Is there any more to say? About Gaza, I feel at a loss for words.

Here in DC, it’s comforting to see the sun still rising and setting while the rest of the world is so unpredictable.

Do  I need to apologize again about odd changes in fonts? Readers already know I have no control.  

Ideally, our US population would remain steady, neither rising nor falling precipitously, with all ages being represented. But now look around you. Do you know anyone with more than 2 children? I don’t. My own kids have either none, one, or 2 and that’s pretty typical among both my acquaintances and in the USA overall. Only abroad, do I know some larger families, but not very large either, such as a friend in Honduras who obtained a tubal ligation after the birth of her 3^rd child and a couple in Nigeria who stopped after 4 kids. A young maid in a Honduran household told me she is one of a dozen children, but certainly doesn’t plan to have that many herself as, so far, she's actually had none. Few families have a dozen children anymore, as did my paternal great-grandparents living out on a farm in Alberta, Canada. The composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) fathered 20 children, something quite rare these days. 

In the US, Canada, Western Europe, South Korea, Japan, and China, the average of 2.1 children per woman required to maintain a steady population is falling far short. Our own country needs to urgently admit more immigrants to make up the difference and to support older folks like me, but is not doing that either. Because of not enough babies and not enough immigrants, the US population is predicted to begin shrinking before the end of the century, though I won’t be around anymore to see it.

Blast, Former President Donald Trump’s Sister Found Dead In NYC Apartment According to reports, 86-year-old Maryanne Trump Barry was found inside her Fifth Avenue apartment at around 4 a.m. The sister of former President Donald Trump was discovered dead in the bedroom of her Upper East Side apartment after emergency crews responded to a call of a person in cardiac arrest. The cause of death is still under investigation, though there were no signs of trauma...Maryanne Trump Barry was an American attorney and a United States federal judge. Three of Donald Trump's four siblings have now passed away.

CNN, Emotions are running high at the White House as some aides’ frustration with Israel is growing  Speaking in Tokyo on Wednesday, Blinken explicitly laid out the US’ terms for “durable peace and security” in Gaza after the war, stressing that its territory must not be reduced or occupied. “The United States believes key elements should include no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. Not now; not after the war,” he said at a news conference in Tokyo following the G7 Foreign Ministerial. “No use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks. No, re-occupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza,” he continued.

Mr. Netanyahu does not seem to be listening. He asserts that Israel must and will maintain “indefinite” control of Gaza. Can Israel really ever control Gaza? That looks rather doubtful. Netanyahu also warns that Europe and the US will be the next targets of Hamas—not a very credible scare tactic either. He already had been losing support in Israel and around the world, but is now riding the Gaza war wave for all it’s worth. 

Hamas certainly has been loudly critical of US support for Israel. But Hamas fighters are focused on their own neighborhood right now, so are unlikely to seek refuge elsewhere. The main goal of Hamas seems to be to recover land given up when Israel came into being in 1948. I’ve known several Palestinian refugees, none of them Hamas militants. Europe and the US are not actually next in line for wholesale Hamas attacks, despite Netanyahu's warnings, though Hamas certainly remains hostile toward the US for its support of Israel.

Israel’s own attacks in Gaza are already approaching a genocide against Palestinian civilians and the war is spreading, but not in the way that Bibi had predicted, rather by arousing other Muslim countries. Israeli forces had ordered Gaza residents to go south, but now residents crowding there are being told by Israel to leave. Leave for where?

President Biden, to avoid jeopardizing his reelection chances, is letting Sec. of State Antony Blinken do most of the talking and bear the brunt criticism on US Israel policy. Poor Mr. Blinken must be getting exhausted, but is still speaking out as he travels the world. Will he become a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize? If so, you heard it here first. But peace in Gaza has to come first, something looking pretty elusive so far.

NY Times, The Palestinian Authority would be open to a role in Gaza if the U.S. backed a two-state solution, an official said. Whatever has happened to the two-state solution? Is Gaza even included in that? How about taking future outlays for Gaza’s rehabilitation from funds already set aside for Israel? Of course, that isn’t going to happen, so we US taxpayers will have to foot the bill for both sides in this terrible conflict.

And heaven help us all if Donald Trump should be able to reoccupy the presidency. That would simply muck matters up even more both in Gaza and here at home. Mr. Trump has called for giant detention camps for refugees who are “poisoning the blood of our country.” If that guy should ever become president again, he would be out for vengeance and who can predict the target of his wrath?

Telegraph, US backs Israel attacking hospitals used as military bases

Daily Beast, Israel Balked at Hamas’ Hostage Release-for-Ceasefire Deal: Reports

Wash. Post, Fighting rages around Gaza’s hospitals as U.S. cautions over civilian losses Israeli forces escalated their battle against Hamas militants despite renewed concerns globally over civilian casualties.

AP, Airstrike kills renowned doctor in Gaza and relatives who sought shelter together The doctor was a kidney specialist.

CNN, Blinken brings a notable shift in US language toward Israel as pressure mounts at home and abroad

Nothing is black and white and actions by each side in the Gaza/Israel conflict have predictably triggered reactions from the other side. Some pundits speculate that Hamas leaders thought Gazans were being forgotten since Muslim nations seemed ready to reconcile with Israel, so they triggered a reaction and Israel responded as expected. Now Gaza is center stage and Muslim neighbors have again turned against Israel.

There are no good guys in this conflict. Increasingly, the Israeli military campaign in Gaza is looking more like a war crime inflicting a genocide on innocent Palestinians by attacking hospitals and even killing helpless premie babies. At the same time, Hamas is using civilians as human shields and has deliberately situated command centers in hospitals, making them Israeli targets. Violence in the West Bank is also escalating and anti-Israel sentiment has inflamed majority Muslim countries around the world, just as Hamas may have intended.

Palestinians were not responsible for the Holocaust, but now Israel is creating a veritable holocaust in Gaza in revenge for upending Israel’s self-image as a safe haven for Jews. It’s very distressing to see this conflict escalate, creating so much death, suffering, and destruction for Palestinians, whom world opinion is now pivoting to support. Instead of perpetrators, Palestinians have once again become victims.

History will not absolve Israel; Palestinians will not forgive and forget. Israel and its majority Jewish population will not benefit in the long run, reducing Israel’s standing in the world with Israelis remaining pariahs in their own neighborhood. Netanyahu and his military are creating Fortress Israel, a nation perpetually dependent on the United States, but not providing enduring safety for its citizens. I feel like shouting, “Just stop all this right now, Israel; just stop right now, Hamas! Please, please, just stop killing each other. You are both harming your own cause. Call a ceasefire, a truce. Let’s talk. What does each side want? Respect, money, safety? What else?”

 

NYTimes, More Than 400 U.S. Officials Sign Letter Protesting Biden’s Israel Policy The signers, representing some 40 government agencies, reflect growing internal dissent over President Biden’s support of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

NBC, The gap between the Biden and Netanyahu teams over Gaza is widening Joe Biden probably does not dare to openly reduce aid to Israel, but might threaten to do so behind the scenes. He also can offer aid to international agencies for Gaza rehabilitation.

 

Wash. Post, Pentagon urged to halt plans for giving Israel artillery supplies

 

Is there such a thing as “a just war”? Can there still even be a 2-state solution if nothing is left for  creating a Palestinian state? Or is Israel planning to completely evacuate Gaza in order to move-in there permanently? Antony Blinken is certainly trying to answer some of those questions, but no one seems to be listening. Blinken is still talking about a 2-state solution but Netanyahu is having none of it.

The major block of voters President Biden may be most worried about now is not American Jews, whose numbers are relatively small and who are not united in support of Israel, but, rather, the more numerous Evangelicals, unlikely to vote for him anyway.

Gaza hospitals shutting down, babies dying, that is certainly not a good optic for Netanyahu and Israel--nor for the US either as the main funder and supporter of Israel. Israel's efforts to gain acceptance in its Muslim neighborhood have suffered a major setback. But it is not as though Palestinians from Gaza simply attacked Israel without provocation. Many there feel their provocation started back in 1948.

Who is in charge now on the US side and what is our position? Netanyahu’s fluency in English allows him to address Americans directly. What or who defines a "war crime" or a "crime against humanity?" Maybe only the victor. I have considered Truman's decision to drop A-bombs on Japanese civilians to be a war crime. The victor seems to be able to define that term.

My own thoughts are now in a whirl. The Israeli military campaign in Gaza is looking more and more like a war crime that is actually inflicting a genocide on Palestinians, resulting in the deaths even of babies in hospitals. Is there even such a thing as “a just war”? Can there still be a 2-state solution if nothing is left to create a Palestinian state​? Israel seems to want Gaza to be completely evacuated, to be left empty so Israel can move in.

Violence in the West Bank is also escalating and anti-Israel sentiment is inflaming majority Muslim countries in the region and around the world. Palestinians were not responsible for the Holocaust, but now Israel is creating a veritable holocaust against Palestinians for the acts of a few in revenge for upending Israel’s self-image as a safe haven for Jews.

It’s very distressing to see this conflict continuing and spreading, creating so much death, suffering, and destruction for Palestine, which most world opinion has now pivoted to support. Instead of perpetrators, Palestinians have once again become victims. Israel and its majority Jewish population will not benefit in the long run, reducing Israel’s standing in the world, with Israelis remaining pariahs in their own neighborhood. History will not absolve Israel; Palestinians will not forgive and forget. Netanyahu and his military are creating a Fortress Israel, a nation perpetually dependent on the United States, but not providing enduring safety for Israel and its citizens. 

 

Wash. Post, Hamas envisioned deeper attacks, aiming to provoke an Israeli war Evidence gleaned since Oct. 7 shows Hamas terrorists prepared for a “second wave” of assaults amid hopes of inspiring violence in the West Bank and beyond.

AP, Medics and patients, including babies, stranded as battles rage around Gaza hospitals

Hamas operatives have been reported by Israel to be hiding inside hospitals, so Israeli forces have gone after them there, seriously jeopardizing patients, many of whom cannot leave. Patients, along with doctors and nurses, are trapped between warring forces. Emergency surgeries have been taking place via flashlights and candles. Some premie babies have reportedly died after the hospitals’ power was shut off. A newborn baby is a tabula rasa, an innocent whose future conduct will be largely shaped by personal experience. So, Mr. Netanyahu, the best option for Israel is to allow these infants to have a supportive and healthy environment predisposing them to live in peace with Israel. The same advice would apply to their parents.

 

Hamas fighters are certainly not good guys either, totally willing to sacrifice Palestinian civilians to promote their cause. Neither Israel nor Hamas can win this war just by military means. Significantly, President Biden has mentioned a “2-state solution” in his recent press conference.

 

Business Insider, Hamas' armed wing says it is ready to free 70 Israeli hostages in return for a 5-day cease-fire

Israel claims 5 days is too long.

 

AP, Internet, phone networks collapse in Gaza, threatening to worsen humanitarian crisis Israel is threatening now to move its forces south where it has advised civilians to flee.

 

NextShark, Filipino nun in Gaza defies mandatory evacuation, becomes symbol of faith A Filipino nun of the Sisters of Charity is not leaving. Feeling an obligation to Palestinians, she has turned her church into a place of refuge.

 

The Hill, Omar unveils resolution to block weapons sale to Israel

This looks like a hot potato. Of course, weapons support for Israel won’t be halted, so some lawmakers are deciding to just vote “present.”

 

Reuters, UN Palestinian agency says Gaza operations being deliberately strangled "I do believe there is a deliberate attempt to strangle our operation and paralyse the operation," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told journalists in Geneva.

 

Reuters, EU's Borrell tells Israel: 'One horror doesn’t justify another' During a visit to Israel on Thurs., EU foreign policy chief  Josep Borrell, a Spaniard, urged Israel not to be consumed by rage in its response to last month's Hamas attack. “The EU is a friend of the Palestinian people...EU demands immediate humanitarian pause.”

UPI,100 protesters injured in demonstration calling for Gaza cease-fire outside DNC This happened right here in my own neighborhood.

Miami Herald, Most people in US support cease-fire in Gaza — as Biden remains opposed, poll finds

AFP, Surging Israeli settler violence puts West Bank Palestinians on edge

CNN, Belize suspends diplomatic ties with Israel, renews call for ‘immediate ceasefire’ Belize falls within my volunteer responsibility for Amnesty International USA.

 

Reuters, Israeli opposition leader says time has come to replace Netanyahu Amen to that long-overdue recommendation, now being made by Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid.

 

Several friends not heard from for a while are now reacting to the war in Gaza. A woman originally from Belgium who had once stayed with me says, “I just read that Trump called leftist people ’vermin’ and I am truly alarmed as, of course, it reminds us of Hitler who used the same language to describe Jewish people. I am a defender of Israel’s right to exist. Can’t ever forget the complete Jewish extermination by the Germans. I am, however, taking into account the current Israeli government’s killing of innocent people in Gaza and aggression against Palestinians in the West Bank.”

A Jewish Holocaust survivor who divides his time between the US and South America recently returned to DC and is openly critical of Israel.“Yes, dear Barbara, I am extremely sad about the murdered Palestinian children and adults, and extremely furious about the fact that the ZioNazis are getting away with a genocide without harsh punishment via the ICC, UN, Interpol and other authorities. Netanyahu et al by now should have been arrested, tried, and sentenced to life in prison with hard labor. Biden & Blinken are complicit. What also infuriates me as an active supporter of Jewish Voice for Peace, with whom I protested and marched in that marvelous event of more than 300 thousand, and as a supporter of The American Council for Judaism, is that the American public is not educated enough to know that Israel is only a biblically legal and valid reality. This construct is in reality a theocratic, supremacist, Zionist Apartheid occupied territory, created by the Anglo/American imperialist, hegemonic gangs, thereby having meted out tremendous suffering on decent, humanistic and rationalistic Judaism. This construct called ‘Israel’ violates the Torah law by being the object of idolatry. PS I learned a lot from the genuine  Jewish organization called Neturei Karta.”

Another friend has forwarded me her article regarding China, a reminder that Gaza is not the only area of international concern.  

How the Vatican capitulated to the Chinese Communist Party

By Nina Shea

https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2023/12/pope-xi/

 

Meanwhile, Xi and Biden have met on the California coast.

A friend from eastern Canada has just sent me some photos from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she is now teaching English. It is been a relief to receive her message, nothing more about war, suffering, and repression. Below is a Mexican homage to the Day of the Dead, below that, an altar to the dearly departed.                      

NY Times, U.K. Can’t Send Asylum Seekers to Rwanda, Supreme Court Rules Dealing a major blow to the governing Conservative Party, Britain’s highest court said the African country is not a safe place for refugees.

Some years ago, right after the Rwandan genocide, I served on the board of an organization we called Rwanda Children’s Fund. We decided to support orphans of the genocide all year round in boarding schools, as they often had no families left to care for them. So, I have kept up with Rwanda ever since and certainly would not consider that country to be a safe haven today.

An American friend now living Honduras, where his retirement dollars go farther, commented on my last posting, which had gone back in time.

I loved looking at your photos on your blog. They are true treasures and form wonderful memories. 

Things are ok here in Honduras. The government is increasing going left calling itself “democratic socialist” in propaganda. The Congress had not met in more than 2 months over debate on electing the national superior court prosecutor., so what did 6 congressional leaders of the same political party of the president do? They put their guy into the position in secrecy. Very sad day. Then the US embassy spoke out and the Honduran administration wanted the ambassador to resign. The general population is against all this, but the Libre party is controlling all 3 parts of the government. 

It’s been a wet rainy season. A lot of flooding in Honduras especially the north, but we are safe. 

Be well my friend. Miss you mucho!

All my friends in Honduras are pressing me to return and to please bring them another wheelchair. But I need to continue the recovery effort from the bank fraud first in order to even have the wherewithal to be able to make the trip. The recovery effort takes considerable time and energy, though I am now starting to lose steam. If and when I am able to go again to Honduras, I hope to still have the strength to make the trip.

The Conversation, For decades, mothers have borne the brunt of scrutiny for alcohol use during pregnancy − new research points to dad's drinking as a significant factor in fetal alcohol syndrome While, clearly, a pregnant woman’s drinking habits have the most immediate effects on the developing fetus, a father’s alcohol consumption prior to conception can also influence the quality of his sperm.

If hormone therapy and surgical changes were not already available to young people feeling themselves to be in the wrong gender and if there was also no internet, mostly this phase of development would simply pass. But, of course, now instantaneous internet communication connects them to medical practitioners more than willing, for a price, to help them actually make irreversible physical changes in their gender expression right at this crucial juncture in their lives. So some will make changes now that they may later come to regret.

As has been mentioned, since this a free platform, we bloggers are completely on our own. When I found that my corrections were not always appearing on postings, I discovered by trial and error that “Update” and "Save" must always be pressed to lock in any corrections. Also, the time-of-day influences success; with morning proving better than afternoon. So, I do need to make this posting now before it gets any later and before anything else happens.

                                                                Is this your lost pet?