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Category: War

The invasion of Gaza will be a disaster for Israel

The invasion of Gaza will be a disaster for Israel

Marc Lynch writes: Those urging Israel to invade Gaza with maximalist goals are pushing their ally into a strategic and political catastrophe. The potential costs are extraordinarily high, whether counted in Israeli and Palestinian deaths, the likelihood of a protracted quagmire, or mass displacement of Palestinians. The risk of the conflict spreading is also alarmingly large, particularly in the West Bank and Lebanon but potentially far wider. And the potential gains—beyond satisfying demands for revenge—are remarkably low. Not since the…

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Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and China say Israel has gone too far

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and China say Israel has gone too far

The Times of Israel reports: Meeting on Sunday with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said that Israel’s activity in Gaza had “exceeded” its right to self-defense and had become collective punishment. Sissi, whose country shares a narrow border with the Gaza Strip that has remained largely blocked over the past week, said during the meeting that Israel’s “reaction went beyond the right to self-defense, turning into collective punishment for 2.3 million people in Gaza,”…

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It’s becoming impossible to report from Gaza

It’s becoming impossible to report from Gaza

The Washington Post reports: Over the years, NPR has relied on Anas Baba to be its eyes and ears within Gaza. This past week was no exception. The Palestinian producer interviewed civilians seeking shelter from Israeli airstrikes at Gaza City’s main hospital, where hallways were crowded with the wounded and dying. Later, he called in an eyewitness account of young children traveling on foot for dozens of miles in an attempt to evacuate the city. The reporting took “a lot…

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How Hamas shattered Israel’s aura of invincibility

How Hamas shattered Israel’s aura of invincibility

The New York Times reports: The 10 gunmen from Gaza knew exactly how to find the Israeli intelligence hub — and how to get inside. After crossing into Israel, they headed east on five motorcycles, two gunmen on each vehicle, shooting at passing civilian cars as they pressed forward. Ten miles later, they veered off the road into a stretch of woodland, dismounting outside an unmanned gate to a military base. They blew open the barrier with a small explosive…

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Hamas’s barbarism does not justify the collective punishment of Palestinians

Hamas’s barbarism does not justify the collective punishment of Palestinians

Kenan Malik writes: ‘They too have casualties, they too have captives and they have mothers who weep … Let’s make real peace”. Not a liberal peacenik speaking from the safety of London or Washington but Yaakov Argamani, whose daughter Noa was taken hostage by Hamas at a music festival near Re’im on Israel’s border with Gaza. I hope I never have to face the torment that now engulfs Yaakov Argamani. But if I do find myself in as dark a…

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Kibbutz Be’eri massacre survivor: ‘We need a political solution’

Kibbutz Be’eri massacre survivor: ‘We need a political solution’

This 19y.o survivor of the horrific massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri in Southern Israel has a powerful message for Israel & the world: "Don't offer us more soldiers or more protection. We need a political solution." If you watch one thing today, make it this.pic.twitter.com/TXC5BlTflc — Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) October 15, 2023

Settlers take advantage of Gaza war to launch West Bank pogroms

Settlers take advantage of Gaza war to launch West Bank pogroms

Yuval Abraham reports: While the world focuses on the Hamas massacre in southern Israel and Israel’s massive bombing of the Gaza Strip, settlers in the occupied West Bank are taking advantage of the chaos to attack and expel Palestinians from a number of small villages. Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 51 Palestinians in the West Bank since Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. At least two villages, Al-Qanub and Wadi Al-Sik, have been entirely depopulated…

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‘You Muslims must die,’ yelled Chicago landlord before fatally stabbing 6-year-old and wounding his mom

‘You Muslims must die,’ yelled Chicago landlord before fatally stabbing 6-year-old and wounding his mom

CNN reports: A Chicago-area landlord was arrested and charged with murder and hate crimes after authorities said he stabbed and killed a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounded his mother, allegedly because the tenants are Muslim. Joseph M. Czuba, 71, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, the Will County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The sheriff’s office said Czuba did not make a…

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French authorities investigate potential poisoning of Russian anti-war journalist

French authorities investigate potential poisoning of Russian anti-war journalist

Politico reports: French prosecutors are investigating the potential poisoning of former Russian state TV journalist turned Kremlin critic Marina Ovsyannikova after she was suddenly taken ill in Paris this week. Ovsyannikova reportedly called for help on Thursday afternoon “because she had collapsed outside her home in the 6th arrondissement and feared poisoning,” a spokesperson with the Paris Criminal Court said. The Paris prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation into the incident and police were reportedly examining her apartment…

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Iran’s foreign minister warns Israel it could suffer ‘a huge earthquake’

Iran’s foreign minister warns Israel it could suffer ‘a huge earthquake’

Politico reports: Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle, and that would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.” Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Beirut that Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has taken all the scenarios of a war into consideration and Israel should stop its attacks on Gaza as soon as possible. Israel considers Hezbollah its most…

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Why Israel must reconsider its Gaza evacuation order

Why Israel must reconsider its Gaza evacuation order

The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, writes: Thursday night’s order by the Israel Defense Forces to Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate their homes within 24 hours was dangerous and deeply troubling. Any demand for a mass evacuation on extremely short notice could have devastating humanitarian consequences. The evacuation order applies to approximately 1.1 million people. It applies to a territory that is already besieged, under aerial bombardment and without fuel, electricity, water and food. It applies to…

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What more must the children of Gaza suffer?

What more must the children of Gaza suffer?

Fadi Abu Shammalah writes: The bomb exploded a few hundred feet from where I was sitting with my wife, Safa, and my three children, Ali, Karam and Adam. Ali, 13, screamed; Karam, 10, buried his face in my chest; and Adam, 5, burst into tears. We were in the outdoor area at the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Tuesday morning. I had been lucky enough to obtain permits for my wife and kids to cross into…

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Inside MSNBC’s Middle East conflict

Inside MSNBC’s Middle East conflict

Semafor reports: MSNBC has quietly taken three of its Muslim broadcasters out of the anchor’s chair since Hamas’s attack on Israel last Saturday amid America’s wave of sympathy for Israeli terror victims. The network did not air a scheduled Thursday night episode of The Mehdi Hasan Show on the streaming platform Peacock. MSNBC also reversed a plan for Ayman Mohyeldin to fill in this week on the network for host Joy Reid’s 7 p.m. show on Thursday and Friday. Mohyeldin,…

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Israel has dropped a staggering 6,000 bombs on Gaza in less than a week

Israel has dropped a staggering 6,000 bombs on Gaza in less than a week

Dozens of fighter jets and helicopters attacked a series of terrorist targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip. So far, the IAF has dropped about 6,000 bombs against Hamas targets. pic.twitter.com/3Xm1vxvq7D — Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 12, 2023 The Washington Post reports: The Israeli air force on Thursday said it had dropped 6,000 bombs against Hamas targets so far — a staggering number over the course of six days, according to warfare experts. “Israel is dropping…

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Hamas’ gift to Vladimir Putin

Hamas’ gift to Vladimir Putin

Jamie Dettmer and Christian Oliver write: Hamas’ brutal assault against Israel came on Vladimir Putin’s birthday. Such a catastrophic security shock in the Middle East was probably a welcome surprise for a Russian president whose strategic priority is to divert Western support and attention away from Ukraine. A massive conflagration in Israel risks doing exactly that. The big question is how much credit to give the Kremlin for the perfect storm of mounting crises — in Israel, Kosovo, the Caucasus…

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Stunning State Department memo warns diplomats: No Gaza ‘de-escalation’ talk

Stunning State Department memo warns diplomats: No Gaza ‘de-escalation’ talk

HuffPost reports: As Israel escalates its attacks on Gaza, the State Department is discouraging diplomats working on Middle East issues from making public statements suggesting the U.S. wants to see less violence, according to internal emails viewed by HuffPost. In messages circulated on Friday, State Department staff wrote that high-level officials do not want press materials to include three specific phrases: “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm.” The revelation provides a stunning signal about the Biden administration’s reluctance to…

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