NYT: Screams Without Words: Sexual Violence on October 7

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There are times when I need to write about something that concerns me, but my fingers won’t move. This has been one of those moments. Can I do this? To put yourself into my shoes for moment, read the article linked to above. Can you even finish it? Can you then compose a blog post about it? Or are you frozen as I am.

It’s not just the horrific descriptions of the violence of October 7. It’s the fact that the violence is being denied, that the NYT felt the need to send reporters to fact check the events. It’s the fact that even now there are people who will deny or excuse the actions of Hamas. So it’s not just the horror of that day, it’s the horror of reactions to it that I cannot comprehend.

The Hamas terrorists who invaded Israel and carried out these unthinkable acts are not martyrs or heroes. They are not even animals. Are they even human in any way? Animals kill for food or to protect their young. They do not commit sexual atrocities. In fact the word atrocities can only be applied to humans behaving outside the bounds of any actions necessary for survival. Perhaps it’s the ability to commit atrocities that sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. 

People wonder how we’re special. Is it art? Is it language? Is it our problem solving abilities? Yet there are many animals that encroach on our sense of uniqueness in remarkable ways. So perhaps it’s our ability to horrify each other with hideous acts of violence, often, but not only, against women, and then brag about it that really sets us apart. Or our ability to subject people to the sight of family members being raped and tortured and dismembered. Or our ability to deny that these events took place. Or our ability to celebrate the men who commit these hideous acts. 

I should be excited about a new year, but I am in a state of despair. I don’t know how we fix this. 

Middle East Options

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The joy of being a nobody is that I am free to think and write whatever I want because no one could do anything to me even if they could figure out who I am and where I am. So here are my Middle East Options.

Option 1: Move Israel Somewhere Else

Even though one goal of Hamas is to convert the entire world to Islam, I think they’d take a break from this goal if they could just get the Jews out of  Israel/Palestine. They (and their fellow jihadis) have been banging this drum ever since they first heard that Jews wanted to come to Palestine to create a Jewish state more than a hundred years ago. 

Usually population transfers are from one area to an adjacent area. Everyone grumbles for several decades, but if they realize they are not going “home,” they go on about their lives. Think Greeks and Turks after WW I, think Germans and Poles after WW II, think Indians and Pakistanis after the “decolonization” of the sub-continent. Or, according to Wikipedia, think of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 900s BCE. People have used population transfers for millennia, it seems, to solve one problem or another. 

The movement of Muslims and Hindus post WW II involved 32 million people. Just imagine. So, if you think 7 or 8 million Jews could not be moved out of Palestine, you just need to stretch your imagination a bit more. Of course, there is one problem that India and Pakistan did not have: there is no adjacent territory that wants the Jews or that the Jews want. Yet, it’s something to think about. And in fact, people did think of alternative places for a Jewish homeland – for about five minutes. Aside from Antarctica, there just aren’t many open spaces left on earth. 

Except, perhaps, Nevada. Or the vast plains of North America, or the Gobi Dessert, or the “stans” of Central Asia, or the Amazon. Let’s face it, except for some sites with religious significance, Palestine didn’t have a lot going for it a hundred years ago, and honestly, I don’t know why people are fighting over it today. But people are, so the Jews could consider moving. Again. Perhaps another millennia-long diaspora, just waiting for people to learn to get along?

Option 2: Move the Palestinians Somewhere Else 

This idea has a lot going for it. There are many adjacent countries that could absorb the 7 or 8 million Palestinians living in Israel/Palestine. The primary downside to this plan is that the Palestinians have made themselves unwelcome in countries that have accepted them in the past. Jordan kicked them out. Egypt regards them as troublemakers; things didn’t work out so well in Lebanon; Syria has its own problems. Frankly, I suspect that if the Jews left and Palestinians had all of Palestine to themselves for a decade or two, they’d soon kill each other off. It’s not as if the Arabs/Palestinians are good at “getting along.” Perhaps the Jews, instead of resettling elsewhere, should just go on a very long holiday after which they return to Israel/Palestine to pick up the pieces. 

Option 3: Learn to Live with a Two State Solution

AAAARGH!!! Why can’t this be the answer??? Neither the Jews nor the Palestinians want to be “second-class citizens” in a country ruled by the other. (Never mind that 20% of Israelis are actually Arabs/Palestinians who are not racing to the exits.) Personally, I’m so peeved about the settlements that I wouldn’t care if they ended up in a Palestinian state even if they are technically legal according to someone. Then Palestine would have a minority of Jews in their precious state, and there could either be a population exchange, or everyone could treat their minorities with respect. Ha.

Option 4: The One State Solution. 

Yeah. OK, so either Hamas defeats Israel, or Israel defeats Hamas – and then every other jihadi group. Or maybe the UN rethinks its 1947 solution and gives all of Israel/Palestine to one side or the other. And internal terrorism continues until the end of time if Jews were awarded control. Or there is massive out-migration of Jews to America and any other country that would accept them, and the Palestinians are left to fend for themselves, something they are not especially good at. So they’d come begging to the UN and the US and the EU, and especially the UK for support because, well, just because. Personally, I would expect Israel to treat its Arab/Palestinian residents (citizens?) better than I would expect the Palestinians to treat the Jews, but please, surprise me.

That’s right. There really is no Option 4. War until the end of time? Seriously, that’s not much a solution, is it? 

Peace is Possible?

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“The Economist” magazine thinks peace is possible. Their theory is that October 7 shook things up enough that both Israel and the Palestinians want things to change. October 7 and events since then have shaken me up, but I’ve come down on the opposite end of the teeter-totter. I see the end of Israel, and the increasing likelihood of another Holocaust. Perhaps the writers at the Economist don’t think pessimism sells as well as optimism? 

Here’s my reasoning: 1) Peace is unknown in the Middle East since the demise of the Ottoman Empire; 2) The two-state solution was conjured by the British in the 1920s and 30s, but it was never the preferred solution of either the Zionists or the Arabs/Palestinians. (In early iterations, Britain assumed it would be staying in the Middle East and could referee the unfriendly neighbors on occasion.) 3) Like it or not, Gaza voted for Hamas in 2005 just as Israel, through it multi-party system, voted for Netanyahu (many times over). Both want a single state solution (their own state). Israel has citizens who would opt for a two-state solution if it would bring peace, but they are currently not the majority. 

After WW II, when Britain could not get agreement on a solution, and everyone just wanted the Brits to go home, it placed the problem on the doorstep of the United Nations and left. The UN offered a two-state solution, which the Israelis reluctantly accepted. The Arabs and Palestinians rejected it, declared war when Israel declared independence, but lost the war. Jordan annexed the West Bank, Egypt took over Gaza, and Israel began governing the rest of Palestine. Many Arabs lost their homes during that war and continue to demand the “right to return.” Jordan accepted some of these as temporary refugees, but later sent them packing when they tried to take over Jordan. Meanwhile, Jews were purged by every Muslim country in the Middle East, but were accepted in Israel. 

The US tried carrots and sticks to push through a two-state solution in the ‘90s (Oslo Accords), but no deal was acceptable to all. And today, we have a horrendous situation. Currently, it seems the Palestinians are winning the PR war, at least with the “elite” members of European society and the Anglo-sphere. We are, it seems, unable to favor a winner and must always side with the underdog. For sure, the situation in Israel/Palestine is a long-standing, murky feud in which sad stories abound, and there is plenty of blame for all parties. 

But seriously, Israel has done some things right that seem to be ignored by those determined to commit both-sides-ism. Primary example: Arabs living within Israel, i.e. not in the West Bank or Gaza, are citizens, can vote, have representatives in the Knesset and on the Supreme Court. If Muslim or Christian, they can practice their religion unimpeded. Bedouins fare better within Israel than within the territories. 

Israeli citizens can and do protest, argue (eternally), speak and write of their concerns about every issue under the sun. No Arab country boasts such freedom. Who knows what the people of Gaza actually think of Hamas which has not held elections since it was voted into power in 2006. Do you ever wonder what improvements people might have enjoyed if all the money that has been poured into Gaza had gone for improved schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure rather than the immense network of fortified tunnels that shield their fighters? What if Hamas stopped firing rockets into Israel and focused on building an economy and Palestinian culture? 

The militant Islamists who run Gaza teach children every horrid prejudice of history about the Jews next door. They do not hate Zionists. They hate Jews. Honest. It’s that simple. There used to be Arabs who differentiated Zionists, who wanted a Jewish State, from Jews who simply wanted to live in their historic homeland. There were and still are Jews who are anti-Zionists, including a few in Israel. And I believe there are some Arabs who could still accept Jews as a minority population in a country run according to Sharia law. But I fear that most protesters who prance about shouting “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!” haven’t bothered to even wonder what plans Hamas has for their Jewish neighbors living in Israel. Protesters may envisage a happy place where Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists and others will live peacefully side by side. I don’t for a single minute believe that that is what Hamas envisions. 

If you read some history of the pre-WW II era and then the role of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during the War, this scenario is not what was envisioned. And no one really presses Hamas to describe what would happen to the Jews of Israel if Hamas succeeded in extinguishing the State of Israel. Given recent events, what’s your guess? 

You might share my concern about Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Many people do. But there’s actually a case to be made in support of the settlements (excluding those on land clearly owned by individual Palestinians). Yes, the settlements seem to be a thorn in the side of anyone who supports a two-state solution. But who is that today? Too few Israelis and certainly no Palestinians. In any event, I refer you to an intriguing explanation of why the settlements are legal.*

I have long been a fan of the two-state solution, but I now realize that no Palestinians support such a scheme. The optimists at the Economists think things are so bad right now that both Israel and Hamas need a way out, and a two-state solution might enable both to save face. I know they are way more informed than I am, and smarter too, but I think current circumstances only incentivize Israel to take over all of Palestine giving up all pretense of two states. Could some parts develop the level of autonomy of US states? Of Scotland? Of Cantons in Switzerland? I don’t know, but that’s the best outcome I can see. 

The other option I see is a second Holocaust, this one conducted by the Palestinians with the backing of Iran. Israel may use its nuclear weapons to try to forestall such an outcome, in which case, all hell breaks loose. Truly, that’s how worried I am. May I please be wrong.

Suggestions for further learning:
*Jesusalem and the Israeli settlements according to international law,
lecture by Natasha Hausdorff

Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict, (readable book) by Oren Kessler, 2023

How’s Your Day Going?

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“How’s your day going?” So many friendly exchanges begin with this question. But today, I’d say, ask me anything else. I got up more or less on time even though my husband said up front that we were out of coffee. We had some ancient ground espresso in the freezer for our stove top espresso which is fifty miles away at our new digs right now. I figured that I would use that in our French Press. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? 

Actually, no. Just do without the coffee until you can get out to a store or an espresso stand. That’s my advice after running this experiment. 

So we are moving. That’s great! But if I was ever in doubt about the wisdom of this move, this morning’s brief trip to the grocery store has removed that doubt. Sunday, 10:00 a.m., ought to be uneventful, right? My first stop at the store was the in-store coffee bar. As I got to the counter to order, the barista was just finishing up a sign that said, “Closed.” It seems that she was the only person who turned up for work today, and nothing was ready for customers. She was closing so she’d have time to put pastries and other food items in the display case and basically get the shop ready for customers.

Since I got there before she got the sign up, and I only wanted to buy beans that she could grind, she took my order. I reached for my phone, which has my coffee app, my wallet app, and my store card. Damn! I’d left my phone at home. Fortunately, I had my actual, physical wallet with the actual physical coffee card and another credit card. So I paid with real plastic, took my freshly ground coffee, and proceeded to look for the other items on my short list.

Croissants, check. Bananas, check. Ice cream, check. But where the heck are they hiding trash bags? I asked three people who guided me to various aisles that turned up empty. Fourth person, bless her heart, knew right where they were. So trash bags, check. 

Then, as I was making my way to the checkout counter, I saw a security guard closely following a bedraggled person with a handful of items. I’m guessing he recognized her because there are enough bedraggled people in my neighborhood that store security couldn’t possibly tail them all. In any event, she bypassed the checkout counter and headed for the door. She was told to either pay or leave her items behind, at which time she started screaming and accusing the guards of bad behavior, knocked over flowers on display thus creating a great pool of water in the entrance, and made a commotion that I’m sure you can picture. Hard to say if she was actually injured at any time in the process, but as I left the store a few minutes later, two cop cars and an aid care were at the entrance.

This is the same store, mind you, at which an assault on a employee about a year ago led her to transfer to a different location. I saw her at her new store one day and said I recognized her from my neighborhood store. She said she was still recovering from the assault there several months earlier. 

Nothing truly awful happened to me directly today, but there was one final bit of frustration: once I got home and opened a bag of coffee to make a new pot of actual French Press, the beans looked more like fine gravel than the usual somewhat coarse grind I’m used to. Good news, though. They work a lot better than the ancient espresso. So now I can chill for a few minutes with a decent cup of coffee – and then get busy packing again. 

How’s your day going?

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Israel Did What?

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Remember Bari Weiss? She left her job as a columnist for the New York Times, started her own Substack, then turned that venture into a new effort called The Free Press. She’s Jewish, somewhat conservative on some issues, so to some of you that will mean that you don’t have to pay attention to anything she says, especially about the Middle East. And it’s true that she is more likely to accept an Israeli version of events than the Hamas version of events. 

But then sometimes she reports some verifiable facts, like this story about the damage to a hospital in Gaza that was widely reported yesterday. 

Here are the images. Please read the article for the story behind these headlines. 

My thoughts: It’s not impossible that Israel could strike a hospital in Gaza. It’s just very unlikely that they would do so deliberately, while it is full of patients, without warning, and without evidence that it was being used as a cover for terrorists. I just trust Israelis more than Hamas and other Palestinians to report the truth.

No, I’m not so naive that I believe everything the Israeli government says. But a vibrant free press exists in Israel, and sooner or later the truth will emerge to clarify any government spin. These headlines all end with “Palestinians Say” which to me suggests that I best remain skeptical until more is known about the event. Why would the NYT be so gullible?