New Year

The jury's still out on whether it will be happy or not.

Trying to sort out my very conflicted feelings about Israel-Gaza has been/is very difficult. It hasn’t been made easier when I see the hypocrisy and inherent antisemitism of too many people, especially those living in colonial-settled countries which is what?? 80% of the planet? Seems like history when it comes to Israel is a mystery, or living in the current Idiocracy that the U.S. has become, it’s okay to further fictionalize history when the truth is just too inconvenient.

I will clarify that I consider Netanyahu to be a hardcore criminal whose only interest is in his own power and ambition. In fact, much like politicians everywhere, perhaps especially in the United States. The Israeli people seem to have a hard time losing Mr. N. I believe the October 7th attack was known and permitted to happen in order to preserve the psychopathic Mr. Netanyahu’s power. I also believe it served the collusion between the U.S. and Israel since there are resources in Gaza which they sought to plunder and if it cost every life there, it’s worth it to the voracious and powerful of both countries. Apparently finding happiness by owning nothing is not on the agenda they are planning for themselves, that’s just for the rest of us.

Supporting the Palestinianss as victims of colonialists, however, I would say is a fiction. The country of Judea was occupied by one of the previous ruthless empires by the name of Rome. Even though there doesn’t seem that much interest in the facts I will state them anyway. And to be clear, I don’t think the facts justify the Netanyahu’s insane response to the October 7th attack. And I also condemn the vicious and evil attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens. Do the leaders of Hamas even live in Gaza? Probably not, they are as corrupt as the so-called leaders of every other country.

The bottom line is that Judea was occupied by Rome, just as the U.S occupies and plunders countries that can’t fight back. However the Jews did fight back and as a result, they were forced into exile. Those who remained were the ones who did not fight against Roman occupation. It is said that many who remained ultimately converted to Christian or Muslim. To further punish the Jews for daring to fight back against Roman occupation, Rome it is said changed the name of Judea to Palestine in recognition of the enemies of the Jews, the Philistines. Apparently Rome hated the Jews too. So those who are calling Israel colonialist have it backwards. They were exiled for standing up to the occupiers. Those who were allowed to remain in Judea were the ones who didn’t fight back. The Muslims built the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on the site of both the 1st Jewish Temple, known as King Solomon’s Temple, and the 2nd Jewish Temple. It wasn’t the Jews who built their temple atop a mosque. It is true that it’s 2000 years since the Roman Empire destroyed Judea and exiled many Jews in a brutal diaspora. Shows how much damage and how long-lasting it is what Empire can inflict on its victims. A war is being fought that began with the Roman Empire.

And for 2000 years the exiled Jews considered the Levant their homeland I don’t think it’s true of American Jews. I try to imagine what that must feel like. Black Americans were similarly forced from their homeland, but I don’t think too many of them seek return. And if they did, would they be welcomed?

I am no more an authority on the Israel-Palestine conflict than any of the foaming at the mouth with rage American pro-Palestinians who, never have been there and not familiar with all the circumstances, have made up their mind that the solution is the one that Hitler and his many followers came up with. In order to resolve a conflict, there has to be a desire to resolve it. It seems that the Palestinians have indicated that the only resolution they seek is for the Jews to leave. Not realistic. Just like with the Palestinians, no other country wants the Jews which is why Britain and the U.S. mandated a Jewish state even though it was arrogant to presume they had the right to do so.

There’s an argument that could be made for both sides. Since I am admittedly biased toward the Jewish side, being Jewish and having experienced the reality of being an outsider my entire life in the country of my birth, I favor a Jewish state. The hostility and hatred by too many Americans has emerged from the closet in which it has been partly hidden for many years. To me, this means that the Jewish people need to have their own state.

I’m also amazed at the blindness of the pro-Palestinian Americans. First of all having the audacity to refer to Jewish people as “white colonizers” for return to their homeland while they themselves are living on land stolen from those who were here before their antecedents came here to plunder the land and murder the inhabitants. The defeated Natives, many of them still, after 500 years of western occupation, live impoverished and shortened lives. Where’s the outrage? If a person claims themselves to be anti-colonial should they not be required to really put their money where their mouth is? Give up your own land, return it to the descendants from whom it was stolen. When they’ve done that, they might have an argument against the Jewish return. And if anything shows the class nature of the racist system extant in the west and especially the U.S., it is the perception of Jewish people as white, even by many Jews.

Many say they are not antisemitic, they are antizionist. To me antizionist is p.c. code for antisemitism. I have no problem with those who disagree with Israeli government. I also think the response to the vicious and horrible attack on young people and children by the Hamas war criminals was wrong and I believe it was guided by political opportunism rather than a desire to bring to justice those responsible for the 10/7 attack.

But for those who are enraged against Israel and trying to convince others that your stance is not antisemitic, I have a few questions. Where were you when Clinton and Obama murdered Gadaffi and changed Libya from the richest country in Africa into a failed state with open air slave markets? Where were you when Bush lied his way into Iraq and Afghanistan? What have you been involved in doing to alleviate the plight of the Natives still living on reservations. Have you ever attacked a white Protestant - or all white Protestants for the crimes of John D. Rockefeller or Bill Gates? Have you ever approached a random white Protestant and demanded he free Julian Assange?

And are you aware that while you are choosing one side over the other side whether it is the Israel - Gaza, our catastrophe du jour or Ukraine vs. Russia or vaxx vs. anti-vaxx or black vs. white, that a group of unelected conspiracy-active megalomaniacal billionaires are planning for us all to be incarcerated in reservations which they are calling “smart cities” probably due to the level of surveillance they will have on us all. While you are playing injustice collectors for Palestine, they are building prisons for us all. Until and unless we can decide to unite for all humans we’re already defeated. Us divided, they conquer. How much is your hate worth?