#Security Fencing East Arm

[annaroberts2404]

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[khaleesiofalicante]

You know what would make you feel better!

Did you read Cassandra Clare’s newsletter Better-er in Black?

It’s hilarious and an April’s fools joke but man I’d love to read some of those! 😂😂

Feel better love! -Bri

If you didn’t get it here’s a copy!

Hi readers! Spring is truly here, and along with it I have an announcement I think you’ll enjoy. As you know, I recently revealed the ten romantic relationships that will form the basis of the ten stories in Better In Black, a collection themed around love and romance. Since that post I’ve been veritably drowned in a sea of requests for other relationships to get their own stories. So rather than the originally planned ten stories, I will somehow be producing, while writing the first Wicked Powers at the same time, twelve extra stories, which will be compiled in a lengthy blog post called Better-er In Black.

Below find the relationships for the previously unannounced stories, as well as a brief summary. I’ve tried to capture the ones that had the highest demand, so apologies if your favorite didn’t make it.

Thule!Jace/Thule!Clary

A short while after the defeat of Valentine, Thule!Clary begins her Shadowhunter training with Thule!Jace, but their romance, finally allowed to truly blossom, means neither of them can keep their mind on fencing for very long. Note that at this point in the story Thule hasn’t actually diverged from the main world of the Shadowhunter books, so the text here is exactly identical to Chapter Two of City of Fallen Angels. However, the word THULE has been stamped on every page in bright red letters, to remind you.

Lightwoods/Blackthorns

In 1412, as a result of an epic, high-stakes beef stew cook-off, eight Lightwoods and nine Blackthorns gathered in East Sussex, at the site of the Battle of Hastings, where in 1066 William defeated the English king to secure the Norman Conquest of England, for a truly massive orgy. This…is that orgy.

Magnus/Abraham Lincoln

In 1858, Magnus Bane travels to Springfield, Illinois to help his friend, lawyer and future President Abraham Lincoln, prepare for his series of upcoming debates with rival candidate Stephen Douglas. He buys Abraham Lincoln a comically tall top hat, and somehow Abraham Lincoln pulls it off. As their debate prep grows more intense, they eventually fall into one another’s arms, and the fire of their love will tear the roof from the Illinois State House. Possibly literally.

Valentine/Valentine

One day while shaving, Valentine catches sight of himself in the mirror, and is utterly struck with his own beauty. That jawline! Those cheekbones! Valentine can barely look away as the figure within the mirror raises one eyebrow enticingly. He catches the other man’s gaze and stares him down. He dares him to look away first, but neither of them will break eye contact. Truly, Valentine has never before known the kind of respect and desire he feels for this hot blond man before him. Eventually, Jocelyn comes upstairs when he doesn’t appear for breakfast and finds him sloppily open-mouth-kissing the mirror. She tactfully doesn’t ask any questions and hurries him out of there. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember, and she doesn’t notice, that he has only shaved the left half of his face. Havoc ensues among the Circle.

Kraig/Kraig’s Retirement Party

When Kraig’s parents unexpectedly visit him in London for the weekend, it turns out he has been pretending to them to be in a serious long-term relationship, and when they arrive they’ll surely find out he’s single. Now the attendees of his retirement party must pretend to be his polycule to fool his parents. But who can say what the fake romance might demand Kraig and his retirement party do to keep the deception going? And what the results might reveal of feelings long held secret….

Asmodeus/Astaroth/Azazel/Belial/Belphegor/Leviathan/Mammon/Sammael

The scene immediately following the epilogue of Lost Book of the White. I don’t really get why people are always asking for this one, guys, it’s gonna be super gross. I guess, as the old fandom saying goes, “You ask for the tentacles, you get the tentacles.”

Jude/Cardan

I mean what’s she going to do, sue me?

Luke/Fassandra Flare

In an alternate universe, Jocelyn is away on a ten-year-long mission to Antarctica. One day a red-haired writer of fantasy for teens and adults named Fassandra shows up at the New York Institute and guess what? She is the best Shadowhunter of them all, and wows the rest of our heroes with her incredible skills at sword fighting, knowledge of demons, motorcycle riding, witty banter, mixing poisons, performing autopsies, singing, and skateboarding. Jace wants to smooch her, but is rejected because he is too young by, like, decades. Luke loves her, but sadly before they can kiss he holds a signing event for her at his bookstore and is trampled to death by people looking for pens, since Luke forgot to provide any.

Reginald

Prospective marriage partners from across the globe come to take an audience with Reginald and propose to him a romance that would be known for eternity, a legendary love that would write its name in stars across the sky. He rejects them all and eventually falls asleep in a picnic basket.

AU!Simon/Isabelle

A no-magic AU in which Simon is a plain, mousy, shy college student in the Pacific Northwest who meets dashing, dangerous billionaire entrepreneur Isabelle Lightwood. Sparks fly when Isabelle’s past brings unexpected darkness to their affair. I had this idea one night after falling asleep in front of something on streaming, I can’t remember what it was.

Cortana/Excalibur

It may seem glamorous, but it’s hard being of the same steel and temper of Joyeuse and Durendal! The life of a legendary magic sword is just go, go, go, busy, busy, busy, and nobody could possibly understand…or could they? A chance meeting on the battlefield brings together two swords who couldn’t be more different—until they start to realize how much they have in common, such as having been forged in faery fire by Wayland the Smith and also constantly being used to stab people. Taylor Swift songfic.

Ragnor Fell/Batman

I’ve just always thought they would get along.

Happy April 1st!

- Cassie

I did see this and IT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING EVER.

Also, this is such a passive aggressive fuck you to all the people who bullied her about the pairings lmao.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Caroline Glick

Two underlying assumptions guided Israel’s security establishment for the past generation. The first asserted that with the end of the Cold War, the era of conventional wars had ended. In the present age, brains, rather than brawn, would rule the roost.

The primary author of the “small and smart IDF” doctrine was Ehud Barak, who served as Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces when the Berlin Wall crumbled. In later years, the slogan was finessed.

A generation of IDF Chiefs of General Staff organized around the vision of a “small, technological and lethal army.”

As Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brick, (retired) who served as the IDF ombudsman for ten years, has documented, operating under the spell of Barak’s doctrine, the IDF shut down multiple reserve divisions. It cut its artillery forces by 50%. Armored brigades were shut down. The reserve force was reduced by 80% between 2003 and 2017. The non-commissioned officer corps was gutted. The bulk of the IDF budget and nearly all the U.S. military aid were diverted to the Air Force—the strategic arm of the “small, technological and lethal” IDF.

The doctrine was repeatedly exposed as a farce. But to no avail. The air force didn’t defeat the Palestinian terror factories in Judea and Samaria in 2002. The ground forces did. The air force never had a response to missiles from Hezbollah to the north and Hamas to the south. Without regional brigades defending the borders, Israel’s “peacetime” borders with Jordan on the east and Egypt at its west became highways for weapons smugglers.

Brick’s warnings fell on deaf ears until the “small, smart army” fallacy was obliterated by Hamas invaders on Oct. 7. Israel’s multi-billion shekel “smart fence” was felled by bulldozers. Its automatic response system was obliterated by RPGs. Hundreds of soldiers manning these worthless technological wonders were slaughtered or kidnapped. Everything failed.

A microcosm of all things oppressive

This brings us to the second underlying assumption that guided Israel’s security establishment for the past generation. This assumption, also championed by Barak, asserted that Israel’s most important strategic asset was the United States.

Leaving aside the obvious fact that a strategy of dependence on an outside actor effectively gutted Israel’s national independence, on the surface, Barak’s dependence concept seemed reasonable.

The Americans rescued Israel with its weapons airlift in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In 1992, the United States was the sole global superpower. Because Israel was seen as Washington’s “mini-me,” countries worldwide lined up to be friends with Israel, which they perceived as the gateway to Washington. The vast majority of Americans supported Israel. U.S. military aid to Israel enjoyed wide bipartisan support.

Under the spell of Barak’s U.S. dependence doctrine, Israel gutted its domestic military production capabilities. Nearly everything that it had produced domestically—from uniforms to rifles to bullets, to artillery and tank shells—was shut down. Thousands of military industry workers lost their jobs. Knowledge was lost. The contracts moved to the United States. Even projects developed jointly by Israeli engineers financed by America were transferred to the United States for production. So it happened that Israel’s Iron Dome missiles are solely produced in the United States.

[victusinveritas]

Here's the full piece (pulled from https://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Understanding_Oil without any edits.

The brutal attacks/bombings this week in New York, and Washington D.C., along with threats of attacks there and elsewhere in the country have changed our times forever. While the mass media concentrates on the details of the destruction, and the blanketed words of politicians, I will attempt to understand and explain the events from the fence. BOMBING AND BEING BOMBED ARE THE SAME THINGS ON DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE FENCE.

Terror is not a spontaneous human action without credence. People just dont hijack planes and commit harikari (suicide) without any weight of thought to the action. No one in the media seems to ask WHY DID THESE PEOPLE DO THIS HORRIFIC ACT OF VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTION?

To be able to understand the answer to this, we must first look at our U.S. Mideast Policy. During most of the 20th century, U.S. businesses have worked on attaining oil rights and concessions from countries in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. After WWI, secret back door deals by our State Dept. yielded oil rights from then defeated Turkey to fields in what is now Iraq and Saudi Arabia, in return for looking the other way at a crime against humanity, the Genocide of the Armenians by the Turks. Oil profits have been the motivating factors behind many attempts at counterinsurgency of democratic regimes by the CIA and the U.S in the Middle East (such as Iran in the 1950s, where the Shah replaced the Prime Minister who refused to give up oil rights to the U.S., and since the people couldnt deal with the Shah, an extremist government headed by the Ayatollah Khomeini ultimately prevailed). During the Iran-Iraq war, America supplied both sides with weapons and advice. These are not the actions of a rich superpower wanting peace. Lets not forget that Saddam Hussein, before being Americas vision of the Anti-Christ, was a close ally of the U.S., and the CIA. So what was the firm belief system of consecutive American administrations that caused all this to occur ? PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST WILL LEAD TO HIGHER OIL AND GASOLINE PRICES. Lets not also forget the power of the Arms industry, disguised as defense, that still sells billions of dollars of weapons to the area. Therefore it has not been in the short-term economic interest of the U.S. to foster Peace in the Middle East. Using the above reasoning, the U.S. has encouraged extremist governments, toppled democracies, as in the case of Iran to replace it with a monarchy, rigged elections, and many more unspeakable political crimes for U.S. businesses abroad. Lets not also forget the Red Scare. During the war between the then Soviet Union and Afghanistan, the U.S. armed and supported the Taliban, a fundamentalist Muslim organization, and allowed them to export opium and heroin out of their country to pay for those weapons. Therefore the Taliban rose to power and control with the help of the U.S.A. Today, the bombing of Iraq still continues, no longer covered by the media, the economic embargo still remains, killing millions of children, and recently, while the world and the U.N. General Assembly have cried out to bring in peacekeeping forces into Israel and Palestine, to end the escalated war and recent assassinations, the U.S. has vetoed the rest of the Security Council and has halted the possibility of peace, there, in the most volatile place in the world.

People in Serbia, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan to name a few have seen bombs fall, not always at military targets and kill innocent civilians, as the scene in New York city yesterday. The wars waged by our government in our names has landed smack in the middle of our living room. The half hour of destruction closed down all world financial markets, struck the central headquarters of our military, and had our leaders running into bunkers, and our citizens into fear and frenzy. What scares me more than what has occurred is what our reactions to the occurrences may cause. President Bush belongs to a long generation of Republican Presidents who love war economies. The media has only concentrated on the bombings, if you will, and what type of retaliations are looming for the perpetrators. What everyone fails to realize is that the bombings are a reaction to existing injustices around the world, generally unseen to most Americans. To react to a reaction would be to further sponsor the reaction. In other words, my belief is that the terror will multiply if concrete steps are not taken to sponsor peace in the middle east, NOW. This does not mean that we should not find the guilty party(s), Bin Laden, or whoever they may be, and not try them. Put simply, as long as a major injustice remains, violence precipitates to the surface of life.

Native American folklore, the Bible, Nostradamus, and many other major religious beliefs point to this era with the visuals of yesterdays disasters, and conditions of ecological disasters we experience daily in our lives today. War, rumors of war, famine, long burning fires, etc., are at our doorstep. We can prevail over this possible vision with the power of the human spirit, understanding, compassion, and peace. ITS TIME TO PUT OUR NEEDS FOR SECURITY AND SURVIVAL, ACHIEVED ONLY THROUGH PEACE, ABOVE AND BEYOND PROFITS, ESPECIALLY IN THESE TIMES.

SOLUTION:

The U.S. should stop sidestepping the U.N. Security Council, and allow U.N. Peacekeeping troops and missions to the Middle East. Stop the violence first.

Stop the bombing and patrol of Iraq.

With todays gains in the use of alternative fuels, develop them to full usage with autos and other utilities, to make the country less dependant on an already depleting natural reserve, oil.

By initiating peace, we would have already shaken the foundations of support for Bin Laden, and/or all those that sponsor activities like those we saw yesterday, and break the stronghold of extremists on the world of Islam. On the other hand, if we carry out bombings on Afghanistan or elsewhere to appease public demand, and very likely kill innocent civilians along the way, wed be creating many more martyrs going to their deaths in retaliation against the retaliation. As shown from yesterdays events, you cannot stop a person whos ready to die.

Source: http://donce.awardspace.com/esej.html [dead link]

[cynicalone94]

Please Don't

Read on AO3 here.

Jay is at his desk, already hard at work on the case by the time the rest of the unit returns from the crime scene.

He clearly doesn’t want to talk about what had happened so they follow his lead, settling in to go over leads.

Jay’s already made up the first case board with history on their victim.

“I think I have an angle on this and I don’t like it.” he says, looking up at them.

“Let’s hear it.” Voight says.

“Our vic, Darren Redford, worked security at the water treatment plant.” Jay says. “Located on the shore of Lake Michigan, all running water that goes through Chicago is processed through the facility. The Middle East angle suggests a possible terror attack and this would be an ugly one.”

“If he works security, he might have been able to give them access to the plant.” Hailey comments.

“We need to find out if he did.” Voight says. “Maybe they had to give up and cut their losses.”

“Even if they did.” Jay says. “They’ll find a way into the plant or somewhere else they can cause a lot of damage.”

“We need to find them too.” Voight agrees. “We’ve got pods from the park where he was found and patrol is canvassing for victims. Was there a missing persons report?”

“No.” Jay says. “I do have a next of kin, a sister who lives in Englewood.”

“Take Hailey and make the notification.” Voight orders. “And then head out to the plant. We need to narrow down when he was kidnapped.”

He nods, reaching for his jacket and heading for the stairs with Hailey following.

“Sorry for ditching you earlier.” he says quietly.

“Don’t worry about it.” she tells him. “You okay?”

“It… uh… it threw me for a minute. But I’m good.” he tells her honestly. “I talked to Will.”

She nods, squeezing his arm as they split, going to opposite sides of the truck.

“We need to handle this.” he says as he starts the engine. “But maybe when it’s over we can do our thing?”

“Of course.” she tells him quickly.

He offers her a smile and she feels her stomach flip. As if she would ever deny him their thing.

The sister is shattered by the news but can’t tell them anything. She and Darren don’t see each other often and haven’t spoken even by phone for almost two weeks.

After making sure a neighbor is able to sit with her, Jay and Hailey head to the plant.

It isn’t much more productive.

Darren had taken an unexpected vacation a little over a week ago and nobody has heard from him since.

They are able to ascertain that his credentials haven’t been used to access the plant since then. Jay encourages the management to increase security until they can find the killers and to ensure that his access his terminated immediately.

After getting information on any threats that have been made they reluctantly leave, calling Voight with an update as soon as they get outside.

They get their first big break in the case just as they pull out of the plant.

And it isn’t a good one.

A large truck comes out of nowhere to ram into the passenger side of the truck as Jay pulls onto the road, sending the truck careening off the road to impact the security fence.

Jay is tossed around roughly by the impact, head bouncing off the door several times before the truck comes to a stop.

He looks over, blinking to clear his vision to see Hailey slumped against the console, the door of the truck brutally indented and blood running down the right side of her face.

“Hailey!” he shouts, reaching over to place his fingers against the side of her neck while he reaches for the radio with his other hand. “5021 George. Need an ambulance and CFD to the Water Treatment Plant, Officer injured. Suspect vehicle rammed us off the road.”

His door is pulled open and he glances back to see two individuals in dark clothes and ski masks standing behind him.

“Who the hell are you?” he snarls.

It’s a dumb question. It’s whoever had murdered Darren Redford. But why come after them? This doesn’t move whatever plan Darren had spoiled by refusing to talk forward.

“You’re coming with us.” the man says, pointing a rifle at him.

So they can torture him like they’d tortured Darren his mind is quick to supply but he shoves the panic down. This isn’t the time.

“You leave her alone.” he says.

Hailey’s hurt but she’s breathing and her heart is beating. Paramedics are on the way and they’ll take care of her.

“Get out of the truck.” the man snaps back and Jay unbuckles his seat belt, sliding down with his hands up.

His gun is pulled from his holster and thrown carelessly onto the seat. It’s followed by his phone and then he’s being shoved away from the truck and toward a dark SUV.

He ends up in the backseat, sandwiched between two men with guns as the doors slam closed.

He hasn’t been restrained but that doesn’t make him feel any better about the whole situation.

He tries telling himself that he doesn’t care what they do to him as long as Hailey is okay but the truth is that he does care.

He cares a lot.

They can beat him, shock him, burn him and he really won’t care that much. He can take a beating and keep on kicking. He always could, even in elementary school when his worst enemies were bullies on the playground.

But if they fuck around with needles there’s a good chance he’ll lose his shit.

And Will is definitely going to have to come to his apartment with his flu shot next year.

“So what’s the plan then?” he says darkly. “Cause things didn’t work out so well with your friend, Redford, did they?”

“Should be more worried about yourself than our plans.” the man in the front seat says, turning to look at him. “You’ve seen what we do to the people that we need information from.”

“Yeah.” Jay scoffs. “And what exactly is that you want to know?”

“Nothing.” the man says. “But I saw you at the scene, saw you when your team found Redford’s body. Something that we did to him got to you. And I want to know what.”

Jay’s stomach flips but he forces his face to remain neutral.

“That’s a pretty dumb reason to kidnap a cop. Did you even think this through? My team is going to find you. And whatever plan you had goes out the window.”

“I don’t think so.” the man says. “But it doesn’t matter. I want to see you break.”

Jay returns the eager, overly exciting look with a glare and doesn’t say anything.

All too soon, they arrive at a warehouse in a dying industrial district. He’s pulled from the car and drug inside, strapped tightly to a chair in the middle of the open room.

His captors start small, attacking him with their feet and fists.

The blows are painful but nothing that he hasn’t endured before and they quickly abandon that method.

The man from the car is just standing there nearby, watching him and Jay can see him mentally checking something off his list.

He hands one of his men a knife and Jay just raises an eyebrow as it bites into his skin.

He chuckles, waving to them to keep cutting and Jay rolls his eyes, trying to force his tense muscles to relax.

When the man finally waves them off, he looks down to see the words ‘filthy pig’ carved into his chest.

They try electricity next and try as he might, he can’t hold back the screams that escape him with every press of the cattle prod against his vulnerable flesh.

But it doesn’t even come close to breaking him and the man quickly sees that, shaking his head after only five shocks and waving his men on to the next torment on his list.

Waterboarding is hell on earth and anyone who tells you otherwise has never experienced it or is lying to you.

He can’t help fighting back as he’s released from the chair and taken over to the slanted table.

It doesn’t take a genius to know what’s up next and while he can ultimately handle it, while it won’t be what the bastard is looking for, that doesn’t mean that he’s ready to let it happen.

A blow to the back of the head sends him tumbling to the ground and then they take hold of his arms and drag him over to the table.

He doesn’t get much chance to fight back, still disoriented from the hit, before he’s strapped down, wrists and ankles first and then additional straps ensuring that he can’t move even a little.

Soaked cloth is placed over his face and he quickly holds his breath.

He was trained for this. It doesn’t make it pleasant but it does mean that he knows everything the US Army has been able to learn over its extensive history about surviving being waterboarded.

Then water is pouring over his face and all he can do is struggle against the straps holding him down, struggle to get free, struggle to breathe.

The water stops and he coughs hard, choking and spluttering as he tries to clear his airway, tries to catch his breath.

The man is leaning over him, watching with a detached interest.

“Interesting.” he says finally. “That is when Redford started sobbing, begging us to stop. When he gave up the first code.”

Jay glares at him.

Someone grabs his hand and he screams as they jerk his index finger harshly to the side, snapping the delicate bones.

“That … shooting hand… fucker.” he chokes out and the man laughs.

“I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to play with you.” he says with a wide grin. “I’ve never had so much fun in my life.”

His hand closes around Jay’s throat and he tenses, hands pulling desperately against the straps binding them as it tightens and his air is cut off.

But their hold is unrelenting and as he thrashes about, dark spots begin to appear at the corners of his vision.

The man holds his grip until Jay starts to black out and then releases it.

“Maybe he needs longer.” one of the other men suggests.

“He reacted so severely to seeing signs that it had been done to someone else.” the man says, shaking his head. “It won’t take more than one time to get the reaction I’m looking for.”

He’s burned, first with a cigar and then with a hot poker, whipped, and sits for nearly an hour in the complete, deafened, darkness of sensory deprivation.

None of it is pleasant and a number of agonized screams are drawn from his throat. But never once does he lose control the way that the man wants so desperately to see.

Not until he’s strapped back to that damn table and the man wheels over a small tray with needles lined up on it.

His pulse immediately begins to race, eyes locked on the tray no matter how hard he tries to rip his gaze away.

No longer is he worried about Hailey, wondering how badly she was injured, if she’s awake and worrying about him yet.

All he can think about is those needles. About what the man is planning to do with them.

Pain spreads through his right shoulder, lancing down his entire arm and he lets out a choked whimper despite knowing that the man hasn’t done anything yet.

A damp, musty smell invades his senses and he writhes against the restraining straps.

“What. is the code?” a voice echoes in his ear and he turns his head.

He needs to calm down. He can’t lose control now, can’t let this bastard win.

Five things he can see.

Walls. Flick – Needles.

His breathing accelerates; short, gasping breaths that aren’t bringing in any air.

He can hear screams in the distance, the rustle of footsteps on uneven stone, and gunfire.

No.

He’s in Chicago.

He’s not there anymore. His team is coming for him. He just needs to stay strong.

Stay present.

“This is it, isn’t it?” a voice says next to him, the man unwittingly helping to ground him in the moment. “This is what shattered you yesterday morning. The needle marks on Redford’s body. You realized what had been done to him. Perhaps because you’ve experienced it.”

Jay is shaking, still breathing hard, but at least the flashbacks are held at bay for a moment.

The man picks up a needle from the tray and he winces, pulling away from him as much as he can as another whimper escapes his throat.

The man ghosts the needle across his bare flesh, raising a trail of goosebumps in it’s wake and Jay closes his eyes.

“Please don’t.” he whispers. “Please.”

The needle is lifted and moved to hover over his left hip.

Jay starts screaming, thrashing wildly against the restraints.

“Get that away from me you motherfucker.” he shouts before his words devolve into a stream of threats and insults and then further into incoherent pleas.

It doesn’t take long to get his first glimpse of Jay as the team storms across the warehouse floor, shouts of ‘police’, ‘don’t move’ and ‘get away from him’ flowing easily from their mouths.

It’s the only easy thing about the situation because it’s also not long before he realizes that Jay is completely panicking.

“Drop the needle now!” he booms as he sees the object in the man’s hand, sees it’s identical twin buried deep in Jay’s hip.

The man’s face twists in a disgusting fury but he does as ordered.

The other men are equally quick to give up, raising their hands and stepping away from Jay.

As soon as hands are on them, beginning the process of cuffing them and searching for weapons, Kevin holsters his weapon and presses close to Jay’s side.

“No please.” Jay is still begging, sobbing as he fights against the restraints. “Please don’t. Please no. Please.”

Kevin ignores the litany of desperate pleas, resting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Easy Jay.” he says. “It’s over. You’re safe now. We’ve got you and we won’t let them hurt you anymore.”

Jay doesn’t respond but the pace of his pleas slows slightly, a slight twist of confusion settling on his face and Kevin keeps talking, falling into a steady cycle of reassurances.

Silence falls around them, Voight pulling back the team to give them space as Kevin fights to bring Jay back to the present.

After what seems like forever, Jay’s struggles finally fall still and he’s blinking up at Kevin with something approximating clarity in his eyes.

“Hey.” he says, forcing a smile onto his face as he starts to unfasten the straps holding his friend down. “There you are are.”

“Kev?” Jay gasps.

“I’m here.” he says. “Whole team is here and those bastards are getting locked away forever. Got an ambulance and paramedics waiting to look you over.”

“‘m fine.” Jay says and the smile on Kevin’s face becomes more real.

“Sure you are.” he agrees. “But you know how EMTs are. Get real worried about things like burns and lacerations.”

Jay doesn’t respond to the joke and he sighs.

“You’re beat to hell man. Gotta let them do their job.”

“Hailey okay?”

“Couple fractured ribs, broken arm and a concussion.” Kevin fills him in. “But she’s awake and spitting mad that we wouldn’t let her come on the raid.”

Jay nods and Kev turns away to signal to Voight that they’re ready for the bus.

Jay grabs his arm and he looks back.

“No needles.” Jay whispers. “Please.”

He frowns.

An IV is a given with Jay’s condition. He doesn’t want to make a promise that he can’t keep but he also doesn’t want to refuse his friend this one request.

A very justified request under the circumstances.

“Can’t give you pain meds without an IV.” he says slowly.

“Don’t want them.” Jay says, shaking his head.

“Jay.” he says, biting his lip. “I wish I could give this to you, man, really I do but the IV is not negotiable. What can I do to make it easier for you?”

Jay stares back at him, eyes watering.

“Stay?” he finally whispers and Kevin puts his hand over the one still resting on his arm.

“Done.” he promises. “Not going anywhere, bro.”

[a-land-lacking-sleep]

PLA Fic: A New Home - Chapter 1: Prelude Beach

Here's the fic I promised you back in June, lul. I had about half of it written back then, but I just finished the second half of it today. This was originally going to be a really long one-shot, then a 3 chapter fic, and now who knows. Not me. I hope it's just 4, but it could be 6!

While this story is connected to my Electric Trains series of fics, it is also made as a stand alone! I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter Summary: Jubilife is established, and The Diamond Clan makes themselves known. Chapter Word Count: 4440

As always, read below or on AO3! Comments and reblogs always enjoyed!

September 30th, 1869

The name came from one of his more optimistic captains, Zisu Perilia of the Security Corp. Another victim of the war that Johto had endured with Kanto during the Imperial Unification, though thankfully a tad too young to endure many of the battles personally. Unlike Denboku, who had tempered his mettle with blade and tactics on the field of battle, where he watched both men and Pokemon bleed out their last.

But it was from her mind that the name of the beach landing sprung. “Prelude Beach,” she had said with a smile on her face. “The start of our new life, away from the pain that everyone had to endure back home.” A fine sentiment, and one that the other arrivals had latched onto with a fervent need. It wasn’t just Johto that had been hit by the succession crisis, but even the rural Hoenn had refugees fleeing from the nobles who felt that they were owed power and slowly crept their way south until they were trapped in Slatesea Port and either killed or imprisoned by the newly restored Imperial forces.

In fact, that was how Beni had joined him in that tiny village outside of Azalea, before the two became brothers on the field of war.

But that was all in the past now. Hisui is going to be a new beginning for them. It has to be. They will carve themselves a piece of land separate from the wilds and build themselves a village, one where they can live with jubilation and grow old without fear. And really, Denboku isn’t surprised when he finds a sign planted at the southern end of the planned layout of the settlement, and another at the northern end, both labeled “Site of Jubilife Village”.

Though he keeps his face set in the permanent scowl that is expected of him, his heart swells with joy to know that the people, the refugees of war and their protectors alike, felt safe enough to boldly claim such a name for themselves.

Nearing the end of the first week, they properly built a perimeter fence around the Village, though even calling it such in this state was almost humorous. It is a collection of tents, centralized in the middle of a large clearing split by a river and surrounded by small cliffs. The fence was barely chest high, just enough to keep curious Pokemon out, but not quite enough to keep actual threats away without a constant guard. Up against the cliffs to the east, Colza and Tao Hua are setting up the crop fields, and amongst the tents Sanqua and her right hand Flaoro are busy designating the spots where foundations will be built for houses.

It is an uneventful week, in all honesty. Their security patrols consisted of 8 men armed with daggers, along with trained Geodude and Scyther, with a Golbat to help patrol at night. And with that, the local Pokemon swiftly learned to stay away from the fences, in fear of concussions or gaping wounds leaving them as easy prey for other Pokemon. The only ones that still come close are the blue and black cats, which remind some of the Security Corp of the Manectric in Hoenn, and even they flee with a well placed Mud Bomb. 

It is the night of the 8th day in Jubilife that Denboku found himself sitting in the moonlight on the cliff east of the village, quietly meditating. He had picked up the habit while protecting the Sprout Monks back in Johto, during the war when they had become easy targets. After a long week of plotting out housing and preparing for the second ship to arrive in a week’s more time, sitting in the cool autumn air and listening to the odd big Pokémon chiming in the fields below felt like bliss. 

“Good evening, Captain,” he says brusquely as Zisu makes a spot next to him and sits down. 

“Evening, Commander,” she responds, a smile across her face as she settles into place. “You don’t mind if I join you, do you?” It was phrased like a question, but Denboku knew it wasn’t; Zisu knows she is welcome at any time.

“Are you here for meditation, or do you wish to speak about something?” Denboku hasn’t yet turned to face her, keeping his eyes closed as he slowly breathes in the night air. 

Zisu is silent for a moment before speaking. “Beni said he found a Pokémon rooting through his food supplies.” Denboku’s eyebrows furrow as he leans forward and rubs a hand against his temple. “I’m sure you know that means that it had to sneak in using more than just instinct. Especially since it was a Munchlax.”

That gets Denboku’s attention, causing him to look over at Zisu for the first time since she sat down. “Those are rarer than the Beasts in Johto,” he mutters before straightening his posture. “If there is a Munchlax ransacking our stores, then we need to stop it from continuing to do so. And if it can slip past a ninja in his own home, then it has to be well trained.”

“I already told my men to be on the lookout for any locals,” Zisu says. “If they see one, they’re to get a Captain who can speak the local language to talk with them and find the owner of the Pokémon.”

Denboku absently nods as he strokes his moustache. He was thankful that Ginter and those of the Gingko Guild were able to help his Team learn the local language, as they have been doing some trade with the natives for over two decades now. Ginter had also been keen to let them know that no foreigners ever set up on Hisuian land. “Do you think this is targeted? Or is this creature acting on its own?”

Zisu immediately shakes her head. “This Pokémon is most likely trained, but we haven’t seen anybody nearby this week since we’ve started setting up. I doubt we’re completely unnoticed, Commander, but I don’t think we’re being targeted.” Denboku huffs quietly, and nods in agreement after a moment.

As his companion starts to stand, though, he holds his hand out. “Stay awhile Zisu. I have a story to share.”

“You haven’t exhausted your stories yet, Kamado?” Zisu says with a laugh as she sits down into a more comfortable position.

“A Cianwood girl like you has plenty of Johto she doesn’t know about,” Denboku says with a glint in his eyes and a twitch of his facial hair. “I know you’ve been to the Ilex Forest when I was preparing the Galaxy Team.” Zisu nods, remembering the forest vaguely from her short time walking through it to Azalea. “But I’m sure you’ve never heard of the Protector of the Forest?”

When Zisu shakes her head, all Denboku does is nod and close his eyes. “Ilex Forest is special amongst the forests of Johto. It’s been tranquil since my grandfather’s youth, and it was tranquil through the war.” He breathes in deep as he hears Zisu settle in and lay back on the grass. “The forest has a protector, a sprite that keeps the trees tall and the waters clear. Even as the war raged and nearly burned down Goldenrod, it was untouched. All because of Celebi.

“Celebi is what allowed Azalea to be a safe haven during the war, what allowed me to go through Johto and find those in need of help and protect them, like it protected us.” He looks out over the fieldlands, the moonlight illuminating the grass and trees, and the distant river a smear of silver ink from this view. “It had fantastic powers, befitting a legend. It has taken platoons of men and moved them forward past the time of their battles. Brought us lost items days before they were lost. And so a shrine was built in the middle of the forest.”

“Never expected you to be a shrine goer,” Zisu says with a tease in her voice, looking over at Denboku with a smile to match her voice. “You always fit in with the monks, but never in that sense.”

“Wouldn’t call myself a shrine goer, neither,” Denboku says with a huff. “I would go before I left Azalea on journeys, but I wouldn’t go and leave offerings on a set schedule like a true devotee. But that’s beside the point.” He waves his hand to refocus the conversation and then strokes his moustache. “But it’s said that Azalea is not the only forest that was visited by a Celebi. Viridian was home to one for several decades, and people claim in Celadon to have seen two of them flying through the trees.

“But once war reached those forests, and people began to pare the forests down to settle in, the sightings vanished. Now only Ilex, a forest that has remained peaceful and untouched even after all these decades, has one.” Denboku looks out over the fieldlands, out to the forest beyond the silver river. “I want to ensure that our land here in Hisui would be one that Celebi would find hospitable.” 

There’s a moment of silence before Zisu responds with a soft hum. “Yes, I think that would be nice. Being able to keep this place peaceful and safe for everyone.” The two continue to sit quietly, letting the stars and the moon circle overhead.

—

October 10th, 1869

Though the cold was beginning to quickly set in on the Village as fall progressed, the men working on the foundation of the main Galaxy Building often found themselves dressed lightly. And most lightly dressed was Denboku himself, who is wearing but a gray hakama as he shovels dirt towards the ever-filling corner that his Golem is ever-emptying. And it is when he is in this state that Ress comes running from the town’s fence. “Commander Kamado, we have a local wanting to speak with you!”

Denboku sighs, and waves at his Golem to keep up its work, which it happily obliges to by rolling into the dirt and bulldozing it flat. Once he climbs out of the pit, Denboku quickly douses his face in the river water to wash any dirt off, and pulls his coat over himself, leaving it draped over his shoulders as he stalks towards the fencing to the east of the Village.

He is slightly surprised when he catches sight of the local, though he shouldn’t be as she at least seems a few years older than Zisu is despite his smaller stature. When it comes to her companion, however, he is completely unsurprised to see a rather large Munchlax chewing away at a berry.

“Greetings,” Denboku says, bowing slightly at the fence as he speaks in Hisuian to the best of his abilities. “Apologize for the state of my look. I have been at work. I am the Commander, Kamado.”

To her credit, the young woman only has to cover her mouth briefly as she holds back her laugh, then resets her face into neutrality. “I am Mai,” she says in heavily accented Kanto-ben. “I have more experience with your tongue than you with mine, so let us make this easier for us both.” While relieved, Denboku tries to hide it from his face by pursing his lips and twitching his moustache. “I believe you’ve been looking for me, Commander?”

Denboku nods, then gestures to the Munchlax absently eating beside her. “More specifically, I’ve been looking for whoever is the owner of that beast. We’ve caught it going through our food like it owns the place.”

“It has a better claim to the land than you do,” Mai says with a slight shift in posture, her hand resting on her hip as she leans slightly to the side. Not confrontational, but decidedly not welcoming. “You all showed up on your boats without warning, and he smelled food. While I didn’t plan for him to raid your storerooms, I can’t exactly blame him for getting easy food.”

“That easy food is what we need to survive, child,” Denboku says, glaring down at the young woman as she shakes her head. “We are working on getting farmland cultivated, so the food we brought with us is what we have. My people and I would greatly appreciate if you kept control over that beast of yours.”

“And I would appreciate it if you didn’t act like you were the lord of this land just because you believe you own this Village,” Mai shoots back, her tone unchanged from the neutral tone she’s held this entire conversation. “I would also refrain from telling others you own this land, unless you think you can convince my Leader, Adaman, to accept you.”

Pausing, Denboku takes a deep breath and releases it, then squares his posture and stares into Mai’s eyes. “Then how may I talk with your Leader? We don’t wish for conflict, we just want to live our lives.”

“He sent me a message this morning,” Mai says, a smirk forming on her lips. “He will be here in a few days time to discuss your ability to remain here.” Before Denboku could argue another word, she bows respectfully and turns to walk away, effortlessly scooping up Munchlax and carrying it away from the Village.

Denboku watches her walk away, then turns on his feet back towards the village. “Ress, go gather Zisu and Colza, and tell them to meet me by the main bridge. I’ll get Tao Hua and Sanqua, we need to discuss their arrival.” As Ress runs off into the Village proper, Denboku keeps his path towards the pit where the Galaxy Building will be, doing his best not to grind his teeth. Once he gets within earshot, he shouts out “Sanqua! Get on out of there!” He turns towards the store that is half-assembled across the grassy road. “You too, Tao Hua!”

There’s a bit of grumbling from the store as Tao Hua makes his way out of the building, sneering back at the way he came and holding his hip in place as he walks. “No need to yell, Kamado, I can hear you just fine!” He straightens with a grunt, his hip popping into place as he hobbles off of the store step. Across from him, Sanqua clambers up the ladder, wearing a simple white top streaked in mud, just like her hair and face. “What’s the big fuss?”

“We’re holding an Officers Meeting,” Denboku says, scratching slightly at his moustache. “That Mai woman told me that her Leader will be coming in a few days to discuss our right to be here.” Tao Hua sneers and looks in the direction of where Denboku had come from, while Sanqua gets a worried look on her face.

“Do you think they’d remove us? This is technically their land,” she says, looking back at the large hole for the building foundations that they’ve dug, as well as multiple skeletons of buildings around. Sanqua was younger even than Zisu, having gotten her position in Galaxy by being a fantastic worker and a good head for math. “This was the only good place in this area from what Ginter told us.”

“We won’t be leaving if I have anything to say,” Denboku grumbles as his Golem burrows his way up out of the ground behind the pit. He stalks past the pair to cross the simple bridge over the river to the southern side, catching sight of Ress coming his way with Zisu and Colza in tow. Giving a short wave, Ress breaks away to go cover the eastern gate again as the Captains all assemble.

“Something up, Commander?” Zisu says immediately before even stopping, her face pulled into a worried expression that seemed to mirror Sanqua’s, while Colza’s was filled with anxious energy. “Ress mentioned that he saw you speaking to a local?”

Denboku nods stiffly, setting his jaw for a moment as he thinks. “Mai is a member of one of the native Clans,” he starts, noticing the look of understanding on Zisu’s face and the grimace on Colza’s. “She says that her leader will be here in a few days time, and she’s also made it clear that she, at the very least, believes we are overstaying our welcome.”

Zisu, Colza, and Sanqua all share a look at one another, while Tao Hua simply glances away from the conversation. Finally, Colza speaks. “Are we in claimed land?”

A fair question. While a part of the reason that they had chosen this strip of land to build their homes was because it was by a river and relatively flat and protected, it was also because Ginter had claimed he’d never seen a Clans Member in this area. The Gingko Guild had even led their ships here before splitting off to land in their usual port on the eastern edge of the island, to ensure that they landed in supposedly unclaimed territory. “She didn’t say anything of the sort,” Denboku says after a moment of deliberation. “Just not to claim ownership of it ourselves.”

“Which we are by building,” Tao Hua says bluntly, looking past his juniors to look over the mostly finished structures that line the small road that they have leading toward the beach. “Homes, stores, farmland, and a large office for the Galaxy Team’s management. We even have a security detail, and signs.” Tao Hua scowls and spits on the ground in the direction of the entrance to the Village where Mai and Kamado had spoken. “Which they should have done if they wanted to claim this land themselves.”

“The Emperor doesn’t put a sign upon every shaku of land,” Denboku chides with a sharp glare. “And yet I don’t see you claiming ownership of Viridian Forest, Tao.”

“The Emperor is a mightier foe than some backcountry Clans,” Tao Hua mutters before turning away from Denboku entirely while Sanqua steps between them.

“What is the plan going to be, Commander?” Her eyebrows were knit together in worry, but her mouth was pulled into a determined frown. “Should we halt our work?”

Denboku sighs again, bringing a hand up to stroke his moustache as he thinks. “No, continue to finish the housing. Halt work on the Galaxy Hall, though.” Sanqua nods, and with a flick of Denboku’s head, she rushes to the pit where the Hall would be to stop the workers still there. “As for the preparations for the Leader of the Clan to arrive, we should prepare to ready defenses.”

“Ready the defenses?” Zisu asks with an incredulous tone, giving Denboku an unsure look. “Putting up an aggressive front doesn’t sound smart, sir.”

“You’re right, Zisu,” Denboku says with a nod. “I simply want you to have security on the southern end, and people ready to move to the eastern gate if needed. I do not want to start an altercation, but if they seek to remove us by force, we must be prepared to defend ourselves.”

Colza and Zisu look at each other, still uneasy at the thought, but Zisu eventually nods. “Alright. I’ll get people together. Hopefully the ship that Cyllene is on will be here in time for this meeting, she would do good to cover the east gate for us.”

“I’ll be sure to get some Medicinal Leeks growing,” Colza says with a sigh. “I’ll probably have to uproot one of the Sitrus saplings, but I think I still have a pot to fit it in.” With that, both of the younger Captains broke away from the meeting. With a final nod, Denboku dismisses Tao Hua back to his shop, and walks down the singular street south out of the village, back to the beach.

—

October 15, 1869

It had been just after daybreak that the young sentry Rei, fresh off of the boat, had seen the group approaching through the Fieldlands, still nearly an hour away. This gave Jubilife time to prepare, though, with the Captains all getting themselves presentable and meeting with Denboku Just outside of the simple gate that Sanqua had finished working the afternoon before. Within the town, multiple houses were now finished on the far side of the river, arranged in two parallel rows facing each other.

“How many did Rei see approaching?” Denboku asks Cyllene, Zisu’s number two, as he approaches the gate himself. Cyllene had been an unexpected friend in Hoenn several years prior when Denboku and Beni had gone down there in a chase after a rebel Lord. And with her time with Professor Zelkova Elm having ended, she was willing to join the Galaxy Team with her protege Rei. 

“He claims there were seven people,” she says brusquely, keeping a hand on her sheathed katana while her Abra hovered nearby. “There was a large Stantler-like Pokemon, and what seemed to be a large Bird Pokemon flying overhead with one of the seven riding it.”

Denboku nods and looks out over the Fieldlands. Even from this distance, the Bird Pokemon was visible as it soared through the sky, presumably keeping an eye over the group directly below. “And that is it? Seven people and two Pokemon? That Mai woman had a Munchlax with her, did Rei happen to catch sight of it?”

Cyllene shakes her head, her gaze never leaving the Commander’s. Denboku nods, and turns to watch as Zisu arrives with Sanqua. “Then we can assume that at least one of them will have a Pokemon with them, if not each of them. Zisu, how are the defenses?”

Zisu straightens her top and gives Denboku a short bow. “Ress and Wenton are on standby down the road, and Cyllene’s Abra will teleport them in if they end up being needed.”

Denboku nods, and turns to Sanqua. “And did you finish the safehouse at the end of the Village? It looked complete when I went by this morning.”

Sanqua nods as Colza runs up to the group, tying his sash in place as he does so. “It’s fortified well enough to withstand your Snorlax running into it, and the tunnel to Prelude Beach is sufficient. If needed, the entire town could escape to the boats at the beach.”

Denboku nods grimly again as Tao Hua approaches the gate and passes through. “With Celebi’s grace, that won’t need to come to pass. Let us hope that this Leader is more willing to talk than Mai was.”

The Galaxy Captains stand in an uncomfortable silence for some time. They had all made good time arriving at the gate, and if Rei’s estimate was correct (which had proven to be reliable previously), they were still some 15 minutes away. Though Jubilife was up the hill from the Fieldlands proper, the gate was actually just past the crest of the hill, thus they didn’t have a good vantage of how close the traveling group actually was.

It was near the 50 minute mark that the large Bird Pokemon suddenly shot forward towards Jubilife Village, causing Denboku, Zisu, and Cyllene to all tense as it flew over their heads. No attack came, however, as the bird went to the far cliffs on the western edge of the Village and wheeled around to circle the entirety of the Village before returning to its previous location, dipping down out of sight.

“That rider looked quite old,” Tao Hua mutters, rubbing the sun from his eyes as the bird takes back to the air after a few minutes, now without said rider. “They must be quite experienced if they wouldn’t slip at such an age.”

“Did any of you recognize that bird?” Sanqua asks as they watch it come slowly closer, its tight circles showing that it was now following the group once more, and that they were quite close. As everyone gathered shook their heads, she sighs and slumps her shoulders. “So a native and unknown Pokemon. Let’s hope we don’t need to worry about it.”

Native and unknown. “Cyllene,” Denboku says, looking over at the swordswoman, who faces him in response. “Depending on how this talk goes with the Leader of the Clan, I want you to contact our Professor friend in Hoenn. He mentioned that some professor in Galar was looking for a project to work on with grant funding?”

Cyllene blinks, then nods in recognition. “Yes, sir.” With that, she looks over at the hill, and nods slightly towards it as she begins to step back towards the gate. “It seems our visitors have arrived.”

The Galaxy Team turns to face the road as a large Deer Pokemon crests the hill, the morning sun shining off its horns and giving it a slightly golden appearance to its fur. Atop it sat Mai, perched sideways, looking up from her conversation with a young man next to her. The young man’s hair was down, hanging to his shoulders with the bottom edges seemingly dyed green and an open blue haori with white trim.

Behind the two was a small group of others in blue clothing. A taller man with long lilac hair and a conical hat; A young woman with bright red hair with a red gradient on her legwear; A tall dark-skin man who was looking around everywhere with an anxious energy; Finally, an old man who notably was using a cane with a pair of simple slit goggles hanging from his neck, and a young girl with tumbling green hair running behind him, wide eyes staring directly at Denboku.

Once the group comes closer, Denboku breaks away from his Captains and takes a few steps forward, bowing at the waist in greeting before straightening up. “Greetings, Clansmen,” he says in Hisuian. “I am Commander Kamado, of the Galaxy Team.” Unsure of who exactly to speak to, Denboku put his gaze mostly towards the old man.

The young man looks up at Mai with a sly grin, then shakes his head and steps forward in kind, raising a hand and pushing it forward in some form of salute. “Greetings, Commander Kamado-han,” he says in heavily accented Johto-ben. “I agree with Mai, it would probably be easier to speak your language.”

The young man takes a moment to look over the group, and nods with the smile still on his face. “My name is Adaman, and I am the Leader of the Diamond Clan. I appreciate you making sure to be punctually, it’s always nice to be met at the gates instead of waiting around and wasting time. Good thing, too, because I believe we have some discussion ahead of us about you being here on my Clan’s land, yes?”

[mycorrectviews]

Beyond the Carnage: Credo of a democratic Zionist

October 2023

No Monopoly on Barbarism

We buried our cousins in four freshly dug graves at Kibbutz Revivim, 40 miles as the crow flies from the killing fields of Kibbutz Beeri where they made their home.  Chen, a burly farmer, the kind of guy you want in your corner;  Rinat, a veteran social worker;  17 year old Alon and 14 year old Ido.  Two smaller siblings survived when Rinat and Alon spread their bodies over the little ones, like a blanket at bedtime, taking the bullets in a final act of love.  Hundreds of people wept in silence, an extended family of farmers from agricultural communities across the Gaza envelope, dozens of them young men and women on "funeral" leave from their reserve units, rifles slung over their civilian clothing.  Rinat had texted the family that dark October morning, as I huddled with my partner and nine-year-old son in our own safe room, just 10 miles north of Beeri.  We were sure that Chen – veteran of an elite IDF reconnaissance unit – would get them out.  Electricity and cell phone service were down all morning at our kibbutz as fighting raged on the perimeter fence.  By the time we received her message, she was likely dead, as scores of heavily armed killers hunted for Jews -- Gazan civilians in tow, rounding up livestock and home appliances like shoppers on black Friday.  Did the Hamas warn them that their own homes would soon be reduced to rubble by the inevitable IDF response?   For 21 hours I stood at the threshold of our safe room, listening for sounds of the battle raging at the edge of our own kibbutz, knowing that if they broke through, we'd be next.  Only the resourcefulness and bravery of a handful of volunteers kept the killers at bay until we could evacuate.  At Revivim, rows of fresh graves extended beyond the funeral site, waiting to receive another hundred members of Kibbutz Beeri. It was a scene to be repeated throughout the country for other communities who shared the same fate.  At Kibbutz Nir Oz, a quarter of the population was murdered. A day before I had debated a friend about whether the massacre resembled the German Einzatzgruppn or 19th century Russian pogroms.  Either way, I reflect, Islam has no monopoly on barbarism.  And Israelis are not immune either.   

The Jewish State or the Boer State

Siblings and schoolmates eulogized the Even-Segev family in a quiet ceremony, closed to the press, soft Hebrew music playing in the background.  The grief was palpable, but the word "revenge" was not to be heard.  No room in their hearts for gratuitous hatred or racism.  Never was.  These folk work with Bedouin farmers and colleagues on a daily basis, and many remember a time when personal and commercial interaction with the Gaza Strip was routine.  Here in the Negev, civil society has a depth and breadth that crosses ethnic boundaries and ideological preconceptions.

Elsewhere, however, things look different.  Right wing groups have draped banners from overpasses around Israel demanding revenge, as if a dose of their sickening screed could reverberate through a society already numbed by atrocity.   They may be right.  Just over the Green Line in the West Bank, nationalist fanatics are already creating their own, violent fantasy world.  Since October 7th, at least seven Palestinian farmers have been shot dead by Israeli settlers.  The occupation of this swath of Palestinian territory was once justified by the need to secure a defensive line along the Jordan rift valley, a formidable geographic barrier against invasion from the east. No longer. Today the IDF is tasked with protecting the 460,000 Israeli settlers who live between the Jordan and Israel's internationally recognized boundaries to the West under a separate and unequal legal regime designed to preserve and extend their hegemony; and controlling their 2.6 million Palestinian neighbors who subsist in a legal twilight zone, bereft of political rights, their civil liberties and freedom of movement curtailed and their land often confiscated for Israeli use.  Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, has called this apartheid. Indeed, today's West Bank might be properly described as a kind of Boer state, where armed colonists are the law and even the Israeli army treads lightly for fear of incurring settler wrath. Israel's infantry provides the muscle that keeps armed Palestinian groups at bay. But security coordinators in the settlements – settlers who are deputized, armed and trained by the IDF – often call the shots on the ground. A pervasive atmosphere of lawlessness invites violence against Palestinians. Brutal and primitive in its tactics, it has included defacing mosques, burning fields, destroying olive groves and vandalizing property. In the Palestinian village of Hawara, perpetrators set 200 buildings and 30 cars ablaze, killing one resident.  Now, with the armed force of the IDF massed on Israel's northern and southern borders, their wildest fantasies may seem within grasp.

Hamas or no Hamas, the Boer state is a dilemma of our own making.  No Israeli government, save those of Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon, has had the courage – or the incentive – to defy settler political clout. This must change.  Once this war is over and the IDF eradicates the Gazan terror regime, Israel must be asked to choose:  advanced American weapons systems or housing developments on the West Bank. Israel needs robust US military aid to survive.  But every home, industrial zone, municipal subsidy, road, streetlight, or sewage pipe for Israeli settlements in the West Bank should be deducted from that sum. Put these funds in an escrow account to help relocate settlers to new homes within within the Green Line. Or use them to compensate Palestinians for loss of income due to restricted access to farmland.

Always a Reason to Kill Jews

Some folks insist on seeing Palestinian victimhood and Jewish malfeasance whenever innocents are killed, like some uncontrollable, Pavlovian response, no matter how Orwellian the logic.  Thus on October 8th, with the killing still in progress, Mohammed R. Mhawish explained in 972 magazine that "for us [Palestinians]. . . It is the moment when we defend our very existence and right to live peacefully in freedom."  UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres ruffled a few feathers when he proclaimed that the October 7th massacre "did not happen in a vacuum.  The Palestinian people have been subject to 56 years of suffocating occupation."  Without justifying the murder spree itself, Gutteres seems to have identified its cause as the 1967 war.  More often than not however, critics of Israel point to the blockade imposed on Gaza in 2007, after the Hamas took over the enclave, as the proximate source of violence. "The international community has for years neglected the plight of the 2.3 million Palestinians living under a 16-year-long Israeli siege," explains Jonathan Kuttab of the Arab Center in Washington, DC.   Indeed, back in 2008, the Red Cross had already warned that 70% of Gaza's population suffered from food insecurity and chronic malnutrition as a result of Israeli policy.  Perhaps mass murder is a natural response from people who have been starving to death for 15 years, though one wonders if it is biologically possible to starve for so long while building an arsenal of tens of thousands of rockets, hundreds of miles of military tunnels, and highly trained death squads.  Or perhaps one might ask why food was lacking, if it was lacking, with such plentiful military resources on hand.  But the ultimate reason Hamas does its thing, according to some observers, is the Naqba, the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians by Israel in the war of 1948, ground zero – we are told – of the Arab Israeli conflict.  Historian Ilan Pappe sums up the events of October 7th with the pithy insight that "[Israel's] present genocidal policy towards Gaza are [sic] part of the ongoing Naqba."  2007, 1967, 1948, take your pick. But don't stop there.  In 1929, long before the Naqba, Palestinian marauders killed 133 Jews in Hebron, Safed, Jaffa and Jerusalem, most of them ultra-orthodox, with no connection to the Zionist movement, many of them neighbors with whom they had lived for years.  As Hillel Cohen painstakingly explains in his landmark study, Palestinians had come to see all Jews as representatives of the same Zionist enterprise. So it was and so it is.  Any organized Jewish national presence in this land, apparently, is a legitimate cause for "armed struggle." Perhaps it is time someone reexamined the causal relationship between this culture of death and the Naqba, occupation and blockade that followed.

When a Zionist Sees Palestine in the Mirror

Palestinian nationalism may be irredeemably poisoned by nihilism, but Palestinian identity itself defines the very humanity of millions of people, some two million of them Israeli citizens.  If our democracy is to rise again after the war, we must learn to distinguish between the two and embrace the latter – nuanced as the idea may be.  I have devoted my own career to building a more inclusive paradigm of shared culture for Jews and Arabs in the Negev.  Below the surface, civil society may now be laying its foundation.  In the midst of the crisis, dozens of grass roots initiatives are mobilizing Jews and Arabs for collective action to help everyone in need, from Jewish farmers in the Western Negev to the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the east. Some 15 Arab citizens have been killed by Hamas rockets and another dozen were murdered or kidnapped on October 7th.   In this wartime emergency, even the most innocuous display of Palestinian colors can lead to arrest, termination at work or suspension from university.  This will have to stop.  In the end, Jews must be able to see in the pain, pride and determination of the Palestinians a reflection of our own.  No, we cannot bridge the unfathomable political gulf that separates us.  But a dose of mutual respect would serve us well. 

Rethinking Ukraine

The international show of support for Israel so far has been impressive.  Biden, Macron, Scholz, Sunak, Ursula Von der Leyen – leaders from across the democratic world have rushed to embrace Netanyahu, a man whose signature contributions to Israeli diplomacy have been to drape Likud headquarters with a massive poster of Vladmir Putin, embrace Victor Orban and glorify Donald Trump.  It must be humiliating for Bibi to bend the knee in gratitude to the liberal order he has done so much to disparage, but this is no mere personal matter. America's massive resupply of military hardware – a replay of Nixon's strategic airlift in 1973 -- and the deployment of two carrier strike groups to protect Israel against a regional conflagration, should be a stark reminder to Israel's political class as a whole that sometimes you have to choose sides.  Israel's flirtation with Russia and the Visegrad bloc was, perhaps, the product of Bibi's own delusions of self importance, but Israel's shameful failure to support Ukraine in its struggle to survive was an act of cowardice that crossed political lines.   Biden's Oval Office address linking aid to Ukraine and Israel was a formative statement, and something this country would do well to ponder.  Israel turned a cold shoulder to Ukraine, it is widely assumed, for fear of provoking Russia to launch its S-300 antiaircraft rockets in Syria against Israeli jets, thereby limiting our ability to strike Iranian proxies in that country.  Those rockets are a serious consideration, to be sure, but if Biden is willing to take political risks for Israel, we can show a little moral fiber as well.  Russia has interests at stake in Syria too, and striking Israeli jets would put those at risk.  In 1970 Soviet personnel manned Egyptian anti-aircraft batteries that fired on Israeli planes, and Israeli jets held dogfights with Russian pilots over the Suez Canal.  Not a few Russian servicemen paid with their lives.  When the present crisis is over, the time will come for Israel to take a stand – for Ukraine, and for the democratic prospect writ large.

Going Home

No, I'm not a farmer. Everything I know about wheat comes from the back of a cereal box.  For the past six years I've been at Kibbutz Nir Am, never of Nir Am. It was simply where I slept and parked my car before heading off to work in the morning.  But something has broken in my own suburban, residential paradigm.  The government says kibbutzim such as Nir Oz will take years to rebuild.  Nir Am, we hope, will bounce back sooner.  While my family is settling in to its temporary refuge in Jerusalem, we are eager to get back to our community on the Gazan border fence, replant and rebuild.  Rehabilitating the kibbutzim and the towns of the Gaza envelope, caring for the orphans and shattered families, reconstructing the homes, nurturing devastated communities back to emotional health, and weaving the multicultural fabric of life back together in the Negev will be the final challenge of my generation, and the first one for that of my son.  We owe it to our country.  We owe it to Chen, Rinat and their kids.  

[flower-zombie-rob]

puppies

Okay, it’s official, I’m pretty much addicted to writing my own original Iris characters little fictional tidbits. They’re so fun to create and I really like developing relationships between my character and other peoples characters, it’s just really really fun. This time we have a character by @glass-trash-bab taking my little ALTR for a little walk around (and a few places with the two of them shouldn’t particularly be). To any of the people who have irissonas, if you want me to write a little interactive fiction with your character, I would be happy to do so, since it’s my easiest way of developing who they are as a person and deepening their character lore. :)

R had been waiting by the door of their room all day, buzzing with excitement. they were told by Bab that today would be opportunity to feed the animals in the side of the facility they usually weren’t allowed into. They had only seen pictures of the little puppies that had been taken by Iris only days ago, but they couldn’t control their excitement at the opportunity to actually meet them. They heard a buzz as someone scanned their access card on the other side of the cell door, and as it slid open R jump-hugged Bab, who’s come excitedly to collect them.

“Hiiiiiiii!” They yelled with the excitement of a child who is about to start school summer break.

“Hi R!” Exclaimed the bouncy-haired scientist. “ Okay. Now pipe down because I need to get you there without anyone, realising that I don’t have the authority to do this. And by anyone I mean Geeky. And Tae, but mostly Geeky.”

R ran their fingers over their lips to imitate a zip. Bab replied with an ecstatic thumbs up and ruffled R’s hair. Before R had a second to think, they were being rapidly ran down the hallway by their slightly taller companion. It was the fastest they thought they’d ever run down the hallways of the facility, or at least it was the fastest they’d run since they tripped over an unassuming Tae’s leg and fallen head-first down the east wing staircase. God bless inhuman durability.

They sped down the hallway and made about 50 right turns before arriving swiftly at a large set of double doors. R had never been in the section of the facility before, so it made for an exciting adventure today. Bab took a quick look around for anyone trying to stop there in the duos nefarious deeds, before quickly scanning their access card  on the doors scanning deck with the panic of someone trying to escape a deadly Mothman. They waited with bated breath for a few seconds, to see if a security guard would pick them up on the cameras and call an emergency lock down. The two of them held their breaths. Waiting… Waiting… Waiting… Click!

Bab grabbed onto the prosthetic arm of the ALTR next to them, and proceeded to skip happily out into the outdoor section of the animal containment area. R giggled uncontrollably at the circumstances of today’s escapades as the two slowed down for Bab to catch their breath. The ALTR ran up to a chain-link fence with a bit of small writing labelling, what was inside. R peeped between the gaps in the fence and stuck their non-prosthetic arm into a hole in the barrier, making clicking noises to beckon something out.

“Ah! No no no no no no no no! Don’t do that!” The accompanying scientist, acting quickly, grabbed the young ALTR around the waist and yanked them away from the barrier before a large mountain lion with multiple heads came bounding out of a hole in a small shack within the enclosure, right up to where R’s hand was poked-in. R looked up in surprise at the beast, a little relieved to have been pulled away from the barrier before something bad happened to their only leftover hand.

“Don’t poke your hands in the enclosures unless I do it too, danger child!” Bab, recovering from that sudden rush of adrenaline, led the two to another enclosure nearby with a green light above its gate, indicating that it was a safe set of animals to interact with.they both went in through the small gate and closed it behind them. R was wondering what kind of animal was inside of the enclosure, hidden behind the small sleeping undercover shack that it’s provided in case the weather was bad. Bab ran in and started making noises reminiscent of cooing to a baby, every word punctuated with a high-pitched squeal of happiness. They were followed by R, who suddenly realised the reason for the strange noises coming from inside the shack… puppies!!!

A little of labrador puppies with bouncing around this morning enclosure, their yapping audible now that R was inside the room. They instantly collapsed onto the floor to be hounded by the many small dogs, licked by their tiny little tongues, and hold out by their little high-pitched voices learning to bark. The two decided that almost having one of them be eaten by a mountain lion was definitely worth what happened when all of that running through the facility paid off. And although though Bab would get in quite a lot of trouble for taking the ALTR to an unauthorised area, R would be seeing this part of the facility with their employee friends many, many more times.

Right, well, thank you for reading this one. If you’ve got to this far, I really actually do appreciate it when people care about original character fiction as it makes my heart really happy! Anyway, please go and check out everyone else’s irissonas! They all have really cool characters that are a lot more expensive than mine tbh. So thanks for showing interest, and I’ll probably try and dial it back on these a bit soon enough since I know most of you don’t care about them, t’s just the fact that currently I’m having a bit of creative block and these are the best ways me getting rid of that feeling.

[env0writes]

Passive Ingression 1.21.23 “Go Out and Play in the Urban Jungle, Jim!”

   Through outstretched arm-far-fences, I hear my neighbor say,    “Go play outside” in the hale mid-forty California overcast    Where streets match heavy schemed colors, decay    Desolate are new deserts children find, unlike the past

   Concrete mixers may make for desserts off the highway    Far from trusted limbs to trustingly break my fall    This asphalt is not the fault for the famished desert, grey    The streets are not for blue’d jays, walking head raised tall

   The wasteland hides more life than streets First to Eighth and East    Saturated fat, full on leaden hues the township port-forwarded    Wasteland vipers have the decorum and decency of manners before a feast    As venomous or poisonous gives warning, “I will make you dead”

   Doe-eyed solitary stags succumb like solitary solitaire cards    “Sorry for the future, kid. It wasn’t always made this way” I’d wish to tell    High climb the fences’ unblinking eyes and security guards    Outside, where rain stings and horns blare with lights to Valhalla swell

   Stars used to be for wishing, as blinding as a lamp post    Washing out the wishing well of night with liquid-light bleach    Seasonal depression diagnosed

@env0writes​ C.Buck   Ko-Fi & Venmo: @Zenv0 Support Your Local Artist!   Photo by @env0​

[readingsquotes]

Israel’s brutal onslaught in Gaza since October 7, 2023 has been apocalyptic for Palestinians. But for Israeli weapons makers, it’s been an unprecedented time of financial success and a unique opportunity to show off their latest tech.

In December last year, the CEO of Israeli defense company, Smart Shooter, told the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, how proud she was of assisting Israeli forces in Gaza because her product had allowed them to eliminate a swarm of seven attack drones.

Gaza was the first time Smart Shooter’s SMASH had been used in active war and the company was receiving orders from militaries across the globe including the US and Britain. Business was booming.

CEO Michal Mor was asked about her “vision” for the future and she proudly explained how “the ultimate goal is to make our technology a standard on every rifle in all armies, and to continue developing features for non-combat purposes as well, such as dispersing demonstrations; when you don’t want to kill but deter, the system will know how to hit, for example, only below [the] knee.”

During the Great March of Return in 2018 and 2019, when thousands of Palestinians marched in Gaza to the “security fence” with Israel, Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing hundreds and injuring tens of thousands. Some Israeli snipers proudly recounted how many Palestinians knees they’d hit, making them disabled for life.

I’ve spent more than a decade investigating the Israeli arms industry, regularly reporting from Israel and Palestine since 2005 and living in East Jerusalem between 2016 and 2020. I’m an Australian, German Jewish independent journalist and film-maker, my work and life was recently featured in a film broadcast by Al Jazeera English, and my latest book is the global bestselling The Palestine Laboratory.

Understanding the Israeli weapons trade, an industry that’s worked with some of the most repressive nations on the planet since the Jewish state’s birth in 1948, is vital to decode a key rationale behind the Israeli military mindset; endless occupation and war is so profitable that it’s seen as literally insane to even think about stopping them. War in Gaza and the West Bank and exploding pagers in Lebanon are a unique opportunity to teach, sell, and inspire other states who want to repress their own minorities, unwanted populations, or dissidents. Israel will show them how.

This four-part podcast series will take listeners on a global journey into the Palestine laboratory, how it developed, how it works, why it’s so attractive for many nations, how it’s fueled by anti-Palestinian racism and been deployed on a massive scale since October 7, 2023.

This project has been a collaborative effort since late 2023 with a team of experienced producers, researchers, artists, musicians and sound designers. We’re honored to feature voices from Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and across the globe.

[xtruss]

“Terrorist, Fascist, War Criminal, Liar, Conspirator, Apartheid and the Illegal Regime of the Zionist Isra-helli 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 Forces” will distribute more machine guns to illegal Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, Israeli Channel 7 reported on May 30. The additional long guns or machine guns would also be distributed "to residents who are not members of the reserve unit to enhance security," an occupation forces representative said.

At the end of last year, “Far-Right, Terrorist, Fascist, War Criminal, Liar, Conspirator, Apartheid and the Illegal Regime of the Zionist Isra-helli 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir” kicked off a campaign to arm Israelis, including settlers in the occupied West Bank, under the guise of providing protection against Palestinian attacks.

Weapons were distributed among illegal settlers and reserve soldiers in the Israeli occupation forces without specifying the quantity of weapons distributed. Tzvi Sukkot, Chairman of the Judea and Samaria Committee and Member of Knesset From the Far-Right Religious Zionism Party, welcomed the decision to increase the distribution of weapons in settlements in Judea and Samaria - the biblical terms for the occupied West Bank - and called on interested Jewish settlers to apply to carry weapons in a statement to Israel's Channel 7. It is estimated that there are approximately 720,000 Illegal Israeli Settlers living in the occupied West Bank, Including East Jerusalem.

“Terrorist, Fascist, War Criminal, Liar, Conspirator, Apartheid and the Illegal Regime of the Zionist Isra-helli 🐖 Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich” threatened to destroy cities, neighbourhoods and camps in the northern occupied West Bank similar to what Israel has done in Gaza, in a video post on X on May 30.

"Our message to the neighbours beyond the fence in Tulkarem, Nur Shams, Shuweika and Qalqilya: We will turn you into ruined cities like in the Gaza Strip if the terror you are exerting on the settlements continues." He threatened to "continue to control Judea and Samaria," the biblical terms for the occupied West Bank.

Addressing Israeli citizens, he asserted that "if a Palestinian state is allowed to be established, settlements in the West Bank could be subjected to a similar attack," referring to the cross-border attack carried out by Palestinian resistance Hamas on Israeli military bases and settlements on October 7. The extremist minister insisted on his rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, saying that "it will not happen."

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against Gaza on October 7. According to the Ministry of Health, Israeli forces have killed at least 509 Palestinians and injured thousands more in the occupied territory in 2023, more than double the number recorded in any previous year.

[flash-fresh]

Securing Delhi: Stringent Measures for Farmers' Protest

As the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march commenced with thousands of farmers converging towards the national capital to press for their demands, Delhi has transformed into a heavily fortified zone. Stringent security measures have been implemented at border crossings to deter the protesting farmers from entering the city.

Amidst the unfolding ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march, authorities have ramped up security along the borders of Delhi and neighbouring states to obstruct the farmers’ entry into the capital.

DCP Ankit Singh of the North East District revealed that Section 144 has been imposed to curb assemblies and the entry of tractor trolleys into Delhi. More than 2,000 personnel from various units, including the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and the Crime Branch, have been deployed to maintain law and order.

Despite inconclusive talks between farmer leaders and Union Ministers, the farmers remain resolute in advancing their agenda despite the significant security presence.

Here’s an overview of the stringent security measures in place for the farmers’ protest:

Fortification in Haryana: Authorities in Haryana have fortified the state’s borders with Punjab using concrete blocks, iron nails, and barbed wire in locations such as Ambala, Jind, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, and Sirsa. Riot control vehicles, including water cannons, have been stationed along the Punjab and Haryana borders to dissuade advancing protesters.

Multi-Layered Barricading: Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur borders have been barricaded extensively to seal entry points into Delhi. Concertina wires, nails, concrete blocks, and containers reinforce these barricades, aiming to prevent breaches. Drones are deployed for aerial surveillance.

Presence of Security Forces: Over 50 companies comprising Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel equipped with tear gas launchers, bulletproof vests, helmets, and advanced weaponry are stationed strategically along the Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur borders. Advanced weapons are on standby to manage any escalation.

Multi-Layered Blockades: Iron barricades, jersey barriers, shipping containers, barbed wire fencing, and vehicles create multi-layered blockades at the borders, further impeding the progress of protesters.

Prohibitory Orders and Traffic Restrictions: The Delhi Police has imposed prohibitory orders, banning processions of tractors, trucks, or vehicles into the city for a month. Traffic restrictions at Singhu, Ghazipur, and Tikri borders aim to deter vehicles carrying protesters from entering Delhi.

As the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest gains momentum, the stringent security measures underscore the complexities surrounding the farmers’ demands and the challenges in maintaining public order during such demonstrations.

[jobaaj]

ALERT: India-Myanmar relations are in danger! India is fencing its border with Myanmar!! According to official reports, India will fence 1,643 km of land it has in common with Myanmar. In addition, India is also terminating its Free Movement regime with Myanmar. In case you didn’t know, FMR was introduced in 2018 as a part of India's Act East policy in Myanmar in a bilateral agreement. The agreement allowed people from both sides to enter each other's territory up to 16 kms without any documents.

Why scrap it? Meitei groups have alleged that tribal militants enter the country and smuggle narcotics through the weak borders! Moreover, Myanmar is going through a massive civil war which has resulted in political instability. Thus, there is a higher risk of refugee and militant influx. Thus, the government is taking these steps to ensure “internal security” and to “maintain the demographic structure of India’s Northeastern states bordering Myanmar”. However, not everyone is happy. Several Naga and Mizo groups have spoken against it, claiming that it would unjustly divide ethnic groups!! Is the Modi government right to do so? Follow Jobaaj Stories (the media arm of Jobaaj.com Group) for more.

[lesteerrr]

Territorial Dispute: Decades long war of the Jews and Arabs

Terrorists from Hamas attacked Israel across borders in a way never seen before on October 7. They launched a well-planned, covert attack that destroyed the border fence in several locations, ambushed Israel's security apparatus, and overran the armed forces. The attackers, taken aback by the lack of opposition, escalated the operation into a violent and disorderly rampage into residential areas. In spite of such attacks, Hamas has categorically denied any charges of sexual assault or mutilation. Israeli authorities have charged Hamas soldiers with war crimes during the assault, including torture, rape, and mutilation. According to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistic, at least 1,139 individuals were murdered in the aforementioned invasion, including 766 civilians and 373 security forces, and approximately 240 more people were taken as hostages.

Before the attack had occurred, the conflict started long way back. The discord between the two parties  commenced, with historical roots dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1947, the year Britain took over Palestine, there were more arabs than jews residing there , which led the UN to enforce Resolution 181, also referred as Partition Plan, with the goal of dividing the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish state. With the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, the first Arab-Israeli War began. After Israel won the war in 1949, 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes, and the region was split into three sections: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (across the Jordan River), and the State of Israel. 

However, with Israel's invasion of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, which resulted in a six-day fight, tensions flared up once more, especially between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Following the battle, Israel was granted sovereignty over the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt. After six years, Egypt and Syria shook Israel by launching a surprise two-front invasion on Yom Kippur, in an attempt to recover lost territories.

Even after the war was done, Palestinian self-determination and self-governance remained unresolved. The country was divided into two, the west bank and the Gaza — which is a small piece of land on the Mediterranean Sea that borders Egypt to the south. The west bank was ruled by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Gaza Strip was governed by Hamas.

An Islamic political and military group from Palestine, Hamas, which is an acronym for its official name, the Islamic Resistance Movement is in charge of the Gaza Strip in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. The major Palestinian party, Fatah, which still holds power in the Palestinian Authority, was defeated by Hamas in the 2006 elections in Gaza. Headed by Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' designated charman, who was also associated with Qatari authorities, Hamas has been listed as a terrorist group by the USA since 1997. Fewer than 22% of Palestinian populace backs the aforementioned group, and 73% oppose them, on the grounds that they are widely corrupting Gaza.

When Hamas struck Israel on October 7, 2023, at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an outdoor music festival held in honor of the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the war broke out once more. The attack resulted in numerous Israeli deaths, including numerous civilian deaths. Israel declared war on Hamas on that same day.According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel has been attacking Gaza with airstrikes and artillery since then, resulting in hundreds of deaths and over 26,400 injuries—many of which are of minor age. Following the incident, Israel launched a catastrophic bombardment of Gaza, which has been under an Israeli siege for 17 years. According to Palestinian authorities in the region, this shelling killed around 25,000 people, the majority of whom were women and children.

In order to ensure the release of the other hostages, Israeli commanders have stated that they will keep applying military pressure to Hamas. In response to requests for evacuation from the north, Israeli authorities have advised citizens in the south to relocate to undefined "safe zones." When the battle finally ends, there will be questions about who will rule Gaza, which has sparked speculation. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, claims that his country does not "seek to occupy Gaza." Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported that "Gaza cannot continue to be run by Hamas," and that "it is also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza." Only as part of a "comprehensive solution," according to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's advisors, would his administration return to Gaza; detractors, however, derided the notion, branding his leadership as antiquated and dishonest.

References:

“Israel-Hamas War: Timeline and Key developments | ABC News” https://abcnews.go.com/International/timeline-surprise-rocket-attack-hamas-israel/story?id=103816006

“Hamas says October 7 attack was a ‘necessary step’, admits to ‘some faults.’ | Al Jazeera”  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/21/hamas-says-october-7-attack-was-a-necessary-step-admits-to-some-faults

“Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | Global Conflict Tracker”

“Hamas’s October 7 Attack: Visualizing the Data | CSIS”  https://www.csis.org/analysis/hamass-october-7-attack-visualizing-data

“Israel-Palestine: A short history of the two-state solution | Le Monde”  https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/11/19/israel-palestine-a-short-history-of-the-two-state-solution_6269446_4.html#

“Why are Israel and Hamas at war? A basic explainer | Washington Post” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/17/israel-hamas-war-reason-explained-gaza/

[lesteerr]

Territorial Dispute: Decades long war of the Jews and Arabs

Terrorists from Hamas attacked Israel across borders in a way never seen before on October 7. They launched a well-planned, covert attack that destroyed the border fence in several locations, ambushed Israel's security apparatus, and overran the armed forces. The attackers, taken aback by the lack of opposition, escalated the operation into a violent and disorderly rampage into residential areas. In spite of such attacks, Hamas has categorically denied any charges of sexual assault or mutilation. Israeli authorities have charged Hamas soldiers with war crimes during the assault, including torture, rape, and mutilation. According to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistic, at least 1,139 individuals were murdered in the aforementioned invasion, including 766 civilians and 373 security forces, and approximately 240 more people were taken as hostages.

Before the attack had occurred, the conflict started long way back. The discord between the two parties  commenced, with historical roots dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1947, the year Britain took over Palestine, there were more arabs than jews residing there , which led the UN to enforce Resolution 181, also referred as Partition Plan, with the goal of dividing the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish state. With the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, the first Arab-Israeli War began. After Israel won the war in 1949, 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes, and the region was split into three sections: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (across the Jordan River), and the State of Israel. 

However, with Israel's invasion of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, which resulted in a six-day fight, tensions flared up once more, especially between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Following the battle, Israel was granted sovereignty over the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt. After six years, Egypt and Syria shook Israel by launching a surprise two-front invasion on Yom Kippur, in an attempt to recover lost territories.

Even after the war was done, Palestinian self-determination and self-governance remained unresolved. The country was divided into two, the west bank and the Gaza — which is a small piece of land on the Mediterranean Sea that borders Egypt to the south. The west bank was ruled by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Gaza Strip was governed by Hamas.

An Islamic political and military group from Palestine, Hamas, which is an acronym for its official name, the Islamic Resistance Movement is in charge of the Gaza Strip in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. The major Palestinian party, Fatah, which still holds power in the Palestinian Authority, was defeated by Hamas in the 2006 elections in Gaza. Headed by Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' designated charman, who was also associated with Qatari authorities, Hamas has been listed as a terrorist group by the USA since 1997. Fewer than 22% of Palestinian populace backs the aforementioned group, and 73% oppose them, on the grounds that they are widely corrupting Gaza.

When Hamas struck Israel on October 7, 2023, at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an outdoor music festival held in honor of the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the war broke out once more. The attack resulted in numerous Israeli deaths, including numerous civilian deaths. Israel declared war on Hamas on that same day.According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel has been attacking Gaza with airstrikes and artillery since then, resulting in hundreds of deaths and over 26,400 injuries—many of which are of minor age. Following the incident, Israel launched a catastrophic bombardment of Gaza, which has been under an Israeli siege for 17 years. According to Palestinian authorities in the region, this shelling killed around 25,000 people, the majority of whom were women and children.

In order to ensure the release of the other hostages, Israeli commanders have stated that they will keep applying military pressure to Hamas. In response to requests for evacuation from the north, Israeli authorities have advised citizens in the south to relocate to undefined "safe zones." When the battle finally ends, there will be questions about who will rule Gaza, which has sparked speculation. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, claims that his country does not "seek to occupy Gaza." Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported that "Gaza cannot continue to be run by Hamas," and that "it is also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza." Only as part of a "comprehensive solution," according to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's advisors, would his administration return to Gaza; detractors, however, derided the notion, branding his leadership as antiquated and dishonest.

References:

“Israel-Hamas War: Timeline and Key developments | ABC News” https://abcnews.go.com/International/timeline-surprise-rocket-attack-hamas-israel/story?id=103816006

“Hamas says October 7 attack was a ‘necessary step’, admits to ‘some faults.’ | Al Jazeera”  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/21/hamas-says-october-7-attack-was-a-necessary-step-admits-to-some-faults

“Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | Global Conflict Tracker”

https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict

“Hamas’s October 7 Attack: Visualizing the Data | CSIS”  https://www.csis.org/analysis/hamass-october-7-attack-visualizing-data

“Israel-Palestine: A short history of the two-state solution | Le Monde”  https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/11/19/israel-palestine-a-short-history-of-the-two-state-solution_6269446_4.html#

“Why are Israel and Hamas at war? A basic explainer | Washington Post” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/17/israel-hamas-war-reason-explained-gaza/