) to pressure Israel to stand down.
Whatever is coming is not going to be pretty. It may well be existential.
Agreed, I think the threat of a wider war is significant, but in the end, diplomacy does not settle this. One side has to win, and the other side will lose. I think Hamas must get destroyed and be willing to support Israel so that happens, no matter how many Palestinians have to get killed.
That's pretty much where I am, but Team Biden, the EU, etc etc? Likely a very different story. The Israelis are in a very bad spot, and this is before the inevitable "Arab street" uprisings to come - which (thanks brilliant immigration policies) will now not be confined to the actual Arab street.
Thank you so much for your clarity. I hope the American people wake up to the evil regimes of Obama and Biden. With sending billions to Iran we do have blood on our hands! In my opinion Israel has no choice but to reclaim Gaza and wipe out Hamas once and for all. That would send a clear message to Hezbollah and other terrorist factions. The idea of giving land for peace was one of Israel’s biggest mistakes.
Yes! Even John Podhoretz, normally critical of Netanyahu and Israel's politics, said as much this morning on the Commentary podcast!! Could barely believe my ears. He also said (I'm paraphrasing liberally) that the UN and their "condemnation of violence" could go pound sand.
Have no knowledge of cyber attack (or lack thereof), but I believe the entire sophisticated electronic fence system was based on towers with sophisticated equipment at the top, 'seeing' and overseeing all function. Hamas seems to have dropped simple explosives onto them, neutralizing the entire operation, and then making at least 25 holes in the fence with explosives and pouring through. Disaster. Having no back-up system once this went down is incomprehensible. We are hurting.
in 1973 Israel had a massive sand berm they were confident would slow any Egyptian attack. The Egyptians used fire hoses and washed multiple entrances through it. Just that simple. What one man can conceive another can undo, there is always a flaw.
Thank you for this comprehensive review. It is pretty clear there will be no outcome from this that anyone could call “winning.”
It is also clear that Robert Gates’ assessment of Biden was prescient: wrong on every foreign policy issue.
I wish more Americans could understand that the political squabbles in this country over abortion rights and climate change are mere distractions from existential threats to our way of life. We are at risk of subjugation, and yes, extermination, from a nuclear-powered, irrational, medieval warlord country. Gleaming centrifuges mask the primitive, uncivilized insanity of these abominable brutes.
This war in Israel is only an avatar for their larger ambitions of world domination and destruction of Western lives and values.
Remember the signs that procaimed love conquers hate. Hate is now on full display and many of those sign holders are largely silent right now . Or worse for many of them have vilified Israel and Israelis (Jews) for decades. Look no further than most college campuses : students and their professors. Once the language of condemnation is softened ( in many cases not at all, just the opposite) you know where they stand and it is about hate not love
You heard that 31 Harvard organizations released a statement saying that Israel is to blame for the attack? And here I thought they only let smart people into Harvard.
They only let in children of left-wing Democrats , who then get a healthy dose of additional indoctrination from the Communist/Marxist staff.
Sounds like smart people are staying away.
They may be smart, but morally they are bankrupt.
31 student organizations. Children.
How many will be doxxed, canceled, kicked out of school? None. Imagine if they supported the KKK openly - results? Except the KKK hasn't murdered anyone since the 1980's, whereas Hamas murdered hundreds this past weekend.
Not sure what you’re referring to here Re being canceled??? But re KKK analogy, the whole thing hinges on the term “support” You are assuming that the changes in policy that allowed Iran to access its $16 billion was a show of support for Hamas. Did it end up in some way supporting Hamas. That’s very possible. No one is hiding this. It is an important fact that needs to be addressed. What I do t like about this article is that it doesn’t help readers understand how to think about the issues. It just provides a specific perspective and set of facts as if that’s the whole story. That’s not journalism. That’s advocacy.
I am assuming nothing and making a simple comparison. These useful idiots in NYC, DC, and other Western locations are in public displaying support for Hamas. Hamas is a violent, barbaric terrorist organization that just engaged in cold blooded mass murder of civilians in Israel. None of these supporters will be doxxed, fired, canceled. etc. Imagine people were similarly supporting the KKK in public in these locations, what would happen?
" policy that allowed Iran to access its $16 billion "
Paula, I'm pretty sure the publicized number was $6 billion, not 16. Are you referring to a differing account, or am I, gasp, wrong?
If there can be only one take away from this, it is for Americans to unite, internal rift leaves the door open for evil to infiltrate.
Sweden, ten years ago the least violent nation in Europe, just announced that it is deploying its military to fight the escalating murder and crime being perpetrated by Middle Eastern refugee's on Swedish citizens. One in four Swedish women can expect to be raped in her lifetime. In France and Britain, refugee mass rioting, burning and looting, organized crime and random street murder, all while carrying a foreign flag. And the forced introduction of migrants into vulnerable communities which destroys small English villages. Women report being followed about the street by immigrants "rubbing themselves". In all cases law enforcement and citizens face irrational violence, unsafe streets and "no go" zones where Sharia law rules supreme. Grooming gangs and violent crime serves the fascist EU globalist compromised elected political leadership which simply ignores the safety of its native born while expanding the persecution of citizens for speech/thought crimes and the implementation of travel restrictions.
What is the purpose of allowing millions of military aged men to illegally flood a nation pretending to be persecuted refugee's, syphon billions in benefits at the expense of the working class, then when established, fly home on vacation to the lands they fled? And who benefits from the chaos and disorder?
The central banking globalist billionaire Davos boys and girls, and in America the DNC/Biden, Cheney/Republican grifters that serve it, declared long ago that the Nation State/America is obsolete. During the Covid lockdown the DNC encouraged division, violence, looting and destruction of small business. Drug cartels distribute fentanyl at will in major cities across America. Marxist trolls have destroyed American education and American infrastructure is in collapse. In 2008 D.C. stood by while Wall Street, having gutted American industry, looted pension funds and life savings then drove millions from their homes. The DNC and the D.C. surveillance state bureaucracy has violated every principle of freedom treasured by the American Republic. There's billons for Ukraine and luxury hotels for illegals but no money for the American homeless. The Soros/Davos pipelined D.A.'s from major American cities aren't prosecuting violent crime and looting. Davos declares free speech in America dead and Hillary Clinton opines that some Americans need "re-education". Is any of this happening by accident?---Congresswoman Green is asking for the inspection of Hamas weaponry to see if any came from the Afghanistan drawdown or the Ukraine. Interesting that the House lost its speaker ensuring D.C. chaos just before the assault.
The violence, mayhem and genuine horror in Israel is the manipulated result of criminal financiers investing in, profiting from and manipulating religious, ethnic and political division. It's a well funded industry. Blood in the streets pays. It is a cabal of numbered accounts, shell companies, baksheesh and murder and you are footing the bill. Orwell is spinning in his grave. How long, before it is America's turn?
"One in four Swedish women can expect to be raped in her lifetime"
Can you cite a credible source for this incredible statistic, Mike?
Sorry Rod. I thought about that after I wrote posted it. I'm guilty of not checking the source when I heard it. Pardon my knee-jerk. But I'm also certain that rape and the sexual assault of Swedish women has escalated due to forced immigration. (Thanks for keeping me honest.)
As it turns out statistics on rape in Sweden are hard to come by. Some women there are indeed reporting sexual harassment and assault by immigrants, fear of going out alone at night and the necessity of avoiding certain areas in their towns and cities. It's a consequence of forced illegal migration. But 1 in 4 women? My bad. The Swedish military is being deployed to fight escalating organized crime and violence inside the immigrant community.
As a note. Swedish law has recently removed coercion and the threat of violence as a criteria and lowered the bar to simple consent. Rape is what the woman says it is. Interestingly, make of it what we may, one of the sexual assault charges against Julian Assange was a broken condum.
Stay strong. Stay clear.
And what is the environmental impact of all this war the climate hysterics have helped start?
Very well said
Thank you for your work it is so important and absolutely brilliant in a time where journalism is in crisis. There is so much unintelligent , irresponsible and inciting narratives used to divide the US. Your work brings reason, truth and logic to counteract.
When you can write about the recent Iran and US deal. Also about its history. Thank you. Ana
Sadly, the Democratic Party foreign policy experts have degrees from the Neville Chamberlin School of Diplomacy. Creating a piece of paper treaty with evil people will deliver peace. Hamas and the people of Gaza have shown the world who they are. The rest of the world must steel ourselves to finish this in a way that will lead to peace. I doubt the left will have the stomach for that. But it must get done.
Sadly AL I think you underestimate those on "the left" responsible. This cannot be simple incompetence. As we write they are saying that those of us saying in response to those billions recently released to Iran had nothing to do with this, of course it did. That to say so is misinformation, and MISINFORMING. A clear threat in light of the recent warning about FBI activity involving US citizens.
Another thought. Napoleon said that one should not always attribute to conspiracy that which might just be plain stupidity. Maybe what is going on is stupidity incompetently consummated.
I am not suggesting conspiracies. I just see things that do not add up. Too many things. For too long. Too consistently. And I voice my concerns.
This article gives a short synopsis of what just happened with Iran and our government: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/what-just-happened-in-israel?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-tabletmag&utm_content=later-38369180&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/what-just-happened-in-israel?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-tabletmag&utm_content=later-38369180&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio
Ok Bari, this can and should be the Free Press’s Finest Hour. While others, as you rightly claim, are “equivocating and conceptualizing and minimizing”, the Free Press can report and then investigate and report on this awful weekend. You do that and your startup will no longer be just that. Good luck. I truly believe the American people are counting on you.
My Sicilian is showing. So many aspects of this, geography, history and religion lead us to the present mess. There will be no positives to come of this, I would give Gazans fair warning then just burn it down. Catch the terrorists as they flee and hunt the rest down. 30 years ago NPR featured an attempt by Israeli and Palestinian lawyers to find a solution. The only thing they could agree on is that they had to throw out EVERYTHING that had taken place to that point. Riiight. Also- the media are showing they asses. BBC coverage has been 90% focused on Gaza. At this hour Fox is showing programming from 8 hours ago. Only CNN is showing what is happening in Israel and talking to people in Israel. Shame on the BBC!!! I have watched hours and hours of climate hysteria to get international news and now I WILL NEVER WATCH ANOTHER MINUTE OF BBC- EVER. Just embarrassing.
Hi Michael. Avoid BBC when global events break- their quest for nuance ( their nuance invariably aligning with their established worldview) forces their heads up their own asses. Same with CNNI and Sky.
i24, the Israeli English language news is doing great coverage. You may need to download the app.
https://www.i24news.tv/en
On 9/11 I was watching BBC, I never forgot that because the broadcaster was talking about how Bush's withdrawal from the anti defense missile pact couldn't have stopped this. Watching the buildings burn I was astounded that was the key conclusion of the broadcaster!
All stories must comply with the BBC’s oppressor/victim narrative. Regardless of how forcibly they have to be shoehorned.
btw - did you catch the WSJ reference as to the complicity of Iran.?
Yes Bruce I caught that. It was odd that international media confirmed Iranian involvement before Israeli press (i24) did.
thanks for the link, considering that I don't trust any of the major news outlets these days.
It’s also very interesting that the media is reporting that the Biden administration released $6 billion to Iran, but this article confirms it was actually $16 billion. The initial $6 billion is only the amount that was held by South Korean banks, but Iraqi banks released an additional $10 billion at the request of the administration. Why is it our media defaults to half truths so reflexively?
What is the important point of the Twitter Files?
If you think BBC coverage is bad, try NPR 😀. Now that is truly a wonder to behold.
And they are all 💯 convinced of how good and virtuous they are and how they care about "people" (except for all the dirty rats who deserve to be murdered in the cause of "justice").
100%. Had NPR on briefly at 3 random times today. Was disgusted to hear just what you said. First thing I heard this morning- blaming Israel for not making better use of the period of relative quiet and peace they have had lately. The next 2 clips I heard were about Gaza and the horrors people are encountering there. I’ll be sure to contribute extra to their multitudes of pledge drives this year.
You are correct about CNN, first time I've ever admired any reporting from Anderson Cooper. However, others on CNN continually using "right wing" and "far right" Israeli government, appeasing the Biden regime. FOX and Breitbart are useless.
Thank you for this helpful summary. Praying for the souls of the innocents murdered, their grieving loved ones, and all of us who grieve with them their losses and the loss of the world we thought we knew. Fervent prayers for those still held captive, that they should be safe from further harm. And, because this sinner’s dark Scots/Viking heart cannot help it, I pray that all those who carried out this evil will reap unfathomable sorrow and pain, that their souls will be flung to the deepest hell imaginable, for eternity. O lord hear my prayer…
Two more days until we start reading the "d" word (disproportionate) in the mainstream media. When we do, please remember this article.
cycle of violence!
This is not the end of Biden's destructive handiwork. It is not even the beginning of the end. It is only the end of the beginning of the destruction that America has endured since January 20,2020. Unless this entire serpent's nest on the Potomac is cleaned out, America will soon share Israel's sorrow. As this article cogently lays out, all of this is properly laid at the doorstep of the Senile Imbecile who is destroying America. Remove Joe Biden and his cabal of saboteurs NOW.
but no mean tweets.
orange man bad
he was ending all the wars, he had to go
Hahaha! My kitchen counter is now covered with spit-take coffee!
Two weeks ago I listened to your Honestly episode about Leonard Cohen in Israel during the Yom Kippur war while staining my deck in the warm late summer sun. Shocking that this is where we are. Thank you, Bari Weiss and The Free Press team for this coverage. I will share widely. And I echo Ana’s request below for some context for the Iran deal since all I heard was from the mainstream and we all know how truthful they are. Israel is in my prayers.
Short synopsis of the Iran deal: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/what-just-happened-in-israel?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-tabletmag&utm_content=later-38369180&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio
or I should say.. synopsis of how the US government got us into this mess.
The Obama-Clinton-Biden corruption of our system is complete. They got here by calling their domestic political opponents Nazis. It is now clear who are the Nazis and their supporters in the West. It's not the people who objected to the removal of historical statues.
What we've seen is a pogrom in the style of the Nazis, and our elites are lining up to celebrate or make some excuses to continue enabling it.
The dupes throughout our system are far too self-regarding to ever admit to themselves or anyone else how profoundly wrong they are.
Our universities support Hamas. The Democratic Socialists support Hamas. The State Dept. supports Iran and will give Hamas a scolding as they thwart Israel. There will be an easy scapegoat in Netanyahu and then the business of encircling civilization with barbarism will continue.
So, the Iranian government which routinely massacres its own people can't be trusted as a partner in peace? Lord, Obama really was a bad president.
Re: "Over the past two decades, Iran started positioning the Axis of Resistance as a way to dominate the region. It found a receptive ear in Barack Obama, who was looking to pave the road for a quick American exit from Iraq—and from other regional entanglements that might lead America into another deadly and pointless Middle Eastern war. Obama believed the Iranians to be the only power strong enough to run the region without American help. We see now how well that turned out."
Hey Barak. The Nobel Committee called. They want their Peace Prize back.
No they don’t, they are of the same ilk!
There are times when barbarism should be met with barbarism. The article lists a series of prior incursions and terrorist attempts by Hamas into Israel. That seems remarkably similar to the typical urban predator rap sheet here in the US, allowed to continue their crimes, including murder, in the name of progressive kindness.
I hope I am wrong but the rescue of the hostages seems like a movie fiction in this situation. They now deserve vengeance.
Every time I think about what is surely happening to all those beautiful young Israeli women taken hostage, I want to scream out loud.
And let's add something, Israel needs to understand many American and elites view their country as a white supremacist bastion colony. That sounds insane but its true. They have massive influence in academia and are in control of many city councils and other elected positions. They hate your country with a passion and vie the killings as a needed step in decolonizing the region. They are that evil.
Yes indeed. As my friend put it, we have a very real fifth column in the US now, and they are in positions of great power and influence. The fact that one woman involved in the recently discovered Iranian influence operation is still at the Pentagon and still has her security clearance - wow.
Of course we have all the useful idiots as well, the AOCs and others and the "democratic socialists" demonstrating in Times Square and in front of the White House ON THE SIDE of the perpetrators, while the bodies are still warm and while Israeli civilians are hostages in Gaza undergoing God knows what horrors.
I have grown tired of the elite media response to this as if Israel has some role in what began over the weekend. As a younger man, I can remember learning during this peace process that Arafat always had a map behind his desk of the Middle East without Israel on it. The Palestinians don't want peace, just victory.
What happens to Gaza now is total war. In this coming war, there are no civilians. Everyone in Gaza is complicit in this. Success must be made not only in eliminating Hamas but also in breaking the will of those who live there. They must either be open to peace or face total war until they submit. Total war is a nasty business. The progressive left will begin to howl soon with the just measures Israel will take. It will be interesting to see how it gets covered. We are in for an interesting ride.
I am afraid that you are correct. It is either this or solve the problem the “old” way and get destroyed when Hamas sneaks in and Iranian nuclear device and destroys most of Israel several years from now.
I tend to share the pessimism of the author of the article - Israel will feel "restrained" by the world response and its supposed allies such as us pressuring them to stand down and will just do the usual bomb and leave operation, then back to the status quo.
OTOH it seems that Iran and its proxies like Hamas are seeking all out regional war because they think they can win this time. So the "peacemakers" will be proven wrong no matter what.
I think Israel is past that. What will happen is they will start the seige and invade. It will be a slow,methodical punishing campaign. I think to quote an old movie, Hamas has called down the whirlwind and the consequences will be severe. We should stand by them until Hamas and the people who support them are broken.
You could be right. We will know soon enough.
However the strategy seems to be to provoke an all out war in the region so Israel is facing attacks on all fronts, combined with the inevitable Western fifth column media outrage campaign over killings of Palestinians (who will get all the front page sob stories that the Israeli victims are not getting now) to pressure Israel to stand down.
Whatever is coming is not going to be pretty. It may well be existential.
Agreed, I think the threat of a wider war is significant, but in the end, diplomacy does not settle this. One side has to win, and the other side will lose. I think Hamas must get destroyed and be willing to support Israel so that happens, no matter how many Palestinians have to get killed.
That's pretty much where I am, but Team Biden, the EU, etc etc? Likely a very different story. The Israelis are in a very bad spot, and this is before the inevitable "Arab street" uprisings to come - which (thanks brilliant immigration policies) will now not be confined to the actual Arab street.
Thank you so much for your clarity. I hope the American people wake up to the evil regimes of Obama and Biden. With sending billions to Iran we do have blood on our hands! In my opinion Israel has no choice but to reclaim Gaza and wipe out Hamas once and for all. That would send a clear message to Hezbollah and other terrorist factions. The idea of giving land for peace was one of Israel’s biggest mistakes.
Yes! Even John Podhoretz, normally critical of Netanyahu and Israel's politics, said as much this morning on the Commentary podcast!! Could barely believe my ears. He also said (I'm paraphrasing liberally) that the UN and their "condemnation of violence" could go pound sand.
Have no knowledge of cyber attack (or lack thereof), but I believe the entire sophisticated electronic fence system was based on towers with sophisticated equipment at the top, 'seeing' and overseeing all function. Hamas seems to have dropped simple explosives onto them, neutralizing the entire operation, and then making at least 25 holes in the fence with explosives and pouring through. Disaster. Having no back-up system once this went down is incomprehensible. We are hurting.
in 1973 Israel had a massive sand berm they were confident would slow any Egyptian attack. The Egyptians used fire hoses and washed multiple entrances through it. Just that simple. What one man can conceive another can undo, there is always a flaw.
But it doesn’t mean you don’t keep trying.