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Rolla Peace News November 8, 2023 |
Dear Friends:Editor's notes:In this newsletter is: 1. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Israeli Doctors Endorse Bombing Gazan Hospitals b) Another Month of Temperatures above 1.5°C — Global Warming is Now Israeli Doctors Endorse Bombing Gazan Hospitals With all the death and destruction in Gaza, this report really hit me hard. According to Middle East Eye, around 100 Israeli doctors signed an open letter endorsing the bombing of hospitals in Gaza. Doctors! Professionals who have presumably sworn an oath to do no harm, endorsing the bombing of hospitals. Certainly, the United States has also bombed hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq, crimes against humanity for sure; and other countries such as Saudi Arabia have also bombed hospitals; but to my knowledge the destruction of hospitals has never before been endorsed by a group of doctors. What has Israel become? To quote Chris Hedges, “Israel, like the United States, has been poisoned by the psychosis of permanent war.” Apparently, Israel has contemplated using nuclear weapons on Gaza. To be sure, the minister who remarked on this publicly was disciplined, although it is uncertain whether he was disciplined for stating publicly that nuclear war against Gaza was under consideration or whether he was disciplined for considering it. Israeli arrogance appears to know no bounds. Israel has demanded that the UN Secretary General resign for stating the obvious, that the events of October 7 did not happen in a vacuum. In truth, I would have at least used a word like provoked or incited, but then again, I am not a diplomat. And Israel protests against Russia hosting a Hamas delegation that had come to talk peace. And Israel has demanded that the Red Cross brave Israel's indiscriminate bombing to visit hostages. A lull in the bombing to make this possible? Don't even think about it. And Amnesty International has found compelling evidence documenting Israeli use of white phosphorus in Gaza. White phosphorus is a horrendous weapon. It sticks to the skin and burns clear down to the bone. And Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, refers to Palestinians as “human animals.” And Prime Minister Netanyahu misuses the Bible, citing the Amalekite genocide to justify the total destruction of the Palestinians. Now lets talk about Hamas. It is well-known that Hamas was nurtured by Israel as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority. However, divide and conquer is not always the palliative it is cracked up to be.“Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” —1 Samuel 15:3 (KJV) Fast forward to October 2023. Ralph Nader points out that Binyamin Netanyahu claimed in 2019: And Bezalel Smotrich is quoted as saying, “The Palestinian Authority is a burden, and Hamas is an asset.”“Those who want to thwart the possibility of a Palestinian state should support the strengthening of Hamas and the transfer of money to Hamas. This is part of our strategy.” According to the Intercept, the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy, an Israeli think tank, claimed that Hamas’s attacks of October 7 created “a unique and rare opportunity to evacuate the entire Gaza Strip.” There is plenty of circumstantial evidence that Hamas continued to be nurtured by Israel right up to and including the events of October 7, 2023. So what went wrong? Global Public Opinion! People got sick and tired of War, and in the United States, watching billions gifted every year to Israel while they went without. Far from the sympathy Israel expected to elicit from the events of October 7, the world has (finally!) turned against Israel. All over the world there have been demonstrations for a cease-fire as Israel continues to bombard Gaza, murdering over 4,000 children and counting. In New York City, under the leadership of Jewish Voice for Peace, the peace movement took over Grand Central Station demanding a cease-fire. Other countries, such as Bolivia and South Africa have severed diplomatic ties with Israel. Criticism of Israel has become almost universal. 1,500 Israelis have called for the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli war crimes. All over the world, incidents of Hebrophobia (usually called antisemitism, which is a misnomer) are on the rise. Many Jews wonder why. 16 Years ago, I wrote, So don't say I hadn't warned you.“The US is already experiencing a shift in sentiment. The public is beginning to blame Jews for the failure of the US Middle East policy. (No, of course it couldn't possibly be our own fault.) As the failure of our Middle East policy becomes more and more difficult to deny, I would expect to see a sharp resurgence of anti-Jewish bigotry in the US.” Here, I would be remiss if I didn't also include the two following paragraphs from Three Murderous Myths: It appears that the United States and Europe, along with reactionary elements in Israel are going to extraordinary lengths to prevent this from happening.“Israel may react differently. As the power and unconditional backing of its major benefactor evaporates, Israel may decide that the best course is not only to make peace with its neighbors, but to enter into some form of economic and military cooperation with them. In truth, all this death and destruction could have easily been avoided by creating a single state in historic Palestine with freedom of religion and equal rights for all. And I think this will happen eventually, in spite of those who prefer war and hatred to peace and equality. Human-rights lawyer, Craig Mokhiber, recently resigned his position of many years with the United Nations over its inability to prevent the ongoing massacre in Gaza. He, too, points out, the only viable solution is a single state in historic Palestine, with equal rights for all. His four-page letter of resignation is well worth the read. And a final note: Don't ever make the mistake of equating all Jews with the country of Israel, as much as leaders in Israel would like you to. Similarly, don't make the mistake of equating all Palestinians with Hamas; nor the mistake of equating all Westerners with empire and colonialism. We must begin today to build a world based on the right of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness belonging to all. Our very existence as a species depends on it. (See following snippet.) Another Month of Temperatures above 1.5°C — Global Warming is Now And during October, while our attention has been riveted on Palestine and Israel: Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have increased by another 0.26 ppm to 420.59 ppm; (12 month running average as measured at Mauna Loa) Estimates from the Copernicus Climate Change Service peg October 2023 as by far the warmest October on record at 1.7°C above the 1850-1900 average. That makes five months in a row (June through October 2023) as the warmest month on record with that same name and virtually ensures that 2023 will become the warmest year since record-keeping began. Hurricane Otis slammed into Acapulco as a Category V storm packing 165 mph winds. Otis killed at least 48, causing estimated damages in excess of $10 billion. Otis is the only hurricane in recorded history to make landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico as a Category V storm. We can fight wars or we can fight climate change. We can't do both. Rolla Peace News is distributed by email once a week on Tuesdays (except on rare occasions) and is posted on the web at http://tomsager.org (click on Rollaites for Peace: near the top of rightmost column).Wage peace, Tom yushasager (at) yahoo.com |