Israel/Palestine post 10/7 - follow-on events/thoughts as relate to other countries

As stated.

I guess this thread is the place for this — I got a press release from our local Sheriff's Office today saying they'd had many media queries about "anti-Jewish Rhetoric being distributed" being distributed in our county. (Apologies for the weird capitalized "rhetoric," our Sheriff's Office is only quasi-literate.) It just said that their major crimes and gang units were "looking into the matter," with no further detail.

I haven't seen examples of what this is referring to, and it struck me that it could be either our local Nazi/Proud Boy types out there distributing horrible leaflets, OR it could be student-led "Free Palestine" social media posts or something, and those things seem like they're increasingly being conflated.

Best piece I've read on literary culture at this time. Hard not to conclude the whole thing is a disgrace.

https://thebaffler.com/latest/at-the-threshold-of-humanity-kattan

Don't know much about this organization but this seems like one way to counteract those who try to stir hate:

The pro-Palestine protesters made it clear that the masked neo-Nazis were not welcome, chanting “Nazis Go Home,” and “show your faces, you fucking cowards,” the Daily Montanan reported.

That is just one of the tactics that organizers of pro-Palestine solidarity protests can use to make clear to neo-Nazis that they are not welcome in that movement, according to Ben Lorber, an extremism expert who is working on a book about antisemitism. “It is vital for Palestine liberation organizers and progressive activists to recognize and counter far-right actors who stand diametrically opposed to the movement’s principles and goals,” Lorber wrote in a recent guide for organizers.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7zx5a/neo-nazis-hijack-pro-palestine-protest-mike-enoch

Personally, I find it much better to see an effort to recognize and counteract this kind of thing, rather than dismissing or denying that it exists

that's encouraging

Black-Jewish Alliance ✊🏿✡
@BlackJewishA
Police are attempting to arrest Jews in prayer.

We shout “let us pray” for Palestine.

The police have confiscated copies of our speeches.

GET YOUR COP HANDS OFF OUR JEWISH COMRADES

Video of harassment within that tweet.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/11/02/frick-museum-in-pittsburgh-postpones-islamic-art-exhibition-over-fears-it-would-appear-insensitive-or-traumatic-amid-gaza-war

“When war broke out in the Middle East, we were as heartbroken as everyone, and we realised that we were about to open an exhibition that a forgiving person would call insensitive, but for many people, especially in our community, would be traumatic.”

it's so insensitive and traumatic that muslims exist

this whole thing is so devastating.

This is where stuff like "It would be insensitive to publish this book about Soviet dissidents at this time" leads to.

yeah that is obviously ridiculous

An Israeli air strike on the Bureij refugee camp today

https://x.com/ramabdu/status/1720067423238308122

If you use this thread on anything going on in Gaza or Israel.

Israel, Palestine & the Levant rolling events: Oct 23 on

The dissonance in reading about individuals expressing concerns about anti-Semitic violence rising in North America while 400 Arab children are dying every day in Gaza is, frankly, enraging

I have seen videos of anti-Semitic violence over the past week. These videos are exclusively Jewish peace protesters getting harassed by cops in North America, Orthodox Jewish peace protesters getting beaten by Israeli Police in Israel

My heart is ripped in two for my Jewish friends who are saying “not in my name” and being disowned, being called “self-hating Jews”, or— as the Times Of Jerusalem said in an op-ed two days ago: “anti-Zionists who claim to be Jewish are as Jewish as the Westboro Baptist Church that claimed to be Christian”

Jfc just because you’re saying “stop bombing Gaza” doesn’t make you “anti-Zionist”, to begin with

I was bothered by a now ex-friend who told me “how can you call it Gazan genocide when they (the Gazans) procreate so quickly”; fine, first I will block you and never speak to you again, second I will call it something else. What, tho? Israel already doesn’t acknowledge a nakba exists. Anti-war Jews are liberally calling it a holocaust, a shoah; those terms are not allowed to me as a non-Jew.

I feel like one can’t even call it “war” or “a conflict”; Gideon Levy argued that it is neither of these things, that it is a violent occupation, nothing more

Haaretz today reports Netanyahu’s latest speech: “nothing can stop us”.

Anyway, 9000 Gazans dead today, 3 hostages returned, congrats everyone

“anti-Zionists who claim to be Jewish are as Jewish as the Westboro Baptist Church that claimed to be Christian”

I mean ... fwiw, I do think a very not insignificant number of Christians are let's just say in Westboro's ballpark, if not on the same base

"I was bothered by a now ex-friend who told me “how can you call it Gazan genocide when they (the Gazans) procreate so quickly”"

So much hate.

(xp Not the point of the thread, I know, sorry)

"The dissonance in reading about individuals expressing concerns about anti-Semitic violence rising in North America while 400 Arab children are dying every day in Gaza is, frankly, enraging"

posters on this board are worried about their children being bullied at school for being Jewish

Sorry if my posts were emotional or “in the wrong thread” I shouldn’t post when I’m in a news consumption crying spiral, and I shouldn’t read pro-violence NYT articles (or the NYT at all), I am going to call a friend

I agree with everything else in your post, but you can be horrified by the massacre of innocents in Gaza (and the West Bank) while also being worried about anti-semitic violence

Tbh, the biggest “holy shit what are you guys doing” anti-Semitism concern over the past week has been seeing people on social media cheering on “Yemen declares war on Israel” when it’s the Houthis declaring war, not the Yemeni gvmt, and if anybody is cheering for Houthis then we have a big fucking problem

I have been seeing the odd report of AS attacks across Europe now, like this one.

A Moldovan couple arrested for allegedly spray-painting Stars of David on a Paris school last week reportedly told investigators they were acting on orders from an “individual in Russia.”https://t.co/VvJOmmoCAh

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) November 2, 2023

in the larger world, the anti-semitism is probably largely being driven by people who care less about the plight of the Palestinian people and care more about being anti-semitic, and seeing an opportunity for an opening to be a bit more free with their bigotry.

"zionist jews" now trending on twitter, that's that shit i don't like

Caitlyn Jenner's dead name is also trending there today, which says it all

sorry meant to post on the "is this anti-semitism?" thread

I thought this was pretty good:

You are criticizing Israel wrong. Here’s how to do it correctly. pic.twitter.com/DiwBTJOuiG

— Matt Lieb?? (@mattlieb) October 28, 2023

nice to finally see a video of Van Horn Street

in the larger world, the anti-semitism is probably largely being driven by people who care less about the plight of the Palestinian people and care more about being anti-semitic, and seeing an opportunity for an opening to be a bit more free with their bigotry.

― omar little, Thursday, November 2, 2023 12:29 PM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

This is upsetting me a lot right now. I know it sounds naïve but I was genuinely surprised at how fast people seized the opportunity to be flat out anti-Semitic. I grew up spending 1/2 the year in a mostly Jewish community in NY where I as a gentile was often the odd one out. 3 of my 5 lifelong close friends are Jewish. I said to one of them yesterday that I think I grew up in this little bubble were I didn't realize how much anti-semitism there still was out there and he was like yeah no shit you're from NY. Anyway - there are a million upsetting things (upsetting isn't anywhere near strong enough) happening right now but I have been thinking a lot about exactly this, OL. :/

it's not good. i have a friend who was indulging in some "deep thoughts" about judaism around the time kanye was on one about jewish people, and i had an instagram convo w/him re: a couple of his posts. i don't know that i reached him, but i tried. another friend (no longer a friend) started to get very alt-right and was an associate of ow3n b3njamin for awhile, a podcast comedian type guy who started to get into some anti-semitic and racist stuff a few years ago. that particular friend is long gone. he was at my wedding. he probably helped hold me up high in my chair during the hora. he just wound up being a particularly "bad actor" in life. and a pernicious influence on others.

i live in a bubble in Los Angeles obv, but shit does happen here. threats against synagogues, anti-semitic graffiti on a famous local deli last night, etc...

the Poetry Foundation shelved a 3500-word review of a poetry book that discusses the book's criticisms of Israel...the poet author of the book is, of course, Jewish, and so is the reviewer.

The donor pocketbook is where artistic freedom hits a wall

This is where stuff like "It would be insensitive to publish this book about Soviet dissidents at this time" leads to.

― Beyond Goo and Evol (President Keyes)

yeah that is obviously ridiculous

― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive)

Reflexive censorship of art always seems to crop up when wars begin and wartime propaganda cranks up the red hot rhetoric. Even as recently as the invasion of Ukraine there were ridiculous people calling for cancellation of symphonies by Russian composers as a sign of solidarity with Ukrainians.

O rly

If a HAMAS sympathizer or a HAMAS-adjacent amateur lone wolf carries out a gun attack in the USA killing more than 10 people in the name is Palestine … this poll will flip like a flapjack. https://t.co/NkWdyaliV7

— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) November 2, 2023

and if my granny had wheels, she'd be a bicycle. I like the specificity of ten or more people, it shows a vigorous imagination.

Reflexive censorship of art always seems to crop up when wars begin and wartime propaganda cranks up the red hot rhetoric. Even as recently as the invasion of Ukraine there were ridiculous people calling for cancellation of symphonies by Russian composers as a sign of solidarity with Ukrainians.

― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, November 2, 2023 1:41 PM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
My kid’s teacher canceled their Russia unit. Like I really don’t think it matters to Ukrainian lives whether our kids are learning about faberge eggs and Baryshnikov

re: that poll.. I'm not really sure that Israel needs much military support anyway... they're a major arms manufacturer/exporter, inventors of the Uzi submachine gun. And they seemed to have no issues selling arms to South Africa's white minority government

and yet the House just approved 14.5 billion in aide to Israel for some reason

$4 billion for the Iron Dome, which kind of seems like locking the gate after the dog gets out.

Wake Forest professor resigns after backlash due to tweet

https://journalnow.com/news/local/wake-professor-resigns-following-backlash-of-social-media-post-on-israeli-hamas-war/article_4e1022a4-78ea-11ee-a828-ffa8e334019a.html

(She’s a really good poet, fwiw!)

14.5 billion in aide to Israel for some reason

er, mm, by long tradition all those billions can only be spent on armaments produced by US-based death merchants military-industrial complex manufacturers.

And lots of defence contracting

Protests are being planned for Armistice Day. Looks like the match will be lit on the tiniest pretence

"They died for your freedom, but don't you dare think about exercising it." https://t.co/xyCICKV35j

— James B (@piercepenniless) November 3, 2023

Clare Hymer
@ClareHymer
HAPPENING NOW: Another peaceful sit-in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, this time at Kings Cross Station.

the only additional freedoms that came because of GB participation in the world wars was the bankrupting and partial destruction of an evil global empire and the resultant decline arguably sped up the process of decolonisation that followed. "Protect our freedoms" my fucking arsehole, it was a warfare state that forced conscripts onto the battlefield, which is the absolute opposite of freedom.

David Adler
@davidrkadler
New bill in the French 🇫🇷 Senate : 'An insult committed against the State of Israel is punishable by two years of imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros.'

I don't even want to paste in what Germany are doing, just utterly disgusting

Belgian transport workers saved the lives of thousands of Jews in the 1940s by unlocking the doors of trains headed for the extermination camps. Now, they're refusing to load weapons onto ships headed to Israel. This is a meaningful & timeless solidarity with humanity. pic.twitter.com/kvcUMcnJd7

— Amro Ali (@_amroali) November 3, 2023

And hopefully the radical scholars are consulting with other lawyers about how this is a violation of academic freedom and freedom of expression and there will be more protests…

wait now I'm confused. I meant the administrators when I hyperbolically referred to enthusiastically embracing authoritarianism -- did you think I meant the professors?

You did say everyone …

no in that context he said "America's most elitist academic institutions" which yeah I read as administrations

yes, I was also responding to the tweet that milo had just posted, which was about (insane) guidelines for faculty conduct. anyway, I am sorry for the confusion, it was not a good post. and fwiw I work and study at a university that has issued similar, though less comprehensive and batshit guidelines, so it's very clear to me who is trying to exert control over campus political activity. I don't fault the faculty

Thanks for that rob!

In terms of people deserving of being defended on ilx, senior administration at Ivy League universities are quite low on my list.

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/ag-nessel-charges-11-over-pro-palestinian-demonstrations-at-university-of-michigan-37334431

What a joke

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/14/crisis-at-jewish-chronicle-as-stories-are-withdrawn

Jake Wallis Simons is such a poisonous creep.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/opinion/brooklyn-college-jewish-currents-gaza-war.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

That piece within the The Guardian one on the Jewish Chronicle is interesting but I don't feel its that important on who owns it, especially given the way other newspapers have treated Gaza over the last year. The laws here aren't robust enough to curb reckless abuse of media power, and I am not sure why they should be used against a small community newspaper. It only has an interest because some of it's contributors act crazy on twitter.

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/65839/who-really-funds-the-jewish-chronicle-why-its-troubling-that-we-dont-know

This is thee 972 piece, worth a read:

https://www.972mag.com/jewish-chronicle-elon-perry-netanyahu-intelligence/

The University of California just announced a list of military weaponry it wants in order to escalate its warfare on its students:
3000 rounds of pepper munitions
500 rounds of 40mm impact munitions
12 drones
9 grenade launchers

Read the full list here: https://t.co/3IRnFtdrbL pic.twitter.com/fchLLPruqm

— Stop LAPD Spying Coalition (@stoplapdspying) September 13, 2024

You gotta prepare for hackie sack games that get out of control.

Everyone in the media calling this pager attack smart, audacious are disgusting.

Welcome to the Archive, Linda. pic.twitter.com/X4rbKKdPEJ

— Accountability Archive 🟢🔴⚫ (@archivegenocide) September 18, 2024

it's all happening on X

the Western media really doesn't consider Arab people human huh

That headline + picture combo is profoundly chilling

Compared to genocidal bombing … did any small children get killed? …

actually, yes

Both are horrible, why would we need to do a hierarchy?

Gallows humor …

I won’t repeat everything the anti-Israel students said to tonight’s guest speaker at @MIT, Prof. Shahar @Kvatinsky. But there’s one thing I can’t stop thinking about:

They took nine pizzas.

First a student took four pizzas, left, and came back to call the veteran professor a… pic.twitter.com/3Kuy0BppuJ

— Will Sussman (@WillSussmanPhD) September 19, 2024

University of Ottawa antisemitism adviser apologizes, resigns for posts on device explosions: Artur Wilczynski praised, shared GIFs about widespread explosions in Lebanon
https://t.co/5GCIU4ymZP

— Veldon Coburn (@VeldonCoburn) September 19, 2024

There has been significant misunderstanding of my use of the word "brilliant". The loss of innocent lives in any conflict is abhorrent & must be avoided.

As a retired national security & intel leader, my use of that word was about the complexity & sophistication of an operation.

— Artur Wilczynski (@Arturmaks) September 18, 2024

under no circumstances to you have to “hand it to em” iirc

in case you didn't click through to the CBC story:

Wilczynski also posted a clapping GIF in reply to a post about both the planning involved in the attacks and the widespread injuries, and a GIF from Looney Tunes of the Road Runner scaring Wile E. Coyote with the caption "Beep beep" a few hours after the explosions began.

I'm curious to hear how this ghoulish clown was selected for his role.

The response to this attack has been utterly psychotic. As if Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, Palestinians and Muslims could disappear at a click of a button. Your 'problems' won't be solved at a click, and your humanity is in the bin already.

I think the early reporting emphasized the comic "exploding pagers" aspect rather than the obvious human death toll. Which would not have been the focus if a similar attack had happened to Israel or to the US (to say the least).

Not sure how anyone doesn't respond to this attack with a chill of fear - in that our own everyday devices could be used against any of us. What's to stop someone like Musk from blowing up cars, for example, if it serves his, or some government's purposes?

I once would have thought something like imagine the reaction if one of the targets happened to be in Zurich, London, or Antwerp when it was detonated. But I'm no longer sure if that would even have made that much difference.

There are easier ways for a state or rich madman to kill me than adding explosives to my iPhone battery.

early reporting emphasized the comic "exploding pagers"

yeah there was an element of like Inspector Gadget or Get Smart... I've even heard some late night guys make quips about it

Legit Slaugherbots video feeling about this.

U.S. officials told me they recognize Israel's "de-escalation through escalation" rational and agree with it, but stress this is an "extremely difficult calibration" that could easily go out of control and lead to an all-out war https://t.co/UDGMEAx7tb

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) September 21, 2024

Biden admin in one tweet

That sounds insane

Mutually assured destruction but we launch a few nukes and play chicken with hitting the disarm button.

“Israel’s stop-the-wanton-killing with a massive killing” rationale

Works insanely well until it doesn't

de-escalation through escalation needs its own wikipedia page

everyone who clapped for this is a dead-eyed morality-free demon 👍 pic.twitter.com/i609o4sYKc

— joe (@spinningjoe) September 23, 2024

Massacre de masse au Liban par l'armée d'invasion de Netanyahu. D'heure en heure le bilan s'aggrave. Plein soutien à la résistance nationale des Libanais.

— Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) September 23, 2024

Sally Rooney further condemned the ongoing genocide in Palestine by Israel right now live from the South Bank Center in London before her reading of her new novel pic.twitter.com/PmetJOMDmn

— P (Intermezzo Week) (@signsofrelief) September 25, 2024

🟡 NOW: UN member states lead a mass walkout as Netanyahu takes the stage at the UN General Assembly. The hall is almost empty now. pic.twitter.com/sr44MuFNz3

— red. (@redstreamnet) September 27, 2024

NYT turning mass carnage in Lebanon into a fun email quiz pic.twitter.com/cAeD3TDUz1

— Adam Johnson (@adamjohnsonCHI) September 27, 2024

Imagine if some other country had run that quiz for 9/11

absurd incompetence

The U.S. Embassy is not evacuating U.S. citizens at this time. There is a commercially available flight that U.S. citizens who expressed interest in departing Lebanon will have to book and pay directly with the airline.

— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) September 27, 2024