#the world must be freed from hamas

[zingay]

Do not conflate Jewish people with Israel and do not conflate Palestinians with Hamas. Criticising the Israeli government + military and Hamas is completely fair, but you must criticise both for their actions. Don't pin everything that's happening on Hamas alone like I'm seeing people do because everything Hamas does is immediately linked to the Israeli government.

Israel's cruelty created Hamas, and Netanyahu funded and uplifted them to power to get rid of other "more acceptable" Palestinian groups like the PLO to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. This serves the purpose of turning the world against Palestine and to separate Gaza and the West Bank. They then forced Gaza into an open-air prison, and no election has been held since 2006 to allow the Palestinian people of Gaza to choose their representatives.

X (paid article) X

Palestinian people have attempted peaceful negotiations and protests in the past, the most notable being the 2018 protest, The Great March of Return. Protests that took place on Fridays to fight for the right to return to their stolen homes and to end the illegal blockade of Gaza (which remains to this day). Israel responded with violence, using snipers to kill and injure protestors. Many women and children were killed or disabled as a result.

X X

Many Jewish people in and out of the state of Israel are antizionist and do not support the occupation of Palestine. This has been the cause of many raids by the Israeli police. Jewish people around the world have spoken up and protested against the Israeli government, calling zionism itself antisemitism.

X X X (highly recommend going through this account)

No matter what the Israeli government cosplays as, it will never be a democracy or a safe place for Jewish people if people are not allowed to protest or criticise the government. Netanyahu's approval continues to drop after months of protest against the proposal to reduce the power of the Supreme Court, giving more power to the government. This has been destroying the illusion of Israel as a democratic state.

X

X

This part is purely based on my snd others' suspicions as it is based on much more recent events and information, but also past actions of the Israeli government. But considering the warning that Israel has received from Egypt days before the October 7th attacks (X), and the sudden change in location of the Universo Paralello Festival 2 days before the event (X), you might question if this was on purpose to both distract from the Israeli's protests and police raids against them and get rid of the Palestinians.

Standing with Palestine is standing against zionism and genocide. Standing with Israel is standing with violence and antisemetism.

We will get nowhere if we continue allowing people to believe all Palestinians are terrorists and that all Jewish people are zionists. We can deal with groups like Hamas later. We can deal with violent zionists later. As we've seen, none of this can be done humanely before Palestine is freed.

[girlactionfigure]

The “Villa in the Jungle” is Unsustainable.

Western elites would like to live in a society based on a derivative of Christian morality, even though most of them have left Christianity behind. They believe that all human beings must be given the same basic rights simply by virtue of being human. They hate violence but believe it should be treated with understanding, and criminal behavior with rehabilitation at best and isolation at worst. For them, revenge is an atavistic act that has no place in civilized society. Honor is something that one pays lip service to, but gaining or losing it has no real consequences. Religion is a private matter that must be subservient to secular authority. Government is based on consent. They aspire to a world run according to these principles, governed by impartial international law and democratic institutions to enforce it. They believe that these values are so obviously superior that social evolution will ultimately bring them to infuse the world, and that opposing ideologies are bound to disappear.

Until 7 October 2023 many Israelis shared this view. They understood that their neighbors did not, but believed that in the fullness of time, if Israel showed restraint and was prepared to compromise, they would see that peace was preferable to war and mutually beneficial.

But the idea of global social progress toward Western norms is a myth and always has been. October 7 was a massive shock to Israelis, an even stronger one than post-Oslo terrorism and the Second Intifada. And finally there seems to be the beginning of a change in consciousness here. The “conseptzia” that it was possible to buy off our enemies with promises of economic prosperity (a huge insult to them, by the way) has finally lost currency. The idea that only the ideologues of Hamas or the PLO want to destroy us, while the majority of “ordinary Palestinians” just desire economic and physical security, has exploded like their rockets and RPGs. Israelis are finally beginning to understand that it requires a different outlook to defend a villa in the jungle than a cottage in Switzerland.

Since before the beginning of the state, Jews here have understood that they live in the Middle East, not the Alps. Military preparedness has been a given. But now the average Israeli is coming to understand that a psychological or spiritual change is also needed. A post-Christian European morality is detrimental to survival here.

Just one example should make this clear. Israel is holding thousands of Palestinian terrorists in its prisons, many of them murderers and even mass murderers. Some of them are serving multiple life sentences. But our prisons try to meet international (i.e., post-Christian European) standards, and convicts are treated relatively well, allowed to govern themselves, given adequate food, and so on. Their families receive regular stipends from the Palestinian Authority, money which comes to the PA from various international donors, particularly the US (in violation of US law).

Most importantly, the “life sentences” last only until the next “prisoner exchange,” or rather, the next time Israel is extorted to trade terrorists for hostages. Both Ahlam Tamimi, the mastermind of the 2001 Sbarro Pizza bombing in which 15 Jews were murdered, and Yahya Sinwar, the architect of October 7, were released from prison in 2011, two among 1027 prisoners freed in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.

Any day now we are expecting that a similar, probably even larger, release of prisoners will be announced, in return for a few of the hostages in the hands of Hamas. Like a rupturing tumor that spreads its cancerous cells throughout the body, these creatures will flock to reconstitute Hamas and other terror groups throughout the land, rendering the sacrifices of our soldiers and police to apprehended them null and void.

To survive in the Middle East we have to be, in some ways, Middle Eastern. And Middle Easterners don’t suffer terrorist murderers to live, much less treat them kindly and release masses of them every few years.

Most ordinary Israelis get this now, and even a few of our politicians and generals. But most of the media, the legal and academic establishments, and a hard core of fanatics for whom deposing the Prime Minister is more important than the survival of the state, are still attending the moral garden party in the villa. The Israeli media especially are guilty of demanding a virtual surrender to Hamas in return for a handful of their hostages.

Most of the world, probably including the Western heads of state that publicly demand it, knows that this is stupid. The world, as a matter of fact, does not act according to the post-Christian moral system; the majority of UN members don’t even pay lip service to it. And yet, Israel is expected to be a “light unto nations” according to a foreign concept of morality espoused by countries like the USA, which has a third of a billion inhabitants and is protected from invasion by two oceans1.

Our approach must change. We can’t continue to be a “villa,” an isolated outpost of the West, but we must become part of the Middle East. I am not saying we should become like the Arabs, but there is a Jewish tradition that predates Hellenism and the diaspora that can serve as a model.

The ancient Hebrews fought the Canaanites without mercy. There was no possibility of a two-state solution; for one tribe to live here, the others had to go. When Amalek attacked the people of Israel on their way to their land, bribing them to stop murdering us was not considered. I would not argue that Israel should follow the Torah as a guide to action. It wouldn’t convince those who don’t believe, and those who do already agree with me.

But you could do worse if you are looking for advice about how to possess and occupy the Land of Israel, and how to deal with implacable enemies. ___________________________________ 1 But which is nevertheless being destroyed from within thanks to its adherence to these values.

Victor Rosenthal

Abu Yehuda

[radmalenia]

Most retarded zionist shit I've seen. Cringe settler moment

Ah...wow. This response will be a little lengthy. There is a shit ton to unpack in these two braindead sentences and I won't even get to it all here.

So first off, you used an ableist slur. Great start /s.

Second, you must have seen a post on my blog earlier with a message that boiled down to - "Hamas have done Very Bad Things, and intend to do more if they can (specifically to Jewish Israelis;) and so they must be seen for what they are and stopped" - Because that's all I can remember reposting in the last few weeks concerning this conflict. So apparently you decided that wanting them stopped is "Zionist"?? Not only that but some of the most dumb "Zionist" shit you've seen?

...I'm not buying that. It feels like you're just saying bullshit to be inflammatory.

And it seems you wouldn't know genuine Zionism if it smacked you in the face. Because you just think "Zionism" is anything that says something else beyond a simple "free palestine". Right?

It's telling how people like you never want anyone to discuss anything else - you want the discussion to simply be "Palestine good, Israel bad, no other players involved and no further nuance". You never want people to freely discuss Hamas... even as Hamas harms Palestinians all the time. If people try to you call it "zionism"; trying to shut it down on the spot.

- Would you even believe it if you were shown proof of Hamas stealing trucks full of food and aid meant for palestinians? Of them shooting any palestinians who tried to get to the trucks first?

- Would you even condemn the horrific rapes and murders they committed against innocent festival goers back in October; or would you ignore it? Or dismiss the horrors they committed as lies or exaggeration? Despite all the nauseating, traumatizing video and photo evidence? Despite a photo of some of them with their boots on the corpse of a woman they gangraped and murdered, literally winning a fucking "photo of the year" award?? Or worse, would you maybe argue it's "justified" because they've "had their land stolen and been oppressed for decades" or some such bullshit?... Because I've read people say that more than once now.

And if so, you should go die; because that would make you a vile disgrace - seeing how plenty of people have been terribly oppressed and yet never turned to violently raping and torturing to "protest" it or to "defend themselves". Seeing how rape is never self defense. And how there is never any justification for rape. Period.

So! We can and should criticize Hamas. And that is not fucking "Zionism" - it's criticizing terrorists. Hamas also wishes to wipe out all Jews; if somehow they won this conflict they would carry out genocide in Israel against the seven million Jews there. Whatever you believe Israel is or is not doing; they do have to contend with this threat. Palestine needs to be freed from this mess, but its freedom cannot come at the cost of the psychopathic rapist monsters who believe they have a religious mandate to wipe out Jewish people (and ideally other non-believers too;) being allowed to enact their sick intentions.

Speaking about this is no indication of Zionism OR anti-Zionism, it is simply the truth. Regardless of whatever the current actions of the Israeli government are; the truth about Hamas remains the same - that they are an Islamic terrorist organization who has committed atrocities, abuses israelis and palestinians alike, and says how they intend death to all Jews. An organization who are run and funded by a group of multi-billionaires who live safely in Qatar and have worked with media and other sources around the world for years now to make it so that, once this happened; many people would fucking defend Hamas instead of condemn them for the monsters they are.

They've gotten people like you to talk like criticizing them is some fascist action. To throw around shameful nonsensical things like "criticizing Hamas...is a settler mindset" .

Your brain is more twisted around than a complicated knot. At best you are deeply cringe and embarrassing and are projecting that onto others. At worst you might defend horrific atrocities and do apologetics for violent rape; and therefore are someone who would be better off not wasting oxygen.

Hopefully it's just the former.

Either way, you've just made a complete fool of yourself here in my ask box.

I hope if you read this then at least it will untie the knots in your brain a little.

[meglyfer]

Quick recap about what's going on in Gaza

(Spoiler, the recap is not actually that quick, but I tried to summarize the most amount of information as possible)

On October 7th (if I'm not mistaken) Hamas launched an attack against Israel, destroying buldings and taking hostages As a response, Israel proceeded to attack Gaza, Palestine, injuring and killing hundreds and thouthands of people (Btw, punishing the population for what a selected group of people has done, os a war crime)

From the 7th to today, 28th of October, Israel has been attacking Gaza non stop. They have cut all electricity, water, food and medical supplies from entering the city, leaving the people so that, if the airstrickes don't kill them, the unability to tend to their needs will Israel has also told the people of Gaza to move to the south where they'll be "safer", only to attack the south

So far these are the numbers that Israel's agression has caused: • Death toll hits 7703. • 3595 children killed. • 19,734 injured. • 1800 missing, including 1000 children. • 825 atrocities committed. And still counting!

Yesterday, Israel destroyed the communication center in Gaza, meaning that not only they have lost all contact to the outside world, but they are also unable to call friends and family to check up on them and, most importantle, they can't call ambulances During this black out, Israel did the deadliest attack so far. People on Egypt, 80km away, reported that they were able to feel the ground shaking from the airstrikes

"But what about the hostages? What about Israel? What about Hamas?" I hear you saying Although it's true that Hamas continued their attacks, the amount of dead israelies is 1400 people which, although it's really bad, it doesn't even come close to the 7000 of Gaza About the hostages, they are completely fine. A woman that has recently been freed said that Hamas treated her and the rest of the hostages with kindness, gave them food and medical attention if needed Not to mention that Hamas offered multiple times to release ALL the hostages in exchange of stopping the airstrikes on Gaza, but they declined all the offers

On more recent news, Elon Musk offered help to restore the internet and communications on Gaza, but Israel said that they will prevent this from happening (information from about an hour ago)

To understand better this situation, here you have a history leasson:

Over 75 years ago, all the territory that is now Israel, used to be Palestine, but it all changed after WWII. After the holocaust, zionism was born, the idea to make a state completely run by jews where they would be safe, which is in concept a good idea, but the problem was that there was no land left to make this state, which meant the had to take it from somewhere, which ended up being Palestine. World potencies like the US or the UK liked this idea, so they gave zionist all necessary to make their dream come true, thus begining the Palestinian nightmare. The zionist, or Israel, started kicking out Palestinians out of their own land in an event that would later on be called the "Nakba", or translated from arabic, the "Catastrophie", self explenatory. Ever since then, Israel has been launching attacks against Palestine every few years, k1lling them, kicking them out of their own homes, and all that stuff, which leads us to today, where only 10% of which used to be Palestine is not *completely* occupoed by Israel (The population on those places is Palestine, but the goverment is run by Israel). Also I must add, nobody is able to leave or enter Gaza (at least legall) from even before the 7th of October, not only because of the LITERAL GIANT WALLS THAT ISRAEL BUILT TO KEEP THEM IN, but also Israel military forces them to keep them inside. There is currently also over 10.000 Palestine people arrested in Israeli prisons, which ended up there with no jury nor explenation of why they are even there, a good amount of these people are under the age of 18. This was never about Hamas, Israel just took their most recent attack as an excuse to continue their g3nocide and colonialism, because that's what it is, A G3NOCIDE AND COLONIALISM

[airathecat]

36-year-old Rimon Kirsht and her husband Yagev Buchstav were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nirim on the morning of 7/10. Rimon returned yesterday from Hamas captivity in Gaza.

She was held captive together with her husband, so it was easier for them. When the terrorists told Rimon that she was being released, she refused to leave without her husband. "We will only be liberated together." They answered: either you go yourself, or we will drag you by force. She was given no choice.

As we have seen in recent days, Hamas is producing cheap, primitive propaganda at the expense of the freed hostages. They must wave goodbye, thank you for the time spent together and smile, and the world must forget the horrors committed by the terrorists on October 7th.

But Rimon is special. She got out of the terrorists' car in her pajamas, looked fearlessly and sullenly into the eyes of one of the Hamas monsters and reprimanded him after he demanded to wave his hand. She walked with her head held high. The sanctimonious smile of the Red Cross representative met with the same icy reaction.

What an unbending woman. And this is at a time when the Hamasites still have their beloved husband! Rimon Kirsht, you are our heroine.

—— Telegram channel “Boris and Laura from Hebrew Watch” https://t.me/Godunov2020

[brexiiton]

Hamas leader visits Cairo as talks over another Gaza ceasefire gather pace

By Associated Press, 7:28am Dec 21, 2023

Hamas' top leader has travelled to Cairo for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at securing another cease-fire and swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners at a moment when Israel's offensive shows no signs of slowing.

Hamas militants have been putting up stiff resistance, even as the Israeli army claims to be making great progress in eradicating them. The visit to Cairo on Wednesday by its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, came a day after Hamas fired rockets that set off air raid sirens in central Israel.

It was a show of strength after a 10-week war that has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, and driven some 1.9 million - nearly 85 per cent of the population - from their homes.

A photo from 2021 released by Lebanese government, of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas,.(Dalati Nohra/Lebanese Official Government via AP.File)(AP)

Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organisation, saying it must be removed from power in Gaza in the wake of its October 7 rampage across southern Israel that triggered the war.

But the sides have recently relaunched indirect talks, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. The goal is to achieve another cease-fire, and to free more hostages Hamas took in its attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

"These are very serious discussions and negotiations, and we hope that they lead somewhere," the White House's national security spokesman, John Kirby, said on Wednesday aboard the presidential jet Air Force One while travelling with US President Joe Biden to Wisconsin.

Mobile phone and internet service was down across Gaza again on Wednesday, an outage that could complicate efforts to communicate with Hamas leaders inside the territory who went into hiding after October 7.

The war has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people are crammed into overcrowded shelters and tent camps amid shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies. Israel's foreign minister travelled to Cyprus to discuss the possibility of establishing a maritime corridor that would allow the delivery of large amounts of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Despite a burst of diplomacy by high-level officials in recent days, the two sides appeared to be far from an agreement.

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, December 20. (AP)

Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends, and is expected to insist on the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants, for the captives that remain.

Israel has rejected the demands so far. But it has a history of lopsided exchanges for captive Israelis, and the government is under heavy public pressure to bring the hostages home safely.

Egypt, along with Qatar, helped mediate a weeklong cease-fire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israel's release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives.

UN Security Council members are negotiating an Arab-sponsored resolution to halt the fighting in some way to allow for an increase in desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as talks continued in the hopes of getting the US to abstain or vote "yes" on the resolution after it vetoed an earlier cease-fire call.

[thepitofjob]

Job 31: 16-23. "The Joint."

The reason we want to know which animals chew the cud and which do not is because the ability to intellect is essential to the achievement of the Mashiach. Without its longitudinal view, mankind has gone nowhere. It eats the knowledge of the past, but it cannot chew the cud and therefore its joints, its ability to make conscientious strategic thoughts are out of whack.

So we are back to a discussion about Chabad, but not just in a religious theoretical way. Without Chabad, a cognitive approach in real life, the cud is not chewed. The process works backwards and forewards. One can analyze a Jewish word problem found in the Torah and search for evidence of its proper application, one can begin Chabad with a problem and reverse engineer it in search of a proper prohibition or prrescription in the Torah.

We know the world is experiencing an excess of poverty, homelessness and tyranny. We know this whether or not we read the Torah. But Jews have been reading about these for centuries. To know we are in arrears with the eradication of war, tyranny, and poverty and watch the shit show is a grave wickedness.

Tyrants love this. God hates it. God's hatred of complacency is why man has been told to chew the cud:

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor     or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, 17 if I have kept my bread to myself,     not sharing it with the fatherless— 18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,     and from my birth I guided the widow— 19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,     or the needy without garments, 20 and their hearts did not bless me     for warming them with the fleece from my sheep, 21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,     knowing that I had influence in court, 22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,     let it be broken off at the joint. 23 For I dreaded destruction from God,     and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

If we let the joint between the arm and the should splinter, if we fail at valor, we shall be conquered by those whose wicked objectives must not come to pass. What the US Government did by allowing Donald Trump to cheat in that 2016 election and then dig terror tunnels and make good friends in India, Iran, Russia, and North Korea was a gigantic and stupid mistake, easily fixed. Every step of the way, the Department of Justice and the White House allowed Donald Trump to beat them like dogs and then the world order disintegrated.

He is a very stupid man. His friends in the Party and the Mormons are bean bags. They are all stupid. But they have won the world. How is this possible? How did our brains and our hands become disconnected? What do we say to all the people Donald Trump and the rest hurt while the US Gov was fist fucking itself?

The Zohar says above the righteous were afraid and the enemy was not. There must be fear of God or the world does not turn. Donald Trump, his party and his terror alliances must be stopped. Such things must never be allowed to consume our days again.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 16-17: I have kept my bread to myself. I told the Administration to kill that mother fucker for cheating in the 2016 election ten years ago. I did not keep it to myself, a few concerned persons tried to get rid of him, but nothing worked. The Number is 11138, קיאלח‎, keilah, "the community assembly."

All year long the media has watched and provided insight into what was going to happen should a convicted felon, cheater, child molester, and traitor continue his return to power. Every step of the way the red carpet was thrown down, the debates continued, and while this was happening, the Russians, Iranians, Chinese, Indians, and North Koreans saw, once again, how we don't have what it takes. We get caught up, and can't get free.

Our entire navy and air force could have freed Ukraine last year this time and cleared Hamas and Hezbollah out of the Middle East, but instead, we focused on bandaids and water bottles for the poor Palestinians who robbed the world of its dignity.

During this time, the Prince of Wales and KC3 started contracting with the Episcopal Church, Catholic Church, Mormons, Waltons, Greens, Marriotts and Mitt Romney to abduct, rape, and in some cases murder American citizens and expatriates in ways that are too disgusting and elaborate to publish in order to ensure solidarity against them here in America and abroad did not succeed. They are also still in power, as the police and CIA have not responded in a manner that is efficacious or final.

v. 18-19: I have seen people perishing from lack of clothing. Have you? The Number is 11105, יאיה,yei, "what is proper."

v. 20-21: But I had influence in court. I could not believe the police and the Department of Justice called all of this "complex" and could not figure out how to lift a finger and protect the human race from this bullshit. To this very moment, the government is acting puzzled as to what to do about all the crime it has allowed.

There has been no brilliance whatsoever at work in curbing the wickedness that is overshadowing every minute of our lives.

The Number is 8537, ח‎הגז‎ ‎, "as a box."

The screen rant has a purpose. We are boxed in by logic that does not serve the purposes of the Torah or any faith on earth. Inside a box, logic bounces back on itself. By stating the crimes of Donald Trump and the Republicans were too complex, the government decided to allow powerful men and women to abuse and exploit their constituents and the citizens of other countries. The Torah says the logic is not boxed, it is a very straight line between the law and those it is supposed to protect or prosecute.

When that butthole Anythony Blinken got off his plane yesterday and started telling the government of Israel once again to protect terrorists, I almost shit kittens. He obviously lives in a box. Fortunately the law says the IDF does not need to do any such thing and Hamas can be killed to the last man at its leisure without the need for any ridiculous humanitarian pauses.

The time for that was before a bunch of Mormons decided to pack the shelves of their shitty apartments with missiles, bullets, and enough crystal meth to make Godzilla throw his dinosaur legs up.

v. 22-23: I let my arm fall from my shoulder. Legal documents that protect us from crime, guarantee civil rights and protect the environment are our salvation, not religion. Without tediousness towards secular laws, we cannot be saved. The application of the spiritual sentiment through secular law is why we chew the cud using Chabad.

The Number is 6131, ואגא‎, and aga, "and taunt." To taunt is to get man to act according to his laws and principals. Taunting is for children, not for civilized societies and their governments.

President Biden could have shot Donald Trump in the head, legally, after the siege of January 6, which was clearly a well planned act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in response to my reports they were engaged in trafficking in sex with minors with and for President Trump and his entire cabinet. They turned the misfortune of my reports to the police into a religious crusade that eventually turned into the plan to attack Israel on October 7.

We need to cover some ground and fast on all of this and return the sanity and prosperity these mistakes have stolen from their proper owners. The time for valor is past, that is very sad. Now is the time for remorse, but still we must make our way and cannot stop. The onset of the Mashiach depends on it.

[swldx]

BBC 0427 29 May 2024

12095Khz 0358 29 MAY 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55445. English, dead carrier s/on @0358z with ID@0359z pips and Newsday preview. @0401z World News anchored by David Harper. South Africans are set to vote in the most pivotal election since the racist system of apartheid ended in 1994. More than 27 million people are registered to cast their ballots in a poll that highlights growing political fragmentation after 30 years of democracy. In power since anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela led it to victory at the end of white-minority rule, the African National Congress (ANC) is seeking a seventh term in office. Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial edged closer to its conclusion on Tuesday as the prosecution and defence made their closing arguments to the court. The panel of 12 New York jurors will weigh Mr Trump’s legal fate and must unanimously agree to convict or acquit him. If they cannot agree on a verdict, the case will move to a mistrial. Algeria is circulating a proposed U.N. Security Council resolution that would demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and order Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern city of Rafah immediately. The draft resolution also demands that the cease-fire be respected by all parties. It also calls for the immediate release of all hostages taken during Hamas’ attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: “We’re waiting to see it and then we’ll react to it.” The United States has vetoed multiple resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza. Colombia's Congress banned bullfighting on Tuesday following seven years of failed attempts to prohibit the activity, which some political and social groups have vowed to maintain citing its cultural value. The bill prohibiting bullfighting passed with 93 votes in favor and two against. "We do not believe that an expression of torture and barbarism can be considered cultural," said lawmaker Juan Carlos Losada. Thai prosecutors on Wednesday said former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be indicted for defaming the monarchy, three months after he was freed on parole on other charges. Thaksin had been in self-imposed exile since 2008, but returned to Thailand in August last year to begin serving an eight-year sentence. He was released on parole in February from the hospital in Bangkok where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses. Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates (Bill Gates' ex-wife) announced Tuesday that she is committing $1 billion (£782.4m) over the next two years to women’s causes and gender equity around the world. About $200 million (£157m) will go to organisations fighting for gender and reproductive rights in the US. Samsung Electronics' union in South Korea has declared it will start taking strike action, including advising members as an initial protest to take annual leave on June 7, a union official said during a live-streamed press conference on Wednesday. The union accounts for about 28,000 workers, or more than a fifth of the company's total workforce, according to union officials. A group of union officials made the announcement while holding a banner which read: "We can no longer tolerate labour repression, union repression." @0406z "Newsday" begins. 250ft unterminated BoG antenna pointed E/W w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), JRC NRD-535D. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2258.

[almaqead]

"Together With God." From Surah Seven, Al Araf, "The Heights."

It is Ramadan Day 2. We are blessed to be reading a portion of the Quran that explains why Allah revealed the Quran to Muhammad below in such a clear, distinct manner.

Included is an Account of the duel between Moses and the Pharaoh, indicating all Muslims are free citizens of the human race and just as Moses freed the Israelites from slavery and oppression, the Allah gave Muhammad the Quran to free all who believe, wherever they reside from the fear of tyranny.

Except it is blooming all around the world, being led by the United States of America of all places. The Quran says we must not tolerate oppression from those who sow corruption, enslave others, lie, cheat, steal, or are violent. Because of corruption in America, the Congress was not able to send badly needed assistance to the Ukrainians who are now losing their war with the Russians.

The defeat of the Russians is imperative for the safety of the world. The Congress should have done what was needed, now we are all imperiled.

This fight belongs to all of us, all Jews, Muslims and Christians, all persons of faith. Once Russia has withdrawn and undergoes regime change, everyone on this planet will be so much closer to refuge to Masjid, and this is what we all badly want and need and why we observe the Holy Season, to read the Quran and become more acquainted with the possibility of Masjid, of a fearless life.

7: 100-103.

Is it not clear to those who take over the land after ˹the destruction of˺ its former residents that—if We will—We can punish them ˹too˺ for their sins and seal their hearts so they will not hear ˹the truth˺?

We have narrated to you ˹O Prophet˺ some of the stories of those societies. Surely, their messengers came to them with clear proofs, but still they would not believe in what they had already denied. This is how Allah seals the hearts of the disbelievers.

We did not find most of them true to their covenant. Rather, We found most of them truly rebellious.

Then after them We sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they wrongfully rejected them. See what was the end of the corruptors!

Commentary:

Allah revealed the Quran to provide the world with a Spiritual Account of the plight of mankind. We are faltering because we do not take it seriously. Allah is reaching out to the world, asking it to travail in His Name and measure its goodness. The Quran says "we did not find them to true to their covenant." What do all of you think of our current measurement?

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 100: Will they not hear the truth? The Value in Gematria is 11902, יאטאֶפֶסב‎, yatapesb, "Will settle."

v. 101: We have narrated to you ˹O Prophet˺ some of the stories of those societies.The Value in Gematria is 13240, יג‎בדאֶפֶס‎, yagbadeps, "it will be printed."

v. 102: We did not find most of them true to their covenant. Rather, We found most of them truly rebellious.The Value in Gematria is 6545, וה‎דה‎ "and the echo."

v. 103: See what was the end of the corruptors! The Value in Gematria is 10814, י‎חאד‎, yahad, "jointly, together with God."

Together with God we must rid the world of people and organizations like the Republicans, Donald Trump, the Mormons, the Evangelicals, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Russians, anyone who deigns to oppress others in the name of wealth, politics, superstition, or power must not be allowed to live here.

We are all traveling across the sea bed to the Other Side of our lives. We simply must be free, and this means all slavemongers must perish. This is the most earnest Commandment in the Torah and also in the Quran:

When the Israelites reached the Red Sea Moses stretched out his hand and the waters divided, allowing his followers safe passage. The Egyptians followed them but God again commanded Moses to stretch out his hand and the sea engulfed the army. 

-Exodus 14: 19-31.

The Israelites must be allowed to drive the Mormons from the Holy Land. They are an existential threat to all that is holy on this world. There is no greater observance of the Revelation of the Quran than to see justice done. America must be freed from the taint of darkness, and PM Netanyahu must not be hindered from securing the freedom of Jerusalem from the filth. Please trust in God about this.

[ancestorsofjudah]

2 Kings 13: 20-21. "The Bones."

The Moabite Raiders

Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 

21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.

Moabites are traditionalists. They say silly things like "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". This sentiment is decidedly anti-Semitic. Mankind has shown an amazing capacity to get used to ways of life that are clearly no good and never will be but still, they persist.

Jews and Muslims have been hunted for thousands of years, pushed to the brinks of poverty and extinction because of a few drops of ink (badly misunderstood) on a few pieces of paper. Gay people have done not much better, neither have persons who are not caucasian.

But every spring, during the Passover, Jewish people anticipate mankind will usurp the rule of tyrants and end their traditions and the world, the entire world will go free. Passover is also a tradition, one we observe in order to shirk responsibility for things that do not serve the interests of God or mankind.

The greatest responsibility we can then freely undertake is the one that remains, called Elisha, the Free Market Economy. Tyrannies and this thing do not coincide.

Elisha means "to wail and negate, to cry for salvation, be heard, and become free to transact."

"In names אל ('el) usually refers to אלהים ('elohim), that is Elohim, or God, also known as אלה ('eloah). In English, the words 'God' and 'god' exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words אל ('l) and אלה ('lh) are far more common and may express approach and negation, acts of wailing and pointing, and may even mean oak or terebinth.

The verb ישע (yasha') means to be unrestricted and thus to be free and thus to be saved (from restriction, from oppression and thus from ultimate demise).

A doer of this verb is a savior. Nouns ישועה (yeshua), ישע (yesha') and תשועה (teshua) mean salvation. Adjective שוע (shoa') means (financially) independent, freed in an economic sense.

Verb שוע (shawa') means to cry out (for salvation). Nouns שוע (shua'), שוע (shoa') and שועה (shawa) mean a cry (for salvation)."

The Melachim states though the real prophet Elisha is long since dead, we can still touch the bones in the Torah and exact a penance on humanity for its wicked warmongering ways by offering it freedom to live without fear of war and tyranny.

The Value in Gematria is 14649, יד‎ודט‎, "yad and dat" "the hand and the intellect."

The problem isn't that we don't see how things are going. For some reason, humanity is incapable of properly registering the suffering of other persons or animals. The Spirit of God in no way has assented to the causes that inflict suffering any place on this world for any reason.

The cries for salvation emitting their way into heaven are now so numerous, God and the Host must be going insane with anger at us. Especially since we have rules against all the causes of suffering. The sentiment is fine and dandy but we have ratified laws that we have chosen not to follow.

For some reason, human rights and suffering are not popular causes to pursue but they are the most important. Without sterling enforcement of protections for humanity and the plants, animals and places we depend on for survival all is lost.

We can lose it a little at a time as we have been and never put things back, or we can do it all at once like Vladimir Putin and Hamas, in which case the prospects for reconstruction are much less likely.

The Torah, the Tanakh, and the Melachim contained within say there is a Hand that wields absolute authority over this planet, and its Traditions, contained in these documents state our traditions begin with the Passover, the end of slavery and delusion, and then comes the work on the dream of a long-lived and contented humankind.

All the other traditions have to fold in favor of this one, which must come first.

Get rid of Vladimir Putin, kill him, kill Charles Mary and his foul Line of Succession, these persons are War Criminals and do not deserve to live among ordinary civilized human beings. The world must commit to the destruction of Hamas, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, their partners in crime, and put an end to the cheating, child molesting Republican Party.

Do these things today, end their traditions, and then everyone on this planet owes those whose cries for help were ignored every blessing we can possibly confer upon them.

Finally, the world's leaders need to be told, you do not let evil men overtake the good. You never ever let this happen. When an evil man raises his hand, you cut it off and you kill him. This is how intelligent people respond to the world around them. Eventually they will stop growing back.

*Be sure to book your next travel outing in Gaza through one of the many Marriott hospitality specialists now residing there.

[mightyflamethrower]

Why Anything Short of Total Eradication of Hamas Isn’t Enough

For a week now, the world has watched a high-stakes, emotionally draining, and dangerous game being played out in Gaza.

What began as a mediated four-day “truce” and swap of 50 Israeli civilians held hostage by Hamas in exchange for 150 convicted Palestinian-Arab terrorists has now been dragged out much further.

Hamas, unusually self-aware for a jihadist outfit, has savvily dangled the possibility of the release of ever-more hostages in exchange for further “truce” extensions. Israel, which so greatly values human life that it once infamously bartered more than 1,000 terrorists in exchange for captured soldier Gilad Shalit, is all but forced to go along.

But as tantalizing as it is to see more hostages reunited with their families, there are extraordinary costs if Israel prolongs these swaps and continues to indulge the fantasy of a “cease-fire.”

There is the concrete threat of the convicted terrorists freed from Israeli prison. Among those freed during the Shalit swap was Yahya Sinwar, the current leader of Hamas in Gaza and mastermind of the Oct. 7 pogrom. (He is subordinate to Hamas’ Qatar-based top brass.)

On Thursday, in his first publicized statement since the assault, Sinwar minced no words: “The leaders of [Israel] should know, Oct. 7 was just a rehearsal.” That’s quite a threat. How many future Yahya Sinwars have already been freed this go-around? The Times of Israel noted that 55% of the first 117 terrorists released during the current swaps had been held for violent crimes, including attempted murder, and 21% belonged to a jihadist outfit.

Tragically, it is not difficult to see what this looks like in practice. On Thursday morning, two terrorist brothers killed three Israelis and wounded six others at a Jerusalem bus stop. Hamas claimed credit, and it turns out the brothers had previously been imprisoned for planning terrorist attacks on behalf of Gaza-based jihadists. Let’s pray this isn’t predictive of what will come from the current swaps. But more to the point: Some “truce” this is, with Hamas openly taking credit for killing more Jews in cold blood.

Then there are the horrific incentives and massive warfighting costs that an extended “truce” entails. Israel’s open negotiation with a terrorist organization, even if conducted via American and Qatari intermediaries, necessarily incentivizes more future hostage-taking and exacerbates the peril for Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Gaza. Even more important, the obvious—indeed, intended—effect of this weeklong “pause” in fighting, from Hamas’ perspective no less than from the Biden administration and Qatar’s perspective, is to habituate the so-called international community to relative calm.

Thus, for each and every day the “truce” is extended, Israel will face increased pressure and hostility when it resumes military operations. Hamas has every incentive to string out the “truce.” The Biden administration, which would like to navigate an off-ramp to the conflict in the face of discontent from the Democratic Party’s Jew-hating progressive base, shares the same incentives. President Joe Biden may publicly claim to support Israel, but his deceitful actions belie his hollow words.

Israel cannot realistically turn down hostage swaps, at least at face value, no matter the tangible benefits to Hamas. But with Hamas now transparently violating the “truce” and calling all the shots, the Jewish state must regain the upper hand in this conflict immediately. Anything less than unmitigated Israeli victory in Gaza would be catastrophic.

But Israel is losing the war right now: It is waging war on Hamas’ terms and capitulating to Biden administration and Qatari pressure.

Israel, a nation once vaunted for its military and intelligence prowess, appears extraordinarily weak. The optics of abiding by the “truce” while Hamas manifestly does not do so plays right into Hamas’ hands. Hamas is taunting Israel, further sullying its reputation and undermining its deterrent posture. Hassan Nasrallah and Ali Khamenei are surely laughing.

Especially after Thursday’s slaughter in Jerusalem, Israel has no choice but to put on its blinders, tune out the “international community,” and immediately reestablish deterrence by revving back up the IDF tanks and warplanes to eradicate Hamas in Gaza.

In the aftermath of the Hamas Holocaust of Oct. 7, anything short of complete eradication is inexcusable. No citizen in a First World country can live with such a genocidal specter constantly looming.

Eradication of Hamas is also necessary to deter Hezbollah, a considerably more dangerous foe than Hamas, to say nothing of the regional “head of the snake,” the Iranian regime itself.

Israel’s destruction of Hamas would also have salutary global repercussions: The global jihad that has been emboldened since Oct. 7 would be subdued, and Jews all over the world facing skyrocketing antisemitism would finally feel a little bit safer at home.

This is an extraordinarily difficult position for an Israeli leader to be in. But Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister ever, and he comes from a famed Zionist family. The future viability of Zionism now hangs on his next moves.

Josh Hammer / @josh_hammer / December 01, 2023

[ilovemybettafish]

16 Questions to Consider When Protesting Against Israel:

As demonstrations against Israel take place around the world, I am asking those in my Facebook world who might be attending one to please consider the following questions in advance:

1) When demonstrators chant “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea”, meaning from the Mediterranean to the Jordan, do you realize they are calling for the ethnic cleansing of 6.5 million Jews from their indigenous ancestral homeland? Is so, where do you suggest these Jews go, who will take them and how do you plan to guarantee their safety? My elderly in-laws were born and raised in Israel. What should they do? What will keep them from the fate of the Kurds?

2) If Jews are not indigenous to Israel, where are they indigenous to? From where did they come? And why does Israel host so many Jewish religious artifacts and archaeological sites featuring Hebrew inscriptions? Were those planted underground as some sort of grand ruse? Would you consider an Irish person choosing to reside in Ireland as a form of colonialism?

3) If Israel’s citizens are guilty of genocide, as the demonstrators regularly declare, why are they so bad at it? After all, the population growth in Gaza and the West Bank far outstrips that of Israel proper. And why is Israel giving advance warning to Gaza’s inhabitants so they can flee before Israel fires upon Hamas installations, such as the media tower today? 10) Is Israel that inept at genocide? And if not, how do you think it feels for a people who actually suffered genocide to have the accusation so lazily slapped upon them?

4) Have the protesters around you shown equal concern for the genocide of Uighurs in China or the Rohingya in Myanmar? Have they recently protested at either country’s embassy? 11) If not, why is the situation in Israel so unique for them? What makes the Jewish State so particularly villainous in their eyes?

5) When people such as Bernie Sanders say “Palestinian Lives Matter”, do you honestly believe that Israelis feel otherwise? I don’t know any Jews or Israelis who are not distraught over the death of civilians in Gaza, and wish desperately that a peaceful resolution could be found that would allow all of Israel’s inhabitants to live safely and securely in the land. Do you really conceive of Israel as an entire country of genocidal maniacs?

6) What will you say (not if but) when the protesters’ chants mutate from Anti-Zionism to Anti-Semitism with calls to harm Jews wherever they may be found? Late last week, one such demonstrator bloodied a Jewish man with a metal chair. Does this sit well with you? Does your protest include Anti-Semitic images of Jews as vermin or blood thirsty animals? Accusations of Jews controlling the world’s media and finance? Libels of Jews as demonic or parasitic? Do you realize this is why all synagogue preschools need to hire full time security guards?

7) If Israel is truly an apartheid state, how is there such diverse representation of various communities within private industry and government office? In America, can you openly advocate for the country’s destruction and yet serve in congress? You can in Israel! How did Israeli Arabs come to make up 9% of Israel’s Knesset members? And how did Arab Israeli George Karra get a seat on Israel’s Supreme Court? Why do the majority of Israeli Arabs regularly poll that they would rather remain citizens of Israel than one of her neighbouring states or even a newly formed Palestinian state?

8) Did you know that the majority of Israeli Jews are from the Middle East or North Africa? Or did you assume they all present as white? And if Palestine is truly “freed” from the Jews, will you tell the hundreds of thousands of Jews who fled to Israel when they were expelled from Arab countries to “go back to Europe”?

9) If you are upset about the wide discrepancy of civilian casualties between Israelis and Palestinians, would you feel better if more Israelis were killed? Should Israel be blamed for building bomb shelters and Iron Dome missile defense systems while Hamas shoots rockets from schools and hospitals? Would more dead Jews satisfy your rage?

10)If Hamas has so little money for infrastructure and services for its citizens, how do they afford 2,000+ rockets, tunnels, drones, etc? Where did those come from? Did they suddenly win the lottery?

11) Do you think that if Israel returned to its 1967 borders and offered a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem, that all would be forgiven? If so, why was an offer of nearly this magnitude turned down without even a counteroffer? Why does Hamas’ charter distinctly call for the destruction of Israel and attacks upon Jews? And why did the Arab states seek to wipe Israel off the map both in 1948 and 1967 when not a single settlement existed?

12) Did you know that Gaza shares a border with Egypt, which could be opened at any time? Have you protested against Egypt for not doing so? Jordan occupied the West Bank between 1948 and 1967. Why was a Palestinian State not declared during this time? Why is Israel uniquely to blame for the Palestinians’ awful predicament?

13) Did you know that Israel allows for a free press while all pictures and stories out of Gaza must be approved by Hamas? Did you ever wonder why there aren’t more pictures of Hamas terrorists in action? And if an Israeli soldier shoots a Palestinian teenager who lunges at her with a knife, is she guilty of killing a child?

14) If Israel is a warmonger for attacking Hamas missile positions, what would be the more appropriate response as its citizens are fired upon? Sit tight and wait until the attacks end? Offer thoughts and prayers? What would the US do if Mexico launched 2,000 rockets from Tijuana into San Diego?

15) If your protest is co-organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, do you actually know any Jews who affiliate with this group? Do you realize that they serve as a cover for Anti-Zionist rhetoric and openly advocate for the destruction of the State of Israel? Do you also think that the Westboro Baptist Church speaks for all Christians? Because I would bet that the ratio is pretty similar.

16) And perhaps most importantly - where are you and your fellow protesters receiving your information? Do you think Twitter, TikTok and Instagram offer the depth of analysis that such a complex situation requires? Can the conflict really be summarized in a tidy meme? Have you spoken with anyone who has spent considerable time in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza? Does your favorite celebrity or influencer research Middle Eastern history in their free time? Would you take a Middle Eastern Studies class taught by Dua Lipa?

I fully understand your sense of empathy for the plight of civilians under fire and the awful images of maimed children and dead civilians. And I understand your desire to point towards a culprit and define a terrible situation in terms of good and evil. And I similarly understand the propensity to equate powerlessness with nobility and power with corruption. But I ask you to consider these questions and decide for yourself if these protests truly share your values.

[jaxsteamblog]

Hair

Click here to read the entire fic on AO3

The party went a lot better than Katara had feared. Of course there were the ones that Zuko had to invite, but they were already edging toward the door. Then there were the ones she hadn’t agreed with inviting in the first place, but Mai seemed content talking with Thuy and the twins.

Of the rest, they were all friends and family. The Air Nomad cousins flitted around, Sokka was telling a story to a group of uneasy ministers, and Suki was oddly conversational with Ty Lee. Hakoda and Malina circulated around, with Malina looking much more comfortable in the space than Hakoda.

“Happy Birthday Zuko!” Malina called out as they both approached.

“Thanks Malina.” Zuko replied and hugged her.

Katara looked away, not wanting to be so close to the neatly woven necklace the other woman was wearing. Her fingers twitched as she fought the urge to touch the medallion at her own throat.

“Katara, you look beautiful.” Malina said, clasping her hands together at her chest.

“Thank you. It feels a bit weird.” Katara laughed awkwardly and touched her crown. “I think I might have to cut my hair to get-”

“NO.” Malina said forcefully, startling Katara.

Shrinking, Malina’s face reddened and she stepped back.

“Sorry. It’s…” Malina calmed, set her shoulders, and looked back up at Katara. “You and my brother have the best hair. You shouldn’t cut it, it’s too lovely.”

“Malina has a bit of hair envy.” Hakoda said, holding her hand.

“My grandfather was an Airbender, and my mother and I inherited his complexion. It’s why I don’t always...fit.” Malina said, waving her hand near her head. Her reddish hair was cut short and very modern. It had been one of the things that irritated Katara when they first met.

“I hadn’t realized you’re a quarter Air Nomad.” Zuko said.

“It happens more often than you’d think. They don’t have a problem with relationships, but they only take Airbenders into the temples.” Malina said. “If you know anyone from the Poles that’s, well, like me, they most likely have an Airbender parent or grandparent.”

Katara thought about Hama’s ghoulish appearance and gave a small grunt.

“But yes, I’ve always wanted the thick hair of the Poles. I don’t look like any of the Waterbenders from my childhood books, you know?” Malina gave a laugh, as if it didn’t bother her, but Katara could hear the pain in it.

It wasn’t something she cared about, but she could recognize it.

As the party wound down, the Katara slipped out to the wide porch attached to the back of the hall. Sokka and Suki were already there, a bottle of something mysterious open and being poured into four glasses.

Zuko tried to slip out soon after, but Druk’s clattering talons gave him away. Katara only huffed as Druk propelled himself into her lap while Zuko sat next to her.

“Remember the first birthday of yours we celebrated?” Sokka asked, handing over a filled glass.

“I try not to.” Zuko said and Katara laughed.

“Remember how Katara’s biggest problem was medical school?” Suki asked and Katara’s laugh turned into a groan.

“Do you ever wish you had just become a doctor?” Sokka asked.

Katara shrugged, taking a sip from her glass and idly stroking Druk’s crest.

“I think I was only trying to be a doctor because of mom. I don’t know what I’d do if I went to school for myself.” She said.

“Did you ever go to college, Suki?” Zuko asked.

Suki shook her head.

“There was no need. I had a job in Kyoshi, and now I just make sure Sokka survives whatever it is y’all drag him into.” She answered.

Sokka stuck out his tongue and Suki pushed him.

“You know, now that things have settled down, I’m trying to think of what to do next.” Katara asked.

“Things have settled down?” Zuko retorted and she chuckled.

“You know what I mean.” She then sighed and tilted her glass back and forth. “I have to think about what comes next.”

“I can’t imagine your situation is easy.” Suki said.

Zuko and Katara looked at each other.

“It’s gotten easier for me, since I don’t have to deal with the day to day things. The Prime Minister is a pain, but it has freed up a lot of my time.” Zuko said before downing the rest of his glass.

“But no one in Caldera likes you being in the Poles so often.” Katara countered and Zuko shrugged, holding his glass out to Sokka for a refill.

“What will you do when you have kids?” Sokka asked.

Katara squeezed Druk’s fur and he squeeked, nipping her hand before bounding off her lap.

“We can’t have kids right now.” She said.

Sokka raised an eyebrow and she felt her face warm.

“It’s a lot of things, but tonight, Malina said…” Katara drifted and hastily took a drink.

“Malina said what?” Sokka prompted.

Katara swallowed slowly and put both hands around the glass, tapping the sides with her fingers.

“It doesn’t matter.” She mumbled.

“I think it-” Sokka stopped as Suki held his arm.

“I think it’s a private matter.” She said, tilting her head toward Zuko.

“Fine. How about we play liar’s dice?” Sokka asked, fishing out two dice from his pocket.

“I am going to regret this.” Zuko groaned.

~

Katara sat at the vanity, the crown in her hands. It was late in the night and the palace was eerily quiet after such a busy day. She could hear Zuko in the adjacent bathroom, the shower acting like white noise.

Placing the crown on the vanity, Katara leaned forward and examined her face. Thirty was fast approaching and she looked at the tiny fissures near her eyes. Benders as a whole tended to live longer and aged slower than the non-Bender population. It was one reason why Malina looked so uncomfortably young standing next to Hakoda, despite them being close in age. Benders also didn’t conceive as often or as quickly, so they could have children far past others without worrying about major health risks or complications.

So it made sense when Sokka announced that he and Suki were trying for children.

But that conversation was another brick in the tower Zuko had been building for months.

As the shower shut off, Katara opened one of her cream jars and lifted it, breathing in the scent of seaweed and salt. She started to apply it just as Zuko came into the room, followed by a rolling fog of warm, jasmine scented steam.

He was wearing his pajama pants and his towel was around his neck, so Katara got a good look at his chest as he watched her.

Tossing the towel in a hamper, Zuko walked over and stood behind Katara, reaching over her to grab her brush.

“Your hair is so heavy when it gets wet.” He said, grabbing a portion in his hand. Starting at the ends, Zuko worked the brush slowly up her hair, carefully plucking free any knots.

“Maybe I should cut it.” Katara said lightly, rubbing the cream into her face in small circles.

“If that’s what you want. I’d hate to see it go.” Zuko replied.

“I like your hair long.”

“You know, back when Agni Kais were more common, this kind of length would have meaning.” Zuko smiled and lifted another section of hair. “Now it’s just custom.”

“Do you think…” Katara stopped and lowered her hands. Wiping them off on a cloth, she screwed the lid on her face cream.

“Would you be upset if our kids had my hair?” Zuko asked.

Katara snapped her head up, looking at him through the mirror. He kept his eyes down, brushing her hair.

“That isn’t it.” She said.

“Isn’t it?” He asked.

Katara turned and took hold of Zuko’s hand holding her brush.

“Where would our children fit in?” She asked.

“What do you mean?” Zuko finally looked at her and Katara winced. His was a pain she cared about.

“We don’t live together, Zuko. We spend weeks out the year together but that’s mostly when we’re at Avatar Island. These visits aren’t…” She drifted again, unable to vocalize her frustrations.

“That could change.” Zuko said.

“How? If we have a Waterbender, they’re going to be my heir. Any other and they’re yours. We have to acknowledge that people will not be happy if they don’t live in the right spot and then what about us? Could you be apart from me and our children?” Katara stood and hugged Zuko tightly.

“Every time I think about hair or complexion or bending, it just reminds me that I’m never going to have a Water Tribe child that I raise in a small village. Our child will always be somewhere in the middle and I. I don’t know if I want that.” She continued.

Zuko wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her just as tight.

“I know, Katara, I do. But I can’t explain how badly I want a child. How badly I want our child.” He said. “I’ll get Thuy to pull the Poles down here if it means I get to be a parent with you.”

“But Zuko,” Katara tilted her head back to look at him. “What if I just want it to be us?”

He stepped back and took her face in his hands. His eyes flicked back and forth between hers.

“Katara, do not ask a Fire Lord what he would do to get what he wants.” He said and Katara took in a sharp breath.

“But children-”

“Our children.” His fingers pressed into the back of her head and Katara leaned toward him. “I will have you and no one else.”

“Zuko-”

“I will do whatever I must to prove to you that this will be okay. We can adopt. We can have one child or a dozen. I will raise volcanoes to make islands so that I can walk from here to anywhere in the world to be with you. You are my home, Katara, and I will be the only one in your life for as long as you want if you just say eventually we can have a family.”

Katara was silent as she stared back at him.

“I want a palace.” She said.

“Done. Where should I put it?”

“Republic City.”

Zuko blinked and a slow smile spread across his face.

“Beloved wife, I’ll make sure they build one large enough I can see it from here.” He said.

“Good.” Katara stepped closer to him and pulled his hands down to her sides. “And we can talk about one or two.”

In bed, Katara laid her hands on her abdomen. Counting the phases of the moon, she wondered. It could be as early as next month.

Her heart fluttered but it wasn’t such a bad feeling this time.

Feeling Zuko shift in his sleep, Katara looked over at him.

Maybe later. She wanted more time as his sole favorite.

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[mycorrectviews]

Israel and Gaza:  The Insufferable Cynicism of Appeasement

Last week’s big story was neither the long overdue termination of Gazan rocketeer Bahaa Abu el Ata, nor the ensuing barrage of 400 Jihadist rockets on civilian communities. Israeli society has long been inured to the existence of an armed gangster state adjacent to the Western Negev, and to the human toll it takes on Palestinians and Israeli residents of the Gaza envelope alike.  Last week’s real news was the sudden revelation that Islamic Jihad, hitherto considered a small and renegade militia in the Hamas ruled enclave, possesses a ballistic arsenal as large as that of the Hamas, with a range extending from Tel Aviv to Beer Sheva, operated by a two brigade strength military force.  Netanyahu’s apologists still blame left wing governments for the growth of Hezbollah rocket power in Lebanon, despite a decade of uninterrupted right wing rule. What conceivable excuse do they have for the latest fiasco?  Did the Islamic Jihad emerge spontaneously, unbeknownst to Israel’s vaunted intelligence? How did they build such a formidable threat under the very nose of the IDF?  If ever there was good reason for a commission of inquiry, this is it.

As if hiding the truth from the Israeli public wasn’t bad enough, the government’s craven impulse to negotiate with terrorists reached new lows on Friday with the announcement of an Israel-Jihad cease fire.  Forgoing even the pretense of deterrence, the government abandoned its existing policy of holding Hamas accountable for events in Gaza, exempting it from retaliation for rocket attacks and focusing exclusively on Islamic Jihad targets. The familiar pattern of Egyptian mediation then ensued, followed by a reversion to the status quo ante.  Having recognized the Hamas and, now, Jihad as legitimate sovereigns in Gaza, Netanyahu has in effect proclaimed a new doctrine.  Israel will deal with any claque of disaffected, rocket armed killers, as long as they fail to seriously disrupt Israeli life outside the Gaza envelope. The families of those living in Sderot and adjacent rural communities are the human buffers that insulate this doctrine from public disaffection.

Meanwhile, the cynicism of the right about Gaza is matched only by the willful ignorance of the left. The New Israel Fund, for instance, responded to the latest events by declaring that the only way to guarantee security for residents of the south is to achieve a cease fire, jointly reconstruct the Gaza Strip and negotiate with (unspecified) Palestinian leadership.  In the interests of full disclosure, I should point out that I am a regular NIF supporter, grateful for their uncompromising defense of an open and democratic society in Israel.  Their prognostications on national security, however, are as predictable as they are useless.  After all, Israel already has a cease fire with Hamas, and now with the Jihad as well. Gazan reconstruction is well under way, with a $30 million per month subvention from Qatar, a dramatically improved electrical supply and new infrastructure projects in the advanced planning stage.  No, the long suffering Gazans still do not enjoy normalcy, and will not attain it until they are freed from the yoke of the terrorist mafia that rules them.  This, however, has nothing to do with negotiations. Israeli has a long standing negotiated peace with Gaza, formalized in the Oslo Accords and given full territorial expression with the disengagement 0f 2005.  Until the left faces the unpleasant fact that no amount of appeasement can shield Israel from the annihilationist goals of Gaza’s current rulers, they will never be able to offer a coherent alternative to the empty bombast of superhero wannabe defense ministers like Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennet.

The strategy of the Israeli right, meanwhile, is painfully transparent.  Decouple Gaza from the West Bank politically by undermining the Palestinian Authority while strengthening the Hamas, thereby facilitating ongoing settlement expansion in the West Bank.  Justify this with the bizarre claim, repeated interminably on radio news programs by Likud spokespeople like Yuval Steinetz, that Abu Mazen (whose security cooperation with the IDF is invaluable for the protection of life in Israel) is the most anti-Semitic leader in the world today.  Deflect criticism of Israel’s Gaza capitulation with ever more strident rhetorical balustrades against the center left and Israel’s Arab citizens.  The greater land of Israel – not national security -- remains the top priority of the Israeli right.

Confronting Hamas – while simultaneously pursuing peace – is s multi-level effort that requires a degree of foresight beyond the capacity of Israel’s current regime.  The last Israeli leader to offer a strategic vision of the required complexity was the much maligned Amir Peretz.  As defense minister, Peretz built a missile shield with the purpose of buying the government valuable time to formulate a tactical response to aggression in real time.  Concurrently, he advocated a robust military response to the Gazan terror while building an international coalition, supported by the Gulf States, to replace the Hamas with the Palestinian Authority.  Iron Dome was never intended to serve as a silver bullet. It was merely one, technological feature of a broader, long term strategy.  That is still the only way to go.  For the sake of Israelis and Palestinians alike, Hamas and its allies must be dismantled, not appeased.

[eretzyisrael]

B'nai Brith Canada has uncovered a pattern of disturbing antisemitic and anti-Israel statements made by a Liberal Party candidate running in the coming federal election on Oct. 21.

Hassan Guillet, an Islamic religious leader who gained international attention for speaking out in the aftermath of the Quebec City mosque attack of 2017, is currently the Liberal Party nominee for the riding of Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel in Montreal.

B’nai Brith is shocked by a number of his statements over the past few years and believes they must preclude his candidacy.

In January of 2017, Guillet celebrated the release of Raed Salah, a Hamas-aligned activist who has accused Jews of staging the 9/11 terror attacks and has claimed that Jews use children's blood for baking “holy bread.” The candidate went on to hail Salah as a “jihad-fighter” and “frontier-fighter” whom “Allah will surely support.” Guillet offered his congratulations to Salah on being freed from “the prisons of occupied Palestine,” and prayed that he will some day be successful in the fight to liberate “the whole of Palestine.” Salah had been serving a nine-month prison term in Israel for “incitement to violence and racism.”

These posts no longer appear on Guillet’s social media.

In a late 2017 interview with Radio Canada International, Guillet called Israel an apartheid state. Guillet also accused Jared Kushner, the Jewish son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, of directing his government to support an “Israel first” agenda. He accused Kushner of dual loyalty because of his Jewish background and inaccurately described him as an “ultra-Orthodox” and “fundamentalist” Jew.

Guillet has also stated on Facebook that “the Zionists control American politics,” promoting the common antisemitic trope of Jews manipulating world governments.

“The antisemitic tropes of ‘Zionists controlling governments’ and of ‘dual loyalty’ are two of the more abhorrent expressions of paranoid anti-Jewish conspiracy theories,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “Radical and racist statements such as these must result in the immediate disqualification of a candidate for political office. It is unacceptable for any candidate to speak in this deplorable fashion toward any religious minority.”

Contrary to the views espoused by Guillet, the Liberal Party’s website states that “Canada is a steadfast friend of Israel” and affirms the Party’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The incumbent Liberal government has also introduced a new anti-racism strategy that includes adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.

B’nai Brith reached out to the Liberal Party more than a week ago regarding Guillet and has yet to receive a response.

[chiseler]

The Two Narratives of Palestine: The People Are United, the Factions Are Not

The International Conference on Palestine held in Istanbul between April 27-29 brought together many speakers and hundreds of academics, journalists, activists and students from Turkey and all over the world.

The Conference was a rare opportunity aimed at articulating a discourse of international solidarity that is both inclusive and forward thinking.

There was near consensus that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement must be supported, that Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ must be defeated and that normalization must be shunned.

When it came to articulating the objectives of the Palestinian struggle, however, the narrative became indecisive and unclear. Although none of the speakers made a case for a two-state solution, our call for a one democratic state from Istanbul - or any other place outside Palestine - seemed partially irrelevant. For the one state solution to become the overriding objective of the pro-Palestine movement worldwide, the call has to come from a Palestinian leadership that reflects the true aspirations of the Palestinian people.

One speaker after the other called for Palestinian unity, imploring Palestinians for guidance and for articulating a national discourse. Many in the audience concurred with that assessment as well. One audience member even blurted out the cliched question: “Where is the Palestinian Mandela?” Luckily, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, Zwelivelile "Mandla" Mandela, was himself a speaker. He answered forcefully that Mandela was only the face of the movement, which encompassed millions of ordinary men and women, whose struggles and sacrifices ultimately defeated apartheid.

Following my speech at the Conference, I met with several freed Palestinian prisoners as part of my research for my forthcoming book on the subject.

Some of the freed prisoners identified as Hamas and others as Fatah. Their narrative seemed largely free from the disgraced factional language we are bombarded with in the media, but also liberated from the dry and detached narratives of politics and academia.

“When Israel placed Gaza under siege and denied us family visitations, our Fatah brothers always came to our help,” a freed Hamas prisoner told me. “And whenever Israeli prison authorities mistreated any of our brothers from any factions, including Fatah, we all resisted together.”

A freed Fatah prisoner told me that when Hamas and Fatah fought in Gaza in the summer of 2007, the prisoners suffered most. “We suffered because we felt that the people who should be fighting for our freedom, were fighting each other. We felt betrayed by everyone.”

To effectuate disunity, Israeli authorities relocated Hamas and Fatah prisoners into separate wards and prisons. They wanted to sever any communication between the prisoners’ leadership and to block any attempts at finding common ground for national unity.

The Israeli decision was not random. A year earlier, in May 2006, the leadership of the prisoners met in a prison cell to discuss the conflict between Hamas, which had won the legislative elections in the Occupied Territories, and the PA’s main party, Fatah.

These leaders included Marwan Barghouthi of Fatah, Abdel Khaleq al-Natshe from Hamas and representatives from other major Palestinian groups. The outcome was the National Conciliation Document, arguably the most important Palestinian initiative in decades.

What became known as the Prisoner's Document was significant because it was not some self-serving political compromise achieved in a luxurious hotel in some Arab capital, but a genuine articulation of national Palestinian priorities, presented by the most respected and honored sector in Palestinian society.  

Israel immediately denounced the document.

Instead of engaging all factions in a national dialogue around the document, PA President, Mahmoud Abbas, gave rival factions an ultimatum to either accept or reject the document in full. The spirit of the unity in the prisoners' initiative was betrayed by Abbas and the warring factions. Eventually, Fatah and Hamas fought their own tragic war in Gaza the following year.  

On speaking to the prisoners after listening to the discourse of academics, politicians and activists, I was able to decipher a disconnection between the Palestinian narrative on the ground and our own perception of this narrative from outside.

The prisoners display unity in their narrative, a clear sense of purpose, and determination to carry on with their resistance. While it is true that they all identified as members in one political group or another, I am yet to interview a single prisoner who placed factional interests above national interest. This should not come as a surprise. Indeed, these men and women have been detained, tortured and have endured many years in prison for being Palestinian resisters, regardless of their ideological and factional leanings.

The myth of the disunited and dysfunctional Palestinian is very much an Israeli invention that precedes the inception of Hamas, and even Fatah. This Zionist notion, which has been embraced by the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, argues that ‘Israel has no peace partner’. Despite the hemorrhaging concessions by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, this claim has remained a fixture in Israeli politics to this day.

Political unity aside, the Palestinian people perceive ‘unity’ in a whole different political context than that of Israel and, frankly, many of us outside Palestine.

‘Al-Wihda al-Wataniya’ or national unity is a generational quest around a set of principles, including resistance, as a strategy for the liberation of Palestine, Right of Return for refugees, and self-determination for the Palestinian people as the ultimate goals. It is around this idea of unity that the leadership of Palestinian prisoners drafted their document in 2006, in the hope of averting a factional clash and keeping the struggle centered on resistance against Israeli occupation.

The ongoing Great March of Return in Gaza is another daily example of the kind of unity the Palestinian people are striving for. Despite heavy losses, thousands of protesters insist on their unity while demanding their freedom, Right of Return and an end to the Israeli siege.

For us to claim that Palestinians are not united because Fatah and Hamas cannot find common ground is simply unjustified. National unity and political unity between factions are two different issues.

It is important that we do not make the mistake of confusing the Palestinian people with factions, national unity around resistance and rights with political arrangements between political groups.

As far as vision and strategy are concerned, perhaps it is time to read the prisoners’ National Conciliation Document’. It was written by the Nelson Mandelas of Palestine, thousands of whom remain in Israeli prisons to this day.

by Ramzy Baroud