 So over the weekend politicians in both parties released statements in response to Hamas's attack on Israel And in my opinion almost all of them missed the mark with a few exceptions And we're gonna talk about that because I think that what US politicians say is important given how much influence America has in that region But having said that though I do want to first look at the events that unfolded on Saturday And as common dreams reports Hamas launched a surprise operation on an Unprecedented scale against Israel early Saturday by land air and sea Hamas's military chief Mohammed Dief said the operation was codenamed al-Aqsa flood The day marks a tremendous strategic failure and defeat for Israel even as it bombs Gaza in retaliation The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza says the death toll of the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 198 with 710 injured and Israel's channel 12 reports that the Israeli death toll has risen to at least 40 and more than 740 people have been injured now keep in mind that all these numbers are subject to change And it's very difficult to track these kinds of things as it happens But just know that there is a lot of people who are suffering right now, and it's a very uncomfortable Nozgating thought but that is the reality So we're not gonna focus too much on specific numbers, but the situation is very very sad Now even though this all may feel sudden to international observers Tensions have been escalating all year in the lead-up to this outbreak of violence as the Washington Post explains as of September 19th Before Saturday's outbreak of violence 227 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli troops or settlers this year according to UN figures with most of those deaths 189 occurring in the West Bank at least 29 Israelis mostly in the West Bank were also killed this year as of the end of August according to the same UN database now to zoom out even a bit further the violence from this year Also has not occurred in a vacuum and that context is absolutely crucial now as this graphic demonstrates Palestine has been quickly disappearing with more land being illegally annexed and occupied by Israel's far-right government every single year in fact Amnesty International declared this a system of apartheid and For very good reason every single year more and more Palestinians are forcibly evicted from their homes and displaced They're segregated and they have no civil rights no civil liberties and in Gaza The situation is even worse as common dreams explains Israel has been imposing a land air and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip for nearly two Decades impoverishing much of the crowded enclaves population and denying million sufficient access to clean water and other Necessities children who make up roughly half of Gaza's population have been disproportionately affected So we're talking about a very young population in a densely populated area that is now being bombed again and already before This current outbreak of violence people in Gaza had no economic prospects unemployment was above 40% They're effectively living in the world's largest open-air prison where no one can leave or enter without Israel's permission And this was already humanitarian disaster, but that problem is going to be exacerbated because of this current wave of bombing I mean more than half of Gazan's already needed aid 3% didn't have access to potable water and Now that's gonna get worse But if you are a Gazan Resisting this blockade was literally is literally a matter of life and death But the problem is that there's just no good options for Resisting because when they resist using violence obviously Israel responds predictably with even more violence But when they resist peacefully and they protest They're still brutalized in fact You can't even peacefully resist here in the United States because the boycott divestment sanctions movement is banned in dozens of US States so we're not even allowed to advocate for peaceful resistance here in many states So we're in this horrible situation and it looks like there's no end There's a power imbalance here and only one side can choose to end apartheid choose to end all the suffering And that is Israel and as long as Israel chooses to maintain this brutal system of oppression and subjugation and apartheid Peace is never gonna be possible. And this is what politicians Have to acknowledge you can't just look at what happened in a vacuum You have to zoom out and look at the entire set of circumstances here and understand that this sort of violence is inevitable And as this graphic demonstrates violence has been common in the region for decades But one side always suffers disproportionately and that is because they lack power They lack resources whereas the other side has all the power all the resources not to mention International support and that's why we always see the same result now having said that does this justify Hamas's slaughter of innocent Israelis absolutely not targeting civilians is a war crime. It's never okay It's bad regardless of who does it and I hope that people condemn the slaughter of innocent civilians because that is not okay And it's really important to remember as we see these news stories here That we shouldn't conflate the actions of Hamas with the actions of all Palestinians and in the same breath We shouldn't conflate the actions of the far right Israeli government with the actions of Israel citizens And I say this because my country the United States has done horrible things It is a colonizer country. We invaded Iraq when I was just a young man couldn't vote yet And I think probably many if not most Americans supported that but I didn't But we were lied to there was a lot of propaganda So I think that even though in a democratic situation you can elect your government You still in the end don't have total control of what your government does and in the same way That I wouldn't want to be blamed for the actions of my government for the atrocities of my government Even if I am indirectly responsible because my tax dollars funded I wouldn't want people to view Palestinians as responsible for the actions of Hamas in the same way I wouldn't want people to view Israelis responsible for the actions of their government when it comes to war We've got to remember that people are people and human life is precious and that's one thing that I want people to understand Now I've seen people compare this to 9-11 and say that this is Israel's 9-11 But if they think that that is indeed the case Then there's a lesson that they should learn because on 9-11 3,000 Americans tragically died but over a million people in the Middle East that had nothing to do with that perished in response and With the way that things are going it seems like Israel is gearing up for a similar response Which is horrifying in fact the defense minister of Israel Yov Galin said the following And mine and deli So they're cutting off electricity food water and gas to people he deems as animals Now ask yourself this question. Do you think that he's referring exclusively to Hamas here? Because even if he is the fact that he's telling you that All 2 million plus people in Gaza are gonna lose power and water That tells you everything you need to know about this power dynamic. The situation is untenable I mean imagine if a government that you couldn't vote for Controlled your access to food water power and you weren't allowed to leave ever unless you got their permission you couldn't view your family or Imagine if you were evicted from the home that your family lived in for generations at gunpoint You had no choice, but you had to leave and you were displaced I mean this situation is obviously going to foster resentment. You would be very mad. You would want to retaliate so this situation Creates an environment where attentions are always going to be hot Because when you are putting people in this predicament They're going to want to resist and the reason why a fascist like Benjamin Netanyahu keeps getting elected is because he's promising To keep Israeli safe But he's been lying to them and year after year that lie becomes more apparent because so long as the system of apartheid exists Violence like this is going to continue to occur and innocent Palestinians as well as innocent Israelis are going to continue to suffer and lose Their lives and again life is precious every single person deserves to live a life with dignity and peace But that is not possible so long as this current system is in place, right? It's only possible if Israel ends its illegal occupation of Palestine and People get real about actual solutions a two-state solution is dead Nobody wants to admit that I mean how are you going to do a two-state solution when Palestine has essentially been erased The only feasible solution at this point seems to be a one-state solution with equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis But Israel is able to perpetuate this system of apartheid and segregation because countries like the United States colonizers ourselves they allow it to continue right and So long as we allow it to continue it will continue because there's no reason for Israel to stop doing what they're doing, right? So this is why I do want to take some time to focus on what US politicians are saying because I think that their takes are important Here what they say matters it reverberates around the world now many politicians Condemned Hamas's attack and rightfully expressed sadness for the lives lost in Israel Yet they failed to mention the humanitarian disaster taking place in Gaza That created these conditions and they kind of like talk about this without giving you the full context others namely Republicans like Nikki Haley use this attack by Hamas to effectively justify genocide against Palestinians with rhetoric that is overtly fascistic So needless to say I was very disappointed by what a lot of lawmakers said There are a lot of them that frame this as Unprovoked an unprovoked attack when that's obviously not true But there were a couple of exceptions a couple of lawmakers who said something that stood out Because they gave people the full context, but of course they were attacked for it But before we get to that let's look at what they said first and foremost is Congresswoman Cori Bush who released the following statement on Twitter Quote I am heartbroken by the ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel I mourn the over 250 Israeli and 230 Palestinian lives that have been lost today and the thousands injured Following attacks by Hamas militants on Israeli border towns and Israeli military bombardment of Gaza I strongly condemn the targeting of civilians and I urge an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation to prevent further loss of life Our immediate focus must be saving lives But our ultimate focus must be on a just and lasting peace that ensures safety for everyone in the region Violations of human rights do not justify more violations of human rights and a military response will only exacerbate the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis alike as part of achieving a just and lasting peace We must do our part to stop this violence and trauma by ending US government support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid Now on Instagram the only Palestinian American member of Congress Rashida Tlaib also released the statement that was similar saying I Grieved the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday today and every day I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace without fear and with true freedom equal rights And human dignity the path to that future must include lifting the blockade ending the occupation and dismantling the apartheid system That creates the suffocating dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance the failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege Occupation and apartheid makes no one safer no person no child anywhere should have to suffer or live in fear of violence We cannot ignore the humanity in each other as long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid Government this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue now. I think that these were really good statements, right? They condemn the violence. They're not saying yes, what Hamas did that is legitimate resistance. They're just saying the context matters here The situation has led to this point and violence will continue if nothing changes But the reason why these statements were so controversial is because they're calling for the United States to end aid to Israel While others are saying we should actually increase aid to Israel now after we see the responses to that you'll understand why they think this is So controversial and spoiler alert Their interpretation of these statements are incredibly disingenuous and bad-faith, but nonetheless the Hill reports quote USA to Israel is and should be unconditional and never more so than in this moment of critical need Democrat Rishi Torres said in a statement to Jewish insider quote shame on anyone who glorifies as resistance the largest single-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust it is Perhensible and repulsive furthermore quote to my colleagues called for America to end resistance to Israel Despite the countless images of Israeli children women men and elderly including Americans murdered by radical Iranian-backed Hamas Terrorists Democrat Josh Govheimer said in a statement obtained by the Hill It sickets me that while Israelis clean the blood of their family members shot in their homes They believe Congress should strip us funding to our Democratic ally and allow innocent civilians to suffer now The U.S. Ambassador to Israel also chimed in on Twitter saying how much more blood needs to be spilled for you to overcome your Prejudice and unequivocally condemn Hamas a u.s. Designated terror organization Hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians massacred in cold blood on a holy day Babies kidnapped from their mother's arms and taken to Gaza an 85-year-old woman in a wheelchair and a holocaust survivor Taken hostage is that not enough for Shida to leave now what these disingenuous bad-faith liars won't tell you is that both Tlaib and Bush are not calling for an end to aid to Israel to punish them for being attacked They're not celebrating the violence here. They condemned it as you saw But what they are calling for is an end to aid specifically to pressure Israel to end the occupation on apartheid So long-lasting peace can be secured our aid to the Israeli government is enabling a fascist regime That is literally facilitating a system of apartheid But suppose a left-wing politicians in America those were Democrats by the way They're siding with the approach taken by the far right in Israel not the left wing in the United States But can you guess who agrees more with Tlaib? The left in Israel because of recassif a member of the Knesset's leftist hadash coalition Echoed the same points made by Tlaib saying we condemn and oppose any assault on innocent civilians But in contrast to the Israeli government that means we oppose any assault on Palestinian civilians as well We must analyze those terrible incidents the attacks in the right context We have been warning time and time again Everything is going to erupt and everybody is going to pay a price mainly innocent civilians on both sides and Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. He said he continues the Israeli government is a fascist government Supports encourages and leads programs against the Palestinians. There is an ethnic cleansing going on It was obvious the writing was on the wall written in the blood of Palestinians and unfortunately now Israelis as well He added so I think it's really poetic to see a Jewish Israeli politician echo What a Palestinian American politician is saying both of them are interested in long-term peace and stability But they acknowledge that you can't make that a reality So long as the current situation continues and we all know that the occupation will continue in perpetuity So long as America allows Israel to do this But we're using our permanent seat at the UN Security Council to veto any and all resolutions That would reign in Israel make them stop violating international law and since we're not gonna stop They're not gonna stop and as a result a lot of innocent people on both sides are gonna continue to suffer something that the left in Israel and the United States Acknowledge, but what Democrats like Richie Torres and Josh Gottheimer don't realize now is that they are on the wrong side of history and They're gonna realize that at some point I think right they're gonna look as foolish as the people who defended apartheid in South Africa Might take some time, but that's where this is going because I think more and more people are realizing that the current situation is Completely unsustainable. You can't have one country control Another country like this or control a group of people like this where they can't leave Their access to food and drinking water is controlled and now being withdrawn. It just it's not sustainable, right? So if you want peace the situation has to end Change needs to happen now before we wrap up I do want to look at a CNN interview by Dr. Mustafa Bargati, which was actually really really good So he represents the Palestinian national initiative. He is not affiliated with Hamas or the PLO But what he says is the same thing as just a couple of US lawmakers who got it, right? And his words are crucial here because this is somebody whose experience is living Under apartheid living under the system of oppression in the West Bank So what he says here the context that he gives us is crucial. I represent a democratic Palestinian movement called Palestinian National Initiative, which is non fatah and non Hamas and We're we're of course, I am not affiliated with Hamas But I think this situation that has evolved is a direct result of the continuation of the longest occupation in modern history Israeli occupation of Palestinian land since 1967 this is 56 years of occupation That has transformed into a system of apartheid a much worse apartheid than what prevailed in South Africa Yes, maybe Hamas did not recognize Israel, but the PLO did and the Palestinian Authority did what did they get? nothing since 2014 the Israeli governments would not even meet with Palestinians and What you see today is a reaction to several things first of all settlers terrorist attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank That has effected already 20 communities in an act of ethnic cleansing 248 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank including 40 children attacks on the holy sites the Muslim and Christian holy sites by Israeli extremists as Well as declaration of Netanyahu that he will liquidate the Palestinian rights and the Palestinian cause by normalization with Arab countries and He dared even to go to the United Nations and carried in the United Nations A map of Israel which included the whole of the West Bank all of Gaza All of Jerusalem as well as the Golan Heights He declared the annexation of the occupied territories. So of course Palestinians turn to resistance Because they see that this is the only way for them to get their rights The question here is not about dehumanizing Palestinians as is happening and calling them terrorists It's about asking the question why the United States supports Ukraine in fighting what they call occupation While here they are supporting the occupier who continues to occupy us And that right there is a damn good question It's easy for Americans to see why resistance to Russia's genocidal war in Ukraine is both just and necessary in fact Americans literally support violent resistance against Russia which is why we're sending them tanks and weapons However, when it comes to Israel and Palestine Resistance in all forms by Palestinians is deemed unacceptable like put aside Hamas's attack Dr. Bargati is not affiliated with Hamas. He doesn't represent Hamas, but he is a Palestinian in the West Bank He's talking about even peaceful forms of resistance being met with condemnation If you're a Palestinian and you protest peacefully you are Brutalized you see violence But even if you're in the United States peaceful support for BDS a peaceful movement is met with censorship Which is a violation of the First Amendment Americans need to think deeply about why this discrepancy exists, right? What is it? Is it a Racial component? Why is this double standard here? Is it just US geopolitical interests? Examine why that's happening and if you hold this bias why you have this bias But I do want to get back to that interview and hear some more from dr. Bargati Because he's gonna point out this double standard even when it comes to civilian casualties now to be clear All of the casualties are bad And I feel like it's pretty easy for people to condemn it all because none of the suffering is good It's it's horrible, right? But he points out that there's never the same concern for civilian casualties on the Palestinian side People only see the harm done to Israelis, which is bad But they never see what's happening simultaneously to Palestinians. It's just completely tuned out. I do not accept attacking any civilian I do not accept that Israelis attack our civilians But look at what Israeli planes are doing now in Gaza. They are bombarding houses They're bringing down to earth and you've so you've shown that on your on your screen Whole apartments whole buildings high-rise buildings are brought down to the ground and we already are reporting receiving reports about families who are killed Nine people in one family ten people in another family including children I do not want any civilian to be hurt neither by Palestinians or by Israelis But the question is how to end that Will it end by attacking? Gaza Strip another time Israel has already conducted five wars on Gaza One of them lasted 51 days. They destroyed everything. This did not stop Hamas did not stop resistance there is one way to stop any violence and that is to end the Israeli occupation and That is for the United States to be fair They cannot say that Israel has the right to defend itself But we the Palestinians don't have the right to defend ourselves Let me remind you with the case of Shirin Abu-Aqli who was not only Palestinian, but also an American a very peaceful Journalist she was shot to death by an Israeli sniper. Was anybody indicted? Was anybody taken to court? No 52 other journalists were also killed our first aid providers are shot at our doctors are shot at This should stop and the only way to stop it is to tell Israel you have to respect international law You have to end this illegal occupation and accept Palestinians as equal human beings Bingo, I don't think there's anything I can add to that what he said there was really important Now one last clip that I want to leave you with is this video that I play whenever Israel Palestine dominates the news cycle It's a clip of the late great Michael Brooks who explains that his Jewish values teach him to oppose apartheid And on top of that he explains that the situation isn't actually that complicated even though Mainstream media might present it as complicated in actuality It's pretty simple and I'm gonna leave you with his words of wisdom. So it's not a complex issue. That's the big thing It's super simple. There's one group that has enormous power. It's the most powerful country in the Middle East It's backed by the United States. It acts on another population of people with total impunity and is never held accountable for anything So there's no symmetry in the relationship period and just as like a thought experiment IDW people If we know that if somehow a population of Jewish refugees ended up in West Bank in Gaza and an Arabic government in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv had an open-air prison in what you know Jewish Gaza Which they bombed the white phosphorus they killed civilians indiscriminately and they had no provisions for medicine They had an embargo that blocked food that the electricity wasn't running that there was an over 48 percent Unemployment rate life expectancy and malnutrition statistics were horrifying the one of the major Policy makers in this hypothetical Arabic Palestinian state said we need to put those Jews on a diet in the West Bank There was another Jewish area where there was a little bit more autonomy But there was regular Arabic settlements where they pulled up the Jewish farmers foods They terrorized them with rocks the security forces broke children's bones and they couldn't drive on their own roads We'd all have no problem understanding what that was. So there's nothing complex about The second part of your question. It's a pure asymmetry relationship and the question is rights or not So that's it. It's not complicated the second part of your question at this point There's always been there's always going to be crackpots who are anti-Semitic who condemn Israel That's not what drives the movement. It's particularly in the United States We work around most people who are concerned with this issue. It's actually populated with a lot of Jewish people The real question we have to ask is why is it that APAC is hosting a Information minister for Slobodan Milosevic Why is it that there's relationships between the Israeli government and far-right parties in Europe? Why is it that Benjamin Netanyahu's son is posting borderline alt-right memes? Why is it that Israel is an alt-right state? Even though it is from the descendants of the victims of one of the greatest crimes in history That's a serious question and that's inseparable from the racism of the project Which goes back to the first part that we have to solve But thank you Shalom