You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Matthew, Chapter 24.
The flags of Israel, apparently Hamas, and the crest of the Palestinian Authority.
We'll first bring this edition up to date with some entries from the last one:
October 7, 2023
Hamas v. Israel
Hamas launched a large scale offensive against Israel yesterday, sending both ground forces and rockets across the border. Israel has termed it a war and has called up reservists.
October 8, 2023
Hamas v. Israel
Russia bizarrely called for a ceasefire between the warring parties.
Civilian casualties are about equal so far, each standing at about 250 persons. Hamas took hostages back into Israel.
October 9, 2023
Hamas v. Israel
In something, we just don't see occur anymore, but which we really should, Israel has actually issued a Declaration of War, of course against Hamas.
Declarations are a formal legal document and really without one, at least legally, a state of war does not exist. This is, therefore, not only a throwback (which it shouldn't be) to an earlier era, but an important legal step.
Israeli ground troops have not yet entered Gaza (we anticipate that it will) but Israel has placed Gaza under siege. Nothing is coming in or out.
The US has moved ships closer to the region.
In acts of supreme stupidity, some members of Congress or others who are simply opponents of Joe Biden are blaming him for Hamas' actions. Truly, that's really off the wall. Look to see for some of those who rally to Israel's defense to be the same parties who are opposed to Ukraine's, and look for cries of US support to Israel from some of the same who would dump support for Ukraine, even though Ukraine is a democratic country, like Israel, also fighting for its existence.
Worth noting, one of the Hamas targets was a "rave" party, perhaps accidentally, in support of peace at which young Israeli's were gathered. Reports indicate that not only were attendees gunned down in cold blood, but at least two young women were raped next to the dead bodies of their friends and then viciously murdered.
This gives us two recent examples, which should not be forgotten, of armies using rape and murder as weapons against civilians, one being Putin's Russian army in Ukraine, and now Hamas, which claims Islam as part of its founding principles, in Israel. Any army doing that loses all claims to legitimacy.
Hamas controls 74 seats out of the Palestinian's 132 in their parliament, giving them the majority. How this war plays out is yet to be seen, but it has to call into grave question the land for peace strategy that Israel followed starting at the time of the Camp David Accords.
It is worth noting that Hamas' funding comes from donations, Gaza in particular being economically unviable. Presently, a large percentage of that comes from Iran, which is somewhat ironic due to the traditional hostility between Sunni and Shia Islam. Hamas is primarily Sunni. Other regional Sunni states are major economic donors as well. Iran is also a backer of forces opposed to the US in Syria.
cont:
Israel has called up 300,000 reservists.
October 10, 2023
Hamas v. Israel
Hamas operations in southern Israel expanded yesterday, and the IDF fought Hamas in thirteen locations on the West Bank. Hezbollah crossed Israel's northern border in a rocket supported raid.
This is all contrary to news reports, which have largely failed to mention that guerilla operations are expanding.
Hamas has called for a general mobilization for Friday. This is unlikely to occur.
cont:
I think people will not believe the reports of what happened in Kfar Aza and Kibbutz Beeri. Even though Hamas posted photos and videos on their own Telegram channel. Because these are ISIS tactics. Beheaded babies and burned corpses. Yes, I saw the photos.
Lisa Goldman, Canadian journalist.
This assertion is hotly disputed by Palestinians.
October 11, 2023
Russia v. Ukraine
Russia lost a bid, not surprisingly, to regain a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Its obtaining a seat would have rendered the Council a complete joke.
It was suspended last year.
The Ukrainian offensive is back down to proceeding at a snail's pace. There's really no way to put a happy spin on this.
October 11, 2023
Hamas v. Israel
US advanced weaponry has begun to arrive in Israel.
There are additional reports today that Hamas killed children and infants.
cont:
Liz Cheney has repeated the item about Hamas murdering 40 babies. I note this, as Cheney has been a source that I trust, and whom certainly turned out to be correct about other foreign policy matters.
cont:
U.S. intelligence indicates that Iran, just like Israel (and the U.S.) was surprised by he Hamas assault on Israel.
That's likely because they would have tried to call it off, knowing that the falling chips would lead to a disastrous Hamas result in the end.
October 12, 2023
Hamas v. Israel
Israel hit the Aleppo and Damascus airports in airstrikes, one just before an Iranian diplomat was set to land. His plane turned around back to Iran. The plane apparently also contained members of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Russia v. Ukraine
Ukraine is apparently working on port arrangements with Romania in order to ship grain from that country.
cont:
Hamas has called for a global day of jihad to take place tomorrow.
cont:
The Royal Navy, like the U.S. Navy, has now deployed in assistance to Israel.
October 14, 2023
Hamas v. Israel
Israel notified the United Nations early today that the 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave's southern 12 miles within the next 24 hours.
This points out what I've stated elsewhere, but which very little of the media seems to be grasping. By the Palestinians giving their allegiance to Hamas, they're effectively doing the same thing that the Germans did by having given their allegiance to the Nazis. They've invited destruction to rain down upon them.
There will be comments that the Israeli counteroffensive is disproportionate to what occured, but that misses the point. It's not what should happen, it's what will happen. Israel will go into Gaza and 1.1 million Palestinians will not be able to relocate. There will be numerous civilian deaths. Palestinians, who excel at playing the wrongfully aggrieved party, will howl with remorse in the way common to Middle Easter people, but the end of Gaza as an effective entity is probable, and it's very likely that the end of Hamas will occur.
Things are going to get much worse, no matter how you look at it, before they get better.
North Korea v. South Korea
North Korea complained about a U.S. aircraft carrier being in South Korea.
Russia v. Ukraine
Russia has launched an offensive in the north, around Avidiivka.
Ukrainian offensive actions continue on elsewhere, but are slow. As noted elsewhere, the Ukrainian offensive never really advanced at a significant rate and while it recently gained significant ground, it's bogged down again. There are those trying to put a happy face on it, but what has been demonstrated is that the Ukrainian military, at present, is incapable, or unwilling to sustain the massive losses it would require, to advance at a rate that will bring it victory.
The Russians, for their part, are incapable of the same.
We're entering a World War One style stalemate.
Russian authorities are forcing dioceses of the Kremlin-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate. to join the Russian Orthodox Church.
cont:
The Jerusalem Post can now confirm based on verified photos of the bodies that the reports of babies being burnt and decapitated in Hamas's assault on Kfar Aza are correct.
May their memory be a blessing.
The Jerusalem Post.
cont:
Right in the middle of this map is a brown strip called the Gaza Wadi. Everyone north of that line, which is everyone in Gaza city proper, has been told to evacuate by tomorrow.
It likely cannot happen, but the fact that the instruction has been given is telling.
Also telling are some of the facts and figures on this map, including the 46% unemployment rate and the 60% poverty rate. Obviously, the entire Gaza Strip is untenable. It can't, and never will be able to be, anything more than sort of a welfare state. Israel has not wanted it. Egypt, whose border with it is closed (something other countries seem to have no problem doing) tells us all we need to know about Egypt's view about Gaza.
A situation in which the Palestinians are impoverished welfare clients of the world, and more particularly of the Arab world, armed in order to give Israel grief by the Muslim nations of the Middle East, can't go on forever. They will not overcome Israel and this situation cannot go on. None of the options are comfortable, but they should be discussed.
Of note, over 6,000,000 non-Saudi nationals are employed in that country.
600,000 non nationals work in Bahrain.
4.9 million non nationals work in Dubai.
The entire Palestinian population of Gaza could be taken in by Arab states that need workers. Yes, they may not want to go there either. But to remain, they'll have to live how to accommodate themselves to reality, or this will go on and on. They should not be removed, of course, by force, but that may be just about to happen.
October 15, 2023
Hamas v. Israel
Republican Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who is Jewish, was arrested Friday for carrying a firearm at a pro-Palestinian rally on Thursday. There have been calls for her removal from office as a result.
Frankly, her carrying a handgun at the event, which she was observing, was perfectly rational and fits exactly within the Second Amendment.
Egypt has completed a concrete barrier to block Palestinian entrants from Gaza. Their border is very small, so they will be able to enforce it.
Qatar has refused to take Palestinian refugees.
Russia v. Ukraine
Russia has not conducted an airstrike against Ukraine since September 21, indicating that they are likely storing missiles for a winter offensive.
Afghani Civil War
A bomb outside a mosque killed fifteen people in the country yesterday.
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