As any journalist who has covered one can tell you, war encapsulates the best and worst of humanity. Protagonists excel at cruelty, barbarism, hatred and dissembling. Innocent victims display unfathomable degrees of courage, kindness and resilience. Gaza has brought forth a another element; passionate partisanship driven by ill-informed prejudice and intellectual cowardice.… Read the rest
That the Gaza war will be prolonged, merciless and shape global politics for years to come is self-evident. Unless the “never go to war without a plan for the aftermath” lesson of Iraq and Afghanistan is heeded, however, the shape will be moulded by a line from George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra: “And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honour and peace, until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand.”… Read the rest
Seizing the high ground is universally considered a crucial element for military victory. The moral high ground is equally essential in the aftermath. Claiming and then trying to hold it with snap judgements, over-blown rhetoric and no-matter-what backing of obviously evil actions is a sure way to lose it.… Read the rest
Responding to a war crime by committing one doesn’t bring justice, it creates equals. Aiding, abetting or condoning one side merely adds another guilty party. All but the most ardently naïve know that Israel’s vengeance on Gaza will be ferocious. Unless those with the power to make changes start thinking about the aftermath now, it will also be pointless.… Read the rest
Common sense, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, is “the basic level or practical knowledge and judgement that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way.”
Sounds clear and simple enough. So why is there such a dearth where it’s really needed?… Read the rest
The sin of racism is almost invariably conjoined with references to its most pernicious offshoots; colonialism, slavery and exploitation. That’s valid until it becomes selective, at which point it speaks ill of we who like to think of ourselves as “right thinking people”, and of those we elect as leaders.… Read the rest
“I’m shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on in here.”
The ironic line by the corrupt policeman Louis as he accepts his winnings in ‘Casablanca’, echoes in denials that Israeli intelligence has access to information gathered by users of the Israeli-run NSO Group’s ‘Pegasus’ spyware.
Israel’s spies tap even the most mundane potential sources of intelligence.… Read the rest
The most often quoted definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
So what’s the definition of “doing VARIATIONS of the same thing over and over…etc…” ?
Answer: “Israel versus Hamas”.… Read the rest