The Hamas attack on Israel was intended to provoke a response against Gaza.
Hamas knew full well that the nature of their barbaric foray would be answered by an invasion of their base of operations and would result in significant casualties amongst the general population.
Hamas could end the conflict by surrendering and returning the remaining hostages but they have chosen to continue the fight while embedded in amongst non-combatants.
The notion that Israel is responsible for this conflict and the non-combatant casualties is absurd.
Since its inception as a nation, Israel has been under attack by the Islamic leaders of the Middle East.
They have endured an endless fight for survival because the leaders Muslim world cannot accept a Jewish state in their midst.
The current conflict is not about Palestinian nationalism or freedom - it is just a continuation of the Islamic quest for dominance in the region.
The notion that Palestinians should be granted statehood is based on the desire of Islamists to create a formalized forward base for their proxy efforts to destroy Israel and the Jews who populate it.
There is little likelihood Israel will ever be free from the violence instigated against it by the Islamic world but there is equally little likelihood that Israel will allow itself to fall victim to such violence.
Israel will protect itself to the extent necessary and will not be swayed by the progressive pearl clutching at the collateral damage the Islamic leaders invite upon their own people.
It seems that no matter what you hear about the barbaric attack by Hamas, and no matter what you hear about how Israel is not a colonizer, since there have been zero Jews living in Gaza since 2005, and how Israel is truly a melting pot of many religions and cultures, the lies and hate continues. I just listened to Jewish students testifying as how unsafe they feel on college campuses across the country. I hope people understand that this will not just stop with the Jews, that this is a fight for the very survival of our civilization.
From people who hate the Netanyahu government but nonetheless showed up as reservists without hesitation. . .
To people who voted for Bibi and now want him—and his entire coalition—removed from power. . .
——-
One would think the atrocity of October 7 would pull people together into the same direction. But just like 9 11 here in the US, there is no constancy. I don’t know what people expect. This is a literal existential crisis and they are playing politics.
Thank you for making the trip and telling more stories which are not being told in mainstream journalism circles. Thank you also, for continuing to do so despite the disgusting low life commenters who continue to communicate in ways designed to annoy. They are entirely ineffectual.
I look forward to your report. Since I cannot travel to Israel, I rely on journalists like you at the Free Press to keep me informed. I trust you and your colleagues to tell us the truth, and that is a rare thing these days in the news media.
Your job is crucial and one of the cornerstones of a free people and a democracy. Without a free press, a truly free, protected, and independent press, democracy would fail. I believe four main things need to exist for us to be a free country: law and order, free elections, respect for human rights, and a free press.
So, thank you for leaving your two kids behind, for putting yourself in danger, and, most importantly, for having the courage to report the truth.
Many neutral voices are asking how Mossad and the whole of the exceptional Israeli IC could possibly have (1) failed to stop this attack, and (2) why they responded as slowly as they did. Many neutral observers find this deeply troubling and counterintuitive. The parallels between 9/11 and Oct 7 are DEEPLY TROUBLING.
How courageous to have traveled to a war-torn country. When I see a man every single morning on an overpass on the highway on my way to work holding a homemade sign that reads, "ceasefire", I just want to scream. It's infuriating. Reading this account and others, I want to know how anyone can fault Israel for defending themselves or worse, blame them.
I look forward to hearing this important series and learning more about Hamas’s savagery and Israel’s resilience and determination.
I confess to ignorance of the details of Israel’s domestic politics. Reportedly, about 20 percent of Israelis are Arabs, mostly Muslims. Arabs are in the Knesset, and at least one is on Israel’s highest court. The Knesset is home to a full gamut of political parties ranging from right to left, most of them of course composed of Jews. The variety of beliefs and parties make it extremely difficult for any one of them to form a government, such that Netanyahu’s government, like most, is a cobbled-together coalition.
Bibi Netanyahu, a conservative patriot, is hated by many (much as Donald Trump is hated here). Nevertheless, those Israelis who hate Netanyahu fear Hamas and other terrorist groups even more, so they join the fight to exterminate Hamas so it will no longer pose its publicly proclaimed existential threat to Israel.
What I don’t understand is why Israelis will follow Bibi’s leadership in this fight to secure and maintain the very existence of Zion, the Jewish homeland, but at the next election will try to vote him out. Where is the perspective? Where is the gratitude?
As stated, I don’t understand Israel’s domestic politics. But I do understand ours. And I’m sure that no matter what good Donald Trump has done, and perhaps will do in future, a large portion of our voters will never support him - a big reason for this being his erratic, bombastic personality. But it’s interesting how fiercely we humans cling to deeply held beliefs, no matter what contradictory facts are presented.
The murder cult that is Iran sends its flying monkeys Hamas and Hezbollah into Israel. Jews and their friends die horribly. The world shrugs. Israel responds. The world screams like its hair on fire. Why? We all know why. The world is an ass.
The New York Times and other news outlets run columnists every day who decry the "brutal Israeli war in Gaza that's piled up more than 30,000 bodies! Cease-fire now Israel!" I have written to dozens of those columnist and, separately, their "mastheads," asking them to tell Israel how it should wage war instead. If Israel's war against Hamas is immoral and obscene because too many Gazans are dead, then how *should* Israel destroy Hamas without harming non-combatants?
I ask them to lay out their battle plan and I will overnight the results to the Knesset from Arizona. These writers clearly believe Israel had plenty of options from which to choose and chose the only one that kills Palestinians with gusto and glee.
I have yet to get a single response. One minor writer said he didn't have any ideas, but there were too many innocent casualties so Israel had to stop. I asked if he'd ever asked Hamas to stop.
Time for Gaza "civilians" to start cooperating. You know, give Red Cross access to hostages. Demand Hamas surrender unconditionally. If they aren't willing to do this they can die in droves and the world will be a better place. The only people who own that land are the ones that can take and keep it. Brute force and violence have always been part of that dynamic
The Hamas attack on Israel was intended to provoke a response against Gaza.
Hamas knew full well that the nature of their barbaric foray would be answered by an invasion of their base of operations and would result in significant casualties amongst the general population.
Hamas could end the conflict by surrendering and returning the remaining hostages but they have chosen to continue the fight while embedded in amongst non-combatants.
The notion that Israel is responsible for this conflict and the non-combatant casualties is absurd.
Since its inception as a nation, Israel has been under attack by the Islamic leaders of the Middle East.
They have endured an endless fight for survival because the leaders Muslim world cannot accept a Jewish state in their midst.
The current conflict is not about Palestinian nationalism or freedom - it is just a continuation of the Islamic quest for dominance in the region.
The notion that Palestinians should be granted statehood is based on the desire of Islamists to create a formalized forward base for their proxy efforts to destroy Israel and the Jews who populate it.
There is little likelihood Israel will ever be free from the violence instigated against it by the Islamic world but there is equally little likelihood that Israel will allow itself to fall victim to such violence.
Israel will protect itself to the extent necessary and will not be swayed by the progressive pearl clutching at the collateral damage the Islamic leaders invite upon their own people.
Thank you for doing this, Ms. Kahn. And Ms. Weiss and all your colleagues.
It seems that no matter what you hear about the barbaric attack by Hamas, and no matter what you hear about how Israel is not a colonizer, since there have been zero Jews living in Gaza since 2005, and how Israel is truly a melting pot of many religions and cultures, the lies and hate continues. I just listened to Jewish students testifying as how unsafe they feel on college campuses across the country. I hope people understand that this will not just stop with the Jews, that this is a fight for the very survival of our civilization.
From people who hate the Netanyahu government but nonetheless showed up as reservists without hesitation. . .
To people who voted for Bibi and now want him—and his entire coalition—removed from power. . .
——-
One would think the atrocity of October 7 would pull people together into the same direction. But just like 9 11 here in the US, there is no constancy. I don’t know what people expect. This is a literal existential crisis and they are playing politics.
Thank you for making the trip and telling more stories which are not being told in mainstream journalism circles. Thank you also, for continuing to do so despite the disgusting low life commenters who continue to communicate in ways designed to annoy. They are entirely ineffectual.
I look forward to your report. Since I cannot travel to Israel, I rely on journalists like you at the Free Press to keep me informed. I trust you and your colleagues to tell us the truth, and that is a rare thing these days in the news media.
Your job is crucial and one of the cornerstones of a free people and a democracy. Without a free press, a truly free, protected, and independent press, democracy would fail. I believe four main things need to exist for us to be a free country: law and order, free elections, respect for human rights, and a free press.
So, thank you for leaving your two kids behind, for putting yourself in danger, and, most importantly, for having the courage to report the truth.
I think I’ll opt for this rather than the This American Life podcast on Palestinian refugees.
My heart and soul are with the Israeli people.
Many neutral voices are asking how Mossad and the whole of the exceptional Israeli IC could possibly have (1) failed to stop this attack, and (2) why they responded as slowly as they did. Many neutral observers find this deeply troubling and counterintuitive. The parallels between 9/11 and Oct 7 are DEEPLY TROUBLING.
How courageous to have traveled to a war-torn country. When I see a man every single morning on an overpass on the highway on my way to work holding a homemade sign that reads, "ceasefire", I just want to scream. It's infuriating. Reading this account and others, I want to know how anyone can fault Israel for defending themselves or worse, blame them.
I am glad you are safely home.
Keep up the amazing work. Your voice is essential. Am Yisrael Chai!
Great. Can't wait to hear the rest of the story. Keep up the good work.
I look forward to hearing this important series and learning more about Hamas’s savagery and Israel’s resilience and determination.
I confess to ignorance of the details of Israel’s domestic politics. Reportedly, about 20 percent of Israelis are Arabs, mostly Muslims. Arabs are in the Knesset, and at least one is on Israel’s highest court. The Knesset is home to a full gamut of political parties ranging from right to left, most of them of course composed of Jews. The variety of beliefs and parties make it extremely difficult for any one of them to form a government, such that Netanyahu’s government, like most, is a cobbled-together coalition.
Bibi Netanyahu, a conservative patriot, is hated by many (much as Donald Trump is hated here). Nevertheless, those Israelis who hate Netanyahu fear Hamas and other terrorist groups even more, so they join the fight to exterminate Hamas so it will no longer pose its publicly proclaimed existential threat to Israel.
What I don’t understand is why Israelis will follow Bibi’s leadership in this fight to secure and maintain the very existence of Zion, the Jewish homeland, but at the next election will try to vote him out. Where is the perspective? Where is the gratitude?
As stated, I don’t understand Israel’s domestic politics. But I do understand ours. And I’m sure that no matter what good Donald Trump has done, and perhaps will do in future, a large portion of our voters will never support him - a big reason for this being his erratic, bombastic personality. But it’s interesting how fiercely we humans cling to deeply held beliefs, no matter what contradictory facts are presented.
Thank you for this great coverage!
The murder cult that is Iran sends its flying monkeys Hamas and Hezbollah into Israel. Jews and their friends die horribly. The world shrugs. Israel responds. The world screams like its hair on fire. Why? We all know why. The world is an ass.
The New York Times and other news outlets run columnists every day who decry the "brutal Israeli war in Gaza that's piled up more than 30,000 bodies! Cease-fire now Israel!" I have written to dozens of those columnist and, separately, their "mastheads," asking them to tell Israel how it should wage war instead. If Israel's war against Hamas is immoral and obscene because too many Gazans are dead, then how *should* Israel destroy Hamas without harming non-combatants?
I ask them to lay out their battle plan and I will overnight the results to the Knesset from Arizona. These writers clearly believe Israel had plenty of options from which to choose and chose the only one that kills Palestinians with gusto and glee.
I have yet to get a single response. One minor writer said he didn't have any ideas, but there were too many innocent casualties so Israel had to stop. I asked if he'd ever asked Hamas to stop.
Silence.
These fuckin' people.
Time for Gaza "civilians" to start cooperating. You know, give Red Cross access to hostages. Demand Hamas surrender unconditionally. If they aren't willing to do this they can die in droves and the world will be a better place. The only people who own that land are the ones that can take and keep it. Brute force and violence have always been part of that dynamic
Written when visiting a friend in Israel about 18 yrs. ago.
Bedoin Wedding
The handsome groom,
the beautiful bride,
the revelers fireing their weapons
toward the sky.
What goes up
must come down,
the bride and groom
lying on the ground.
Family and friends
tear their hair and weep,
the bride and groom
lying at their feet,
the revelers in slow retreat.
Do we praise Allah now
or do we wait?