#the false hope of a ceasefire

[baby-girl-aaron-dessner]

[favroitecrime]

February started with false hopes of a ceasefire.

It is now February 15 and the largest medical facility in South Gaza, which sheltered ~2,500 people and had been under siege for two weeks, has been attacked. It is now completely out of function.

We are 21 days away from marking 5 months of ongoing genocide.

Here are several posts with numerous donation links & other ways to help. I’ll also include the tag I use for those posts, where you’ll find individual gofundme’s listed as well. There is also Operation Olive Branch, which has an excel sheet of numerous families in Gaza & how to donate to them + how to contact them. If you can afford it, please consider donating and please, please remember to scroll down to donate to families at the bottom of the list. If you cannot give, please simply share as many resources as you find.

[matan4il]

what do you, as an Israeli, think of Standing Together? asking entirely in good faith because I see things supporting them a lot, but it's always from American Jews and (no offense to us), I don't totally trust that we're informed enough to know what we're talking about and what their perspective and usefulness truly is in the way that someone who actually lives there would. so many orgs are untrustworthy or covertly antisemitic and it made me curious for your perspective. thank you for everything. <3

Hi Nonnie!

Sorry it took me a moment to reply, but I hope my answer can still help you!

As an idea, Standing Together is a movement that I should have been all for. They are pro-coexistence, and so am I. There's no doubt in my mind that Jews aren't going anywhere, and neither are Arabs, and we are all better off working together for a good future for all. Supposedly, that's ST's message, so they absolutely should be an organization that I would be all for.

BUT from everything I've experienced, the narrative that they adopted is way more one-sided than their official stance, they're closer to being anti-Israel than balanced, which makes them problematic for me. Especially when you look at the individual actions and statements of many of this movement's leaders, it's evident that coexistence to them comes at the expense of historical facts, as well as certain Jewish rights. Obviously, the leaders' personal positions influence the movement's stance and actions.

For example, in this interview from Nov 2023, a Jewish leader of the movement falsely calls Israel's 2014 operation in Gaza against Hamas, "a war against Gaza and its people" (brief summary: Hamas kidnapped and murdered three Jewish teenagers in Judea and Samaria, Israel launched Operation Brother's Keeper during which it arrested some of Hamas' terrorists in that area looking for intel on where those 3 kids were and what happened to them, Hamas fired rockets from Gaza at Israel to get its terrorists released and used terror tunnels, including ones that crossed the border from Gaza into Israel, to kill and kidnap our people. That's what Israel ended up fighting against in Operation Protective Edge), while an Arab leader of ST defines their way as one which rejects "maintaining violent military control over millions of people," but says nothing against the terrorism that's used against millions of Israelis and Jews.

In terms of the recent war, since Oct 7 they have come out calling for a ceasefire now very early on in the war (I can't remember when they started it, but I know by Dec 7, 2023 they'd already put out a vid calling to stop the war, when really the ground operation only started about a month earlier, before it could possibly achieve anything), meaning this call was undermining Israel's right (and duty!) to defend its citizens, and asking us to surrender our goals of returning all the hostages and destroying Hamas' rule (only the latter can prevent Hamas from fulfilling its promise to carry out more massacres of the type that started this war, and has claimed so many lives on both sides). Another thing you can see in that vid is ST participating in spreading the false narrative that Israel is intentionally starving the Gazans (you can see the same thing in this poster, which says in Hebrew, "Thou shalt not starve." It's a poster for humanitarian aid they were supposedly bringing into Gaza, as if the IDF would ever let anyone bring anything they want unchecked into a war zone, or as if the amount of aid a few Israeli cars could bring is more than the hundreds of trucks Israel has been allowing in, checked. ST's just posturing and spreading an anti-Israel libel). Helping to spread a libel against one side is NOT being pro-coexistence. Imagine if they were spreading a libel that all Gazans are Hamas terrorists, and took part in the massacre! I think it's clear that, even if it's not simple to tell them apart, there are people in Gaza who are complicit, and people who are uninvolved and innocent. So if ST were spreading such a libel against Gazans, I'd oppose them. I am not going to do less when ST is spreading a libel against my own people.

I hope one day they correct course, but I can't currently support them. Give me REAL solidarity between Jews and Arabs, which sees and recognizes the humanity of both, not a repeat of the de-humanization of Jews, and a surrender of Jewish rights to an anti-Jewish narrative. That's not real peace, it's not real coexistence, it's a return to the way that we Jews have had to live for centuries in exile: always dependent on the good will (or lack of it) of the majority under whose will we lived, forced to bend ourselves, our rights, our dignity, too often even our very lives, to our subjugators, in the hope (and without any guarantees) that they will show us some kindness.

Many of the movement's leaders have not only expressed themselves in a way that reflects an acceptance of the anti-Israeli narrative, and took one-sided positions I can't agree with, they also acted in ways that have left me feeling quite unsafe.

For example, one of ST's founders, Yeela Raanan, joined and supported the violent Palestinian riots on Israel's border with Gaza, organized by Hamas, meant to breach the border fence, which started in 2018. Today we know these riots were a part of Hamas' preparations for the Oct 7, 2023 massacre, as they were getting the IDF used to them coming closer and closer to the fence. TBH, those of us listening to the statements of Hamas' leaders, we didn't need to wait for the border to be breached in order to know that it would be a bloodbath if they succeed. Sinwar's promise that they will reap out the hearts of Israelis with spoons from our chests was enough. Also, the repeated use during these riots of flags and kites with swastikas was pretty telling. So yeah, I can't trust anyone who supported that.

The movement is also financially supported in part by funds, such as the New Israel Fund, which finances a lot of good causes, but also many anti-Israel ones, and the German fund Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, which supports the antisemitic BDS movement (it's antisemitic first of all because one of its stated goals is to put an end to Israel as a Jewish state, another reason is their use of antisemitic tropes in characterizing the Jewish state).

The ironic thing is that, despite how imbalanced against Israel ST is, it was still the so-called pro-Palestinians who actually started a campaign to boycott the organization. Not because of anything specific ST said or did. It was simply for being an Israeli organization, showing the diversity of Israeli society, which is apparently bad 'coz it "normalizes" Israel's existence. That shows you the anti-Israel nature of this opposition, that no amount of willingness to cooperate with the de-humanization of Jews and erasure of our rights will ever be enough for people whose real motivation is antisemitism, that wishes to see an end to the Jewish state.

I hope this helps, Nonnie! Once more, my apologies for how long it's taken me to reply. Be well!

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[psychologeek]

So, it was 4 children (2, 4, 5, 9-who just had his birthday :( )+3 mothers (2+4 yo are sisters)

The other were eldery women.

Which.

Are important.

But my heart keep praying for my babies to come back home.

(older got used to this world being cruel and evil. Children are still innocent.)

They said this time, there will be more kids.

But Hamas keep playing games, delaying the release and what else.

The Red Cross, who seem to care so much about the imprisoned murderers' conditions, hasn't met any of the other kidnapped people.

(I still don't know if the kid I know would be released today, or ever.)

🙃🙃🙃

This doesn't appear to be fully confirmed yet but it definitely tracks with past "ceasefire" agreement violations by Hamas.

[apiswitchcraft]

tarot and their divinatory meanings (wands)

this post just includes the suit of wands, for the suit of pentacles click here, for the suit of swords click here, for the suit of cups click here, and for the major arcana click here

King of Wands

UPRIGHT: a passionate and energetic person, honest, noble, a good leader, handsome, possibly someone married

REVERSED: a severe and arrogant person, rash and impulsive, prejudiced, intolerant, aggressive in pursuit of gain

Queen of Wands

UPRIGHT: extremely focused and passionate person, successful businessperson, generous, may be a little self-centered, strong sense of individuality

REVERSED: deceit, infidelity, jealousy (especially if the surrounding cards indicate it), otherwise a strict, domineering, overwhelming person

Knight of Wands

UPRIGHT: travel/moving house, a fearless and adventurous person, possibly hard to tie down, flighty, or rash

REVERSED: discord, separation, stagnation/delays, life interrupted

Page of Wands

UPRIGHT: faithful and loyal person, excitement and energy (sometimes too much), inner battles keeping you from acting, a new job/position

REVERSED: bad news, indecision, gossip, someone noncommittal, not pursuing what you want

Ten of Wands

UPRIGHT: heavy burden, success becomes oppressive, taking on others' problems, obstacles overcome, martyr complex

REVERSED: shifting responsibility onto others, selfishness OR release from burdens, burnout

Nine of Wands

UPRIGHT: strength in the face of opposition, changes, deception, temporary ceasefire, be okay with hard work and taking risks

REVERSED: obstacles, calamity, a mistrustful person, illness/disability

Eight of Wands

UPRIGHT: great haste and hope, freedom after a period of inactivity, excitement/surprises, be patient--momentum is building

REVERSED: jealousy, dispute, domestic disputes, guilty conscience, forgive yourself and adapt your strategy

Seven of Wands

UPRIGHT: valor, a fight you have an advantage in, success, hold your ground, set a clear purpose and follow through

REVERSED: perplexity, anxiety, indecision causes loss, being defensive, you can't see the full picture

Six of Wands

UPRIGHT: public acclaim, gain, good news, victory, possibly even egotistic/arrogant behavior, reward for hard work

REVERSED: delay, fear, treachery/disloyalty, doubt in your abilities, feeling unloved/neglected

Five of Wands

UPRIGHT: competition, internal struggle, unsatisfied desires, struggle for wealth

REVERSED: trickery, complexity/contradiction, litigation, avoiding conflict at all costs

Four of Wands

UPRIGHT: harmony, happy and relaxed home, refuge, peace, weddings, pursue love/friendships, support and stability

REVERSED: loss of peace/harmony, dissatisfaction, conflict, fear of commitment, instability

Three of Wands

UPRIGHT: good business, you are in control and have a strong position, a good grasp on the future, travel, opportunities coming your way

REVERSED: failed venture, lack of growth, feeling trapped, disappointment, take time to plan

Two of Wands

UPRIGHT: laying foundations, patience, maturity, make plans for the future, watch and wait, look to the future

REVERSED: lack of prospects/plans for the future, loss of control, impatience/overconfidence

Ace of Wands

UPRIGHT: creation, fertility/birth/family, a beginning--start something new, act now

REVERSED: stagnation, lack of excitement/energy, excessive indulgence and the following decline, a false start

[girlactionfigure]

🟧 YET MORE DEAL NEWS- MORNING Israel News

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

▪️A HERO SOLDIER HAVE FALLEN.. Shlomo Yehonatan Hazut, fell in battle in Gaza.  May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may G-d avenge his blood!

▪️TERROR - BUS BOMBING - JUDEA by Arab town Marah Rabah.. a bomb was thrown and exploded by a civilian Israeli bus near the Arab village of Marah Rabah (east of Gush Etzion), the bus was damaged, there were no casualties.  IDF forces set up roadblocks and searched for suspects.

▪️RELEASED PRISONER.. Report: The terrorist who was killed in yesterday's ramming terror attack in Ariel was a released prisoner. (Meaning released in the round-1 Hamas ceasefire deal.) 

⭕ ROCKET fired (by HAMAS) from GAZA at RISHON L’ZIYON last night.  The military wing of Hamas took responsibility for launching an M90 rocket towards Tel Aviv.  Rocket landed in an open area.  IDF says it struck the launcher and building used by the launch team following the attack.

⭕ DRONE possibly from IRAQI SHIA MILITIAS entered Israeli airspace from the direction of Syria was shot down by air defenses this morning over the southern Golan Heights.  The Shia militias regularly follow up with an announcement that they hit Haifa a day or two later.

🔹IRAN THREATENS.. Commander of the Iranian Air Defense, Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi Fard: "If necessary, we will hit the enemy's heart with our missiles. Iran is the leading air force in the region."

▪️AFTER HEZBOLLAH LEADER’S SPEECH.. supporters of the organization were instructed to take to the streets "and celebrate Hezbollah's powerful response" to the assassination of Fuad Shukr.

▪️UK PAPER SAYS HAMAS LEADER SINWAR.. “forced to flee the tunnels and now hiding in the humanitarian zone disguised as a woman.”  https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1940113/hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-gaza-israel/amp

🔸DEAL NEWS.. Two Egyptian security officials:  "The last round of negotiations in Cairo ended without an agreement. Hamas and Israel did not agree on the proposals of the mediators.

"

.. A source in the US administration said about the talks today: “They were constructive with the goal of reaching a final and implementable agreement, and all parties agreed on a process that will continue in the coming days to move forward with the remaining details and issues.”

.. Hamas senior Osama Hamdan:  The American administration is planting false hopes and talking about an imminent agreement for reasons related to the election campaign.

.. Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq:  The Hamas delegation left Cairo last evening. The delegation demanded to force Israel to commit to what was agreed upon on July 2 (that’s when Hamas and Egypt unilaterally changed the terms).  Hamas is ready to implement July 2 deal.  Any agreement must include a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal from the Strip, the return of the displaced to their homes, the restoration of the Strip and a serious prisoner deal.

▪️COMMENTARY.. In the above news items we have a rocket that missed in the south claimed to have hit Tel Aviv, a drone from Iraq shot down claimed to have hit Haifa, Iran which has very poor air equipment except for rockets and drones declaring themselves the leading Air Force, Hamas who doesn’t budge from what are both Israeli-surrender terms and always adds “restoration of the Strip” - expecting the world to rebuild for them, and Hezbollah celebrating with public crowds an attack that failed.  Propaganda or actual belief?

[workersolidarity]

[ 📹 Palestinian civilians panic and flee with children as Israeli occupation bombs and missiles rain down around them in the Jabalia Refugee Camp, in the North Gaza Governate, on Sunday. With nowhere left to turn to, the Israeli occupation forces target civilians wherever they hide. We had trouble even picking a video for this piece, as no short clip could ever properly display the horrors being inflicted on the local population of the Gaza Strip. ]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

CARPET BOMBING TARGETS NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN GAZA AS "ISRAEL'S" GENOCIDE CONTINUES ON DAY 219

On the 219th day of "Israel's" ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed 8 new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of 63 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, and wounding at least 114 others.

It should be noted that as a result of the constant Israeli bombardment of Gaza's healthcare system, infrastructure, residential and commercial buildings, local paramedic and civil defense crews are unable to recover countless hundreds, even thousands of victims who remain trapped under the rubble, or who's bodies remain strewn across the streets of Gaza.

This leaves the official death toll vastly undercounted, as Gaza's healthcare officials are unable to accurately tally those killed and maimed in this genocide, which must be kept in mind when considering the scale of the mass murder.

"The claim of 'safe zones' [in Gaza] is false and misleading. No place is safe in Gaza. Period."

This is the statement of Phillippe Lazzarini, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), who describes Palestinian families with children, who seek shelter in blown out UNRWA schools and shelters with scorched walls, shattered windows and collapsed foundations following 7 months of bombardment by the Israeli occupation army.

Palestinians of all ages and groups grabbed what few belongings that remained with them through this genocide and began the trek to the next claimed "safe place" as ordered by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), who demand their evacuation from Rafah to the already demolished town of Al-Mawasi, west of Rafah, and to the rubble piles that used to be Khan Yunis, where citizens took shelter in the blown out schools and partially demolished buildings of the UNRWA.

According to the United Nations agency for children, UNICEF, more than 100'000 Palestinians have evacuated Rafah over the last 5 days, as the IOF vastly intensified its air, missile, artillery and drone strikes on the eastern neighborhoods of Gaza's southernmost city, originally depicted as one of the "safe places" designated by the Israeli authorities, and the last city standing in the Palestinian enclave.

"For those of us who are working here, doing everything we can to keep the humanitarian response alive, we remain hopeful our calls for a ceasefire will be heard and acted on," said Hermish Young, a Senior Emergency Coordinator for UNICEF in the Gaza Strip, "but we're also braced for this senseless conflict to continue to shock even the most seasoned of us."

"More than 100'000 people have fled Rafah in the last five days and the stream of displacement continues," Young explained in an interview posted to the social media platform X.

"It's just a tragic situation and there's nowhere safe in Gaza for children," UNICEF's Gaza Coordinator said.

"For five days, no fuel and virtually no humanitarian aid has entered the Gaza Strip. Without fuel, the maternity wards, for example, in the Emirate Hospital, cannot function. And this is while approximately 80 babies are born there everyday," he added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation's bombardment vastly intensified over the last several days, while the occupation army began a new incursion into the Jabalia Refugee Camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, where Palestinian Resistance forces regrouped and reestablished their control, according to the claim of the Zionist authorities who ordered the operation.

According to the occupation media, the 98th Division of the Israeli occupation army entered Jabalia overnight, with Israeli fighter jets and other military aircraft bombing some 30 sites, killing what they claim to be "several [Hamas] operatives."

The IOF claimed it had “intelligence information about the presence of terrorists and the restoration of terror infrastructure of the Hamas terror group in the area.”

At the same time, the occupation army's 162nd Division went on the attack in Rafah, in Gaza's south, still holding the Palestinian side the Rafah border crossing, as well as the Kerem Shalom crossing, preventing any and all aid from entering the enclave, where Palestinian families continue to suffer from extreme food insecurity.

Simultaneously, the Israeli occupation's 99th Division continues operations in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, where the occupation authorities also claim the Hamas Islamic Resistance group has reestablished control.

Across the entirety of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces conducted a total of 150 airstrikes, slaughtering men, women and children alike.

On Saturday evening, occupation warplanes bombed a tent housing a displaced Palestinian family in the Al-Zawaida area, in the central Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of three civilians, and also wounding several others.

In a similar criminal atrocity, Zionist fighter jets bombarded a residential home belonging to the Al-Lawh family in the city of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, murdering 9 civilians and wounding a number of others, including a young girl, and also demolishing their house and damaging nearby properties.

At the same time, another occupation airstrike targeted a civilian home belonging to the Al-Ashram family in the Al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, mass slaughtering more than 10 civilians.

The Israeli occupation's murder campaign further intensified as the Zionist army launched violent barrages of bombs, missiles, drones and artillery fire on neighborhoods east of the Jabalia Camp, in the north of Gaza, killing and wounding large numbers of civilians.

The exact number of civilians killed remains unknown at the time of publishing, due to the continued bombardment of the neighborhood, preventing local paramedic and civil defense crews from reaching the sites of Israeli bombings.

Zionist forces also struck in the vicinity of local shelters in the central areas of the Jabalia Camp, while violent raids targeted the Ahmed bin Hanbal Mosque on Al-Sikka Street, east of Jabalia.

IOF fighter jets were also witnessed bombing the home of journalist Anas al-Sharif, a correstpondant with Al-Jazeera, also in the Jabalia Refugee Camp, marking the 143rd journalist murdered by the Israeli occupation army.

Warplanes belonging to the Israeli occupation forces also targeted several residential homes with massive firebelts, destroying dozens of houses in the northern Gaza Strip.

"Israel's" open genocide of Palestinians continued when Zionist warplanes bombed a residential building belonging to the Al-Hashash family in the Arraiba neighborhood northwest of Rafah City, slaughtering 9 civilians, with most of the victims being children, while several others sustained serious injuries and were taken to the Kuwait Specialized Hospital.

Additionally, occupation aircraft launched violent raids on the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, while Israeli drones took pot shots at ambulances working for a UNRWA medical clinic in the Jabalia Camp.

The mass murder continued when Zionist Apache helicopters fired machine guns towards the outskirts of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, assasinating two Palestinians and wounding five others who were taken to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.

Later, several more violent airstrikes targeted civilian residences in the vicinity of the Hassan Al-Banna Mosque, in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, martyring one Palestinian and wounding at least six others, who were also taken to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.

In yet another tragedy, local civil defense crews recovered the bodies of Dr. Mohammed Nemer Qazaat, a local physician, and his son, Dr. Yousef, also a medical doctor, after Israeli fighter jets bombed their home in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza.

The father and son doctor pair, originally from the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, were displaced and seeking shelter in Deir al-Balah at the time of their murder.

The Israeli occupation's genocide didn't stop there, the mass murder continued on Sunday morning when Israeli warplanes inflicted endless barrages of air and missile strikes on other various areas of Gaza.

As a result of the occupation's intense airstrikes on the town of Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, the bodies of no less than 12 Palestinian civilians were brought to Kamal Adwan Hospital in the same town, while dozens of others are feared to be trapped under the rubble of their homes and shelters.

At the same time, the Israeli occupation army expanded its ground operations in the Northern Gaza Governate, with incursions threatening Beit Hanoun and Jabalia, while occupation air forces bombarded schools sheltering displaced Palestinian families.

Additionally, in Gaza's south, medical sources with the Kuwait Specialized Hospital reported receiving 18 martyrs and 6 wounded civilians over the previous 24-hours, while the occupation's bombardment still continues in the area at the time of publishing.

Simultaneously, Zionist artillery detatchments shelled the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood once again, where at least 16 civilians are estimated to still be trapped under the rubble of their flattened neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.

In the Central Gaza Governate, Israeli occupation Merkava tanks fired tank shells into Palestinian homes and buildings in neighborhoods east of Deir al-Balah and Al-Maghazi, though luckily, no casualties were reported in the shelling as of yet.

In further Zionist assaults on Gaza City, IOF fighter jets bombed multiple citizens' homes in violent firebelts on the Al-Sabra neighborhood, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinians, including at least one woman, while occupation artillery and helicopters continue firing on buildings in the Jabalia Camp, targeting anything that moves in the area.

Further attacks targeted the Al-Bureij Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, targeting residential homes in intense waves of bombings.

In response to the war crimes of the Israeli occupation, the Palestinian Resistance fired two missiles from the Gaza Strip into the city of Ashkelon, north of Gaza, in the occupied Palestinian territories, causing air raid alert to sound.

As a result of the attack, the occupation's Iron Dome air defense system shot down one of the missiles, while the other missile demolished an Israeli house and wounded at least three Israeli colonists.

As a result of the Israeli occupation's ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the death toll among the local Palestinian population has risen to exceed 35'034 civilians killed, including upwards of 14'690 children and over 10'000 women, while another 78'755 others have been wounded since the start of the current round of Zionist aggression, beginning with the events of October 7th, 2023.

May 12th, 2024.

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@WorkerSolidarityNews

[redshift-starfire]

Getting my thoughts on the election out since I've been seeing some squabbling on my dash and I wanna make a futile attempt at clearing shit up that probably won't change anyone's mind

I'm gonna get the president shit out of the way first. Just vote for the genocide woman if you live in a swing state. We (leftists) all hate her, we are all aware that she won't stop the suffering going on in Gaza or Lebanon or anywhere else and she's not going to do much good here. I don't like voting against my morals or best interest, but that was never an option for us. Our voting system is first-past-the-post, winner takes all, so if we don't ensure that the genocidal cop woman with some good policy doesn't get into that office, then we WILL get genocidal old orange billionaire "man" who is hellbent on making everything infinitely worse. It's much easier to bully the former into ending the genocide than the latter. The latter will get you shot by the national guard. Vote strategically then bully relentlessly. We need to get our shit together if we want things to change for the better.

But more importantly:

THERE'S MORE ON THE BALLOT THAN JUST THE PRESIDENT

Do not fucking forget about Congress and how much of a hand they play in all this. God fucking forbid the GOP get another trifecta, if they do it's fucking over, we can't let that happen again. Conservatives are going out in droves to vote early and we need to beat that. A dem majority (especially a supermajority) would make it infinitely easier for the progressive caucus to get their bills through. And that would make many things possible, including better border policy and a ceasefire. This is the best outcome we can hope to have.

VOTE FUCKING LOCAL

I've seen people talking a lot about conservative maniacs in office. THIS IS WHERE THEY ARE. GET. THEM. OUT. This election has State and Federal Senate and House seats up for grabs, Governors, Mayors, County Officials, Sheriffs. All people who have a much greater force on your personal material life than whoever's ass gets sat at that one chair in that one old ass building in DC. This is the one place in American politics where Socialist and Green party candidates are even anywhere close to viable right now and it's how we can get them to be more viable in the future. Do research and make your voice heard in your local area and conditions will improve no matter who the president is. Especially if you show up for primaries and runoffs. There's an independent journalist who makes leftist voting guides for my area and that's what I used to figure out who best to vote for (much more useful for primaries).

DO OTHER SHIT TOO

This is where you can do whatever really, so long as it helps. Poll watch to make sure the GOP doesn't try and completely derail this one. Cure ballots to make sure they're counted. Protest. Scream at people. Join a militia. Strike. Plan the revolution. Boycott. Jack off on Ronald Reagan's grave and post an image of the result on every social media site with the caption: "I'm doing my part!" Whatever. Go fucking wild. The most important thing is that you bully the shit out of whoever is in office until they do something. We by no means should only be doing one thing to shape this society into one we like. Reform/revolution is a false dichotomy. If we do both at the same time, one of them will work.

Do not let them know peace.

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

The situation in Gaza is obviously still horrific, but there are a few things that may represent glimmers of hope.

The EU is looking at sending humanitarian aid to Gaza via sea from Cyprus- whilst this faces a number of practical problems, such as the lack of ports in Gaza it presents a very interesting possibility. Do Israel refuse the EU, and risk losing backing from that quarter? Do they blockade EU ships? I think they'd be under a lot of pressure to let them through, which ultimately would be a good thing and would hopefully do something to ease the crisis in Gaza.

Secondly, Israel have acknowledged growing calls for a ceasefire. Eli Cohen, the foreign minister is reported in saying at a press briefing the calls are "not strong" but the pressure is increasing. He estimated Israel had 2-3 weeks before there would be serious pressure in place.

This isn't happening because of political leaders, it's happening because of the people- because people are consistently refusing to look away from Gaza, refusing to ignore the situation, and making it clear to politicians they cannot do them same. We've already seen Macron change his stance. If we keep going, then more political leaders will do the same and the pressure on Israel will become too much for them to resist.

We have to keep putting the pressure on our governments, and telling them we will not ignore this issue. Keep marching, keep occupying, keep blockading- even, yes, keep posting about the issue online, because ultimately it does have an impact.

In general, I don't usually think contacting MPs (or your local equivalent is worthwhile), but I do think if we can follow all avenues, to show the world will not get bored and look away whilst a genocide happens, that matters. For now, no matter what you think in terms of wider solutions (and we must not ignore the end goal), we can keep the message consistent- Let aid into Gaza, and call for an immediate ceasefire.

Source for both pieces of news is the Guardian live blog here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/nov/13/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-al-shifa-hospital-who-us-strikes-syria-palestine?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-6552504a8f080565011b49ac#block-6552504a8f080565011b49ac

[whatifsandspheres]

One of the things I hate about these recent conflicts in cultural terms, not in terms of lives lost or inhumanity, is the fact that instead of getting more people to question and stop believing in countries and nations it's gotten people to double down on nationalism and statism. Especially for younger people I had hoped the result would be a shift toward a new paradigm where even more people would-- together with the help of technology-- realize how outdated and backwards, uncivilized and inherently divisive borders and nation states are and how the state needs to not only be ripped from the nation, but that all its contrived organs of government be vivisected from its tumorous parasitic bodies and washed clean, some put into use, others discarded. When I say things like nobody deserves to live in the "holy land" it's not because the Palestinians don't deserve and haven't proven they deserve to live in their ancestral land, no. I say it because I know the hate and the fervor that the Zionists have and how they will perpetuate a Nazi-like trans-generational animosity toward whoever stands in the way of their self-entitlement. Just like before the official formation of the state of Israel and the attacks on Jewish communities in other parts of the world in order to artificially create migration of Jewish people to Palestine-- the Zionist hate resembles the Nazi hate. The divisions between Ukraine and Russia have always been present from what I've read, but Western Europe seriously exploited them. After this I see polarization, not union as there could potentially have been before 2014. The way the UN is handling these situations in failing to enforce ceasefires without any conditions, unconditional ceasefires, shows it hardly serves the global interests at all, and it exposes itself as a farce of a governing body for all but USA and it's favored partners. The Congo basin and surrounding countries are overflowing with violence and the world leadership seems to be more interested in securing a slice of the mineral wealth that those people are being massacred and genocidally slaughtered. Nobody is casting into doubt the state? The nation as a concept which has only failed and failed and failed even if it managed to drag civilization this whole way limping and leeching off of humanity? It's a vestige, it needs to be euthanized. We are a global species. Borders don't protect diversity, they nurse hegemony that's too lethargic and weak to compete with how dignified our cultures can coexist with each other when we aren't artificially pitted against each other with excuses and false pretenses. I'm disappointed in the youth, but it's the older generations like mine which are truly to blame.

[fiercefauna]

@tiredsn0w - here’s the second part. Chapter’s 4-5 roughly the same length as the first. Take your time with it okay, I’m currently working on other things and this is a background project. To anyone else - this is a series about 6118, first part is lower down.

Part 4. 

“Savages! No knowledge of heal! No knowledge!” The apparition that emerged from the medical suite now spoke a broken standard dialect and seemed intent on leaving. Tasha had seen images of this thing before, it was Terran but it wasn’t human, not exactly; it had human legs and plantigrade feet though, so it was probably at least related. 

She addressed it in what she hoped was impeccable English. “I’m sorry but the gravity and oxygen levels are different here. It may be causing some problems in there. You’ll need to let us help you figure out what’s wrong.” 

“He was doing some kind of surgical work on his own brain, ma’am.” Offered one of the other doctors. “We found him seized up, bleeding from his left eye. These are the tools he was using.” The primitive implements - red with alien blood, were unexpected, and their hints at what the ragged creature may have been attempting, sickening. 

She looked at the “Doctor” itself; the armored, white facial mask, the semirigid beak structure for filtration with a small mouth likely tucked underneath it, and the bioengineered containment suit. This was some human equivalent of a Two, but with a medical rather than martial function. Had some lost technology allowed the Terran to create this only to abandon it after it had become obsolete? 

“This is a dangerous and drastic procedure with uncertain merits. If you’re suffering neurologically, I’ve learned enough about the brains of terrestrial people to perform tests and am licensed to recommend medication.”  

The Doctor sniffed. “Where are my things?” 

A black bag was brought to him and he began to rummage through it. 

One of the other doctors discreetly whispered in Tasha’s direction. 

“It’s empty, we checked.”

“To what extent were you able to examine him while he was seized?” Tasha was handed a data chip that she plugged into her phone. The “Doctor” clutched his bag like a security blanket. “Will you be leaving?”

“Yes” she sighed. She collected her things and guessed they’d probably let her go. 

Part 5. 

That damn Two medic planted her on a bench between display columns covered in large, native lichen composites. “What was that?” It buzzed through the face plate. “All you did was talk to him.” 

“What could I have done that the others haven’t done already? He seems fine now, perhaps if I check the data from this incident I can get a better idea. Clearly, the guy self-harms so I’d put him under observation.” The Two nodded solemnly, relaxing their grip. “I think you should stay awhile in case something else happens.”

There was shouting behind the Two. The beaked alien was clutching a view screen like floating debris. “No, no, no, no, is false!, Is picture! Need to see real!” 

The voice of 5a82 replied from the view screen. 5a82, the Asu, the cure, global savior and fulcrum of the recent ceasefire, was quartered at this facility. Knowing that, was one thing, hearing his voice in real time was another.  

“Stay strong for me alright? We can see each other again next week. The sooner I get this done, the better.” 

5a82 almost bit the hand that took his view screen. The attendant shrieked “That’s brilliant!” and ran off to share the footage with the propaganda department. The guards in the hall put their fists to their chests, as the view screen and It’s precious sound file was carried past. It was so hard to get bangers out of the Murder Messiah.  

7cb7 stepped out of the corner of the stark and empty room, normally used for interrogation, and put their hands on the shoulders of Kepler’s best hope. (The name of this planet simply meant “world” so the term Kepler was used when explaining things to English speaking Terran) 

“I’m sorry I did this to you. I just thought - everyone thought, you had died on Earth. I - didn’t think you’d be hurt by any of it.”

“I’m a war-criminal. You couldn’t have lionized any of the people I killed?” 

“The fact you worked for the Federation and turned so dramatically to the aid of the Resistance seems to validate the merits of Twos and Twos are the darlings of the Feds. They seem to want to get out of this war at least looking like they won it.” 

“What’s all of this going to mean for him? 

“Everyone around you has ulterior motives, and you’re worried about him?” 

7cb7 stepped around to face the ex-assassin, glaring like a vengeful ghost.

The whirring of their prosthetic legs and hands often held in fists to manage nerve pain associated with regenerated limbs, recalled the event, - the event 5a82 had personally witnessed. It was not the kind of thing that anyone usually survived and it had made 7cb7 an Asu in their own right all through the blind luck of biology and ballistics, though the mad Doctor would claim otherwise.  

“What is he even? Bodies don’t evolve to look like his. There is some kind of uniform built into him and it doesn’t look at all like what a Terran might typically call a doctor. He was made - for a purpose!” The rebel One paused, realizing they’d spoken ill of lifeforms engineered for dubious “purposes.” Fortunately, the highly defective super soldier was still on the topic of his boyfriend. 

“He is or was some kind of scientist. I’ve seen him do incredible things. He likes to study anatomy so, maybe bring him some preserved local lifeforms? Earth people freak out if they get ahold of so much as one alien - for him this whole world is aliens. Why hasn’t anyone at least given him a tour?” 

7cb7 gritted their pointed, interlocking teeth. “I can make some calls, but behave yourself till I get back. 

Part 6.  

Tasha slipped past oncoming foot traffic as she headed for the exit. It seemed the rebel compound employed additional staff at certain times of the day, staff quartered elsewhere between shifts. 

That Two was still hovering around. The Feds had started sending these things to kill people shortly before the ceasefire. The apparent allegiance of this individual to the rebels did not make her feel any better, for her official allegiance was currently to the Feds, and secretly to no one. 

It glided through the crowd like a pathra pursuing prey through dense trees, its relatively large size not at all a hindrance. It waited until she was outside and out of the way to hand her a phone. She took the call without thinking. “They weren’t expecting the beaked guy to live, plans have been made that don’t involve lovebirds.”

“I’m not babysitting public figures anymore! I thought I made that clear!” Tasha hissed under her breath, hoping the weight of words like “Public Figures” might frighten off whoever this was and the favor they were about to ask. 

“He’s very important to 5a82, and technically an asset for that reason. 4b80 will continue to accompany you for the time being. It doesn’t seem to like our friend either. Just try to be nice to the Doctor alright, he’s been re-structured toward some kind of lab work so letting him play with dead animals all day could keep him busy. He’s waiting at the Westside Monument, which was where we were going to put him one way or another.”

The phone made a noise and the Two took it back. It didn’t return to the building though, but just stood there, unmoving. After a staring contest lasting at least a minute it buzzed, “I think you’ve seen enough of the Doctor to understand why letting him run around loose might not be wise.”

“You’d mean they’d just - ’’ 

“We are spread thin in there as it is, the Federation wants 5a82 back real bad, the main council room is full of enough passive aggression to freeze a fart.” 

Hearing a word like “Fart” out of a Two brought down upon Tasha the full gravity of the situation. It started to move, and she followed. 

Tasha saw that 4b80 was considering a capped syringe. The color coding was for alternate species, with an anthropoid shape beside an Earth symbol. 

“Do you really think that will be necessary?” 

The syringe disappeared so quickly it may have been cut from reality’s fabric by a divine editor. “Word is, the Terran were keeping this thing at some kind of asylum. We looked into it, and there is a grain of truth.”

“He could have been working there.”

“Five-aye was there also. If this thing was working there and a relationship formed with a patient that’s already concerning. The Asu has a special immune system. This thing seems to be made for bio-hazardous study. I don’t think he’s in love, I think he’s fixated.” 

“I don’t know this ‘Asu’ person outside of news reports and a brief encounter where my sibling provided him with a lavender plant. I was told this ‘049 Doctor’ was important to him.”

Forby stopped. Before them was a table made of artfully stacked war rubble, upon which a heap of decomposing flowers lay. 

“Where is he?”

Forby sighed as it strided off. “I’m looking!”

[chimaeraonwards]

Batang Kali Massacre in Colonial Malaya

Today Al Jazeera published an article about the Batang Kali massacre in colonial Malaya (now known as Malaysia) where 24 innocent people were killed by British forces.

I won't go into the details of the atrocities committed by the British in Batang Kali here (i suggest you go read the actual article on Al Jazeera). But I do want to share the following excerpt:

The British forces falsely accused these innocent people of being communists to justify murdering them. To this day, the families of the deceased have not received any justice.

The article goes on to describe how halfway around the world in Ireland, the same injustices occurred:

It talks about the similar incident, the Ballymurphy massacre in Belfast, and how in 2021 they were able to get legal justice.

In my opinion, I think these incidents is an eerie parallel to what the Israeli forces is currently doing to the people of Palestine - killing them and then justifying it by saying they were Hamas or hiding Hamas. Or committing crimes and then labeling the victims as Hamas to justify it.

None of this happens in a vacuum. It is all interconnected.

I don't think people understand the long lasting multi-generational impact this kind of horrific acts have on victims and their families. This is an excerpt from the Batang Kali article that describes that:

Colonization impacts people for generations. On a personal level, my grandparents and others in their generation were all impacted by the British colonization and Japanese occupation of Malaya.

Our grandparents were once young people living in occupation. They were young girls hiding from the military to avoid becoming comfort women. They were young boys who were made to do forced labour by the occupiers. Young people who fought and rallied for our freedoms today. They survived for our freedom.

History is already repeating itself in Palestine. Justice for Palestinians does not stop at a ceasefire - just as it did not stop at the end of World War II or after Malaysian and Irish independence. But we have to start somewhere.

And to any Palestinian reading this, in some weird way, I hope that this may bring you hope. These atrocities happened over and over again throughout history and yet, here we are - our people survived. I am here and you are here. Isn't that beautiful? I hope you know that you are not alone in this fight. Its not pretty and its not immediate, but justice will prevail and Palestine will be free in our lifetime.

Ceasefire now.

You can read about the Al Jazeera article about the Batang Kali massacre here:

[readingsquotes]

"Student protesters across the country exhibit a moral and physical courage — many are facing suspension and expulsion — that shames every major institution in the country. They are dangerous not because they disrupt campus life or engage in attacks on Jewish students —  many of those protesting are Jewish — but because they expose the abject failure by the ruling elites and their institutions to halt genocide, the crime of crimes. These students watch, like most of us, Israel’s live-streamed slaughter of the Palestinian people. But unlike most of us, they act. Their voices and protests are a potent counterpoint to the moral bankruptcy that surrounds them.

Not one university president has denounced Israel’s destruction of every university in Gaza. Not one university president has called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Not one university president has used the words “apartheid” or “genocide.” Not one university president has called for sanctions and divestment from Israel.   

Instead, heads of these academic institutions grovel supinely before wealthy donors, corporations — including weapons manufacturers — and rabid right-wing politicians. They reframe the debate around harm to Jews rather than the daily slaughter of Palestinians, including thousands of children. They have allowed the abusers — the Zionist state and its supporters — to paint themselves as victims. This false narrative, which focuses on anti-Semitism, allows the centers of power, including the media, to block out the real issue — genocide. It contaminates the debate. It is a classic case of “reactive abuse.” Raise your voice to decry injustice, react to prolonged abuse, attempt to resist, and the abuser suddenly transforms themself into the aggrieved.

Princeton University, like other universities across the country, is determined to halt encampments calling for an end to the genocide. This, it appears, is a coordinated effort by universities across the country.  

...

There are many shameful periods in American history. The genocide we carried out against indigenous peoples. Slavery. The violent suppression of the labor movement that saw hundreds of workers killed. Lynching. Jim and Jane Crow. Vietnam. Iraq. Afghanistan. Libya. 

The genocide in Gaza, which we fund and support, is of such monstrous proportions that it will achieve a prominent place in this pantheon of crimes. 

[ramonasbff]

I accidentally deleted your ask anyway Simone posted about a ceasefire while JB and his team are busy deleting comments about Palestine on his instagram page 🤡🤡

Then you have his fans trying to forget his trip to Israel happened, the same fans who wrote long ass posts about his instagram photo dumping of Israel . It is any wonder they are pretending to miss the point of what I’m saying about FT? They are just pissed cause truth hurts and they wanted to celebrate the show in piece, I bet they’re crying about the timing

it's ok. i didn't notice. They are a professional pr team. VERY dedicated to creating false perseption and attracting fans from different groups. (Unlike Simone who might as well not have a pr team. seriously). Which is fine but the part where they r pissing and saying it's raining?! I hope they got the message that was too much

[hellsbellschime]

Thoughts on what’s happening in Palestine?

I've been reluctant to make any specific comments on it because I've seen and been sent a lot of unverified information/potential misinformation and I don't want to spread anything false around, and because, while it's insane and I don't want to be afraid to speak my mind or potentially say the wrong thing, I am now at a point in social media world where people will look at things I've said before and use them against me. So I have to not just think about what I think now, but I have to think about whether or not this could negatively affect me five years from now, and that has made me more reluctant to say anything definitive because ultimately, I could be wrong, and I both don't want to get into drama because I'm ill-informed and I don't want to be seen as platforming opinions that I don't even agree with because I don't know enough about what I'm talking about.

But with all that said, I think it's tragic and unnecessary and frightening and sad. It's obvious that the Israeli government is using an actual terrorist attack from an organization that does outwardly say that it wants to kill all Jewish people as a sword and shield to brutalize and murder innocent Gazans, most of whom are children, and to take more control over a region that they already treat like garbage, exercise way too much control over, and that they terrorize constantly as a matter of literal political policy, and that's disgusting. It's an absolute nightmare that Palestinians have been constantly terrorized and maimed and murdered simply because keeping Palestine destabilized serves the worst actors who seek to exploit atrocities for their own gain, and it's sad that this untenable situation is now being made even more horrifying and cruel because once again, the worst actors are exploiting an atrocity to excuse brutality that is orders of magnitude worse than the atrocity that is being used to excuse it.

I'm glad that people are speaking out against it, and I'm extremely upset that the US is now providing a truly insane amount of support to further violently subjugate people who are already violently subjugated beyond comprehension anyway. I hope that the calls for a ceasefire grow louder and actually work, and I hope that the added attention to this issue finally forces some progress toward a legitimate solution that will allow Palestine to actually build up their own working state and will enable Palestinians to live a life free from the control of the Israeli government.

[nclkafilms]

When your dream becomes your nightmare

(Review of ‘Im Westen nichts Neues’ watched on the 31st of January 2023)

‘Im Westen nichts Neues’ or ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ as it is known as in non-German areas has been sneaking up on the ongoing awards season. From being a player in the International Film category to then starting to pop up in the technical categories, and now, ultimately, it has ended up as being one of the biggest players of the season with 14 BAFTA nominations and 9 Oscar nominations. An impressive trajectory for the German film, which of course is based on the famous book that previously led to 2 Oscar wins from 4 nominations for Lewis Milestone’s 1930 version of the book. This time, as stated, it is a German production, which tells the gripping story of young Paul and his friends in the last year’s of WWI, and director Edward Berger has created one of the most heavy-hitting war films of recent years.

In the beginning we meet 17-year old Paul Bäumer along with his friends as they prepare to enroll themselves in the German army in 1917. Paul has not received his parents’ written consent, but a forged signature later and he’s ready to join the pride of the nation as they prepare for the final weeks of war before finally marching into Paris as national heroes and winners of the war. At least that is the story, that the boys have been fed and the dream they all have as they are hyped for the adventure that awaits them along with thousands of other young souls. Little do they know about the true nature of what awaits them on the western front, and as such these scenes of young pride and excitement are equally devastating and infuriating to observe. What follows is a story with two focus points: the story of Paul and his friends participating in the truly horrific battles of the frontline and a political story in a luxurious train wagon far away from bullets and grenades as officials from France and Germany negotiate the ceasefire and ultimate surrender of Germany finally agreed upon on the 11th of November 1918. 

With the film coming out just a few years after Sam Mendes brought our attention to WWI with his suspenseful ‘1917’ comparisons between the two of them are obvious to make. Especially as both stories try to tell the story of the actual (in both cases very young) men taking part in the devastating battles caught in a game that they have no control of. However, the way they decide to tell their stories are substantially different. While Mendes’ film succeeded as a suspense thriller thanks to its groundbreaking cinematography and a classic heroic tale, Berger’s re-telling of All Quiet has no interest in painting any heroic story. Of course, it’s always the winner, who gets to tell the stories and as such it is also hard to imagine a heroic take on a young German soldier would go down well today. But the facts that Paul is never portrayed as a hero and that Berger allows him to make despicable choices on the battlefield, makes the film’s anti-war story so much stronger, when we still end up hoping for Paul’s survival. He is neither an evil person nor a flawless hero; more than anything he is a confused, deluded young man caught in a dream that quickly shows itself as his worst nightmare. Caught between becoming the man his surroundings demand him to be in order to survive and defending his central human values, Paul becomes a symbol of the millions of young men from all countries who joined the war (and any other war for that matter) on false pretences only to have their lives altered forever. 

Made clear by the themes discussed above, Paul is a very complex character, and the work that Felix Kammerer does with this character is nothing short of spectacular. It seems impossible to believe that this marks his first feature film role. With a slender physical presence, he carries the film on his shoulders as he confidently navigates his way through physically demanding battle scenes, emotionally nuanced moments of reflection and haunting encounters throughout. One scene in particular involving Paul and a French soldier in a crater on the battlefield highlights the film’s biggest strength in my opinion: showing the brief moments of humanity in the bleakest of moments. The moment where Paul realise the nature of what’s going on, is Kemmerer’s finest acting in the film as he within seconds switches from a horrifyingly primitive state of mind to heartbreaking clear-sightedness. In addition to Kammerer, all the actors portraying Paul’s friends and company deliver fine work, but it is well-deserved that Albrecht Schuch as Stanislaus Katczinsky (or simply Kat) has received the biggest attention as he too manages to balance the nuances of their characters perfectly. It would have been so easy to fall into the trap of either making these characters completely unlikeable because of the sheer horror of their actions or awkwardly heroic completely ignoring said actions. It deserves recognition that the film’s main cast manages to balance this complexity as well as they do.

This, of course, also hints at great directing by Edward Berger who has made many clever choices with his film. He does, however, also make some questionable choices. For instance, I get the reason behind showing the ongoing “peace” negotiations along with the war horrors. It clearly serves a purpose by highlighting the absurd nature of the war where young, unsuspecting men play the parts of pawns in a deadly game of chess controlled by the generals, marshals and politicians operating in luxury far away from danger. However, these scenes never feel as fulfilling or interesting as the rest of the film. They feel like a slightly different film and I think it would have worked better if Berger had found a different way of portraying this contrast of the war. It could have been by showing us parts of the reasons why Paul and his friends were led to believe that they were joining the army to become heroes. What stories were they told, how were they told and by who? That could have served the same purpose while keeping our focus on Paul’s arc. 

While this perhaps hints at some issues with the film’s screenplay and Berger’s realisation of this, his realisation of his technical visions leaves nothing to be desired. He has created what feels like the bleakest and most harrowing depiction of war in recent years thanks to stunning cinematography, effective VFX and makeup and a fresh, haunting score. First of all, the cinematography is stunning: you feel the chaotic and claustrophobic horrors of the battles through great action filming, but we are also treated to some stunning night scenes, where I couldn’t help but feel that James Friend had been inspired by Roger Deakins’ work on ‘1917’. The VFX are supporting and often invisible, but they help make the battles scenes feel realistically scary as explosions occur and gun wounds appear naturally. These things of course also gives a lot of work to the make-up department, which have created numerous wounds and injuries through prosthetics, but it is perhaps the make-up that shows the battlefield’s marks on Paul that is the most impressive with Kammerer’s face often hidden behind layers of mud, ashes and blood. Finally, Volker Bertelmann’s score feels fresh and new for a war movie. I first listened to it before watching the film and it reminded me more of a sci-fi score, but it worked really well and it’s ominous and surprising use of sounds helped me get invested in the story. A really cool score!

All in all, the many praises that ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ has received are well-deserved as Edward Berger and his team has managed to create a devastating, haunting and (sadly) highly relevant depiction of war and the many horrors it inflicts on the people who are often closest to the dangers and consequences of it and furthest away from having any meaningful influence on its outcome. As such Berger’s retelling of the 1929 novel is every bit as relevant today as it was when Erich Maria Remarque wrote it based on his own experiences in WWI. We still struggle with war, and on a daily basis we are shown how the decisions of the most powerful inflicts irreparable consequences for the lives of their own people. And as such the ambiguity of the German title “Im Westen nichts Neues” is extremely fitting. Much like the soldiers in the film, Berger’s film is not without flaws, though. However, it surely will find its place among other big films that try to warn us about the human consequences of the constant desire for more power, more victories and more national glory. Because sadly, nothing’s new on that front. 

4/5