RECTENWALD: The ideological possession surrounding the state of Israel is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed.

The ideological possession surrounding the state of Israel is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. https://t.co/TPyImFJBY4 pic.twitter.com/Ipc22KWWUL

— Dr. Michael Rectenwald (@RecTheRegime) March 22, 2024

what drove those young men to burst the gates of Gaza?

Thank you to Lew Rockwell for this video interview between Russell Brand and Norman Finkelstein.  

Israel imposed a brutal economic blockade in 2006 on Gaza.  The effect of that blockade was that nothing could go into Gaza, and nothing could come out of Gaza; no person could go into Gaza, and no person could leave Gaza without Israel's permission.  Israel imposed in the course of that blockade a regime of starvation plus a diet on the people of Gaza that literally calculated the caloric intake of the people of Gaza and then allowed food to enter Gaza at a starvation-plus level.  Gaza has suffered from among the worst economic deprivation, in particular, unemployment in Gaza.  Among Gaza in general, it's about 50% of the population.  Among youth, namely the people who burst the gates of Gaza, the unemployment is at a level of about 70%.  About 97% of the water in Gaza is poisonous; it can't be drunk by the people.  Now, if you add up all of these factors what do you get?  And I really just skimmed the surface I haven't mentioned that half the population of Gaza comprises children.  I haven't mentioned that 70% of the population of Gaza comprises refugees who were expelled from Israel in 1948 and their descendants I haven't mentioned that Gaza is among the most densely populated places on God's Earth I haven't mentioned that the young people who burst the gates of Gaza.  Most of them were born into that place, which suffered from this economic blockade since 2006.  So what do we get when we put all these factors together?  Well, we take your own former British Prime Minister David Cameron, who now I understand is your Foreign Secretary.  David Cameron described Gaza as an open-air prison.  If you take Israel's senior security establishment officials he was the head of Israel's National Security Council, his name is Giora Eiland.  And in March 2004, Giora Eiland  described Gaza as "a huge concentration camp."  And so what you saw on October 7th was young men who had been born into a concentration camp and had lived for 20 years of their lives in that concentration camp.  But that's only half the story.  The other half of the story is Israel periodically "mows the lawn" in Gaza.  And what is "mowing the lawn"?  "Mowing the lawn" is these high-tech massacres that Israel launches against Gaza.  And a lot of people nowadays express the opinion that if Israel is conducting such massive death and destruction in Gaza, it's because of what happened on October 7th.  Well it is true, it is true that the quantitative magnitude of the death and destruction in Gaza is at a new level.  I wouldn't argue with that.  No sane person would argue with that.  But it's not true that the methods that Israel is employing in Gaza are new or that they suddenly emerged after October 7th.  So I asked your colleagues to just print out, you have in front of you, a list taken from not a human rights report, not from the United Nations, but just random testimonies of Israeli soldiers who fought in Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Now I want you to bear in mind that this list comprises not soldiers who are peacenicks, not soldiers who feel guilty or remorseful about their actions; on the contrary, these soldiers just randomly describe what they did in Gaza.  And I want to reiterate for your listeners, this is before October 7th.  This is Standard Operating Procedure for Israelis each time they "mow the lawn" in Gaza.  So I'm going to ask you, Russell, because by profession you're an actor, so you have a much better voice than me.  Just for each testimony I'm going to ask you to go Soldier.  Read one soldier, read the next because I think it's important for listeners to understand what drove those young men to burst the gates of Gaza, and, we have to be honest, committed atrocities.  So if you don't mind, just read it for the listeners.

9:02.  Reading page 219 from This Is How We Fought in Gaza: Soldiers Testimonies' and Photographs from Operation Protective Edge 2014, Breaking the Silence.  I'll be asking you with the oppositional of you to everything that we are discussing here is you know when people say that Israel is the only country that has ever shown any sort of clemency to Palestine that there never was a nation of Palestine free 1947 all all of the common arguments so that we can even if that come up so that we can even have a conversation that has some tenacity and integrity to it these are the sources that Norman has requested that I use it.

Soldier 18: When we left after the operation, it was just a barren stretch of desert.  We spoke about it a lot amongst ourselves, the guys from the company, how crazy the amount of damage we did there was.  I quote, "Listen man, it's crazy what went on in there.  Listen man, we really missed them up, fuck, check it out, there is nothing at all left . . . , it's nothing but desert now.  that's crazy."

COL. DOUGLAS MACGREGOR: Iran will not stand by and allow Hezbollah to be destroyed.

Americans used to be people who'd say, "Wait a minute, what's this go to do with us?"  They don't do that anymore.  --Col. Douglas MacGregor

Thanks to Daniel Cohn @ Lew Rockwell.

Iran will not stand by and allow Hezbollah to be destroyed.  --Macgregor

Netanyahu wants to expand the war.  

Israel doesn't have any friends in the Middle East, but now it has serious enemies.  And the populations are going to shape the destiny of Israel in the future.  

Is this an American national security interest, or an American domestic politics reality? 

It is a reality of domestic politics.  The American people have been conditioned for decades to see Iran exclusively as an enemy that had to be destroyed.  

I mean I could take you into WalMart or CVS, and ask somebody, "What do you think about those Iranians?"

Oh, they're bad.  They're terrible.  

It's worked.  It goes back to our discussions about why are all of these people so quick to swallow the line about Russia being evil and corrupt, dangerous, and invading everyone?  Well, you fell back on the Cold War.  There is still that underlying consciousness, and there is a willingness to accept what is being taught in academia, what comes across the airwaves on television, 

Americans used to be people who'd say, "Wait a minute, what's this go to do with us?"  They don't do that anymore.  They have been brainwashed, and conditioned.  Intellectually and socially to say, "Iran is evil and bad, therefore, get rid of it.  Now, there are younger people who don't share that assumption. And I don't think that Americans really understand what war means.  A friend of mine who fought in Vietnam was a helicopter gun pilot as a warrant officer, he's a great person and worked for years in the intelligence committee.  Worked for me when I was at the Supreme Headquarters of Light Powers Europe.  And he was telling me, you know, Americans have no idea what's going on.  We had Army groups in Europe between 1944 and 45, from June of 44 until the war ended, that sustained 756,000 casualties, more casualties more losses than we could replace.  We have forgotten that war involves a lot of killing.  The Israelis are experiencing that now, and they are not insensitive to it.  But imagine it on a regional scale and Industrial scale.  We lost 19,000 casualties a month from June of 44 until the Battle of the Bulge broke out, and then it went up to 100,000 a month.  I'm just talking about American forces in Europe, you know, but we never bring these things up.  That's war.  And we have played with this war thing and now we've watched what the Russians have done who understand war.  They have a grasp of it.  Look at what they have done; they built a force for war.  This is not some boutique, specialized army or Marine Corps designed to go into third-world countries where nobody has air defense, where nobody can defend themselves effectively, where they have very little organized military power.  That's [Russian force] a force capable of waging scientific industrial war in the 21st century.  We don't have that, and if we drag ourselves into this thing by provoking a war with Iran, this thing will spread because the Russians will not stand by and watch us destroy Iran.  China has an enormous interest in the Persian Gulf in the Arabian Peninsula.  It Imports most of its oil and gas from there. Russia has tried to make up for some of it when it could not reach it, but today it's impossible to feed the Chinese industrial machine without the Persian Gulf, without the Middle East.  They are not going to stand by and watch us annihilate Iran.  And we talked before about the Turks . . . the Turks are, you know, that nation is ready to fight.  Mr. Erdogan has talked himself into a real corner, and my judgment because people there are enraged and ready to fight, this is a large gasoline storage site that simply needs the right match at the right time at the right location and it will blow up.  That's the problem.  

25:57. I want to talk with you later in the week about Russia, Ukraine, and China before we finish today, and thank you for that superb analysis of where we stand. Here's a clip from a former colleague of yours, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who shares your views and my views on nearly all these things, being pretty critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu.  I wonder if you agree.

26:24. Since Netanyahu took over, indeed probably since Ronald Reagan had to really bash the Israelis when they went into Lebanon in 1982, but it certainly been their policy since Netanyahu took over, he is the most Draconian leader Israel has had in its short history since 1948 he is der Fuehrer.  He is der Fuehrer.

26:53. Fair?  

26:54.  That may be true but I don't think at this point it's terribly relevant, because this situation has moved well beyond Mr Netanyahu.  The forces in play now will not be easily arrested; they will not be contained.  The so-called Genie is out of the bottle.

27:12. Even if Netanyahu were to go for domestic political reasons your view is the genie STAYS out of the bottle.

27:20. Yes, I think we're in a position now that I've tried to describe in the regional sense with all of the Islamic world, and I don't see any easy way through this at this point.  If we were to stop supplying the Israelis, that might have an impact in the short term but in the long term.  Their strategic position now requires support or they will go out of existence, even with our support potentially in the next 12 months.  Given what I see emerging on the horizon, that may be very questionable. 

ISRAELI SOLDIERS LAUGH as they use your tax dollars to blow up a mosque in Gaza

💔🇵🇸 ISRAELIS LAUGH as they use your tax dollars to blow up a mosque in Gaza! pic.twitter.com/Gwm6KLMghe

— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) November 20, 2023

It's not a spiral of violence, Frau Von Der Leyen. Its genocide, openly declared and carried out by the apartheid state of Israel

“It’s not just Israel’s genocide; it’s yours, and The Hague isn’t good enough for you” -- Irish MEP @ClareDalyMEP has some choice words for Ursula von der Leyen. pic.twitter.com/g9bcWmlp5F

— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) November 10, 2023

Watch this absolutely insane footage of Israel wiping out the Khalid bin al-Walid Mosque in Gaza yesterday. pic.twitter.com/1bFRfjhehZ

— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) November 9, 2023

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza

How Israel Was Created.

Be sure to check out the interesting links at the end.

Thank you to Gary D. Barnett's "A World Where a Genocide of Civilians Is Not Only Accepted But Cheered," November 3, 2023, at Lew Rockwell.  

“In Gaza, some of us cannot completely die.  Every time a bomb falls, every time shrapnel hits our graves, every time the rubble piles up on our heads, we are awakened from our temporary death.” ~ Mosab Abu Toha, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza

I wish I could say that this world of genocide, democide, torture, terror, and slaughter of innocents was something new, but of course it is not. The story of mankind is one of horrible brutality, and it is never-ending. The latest atrocity is the ethnic cleansing and slaughter of innocents in Palestine, and the majority are children. This is the purposeful slaughter of Palestinians at the hands of the Zionists; this after 75 years of ruthless savagery levied against them. My comments here are in no way meant to support Hamas, or any State, government, or terrorist organization, but then that is repetitive, as all States, governments, terrorists, and those who control them, are cut from the same cloth, and are pure evil. That is the nature of all States, organized ruling governments, and criminal terrorists.

Because of the history of man, many would think that his natural state would be that of evil, and given what has occurred over thousands of years, one might be justified in accepting this conclusion, but I think it is much more complicated than it appears. On the other hand, one comment I hear consistently, at least by Americans, is that most people are basically good. I think this incorrect as well, so where does that leave us? It seems to me that the natural state of man, at least psychologically, is more sympathetic and peaceful than is evident, but the stoking of hate and division by very nefarious forces, and the purposeful instilling of great fear, has been voluntarily accepted by the majority, and this has caused constant turmoil among nation-states, leading to horrendous nationalism. Because of this intentionally structured antagonism among peoples, constant war has been the result, and this has led to a common behavior that would be best described as dual hatred. What is meant by this statement, is that governments and rulers are certainly evil, but due to the intentional instilling of nationalism, the majority supports State evil due to false ‘patriotism,’ apathy, and fear; this greatly enhanced by the collectivist nature of nationalism.

Read to the end.  

BREAKING: Israel has just bombed the oldest Christian Church in Palestine, the Greek-Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius. 40 Christians have been killed

🇮🇱🇵🇸 Breaking: Israel has just bombed the oldest christian church in Palestine - the Greek-Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius.🇬🇷

40 Christians have been killed!

It was one of the oldest churches in the world where 500 where seeking shelter from the war damages in Gaza.… pic.twitter.com/PfSvI7EZLm

— Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis) October 19, 2023

ABBY MARTIN ON PALESTINE: There's a 99.9% conviction rate. Kids are tortured. Kids are in prison.

Has anyone listened to the podcast between @joerogan and @AbbyMartin?

Is this all just a lie? Is it propaganda and none of this is happening? What exactly is she saying that isn't true? pic.twitter.com/ta2jlzX2z2

— Inversionism (@Inversionism) October 17, 2023

Everyone mistakenly thinks that Hamas controls Palestine.  That's not true at all.  There are 3 different areas that were drawn up with the original partition.  It's the West Bank, which is totally under military rule by Israel.  And then there's the Gaza Strip which is like an open-air prison which they bomb the sh** out of every couple of years and Hamas controls that area.  And then there's Jerusalem, which is an international city center that both Arabs and Jews live in.  But the West Bank has been occupied militarily since 1967 and it's complete martial law.  There are checkpoints.  All political parties are illegal.  You can't . . . having a gun is like the least of it.  You can't hold a flag.  You can't belong to a political party.  You literally can't do sh** if you're a Palestinian.  You just have to sit there and submit.  Even if you share a photo of someone who was killed by an Israeli soldier, you go to jail, and you go to jail for the [number] of months that . . . yeah, based on the shares and the likes of the photo, they'll penalize you more and put you in prison for longer and longer.  Of someone who died, and they'll claim that you're sharing a martyr and inciting people to commit suicide.  And on behalf of Palestinians, you go to jail.  And they put them in jail.  There's a 99.9% conviction rate.  Kids are tortured.  Kids are in prison.  It is absolutely insane.  The first day that we were there, we went to the funeral of some guy, some farmer, shot by Israeli forces, and we went to the funeral.  It was horrible.  All the women are wailing and crying.  As we were leaving, the Israeli Forces had set up a checkpoint right outside of this dude's house and started tear-gassing and shooting rubber bullets at people who were simply attending the funeral.  Just to punish people for attending the funeral.  

We went to another girl's house, whose name is Aya, who got shot in the vagina for peacefully protesting at some protest.  They shot 200 people that day.  One guy next to her died.  Another guy was paralyzed.  They have a policy that's called "Shoot to Cripple" where they shoot guys in the dicks.  Yeah, it's f***ing nuts.

Different license plates for Arabs and Jews. 

Norman Finkelstein on Gaza

If Hamas is a military dictatorship, can you hold the civilian population accountable?   Norman Finkelstein

Finkelstein is great. For beginners, watch this:  https://t.co/pCl11Qj32P https://t.co/JIK9nIUP37

— Daniel McAdams (@DanielLMcAdams) October 17, 2023

00:00 Intro 3:17 How Norman stays so healthy 6:17 How did Norman's parents' experience during the holocaust affect his views on Israel and Palestine? 18:19 The President of Israel blames Palestinians for Hamas. 38:38 What are Palestinians' rights to self-defense? 45:16 Norman's response to Oct 7th 51:35 A White Abolitionist's response to The Nat Turner Rebellion. 1:08:16 Amy Schumer claims to 'Stand Alone' as someone who supports Israel. 1:40:10 Norman debunks many myths surrounding Israel and Palestine. 2:06:54 The blockade on Gaza is a crime against humanity. 2:08:10 Norman calls out Bernie's response to Oct 7th 2:17:21 The U.S. made the same justifications for invasion after 9/11. 2:18:18 Lincoln's words ring true today. 2:28:36 Chuck Schumer wants to 'strangle' Gaza Economically. 2:29:32 Israel's former Prime Minister refuses to answer questions about Gaza. 2:35:57 Israel's Foreign Minister won't let Palestinians into Israel.

VIDEO: Rand Paul Urges US To Stay Hands-Off Over Gaza Attack

Rand Paul does a good job here.  Don't run off half-cocked and promise to nuke Iran when, though it is assumed, it has yet to be proven.  And even if it is proven, that's still no reason to bomb a country to smithereens.  Look at what the U.S. did to Iraq.  And then when the U.S. left Afghanistan, it left in disaster.  Good on Rand Paul to have some composure and reflection on the conflict.  

Thank you to ZeroHedge.