This is a thread to discuss the current situation and past history in Israel and Gaza - Please be respectful and kind.

There is video going around from the "free Palestine" protests at the Biden/Obama/Clinton fundraiser - violently shoving and attacking a (presumably) Jewish man who was trying to get through to see his mother, the usual anti-US chants and saying they want to bring Hamas to run the US, and one with a man shouting misogynist ("c") and anti-Semitic ("k") slurs at a woman. In none of these is there any sense of doubt or hesitation, and none of this is about Palestine. Whatever this movement was meant to be is long co-opted. 

I'm seeing some on the left who are angry over Biden trying to get Haley supporters. I would agree it's likely pointless, but when you have such proud bigots who make it clear they will never support Biden and are just fine with Trump, he has little choice. 

Most of them genuinely like Trump, and always have. They just don't want to admit it - yet. 

This is very bad. World Central Kitchen is a very popular NGO, Australian government officials are demanding accountability. 

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-airstrike-gaza-kills-foreign-aid-workers-hamas-run-media-office-says-2024-04-01/

Another example of why Biden would probably be better off writing off Dearborn if this and the "abandon Biden" movement are what dominate their choices:

 

Heaven help us all…

 

Israeli military says Iran has launched drones towards Israel, but the attack could take hours to arrive https://t.co/DWCdBhGCa7

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) April 13, 2024

I’m unsure if anyone remembers when I posted in the politics thread about the possibility that this war could go beyond its borders. Back then, the concern was mainly Hezbollah as there was a lot of rockets being fired into Lebanon but in the back of my mind, the possibility of this conflict expanding into Iran has been active and overall, the idea that this war could get much much worse.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/05/20/trump-muslims-arabs-michigan-election/

The latest shift in the attempt to get Muslim voters to support Trump (something many on the left and right have been doing eagerly for years now and they just use the carnage in Gaza as justification).

I noticed that the Washington Post op-ed writer who was gushing over this meeting had little to say about the meeting itself. They're lucky because they will probably still get most of those votes.

https://www.salon.com/2024/05/22/envoy-to-arab-american-flops-at-michigan-meeting-talks-about-gazas-real-estate-potential/

 

12 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I noticed that the Washington Post op-ed writer who was gushing over this meeting had little to say about the meeting itself. They're lucky because they will probably still get most of those votes.

https://www.salon.com/2024/05/22/envoy-to-arab-american-flops-at-michigan-meeting-talks-about-gazas-real-estate-potential/

 

I doubt Arab Americans are that dumb. It's easy enough to just skip that race on the ballot. And even then I don't think they lack understanding of the complexity of the issue. But I do know they are not voting for Trump.

2 minutes ago, JaneAusten said:

I doubt Arab Americans are that dumb. It's easy enough to just skip that race on the ballot. And even then I don't think they lack understanding of the complexity of the issue. But I do know they are not voting for Trump.

I don't think they will get every vote, but the segment of the vote they are courting in Michigan were already shifting to Republicans before 10/7. Many voted for or worked with this lunatic:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_Dixon

How some Michigan Muslims united with extremist Republicans against LGBTQ+ rights • Michigan Advance

Hamtramck mayor describes group that flew LGBTQ+ Pride flag as a ‘militia’  • Michigan Advance

Some of the most vocal Michigan Arab voices in the no Biden movement were, IIRC, previous supporters of W, or had also made a point of never supporting Biden or Hillary in 2016/2020. The Gaza crisis was just a cover. And even with Trump's campaign not even making a bare minimum effort, it will probably remain their perfect cover.

I wish Democrats would just take the chance and expel her, even if it would just play into the hands of many in Dearborn and elsewhere who already are voting for Trump anyway. She has always been an attention seeker and doesn't genuinely care about the people of her district. And now she is openly telling people to vote for Trump, even if she tries to be cute about it. There's no reason for her to be in the party.

 

Who does something like this?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/nikki-haley-writes-finish-them-on-israeli-bomb-after-refugee-massacre/ar-BB1ndp2u

Once again, another influence campaign using fake Black people as part of its strategy. 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/israel-secretly-targets-u-lawmakers-113653377.html

Thought I would share the article that @janea4old posted in the Politics thread with this dedicated thread since it is relevant to the topic of discussion here as well. Smotrich has a history of saying things like this.

 

 

My only take is LGBT folks taking over Pride Events for Gaza are dumb as a box of rocks. Don't they know what happens to folks like them in Gaza?

September 2024
Holocaust survivor Veronika Cohen marks her 80th birthday by protesting outside an Israeli prison. Her protest is aimed at exposing the degrading treatment faced by Palestinian prisoners, as well as bringing attention to Israel’s systematic use of administrative detention – which allows for indefinite detention without charge or trial – during the Gaza war.
Full story:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/20/holocaust-survivor-veronica-cohen-80th-birthday-protest-israeli-prison