I am not feeling well. Had breakfast but repaired to my room to rest, and allow my immune system to chase away whatever is ailing me. The Oberlio has been crowded with groups of many nationalities during the past few days. When this happens the closed circulating air system becomes contaminated, and infections are spread. I am confident that with rest I shall ‘bounce back’ – my immune system is nothing sort of spectacular.
I awoke from a nap, totally accidentally opened my Al Jazeera link to find good news: of sorts. Perhaps a beginning of better news. Any news is good news these days.
“In the early hours of November 22, Qatar formally announced that an agreement had been reached for an Israeli-Palestinian exchange of captives. The available details suggest it largely reflects the proposal offered by Hamas several weeks ago that was initially rejected by Israel. Тhe announcement was made just a week after Israeli tanks and soldiers stormed into the al-Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza City, causing international outrage. Israel had claimed that there was a Hamas command centre there and repeatedly vowed to destroy it. As it happened, the only facility to be found within the compound was a hospital.”
The United States fully supported Israel’s violation of al-Shifa’s sanctity and even claimed it had independent intelligence about a Palestinian Pentagon beneath it but produced no evidence in support of this assertion.”
Hamas has not backed down from its original offer of negotiation, the bulk of its demands have been ceded by the US and Israel.
Does this not summarize the situation??
Although the Gaza Strip has been substantially destroyed, Hamas has yet to be significantly degraded, and the Israeli army has yet to kill more Hamas commanders than United Nations staff.
Leadership in both Israel and the US are tottering. I am most heartened by this incisive paragraph.
The US leadership is also a question mark. With respect to the impact of this crisis on US interests in the region and beyond and particularly the question of regional escalation, US President Joe Biden appears not to care, Secretary of State Antony Blinken appears not to know while CIA Director William Burns and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin look mortified. Which faction gains the upper hand remains an open question.
The final paragraph of the article written by Mouin Rabbini simply summarizes the extremely complicated situation.
The one conclusion that can already be drawn is that the various “day after” scenarios produced by the Washington echo chamber can be safely discarded because they uniformly require the eradication of Hamas and not negotiated agreements with it.
The “Washington echo chamber” says it all.
My most recent Instagram reel is most topical, and very amusing, as you shall see. Here is the link:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz9BzSEM0GN/?igshid=ZDBjMWI0ZjMxOQ==
This is true. As I sit here in Saudi Arabia the staff at this Oberio Hotel is helping me resist the USA by assisting me in avoiding US income taxes. I am doing my part, you do yours! More on blog!
At the breakfast buffet told my Saudi Grandson of recent events and the stance I am taking. His response now brings me tears of joy.
He: You are so brave. The hardships you have overcome to get you here. People do not see that. I understand.
Me: It is the Islamic Faith. When one encounters evil, the Quran says that Believers must take a stand. Only then can Good prevail over evil. It has been the battle of my life. It feels that I am finally prevailing. I shall not be seeing my foes, nor the Israelis in Jannah.
It is going to be a two blog day. Check back later for a light hearted upbeat one.
