MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2023
Some stars say they have no idea: Over the weekend, "a new arrival on the front became the topic of general conversation."
The new arrival was a new poll about next year's election—a poll from NBC News.
Next year's election is one year away! Still and all, on Meet the Press, Kristin Welker said this:
WELKER (11/19/23): As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, it is having a transformative impact in our politics. We have a brand-new NBC News poll out this morning, which shows the toll it is taking on the president.
I'm joined now by National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki to take us through the numbers. Steve, some real stunning highlights here in this poll.
"Yeah, absolutely," Kornacki said. "And I think you're right to set it up that way."
(To watch this entire program, click here. For the full transcript, click this.)
In Kornacki's view, the "stunning highlights" in the new poll involved public disapproval of Biden's handling of the Isarel-Hamas war.
On the screen, Kornacki showed the polling figures for Biden's handling of that particular matter. Overall, the approval figure was very low—34 percent.
That's a very low overall number. But Kornacki went on to say this:
KORNACKI: I think this jumps out at you too: Overall, this is the handling of the Israel-Hamas war. And again, it kind of measures overall with Biden's foreign policy approval.
But look at this: Among the oldest group of voters, 65-plus, there's a majority who approve of how Biden's handling this. That's plus 12. Look at the youngest group of voters. 20% approve, 70% disapprove.
He is 50 points underwater with the youngest group of voters [ages 18-34]. That is a 62-point net swing between youngest and oldest on this topic of Israel-Hamas.
(To watch that brief exchange about this matter, you can just click this.)
Those numbers could always be wrong, of course. But that's what Kornacki said.
Eventually, Welker went where the rubber met the road. Next year's election is a full year away, but here's the way respondents said they would vote:
KORNACKI: So if we are heading towards Trump-Biden, a rematch in 2024, how does that look in our polling right now? Here it is.
WELKER: Wow.
KORNACKI: Donald Trump we have at 46%, Biden, 44%.
WELKER: And this is significant because this is the first time in the history of our poll that former President Trump beats President Biden. Still within the margin of error but still significant.
Are any such numbers "significant" a full year before an election? Not necessarily, no.
But NBC's survey aligns with others which have Biden losing ground and running behind. And of course, there's always this:
Given the realities of the electoral college, Democratic candidates may have to run several points ahead in the nationwide popular vote to have any serious chance of prevailing in the electoral college.
On this morning's Morning Joe, the gang was in Full Advocacy / Reassurance Mode, as they constantly are. Viewers were reassured about the way Biden would surely win next year, despite those new NBC numbers.
(Over on Fox & Friends, the friends were pushing these new numbers too. As you might imagine, they were pushing a different perspective on what those numbers meant.)
Will President Biden be able to win a Biden-Trump rematch? There's no way to know at this time—which means, of course, that he could actually lose.
That said, we were struck by the way Welker and Kornacki tied the recent drop in Biden's "approvals" to his handling of the Israel-Hamas war:
In the new poll, older respondents approved of the way Biden has addressed this challenge. By a startling margin, younger respondents—ages 18 to 34—very much didn't.
That could be a statistical artefact—a measure of rather small "N's" with subgroups of respondents. Or it could reflect a genuine obstacle to Biden's chances next year.
For ourselves, we'd connect it to our blue tribe's occasional inability to hear the voices of others. Consider the way the Isarel-Hamas War is being discussed on cable.
A recent post by Kevin Drum offers this headline:
Antisemitism is going mainstream on the right
In his post, Kevin cites a couple of far-right players, For ourselves, we've been watching the things they're now saying on Fox.
On Fox News programs, tremendous effort is being made to accuse "the left" of antisemitism! On Fox, this alleged antisemitism is rather plainly being used as a possible way to pull Jewish voters away from "the Democrat [sic] Party."
Somewhat remarkably, we've seen conversations on MSNBC which aren't gigantically different. These conversations have focused on the allegedly inexplicable way These (Lefty) College Students Today have sometimes adopted a pro-Palestinian viewpoint.
Major figures seem to say they have no idea why anyone could possibly hold some such view. The answer is obvious, they say—it's just the latest manifestation of worldwide antisemitism.
Antisemitism is worldwide, of course. Down through the annals of time, it's been a very ugly, and very stupid, worldwide mental disorder.
That said, it's easy to understand why college students and other younger voters might be sympathetic to the Palestinian people. We're amazed by the way some major stars on blue tribe cable can't seem to grasp this blindingly obvious fact.
As noted, no one has to agree with the overall assessments of these younger people. If college students had perfect judgment, there would be no obvious reason for them to be college students.
That said, it represents a major intellectual breakdown when big stars on blue tribe cable seem to say there's no possible explanation for a pro-Palestinian stance—no possible explanation other than antisemitism.
Our blue tribe loves to call Others names—racist, homophobe, misogynist, etc.
On Fox, the stars are now calling our tribe names! On Fox, they're now accusing elements of our own blue tribe of ugly antisemitism.
Our tribe has often had a very hard time hearing the voices of others. In the case of Israel and Hamas, the instant accusation of ugly motives is now being directed, rather loudly, at elements of our own blue tribe.
As usual, our stars can imagine only one reason why Those Kids would feel that way! In the face of those numbers among younger respondents, we'll discuss this problem this week.
Tomorrow: Deadline: White House, Morning Joe
ReplyDeleteAre people named Cohen, Freedman, and Goldberg being discriminated against in the workplace? Are they having problems getting mortgages? Renting apartments? Hailing taxis? Are they among the poor and powerless? Are they overrepresented in prisons?
And if they aren't - and I don't think they are - then what's this particular hysteria all about? Alleged thoughtcrimes? Crackas, please...
Hate crimes include violent attacks, including a death in CA.
DeleteBullshit.
Deletehttps://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/prosecutors-explain-reasoning-behind-charges-filed-against-man-arrested-for-pro-israel-protestors-death/
DeleteJews are not contemporarily oppressed, certainly not to the degree most marginalized groups are, but that does not diminish antisemitism as a concern, particularly when considering historical context. It’s a virulent aspect of the right, who are often desperate to project it onto others as a way to obfuscate their own misbehavior. As people awake to the oppression of Palestinians and their slaughter in retaliation to the Hamas attack, antisemitism is being weaponized to stifle the growing awareness. Historically Jews have been a driving force behind leftist movements; Israel dovetails the right’s desire to purge Jews from society with their Christian fanatic wing’s desire for a return of Jesus (a myth).
Delete@2:40 PM
Delete"...antisemitism is being weaponized to stifle the growing awareness..."
Perhaps what you wanted to say is that accusations of antisemitism are being weaponized? That would make sense.
"Historically Jews have been a driving force behind leftist movements"
No. The driving force of behind leftist movements are masses of working people.
As far as your usual dumbass fantasies about "right’s desire", are you familiar with the phrase "antisemitism is the socialism of fools"? Totally a left-wing phenomenon.
2:54 good catch, “accusations of” could be grammatically better. I appreciate your careful reading.
DeleteWorking people are a driving force behind leftist movements (as well as “populist” right wing movements), historically so have been Jews, which itself has been a driving force of antisemitism.
People often confuse rhetoric as expressing something meaningful as opposed to mere propaganda.
Worse, you are conflating “dumbass fantasies” with behavior science, likely because you are triggered by ignorance on the subject, which may simply suggest an opportunity for education.
At any rate, your consternation is evident, hopefully you eventually are able to be at peace, your irritability is intimidating.
"historically so have been Jews"
DeletePeople of Jewish ancestry (not necessarily self-identified as "Jewish") were perhaps overrepresented in the leadership of Russian and German revolutions in early 20th century. But not in China, not in Vietnam, not in Korea, hardly in Latin America or Africa. Not in the French Revolution. Not in the 1930s Catalonia. Etc.
Sorry, that's nothing like "historically a driving force".
In part, your issue likely stems from clinging to a straw man argument; in fact “a” is different from “the”.
DeleteThat aside, here is Wikipedia on the subject:
“Jews have been major forces in the history of the labor movement, the settlement house movement, the women's rights movement, anti-racist and anti-colonialist work, and anti-fascist and anti-capitalist organizations of many forms in Europe, the United States, Australia, Algeria, Iraq, Ethiopia, South Africa, and modern-day Israel. Jews have a history of involvement in anarchism, socialism, Marxism, and Western liberalism. Although the expression "on the left" covers a range of politics, many well-known figures "on the left" have been of Jews who were born into Jewish families and have various degrees of connection to Jewish communities, Jewish culture, Jewish tradition, or the Jewish religion in its many variants.”
The claim “historically Jews have been a driving force behind leftist movements” is trivial and uncontroversial; furthermore, it is not the thesis of the broader point that a driving force behind antisemitism is the prominence of Jewish leftism.
Whoa, wikipedia! Case closed.
DeleteThere are various strains of antisemitism. The most common (historically most common) is the role of the ancient Hebrews in the crusifiction of Jesus, according to gospels.
The second most common is the role of European Jews in usury in medieval times, and the wealth of some of them in modern times. Obsession with money, unethical wheeling-dealing, nepotism/tribalism, all that stuff.
Finally, in the mid-20th century Jews became associated with Bolshevism. Not "historically ... a driving force behind leftist movements", but specifically with Bolshevism. A phenomenon that lasted a few decades; a few decades out of two millennia.
4:32 One can see where you are coming from, it’s not compelling or especially accurate, but it does help in understanding both your resistance to persuasion, as well as your motivation; appreciate the insight.
Deletewow. @4:32 is not only our resident white supremacist Black hater, but apparently a Jew hater as well. hey DIC, that's what real antisemitism looks like, and it's a right-wing phenomenon.
DeleteLol. "crusifiction." Not sure Jesus' execution was fiction, but most of the rest of the story surely is. It's beyond absurd that so many of these antisemites worship a sky daddy that made the Jews his "chosen people."
DeleteLottery is something Everyone wishes to win, not only winning the lottery, but they want to win big bulks, i have been playing the lottery for couple of years now, but i haven't really win big, personally i always think there is something behind all those winners who always win big, because my intense always tell me that so i manage to get in contact with one of the biggest lottery winner in Manchester, i asked him about the success, and he referred me to a very powerful voodoo doctor, (Dr Aziba), he is indeed a great man who i explain to , without no hidden details , (i really want to win the lottery so bad ) he put to work and few days latter he gave me some figures that never failed, i played and i won 50 thousand pounds , (Dr Aziba) is blessed with so much gift, This is the secret and it worked for me. Get in contact with Doctor Aziba via Email Priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2348100368288 for Lottery Winning Numbers.
DeleteLottery is something Everyone wishes to win, not only winning the lottery, but they want to win big bulks, i have been playing the lottery for couple of years now, but i haven't really win big, personally i always think there is something behind all those winners who always win big, because my intense always tell me that so i manage to get in contact with one of the biggest lottery winner in Manchester, i asked him about the success, and he referred me to a very powerful voodoo doctor, (Dr Aziba), he is indeed a great man who i explain to , without no hidden details , (i really want to win the lottery so bad ) he put to work and few days latter he gave me some figures that never failed, i played and i won 50 thousand pounds , (Dr Aziba) is blessed with so much gift, This is the secret and it worked for me. Get in contact with Doctor Aziba via Email Priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2348100368288 for Lottery Winning Numbers.
78% of people aged 65-74 vote and 76% of those 75+ vote
ReplyDelete49% of college aged people vote, 49% go to college after high school
Those over 65 are 17.4% of the population. Those 19-25 are 8%. Slightly more than half of the population is female.
This means that not only do older people outnumber young ones, but they are much more likely to vote. Somerby may give priority to the views of younger people, but that doesn't mean their opinions will sway the upcoming election.
The largest generational cohort are Millennials, followed by Gen Z, then Boomers, then Gen X.
DeleteMillennials lean towards being progressive, over half support some form of socialism/communism, interestingly a rising trend even as they age.
Registered Democratics outnumber Republicans, although they are concentrated in urban areas.
Electoral politics is about motivating voters to actually vote. When impediments to voting are eased or removed, voter participation increases and Dems tend to win. When Republicans win it’s largely due to their voters being easier to motivate because of their psychological makeup, their efforts in gerrymandering, and their efforts in voter suppression.
President Biden is also facing diminished support among Blacks and Hispanics.
DeleteAll the more reason to counter Republican voter suppression. Greater numbers of overall Black and Hispanic voters will more than offset any drop in support (from a subset of that group) Biden faces.
DeleteCollege students have fewer facts and a worse understanding of the conflict in Israel/Gaza because they did not grow up with the stream of current events that older people have experienced. Further, there are not many courses in college that teach about Israel/Gaza. There is a lot of propaganda on college campuses supporting Palestine because wealthy Arab nations have been funding pro-Palestinian propaganda groups. This is seen as a fast way to influence future government and business leaders.
ReplyDeleteThat means that college students do not have better judgment (as Somerby puts it, even though judgment refers to reasoning and decision-making, not knowledge). They are more likely to be demonstrating, as a form of rebellion, but they are not more likely to be right in their opinions.
anon 11:14, I'd disagree with you in a few ways. first, it's not clear that college students, en masse, have worse understanding of the conflict than older folks. Some do, some don't. Older folks aren't necessarily that smart (if you advance that argument, they tend to vote more often for trump, and I'm not sure you think that means they have more understanding). Also, I don't see how you blame pro-Palestinian views of college students on Arab donations to colleges, with concomitant "propaganda." Lefties in general are pro-Palestinian, check out the Nation or Counterpunch.com, and it isn't due to Arab donations, it's ideological. Thirdly, TDH doesn't say that college students have "better judgment." Where does he say that. He says that blue tribe pundits are clueless in attributing the po-Palestinian views to "antisemitism." TDH says that college students' pro-Palestinian views are understandable, (not that they are necessarily "right") for reasons other than "anti-Semitism."
DeleteI think it is quite natural and understandable that the liberal progressive side would feel more sympathy for the underdog in general.
DeleteIt’s rare but apparently some pet dogs will use the body of a deceased owner as a food source.
DeleteLacking a caretaker providing food, a dog faced with a dead body, even a former owner, must suffer quite the quandary. It’s creepy, but perhaps also deserving of pity.
I've been told by animal control that a cat will eat its deceased owner while a dog won't.
DeleteAha! Always felt there was something fishy about cats.
DeleteForensic journals detail both cats and dogs and even a hamster, although the cats are typically feral. A dog even started chowing down on an owner that was merely passed out drunk.
Dogs will attack alive people as well, with harmful intent; usually when your pet cat attacks you it is playing, although there is that confounding viral YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/9ZK4WKzNkEU?si=EN8rQXhtxJR5Oy1f
Never fails to amuse, clearly the young woman is stuck in an abusive relationship.
TDH says pro-Palestinian views are understandable because he agrees with them. I don’t find Palestinian views understandable at all. How could Hamas do what they did under any pretext?
DeleteIt isn’t as if all college kids feel the same about this.
ReplyDeleteBob Somerby, starmaker. LOL!
ReplyDeleteBy the end here Bob isn't writing about how "our tribe" or anybody else is really coving the war, he's just pointing the finger at the people he hates. There has been ALL KINDS of coverage on MSNBC giving the Palastinan side, elsewhere too. These people don't tend to say "we are anti sementic, that's why we feel the way we do. "
ReplyDeleteThe frustrating thing about the coverage of whatever is going on in the campuses is that they show you a statistic or a poll, or maybe just somebody spouting off, and then begin wringing their hands. You don't feel they are actually close to the story in any way..
Media and other propagandists also turned the Tiktok Bin Laden controversy into a story that young people were praising him and as a "hero". Which is another "accusation of ugly motives" that is completely false.
ReplyDeleteWell, the "blowback" interpretation of the 9/11 2001 event was introduced in the aftermath, but, as I remember, it was always suppressed by the mainstream media.
Delete@3:03 PM
DeleteAre you racist-ly and misogynist-ly accusing the brilliant Condoleezza Rice?
Rasmussen’s latest poll has Biden up +4, so who knows. There were a couple of “scary” polls out before the elections a few weeks ago, but their inaccuracy was exposed in part when the Republicans got stomped by Dems in the election. This recent big win by Dems demonstrated that their voters are motivated, primarily by concerns about abortion rights and Trump corruption.
ReplyDeleteIt's once thing to feel sympathy for the Palestinian people, but it takes ignorance to then blame Israel for their problems. The many sources of the Palestinians' plight include
ReplyDelete-- several wars on Israel started by Arabs,
-- the Palestinians' repeated rejection of a state when one was offered.
-- the lack of support from other Arab countries, including their total ban on Palestinian immigration.
-- having Hamas as their government. Hamas takes money away from Palestinians and provokes wars
BTW the Palestinians are hardly the worst-off people on the planet. Thanks to the generosity of Americans and Europeans, the Palestinians have all the essentials: food, clothing shelter, etc. The Palestinians have the ability to take on whatever trade or profession they choose. No foreign country or group country steals their goods or their profits. There probably billions of human beings in Africa and Asia who are worse off.
Why do the Palestinians command more sympathy than all these worse-off human beings?
D & C, what about colonizing the occupied West Bank with all these settlements, apparently in violation of international law, and evicting Palestinians from their homes, and religious fanatic settlers attacking Palestinians,. what about a huge percentage of ultra-religious Jews living off the public dole, devoting their lives to Torah study, being exempt from military service (though that may not be anti-Palestinian), what about a good percentage of religious fanatic Israelis idolizing the guy who murdered Rabin?
Delete"ultra-religious Jews living off the public dole"
DeleteActually, some of those, whose families lived there for generations, before Zionists fucked it up for everyone, are themselves Palestinians. And quite often pro-Palestinian.
Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0njOPNr8K0
"Why do the Palestinians command more sympathy than all these worse-off human beings?"
DeleteOne reason may be that they are being killed with American bombs, money and support and as citizens that can influence policy, they may feel complicit and a certain moral responsibility for their deaths.
Some of the Palestinians are being killed with Hamas equipment and money from Qatar.
Delete"Still within the margin of error but still significant."
ReplyDeleteThis statement is self-contradictory. Any result within the margin of error is, by definition, not significant.
He may have met significant in the broader context. In other words, it is significant that it is even within the margin of error in the first place. In other words, even though it's within the margin of error, it's significant that polls are showing an incumbent president losing to a challenger like Trump at his point in the race.
DeleteHe means important not significant.
DeleteIt is way to early to consider this meaningful.
DeleteSomerby seems to not want to be pegged to anything meaningful, whether it’s significant, important, or neither.
DeleteAnything is possible.
Quakers are cool, my mom was one, for a time.
Heh. So, Rasmussen is God now. Funny.
DeleteIncidentally, I remember from years ago, an expert wisdom: in a situation like this, like 42-46, the fact that the incumbent polls below 50 is a bad omen for him. The undecided are unlikely to vote for the incumbent.
I don't remember the phycological claptrap behind this wisdom, but I do remember that it was the rule of thumb.
5:45 i call bullshit. Or perhaps your memory is faulty:
Delete“ [democratic candidate’s] hopes of re-election to the White House next year took a knock on Tuesday with the publication of a poll showing him in a surprise dead heat with one of his Republican rivals, [Republican candidate].
…
The new poll shows public unhappiness with the slow pace of recovery from recession.
…
The ABC-Washington Post poll showed [democratic candidate] and [republican candidate] on 47% each among all Americans surveyed, and [republican candidate] on 49% and [democratic candidate] on 46% among registered party members, who are among those most likely to vote.”
The date of this ominous report, showing the Democratic incumbent below 50% and trailing his republican challenger among likely voters was …. June 7, 2011. The Democratic candidate’s name was … Barack Obama, and the Republican candidate’s name was … Mitt Romney.
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/07/barack-obama-mitt-romney-poll
It's true that the poll may mean nothing. In terms of comparing it to the Obama Romney poll, Obama was not facing unprecedented diminished support among Blacks and Hispanics and was not as unpopular as Biden is now within his own party. And was not engaged in two extremely unpopular wars. Also, Obama was more than a quarter century younger. Presumably more than half of Obama's base wanted him to run, which is not the case with Biden.
DeleteIt could be bullshit. My feeling is that Biden is plainly and obviously in enormous trouble. But maybe once Trump gets in front of the cameras more, that will change. We'll see.
Biden was far behind in the 2020 Democratic primaries and came back strong to win.
Obama would have gotten 80+% of the vote, if he was white.
DeleteMany elected incumbants have been this unpopular at this point in their presidency. Clinton for example.
DeleteWhy should Biden be in "enormous trouble" when he is being called the best president since FDR. Are people here aware that FDR died in office? He was elected despite being very ill. Then Truman took over and did a good job too.
It's just a feeling I have based on his age and the dated rhetoric of the Democratic Party and some other factors. I could be wrong.
DeleteMaybe he meant "margin of error" metaphorically.
Delete8;25,
DeleteWhat dated rhetoric?
Support for union workers? Defending women's rights? Having a federal budget in place?
Are you looking for more pizazz? A little more showmanship? Maybe incorporate country-rock or hip hop styles to keep it fresh?
Relying on rhetoric that stirs fear and division, or language that appears uplifting but has become clichéd, rather than adopting a rhetoric that genuinely addresses voter's current distrust of institutions. Eg. Trump supporters are a racist cult, you are a Putin apologist if you don't support the money we send Ukraine, Trump's use of a word in a speech means we should fear he is going to mass murder millions of Americans. Bullshit like that.
DeleteI could be wrong.
The Democratic elite is running a candidate that a majority of Democrats don't want. That seems like trouble to me. And add to it that the candidate is in his 80's with zero appeal or inspiration.
DeleteNot all Americans are gullible partisan normies who believe everything they read on Lawyers Guns and Money. It ain't like that. Sometimes I think the party elites don't realize this.
@ 7:34 PM "Obama would have gotten 80+% of the vote, if he was white."
DeleteCracka, for all intents and purposes, he is white.
Or, as our great president said, "the first sort of mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
Stop calling people Cracka. It is a derogatory term.
Delete12:46,
DeleteThat sounds a bit over the top, but I'm not hearing Democrats use that rhetoric.
Certainly, Trump supporters are a racist, but I haven't heard they were a cult. Trump (and the GOPs) actions and words certainly paint him (them) as anti-Democratic, and his threats to sic the DoJ on anyone who criticizes him is obviously something to be concerned with. But I agree, until Trump says or moves to make capital punishment the sentence for criticizing him, it's too early to believe he is going to mass murder millions of Americans.
I'd like to see them stress the fact that Trump is a long-time business failure, self-admitted sexual predator, and prescription-drug addict, which all are factual, not rhetorical.
"Before you vote in the upcoming Presidential election, remember it was Donald Trump, who spent a career stiffing his contractors, larded his Presidential Cabinet with rich elites, and gave his friends on Wall Street and the out-of-touch mainstream media, a HUGE tax break the last time he was President."
DeletePaid for by the Democrats Who Don't Use Rhetoric 501(c) political group.
"I haven't heard they were a cult. .. . I'd like to see them stress the fact that Trump is a long-time business failure, self-admitted sexual predator, and prescription-drug addict, which all are factual, not rhetorical."
DeleteHillary called them a cult for one. Just check Google Trends re. use of the phrase. What you're suggesting would be less divisive rhetoric. It would be smarter. I still don't think that would be very strong though, as it's easy for Trump to say the same thing re rich elites, Wall Street, mainstream media about Biden and easy to show receipts. But what you're suggesting is a little better than the dated and trite rhetoric they have been using. Democrats and their media have to address why Americans distrust institutions. That's what he does that they avoid like the plague. Simply avoiding the issue as they have for so long speaks volumes.
But I could be totally wrong.
10:49,
DeleteCan you provide me a link of Trump asking Democrats and their media (whatever that means) to address why Americans distrust institutions?
I've heard Trump voice concerns with the role of corporations and the rich in government as a reason Americans don't trust institutions, but I don't see how anyone who believes that would vote for Trump, a guy who larded his Cabinet with rich/ corporate elites, and provided them huge tax breaks.
11:55,
DeleteAmericans who distrust our institutions aren't Republican voters. Republican voters are Americans who only care about bigotry and white supremacy. Americans who distrust our institutions are a completely different group of people.
" a guy who larded his Cabinet with rich/ corporate elites"
DeleteYes. Everyone adores Biden for hiring the nuclear waste disposal administrator so poor that he has to steal people's luggage at airports.
"Can you provide me a link of Trump asking Democrats and their media (whatever that means) to address why Americans distrust institutions?"
DeleteI don't think so.
Extra Klein maintains that the generational differences in attitude towards Israel reflect the three part evolution of Israel. The first being immediately after its inception and as David vs the Goliath of its Arab neighbors, successfully defending itself against them in two wars.Easy to empathize and root for that Israel. The next generation's Israel was the one that through genius and will became a top 25 world economy, with a GDP besting that of France and Japan, but one that despite this rise in power also became the biggest single recipient of US dollars. This Israel and its US ally were bulwarks of democracy and as such were targets in the Mideast, per accepted dogma. The third version of Israel, the one known to college students, is powerful and exerts its will against the Palestinians by occupying and subjugating the territories and their inhabitants,under the auspices of a far right wing government. No longer is this Israel the victim to be liked and respected.
ReplyDeleteIt is argued by historians that Israel, since its inception, has been a settler colonizing entity by definition: its inhabitants, having fled from elsewhere intended to establish their own territory.This condition necessitates displacing indigenous people, as always occurs with settler colonizers, be it the western US settlers and the American Indian or the Australians and aboriginal people as examples. We empathize with the displaced American Indian, although their resistance to displacement by Western settlers commonly involved actions of extraordinary barbaric and inhumane proportions.They were fighting for their identity but would not have been viewed sympathetically in the timeframe of their struggles- their activities were grotesque.
The current regime in Israel has pushed hard against the West Bank Palestinians despite widespread condemnation of their settlements by western countries and humanitarian agencies . Netanyahu is on record as supporting Hamas financially to divide the Palestinians and avoid a two state solution. The war will now succeed at destroying Gaza and displacing its inhabitants, in all likelihood, leaving only the Palestinians of the West Bank to be continuously under pressure by far right wing settlers and the IDF. This will further destabilize the Mideast with, as always, the Israelis looking to the US for protection. The financial support of this top 25 economy with billions of US dollars is a nod of support for these activities.
From History of the Palestinians (Wikipedia):
Delete"The Great Arab Revolt (1936–1939)
The death of the Shaykh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam at the hands of the British police near Jenin in November 1935 generated widespread outrage and huge crowds accompanied Qassam's body to his grave in Haifa. A few months later, in April 1936, an Arab national general strike broke out. This lasted until October 1936. During the summer of that year thousands of Jewish-farmed acres and orchards were destroyed, Jews were attacked and killed and some Jewish communities, such as those in Beisan and Acre, fled to safer areas.[33] After the strike, one of the longest ever anticolonial strikes, the violence abated for about a year while the British sent the Peel Commission to investigate.[32]
In 1937, the Peel Commission proposed a partition between a small Jewish state, with a proposal to transfer its Arab population to the neighboring Arab state, and an Arab state to be attached to Jordan. The proposal was rejected by the Arabs. The 2 main Jewish leaders, Chaim Weizmann and Ben-Gurion had convinced the Zionist Congress to approve equivocally the Peel recommendations as a basis for more negotiation.[34][35][36][37][38]
In the wake of the Peel Commission recommendation an armed uprising spread through the country. Over the next 18 months the British lost control of Jerusalem, Nablus, and Hebron. British forces, supported by 6,000 armed Jewish auxiliary police,[39] suppressed the widespread riots with overwhelming force. The British officer Charles Orde Wingate (who supported a Zionist revival for religious reasons[40]) organized Special Night Squads composed of British soldiers and Jewish volunteers such as Yigal Alon, which "scored significant successes against the Arab rebels in the lower Galilee and in the Jezreel valley"[41] by conducting raids on Arab villages. The British mobilised up to 20,000 Jews (policemen, field troops and night squads).[citation needed] The Jewish militias the Stern Gang and Irgun used violence also against civilians, attacking marketplaces and buses.
The Revolt resulted in the deaths of 5,000 Palestinians and the wounding of 10,000. In total 10 percent of the adult male population was killed, wounded, imprisoned, or exiled.[42] The Jewish population had 400 killed; the British 200. Significantly, from 1936 to 1945, whilst establishing collaborative security arrangements with the Jewish Agency, the British confiscated 13,200 firearms from Arabs and 521 weapons from Jews.[43]
The attacks on the Jewish population by Arabs had three lasting effects: First, they led to the formation and development of Jewish underground militias, primarily the Haganah ("The Defense"), which were to prove decisive in 1948. Secondly, it became clear that the two communities could not be reconciled, and the idea of partition was born. Thirdly, the British responded to Arab opposition with the White Paper of 1939, which severely restricted Jewish land purchase and immigration. However, with the advent of World War II, even this reduced immigration quota was not reached. The White Paper policy also radicalized segments of the Jewish population, who after the war would no longer cooperate with the British.
The revolt had a negative effect on Palestinian national leadership, social cohesion and military capabilities and contributed to the outcome of the 1948 War because "when the Palestinians faced their most fateful challenge in 1947–49, they were still suffering from the British repression of 1936–39, and were in effect without a unified leadership. Indeed, it might be argued that they were virtually without any leadership at all".[44]"
There are 28 nations worldwide that oppose Israel. All are Islamic. This dispute has nothing to do with land rights. It has to do with Arabs who oppose the existence of Jews.
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DeleteIslamophobia and anti-Arab hatred, in addition to your usual Russophobia? Nice.
Are you a neonazi, Corby?
There are many more nations and humanitarian organizations that oppose Israel’s occupation and settlement policies, and taking your word for it over Israeli historians regarding whether it is about the land is not going to happen.
DeleteEzra Klein
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