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FTR#1316 This program was recorded in one, 60-minute segment.
FTR#1317 This program was recorded in one, 60-minute segment.
NB: This description contains material not featured in the broadcasts themselves.
Introduction: Mr. Emory has long found discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict deeply frustrating. Attacked by partisans from both sides, he delivers an incisive analysis of some key points.
This will be the last two programs in which he deals with this issue.
Key Points of Analysis and Discussion Include: A link to a program recorded in 1983, discussing fascist-Zionist connections; Discussion of a Gehlen-Dulles mission to staff the Egyptian intelligence service with Nazi war criminals, including Adolf Eichmann; Discussion of “Bormann Jews;” Reading of the Hamas Charter, which is undiluted Nazi ideology; A breakdown of Netanyahu’s connections to the milieu of the remarkable and deadly Bormann organization; Discussion of the concentration of economic power in Israel; Discussion of Sheldon Adelson’s bankrolling of the Israeli right-wing; Discussion of Adelson’s Macau casino business as the origin of his money; Discussion of Macau as an international gold laundering center; Discussion of Portuguese fascism (Macau was a Portuguese colony until the late 1990s); Discussion of short-selling in the Israeli stock market in the run-up to the October 7 attacks; Discussion of the Likud party’s sending of an emissary to the national congress of Gianfranco Fini’s Italian fascist party; Review of the Grand Mufi’s rank of Major General in the Waffen SS and his role as the first leader of the Palestinian national movement.
1a. https://emory.kfjc.org/archive/misc/m_30a.mp3
1b. One possible reason for the CIA’s reluctance to disclose Eichmann’s whereabouts is the fact that Eichmann worked for the CIA as a “contract agent” in Egypt! (A contract agent is an operative who signs on to perform an individual assignment for the CIA—as opposed to a career employee or CIA “officer.”) Eichmann was one of a number of SS war criminals who worked to develop the Egyptian secret service and general staff on a mission that was launched under the auspices of General Reinhard Gehlen and his CIA boss, Allen Dulles. In charge of intelligence for the Eastern Front during World War II, Gehlen jumped to the CIA with his entire organization, which became the CIA’s department of Russian and Eastern European affairs, the de facto NATO intelligence organization and, ultimately the BND—the intelligence service for the Federal Republic of Germany. The Gehlen organization retained all of its Nazi character, utilizing many of the most notorious SS officers and war criminals. The Gehlen/Dulles operation that employed Eichmann was realized under the auspices of SS colonel Otto Skorzeny. Skorzeny had been in charge of commando operations for the Third Reich, was one of Hitler’s personal favorites and was a leader of the postwar ODESSA network—the deadly SS underground that operated around the world. For more about Skorzeny, ODESSA, Gehlen and other elements of discussion, use the search function available on this website. Note how Skorzeny, operating under the auspices of CIA and Gehlen, was able to promote a Nazi and fascist agenda in Egypt! As we shall see below, the Gehlen organization was a Trojan Horse for the Underground Reich.
. . . If there were any doubts that Skorzeny’s allegiance to the United States was of an opportunist nature and temporary, they were dispelled by his actions in Egypt and the Mideast. Even his deep hatred of the Soviets was forgotten when it interfered with his personal ambitions. Egypt presented Skorzeny the opportunity to promote fascism; to establish a Nazi clique whose influence would be felt by the West German government to restore German prestige in the Mideast, and to become a wealthy man. He didn’t allow the opportunity to pass . . .
1c. A CIA-supported coup in Egypt ousted King Farouk and replaced him with General Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. The latter eventually became Egypt’s head of state. Dulles wanted to retain U.S. influence in Egypt and turned to Gehlen to recruit personnel suitable for the job. Gehlen turned to Skorzeny and his father in law Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht, the American-born former finance minister of Germany.
. . . The CIA, under the influence of Allen Dulles, selected Egyptian army General Mohammed Naguib to head the government. . . . The takeover of the country by Naguib, with Nasser playing the role of a shadowy dictator in the background, opened the door wide for the three silent conspirators of Hitler’s regime: Gehlen, Schacht, and Skorzeny. As Gehlen stated in his memoirs: ‘We found Arab countries particularly willing to embrace Germans with an ostensibly ‘Nazi’ past.’ And Naguib was quick to ask for help. Since his revolt had the backing of the CIA and he was aware that Gehlen was collaborating with the U.S. intelligence agency, his request for someone to train his security forces went to Pullach, Gehlen’s headquarters south of Munich. Gehlen and Schacht were in complete agreement that the man for the job was Otto Skorzeny. Dulles, aware of Skorzeny’s anti-Soviet role during the immediate postwar years when the Western nations desperately needed help, concurred. Skorzeny went to Egypt as Naguib’s military advisor. It was a decision the United States would regret in later years.
1d. Again, note that the Gehlen/Skorzeny/Schacht milieu was able to pursue an essentially Nazi agenda under the auspices of CIA/Dulles. As will be seen below, many U.S. officials were unaware of the Skorzeny mission, and reported on developments in Egypt with great alarm.
There was, of course, another reason former Nazis were quick to accept the Egyptian invitation. It once again pitted them against the Jews and the newly established Israeli nation. As the Judische Rundschau stated in 1951: ‘As for Skorzeny’s anti-Semitic and fascist propensities, this is undoubtedly true. Skorzeny readily admits his strong anti-Semitism.’ Gehlen, too, had reservations about the relationship between the new West German government and Israel. ‘I have always regarded it as something of a tragedy that West Germany was inevitably dragged into an alliance with the state of Israel against the Arab countries,’ he stated in his memoirs. ‘I always regarded their [Arabs] traditional friendship for Germany as of immense value for our national reconstruction. And at the request of Allen Dulles and the CIA, we at Pullach did our best to inject life and expertise into the Egyptian secret service, supplying them with the former SS officers I have mentioned.’
1e. The personnel with whom Skorzeny’s Nazis worked were openly admiring of the Third Reich.
. . . . If there was any doubt that Naguib was pro-German, his public statements cleared up the misunderstanding. ‘I want you to believe me when I say that I have not changed the great admiration I have for the Germans. Their efficiency, their extraordinary gifts as scientists and technicians, and their loyalty are quite unique. I have been noticing all these qualities in recent times, watching the work of the German officers and experts in my army.’ Dr. Noreddine Tarraf, one of Naguib’s most important supporters and later Minister of Health, was even more explicit when speaking of the Germans, particularly the Nazis. ‘Hitler is the man of my life. The German dictator had been an ideal leader who dedicated his life to the realization of his noble ambition. He never lived for himself but for Germany and the German people. I have always wished to live like him.’
1f.
. . . . Skorzeny felt at ease among Egyptian officials with this attitude. His first task was to organize a staff of former SS and Wehrmacht officers to train the Egyptian army and security forces. He selected carefully, making certain that each officer he brought to Egypt was a diehard Nazi, an expert military tactician, and was anti-Semitic. Among those recruited by Skorzeny were SS General Oskar Dirlewanger, who had commanded a brigade composed of poachers, criminals, and men under the sentence of court-martial during the Warsaw ghetto uprising and whose actions against the Jews had earned him the nickname ‘Butcher of War saw’; SS Colonel Adolf Eichmann, the officer Himmler charged with the destruction of millions of Jews and who later would be kidnapped from Argentina by the Israeli secret service and smuggled back to Israel to stand trial [Italics are Mr. Emory’s]; SS General Wilhelm Farmbacher; Panzer General Oskar Munzel; Leopold Gleim, former chief of Hitler’s personal guard and Gestapo security chief of German-occupied Poland; and Joachim Daemling, former chief of the Gestapo in Dusseldorf. To handle medical problems, Skorzzeny recruited Dr. Hans Eisele, who had been chief medical officer at Buchenwald concentration camp, and Heinrich Willerman, former medical director at Dachau. . . .
1g. The paragraphs that follow are of great significance. Indicative of the multi-polar texture of the U.S. political and national security bureaucracies, many American operatives reported with great alarm on the Nazi recrudescence in Egypt. They were unaware of the CIA/Dulles/Gehlen/Skorzeny collaboration.
. . . . U.S. officials, many of them unaware that Allen Dulles had encouraged Gehlen to provide Naguib with German military advisers, became worried when so many infamous Nazi officers appeared in Egypt. Even Dulles became concerned when it was reported to him that Skorzeny was meeting often with Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian army lieutenant colonel who seemed to be giving more orders than Naguib. A secret letter, Embassy Dispatch 2276, from Jefferson Caffery of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to the Department of State in Washington, indicates that inquiries concerning Skorzeny’s activities in Egypt were being conducted. ‘On June 14, the local press announced that Otto Skorzeny had an hour’s interview with Gamal Abdel Nasser on June 12. Aside from recalling that he was in charge of the special commando unit which kidnapped Mussolini and pointing out his experience in the training of commandos, the press gave no further details. The Counsel of the German Embassy states that he and his colleagues had no previous information concerning the visit. They are trying now through contacts among the German Military Mission to find out what Skorzeny is up to. The German Counselor remarked that it was difficult to keep track of this individual because he resides in Spain, but the German Embassy knew that when he was here the last time, four or five months ago, he talked to the Egyptians about the supplying of small arms and the training of the commandos. On the general subject of the activities of German officers in Egypt, the German Counselor said that a foreign office official came to Egypt recently to investigate them following Sir Winston Churchill’s speech in which he mentioned their activities. . . .’
1f. Note that the German government, under Konrad Adenauer and his eminence grise Hans Globke (see paragraph 4), actively protected the Skorzeny operation. And Eichmann was used as part of the Skorzeny operation! It is fascinating to note that the first Palestinian terrorist unites were formed under the tutelage of Skorzeny!
. . . . This secret dispatch and others that followed from Egypt indicate that U.S. officials and even CIA agents were woefully unaware of what the Nazis were really doing in Egypt. The Adenauer government was well aware of Skorzeny’s presence in Egypt and condoned his actions on behalf of the new Federal Republic of Germany. The pretended ‘ignorance’ of the German Counselor was merely a face-saving move and an effort to deceive the U.S. Embassy. . . . Skorzeny was already training an Arab foreign legion in commando tactics. This secret unit was comprised of 400 former Nazis and Gestapo veterans and used a training base at Bilbeis in the Delta. He also helped organize and train the first Palestine terrorists and planned their initial forays into Israel by way of the Gaza Strip about 1953–1954. . . . [Emphasis added.]
2. Bormann’s business operations have included Jewish participants as a matter of strategic intent. In turn, this has given the Bormann organization considerable influence in Israel.
. . . . Since the founding of Israel, the Federal Republic of Germany had paid out 85.3 billion marks, by the end of 1977, to survivors of the Holocaust. East Germany ignores any such liability. From South America, where payment must be made with subtlety, the Bormann organization has made a substantial contribution. It has drawn many of the brightest Jewish businessmen into a participatory role in the development of many of its corporations, and many of these Jews share their prosperity most generously with Israel. If their proposals are sound, they are even provided with a specially dispensed venture capital fund. I spoke with one Jewish businessman in Hartford, Connecticut. He had arrived there quite unknown several years before our conversation, but with Bormann money as his leverage. Today he is more than a millionaire, a quiet leader in the community with a certain share of his profits earmarked, as always, for his venture capital benefactors. This has taken place in many other instances across America and demonstrates how Bormann’s people operate in the contemporary commercial world, in contrast to the fanciful nonsense with which Nazis are described in so much ‘literature.’ So much emphasis is placed on select Jewish participation in Bormann companies that when Adolf Eichmann was seized and taken to Tel Aviv to stand trial, it produced a shock wave in the Jewish and German communities of Buenos Aires. Jewish leaders informed the Israeli authorities in no uncertain terms that this must never happen again because a repetition would permanently rupture relations with the Germans of Latin America, as well as with the Bormann organization, and cut off the flow of Jewish money to Israel. It never happened again, and the pursuit of Bormann quieted down at the request of these Jewish leaders. He is residing in an Argentine safe haven, protected by the most efficient German infrastructure in history as well as by all those whose prosperity depends on his well-being. Personal invitation is the only way to reach him. . . .
3. The program relates an incident in which organized crime kingpin Meyer Lansky tried to blackmail the Bormann group, which resulted in his removal from Israel.
. . . . A revealing insight into this international financial and industrial network was given me by a member of the Bormann organization residing in West Germany. Meyer Lansky, he said, the financial advisor to the Las Vegas—Miami underworld sent a message to Bormann through my West German SS contact. Lansky promised that if he received a piece of Bormann’s action he would keep the Israeli agents off Bormann’s back. ‘I have a very good relation with the Israeli secret police’ was his claim, although he was to be kicked out of Israel when his presence became too noted—and also at the urging of Bormann’s security chief in South America. At the time Lansky was in the penthouse suite of Jerusalem’s King David Hotel, in which he owned stock. He had fled to Israel to evade a U.S. federal warrant for his arrest. He sent his message to Bormann through his bag man in Switzerland, John Pullman, also wanted in the United States on a federal warrant. Lansky told Pullman to make this offer ‘which he can’t refuse.’ The offer was forwarded to Buenos Aires, where it was greeted with laughter. When the laughter died down, it was replaced with action. Meyer was evicted from Israel and was told by Swiss authorities to stay out of their country, so he flew to South America. There he offered any president who would give him asylum a cool $1 million in cash. He was turned down everywhere and had to continue his flight to Miami, where U.S. marshals, alerted, were waiting to take him into custody. . . .
4. Next, the program presents the reading of long text excerpts contained in this post.
5. Then again, this should come as no surprise. Examine the Hamas charter. The document’s text has very little at all to do with Islam and is, for all intents and purposes, undiluted Nazi ideology.
For our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave, so much so that it will need all the loyal efforts we can wield, to be followed by further steps and reinforced by successive battalions from the multifarious Arab and Islamic world, until the enemies are defeated and Allah’s victory prevails. …The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!
The enemies have been scheming for a long time, and they have consolidated their schemes, in order to achieve what they have achieved. They took advantage of key elements in unfolding events, and accumulated a huge and influential material wealth which they put to the service of implement ing their dream. This wealth [permitted them to] take over control of the world media such as news agencies, the press, publication houses, broadcasting and the like. [They also used this] wealth to stir revolutions in various parts of the globe in order to fulfill their interests and pick the fruits. They stood behind the French and the Communist Revolutions and behind most of the revolutions we hear about here and there.
They also used the money to establish clandestine organizations which are spreading around the world, in order to destroy societies and carry out Zionist interests. Such organizations are: the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, B’nai B’rith and the like. All of them are destructive spying organizations. They also used the money to take over control of the Imperia ist states and made them colonize many countries in order to exploit the wealth of those countries and spread their corruption therein. As regards local and world wars, it has come to pass and no one objects, that they stood behind World War I, so as to wipe out the Islamic Caliphate. They collected material gains and took control of many sources of wealth. They obtained the Balfour Declaration and established the League of Nations in order to rule the world by means of that organization. They also stood behind World War II, where they collected immense benefits from trading with war materials and prepared for the establishment of their state. They inspired the establish ment of the United Nations and the Security Council to replace the League of Nations, in order to rule the world by their intermediary. There was no war that broke out any where with out their finger prints on it…
Their scheme has been laid out in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and their present [conduct] is the best proof of what is said there… Within the circle of the conflict with world Zionism, the Hamas regards itself the spear head and the avant-garde. It joins its efforts to all those who are active on the Palestinian scene, but more steps need to be taken by the Arab and Islamic peoples and Islamic associations through out the Arab and Islamic world in order to make possible the next round with the Jews, the merchants of war.
“The Hamas, MI5, BBC Axis” by Melanie Philips; 6/19/2007.
7. “Right Before Hamas Attacked Someone Shorted Israeli Stocks And Funds;” Moon of Alabama; 12/04/23
The Israeli Haaretz headlines:
Did Hamas Make Billions Betting Against Israeli Shares Before October 7 Massacre?
Giant gambles against Israel on the markets in Tel Aviv and Wall Street days before Hamas’ attack made billions. Somebody seems to have known about the plan in advanceAn archived version is now available.
We know that Batteridge’s law of headlines says:
Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.
It was thereby not Hamas which profited from unusual short positions but likely someone else.
The Haaretz story is based on a very recent study by two law professors with experience in market regulations from New York University and Columbia University.
A PDF file of the study, Trading on Terror?, is available at the Haaretz site.
Its abstract says:
Recent scholarship shows that informed traders increasingly disguise trades in economically linked securities such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Linking that work to longstanding literature on financial markets’ reactions to military conflict, we document a significant spike in short selling in the principal Israeli-company ETF days before the October 7 Hamas attack. The short selling that day far exceeded the short selling that occurred during numerous other periods of crisis, including the recession following the financial crisis, the 2014 Israel-Gaza war, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, we identify increases in short selling before the attack in dozens of Israeli companies traded in Tel Aviv. For one Israeli company alone, 4.43 million new shares sold short over the September 14 to October 5 period yielded profits (or approximates avoided losses) of 3.2 billion NIS on that additional short selling. Although we see no aggregate increase in shorting of Israeli companies on U.S. exchanges, we do identify a sharp and unusual increase, just before the attacks, in trading in risky short-dated options on these companies expiring just after the attacks.
We identify similar patterns in the Israeli ETF at times when it was reported that Hamas was planning to execute a similar attack as in October. Our findings suggest that traders informed about the coming attacks profited from these tragic events, and consistent with prior literature we show that trading of this kind occurs in gaps in U.S. and international enforcement of legal prohibitions on informed trading. We contribute to the growing literature on trading related to geopolitical events and offer suggestions for policymakers concerned about profitable trading on the basis of information about coming military conflict.
3.2 billion New Israeli Shekel are about $800+ million. And, as I understand it, those only were the profits from a small part of the whole operation.
I am not qualified sufficiently to judge the study but the quoted sources and data seem reasonable.
EIS is an exchange-traded fund that tracks Israeli shares in New York. The spike in shorts volume of EIS was indeed hefty.
The short options were only for a very limited period. At least some would have expired on October 13.
So it definitely looks as if on Monday, October 2, someone was sure enough on that soon something ‘bad’ would happen to Israel. That someone had enough market knowledge and money to take the risk of a false alarm in exchange for a huge potential profit.
Who that person or group was is for anyone to guess.
8. “Israelis Abandon Political Left Over Security Concerns After October 7” by Sheera Frenkel; The New York Times; 12/19/2023.
9. “Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off” by Jo Becker and Justin Scheck; The New York Times; 12/16/2023.
. . . . That money, American and Israeli officials now say, helped Hamas build up its military infrastructure and helped lay the groundwork for the Oct. 7 attacks. . . .
10. We present the text of a letter by anti-fascist luminaries to The New York Times warning of Israeli fascism.
Albert Einstein Letter to The New York Times. December 4, 1948 New Palestine Party. Visit of Menachen Begin and Aims of Political Movement Discussed
By Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt, Sidney Hook, et.al.
New Palestine Party. Visit of Menachen Begin and Aims of Political Movement Discussed. A letter to The New York Times. Saturday December 4, 1948 by Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt, Sidney Hook, et.al.
New Palestine Party. Visit of Menachen Begin and Aims of Political Movement Discussed. A letter to The New York Times, published in the “Books” section (Page 12) of Saturday December 4, 1948
by Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt, Sidney Hook, et.al.
Source: Text from original microfilm
TO THE EDITORS OF NEW YORK TIMES:
Among the most disturbing political phenomena of our times is the emergence in the newly created state of Israel of the “Freedom Party” (Tnuat Haherut), a political party closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties. It was formed out of the membership and following of the former Irgun Zvai Leumi, a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine.
The current visit of Menachem Begin, leader of this party, to the United States is obviously calculated to give the impression of American support for his party in the coming Israeli elections, and to cement political ties with conservative Zionist elements in the United States. Several Americans of national repute have lent their names to welcome his visit. It is inconceivable that those who oppose fascism throughout the world, if correctly informed as to Mr. Begin’s political record and perspectives, could add their names and support to the movement he represents.
Before irreparable damage is done by way of financial contributions, public manifestations in Begin’s behalf, and the creation in Palestine of the impression that a large segment of America supports Fascist elements in Israel, the American public must be informed as to the record and objectives of Mr. Begin and his movement.
The public avowals of Begin’s party are no guide whatever to its actual character. Today they speak of freedom, democracy and anti-imperialism, whereas until recently they openly preached the doctrine of the Fascist state. It is in its actions that the terrorist party betrays its real character; from its past actions we can judge what it may be expected to do in the future.
Attack on Arab Village
A shocking example was their behavior in the Arab village of Deir Yassin. This village, off the main roads and surrounded by Jewish lands, had taken no part in the war, and had even fought off Arab bands who wanted to use the village as their base. On April 9 (THE NEW YORK TIMES), terrorist bands attacked this peaceful village, which was not a military objective in the fighting, killed most of its inhabitants (240 men, women, and children) and kept a few of them alive to parade as captives through the streets of Jerusalem. Most of the Jewish community was horrified at the deed, and the Jewish Agency sent a telegram of apology to King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan. But the terrorists, far from being ashamed of their act, were proud of this massacre, publicized it widely, and invited all the foreign correspondents present in the country to view the heaped corpses and the general havoc at Deir Yassin.
The Deir Yassin incident exemplifies the character and actions of the Freedom Party.
Within the Jewish community they have preached an admixture of ultranationalism, religious mysticism, and racial superiority. Like other Fascist parties they have been used to break strikes, and have themselves pressed for the destruction of free trade unions. In their stead they have proposed corporate unions on the Italian Fascist model.
During the last years of sporadic anti-British violence, the IZL and Stern groups inaugurated a reign of terror in the Palestine Jewish community. Teachers were beaten up for speaking against them, adults were shot for not letting their children join them. By gangster methods, beatings, window-smashing, and wide-spread robberies, the terrorists intimidated the population and exacted a heavy tribute.
The people of the Freedom Party have had no part in the constructive achievements in Palestine. They have reclaimed no land, built no settlements, and only detracted from the Jewish defense activity. Their much-publicized immigration endeavors were minute, and devoted mainly to bringing in Fascist compatriots.
Discrepancies Seen
The discrepancies between the bold claims now being made by Begin and his party, and their record of past performance in Palestine bear the imprint of no ordinary political party. This is the unmistakable stamp of a Fascist party for whom terrorism (against Jews, Arabs, and British alike), and misrepresentation are means, and a “Leader State” is the goal.
In the light of the foregoing considerations, it is imperative that the truth about Mr. Begin and his movement be made known in this country. It is all the more tragic that the top leadership of American Zionism has refused to campaign against Begin’s efforts, or even to expose to its own constituents the dangers to Israel from support to Begin.
The undersigned therefore take this means of publicly presenting a few salient facts concerning Begin and his party; and of urging all concerned not to support this latest manifestation of fascism.
ISIDORE ABRAMOWITZ,
HANNAH ARENDT,
ABRAHAM BRICK,
RABBI JESSURUN CARDOZO,
ALBERT EINSTEIN,
HERMAN EISEN, M.D.,
HAYIM FINEMAN, M. GALLEN, M.D.,
H.H. HARRIS,
ZELIG S. HARRIS,
SIDNEY HOOK,
FRED KARUSH,
BRURIA KAUFMAN,
IRMA L. LINDHEIM,
NACHMAN MAISEL,
SEYMOUR MELMAN,
MYER D. MENDELSON, M.D.,
HARRY M. OSLINSKY,
SAMUEL PITLICK,
FRITZ ROHRLICH,
LOUIS P. ROCKER,
RUTH SAGIS,
ITZHAK SANKOWSKY,
I.J. SHOENBERG,
SAMUEL SHUMAN,
M. SINGER,
IRMA WOLFE,
STEFAN WOLFE.
New York, Dec. 2, 1948
80 percent of famine currently being experienced around the globe is taking place in Gaza. That’s the chilling statistic recently shared by Arif Husain, chief economist for the UN World Food Program, who described the hunger being experienced by Gazans as unprecedented in its severity. It’s a catastrophe. And also, seemingly, part of the plan of Israel’s far right government. At least that’s what we can reasonably conclude based on the disturbing statements recently made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who explained in an interview how the only long-term hope for Gazan is to permanently reduce the population of 2 million people down to about 100,000–200,000. Through ‘voluntary’ permanent relocation to neighboring countries. “Let’s think out of the box,” as Smotrich put it.
As we’re going to see, while the Israeli government insists that the starvation taking place is due to a combination of Hamas’s theft of aid supplies and the international community not delivering enough aid in the first place, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations agency that aids Palestinians, calls that “baseless misinformation” and points to the enormous logistical hurdles imposed by Israel on the delivery of that aid. Beyond that, Israeli officials actually warned that they were going to be blocking aid from entering Gaza as the war was unfolding, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stating on October 9, “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip: There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed...We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly.” And while Israel has, in recent weeks, allowed for 100 to 120 trucks to enter a day, that’s just a fraction of the estimate 500 trucks that are needed.
So with starvation growing in Gaza, it appears that the Netanyahu government has adopted a strategy of using hunger to encourage the ‘voluntary’ mass relocation of the Gazan populace. Which is the kind of plan, at best, will result in the war crime of mass ethnic cleansing. But keep in mind that if it doesn’t work, the end result is still going to be the mass depopulation of Gaza in the form of dead starved Gazans. And this can only go on for so long before that physiological breaking point is reached across that population of 2 million people. We’re entering the third month of this war. That’s three months of intense starvation already, with no real end in sight. And as Finance Minister Smotrich made obvious, the worse that humanitarian crisis gets the more we’re going to be hearing about the need for a mass ‘voluntary’ relocation plan:
““Let’s think out of the box,” urged Smotrich who heads the Religious Zionist Party. He is among those who believe it’s imperative to reconstruct Israel settlements in Gaza as the best way to ensure that terror groups such as Hamas do not return to that enclave to threaten Israel.”
‘Thinking out of the box’. That’s how Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, of the far right Religious Zionist Party, spun his plan for the permanent ethnic cleansing of 90 percent of Gaza. But that wasn’t his only spin. Smotrich kept emphasizing how this needed to be a “voluntary” process. As if there was anything voluntary about the decisions civilians make in a war zone:
So get a better sense of how the Netanyahu government is likely going to impose this ‘voluntary’ mandate on the Gazan population to just permanently leave, here’s a reminder that the Gazan population is currently experiencing the worst starvation in the world today, with half of Gazans already at risk of starvation. Half may not be the 90 percent figure Smotrich is shooting for, but it’s progress. It’s also a war crime and one with no end in sight:
“Arif Husain, chief economist at the World Food Program, said the humanitarian disaster in Gaza was among the worst he had ever seen. The territory appears to meet at least the first criteria of a famine, with 20 percent of the population facing an extreme lack of food, he said.”
With half of Gazans already at risk of starvation, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that 1 in 5 are already starving. With that number growing by the day. 90 percent of Gazans now report regularly going a whole day without food. Is this the ‘out of the box’ persuasion Smotrich was referring to? Because it’s hard not to notice how mass starvation is accomplishing his stated goal. Gazans are inevitably going to be forced to ‘voluntarily’ leave given the alternative of simply starving to death:
The Israeli government dismisses criticism that Israel’s actions are creating these conditions and insisting that it’s both Hamas stealing aid and the international community not sending enough:
But Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations agency that aids Palestinians calls those Israeli claims of inadequate international support as “baseless misinformation” that obscures the enormous logistical hurdles being imposed by Israel on the delivery of that aid. The Israeli government spokesman was trolling the world in the face of this unfolding catastrophe:
And don’t forget that it’s not just the lack of food. There’s no regular running water either. And as bad as starvation is, dehydration will kill you sooner:
And then there’s all the disease that comes with both no food and bad water. If the Gazans don’t flee, they are going to die. Those are the conditions that have been created on the ground. Conditions seemingly designed to encourage as much ‘voluntary’ emigration as possible. The situation is disturbingly going according to the plan Smotrich seemed to be hinting at. The only ingredient that’s still needed is a place for them to flee to, with none of Israel’s neighbors yet willing to take in millions of now starving Gazans. Will the deepening of this humanitarian crisis change those stances or solidify them? Time will tell, but not too much more time. People need to eat. We’re either going to see a surge in aid deliveries. A surge in people fleeing to other countries. Or a surge in death. Or maybe all of the above.
But no matter what happens in the short run, it appears Israel is planning on a depopulated Gaza in the long-run. Which is going to be a long-term war crime that’s only going to fester for decades to come and erode what’s left of Israel’s international support. It’s often pointed out that, while you can militarily defeat Hamas, you can’t militarily defeat the idea of Hamas. And, while true, it’s also worth keeping in mind that the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and other war crimes envisioned by the current Israeli government do actually represent a great way to defeat the idea of Israel. Or at least the idea of a non-fascist Israel that any non-fascist government would want to support.
It’s not really a surprise, but it was treated as such: Benjamin Netanyhu has been publicly ruling out any sort of “two-state solution” for Palestine, much to the chagrin of the Biden administration. And while it’s not hard to imagine that this has only increased the Biden administration’s desire to see Netanyahu replaced as soon as possible, it’s worth noting that opposition to a two-state solution is no longer just what Netanyahu and his supporters back. Israeli, as a whole, has grown far more conservative since the October 7 attack, with a growing consensus that a much harder line needs to be taken with respect to the Palestinians which now included widespread opposition to any sort of two-state solution. It’s just part of what appears to be a profound social transformation that’s taken place inside Israel, with the Israeli left seeing its support basically collapse.
And this is all happening at the same time Netanyahu’s polls continue to drop and more and more Israelis lose faith in his ability to faithfully prosecute this war. It’s the grim reality facing any sort of prospects of a long-term peace deal emerging from this: the Israelis by and large aren’t interested in long-term peace deals at this point. Long-term peaceful solutions have been taken off the table.
But there’s another angle to this story that could end up being increasingly important over the long run: the Israeli left was increasingly giving up on Israeli and considering moving abroad well before the October 7 attacks. Netanyahu’s government of extremists and his push to defang the judiciary was the final straw for a growing number of Israelis, with large number of doctors, academics, and tech workers starting to look into moving abroad. As ex-Mossad chief Tamir Pardo put it, “If we lose high tech, if we lose the doctors, if we lose the academics, the country won’t be here,” he said, while clarifying that Israel may end up looking like a central African country “that’s stuck in the ’60s of the last century.” Pardo went on to characterize the new government of extremists as “worse than the KKK” in their racism and bigotry.
That’s all part of the grim context of public sparring between Netanyahu and the Biden White House in recent days over a two state solution. The reality is a growing portion of Israeli has no interest in a two state solution. And the part of Israeli society that is interested is shrinking and possibly going to be giving up and leaving the country entirely in coming years as this dark trend plays out.
Ok, first, here’s a NY Times excerpt from just over a month ago about the profound shifts in the Israeli psyche. Shifts all in one direction, towards a hyper-conservative state and militarized solutions:
“In the wellspring of sadness, anger and fear that has gripped Israel since that day, a consensus has emerged that Israel needs to take a harder line with the Palestinians and embrace an even more militarized state. And while public opinion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is faltering, support for the policies upheld by his right-wing government is growing.”
As Benjamin Netanyahu’s polls grow worse, the popularity for the kind toxic policies he represents has only grown more popular. Surging support that’s come at the left’s cost. Even as support for left-wing policies like government-backed welfare remains. Israel is changing as a result of the October 7 attacks and the resulting war and it’s not clear there’s a place for the Israeli left in its future:
And while Netanyahu’s popularity is in decline, all signs point towards some other right-wing figure who will ultimately replace him. What kind of figure is that going to be in this political climate?
Also note the direct victims of the October 7 attacks: kibbutzim that were traditionally bastions of the Israeli left. Plus, a youth music concert. Intentionally or not, the October 7 attacks appear to be a kind of death blow to the Israeli left:
And that brings us to the following report from back in July, two and a half months before the Octover 7 attacks, about the dire warning being issue by form Massod chief Tamir Pardo, who led the agency from 2011–2016. Pardo not only warns that the government of extremists was “worse than the KKK” in terms of their racist and bigoted attitudes, but that the country faced a threat far more dire than any military threat. That would be the threat of non-extremist Israelis simply choosing to leave the country. In particular doctors, academics, and tech workers. As Pardo put it, “If we lose high tech, if we lose the doctors, if we lose the academics, the country won’t be here”:
“The ex-spy chief claimed that they are even “a lot worse” than the Ku Klux Klan, referencing calls by lawmakers for Israel to destroy the West Bank Palestinian town of Huwara.”
Again, this was Pardo’s take back in July, months before the nightmare of October 7. The nation was “breaking into two”. And not just over the extremist invited in the government. It’s also the fact that the extremists were invited in, in part, because only they would approve of Netanyahu’s corrupt attempts to defang the judiciary:
And then Pardo get to what he views as the real existential threat to the long-term viability of Israeli: large numbers of highly skilled Israelis might simply give up on the country and leave:
That was just a snapshot of the enormous tensions roiling Israeli society. Tensions that presumably have been transformed in recent months. How has that growing despair among many on the Israeli left changed as a result of this conflict? As we saw above, many Israelis have indeed become more conservative. But that’s surely not universally the case. What is going to happen to that remaining Israeli left if the country effectively becomes a permanent, increasingly conservative and militarized society locked in what appears to be a kind of permanent zero-sum conflict with all its neighbors? What happens when the shock of the events of October 7 and the conflict subside but the reality of a new permanent hyper-conservative Israeli take hold? Will the Israeli left stick around in a country where it has no real future or even acceptance anymore? Time will tell, but all signs are going towards a far right “Fortress Israel” future. A fortress with a lot fewer doctors, academics, and tech workers than it will probably prefer.
Sniper shots to the head aren’t an accident. So when you find children arriving at the hospital with sniper shots to the head, you can be pretty confident someone aimed and fired at the heads of children. Which brings us to the following extremely disturbing piece that recently showed up in the Los Angeles Times, authored by an American doctor who traveled to Gaza in January. Dr Irfan Galaria describes a medical system in such dire conditions that they were forced to perform amputations using a Gigli saw, a tool from the Civil War-era.
But of all the horrific details in the piece, it’s the sniper shots to the head that are by far the most disturbing. One day, multiple children, all about ages 5 to 8, were brought to the ER, all with a single sniper shots to the head. Their families had been returning to their homes in Khan Yunis after Israeli tanks had withdrawn. So snipers were apparently be left behind and decided to snipe children. Again, that’s not an accident. Someone saw the heads of these kids in their sniper scope and repeated pulled the trigger. And while this was just one horrible wartime anecdote, with over 10,000 Gazan children already dead, it’s not like we can assume this was an isolated incident. It’s open season on the Gazans.
So with Israel increasingly in the grip of far right theocratic fanatics intent on turning this conflict into an excuse to basically ethnically cleanse Gaza, questions about whether or not the targeting of children is being unofficially (or even officially) tolerated by the Israeli military is something we have to ask. Which brings us to the following reports below about exactly that: the horrific extremist indoctrination taking place inside Israel’s military communities. In particular, the explicitly pro-Nazi lessons that were being taught at some of Israel’s elite pre-military academies that have long served as a source for many of the IDF’s senior military officers. It would be nice if this was as shocking as it should be.
In particular, back in 2019, it was discovered that the Bnei David academy in Eli was teaching students that Hitler was correct, with only one problem. He targeted the wrong people. Or to put it in the words of Rabbi Giora Redler, “He was the most correct person there ever was, and was correct in every word he said… he was just on the wrong side.” Redler went on to argue that pluralism was the real genocide being perpetrated against the Jews.
Similar lessons were taught by the head of the academy, Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel, who instructed students on how “The gentiles will want to be our slaves. Being a slave to a Jew is the best. They’re glad to be slaves, they want to be slaves...Instead of just walking the streets and being stupid and violent and harming each other, once they’re slaves, their lives can begin to take shape...All around us, we are surrounded by peoples with genetic problems. Ask a simple Arab ‘where do you want to be?’ He wants to be under the occupation. Why? Because they have genetic problems, they don’t know how to run a country, they don’t know how to do anything. Look at them.”
Journalist David Sheen covered this story in a 2019 lecture at the University of Zurich that also addressed the numerous awards and state accolades these figures have received. At the end of the video (it’s less than 7 minutes), Sheen discussed the prize awarded to someone Sheen describes as probably the most racist rabbi in the country: Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, who actually wrote a book justifying not just the killing of Palestinian adults but even the killing Palestinian babies. As we’re also going to see, Ginsburgh’s thousands of cult-like followers have plans of their own for the future of Israel. Plans revolving around overthrowing the government and imposing a Jewish theocracy led by a king, with Ginsburgh obviously as their king-of-choice.
Here we are in 2024 with reports of child sniper victims months into a conflict that appears to being a not-exactly-covert ethnic cleansing operation. So we have to ask: how many radicalized soldiers are there in the IDF at this point who have been put through what amounts to a Nazi military education?
And, yes, Hamas is guided by a grotesque anti-secular ideology with roots in Nazism of its own. There was even that Hamas children’s program a decade ago that was encouraging audiences to “kill the Jews”. Hamas isn’t exactly a sympathetic entity in this situation. But kids sure are. Which is part of what makes this such a darkly demented situation. The more you look at the ideologies Hamas and these Jewish supremacists, the more similar they appear. It’s increasingly turning into a conflict between mutual exterminationist movements. With kids in the crossfire...until there aren’t any more kids, which is kind of ideological point:
“I stopped keeping track of how many new orphans I had operated on. After surgery they would be filed somewhere in the hospital, I’m unsure of who will take care of them or how they will survive. On one occasion, a handful of children, all about ages 5 to 8, were carried to the emergency room by their parents. All had single sniper shots to the head. These families were returning to their homes in Khan Yunis, about 2.5 miles away from the hospital, after Israeli tanks had withdrawn. But the snipers apparently stayed behind. None of these children survived.”
Small children with sniper shots to the head are showing up in Gazan hospitals. That’s what this American doctor just reported witnessing in the Los Angeles Times. As gruesome as it is to hear about bombs being dropped in areas known to be filled with civilians, even that’s not as deliberate as the act of sniping children. But someone in the IDF was apparently doing this.
And that grim story brings us to the following Times of Israel report from back in 2019 about the kind of theocratic extremism that was being taught at Israeli pre-military religious academies. Not just Nazi-like extremism but an actually embrace of Nazism, including a deep respect for Adolf Hitler. He only got one thing wrong, which was that he targeted conservative Jews, but otherwise he was correct. Also, non-Jews want to be the slaves of Jews due to the genetic superiority of the Jews. Yep. Those were the lessons being taught at these pre-military academies in 2019. And the rabbis behind these extremist teachings are unambiguously radicals, they aren’t exactly obscure radicals. Figures like Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel, the head of the Bnei David academy in Eli, whose graduates often go on to join Israel’s military elite.
And, again, these reports are from 2019, almost 5 years ago. Israel’s far right theocracy problem hasn’t exactly gotten better over the last five years. So when we find reports about Israeli snipers intentionally targeting small children, we have to ask: were any of these snipers by chance graduates of a school that gave them an education in genocidal thought?:
“Rabbis teaching at the Eli academy — a darling of the national religious camp for funneling of thousands of religious officers into senior combat positions in the IDF — have a history of making controversial and illiberal remarks.”
A darling of the national religious camp that funnels thousands of religious officers into senior combat roles in the IDF. That’s how this report described the Eli Academy. Hence the national scandal when it was revealed that the academy is indoctrinating its students in genuine Nazi-like lessons in the genetic supremacy of the Jews and, in turn, the genetic inferiority of Arabs (LOL). And it’s not just overt racism but a kind of Jewish version of the “white man’s burden” call to colonize people ‘for their own good’ we recently heard from Erik Prince. The Palestinians needed the Jews to occupy and enslave them due to their genetic inferiority. Those were the lessons coming from none other than the mouth of Rabbi Kashtiel, the head of the academy:
But Kashtiel wasn’t the only rabbi espousing Nazi-like lessons. There’s also Rabbi Giora Redler, who appeared to make the case that the real genocide being committed against the Jews is secularism. And also that Hitler was right. Or rather, Hitler was “the most correct person there ever was, and was correct in every word he said… he was just on the wrong side.” In other words, had the Nazis specifically just exterminated secular peoples that would have been justified:
Journalist David Sheen held a 2019 lecture at the University of Zurich that delves more into the Nazified pre-military education taking place at these academies and the numerous awards and state accolades these figures have received. At the end of the video (it’s less than 7 minutes), Sheen discussed the prize awarded to Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, who Sheen describes as probably the most racist rabbi in the country. As Sheen goes on to describe, Ginsburgh actually wrote a book justifying not just the killing of Palestinian adults but even the killing Palestinian babies.
So with that kind of institutionalized extremism percolating though the IDF in mind, here’s a 2016 piece in the Forward with much more about Ginsburgh and his following. A cult-like following that wants to overthrow the government and enshrine him as King of Israel:
“But Ginsburgh is not just about violence against Palestinians. His wide network of schools and communities has, until recently, been financially supported by the Israeli government and continues to receive funding from private donors in the United States and Israel. And he has a vision for the state’s future: He wants to dismantle it. In its place, he seeks to establish a Jewish monarchy. Indeed, some of his followers hope to crown Ginsburgh himself as their king. And though the number of Israelis openly advocating this right now is relatively small, they have a penchant for action that has given them a disproportionate impact on events.”
The formal imposition of a Jewish theocracy ruled by a king. That’s the plan. Or at least, that’s the plan of Rabbi Ginsburgh and his thousands of zealous followers. And based on the decades of state support, it’s hard to avoid the suspicion that a lot more people are very open to taking Israel in this direction:
And it appears that one of Ginsburgh’s key skills is legally getting away with advocating what amounts to terror against non-Jews. Bad faith legal arguments have served him well:
And then there’s the 2010 raid of his school following the public of “The King’s Torah”, a book that justified even the killing of non-Jewish infants. Infants grow up, after all!
Again, we have to ask: is the sniper responsible for all those child headshots by chance a big Rabbi Ginsburgh fan? We don’t know and probably won’t ever know. But we do know thousands of kids when through this kind of indoctrination and went on to serve in senior IDF positions. What kinds of lessons are these kids getting today, now that the far right has effectively captured Israeli society? It’s not Israel circa 2019. Things are even crazier now. What kind of ‘education’ are these kids getting today? Kids who are probably going to be handed a rifle sooner rather than later in this conflict.
Is a swastika always antisemitic? Or does it depend on the context? That’s the question at the heart of a incident capture on video on London last week that has many asking whether or not London authorities have allowed the city to be turned into a kind of ‘no-go zone for Jews’ as the massive pro-Palestinian protests continue over the conflict in Gaza. The incident centered around a Jewish counter-protestor, American documentary filmmaker Jocelyn Weiss, who saw a pro-Palestinian protester carrying a sign with a swastika on it. Weiss then confronts a London police officer to ask why this protestor wasn’t being arrested for a blatant display of antisemitism. The officer attempts to explain why he isn’t arresting the protestor by citing the need to assess the context in which a swastika is used. The two get into a heated exchange, with Weiss expressing exasperation about how any sort of context could excuse the use of a swastika in public while the officer — and his fellow officers — make rather inept attempts to explain how they recognize the historical significance of the symbol while refuting the idea that the use symbol, in and of itself, is necessarily an antisemitic attack.
It was an incident that left many wondering if London authorities were somehow complicit in coddling pro-Palestinian extremists. And as part of the larger context over this ‘context kerfuffle’, Britain’s counter-extremism tsar, Robin Simcox, warned earlier last month that pro-Palestine protesters are turning London into a ‘no-go zone for Jews’.
What are we looking at here? It’s a bit of a mess, in part because it’s been largely unclear what was actually on the swastika sign other than a swastika. After all, it’s one thing to celebrate swastika, but another to use a swastika to somehow depict someone as Nazi. The use of a swastika in protest signs really is pretty context specific. Is the swastika being used for celebration or condemnation? And as we’re going to see in a follow up interview with Weiss, it appears it’s the latter. The sign she saw depicted Benjamin Netanyahu with a Hitler mustache and a red tie containing with a swastika. So while a lot of the coverage of this story left it ambiguous as to whether or not this was a sign celebrating the Nazis in the middle of a pro-Palestinian protest, that’s not actually the case. The swastika was being used to equate Netanyahu with the Nazis.
It’s also worth keeping in mind some of the other the grim historic context behind this incident: the fact that powerful elements in both Israeli and Palestinian societies have deep ties to not just fascism but Nazism. Whether we’re talking about the extensive fascists connections to the Jabotinsky movement inside Zionism, or the intertwined history of fascism and modern Islamist radicalism through groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, there is no honest way to disassociate the leadership of either Israel or Gaza with fascism and Nazism.
But we don’t have to look at history to find these connections to the Netanyahu government. Don’t forget how former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo warned back in July of 2023 — months before October 7 — that Netanyahu’s government is “a lot worse” than the Ku Klux Klan in terms of its racism. Or there’s the very prominent rabbis openly fomenting Nazi-like policies, like Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel, who has openly expressed an admiration for Adolf Hitler and the Nazis overall goals. He only quibbled with the part where the Nazis killed conservative Jews. Everyone else was appropriately liquidated. That gross contemporary history is part of the context of that sign too. Along with the horrific context of the reality on the ground in Gaza, which appears to be in the middle of an undeclared ethnic cleansing campaign.
So it’s going to be interesting to see how many more swastika incidents we see pop up in the still-massive pro-Palestinian protests going forward. It’s not hard to imagine we’re going to see A LOT more at this point. What is sadly much harder to imagine is that any of these incidents will result in any meaningful exploration of the disturbing pro-Nazi history found in the leadership of both sides of this gross conflict.
Ok, first, here’s a Daily Mail piece describing the back and forth captured in video between Weiss and the London officers. Note that, like most reporting on this story, there was no actual description of sign in question and how it specifically depicted Benjamin Netanyahu as as Nazi. We’re only told that it had a swastika:
“It comes despite the Met assuring ahead of the demonstration that they would take ‘swift and decisive action’ against anyone breaking the law. And earlier this month, Robin Simcox, Britain’s counter-extremism tsar warned pro-Palestine protesters are turning London into a ‘no-go zone for Jews’.”
Have regular massive protests over the war in Gaza turned London in a ‘no-go zone for Jews’, as the UK counter-extremism tsar warned last month? That’s part of the larger context over the context kerfuffle over a protest sign containing a swastika. Was ‘swift and decision action’ warranted in the case of the protestor holding a sign with a swastika? The answer, according to the London metro police, appears to be that it depends on the context of the sign. Because everything needs to be taken in context:
Also note that this doesn’t appear to be a rogue officer who was making up his own context-centric policy. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has already been defending his police force against similar criticisms from the UK government about taking too light a hand against the protestors:
So what is the actually context of this sign? It’s a little difficult to assess based on almost all of the articles about this incident since we don’t typically get to see one of the biggest pieces of context in this whole story: the sign itself. But it looks like we do now know what the sign was, thanks to the following interview in the Jewish Chronicle with Jocelyn Weiss, woman in the video arguing with the police officer. As Weiss describes, “I’m not a fan of Bibi [Netanyahu] but he shouldn’t be depicted with a Hitler moustache and a swastika. I saw Sunak and Starmer both depicted with horns – it’s blatant antisemitic imagery.” So it appears that the swastika was specifically used in an image of Netanyahu with a Hitler moustache and a swastika. The interview includes a photo of a protest poster with exactly that image, with Netanyahu wearing a red tie with a swastika. That’s the key context of this whole incident. A poster depicting Natanyahu as Hitler. It wasn’t a celebration of Nazism, but rather a Nazi-centric condemnation of the Israeli Prime Minister:
“Weiss had been at a counter-demo on Saturday where anti-Hamas demonstrators waved Israeli flags and signs that said “Hamas is terrorist” towards a large crowd of anti-Israel protesters. She had not wanted to draw attention to herself, and so had left her useful “rape is resistance” sign at home. In the anti-Israel crowd, she saw numerous offensive banners, including one with Nazi symbols.”
There doesn’t appear to have been a sea of swastikas. It was a single sign, based on Weiss’s description. A sign featuring Netanyahu with a Hitler moustache and swastika. So while Weiss equated the ‘contextualizing’ of the officer with ‘Claudine Gay bullsh*t’, it’s important to recognize that the swastika wasn’t be used in a ‘River to the Sea’ calls that could be interpreted as an endorsement of ethnic cleansing that was at the center of the Claudine Gay controversy. This is a sign depicting Netanyahu as a genocidal Nazi. An unpleasant image, no doubt. But, contextually, it doesn’t appear to be a call for ethnic cleansing. If anything, it’s a condemnation of ethnic cleansing, albeit a pretty inflammatory condemnation:
Is it inherently antisemitic to depict an Israeli prime minister as a Nazi? Well, it certainly would be nice if we lived in a world where the Israeli prime minister wasn’t leading a far right government seemingly engaged in an ethnic cleansing campaign. If we lived in that world then, sure, this could be seen as an inherently antisemitic image. But how are we to interpret it given the gross and disturbing world we actually live in? That question, unfortunately, has basically been glossed over as this story has played out.
So we’ll see if we hear about more stories of London protestor sporting swastika signs. But it’s worth noting that, should we end up seeing protest and counter-protests both holding up mutually incriminating signs up that depict the leadership of Israel and Hamas as a bunch of fascist-sympathizing wannabes, that may not make for a pleasant environment but it would at least be historically grounded. It’s not great context but it’s our context, whether we want to recognized it or not.
It’s not really a question whether or not the Israeli government is violating international law with its conduct of the war in Gaza. That’s been obvious for months now, if only from the scenes of urban rubble where millions of civilians used to live. The big question is what will the world do about the situation. And, in turn, will the US do something it’s highly reticent to do and reign in its close ally. Well, we got an update of sorts on that front: the Biden administration just released a report concluding there is “reasonable” evidence that Israel has violated international law with its use of US-provided weapons.
Now, the “reasonable” language is important here because its also an admission that the US doesn’t have conclusive proof that US weapons were specifically used in particular instances. And that ambiguity might be enough to allow the US to continue delivering weapons despite this finding. Still, it’s a step closer to the US breaking off a supply of bombs that the Israelis will undoubtedly need sooner or later to continue waging this war in this manner.
Interestingly, while Republicans are predictably slamming the Biden administration for issuing the report at all, some Congressional Democrats, including Senator Chris Van Hollen, are still critical of the Biden administration for not doing enough. As Van Hollen put it, “they’re ducking a determination on the hard cases. Politically inconvenient cases.”
And those allusions to politically inconvenient cases brings us to a second report that just came out. This time from CNN, which is reporting on a set of truly disturbing allegations coming from multiple anonymous whistleblowers who have spent time working at the secret Israeli military detention facilities that have been set up since October 7. The camps are a result of the Unlawful Combatants Law passed following the attacks that allow for 45 days of detention without an arrest warrant, after which they must be transferred to Israel’s prison system or released. It sounds like they’re being used as a ‘filtration system’ for captured Gazans.
And while It sounds like it’s basically Israel’s short-term version of Guantanamo Bay, with rampant systematic human rights violations, it’s important to keep in mind that Guantanamo Bay was primarily populated by suspected terrorists picked up on ‘the battlefield’. In this case, ‘the battlefield’ is Gaza, a formerly civilian area. In other words, detained Gazans are potentially being subjected to a month and a half of torturous conditions as part of the screening process for assessing whether or not they are a member of Hamas.
This is also a good time to keep in mind that the US’s Guantanamo Bay detention facilities are still in operation and have held some people for over two decades now. It’s another grim facet of this story.
The conditions include long periods in stress positions during the day while being blindfolded and nearly naked. At night, teams with large dogs are sent in to ‘inspect’ the detainees. Patients are reportedly handcuffed at the ankles and wrists and in some cases amputations have been performed on limbs due to excessive zip-tying.
We’re also told by these whistleblowers — who face possible prosecution for their whistleblowing — that they were asked to perform medical procedures for which they were unqualified. They were also instructed not to sign forms permitting medical procedures. So medical procedures are being performed by people without the proper training and who have been instructed to not keep records. It’s a consciousness of guilt situation. The kind of situation that suggests it’s even worse than what we know about.
We’ll see if the Biden administration does ultimately end up withholding more weapons for Israel. It may not happen immediately. But given the steady stream of increasingly horrific reports of a growing humanitarian disaster, it’s not hard to imagine those weapons will be withheld eventually. So at this point, it’s less a question of whether or not the Biden administration will eventually withhold those weapons and more a question of how large will this humanitarian catastrophe get before that happens:
“The finding of “reasonable” evidence to conclude that the U.S. ally had breached international law protecting civilians in the way it conducted its war against Hamas was the strongest statement that the Biden administration has yet made on the matter. It was released in a summary of a report being delivered to Congress on Friday.”
A finding of “reasonable” evidence of violations of international law using US weapons. Is this the beginning of a shift in US policy towards Israel? Or just sabre rattling? Time will tell, but we appear to be seeing a number of loopholes that will allow the US to continue making these arms shipments for the time being:
And note how the report hasn’t just concluded that US weapons were likely used in violation of international law. It also concluded that Israel is playing a major role in blocking aide to starving Palestinians. In other words, it’s pretty reasonable to conclude that US weapons are being used to impose a famine too:
But also note how, while Republicans are predictably calling for no restrictions at all an arms shipments or even any criticisms of how Israel is conducting this war, some Democrats are openly accusing the Biden administration of “ducking a determination on the hard cases. Politically inconvenient cases.” It’s the kind of of back and forth that suggests that is going to get much uglier as this plays out, with more and more evidence of even worse war crimes and outcries from Democrats paired with more and more denials from Republicans that anything wrong is happening at all. With civilian deaths and starvation piling up the entire time:
And that report on the US finally starting to formally recognize the war crimes underway brings us to the following CNN report. Multiple whistleblowers working at secret Israeli military detention camps have come forward detailing abuses that might even exceed the horrific conditions of Guantanamo Bay (maybe). Not only did these whistleblowers witness conditions like amputations caused by excessive zip-typing of wrists, but they were instructed not to sign forms approving medical procedures. In other words, these whistleblowers are describing a detention system where it’s known by the people running the camps that they are engaging in the kinds of crimes that shouldn’t be documented:
“Reports of abuse at Sde Teiman have already surfaced in Israeli and Arab media after an outcry from Israeli and Palestinian rights groups over conditions there. But this rare testimony from Israelis working at the facility sheds further light on Israel’s conduct as it wages war in Gaza, with fresh allegations of mistreatment. It also casts more doubt on the Israeli government’s repeated assertions that it acts in accordance with accepted international practices and law.”
This CNN report would be damning enough if it was just based on the testimonies of the released prisoners. But it’s the fact that there are whistleblowers who worked at these secret military detention facilities going to the press under threat of legal repercussions and reprisals that makes this such a damning report. It’s not former prisoners telling us about amputations and torturous conditions. It’s these whistleblowers telling us, describing a system of military detentions that sounds like the Israeli version of Guantanamo Bay:
Those whistleblower accounts include being asked to perform medical procedures for which they were not qualified and performed without anesthesia. And then there’s the things they witnessed, like a hand getting amputated after constant zip-typing at the wrists. They are depicting an ‘anything goes’ moral environment. Which suggests the situation could get much worse as this continues to fester:
And then there’s the instructions these whistleblowers report receiving about not signing medical documents. It’s the kind of detail that points to a conscious group coverup. Which, again, points to the kind of group moral environment where the worsts kinds of crimes can transpire. This is a nightmare situation poised to get a lot worse:
On top of those those whistleblowers, over a dozen former detainees have described their experiences, which are reportedly consistent with the whistleblower accounts. But we’re not entirely reliant on the testimonies of these whistleblowers or former detainees. Images posted on social media by Israeli soldiers corroborate these accounts:
As disturbing as it is to learn about prisoners released with deep flesh wounds on their wrists, at least they still had hands! Could have been worse and presumably is worse for the handless people still detained. People who, statistically speaking, are probably just civilians who were scooped up from ‘the battlefield’ that was previously a civilian area. It’s a system for the mass systematic terrorization of a population. Gitmo for Gaza.
So are we on the cusp of seeing the Biden administration cut off military supplies, or the cusp or more reports about how the US is fueling an even worse violation of international law? Time will tell, as always. But, again, let’s not forget that Guantanamo Bay is still operating. Time has told a chilling story in that at case. Let’s hope time tells a better story this time. At least better than the historic catastrophe that appears to be unfolding.
A historic catastrophe for not just Gaza but Israel, whether the Israelis realize it or not. Along with the US, of course.
After listening for decades to Dave’s broadcasts, I am surprised to not see much about the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas. Is there something I’ve missed? Please point me to it if so.
I recall hearing about Haj Amin Al-Hussayni from Dave’s research and the historic connections of Palestinians & Nazis, as well as the history of the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots to the Palestinian Authority, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hebollah, et al.
Seems like this would be a great time to start organizing and bringing that information out to the misinformed public.
@ Bruce–The programs explain quite completely why I will not discuss this further, barring further major developments.
Best,
Dave
Dave,
Please disregard my last comment, I found FTR@1316 and am currently listening to it. BTW, I am sorry to hear about your health challenges. Same issues here with getting older.
Is it acceptable to attempt ( civil & polite ) discussing and expressing opinions here on this site about this issue — as I am interested in interacting with folks who have an understanding and orientation to this information whether they agree or disagree with me.
I want to find some place to get some interactions that are not bots or sock-puppets and who can actually bring facts reason and humanity to bear. I find myself in the odd position of opposing the Ukraine war, and supporting Israel in its war against Hamas, while also trying to keep an open mind and avoiding extremism.
@Bruce–
Please listen to FTR#1317 as well.
In general, this site is not conversational.
Subscribing to the Patreon site might provide more of an opportunity.
Best,
Dave
It keeps getting worse. It was already horrific but it’s worse now. The New York Times just issued a troubling new update to the stories we’ve been hearing for weeks now about the abuses taking place at the Sde Teiman military detention facility where Gazans are being held and ‘processed’. As we saw in a CNN report almost a month ago, whistleblowers were reporting conditions that included detainees wearing nothing but diapers and inexperienced staff performing medical procedures. Amputations were even performed on prisoners from wounds inflicted due to the overuse of handcuffs. And medical staff were instructed not to sign their names on any documents.
The following NY Times report expands upon those allegations, with one key difference: while the CNN report appeared to be based entirely on accounts from whistleblowers and interviews with former detainees that had been released, the NY Times report was based on a three month long investigation that included on sight access and interviews with staff. It’s an important detail to keep in mind with this report. It was done with the cooperation of the Israeli military. Which strongly suggests the story presented here isn’t nearly as bad as the reality. For example, there’s no mention of amputations in this report.
We do learn about new abuses, however. A “disco room” with extremely loud music is reportedly part of the pre-interrogation process, with music so loud it has caused bleeding from ears. We also got some clarity on why some detainees were wearing nothing but diapers: anal electrocutions were conducted that resulted in the loss of bladder control. Yep.
We also got more clarity on duration of these detentions and who was being sent to the camps. It sounds like virtually any adult male picked up on Gaza is getting sent to these camps, even people who have a very low probability of being a member of Hamas, including one man who has been breathing through a tube in his throat since he was a child. Under Israeli law, they can be held for up to 75 days without judicial processing and up to 90 days without a lawyer. According to one law professor, the system “looks to me like a form of incommunicado detention, which itself is a violation of international law.”
We’re told that roughly 70 percent of the 4000 detainees that have been held at the facility have eventually been sent to other prisons for further investigation and prosecution. The remaining 30 percent, around 1200, have been determined to be civilians and returned to Gaza without charge, apology, or compensation. It’s a notable statistic since it seems to imply that around 70 percent of adult males in Gaza are considered to be ‘non-civilian’ in this conflict. So 100 percent of captured adult males are apparently kept under torturous conditions for a weeks or months without a lawyer or and ability to communicate with their families, and after that around 70 percent are sent off to other facilities where the conditions are probably even worse. And, again, this is the presumably watered down version of story the Israeli military cooperated in helping the NY Times share with the world:
“Once an obscure barracks, Sde Teiman is now a makeshift interrogation site and a major focus of accusations that the Israeli military has mistreated detainees, including people later determined to have no ties to Hamas or other armed groups. In interviews, former detainees described beatings and other abuse in the facility.”
This isn’t the first report we’ve gotten about abuses as Sde Teiman. But it’s the most comprehensive so far, with the New York Times given access to the facility and even detainees. And it appears to not only back up those previous reports of abuses but includes a few new ones we hadn’t previously heard about. And based on what we’re hearing, it appears virtually all Palestinian adult civilians detained by Israeli forces are forced to endure this treatment. Even people who were highly unlikely to be members of Hamas.
We’re also hearing more about Israeli courts and even the Israeli military investigating the abuse claims, which is also part of the context of this high profile New York Times report. This is a major human rights scandal still taking place:
Also recall how we were previously told about how the doctors working at the facility avoided signing their names to medial documents and also that many inexperienced staff were carrying out were carrying out medical procedures. Both of those claims were backed up in this report:
We’re told detainees are classified as “unlawful combatants”, which is interesting given that the facility is ostensibly for determining whether or not people are members of Hamas. They can then be held for up to 75 days without judicial permission and up to 90 days without access to a lawyer or trial. We’re told this in in keeping with the Geneva Conventions but as one law professor put it, arrangement “looks to me like a form of incommunicado detention, which itself is a violation of international law.”
Also note how reporters weren’t actually able to to inspect the part of the base where the interrogations take place, which is presumably where many of the abuses take place. Abuses like playing music so loud their ears bleed:
But bleeding ears wasn’t the worst of the abuses we’re learning about. Rectal electrocutions are being used. So often that prisoners are losing the ability to control their bladder and forced to wear diapers. Recall how we got previous reports about prisoners wearing diapers but we didn’t get an explanation for why. Now we know. Anal electrocutions:
And then we get to what is perhaps the most remarkable part of this story: this report is based on a three month investigation by the New York Times that included access to the site and interviews with Israeli military officers. What kind of public relations management scheme are we looking at here? Because the story we’re getting is pretty horrific, but it’s also a story the Israeli military is obviously willing to allow journalists access to report on. It’s the kind of situation that suggest the reality is even worse than this report:
It’s a chilling depiction on the conditions inside this facility, made all the more chilling by the fact that we have to assume this is a limited hangout to some extent. And, again, this is just the first of the facilities where apprehended, with 70 percent of detainees getting sent off for further interrogations and prosecutions. What are the conditions in those facilities? We have no idea, but it’s hard to imagine it’s any better. It’s also hard to imagine a more effective means of permanently radicalizing the Gazan population. Mission accomplished?
We got another grizzly update on the treatment of civilians trapped in Gaza. The kind of update that almost seems like a companion piece those horrific reports from back in June about civilians not suspected of terror ties spending weeks, sometimes months, in detention camps under inhuman conditions that included anal electrocutions:
According to a new report in Haaretz, the IDF has started widely employing a new practice for dealing with booby-traps. Palestinian civilians are being ‘recruited’ to enter buildings suspected of containing booby-traps and map out the interiors. The idea appears to be that if someone is to be a victim of the booby-traps, it should be as Palestinian. The ‘recruits’ are told they will be granted their freedom if they complete one of these ‘missions’. The ‘recruits’ are reportedly not even given protective vests during these ‘missions’.
It also sounds like the IDF leadership is not only well aware of this practice but that some commanders have been raising ethical objections. According to one source, “In every meeting at which the issue was raised, there were commanders who warned about the ethical and legal implications.” Some officers had asked to leave the meetings when the matter was raised rather than be party to the conversation, according to the source. The use of human shields is, of course, considered a war crime under international law.
So where are these ‘recruits’ coming from? That’s unclear, but it sounds like civilians not suspected of being terrorists are being used in these roles. So the fact that they aren’t terror suspects, but are still apparently being promised their freedom in exchange for conducting these ‘missions’, suggests these are detained civilians. And that’s why this almost sounds like the other side of those earlier reports about civilians being sent to inhumane detention camps for weeks or even months. Is that what we’re seeing here? ‘Recruits’ from these camps being offered freedom in exchange for being used as like human bomb-detection device?:
“The use of human shields is considered a war crime under international law. It is characterized by the International Criminal Court as “utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations.””
It’s a war crime. An apparently widely employed war crime in recent months that the senior IDF staff is well aware is taking place:
And it’s not just suspected Hamas militants getting used in this manner. Teenagers and elderly men who aren’t terror suspects at all are being ‘recruited’ for these roles. Which raises the question of how this ‘recruitment’ process is taking place. Recall the horrific reports of civilians not suspected of terror ties spending weeks, sometimes months, in detention camps under inhuman conditions that included anal electrocutions. Is that where this ‘recruitment’ is taking place? A promise of release from the anal electrocution camps if they complete a ‘mission’ for the IDF?
So that was the latest update about ongoing war crimes that don’t appear to have an end in sight. Or at least an end that doesn’t result in the end of the people of Gaza.
And an related news, Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, declared last week that “No one in the world will allow us to starve 2 million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages”. This is a good time to call how Smotrich declared back in December that the only long-term hope for Gaza is to permanently reduce the population of 2 million people to about 100,000–200,000. Smotrich suggested at the time that this depopulation plan could come about through ‘voluntary relocations’. But involuntary relocations in the form of mass detention, death, and the indiscriminate leveling of Gaza was clearly an option too. Also war crimes. But apparently optional war crimes.
Here’s just a quick reminder that war is a business. One of the most profitable businesses on the planet. Profits not just from the direct sales of arms and equipment. There’s also the profits that come with selling increasingly inflated defense contractor shares. And that brings us to the following report on the surging share valuations for a range of US and European large defense contractors from 2021 to today. A surge in share valuations that has significantly eclipse the actual rise in profits and appears to be rooted in market expectation of much higher defense spending for years to come. It’s a highly disturbing basis for a stock surge. Literally a bet on more war.
Interestingly, it sounds like the biggest surge came following the outbreak of war in Gaza. So while the wars in Ukraine and Gaza both pose the risk of morphing into a much larger conflict, it appears markets were more confident that kind of scenario with Gaza. We don’t know if a full blown war in the Middle East between the US and Iran is going to happen, but it appears investors are betting on it. Or at least that’s one way to interpret this market behavior.
And while this might be a highly disturbing market trend, you can’t really argue with the underlying logic from a profit-maximization standpoint. After all, as we are routinely reminded these days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pining for an endless war. War, after all, is what keeps him in office and out of prison. And it was just last month Israeli assassinated Hamas’s chief negotiator in Tehran, one of the most provocative actions Israel could have possibly chosen, simultaneously killing peace talks while inviting a massive Iranian retaliation. Flash forward to today, and we have a massive new wave of military operations in the West Bank at the same time new waves of anti-Netanyahu protests sweep Israel in response to the discovery of new dead hostages.
So as the Netanyahu government continues to take steps seemingly designed to keep Bibi out of prison by prolongi8ng and expanding the crisis, it’s worth keeping in mind that the defense investor community seemed to more or less predict a much large conflict from the start. And continues to stand by that prediction:
“Even when the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are over, the markets are betting on a long period of growth in military spending, with most NATO countries already spending more than 2% of GDP on defense and the rest of the world embarking on a new arms race. “There are very strong capital flows towards the defense sector,” notes Lliso.”
A long-term big bet on elevated defense spending. That’s what we appear to be witnessing. While the profitability of defense contractors has been relatively stable over the past few years, valuations have nonetheless surged thanks to investor expectation of high defense spending for years to come. It’s a great sign for shareholders. Not so great for peace:
And note how, while the period includes both the outbreak of war in Ukraine and Gaza, it was the war in Gaza that triggered the biggest relative surge in valuations. In other words, while the war in Ukraine has long ran the risk of devolving into a much larger direct conflict between Russia and NATO, it looks like investors were more willing to bet on a much bigger, and more expensive, conflict emerging from Gaza:
So given that the defense sector investor community appears to be betting on a much larger, and longer, war in the Middle East, here’s a reminder that triggering a much larger, and longer, war in the Middle East is clearly the overarching objective of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He isn’t trying to ‘end Hamas’ or ‘free the hostages’. He’s trying to spark a much large war with no end in sight:
“But Israel’s interest does not appear to be the chief concern of the nation’s prime minister, nor has it been for some time now. The only way to explain the policy laid out by Bibi Netanyahu is that he thinks an endless and even expanded war is in the best interest of Bibi Netanyahu.”
It’s not exactly a secret. Benjamin Netanyahu may not be openly stating he’s trying to spark an endless war with Iran but actions speak louder than words. And assassinating Hamas’s chief negotiator with a bombing in Tehran is about as clear a form of communication as we could get:
As we can see, Benjamin Netanyahu wants a war without end. And sure, we’ve long seen how Netanyahu’s extremist political allies share those desires for more war and worse. But it’s going to be worth keeping in mind that the defense sector investment community appears to have taken a side in this conflict too. They aren’t risking their lives, of course. That’s for the proles. But they’ve placed their bets.
It was an unprecedented intelligence coup. There’s widespread agreement on that point regarding Israel’s remarkable ‘exploding pagers/walkie talkies’ operation targeting hundreds of Hezbollah operatives, killing dozens and injuring thousands more. Nothing like this has been seen before.
And while plenty of questions remain about how the attack was carried out, perhaps the biggest questions involve the long-term consequences of executing an attack of this nature. As former CIA director Leon Panetta recently put it, the attack unambiguously falls under the definition of terrorism. “The ability to be able to place an explosive in technology that is very prevalent these days and turn it into a war of terror, really, a war of terror — this is something new,” Panetta said in an interview. “I don’t think there’s any question that it’s a form of terrorism. This is going right into the supply chain, right into the supply chain. And when you have terror going into the supply chain, it makes people ask the question, what the hell is next?”
It’s quite an observation by Panetta: not only are the civilians of Lebanon going to be terrified of everyday civilian technology booby traps as a result of this, but the entire global supply chain is now in question. After all, it’s not like Israel is the only government with the capability to pull something like this off. Major questions about the ability to trust civilian technology routinely traded around the globe now exist. Is that pager really safe or is it a personalized death-device just waiting to happen? Sure, these were all questions that hypothetically could have been asked before these attacks. But they aren’t hypothetical anymore.
Adding to the questions about the supply-chain is the fact that it appears this operation used European front companies to obscure the sourcing of these pagers, and yet it’s unclear if the people running these front companies even knew they were part of the operation. For example, while we are told the pagers — seemingly made by Taiwanese manufacturer Apollo Gold — were all built by Israel from scratch and designed to look exactly like the normal version — as opposed to modifying Apollo Gold’s own devices — there was a Hungarian company apparently used as a front, BAC Consulting. The founder of that company now living under the protective custody of the Hungarian government. It’s unknown if she was even aware the company was involved or just a patsy.
But then we get to a recent Israeli media report from Channel 12 that makes all sorts of remarkable claims that only amplify all these questions. According to the report, each pager could be individually triggered and only the devices of Hezbollah members were triggered. The report also claims that the devices were designed to ensure only the intended target was injured, with people standing nearby remaining unharmed. It’s a claim that seems to fly in the fact of the available data — hundreds of devices explode with thousands injured and even some children killed — but that’s what we’re being told. The report also confirms the devices were built by scratch and inserted into the supply chain feeding Hezbollah through the use of those front companies. And according to sources, while many are claiming the timing of the attack was determined by fears that the devices were about to be discovered, the reality is that Israel simply wanted to increase the pressure on Hezbollah. Sources also hint that this was a “relatively low-level” attack compared to Israel’s full capabilities and that we should expect much larger attacks going forward.
So at the same time we have Leon Panetta declaring the attacks an unambiguous act of terror, we’re getting hints that Israel has already invested in the capabilities for much bigger attacks of this nature. And as Panetta warns, “I think it’s going to be very important for the nations of the world to have a serious discussion about whether or not this is an area that everybody has to focus on...Because if they don’t try to deal with it now, mark my word: It is the battlefield of the future.” Yes, exploding consumer devices is the battlefield of the future if these kinds of attacks continue, according to the former director of the CIA:
““The ability to be able to place an explosive in technology that is very prevalent these days and turn it into a war of terror, really, a war of terror — this is something new,” Panetta said on CBS News Sunday Morning. “I don’t think there’s any question that it’s a form of terrorism. This is going right into the supply chain, right into the supply chain. And when you have terror going into the supply chain, it makes people ask the question, what the hell is next?””
It was terrorism. No question about it. That was the surprisingly explicit take by former CIA chief Leon Panetta. No mincing of words. Just at plain declaration of terrorism. And a violation of international treaties against civilian booby traps, as Human Rights Watch also notes:
And as we might expect, the US government is insisting it had no idea this attack was coming. Or at least that’s according to former CIA official Ralph Goff. Which sounds plausible given how incredibly provocative, yet strategically questionable, the whole operation ultimately was:
And as the following WaPo article notes, there’s another potential set of victims in this story: the people involved with the front companies used in this operation. Because at this point, it appears front companies in both Hungary and Bulgaria were somehow used, but it’s unclear if the companies themselves even knew they were being used in this manner. Either way, it sounds like the founder of BAC Consulting, the Hungarian firm used in the scheme, is now under the protective custody of the Hungarian government. It’s all part of the fallout from a unprecedented intelligence operation that will inevitably have people around the world wondering if their electronic devices are personal bombs waiting to go off:
“A “red button” is “a concept for something you can use when you want or need it,” said a former Israeli official with knowledge of the pager operation. The detonation of the devices this week “wasn’t part of the comprehensive plan” envisioned when the operation was set in motion, the official said, though he stressed that Israeli officials believe that it had substantial impact.”
Israel built an elaborate ‘red button’ and then pushed it. It’s not clear why exactly the ‘button’ was ‘pushed’ now, although we’re hearing speculation that Israel was worried the ‘button’ was about to be discovered. It’s not the best explanation, if true:
And we get to another set of potential victims of this attack: patsies in the front companies who may have had no idea about the plot. Was the founder of BAC Consulting, Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, aware of how her company was being used? We have no idea at this point, and neither does Hezbollah. And she’s living under the protective custody of the Hungarian government:
And the founder of a Bulgarian firm also suspected of being involved in the operation, Rinson Jose, was in the US for a conference when this ‘button’ was ‘pushed’ and now he’s seemingly disappeared. It’s going to be interesting to see where he ultimately pops up, if that ever happens:
But as we’re going to see in the following Times of Israel report, Israeli media has delivered some pretty interesting updates to this story in recent days. First, we’re assured that each pager would be triggered individually and that only Hezbollah members’ pagers were set off. Remarkable if true, and somewhat hard to believe, but it would also suggest unexploded devices are still circulating in civilian hands.
We also got confirmation that the devices were built from scratch, and not modified versions of devices built by another company. It’s the kind of revelation that could have profound implications for future of global trade. As Panetta warned, this could be a future of warfare. A future that countries my resist by insourcing as much technology as possible.
And then we get a truly terrifying warning from unnamed sources: this was just a “relatively low-level” attack compared to the full scope of Israel’s capabilities. In other words, there’s a lot more than just exploding pagers and walkie-talkies floating around. At least that’s the implication of these warnings:
“Whoever was responsible, the report said, decided to set up a factory to build the devices from scratch — so that “it won’t be a device that we will tamper with; it will be a device that we will produce.” The New York Times came to the same conclusion in a report on Thursday.”
This would appear to answer to the question of whether or not the exploding devices were modified versions of devices built by another company. It appears the devices were built from scratch, and then somehow injected into Hezbollah’s commercial supply chain.
The Channel 12 report also included sources insisting that each individual device was triggered only when it was known that a Hezbollah member was in possession of it and built to only harm the targeted person and not people who might be standing nearby. Which sounds effectively impossible. But that’s the claim that was being made in this Israeli media report. It’s also a claim that, if taken at face value, suggests unexploded devices are still circulating, waiting to be triggered some day:
And then we get these conflicting explanations for the timing of the attack. While many of suggested Israel was fearing the devices were about to be discovered, a ““foreign security source” suggest Israel simply wanted to step up its attacks on Hezbollah. An attack seemingly designed to fill Lebanon’s hospitals with maimed, but not killed, Hezbollah members that would put more strains on the nation’s health care system:
Finally, note this ominous warning: this was just a “relatively low-level” attack compared to what Israel could do today. Expect bigger attacks of this nature in the future:
And that’s all part of why it’s going to be very interesting to see whether or not Lebanon experiences more waves of exploding technology. We’re getting warnings to expect more of this. And yet, as Leon Panetta warns, if this continues, we’re looking at the ‘battlefield of the future’. It really is a new form of warfare. The kind of warfare that could made global supply chain security both a military and economic priority in a way that’s never existed before. So enjoy all your non-explosive electronic gadgets while you still can. Sure, they’re probably spying on you. There’s plenty to be paranoid about with today’s consumer tech. But at least you can be confident they can’t be turned into a personalized IED. Something you won’t necessarily be confident of as consumer technology is increasingly a battlefield. Explosive paranoia could be a big part of the future of consumer technology. Explosive paranoia and a lot less trust and trade.
There’s less month left to go. What else does he got? That’s the ominous question increasingly looming over the final weeks of the 2024 US presidential race. It’s October, after all. ‘Tis the season for surprises.
But it’s not a surprise from Donald Trump that observers are increasingly worried about. Instead, it’s Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has emerged as the political figure seemingly in control of the events that will shape these remaining weeks. Will Israel’s aggression against Lebanon and Iran result in a larger regional war that draws in the US directly into a new massive conflict?
No one knows, but what is becoming increasingly clear is that it’s Benjamin Netanyahu who will be making the decision to engage in these escalations, regardless of what President Joe Biden tells him. The course of events in a conflict that requires a steady supply of US munitions to continue are being determined seemingly unilaterally by Netanyahu. And as the following opinion piece by Ed Luce in the Financial Times describes, it’s the kind of situation that has left many observers grasping for an explanation. How is it that the US has allowed itself to be seemingly led into a major conflict it doesn’t seem to want by Benjamin Netanyahu? Even more perplexing is the fact that all of this increasingly threatens the election prospects of Kamala Harris and plays right into the hands of Donald Trump, Netanyahu’s strongly preferred candidate. It’s not just awful foreign policy on the part of the US leading to a growing humanitarian catastrophe. It’s political masochism on the part of the Biden administration.
What’s the explanation? Luce’s piece doesn’t provide answers. Understandably. Biden’s remarkable passivity in the face of Netanyahu’s bad faith actions is a genuine mystery. Sure, the US’s decades-old security commitments with Israel aren’t new. It would have been shocking had the US not given Israel a very wide latitude in determining its October 7 response. But the level of seemingly indiscriminate violence inflicted on civilians in Gaza has been new, along with the growing far right radicalization of Israeli society. Why has the US government been operating with an implicit policy of endorsing an Israeli “escalate-to-deescalate” strategy that looks like it’s designed to escalate the conflict into a regional war with Iran that would inevitably draw the US directly into a new massive war? Is a war with Iran quietly hoped for inside the US foreign policy establishment?
Those are just some of the grim questions raised by this overall situation. But let’s not forget one of other weird points of leverage that Benjamin Netanyahu has over the entire US foreign policy establishment at this point: Netanyahu could single-handedly blow up the ‘Russiagate’ narrative of 2016. After all, as we saw in March of 2023, evidence strongly points towards Netanyahu’s office as the source of the DNC hacks and subsequent dissemination of those hacked materials to Wikileaks. And we we’ve also seen since the publication of that story by James Bamford in The Nation, the story was effectively ignored and remains collectively forgotten. It’s like it never happened. The Russiagate narrative remains fully intact in the eyes of the American public.
In other words, if someone was to bring enormous attention to that story, and perhaps even provide further evidence and details, they really could create an enormous embarrassment for the US. The kind of embarrassment that the US foreign policy establishment really doesn’t want to see. After all, the ‘Russiagate’ narrative has been an incredible boon in getting the US public on board with a policy of ‘containing’ Russia. What would happen to public support for the war in Ukraine if it was discovered that it was actually Netanyahu who secretly teamed up with the 2016 Trump campaign to defeat Hillary Clinton and that this was known for years by US investigators?
Also keep in mind that if Netanyahu did publicly reveal this mega-scandal, odds are such a revelation would be wildly damaging for the Democrat in the race, but not necessarily harm Trump. After all, Trump has been insisting he didn’t collude with Russia the entire time. It could be spun as a form of vindication. In other words, Netanyahu has an politically potential ‘October Surprise’ in his pocket thanks to the US establishments years-long commitment to the ‘Russiagate’ narrative despite all the problems with this story. The kind of surprise that really could shift the US election but also undermine Democratic support for continuing the war in Ukraine.
Could that be part of the explanation for why it is the Biden administration seems utterly incapable of exerting any sort of influence over Netanyahu despite the US’s enormous leverage in these discussions? After all, Israel couldn’t possibly engage in the kind of ‘escalate-to-deescalate’ strategy without confidence that the US support will be there no matter what happens. The US really could change this situation. But it’s not happening, for reasons no one is able to explain:
“But even a more modest Israeli action would entail risks. Jeffrey Feltman, a former regional envoy for Biden, and who led the US State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in Barack Obama’s administration, says that everything points to further Netanyahu surprises in the coming weeks. “All the indicators are aligning — Israel’s tactical and strategic objectives, Israeli public opinion and Netanyahu’s political survival,” says Feltman.”
Signs point towards Netanyahu unleashing ‘further surprises’ in coming weeks. The kind of surprises that are only going to “escalate-to-deescalate” the stakes and, in turn, deepen the political price Kamala Harris pays at the polls over growing voter angst over a war that looks increasingly likely to drag the US directly into a regional conflict. At the same time, figures like Jared Kushner are openly salivating for a full blown regime change conflict led by the US against Iran. And yet, despite the catastrophic trajectory that has resulted from allowing Netanyahu to determine the intensity of the conflict with no real US pushback, all expectations are that Biden will continue to offer Netanyahu an implicit blank check to continue escalating. Nobody seems to be able to explain it:
And that complete lack of feasible explanations, again, raises the question: is Netanyahu’s ability to single-handedly destroy the ‘Russiagate’ narrative playing a role here? We don’t know. But the fact remains that Netanyahu really does appear to have enormous leverage over the US foreign policy establishment thanks to the reality that he could blow up that narrative at will. Few things have more power, politically speaking, than the power of an enduring narrative. The power to blow one of those enduring narratives is, however, one of those few things.
The horror stories coming out of Gaza continue to build. One report after another about doctors and aid workers witnessing more civilian carnage than they have ever seen before. It’s no longer a matter of if war crimes are being committed. The evidence is becoming overwhelming. The big, dark question at this point is why this avalanche of horror stories from a growing array of international observers has received so little attention and seemingly had no impact on how the war is being conducted?
Except, as we’re going to see, it does appear the stories coming out of Gaza are indeed resulting in a shift in how Israel is conducting the war. Not a good shift. Instead, health care workers are increasingly operating with a sense that they are military targets. Even healthcare workers operating in the so-called ‘green zones’ report being targeted by the Israeli military. Healthcare workers and international aid workers who are often the only people in a position to independently report the civilian carnage to the world. In other words, we appear to be looking at a de facto media blackout on the reporting of many of the worst civilian casualties as a consequence of an apparent campaign of the systemic targeting of aid and healthcare workers operating in Gaza.
Which brings us to a grim update on this situation: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Israel has suddenly blocked six international medical NGOs from Gaza. No reason has been given. So when trying to answer the question raised in the following piece — the question of why the chilling testimonies from doctors in Gaza are being ignored by so much of the world — keep in mind that the world won’t have to ignore the reports of medical volunteers who have been successfully intimidate into staying out of Gaza entirely thanks to their systemic targeting because those reports will never happen in the first place:
“The scale of civilian injuries, Mamode told me, was unprecedented. “Pretty much every day we’d have one or two mass casualty incidents and there would be 10–20 dead, 20–40 seriously injured … the majority of those were women and children, perhaps 60 to 70%.” These were mainly people, I want to stress, who were in areas that Israel had deemed safe. “The so-called humanitarian zone – I can’t even bring myself to call it the safe zone,” Mamode says. “So that green zone, you’ve got about a million, million and a half people crammed into that area. Many of them are in so-called tents. The tents are often just bits of plastic stuck on poles.””
It’s been over a year of increasingly unprecedented actions by the Israeli military. Including unprecedented attacks on civilians in the “so-called humanitarian zone”. No one there has experienced anything like this. And that includes doctors who have served is war zones and crises around the world:
But as horrific as the stories are that are getting reported, that’s compounded by the reality that the apparent targeting of aid workers and healthcare staff means that many of these war crimes are never recorded or publicly reported at all. It’s a de facto media blackout of the mass targeting of civilians, unofficially imposed through the apparent systematic targeting of journalists. Crimes against journalists to hide far greater crimes. It’s not a pretty picture, and we’re only getting a glimpse of it:
And despite all the evidence of war crimes, another part of this nightmare is that many of the reports that do make it out to the public at large are going to dismissed as lies and fabrications. It’s already happening:
It’s grim picture: part of the reason so many stories about the targeting of children is just gross denial. But that’s on top of the lethal intimidation being inflicting upon health care and aid workers which is effectively serving as ‘if you report on this you’ll die’ form of censorship. Which brings us to the following Washington Post report about how the WHO complaints over the sudden barring of six medical NGOs with no explanation provided:
““Health-care workers are some of the only international observers that have witnessed acts that amount to war crimes in Gaza,” said Dorotea Gucciardo, director of development for Glia, an international humanitarian organization specializing in high-quality medical equipment and one of the organizations recently barred from entering the Strip.”
It’s increasingly clear war crimes have been rampant in the execution of this war. But another grim reality is setting in: the health-care workers and international aid workers who are increasingly unable to safely operate in Gaza are often the only people in a position to witness and document these war crimes. The world is only learning about a fraction of the horrors unfolding:
A deliberate strategy to keep the world blind to war crimes by ensuring there are no international observers left. That appears to be what we’re seeing play out. Which means, at this point, we should probably expect to see a lot more civilian war crimes in Gaza. Well, ok, we won’t see them. Or hear about them. With many calling it all lies and denying it ever happened.
The return of Donald Trump to the White House and his clear goals to enable and empower the worst aspects of American fascism raises poses an obvious threat to just about every American institution. The whole Project 2025 scheme is a plan for mass institutional purges that potential extend far beyond government institutions, after all. And, of course, Schedule F/Project 2025 has largely been organized by the theocratic Council for National Policy (CNP). The same group that played a major role in the organizing and scheming that led up to the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Conservative Christianity is poised to take on a new role as a kind of whip hand for much of the coming authoritarianism, raising major questions about the future of the Christian church in American life and how its generally viewed by the public.
But Christianity obviously isn’t the only religion that could be profoundly affected by a Christian Nationalist purge. Muslims are going to be an obvious target. And while Judaism will be a target of many of fascist groups and we shouldn’t be surprised to see more Nazi attacks on US synagogues, the treatment of Judaism by a Christian Nationalist-driven Trump administration will probably be very different. Don’t forget how the Christian Zionism that infuses much of the Christian Nationalism driving these movements are based on a theology that foretells an apocalyptic conflict in the Middle East that results in the Second Coming of Jesus. In other words, massive wars for Israel are on the agenda. And, sure enough, Trump’s declared pick to be is next ambassador to Israel is Mike Huckabee, someone who has previously declared that “there’s no such thing as a Palestinian” and “I think Israel has title deed to Judea and Samaria,...There are certain words I refuse to use. There is no such thing as a West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria. There’s no such thing as a settlement. They’re communities, they’re neighborhoods, they’re cities. There’s no such thing as an occupation.” And sure enough, as we’re going to see, Israel is already making preparations for the annexation of West Bank settlements that its confident it will be allowed to carry out under a Trump administration. Those were the warnings coming from Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, the same finance minister who previously explained how the only viable long-term solution for Gaza is to reduce the population of 2 million people down to a more manageable 100–200 thousand Gazans.
And that’s just a taste of what’s to come. It’s going to be the Israel unleashed for at least the next four years. A crackdown of Muslims coupled with a full-throated embrace of some sort of massive war on behalf of Israel. Although it will be a war fought on behalf of the apocalyptic Christian Nationalist hoping for a Second Coming since Israel is supposed to be destroyed and the Jews killed or converted as part of the Biblical prophecy. A giant conflict in the Middle East is coming, with the Second Coming follows or not.
And that brings us to the following incredible disturbing updates on the situation in Gaza: First, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) released a report on the nature of civilian deaths during the first six months of the conflict and found that close to 70 percent of the deaths have been women and children. Mostly killed in residential buildings and facilities like schools that have been used by civilians as shelter. 95% of schools in Gaza or partially or completely destroyed. And this is just for the first six months of the conflict. It’s not hard to imagine those rates have been higher than 70 percent in recent months. Especially since famine is setting in, as we are also being warned.
So how did the US respond to this report? Well, a few days after it came out, the US released its statement concluding that Israel has NOT violated US law and, therefore, the military aide could continue. The State Department went on to suggest that the US’s oversight of Israel has been playing a positive role in pushing Israel in the right direction. Yep. Ghastly gaslighting from the State Department. That’s the state of affairs today, and it’s only going to get much, much worse over the next four years:
“The US statement comes in sharp contrast to the findings of humanitarian aid organizations, who say that “the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated to its worst point since the war began in October 2023.” The situation in northern Gaza in particular has been described as “apocalyptic,” with areas at “imminent” risk of famine.”
It’s quite an interpretation of US law: at the same time humanitarian organizations are warning that “the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated to its worst point since the war began in October 2023,” US investigators have determined that Israel is not in violation of US law and the flow of weapons can continue. Adding to the gaslighting is the claim that the situation would be worse without all this US oversight:
And it’s not just that the situation for civilians is worse than a year ago. It’s profoundly worse, with famine setting in. As one former State Department official who retired in protest noted, “There is no provision in US or international law that allows extra time to starve people”. And don’t forget that famine was already setting in back in January. It was horrific already. And then it got much worse:
And then there’s the fact that UNRWA was banned by the Israeli parliament over US warnings and civilians have repeatedly been forced to evacuate out of areas before aide arrives:
But this US ‘all clear’ investigative conclusion was just a disturbing form of gaslighting by the US government. It came just days after the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) released a report concluding that close to 70 percent of the deaths have been women and children. And that was just for the first six months of the conflict. The rates of women and children dying are presumably only going to go up as famine sets in:
“In a detailed report verifying fatalities in Gaza in the first six months of the conflict, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said it “found close to 70 per cent to be children and women, indicating a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law” on the part of the Israeli military.”
70 percent of the deaths in Gaza have been women and children. Mostly in residential buildings or facilities like schools that have been used as civilian cover. Over 95% of the schools in Gaza are partially or completely destroyed. Hamas was effectively deemed to be everywhere, hiding among women and children:
How much worse can it get for the people of Gaza? Time will tell, but it’s going to get worse. Amazingly. It might seem like it can’t get much worse, especially with the green light from the Biden administration to do basically anything. And yet, it most definitely can get worse. Can and will get worse. And in the eyes of the Christian Zionist groups that are going to be running US policy, this is all going to be done to bring about the return of the Prince of Peace. Because a fascist idiocracy was never going to just be stupidly peaceful.
And that brings us to the following report on Israel’s expanding ambitions in the wake of Donald Trump’s electoral victory. Ambitions that now include the annexation of West Bank settlements. Preparations are already underway, according to Israeli far right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich. This is, of course, the same finance minister who previously explained how the only viable long-term solution for Gaza is to reduce the population of 2 million people down to a more manageable 100–200 thousand Gazans. So when we hear Smotrich declaring the preparations are already underway for the annexation of West Bank settlements, we can be confident there are preparations for much more than that:
“The Prime Minister’s Office is yet to comment on Smotrich’s order. However, earlier Monday, Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s new foreign minister, told a press briefing that the government had made no decision on the issue of annexation as yet, but noted it had been discussed during Donald Trump’s first term as US president and added that “if it will be relevant it will be discussed again with our friends in Washington.””
Preparations are underway, with the annexation of West Bank settlements presumably just months away after Donald Trump returns to office. As Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich characterizes the plans, the “only way to remove” the “threat” of a Palestinian state is to “is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the entire settlements in Judea and Samaria.” In other words, the only way to deal with the threat posed by a Palestinian state is to annex it out of existence:
How long will it be before the full scale leveling and depopulation of the West Bank is underway? It’s hard to imagine it’s going to take very long. After all, we can only expect resistance and more fighting in the West Bank as a result of these plans. It’s going to get worse, which will presumably part of the excuse used to wage a much larger conflict.
At the same time the US appears poised to discredit what’s left of the US’s role as sane world leader, Israel is poised to carry out mass ethnic cleansing operation that started in Gaza and will almost certainly extend to the West Bank. Israel’s far right government isn’t wasting this opportunity.
This is perhaps a good time to note a Bible Prophecy fun fact as relayed back in April by Joel C. Rosenberg, an American-Israeli Jew who convert to Evangelical Christianity who has written a number of books on Bible prophecies and has a history of viewing modern events through that theological framework. As Rosenberg warns, part of that prophecy involves the world turning against Israel. Which is a reminder that allowing Israel to engage in such horrific crimes against humanity that it becomes a pariah state is actually very much in line with the Christian Zionist agenda. Which is now set to be US’s agenda for at least the next four years.