THE NEVER ENDING WAR - Updates

PERSONAL COMMENT: As I said in the past, the Never Ending War between Israel and Palestinians will never end UNTIL the Palestinian People tell their governments to stop AND the People of Israel tell their government to stop.  No one outside, no outside government, can really do anything.  Although outside governments can make things worst.

"Families faced with death, destruction amid Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza" PBS NewsHour 5/17/2021

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The battle between the Israeli military and Hamas militants has now entered a second week, as calls mount for an immediate cease-fire.  So far, the violence has killed more than 200 Palestinians in Gaza, and another 10 people in Israel.  That comes as the United Nations estimates more than 38,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee the airstrikes.  Stephanie Sy reports.

 

 

"Palestinians strike to protest Israeli military action in Gaza, but no cease-fire in sight" PBS NewsHour 5/18/2021

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  John Yang reports on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East as calls for a ceasefire are ignored and destruction spreads as Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli artillery attacks continue on day nine with no let-up in sight.

 

 

"Egypt indicates a truce agreement between Israeli and Hamas forces" PBS NewsHour 5/19/2021

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Israel and Hamas forces in Gaza may be edging closer to a cease-fire after 10 days of open war.  Egyptian mediators say there's a truce agreement, in principle.  A top Hamas official said he expects fighting to stop in a day or two.  Pressure to end the conflict built today, with 227 Gazans and 12 Israelis killed so far.  John Yang reports.

 

 

"Can Biden walk the line between support for both Israel and Palestine?" PBS NewsHour 5/19/2021

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  For decades, the U.S. has supported Israel, backing up its defense policy and supplying tens of billions of dollars in aid and weapons.  Now, some within the Democratic party are questioning that support, and challenging President Biden's handling of the Gaza conflict.  John Yang speaks to Daniel Brumberg, director of democracy and governance studies at Georgetown University about the matter.

 

 

"A look at the US role and reaction to cease-fire in the Middle East" PBS NewsHour 5/20/2021

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  A cease-fire is at hand in the war between Israel and Hamas.  Word of the truce came Thursday from Israel, and Hamas quickly agreed.  If it holds, it would end 11 days of fierce fighting that killed at least 230 Palestinians and 12 Israelis, and wrecked Gazan cities.  John Yang begins the report, and Yamiche Alcindor joins Amna Nawaz to discuss the Biden administration's role and reaction.

 

 

"A look at the humanitarian crisis wrought by Israel-Hamas war" PBS NewsHour 5/20/2021

Excerpt

Correction:  In this segment, we referred to Refaat Alareer as “Refaat Aljareer” on first mention.  We also mistakenly referred to Diana Mushtaha as attending the University of Houston, instead of the University of Texas.  NewsHour regrets the errors.

SUMMARY:  John Yang reports on life on the ground for Palestinians and Israelis caught in the crossfire of war, and how US pressure on the region’s leaders has affected civilians, and Middle Eastern immigrant communities in the US.

 

 

"Both Israel and Hamas claim victory after truce, bringing prospect of peace into question" PBS NewsHour 5/21/2021

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The shooting has stopped, but the war of words goes on as Israel and Hamas offered sharply different appraisals Friday of who won and who lost their fourth conflict in just over a dozen years.  John Yang reports on day one of the ceasefire.

 

 

"The fragile ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas seems to be holding" PBS NewsHour 5/22/2021

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The cease-fire between Israeli forces and Hamas held for a second day.  Meanwhile, Gazans returned to their homes to survey the damage as UN humanitarian relief officials said rebuilding health facilities was a high priority because of the coronavirus pandemic.  NPR correspondent Daniel Estrin joins to discuss.

ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA - Fault Lines

As I've said before, the UNCONDITIONAL support of Israel is NOT warranted, considering that their over-retaliation policies are 50% of the problem in the Middle East's 'Never Ending War.'  Yes, the Palestinians are the other 50% of the problem, but it IS the retaliations by both sides that is the problem.  So Israel SHOULD be criticized for their part.

Also, no outside entity (including the U.S.) can solve this problem.  Only the people (Palestinian and Israeli) can solve the problem by telling their governments to just stop.

"What the firestorm over Rep. Omar’s remarks says about anti-Semitism in America" PBS NewsHour 3/7/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) faced a firestorm recently after suggesting political support for Israel might entail "allegiance to a foreign country."  After critics slammed her remarks as anti-Semitic, the freshman congresswoman apologized, and House Democrats wrote a resolution condemning bigotry.  Nick Schifrin talks to The Israel Project’s Josh Block, and J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami.

NEVER ENDING WAR - Israel & Hamas

"Israel and Hamas seem to pull back from the brink of war after violence flares" PBS NewsHour 8/9/2018

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Israel and militant group Hamas have agreed to a tentative truce to calm tensions that have risen dramatically in recent days and the last 24 hours.  Militants have fired rockets and mortars toward Israeli towns, while Israeli jets pounded targets in Gaza.  Foreign affairs correspondent Nick Schifrin reports that when wars in Gaza start, it’s often civilians who pay the biggest price.

ISRAEL - Campaign of Assassination

"The inside story of Israel’s campaign of assassination" PBS NewsHour 1/26/2018

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The state of Israel has a history of great violence, visited on it by its enemies and in return by Israel's own intelligence services and military.  In "Rise and Kill First," journalist and author Ronen Bergman writes about the nearly century-long campaign of targeted killing.  He joins Nick Schifrin to discuss the secret history of these strikes.

TRUMP AGENDA - Killing the 'Two State' Solution

In the 'Never Ending War' between Israel and Palestine, Jerusalem is one of the keys to peace, and Trump just killed the possibility of peace.

MY SOLUTION:  Make Jerusalem an independent City State like the Vatican.  Run by a city government made up of heads of ALL religions that have holy sites in the city, and independent law enforcement that does NOT include Israelis, Palestinians, nor Americans, and with it's own security force (again, like the Vatican).  The City State of Jerusalem would NOT be part of Palestine nor Israel.

VATICAN DEFENSE AND SECURITY:  "As the Vatican City is an enclave within Italy, its military defense is provided by the Italian armed forces.  However, there is no formal defense treaty with Italy, as the Vatican City is a neutral state.  Vatican City has no armed forces of its own, although the Swiss Guard is a military corps of the Holy See responsible for the personal security of the Pope, and resident in the state." --Wikipedia

"How moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem could threaten peace prospects" PBS NewsHour 12/5/2017

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  President Trump signaled Tuesday that he is on the verge of a major announcement, calling Middle East leaders to tell them he's considering moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- a move to that could cause unrest.  Judy Woodruff gets reaction from David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland.

"How Israelis and Palestinians see Trump’s Jerusalem move" PBS NewsHour 12/6/2017

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  While Israeli leaders praised President Trump’s decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as their capital, many Palestinians are upset by the announcement.  For both perspectives, Judy Woodruff gets reaction from Danny Danon Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N., and Husam Zomlot of the Palestinian National Authority.

"Warning of dire consequences, key allies blast Trump’s Jerusalem announcement" PBS NewsHour 12/6/2017

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  While Arab and Muslim leaders are warning of disaster, Israeli leaders are hailing President Trump's major policy shift on Israel.  In a long anticipated move, the President officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced his intent to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, drawing condemnation from world leaders.  John Yang reports.

"In Jerusalem, Palestinian perception that Trump favors Israel boils over into protest clashes" PBS NewsHour 12/8/2017

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The anger on the streets of Jerusalem was clear on Friday as Palestinians confronted Israeli security forces.  Already frustrated by decades of struggle for a country of their own, protesters’ anger boiled over against President Trump's recognition of the city as the true capital of Israel.  Special correspondent Jane Ferguson reports.

NEWSHOUR INTERVIEW - Ehud Barak, former Israeli Prime Minister

"U.S. doing ‘a lot of work’ behind the scenes on Israeli-Palestinian relations, says Ehud Barak" PBS NewsHour 11/30/2017

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Ehud Barak, former Israeli Prime Minister, says Israel is still waiting for the Trump administration to offer its plan on how to move forward with the Palestinians.  Barak joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the deadline for changing the location of the U.S. embassy, why he doesn’t think pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal would be helpful, and the threat for Israel of a post-war Syria.

50 YEARS LATER - The 6-Day War

aka "The Never-Ending War"

"50 years later, a reporter recalls the 6-Day War – and the Israeli-Palestinian tensions that remain" PBS NewsHour 6/2/2017

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War, a 1967 battle between Israel and neighboring Arab nations.  The war created a stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians that continues today.  It's the same standoff that confronted President Donald Trump on his recent visit to the Middle East.  Fifty years later, former NewsHour correspondent Terence Smith reflects on his coverage of the war.

MIDDLE EAST - Jewish Settlements

"What growing Jewish settlements in the West Bank mean for Mideast peace efforts" PBS NewsHour 4/4/2017

COMMENT:  This is one of the many things Israel does that makes things worst.  As I've said before, Israel leadership is driving drunk on religious doctrine, and this 'never-ending-war' will continue unless they change their attitude.

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  More than a half million Israelis live in Jewish settlements in the West Bank -- land they see as a biblical birthright, but that international law contends is occupied territory, and that Palestinians hope will comprise a future state.  Special correspondent Martin Seemungal reports.