An invasion fueled by revenge isn't going to erase Hamas off the face of the Gulf's burning earth. While it is imperative to dig in who really, actually funded the Oct 7 attack, the truth may not come out at all. Iran is the immediate dartboard trajectory but following the death of IRDC/Quds chief General Qasem Soleimani ni 2020, many doubt Tehran’s role in the carnage that killed 1,400 Israelis. That’d be due to recent peace initiatives in the region. 🇮🇱☮️🇵🇸
BACKGROUNDER, Iran: As commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Soleimani was considered as the second-most powerful person in Iran, next to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei.
Although he cooperated with U.S. forces in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban following 9/11, Soleimani also provided extensive assistance to Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as the Houthis in Yemen. The General also coordinated and assisted Kurdish Peshmerga and Shia militia forces in Iraq and helped augment Bashar al-Assad’s leadership in Syria.
Soleimani was designated as a terrorist by the United States in 2005. He was assassinated via an American drone strike on 3 January 2020 in Baghdad. The strike was expectedly condemned by the Iranian government. Hours after his burial on 7 January 2020, the Iranian military launched missiles against U.S. military bases in Iraq; while there were no deaths in the second attack, the Pentagon reported that 110 American troops were wounded in the strikes.
General Qasem Soleimani’s successor as commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC is Esmail Qaani. Prior to his appointment, Qaani was most famous for recruiting the Liwa Fatemiyoun and Liwa Zainebiyoun Shia fighters operating in Syria.
PERTINENT EVENTS this year or prior to the Oct 7 Hamas attack in Israel: 🇮🇱☮️🇵🇸
[ ] The Arab League welcomed Syria back into the bloc in May. The Arab League was formed in 1945, initially with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Currently, the League has 22 Arab member-countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The roots of the Arab–Israeli conflict have been attributed to the support by Arab League member countries for the Palestinians, a fellow League member, in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict; this in turn has been attributed to the simultaneous rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism towards the end of the 19th century.
[ ] China surprised the world by brokering relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in March. Note that China is Iran’s top oil buyer. Meanwhile, China and Saudi Arabia are close and strategic allies and have been increasing cooperation in the energy and financial sectors, the Belt and Road Initiative, and have signed numerous deals across several areas.
[ ] Saudi Arabia has suspended talks on potentially normalizing ties with Israel amid the war raging between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Gulf kingdom has never recognized Israel and did not join the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords that saw its neighbors Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as well as Morocco establish formal ties with Israel. President Biden has been pushing hard in recent months for Saudi Arabia to take the same step.
[ ] Middle East powers Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, and the UAE, as well as Argentina and Ethiopia are set to join BRICS in January 2024. BRICS is a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In 2001, economists predicted that these fast-growing economies would collectively dominate the global economy by 2050.
MY THOUGHTS, as previously posted on my Facebook page. 🇮🇱☮️🇵🇸
New York Times: At first, “Hezbollah Hesitates as Israel Strikes Gaza.” And then the following day, per Associated Press: “Hezbollah leader threatens escalation as Netanyahu rules out cease-fire in Gaza.” Anyhow, the group is torn between maintaining its credibility as “a defender of the Palestinians, and its hesitation to drag Lebanon into a war. Disturbing. What power enabled Hamas to strike? Was it Iran? While peace efforts are being worked out in the Gulf, and Tehran part of the peace process?
Saudi Arabia and Iran shook hands in March, as both are set to formally join BRICS in January. Largest known benefactor of Hezbollah and Hamas: Iran. But that was when Quds chief Gen. Qasem Soleimani was still alive. News adds: “Hezbollah leader threatens escalation in cross-border fighting with Israel, while Netanyahu rules out cease-fire until Hamas frees hostages.” Netanyahu believes he will be able to save the hostages via continued strikes.
Time: “Yemen's Houthi Rebels Claim Ballistic Attacks on Israel, Raising Fear of Wider Conflict.” Here come the Houthis. And so Iran is again tossed into the picture. Tehran has long sponsored the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah–all enemies of Israel. Top trainer of the Houthis was Qasem Soleimani, chief of the dreaded Quds Force of the IRGC. But the General was taken out by a U.S. drone in early 2020. So what power currently runs the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah?
Associated Press: “Opposition mounts in Arab countries that normalized relations with Israel.” Middle East countries that have normalized relations with Israel are now under public pressure to cut those ties. This: Saudi Arabia and Israel were in talks prior to the Oct 7 attack. Saudi Arabia, a new BRICS member, is de facto leader of the Arab League. Meanwhile, as global criticism of strikers heightens, the U.S. presses Israel for a “pause” in military operations so aid reaches Gaza.
Associated Press: “US consumers keep spending despite high prices and their own gloomy outlook.” Americans expressed bitter sentiments in opinion polls per Joe Biden’s handling of the economy. Yet consumer spending is high. Economics: Consumption spending makes up two-thirds of the U.S. economy on average, so as the U.S. consumer goes, so goes the U.S. economy. But gasoline prices threaten to spike again as the Israel/Hamas war accelerates.
Associated Press: “House approves $14.5 billion in assistance for Israel.” In 1999, the U.S. agreed to provide Israel with at least $2.67 billion in military aid annually, which is now at $3.8 billion. That’s how powerful the Israel Lobby is in Washington. Meanwhile, since the war began, the U.S. Congress has directed more than $75 billion to Ukraine, part of a $113 billion package. So much taxpayer money for mostly military firepower over humanitarian rescue.
Also. Associated Press: “Gaza Health Ministry says more than 9,000 Palestinians, including 3,760 who are under 18, have been killed in the war.” So billions$ for Israel have been prioritized. What about aid to Palestinian victims? Add info: Since World War II, Israel received the most U.S. aid, $312.5 billion as of 2021.
New York Times: “Middle East War Could Cause Oil Price Shock, World Bank Warns.” And adds: “A new report outlined how a major escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas could fuel a new bout of inflation.” Oil could soar to a record high of $150 if the Israel-Hamas war doesn’t subside soon. As we speak, it is already around $96 per barrel following the outbreak. Before this latest conflagration, the global price was around $88 a barrel. No respite, indeed.
Time’s Ian Bremmer: “The Gaza Invasion Will Not Make Israel Safer.” Beyond the shudder of the Israel/Hamas tempest in Gaza, invasion per se of a country to excise revenge, “safeguard democracy,” or what-have-they, only stokes the fire of hate into larger conflagration. To end the Gaza crisis, the only solution is not the “two-state solution.” Give back the Palestinians the areas that were taken from them in 1967. The only way that will make Israel and Palestine safer.
New York Times: “Israel Faces Hostage Dilemma in Gaza.” And adds: “The country has said there are two main goals in the war: Destroy Hamas and free the hostages held in Gaza. But are those goals compatible?” Already, before the Oct 7 attack, Tel Aviv leadership was in shambles. Meanwhile, per The Guardian, Israel’s ex-military leaders told PM Benjamin Natanyahu to “quit now,” blaming him for the Hamas incursion as they question his response to the carnage.
Yahoo News: “Israel dismisses Gaza refugee camp bombing as `tragedy of war.’” The assault on the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp caused many casualties, says reports. “Tragedy of war” is obviously “collateral damage.” Given, horror of war. Yet I ask: What about intel? The target of revenge strike is Hamas. Sure, they hide in public enclaves, that is a war tactic. But then, bomb a refugee camp? The strategy is bloody gung-ho. No mind for human lives. War.
Many would counter that the previous Hamas attack killed 1.400 innocent Israelis. So to avenge the dead, excise damage as well to Palestinian public? In a much greater damage, doesn’t this speak of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
☮️☮️☮️
PALESTINE, a state in Western Asia; Mandatory Palestine, a geopolitical entity then under the British from 1920 to 1948; Palestinian territories or West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, areas occupied by Israel since 1967; Palestinian enclaves, those designated for Palestinians per U.S. and Israeli-led proposals. Palestine is the size of tiny Delaware, yet does it really exist? Can’t the 5 million Palestinians live in peace in a place they can call home?
Population of Delaware is 1 million+. Palestine is 5 million. Yet they share almost equal geographical size. In other words, the "country" is crowded, densely populated. Imagine, where would the Palestinians flee in case of war? Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Or they'd stay--in fear, hunger, and cold. Yet escaping to those countries isn't that simple. Regional politics sets in. 🇮🇱☮️🇵🇸
No comments:
Post a Comment