How And Why Netanyahu Propped Up Hamas. Must-reading–if only to add a little context to the back-and-forth we’ve had here:
For years, the various governments led by Benjamin Netanyahu took an approach that divided power between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank — bringing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to his knees while making moves that propped up the Hamas terror group.The idea was to prevent Abbas — or anyone else in the Palestinian Authority’s West Bank government — from advancing toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Thus, amid this bid to impair Abbas, Hamas was upgraded from a mere terror group to an organization with which Israel held indirect negotiations via Egypt, and one that was allowed to receive infusions of cash from abroad.
Meanwhile, Israel has allowed suitcases holding millions in Qatari cash to enter Gaza through its crossings since 2018, in order to maintain its fragile ceasefire with the Hamas rulers of the Strip.
Most of the time, Israeli policy was to treat the Palestinian Authority as a burden and Hamas as an asset. Far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich, now the finance minister in the hardline government and leader of the Religious Zionism party, said so himself in 2015.
According to various reports, Netanyahu made a similar point at a Likud faction meeting in early 2019, when he was quoted as saying that those who oppose a Palestinian state should support the transfer of funds to Gaza, because maintaining the separation between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Just something to, you know, think about. Or dismiss if you’re so inclined. Which some of you are. In which case, feel free to join this group of viewers:
Fox News, long a preferred source of news for the right, has lately become an information refuge for some American Jews who believe that the mainstream media has been too hostile to Israel.
But more than any of the other major cable news channels — and perhaps more than any other major American media outlet — Fox News has wrapped itself in the Israeli flag in the weeks since the Hamas attack. Its coverage tends to emphasize the radical and antisemitic elements of the pro-Palestinian opposition, particularly on college campuses, while playing down the civilian casualties from Israeli strikes.
In case you didn’t know, ‘information refuge’ means refuge from information. AKA propaganda.
Philly’s Hack Political Boss Hates Himself Some Progressives. Threatens to fire ward leaders if they support WFP candidates over Rethugs in Council elections. Why? The words ‘graft’ and ‘corruption’ come to mind:
Call it Bob Brady’s final admonishment in the struggle between Philadelphia’s Democratic Party and the progressive Working Families Party, ahead of Tuesday’s election for City Council at-large seats.
Brady, chair of the Democratic City Committee, emailed ward leaders last week, warning that the 100 committee members who had just signed on to a letter proclaiming support for City Councilmember Kendra Brooks and her WFP running mate, Nicolas O’Rourke, would be expelled from their positions unless they recanted before the election.
The WFP argues that it is only trying to win seats that might go to Republicans and that the five Democratic candidates for at-large seats are mathematically assured victory next week, even if voters drop two of them to back WFP candidates.
The WFP touted the signatures of 100 Democratic committee people from 17 wards as a sign of growing political strength. For context, there are about 3,400 Democratic committee people in the city’s 69 Wards.
Brady said nearly half of the signers for the WFP letter have since contacted the party to recant. Eric Rosso, a spokesperson for Brooks and O’Rourke, accused Brady of lying about that.
“To hell with him,” Brady responded.
Bosses of his, wait for it, ilk, are endangered for a reason. WFP is a big part of that reason.
Yes, we’ve featured a lot of music on the blog this week. Since there is no such thing as an inordinate amount of music (unless it’s Question Mark & The Mysterians doing ‘Sally Go Round The Roses), I had to share this NYTimes piece on ‘5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Thelonious Monk’. It’s not five minutes if you listen to the musical choices, which are mind-blowing. He’s on my Musical Mt. Rushmore for a reason. Whenever I listen to him, I try to wrap my head around how any mere human could come up with this stuff. I like Mary Halvorson’s quote:
There is so much beauty and strength of melodicism, with rhythmic quirks and whimsy integrated seamlessly, like the most natural thing in the world. You can feel Monk isn’t trying to do anything tricky; he’s just being himself.
Highly highly recommended.
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