Yes, let’s police emojis in people’s private correspondence. That’s a brilliant plan.
In their zeal to dunk on “the other side”, people forget that they only have one immortal soul, and plastering it with excrement for such a dubious gain is not a great idea.
Placing this here because, as usual, someone here will say “Oh, isn’t he just sitting and disturbing no one. What are you complaining about?” Because it’s easier to reinforce Palestinian intransigence than Israeli harassment.
https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1801295354840629385
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“Placing this here because”
Placing a video with no context and no way of verifying it’s what you claim it is (or what you unquestioningly believe it is)….
Meanwhile there are reports that Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, is not even bothered by civilian deaths, calling them an acceptable price for victory over Israel…
Speaking of out of context, Sinwar.
Of course, he’s a blood-sucking ghoul. What did you expect him to say?
It’s like expecting Netanyahu to say he’d accept a deal to bring Israeli hostages back alive if it will lead to the end of the war.
Ghouls do ghoul things.
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“Ghouls do ghoul things.”
So where’s the magic dust that ends a conflict with a bunch of ghouls on both sides and erects a secular democracy in its place?
Don’t get me wrong, I lurve secular democracies but lots of people (including most Palestinians…. don’t or they wouldn’t have voted in the Hamas ghouls in the first place).
But they have to make themselves (or you need outside occupation for decades to cram democratic ideals into the local population by force (see post WWII Germany and Japan).
“Lots of people (including most Israelis…. don’t love secular democracy or they wouldn’t have voted in the Likud ghouls in the first place)…”
See how that logic works???
Until you get yourself out of that binary and treat everyone equally, knowing that the vast majority of humans just want dignity and freedom from harm, but that they can be manipulated into supporting policies bad for them because of a lack of a viable choice, or a terrible political system, you’ll continue to reinforce the silly idea that keeps the conflict going — unless that’s actually what you want.
If a people deserve collective punishment because of the leaders they choose, then where does that leave Israel under Netanyahu, or United States under Trump or Bush?
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(An aside: I’m heartened to find out that a silent majority of readers on this blog are not as deluded as some of the loudest ones. Thank you for the likes. One just hopes that we eventually get loud enough to make lasting change in the world).
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I have 1,000+ daily visits. Unless you get 500+ likes a day, it’s not a majority.
I will leave the mania grandiosa of “changing the world” unaddressed for the time being.
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To Clarissa (can’t reply your comment directly, it seems),
It was a compliment that a majority of your blog readers are not deluded ghouls. Interesting that you see it as a slight. Goodness!
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The only person using slurs here is you. All I did was point out some basic arithmetic.
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“See how that logic works???”
Yes, you made my point for me. Probably a lot more Israelis are into secular democracy but there’s enough who aren’t to make the plan for a singular secular state dead in the water.
What’s the plain for installing this form of government that no one wants? How would it react when Palestinians ‘defend themselves’ against it by using human bombs or terror attacks?
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You asked a great question. I’m rephrasing it here, so we can have a rational conversation:
“How would we react when either radical Palestinians or radical Israelis “defend themselves” against either an imposed or compromised-upon single secular state?”
It’s great, especially in this rephrase, because any solution we prescribe will deal with any terroristic response by either Jewish or Arab terrorists the same way:
With law and order.
The US is not perfect. It continues to have radical elements on the left and on the right, who respond to continued or perceived injustice with protests (peaceful or violent) and terrorism (now thankfully rare). How is it dealt with? With the heavy force of the federal government — be it the shoe bomber, the panty bomber, 911 hijackers, Tim McVeigh, or January 6 attackers. Is there a reason (not connected to religion, race, colour) why this can’t happen in Israel? I can’t think of it.
In a democracy, there are no settlers. Everyone is equal, and able to buy land/homes and get government support. There are no streets that non-Jewish or non-Arabs can’t walk. The Temple Mount is open to everyone. The IDF has both Arab and Jewish citizens of the country. Aliyah is for everyone who’s connected to the state, either by religion (Jewish) or by heritage (Palestinian). Everyone enjoys felafel and water melons, and we continue to deal with the issues that normal ordinary countries deal with.
Rational citizens in the middle continue to form governments and deliver security and prosperity for the vast majority. And any violent attacks, either by the likes of Ben Gavirs and Sinwars of the world is met with the collective force of the state.
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If you’re against this just and democratic solution, which has worked everywhere else, please state your reasons.
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“If you’re against this just and democratic solution, which has worked everywhere else, please state your reasons.”
It’s not a solution, it’s a wish list missing only “and ice cream for everyone!” and my opinion about it is irrelevant.
Where is the evidence that a majority of Palestinians would accept a single secular state?
How will this wondrous state be created/enforced in the absence of a majority on either side?
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I have no evidence that a majority of Isrealis will accept it either. But that’s neither here nor there, because the “two-state solution” suffers the exact same fate. I have no proof that Israelis want it or that Palestinians want it. So the reason we’re having this conversation is not whether either of us can enforce anything, or whether either group “will accept it” but whether one solution is GOOD in the long run.
That’s what conversations are about.
We have been discussing the war in Ukraine for how many years now. If we preface it every time with “Russia will never accept this” or “Ukraine will never accept that”, how tedious will that conversation be? No, we state what we want, or what is possible, or what is good. And we defend it with arguments, and listen to others who may agree or disagree.
That’s why one has a blog. I don’t imagine that Clarissa decided to start one to be able to solve the Middle East.
So, finally coming to an agreement that this is an excercise in sharing worldviews, here’s my answer to your question: “How will this… state be created?”
The state already exists — at least half of it. Now get a majority in Israel who care about this end of violence to join parties that push for the full thing. Think of JVP but as a political party. Marginalize the rightwingers. Once in power, create a referendum to absorb the West Bank and Gaza into a full secular country where everyone has equal rights and responsibilities. Getting Palestinian activists involved will help. Amend the constitution in a way that removes the current Apartheid and makes the whole country free, from river to the sea.
When Apartheid was dismantled in South Africa, many people had the same reaction you’re having: how will this magical state happen? It will lead to widespread violence, etc. It did not. The country still exists. I’m sure the Nazis in Germany made the same case against dismantling it: “They’re coming for you and your children.” Germany continues to exist and Nazism is gone.
One day, this ghoulish Zionism will be gone too, replaced by a pluralistic democracy. The question is whether it will come sooner or later, and how many people will have to die to make it happen. My opinion is that the more people advocate for it, and as clearly as possible, the more the skepticisms will recede little by little until only the kooks are left with it, like current confederate flag carriers in the States.
And just like Apartheid, and Jim Crow in the US, even those rabid supporters will come out in new clothes to say that they were against it all along.
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“dismantled in South Africa, …. will lead to widespread violence, etc. It did not.”
Actually it kind of did….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa
“The state already exists — at least half of it”
Hey Israelis! Throw everything away by enfranchising the people who’ve betrayed and then been thrown out of every Arab country that’s tried to help them! They just want peace!
“not whether either of us can enforce anything, or whether either group “will accept it” but whether one solution is GOOD in the long run”
No solution is ‘good’ unless it can be enacted and enforced. The single secular state is not wanted by enough people (and enough people are _violently_ opposed to the idea) to make it unworkable except as a long term project (lasting decades at the minimum) What are your resources for that (apart from magic thinking)?
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You keep asking ME for resources, as if I’m a state actor. There are enough state actors to help shepherd a true democracy in the Middle East (and an actual “moral army”) if they so wish. It seems that we both agree that the will is the missing piece.
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Speak for yourself there. My tax dollars is being used to push one position over the other.
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
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