The only thing more useless than an opportunity not seized is an obvious lesson not learned. The Biden administration’s “plan” to deliver aid to Gaza without putting boots on the ground has managed both at the same time.… Read the rest
The “document of principles” Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu laid out for post-war management of Gaza looks more like a backroom amateur’s attempt to clone South Africa’s Bantustan plan for keeping blacks in poverty and subservience. If that’s the best he can come up with, there are a couple of other apartheid quirks more worthy of consideration.… Read the rest
The outcome of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is unlikely to have any more effect on the war in Gaza than the court’s ruling against Russia’s actions in Ukraine had on Vladimir Putin. But apartheid has some lessons Israel — and the Palestinians – would do well to absorb.… Read the rest
The fate of two million blameless, miserable, often terrified civilians in Gaza came down to which variation of words diplomats and politicians in safe places could agree on. The answer was: none. The next “negotiating session” should open with the words of the leader whose name is synonymous with wisdom: “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – YOU choose.”… Read the rest
It’s not unreasonable to expect that those in a position to influence the war in Gaza, or make real progress against climate change, would know better than to be blindsided. Instead, they’ve willfully proven the veracity of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegard’s tenet:“There are two ways to be fooled/ One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”… Read the rest
Hamas sees the pitiless waste of Palestinian lives as glorious. Israelis believe they are confronting an existential threat that must be eliminated at any cost. In the end, neither will be able to claim a definable military or moral victory in Gaza. But all is not yet lost.… Read the rest
A poem many of my generation tacked on our bedroom wall included the line: “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” Depending on your point of view, that was either comforting or disconcerting. I wonder which one the author, American poet and writer Max Ehrmann, would have felt if he’d penned it today, rather than in 1927.… Read the rest
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