News and views of Palestine continues to claim my attention. This a text between an Instagram man, his posts and reels strongly supportive of Palestine.
Me: I did wear my Palestine scarf yesterday and told everyone that Canada has no foreign policy so my wearing of the scarf has to be its foreign policy. This lack of support renders Canada pathetic.
He: Unfortunately all of the Western media and government are controlled by Zionists.
Me: I do agree. My source of information is the Arab News.
Osama Al-Sharif, a journalist and political commentator, brought a new perspective. His article in the Arab News Opinion section:Time to Talk Openly About Israel Terrorism.
Israel has a terrorism problem and it is not Palestinian terrorism, a term that the country’s propaganda machine, the “hasbara” — Hebrew for explanation — has been using for decades to describe any form of resistance against the illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Israel’s problem has to do with Jewish terrorism preached and adopted by ultranationalist and ultra-religious Jews whose end-game goes as far as killing as many Palestinians as possible in a bid to expel them from their native land — the term once coined by the notorious fanatic and racist rabbi-politician Meir Kahana was “transfer,” which includes expelling Israel’s Palestinian minority.The current far-right government has empowered these terrorist/settler groups and the fiery rhetoric by the likes of Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is normalizing and glorifying Jewish terrorists in the Occupied Territories. The most militant of these groups are Hilltop Youth, Price Tag Attacks, Lehava, Jewish Underground, Kach and Kahane Chai; the latter is considered a terrorist organization by the US and Israel. All of these settler groups openly advocate violence against the Palestinians.”
Any negation of the Hasbara’s narrative was shot down; speaking out out against the use of banned weapons against civl propulation,, collective punishments. , arbitrary killings of activists and even innocent bystanders was shot down, labelled as antisemitic. This has begun to change – some top Israeli officials have recently begun to warn leaders of the impending danger of Jewish terrorism. Onn Sunday, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the rise of “Jewish terrorism,” while former Defense Minister Benny Gantz slammed the phenomenon of “dangerous Jewish nationalist terrorism.” Both were reacting to the cold-blooded murder of a 19-year-old Palestinian boy by rampaging Jewish settlers in the village of Burqa on Friday. In a rare rebuke, the US State Department condemned the incident as “terrorism by suspected Jewish settlers.”
However a number of Netanyahu’s coalition partners continue to support the terrorist settlers. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the settlers suspected of the murder of the Palestinian youth deserve praise, describing them as “heroes.
The two Israeli conflicting, diametrically opposed postures will not go away until a solution is found. But, the real problem lies elsewhere as Al-Sharif forcefully and rationally explains.
The real problem is in the backing and support that these terrorist and radical groups receive from one particular, but influential, group of US voters and politicians: evangelical Christians. Although not all evangelical Christians hold the same views, most believe in the biblical significance of Israel as a fulfillment of the prophecy and evidence of God’s faithfulness to his covenant with the Jewish people. Some evangelical Christians believe that the existence and flourishing of Israel are linked to their interpretation of end-times prophecies. They see Israel as a necessary precursor to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of God’s ultimate plan. And they openly advocate policies that align with Israeli interests, such as recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and opposing international efforts to pressure Israel on issues such as illegal settlements and resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by ending occupation.”
The dire situation is not entirely the fault of Israel’s policies and politicians but extends to US policies and politicians. Cowardly US politicians are afraid to renounce crime committed against Palestinians for fear of loosing not only Jewish votes but also evangelical votes. Palestinians will contuse to suffer abysmally, Israel’s foundations will become fractionated in unprecedented fashion “as a result of the growing militancy of the settler groups.”
If only the United States would mind their own business. One of the most telling ‘mind your own business” quotes was uttered by Brigham Young: “ To mind your own business incorporates the whole duty of man.” Look at the worldwide havoc created by the United States because they were not minding their own business. The USA has spent far too much time observing what was going on outside of itself – not inside its self One an individual level ming one’s own business presents more learning opportunities. People learn by doing, trying, and facing the consequences of our own actions. That can also be of a democracy. Not doing so has resulted in a terrible mess.
The state of the United State has become a topic of discussion and analysis. The New Yorker July 24, 2023 print edition brought Louis Menand’s The Price is Right: The Rise and Fall of NeoLiberalism, Its basic premise: The free market used to be touted as the cure for all our problems; now it’s taken to be the cause of them.
Menand begins:
“Neoliberalism” has been called a political swear word, and it gets blamed for pretty much every socioeconomic ill we have, from bank failures and income inequality to the gig economy and demagogic populism. Yet for forty years neoliberalism was the principal economic doctrine of the American government. Is that what has landed us in the mess we’re In?
The article should be read it in its entirety for it is chock full of lucid literature reviews and sound analysis by learned individuals. Medand’s conclusion is riveting.
“It is the rise in inequality abetted by the neoliberal system that poses the most immediate threat to civil society. Wolf doubts whether the United States will still be a functioning democracy at the end of the decade. Either way, the sun has set on neoliberalism. Both parties have drifted closer to something like mercantilism; the language of the market has lost its magic. “Bidenomics” entails immense government spending; meanwhile, a new cadre—protectionists, crony capitalists, ethno-nationalists, and social and cultural provincials—has been rewriting party platforms. Republicans eagerly lambaste Big Tech and clash with “woke” corporations, more intent on fighting a culture war than on championing commerce. People used to pray for the end of neoliberalism. Unfortunately, this is what it looks like. “
Did you read what I read? “Wolf doubts whether the United States will still be a functioning democracy at the end of the decade.” That should get anyone’s attention! It does not seem farfetched particularly when US politicians seek election by pleasing special interests groups, Groups that have no interest in the furtherance of the common good but rather the furtherance of their own religious and idealogical beliefs.? When political debate has descended into opposing camps with no hope of reconciliation.
I am making plans to escape democracy, not only the US version but also the Canadian one. Give me a Kingdom any day. Fellow Canadians, fed lies by Western media, fail to appreciate my zeal, my zest for Saudi Arabia. But most, if not all, of the Canadians I speak with share my horror and frustration with a government riddled with inefficiency and corruption, answerable only to special interest and special agenda groups. Political compromise is a dead art. I see no positive change forthcoming and feel powerless to effect any. Complaining on this blog is not doing anyone, much less me, any good.
I hereby promise to speak of other things – to be positive, or at least slightly interesting.
Thursday was marred with some stress because I thought my Saudi iPhone had been stolen. Much to my relief found it had been turned off (so Find My Phone was not working). I had hidden it in a safe place – safe from even me Despite this nagging underlying fear I managed to have a great day. My appointment at the Edmonton Archives was absolutely delightful, meeting and speaking with many staff members, closely examining a 1911 photograph of workers assembled on the steps of the Alberta Legislative Building. More about that discovery in a subsequent blog. Two photographs of the Medina Grand Mosque had been framed and placed on the wall of my prayer room. One you will observe is slightly askew. It does bring joy to my heart knowing I will be residing in the pictured Medina, an express train ride from Mecca (my December 2022 photographs).
This weekend promises to be a writing weekend. Welcome rain today, then cool temperatures 8-17 on Saturday; 7-22 on Sunday. Realize that these temperatures would be considered cold in Saudi Arabia, where it will be 30-42. I will not be missing democracy but I shall be missing the weather. But just received an encouraging What’s App text:
He: We are waiting for you in Saudi Arabia Mama.
Me: It brings joy to my heart, It truly does.
Two photographs: the room in my prayer room and the 1911 assemblage off the workers on the steps of the Alberta Legislative Building.
