The world is on a knife's edge. Michael Harris writes:
With the assassination of the political leader of Hamas in Tehran, Iran is vowing revenge against Israel. No one knows what that will look like.
Another missile and drone attack on Israel itself like the one last April, an assault on Israeli shipping, or an indirect strike at Israeli assets outside the country. It could get very personal—civilians, diplomats, politicians, no one knows.
While the world waits to see what Iran does, the earlier assassination of a Hezbollah leader in Beirut all but guarantees that the Iran proxy group will also be seeking vengeance. Tension is already high along Israel’s northern border, and any retaliatory attack by Hezbollah could transform sporadic fighting into a full-scale war in Lebanon.
All of this is unfolding against the backdrop of Israel’s brutal war in Gaza, triggered by the mass slaughter of 1,200 innocent Israelis by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The terror group also snatched hostages, more than 100 of whom are still being held in Gaza.
The consequences of that war have been catastrophic:
Israel’s nine-month war has killed 40,000 Gazans, many of them women and children. It has also displaced 1.9 million people and caused an estimated $20-billion in damages to homes and infrastructure. Since the IDF cut off all services in Gaza, including water, and severely limited the food supply, a humanitarian disaster is also brewing.
Not all the violence has occurred in Gaza. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in 2023, Israeli forces killed 492 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 12 children.
Israel is also holding more than 3,000 Palestinians in “administrative detention.” These detainees are being held without charge and trial, based on secret information that they pose a threat.
The war in the Middle East never ends. But it could end us all.
Image: Andrew Meade and photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
16 comments:
It seems that every talking head when making a point about present atrocities being perpetrated must always come full circle to the Hamas killing of 3,000 Israelis thus bringing about the "right to defend itself" doctrine. This emphasises the pure evil of the original aggression and aids in Israels continued "right to defend itself" with an over balanced murderous assault that goes against any human concept of decency. I see now that assassination is not a "right to defend Itself" and in so doing has now brought the world to this "brink" Israel is a murderous cult and is willing to defy the world order to undertake it's vengeful extinction of an entire race of people in the name of God. It seems countless uprising of support, judgements by world orders is still not enough to wake these people up to understand what a pariah they have become. People can label me with whatever they will but as an atheist i have the right to criticise any who would murder because of some promise made by a story book character.
"these detainees are being held without charge and trial, based on secret information that they pose a threat."
aka 'Hostages'
It's a nasty business, PoV.
Without getting into theology, zoombats, this is clearly the way to perdition.
All of this goes to show that we, as a species, have not evolved beyond primitive tribalism, Owen.
Just another example of the Abrahamic faiths contribution to humanity!
TB
Owen, the murderous and disproportionate brutality will continue until Bibi and his Likud coalition are removed from power. The dilemma though is the lingering vengeance for the deaths of nearly 40 thousand Gazans. Bibi has expanded the hatred to another generation of Palestinians. Bibi also knows if he is removed he will face a possible prison sentence himself. RG
It's the continuing tale of Lord of the Flies, Lorne. We're quite prepared to burn down the island.
What evil we do in the name of God, TB.
This is generational warfare, RG. There is no end to it.
It's always been about theology Owen. Perdition? Armageddon me thinks.
Did any israeli ever say " All these people hate me, persecute me, want to throw me out of the country, want to eliminate me . Is it maybe something anti human I have done?"
And the grotesque twisting of the word defend to mean carte blanche slaughter, preemptive annihilation and justify any offensive operation scorching the earth for all and any other people.
Any other nation would be sanctioned into submission for anything near their aggressive theft of life and land and made to pay reparations. What blackmail do you think they hold on the west or what promise have they offered, what threat have they made?
If this is "gods chosen" on their best behavior expect no quarter elsewhere.
Much evil as been done by those who are convinced that God is on their side, zoombats.
It's always been a mistake to view anyone as God's Chosen, lungta. Mark Twain insisted that heaven worked on the principle of mercy, not merit.
Perhaps it is time for women to rule the world. Why? To give men a rest from using their "War' brain...Ya think? That thought makes me smile. Anyong
We men have botched things up, Anyong.
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