Ethnic and Ethic Cleansing: A Few Thoughts and Questions on Israel and Gaza
As Israel is ethnically cleansing Gaza, the United States is ethically cleansing Israel. It doesn’t matter what Israel does to the Palestinians in Gaza. War crimes or genocide, it’s all ethically justifiable, according to U.S. government officials.
Never conflate the Jewish people with the deeds of the Israeli government. Many Jewish people have bravely spoken out against the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. Holocaust survivors have powerfully said that “Never again!” applies just as much to Palestinians in Gaza (or anyone else for that matter) as it does to Jews.
Is any entity harming the Jewish tradition as much as the hardline Israeli government that is destroying Gaza? Is anything more anti-semitic than associating Zionism and Jewish identity with mass murder?
A Republican U.S. Congressman essentially said he reaches out to AIPAC to tell him how to vote on any bill related to Israel. How is that representative of the will of the American people?
In Tel Aviv, protesters call for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
It’s always struck me that debate about Israel and its actions is far more intense, diverse, and contentious within Israel than it is within the United States.
Israel is, according to the U.S., a wildly successful democracy, a rich country with national health care for all. Why does such a rich and successful country need so many scores of billions in aid from the American taxpayer?
Speaking of U.S. aid, it curiously seems to provide the U.S. with absolutely no leverage over the actions of the Israeli government.
Whether you support Biden, Trump, or RFK Jr., it doesn’t matter. All three of them are committed to issuing blank checks of support to Israel. As is Congress, which has yet again invited Bibi Netanyahu to address a joint session. What has Bibi done to deserve such an honor?
There are many reasons to hate war, and one of the leading ones is how war facilitates, enables, and seemingly justifies the very worst crimes against humanity. Basically, “We’re at war” is a cry being used by Israel to justify genocide in Gaza.
If Hamas surrendered en masse today, does anyone think Israel would rebuild Gaza for the Palestinians?
When I took a seminar on the Holocaust with Henry Friedlander, he taught me that “You don’t kill the people you hate; you hate the people you kill.” It’s a powerful sentiment that captures something awful about human nature.
As a college professor, I taught a course on the Holocaust. In my research, I recall finding a two-volume encyclopedia on genocides throughout human history. A two-volume encyclopedia! When will it ever end?
17 thoughts on “Ethnic and Ethic Cleansing: A Few Thoughts and Questions on Israel and Gaza”
I am glad this excellent article uses little round "bullet point" markers, as those make just the perfect check-boxes for every point I strenuous agree with.
Which is to say, "all points listed".
I fully expect that every instance detailed in those volumes was perpetrated by a ruling State.
“When will it ever end?”
When the sordid entities that initiate and conduct such atrocities are finally acknowledged as being too dangerous and evil to be tolerated any longer. Or alternately, when they have instead exterminated everyone and everything in a final nuclear holocaust.
There is an old expression that goes like this:
Children live what they learn….
If you live thru a Holocaust, you can possibly commit one as well…
Strange that the extermination of 5.5 million non-Jews is never mentioned. Anywhere. Sigh. I guess their deaths don't matter.
Excellent points W. Astore!
Mike Johnson invited Nutty Yahoo to misspeak at the House of Misrepresentatives. The USA and Israel say they are the most moral and ethical nations in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Many people saying criticism of Israel is antisemitic also say criticism of the USA is Anti American.
The USA keeps funding Israel's genocide in Gaza and Lebanon and portrays Israelis as victims and Israel fighting for its survival and says "Israel Has The Right To Defend Itself". Israel has been committing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians since 1948 with money from the US and many other allies.
It's good William J Astore says Israel doesn't need the aid it gets if it's so successful. When people talk about why Israel shouldn't receive aid they don't mention the fact it is not a Developing Nation.
Could be some bribery money for Israel as well….
Johnson is no Christian as he blares about constantly. Quite the opposite. A liar, in the Biblical context.
"When will it ever end?" When humanity ends – and post-humanity appears, i.e., an actual rational entity with no emotions generated by the biological imperative to survive motivated by fear. It's that simple.
People bitch about transhumanism not being "human." As if "being human" was anything more than being a fear-ridden chimpanzee willing to throw its feces at another and rip the gonads off its enemies. Instead of that, humans throw missiles with radiation and poison gas at each other, and conduct torture in black sites. Show me the difference.
I won’t expect better from the majority of humans, the norm that comprises the social herd, but there is a minority of rational and sapient individuals who can distinguish between good and evil and have the virtue and integrity to prefer and act in accordance with the former. They are also the ones that have the wisdom to understand that you can’t justly rule others, but only yourself.
A VERY small minority – who have zero power. So irrelevant. We have to wait for the technology which will be developed by other people for other purposes, and that can be seized on by the tiny minority to deal with the situation one way or the other.
But I suspect no one else will like the results.
That’s why I say, the good times are now. The future is dire.
There is mass psychological conditioning globally going on. Case in point the IDF and The Zionist State of Israel are not killing people they are murdering people, the majority of people against these actions more often that not refer to it as killing.
A "tragedy". "Sad". "Killed" (by what is almost never mentioned).
96% of the Israeli Jews in Israel are for the war, how it is proceeding. I believe that was the result of the poll by Haaretz.
I am glad this excellent article uses little round "bullet point" markers, as those make just the perfect check-boxes for every point I strenuous agree with.
Which is to say, "all points listed".
I fully expect that every instance detailed in those volumes was perpetrated by a ruling State.
“When will it ever end?”
When the sordid entities that initiate and conduct such atrocities are finally acknowledged as being too dangerous and evil to be tolerated any longer. Or alternately, when they have instead exterminated everyone and everything in a final nuclear holocaust.
There is an old expression that goes like this:
Children live what they learn….
If you live thru a Holocaust, you can possibly commit one as well…
Strange that the extermination of 5.5 million non-Jews is never mentioned. Anywhere. Sigh. I guess their deaths don't matter.
Excellent points W. Astore!
Mike Johnson invited Nutty Yahoo to misspeak at the House of Misrepresentatives. The USA and Israel say they are the most moral and ethical nations in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Many people saying criticism of Israel is antisemitic also say criticism of the USA is Anti American.
The USA keeps funding Israel's genocide in Gaza and Lebanon and portrays Israelis as victims and Israel fighting for its survival and says "Israel Has The Right To Defend Itself". Israel has been committing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians since 1948 with money from the US and many other allies.
It's good William J Astore says Israel doesn't need the aid it gets if it's so successful. When people talk about why Israel shouldn't receive aid they don't mention the fact it is not a Developing Nation.
Could be some bribery money for Israel as well….
Johnson is no Christian as he blares about constantly. Quite the opposite. A liar, in the Biblical context.
"When will it ever end?" When humanity ends – and post-humanity appears, i.e., an actual rational entity with no emotions generated by the biological imperative to survive motivated by fear. It's that simple.
People bitch about transhumanism not being "human." As if "being human" was anything more than being a fear-ridden chimpanzee willing to throw its feces at another and rip the gonads off its enemies. Instead of that, humans throw missiles with radiation and poison gas at each other, and conduct torture in black sites. Show me the difference.
I won’t expect better from the majority of humans, the norm that comprises the social herd, but there is a minority of rational and sapient individuals who can distinguish between good and evil and have the virtue and integrity to prefer and act in accordance with the former. They are also the ones that have the wisdom to understand that you can’t justly rule others, but only yourself.
A VERY small minority – who have zero power. So irrelevant. We have to wait for the technology which will be developed by other people for other purposes, and that can be seized on by the tiny minority to deal with the situation one way or the other.
But I suspect no one else will like the results.
That’s why I say, the good times are now. The future is dire.
There is mass psychological conditioning globally going on. Case in point the IDF and The Zionist State of Israel are not killing people they are murdering people, the majority of people against these actions more often that not refer to it as killing.
A "tragedy". "Sad". "Killed" (by what is almost never mentioned).
96% of the Israeli Jews in Israel are for the war, how it is proceeding. I believe that was the result of the poll by Haaretz.