Senator Bernie Sanders (I. Vt.) view on what is going on in Gaza pretty much matches my own beliefs:
He condemned the "barbarous" terrorist attack by Hamas and said that Israel has "the absolute right to defend itself against Hamas and terrorism in general." He called the mowing down of innocent Israelis a "horrific act precipitating a worldwide crisis."
He reminds us, however, that right now, "there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children in Gaza who have lost their homes, they've been thrown out of their homes, they have no food, they have no water, they have no fuel. ... {H]alf of those people are children."
...
""We have got to do everything that we can to make sure that not one nickel goes to the murderous Hamas organization. But at the same time we have got to stand with the innocent women and children in Palestine who are suffering today and are facing an almost unprecedented modern humanitarian disaster
...
"[W]hile we do our best to support Israel and destroy Hamas, please, let us not turn our back on the suffering people in Gaza. This is not what we should be doing, not what Congress should be doing, and therefore I object."
Sanders was objecting to a measure that would have blocled humanitarian aid.
Why would anyone vote against humanitarian aid? Hamas represents a small fraction of the Gazans. One thing I would not vote for though is more military aid to Israel. What are they doing with the millions upon millions of dollars in military aid we already give them year on year? They have one of the most powerful militaries in the Middle East. Their "iron dome" is just one of our many gifts to them.
ReplyDelete@1:12. You do realize that Hamas is the elected body to govern Gaza! This is why it’s complicated when giving aid money to Gazans. Hamas steals all the money and uses it for their military operation. Hamas alone is responsible for the suffering of the people of Gaza.
DeleteElected by whom? Most likely sham elections like most of the middle east.
DeleteHistorically, we've given Israel $3-4 billion per year in military aid, which is less than 0.5% of our defense budget.
ReplyDeleteI completely support giving Israel everything it needs to destroy Hamas, but without killing innocent people in the process. I believe Israel's denial that it bombed a Gazan hospital that killed 500, but Israel has bombed in the very areas where it has told Gazans to evacuate. Also, cutting off food and water to the children in Gaza is simply indefensible. Israelis have a right to be angry and have a right to go after Hamas, but has no right to claim no one is innocent in Gaza, especially when half of those who live there are kids.
As to who would want to block humanitarian aid? That's been my problem with hard liners in Israel, like Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. They refer to the children in Gaza as "human animals," sounding no better than the nazis who tried to destroy their families. Humanitarian aid is also opposed by some GOP senators like Rick Scott.
Israel had the international community on its side. But it is losing it fast because of the bombing in Gaza.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/oct/18/us-aid-to-israel-what-to-know/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20has%20given%20Israel,past%20decade%20and%20a%20half.
There
BOH I’m not against humanitarian aid per se, the problem is will the people who really need it get it? If the money we give is used to kill more Israelis or Americans, even a chance of that makes me have very mixed feelings about it. At least 30 Americans have been killed by these savages. More taken hostage.
DeleteRich whitey with three homes and piles of dough earned in "public service" ought to share, maybe. He just keeps cashing in. Has he taken ant refugees? Socialism is very profitable for the chosen few 📈.
ReplyDeleteHe inherited money from his wife's side. I dont really care for him, however I care even less for someone perpetuating lies.
DeleteAn accurate statement, but remember, elections have consequences, the people in Gaza voted for Hamas. While I expect their is minority who did not, they should have realized that Hamas is more concerned with its own agenda than that of these poor people.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why the US has to give more $$ to Israel. They've been giving them billions of dollars every year for decades. Now, all of a sudden, we have to give them more aid? Israel already has rockets, tanks and weapons that we paid for.
ReplyDeleteAs for the crisis in Gaza...I stand with Bernie and Bernie. Those poor people had the light/power/food/fuel switch turned off by a devil who will burn in hell. Who does that? Who shuts off food and water to people? How inhumane for a country to do that to occupied people. But for heavens sake, if someone stands up for those poor people, they are anti-semetic. And if someone speaks out against Zionism, they are also labelled anti-semetic.
Egypt and Jordan aren't taking in any refugees because they know that Israel will not permit the re-entry of refugees after they leave, and those poor souls will forever be in refugee camps.
99.9 percent of the people on your blog are privileged civilians who have never experienced the oppressive conditions of modern day Gaza which is essentially a concentration camp, but think they have the information to garner an opinion about Palestinians and their right to obtain freedom at any cost. Of course the killing of innocent lives is unacceptable, but most of these stories are false, and are only created as propaganda to justify the genocide of the Palestinians people.
ReplyDeleteThe Palestinians have the right to self determination, and the world agrees.
Then they should take care of their own Hamas terrorists no?
Deleteoh well. just a little collateral damage
ReplyDeleteFor me, if our response in providing humanitarian aid is nothing more than filling up a bank account in Gaza, that money is likely to be used by Hamas warriors for their own objectives, NOT for feeding innocent families. We can send truckloads of food, clothing, water, medicine. We can air drop dozens of pallets of help, etc. The question remains will most of that even reach neighborhood families?
ReplyDeleteThe Hamas leadership people will steal anything and everything to help their killing objective and enrich themselves. Even in America, we have people in our own Congress enriching themselves by misusing, squandering, our tax dollars. With everyone in authority (including the news media) lying and deceiving as common practice these days it is difficult to know how dollars are really used.
Simply wiring money is not adequate.
“Humanitarian” aid to Gaza is going to Hamas. To believe otherwise is naive or a purposeful disregard of the truth.
ReplyDeleteI believe with Senator Sanders it is the latter.
Nobody is that stupid, although he’s surprised me in the past.
Palestinians in Gaza elected Hamas and have tolerated their hate speech for years. Those "innocent women and children " you refer to are complicit in the support of a terrorist organization that kills women and children IN COLD BLOOD. I have little sympathy for their plight. That being said, IDF should take every precaution to avoid bombing civilian neighborhoods even though Hamas uses civilians to shield its military forces. Of course there should be cooperation in the distribution of food, water and medical supplies to the civilian population. But the Palestinian allies in the Arab world are doing nothing to help them. Egypt has shut down their border on the Sinai. Why aren't they building refugee camps for Gazans attempting to flee a war zone? They don't want the Palestinians any more than most civilized nations. They are a prople who have been radicalized by Hamas and other extremist groups, and are inherently dangerous tenants.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we have to fund them? Where are the Saudis? The Bahranians? The UAE? Etc, etc, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhere are their Muslim Brothers?
This issue is incredibly complex and literally goes back centuries with tit for tat reprisals, and long standing animosities that tend to get papered over or simply ignored by the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteThe cost and logistics would be high, but a true United Nations peace keeping force (if countries wanted to pay more than lip service), could be utilized to secure a port area and distribute needed food, fuel and medical aid to civilians affected in Gaza.
How long and to what end is ultimately up to politicians, diplomats and sociology experts... Not that their previous track records are anything to brag about. But we can't simply dismiss this as some local neighborhood issue that has no impact on the rest of the world.
9:39 I agree. As our debt skyrockets to levels that are seriously endangering us, we should not be the only contributors. We should base our contributions on what the Saudi's, UAE, etc. give and not just throw an indiscriminate number out there.
ReplyDeleteThe free-flow of funding to Ukraine was a recent example of misuse of American financial aid. Many (including me) do believe some of that money finds its way back to our own political election campaigns. Through many secretive pass-through levels of movement. Most in our Washington cesspool are willfully ignorant of it all.
ReplyDeleteFood and water is being sent to Gaza, and numerous of the donors are from Arabic and Middle Eastern countries. It is being distributed in the form of food and there are electronic transfers than can be used only at food stores. In other words, it is going to the people, not the government.
ReplyDeleteAs for elections, I do not think there has been an election there since 2006. I certainly consider it a terrorist organization, Its covenant states, "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. ... The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them."
Regardless of who is in power, the children there did not vote for them.
I completely understand the need to eradicate Hamas. But Hamas and the Palestinians are two separate things.
"This issue is incredibly complex and literally goes back centuries with tit for tat reprisa" There is nothing complicated about condemning the murder of innocent people.
ReplyDeleteWhere was this statement when the Israelis were doing it? Exactly, no
Deletewhere because you only care about innocent lives when the news tells you to care about them and they’re WHITE lives.
You don’t give a shit when it’s black and brown lives. Save me your the bullshit high-moral ground bullshit because you’re a hypocrite like most of your viewers.
"The free-flow of funding to Ukraine was a recent example of misuse of American financial aid. Many (including me) do believe some of that money finds its way back to our own political election campaigns."
ReplyDeleteThe problem with conspiracy theorists like yourself is that what you believe and the truth are on completely different levels. The truth can be extremely unpleasant and you need to look for it outside your usual echo chambers.
I am disgusted by what I read about the Bidens. While I've seen no actual evidence of a crime, I've seen enough to bother me. There is no doubt a great deal of corruption in Ukraine, but Zelensky was actually elected to stem it. If the $ being sent there was just funneled to oligarchs, Russia would have won by now. You need to dig deeper and flesh out stories by considering respected and reliable news sources from around the world in addition to partisan sources.
11:06, If 50% of the aid is diverted, that means 50% will still go to innocents. Refusing to allow aid for that reason is bullshit unless it is all diverted. As things stand, Israel is supposedly allowing a whopping 20 trucks. That is ridiculous if true.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate Trump i have to admit he left Biden with no wars, a relatively secure border, gas was 2.39 a gallon. Now Russia invaded Ukraine, the Middle East is on fire, and we have a huge migrant crisis. When Biden was VP he lost Crimea. I refuse to vote for Trump but Biden is just terrible, especially with foreign policy. Please GOP vote for Nikki Haley.
ReplyDeleteStop being an idiot. Vote for Trump (and I believe it will be him) over Biden!!!
DeleteI think her real name is Klaatu barada nikto or something she is either ashamed of her name or trying to gloss over it for some reason. She remains trumper. I wouldn't consider any Republicans until trump serves a substantial amount of time . All of them will pardon him. I didn't put up with his shit to see that.
DeleteSo let me get this straight BOH, if American taxpayers give say, 10 billion for relief to Gaza, and Hamas uses 50% of that against us, you're ok with that? You are ok with American taxpayers money going to kill Americans? Israelis? Wow, that's crazy! You might be ok with it, but I am not, and it's my taxpayer money also. Get the UN in there, or somebody to at least have some kind of checks and balances, just spraying money around the middle east isn't the answer.
ReplyDeleteSo, in other words. We should expect up to 50% of donated monies to Gaza will be skimmed off for purposes other than humanitarian support? I agree, and hope we have a way to prevent that.
ReplyDeletePlease provide evidence of ANY Palistinian, in Gaza, West Bank or in exile who has condemned the slaughter of innocent women and children by Hamas terrorists. You can't. So why should we sympathize with the plight of Palistanian women and children on Gaza? At least they are alive.
ReplyDeleteNo money for student loan relief, but here’s a blank check to any country starting a war.
ReplyDeleteLike if you can’t see the problem with that, you’re way too far gone.
I fucking hate this country.
They didn't start a war. Stop being a idiot!
Delete11.18
ReplyDelete" Refusing to allow aid for that reason is bullshit unless it is all diverted"
Part of the cutoff was the need for hamas to release the hostages they took.
The only thing keeping the IDF from flattening everything is sight is the US and other allies.
Israel probably has written of the hostages as they will not be deterred from destroying hamas.
The US most likely has made it clear to Iran that they have a Air force and it would be a real shame if we vaporized it.
The only chance that hamas has of the IDF acting within the laws of war is that they give up the hostages. That would offer the innocents a chance.
The hamas leaders and foot soldiers will get to meet their maker either way.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone is missing the reason why Israel cut off food, water and electric to Gaza.
Gaza is about to become a war zone. The Israelis have given the “innocents” in Gaza a short time to get out. Continuing to allow more food, water and electricity only helps the Hamas fighters who remain.
If Hamas won’t let the “innocent” women and children out, their deaths will be at the hands of Hamas.
Israel is coming to Gaza to deliver justice to Hamas, and bombs don’t discriminate.
Nikki Haley is a combination of Joe biden in a dress, and John bolton. better think again.
ReplyDelete11:55 AM Wake the F… Up. Trump is the worse president this country has ever had. He should not be name President, he is a CON man and his whole family needs to be thrown out of this country. There is not one Republican,- who can hold Biden jock strap. Nikki Haley is terrible and is in the league of Jim Jorden. What a bunch of loser the republicans are and they are taking this country down. So wake up and stop watching Fox lies and Sean (trump ass kisser) Hannity , pick up one of those liberal rags like the NY, you know all the news that’s fit to print for some upskill knowledge.
ReplyDelete"The Israelis have given the “innocents” in Gaza a short time to get out. Continuing to allow more food, water and electricity only helps the Hamas fighters who remain."
ReplyDeleteThat is incorrect. Israel and Egypt immediately closed the only two places where Gazans can get out. Moreover, after telling Palestinians to move from one area to another, Israelis bombed the area where they told Palestinians to go. Denying food and water to noncombatants, incidentally, is a war crime.
As for Gazans condemning Hamas, there are numerous instances of this. https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231019-i-refuse-to-be-associated-with-hamas-gazans-in-paris-lament-ban-on-protests You apparently want this to be their dying words.
Numerous Muslim communities also condemned the Hamas attack. So did Qatar's al Jazeera.
There is no excuse for intentionally killing innocent children.
I warned that Israel would be creating a new wave of terrorists, and that is exactly what is happening.
You are so full of shit Bernie. Do you really think that Israelis are "intentionally killing innocent children?" If children happen to be in a hostile, Hamas controlled area and end up casualties of war, that is the fault of Hamas, not Israel.
ReplyDelete"You are so full of shit Bernie. Do you really think that Israelis are "intentionally killing innocent children?" If children happen to be in a hostile, Hamas controlled area and end up casualties of war, that is the fault of Hamas, not Israel."
ReplyDeleteI do not think Israel bombed that hospital, but it did bomb the very areas where they told Gazans to relocate. Many Israelis are opposed to these aggressive actions that hurt innocent children. I do not blame Israelis but do blame the current government, which is led by a group of thus who referred to these children as "human animals" and Netanyahu stated nobody is innocent in Gaza, meaning that children bear some culpability. This is barbaric, as bad as what Putin is doing.
Some misunderstandings here. First of all, the chief objective of Israel is to decimate Hamas in the tiny GAZA portion of its territory..The Israel tanks and troops are planning to push their way into just Gaza city. Naturally, if those troops are fired upon outside Gaza City, the troops will eliminate the attackers and those standing with them all along the way. Many IDF soldiers will also die, and very likely some Americans, too.
ReplyDeleteThe Hamas offensive is generally disorganized. It lobs rockets all over the place. Many fall on innocent people. Their shooters are crudely prepared. The hospital claimed to be attacked was actually just the adjacent parking lots. The hospital buildings still stand completely, but with broken windows. Hamas has been shown to hide its war materials inside hospitals and in schools. Video proof shows it was a rocket fired from Hamas itself.
Maybe 90% of the rest of Israel is available to persons in Gaza to flee, assuming they are allowed to flee, and are physically able. That will be a dangerous journey, but for many, could be just 10-15 miles.
Non-combatant families do die. Happens in war. America, for instance, was not wrong to bomb Nagasaki, Japan. Even though that city’s entire population, not just military, was killed and seriously harmed.
Your anti-Semitic bigotry is on full display in your original post and subsequent replies. You can try to hide it behind concern for women and children, but it’s very clear.
ReplyDeleteGaslighting will not work on us anymore. Condemning the Israeli government for conducting a modern day genecide on Palestinians is not being anti-Semitic, it’s calling them out for conducting mass murder. Sound familiar?
DeleteAs the United States sits back and supports these war crimes against the Palestinians.
History will look back at us and judge us for not doing enough.
While the democratic talking point is that Trump is the worst president, look at the results, WAR,WAR,WAR, inflation, deficits, end of dollar, cities under mob rule, invasion across our borders, Money for everyone except to make america safe.
ReplyDeleteOh, look in the mirror, you are all responsible for this. All you democrats, who hate someone like Trump and just love anyone with D. No thought, no analysis of policy, just a bunch of robotic lemmings rushing into the abyss.
The emotions of teenage girls, no real objective thought, very sad.
"Your anti-Semitic bigotry is on full display in your original post and subsequent replies. You can try to hide it behind concern for women and children, but it’s very clear."
ReplyDeleteI believe I made clear that I consider what Hamas did to be unspeakable, and that Israel has every right to defend itself. I do oppose killing innocent women and children, be they Israeli or Palestinian. If that makes me anti-Semitic, that's something I can accept. Of course your claim is nonsense.
One of the most frustrating things about being in a marginalized community who experiences oppression is that it takes white Americans a long time to realize that we were right all along.
ReplyDeleteIf this “war” has taught us anything is that we now have the power of tik tok and other social media platforms giving us the terror that Israel is inflicting on the Palestinians people, and as you begin to realize the sad reality that this could be YOU one day, under a tyrannical government, you all are now quiet. Free from making any further comments and wishing the atrocities you’re watching “just go away”.
Today is Palestine, tomorrow it could be you.
But we, the marginalized groups who are usually the victims first, have been screaming it from the mountaintops all this time.
The tyrannical government referred to above must be Hamas.
ReplyDeleteEverything’s a joke to Americans until it isn’t. You wouldn’t survive one second in Gaza, so sit your fat ass down, watch your senseless football, and drink your pissy beer.
DeleteYour body will be used for fertilizer, no worries…