By Walter E. Block

Michael Geissinger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In the view of Thomas Friedman of the New York Times: “I am not a judge. I don’t know what the ‘just’ proportion of Palestinian civilian lives and houses that the laws of war might say [it is] OK for Israel to destroy in response to October 7 for every Israeli Jew and house ravaged that day. But I am sure that whatever the number is, Israel has now exceeded it.”

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UPDATE ?
– Five buses had explosives on them
– They were supposed to go off tomorrow morning during the hostage release
– Hamas has taken responsibility
– Netanyahu has called for an emergency meeting pic.twitter.com/HSmu1C7ZAh

— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) February 20, 2025

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Peloni:  This is a must read article by Tanya Lukyanova which was published by the Free Press.  The revelations in this report will likely surprise many who have come to rely extensively on Ukrainian news reports.  The reality of the facts discussed by the author should of course have been obvious long ago.  Recall the use of the Peacemaker website which lists targets to be purged, and that following their names having been listed on this site, many journalists were in fact eliminated, not the least notorious of these was the Ukrainian secret services having first detained and later murdered the American journalist, Gonzo Lira.  Recall further that the Peacemaker website has been tied to the Ukrainian govt and it has remained active even after the US began overtly subsidizing Ukraine’s government, which was also coincident with the timing of Gonzo Lira’s detention and murder by Ukraine’s state police.

The purpose of the media in any democracy is to maintain transparency and accountability between the govt and the people who chose the govt.  Of course, under the use of USAID, both Ukraine’s govt and media have been weaponized in pursuit of American misadventure.  The consequence of this has led to the decimation of Ukrainian democratic process, such as it was, their freedoms, their elections, their religious choices, and their access to a free press.  This should disgust us all, and it should disgust those who claim any love of the Ukrainian people more than anyone.

The FP’s @TanyaLukyanova_ goes inside the USAID media machine: https://t.co/sJ7gdxXWxh pic.twitter.com/8o8eJFSJs3

— The Free Press (@TheFP) February 19, 2025

Peloni:  Pollard reveals that war with Egypt is imminent, and makes the similar argument recently put forward by David Wurmser for why.  He also explains that the cost of this war will be quite high for Israel and that victory lies with the use of unconventional weaponry.  He continues by suggesting that Israel needs a leader with the skill and gravitas which will use such unconventional weapons, and that Netanyahu is clearly not the leader to do so.  A longtime critic of Netanyahu, Pollard does little to balance his overt criticism of the PM, which might be better presented by Yishai Fleisher’s recent comments.

Peloni:  Fleisher asks many hard questions of Netanyahu, while noting the important role and result which he has produced.  Ultimately, he asks the significant question of whether it might be time for new leadership for the country, and this question more than any other raised, has serious implications no matter which path is pursued.

Should Israel be led by new leadership at this critical moment, who might be the proper choice?  Should it be one of the members of the Right from the Bennet-Lapid govt which empowered the Left and rewarded the Arabs following the 2021 War of Riots & Rockets?  Or perhaps the so called center such as Gantz who acted as Biden’s lap dog should be chosen instead?  Should it be some new member of the general staff which has been too strongly tied to the American perspective to properly support the govt throughout the war?  Should it come from the likes of Ben Gvir whose delegitimization has been a fascination among so many, even as he has too often supported the right path such as advocating for Pal emigration long before Trump or anyone else daring to do so?  Or should it come from some yet to be discovered leader among the heart of Israel’s society which embodied the resolve of the nation to not surrender to terror or the West as they formed the heart of Israel’s defense and sacrifices over the last year?  Or should Bibi be maintained in place to stabilize the chaos and deal with the West in the fashion which he has achieved over the past year and a half.  The answer to this single question will come to dictate the shape of the future for the entire region, as well as the context in which Israel sits within that future.  Choose wisely.

Peloni:  Excellent article!  Korybko provides the full context for Zelensky’s growing feud with Trump.

Andryew Korybko | Feb 20, 2025

Trump has been on the warpath since the inauguration and is politically neutralizing all of his enemies at home so Zelensky should have known better than to become Trump’s newest enemy abroad and risk his wrath.

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Peloni: The murder of the Bibas family and the display of mocking celebration by the Pals of Gaza recalls to mind the sense of vicious savagery within the Pals of Gaza which led to the October 7 slaughter.  This reality, which can not be forgotten, must have a consequence more meaningful than what has thus far transpired.  This war is not over, and in fact, the most brutal aspects of it have yet to be unleashed, as nothing less than total war is followed by total victory over all of Gaza will suffice with the emigration of the Gazans elsewhere taking place either before or after this victory is achieved.

See Khaled Hassan‘s comments below Erin’s

Wasn’t the brutal kidnapping and killing of a mother, baby and toddler enough for these sadistic evil terrorists?

I can’t comprehend what I just watched occur…

My raw, unpolished, unscripted thoughts.

It’s time.

Destroy them. pic.twitter.com/FL89fHaa8G

— Erin Molan (@Erin_Molan) February 20, 2025

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Peloni:  The US-Israeli alliance has the benefit of being between two nations who share a world view based on ideology and values, but the US-Israel alliance will always represent the overlapping interests which exist between the US and Israel.  The campaign to introduce daylight during the Obiden regimes seriously betrayed and damaged the interests of both America and Israel as it literally and figuratively supported terrorism against the interests of both the US and Israel.  The second Trump term has the potential of being even more robust in reaffirming the US interest and Israeli interests than was his first term.  It will require a turn away from Qatari influence, Hezbollah support, and finally eliminating the threat from Iran.  Doing so will grant greater security to Israel and the US, and securing Israel in the region provides the US  with the double benefit of securing US interests in the region.  A strong, secure Israel representing US interests in the region is an American interest, and it remains as a key component of securing the Trump Doctrine.

Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative” | February 16, 2025

The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1. President Trump is not an impartial leader. As expected, he is driven by US interests, determining that Israel’s capabilities and track record have been a unique force and dollar multiplier for the US, commercially and militarily, technologically and operationally.

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Peloni:  Avi is quite correct about Sisi making a mistake in trying to challenge Trump.  The consequences for this mistake will be sizeable, and as Avi explains, this may have some important caveats for Israel.

Peloni:  Intriguing speculations…

Sundance | Feb 19, 2025

It was inevitable. We have been together from the outset of the conversation where we admitted to ourselves that sooner or later the pretending was going to have to stop. Well, here we are.

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One man surveyed in Gaza said: “In the end, people will accept reality. They want to live in a country that protects and supports them.”

Moshe Phillips

Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

So it turns out that quite a few Gazans really do want to leave Gaza. Will Israel’s critics continue to demand that they be held prisoner there?

A front-page article in The New York Times on Feb. 5 reported that while “a number of Gazans” say they won’t leave, “others said conditions were so unlivable after 15 months of Israeli bombardment that they would consider relocating.”

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By Hugh Fitzgerald | Feb 19, 2025

Ever since the 1979 Camp David Accords, Israel and Egypt have officially been at peace. As a result of those accords, Israel agreed to return to Egypt, for the second time (the first time was in 1957, after the Sinai Campaign) the entire Sinai, together with several oilfields Israel had discovered and several airbases it had built, along with the tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh. The handover of the Sinai took place in three tranches, and was completed in 1982. Ever since then, Egypt and Israel have had a “cold peace.” The friendly relations Israel had hoped for never developed. No Egyptian leader, save Hosni Mubarak, has in the past 45 years ever visited the Jewish state, and he did so only to attend the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin, as a private citizen, at the request of Rabin’s widow. Nor has any Israel leader ever been invited to visit Egypt.

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Peloni:  China’s position in the Middle East is one of a contrarian to US objectives, and Israel has unfortunately been folded into this mix, making Chinese support of anti-Western interests of Iran and its proxies a pivotal element in the Chinese regional perspective.  Notably, this perspective has only slightly been adjusted since Israel successfully wrought ruin on much of Hezbollah’s prestige and capabilities last year.  Israel should capitalize upon the partnership which exists between China and Iran in its attempts to gain US support to regime change Iran into a more friendly and less nuclear form of govt, while also predicating any future projects with the Chinese on their full and complete repudiation of creating a second state for the Palestinian Arabs.  Jordan is the Palestinian Arab state, and if the Chinese can not accept this reality, Israel should continue to pursue its own interests, which completely lie with the US proposal of the Pals emigrating to Jordan or Egypt.

By Christine Douglass-Williams | Feb 18, 2025

Communist China has no hesitation about collaborating even with countries it deems to be enemies if it suits what the Communist leadership perceives to be its interests. Israel is a world leader in technology, medicine, and science — an ideal economic partner. Partnering with Israel for economic reasons does not imply friendship or trust. The Wahhabi state of Saudi Arabia is likewise open to an alliance with Israel on an economic level and as part of a mutual defense front against Iran, but the Saudis blamed Israel for October 7, and have been crystal clear about the fact that they have no interest in normalizing relations with Israel unless the Jewish state meets impossible conditions.

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Peloni:   This is one of the most heartening stories I have read in a very long time.  Such rejection of  the pro terror gangs which have dominated the US headlines in recent years requires a bottom up demonstration, even as Trump has begun making changes to support a top down effort as well.  In fact, this single event, which should be noted is being conducted by regular New Yorkers against pro-Hamas hooligans, will enhance the wider rejection of the Islamo-Nazi motif which has been normalized and promoted by the Leftist-Arab alliance.  Notably, New Yorkers are overwhelmingly Democratic voters, indicating the reality that this event will also send similar reverberations thru the Democratic party which has fashioned itself in support of the Islamo-nazi cause.

Local residents fought back against the mob.

by Daniel Greenfield | Feb 19, 2025

Islamic terrorist supporters invaded one of the largest Jewish communities in the country with a pro-terrorist riot in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Boro Park. Flying terrorist flags and assaulting local residents, the Muslim mob brought terror to a Jewish community in New York City as it had previously done to Jewish communities in Los Angeles and London.

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Peloni:  Very important article.  Chikli is correct in everything he states.

By Hugh Fitzgerald | Feb 19, 2025

Israel’s Minister for the Diaspora, Amichai Chikli explains the spread of antisemitism in Europe: “European rise in antisemitism a result of Islamic migration, Diaspora minister says,” by Eliav Breuer, Jerusalem Post, February 16, 2025:

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Peloni:  Trump is exactly right in addressing the lack of legitimacy of Zelensky’s overstaying his term of office, by almost a full year currently.  The issue was raised a few days ago regarding who should be represent the Ukrainians during negotiations, and as Trump states here, I noted that Zelensky has no mandate to do so due to his self imposed lengthened term of office.  Let Zel stand for office, let him lift the reign of oppression which now sits on his people and let the Ukrainians have a choice regarding whether they want war, or if they want peace.  Notably, the Ukrainians have successfully chosen peace candidates in both of the post US coup elections, and Zelensky was no more faithful to the characterization as a peace candidate than was his predecessor, Poroshenko.  In any event, Ukraine has a right to have its voice heard, but it should be a voice which holds the support of both the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people, both of which Zelensky has successfully betrayed.  The lack of democratic norms, which would obviously include holding elections, is nothing to ignore, particularly in the wake of the illegitimate election in the US which both facilitated the Ukraine War and the expansive fraud conducted in the name of aiding the Ukrainian people.  Let Zelensky return the dignity of the vote to his people, and reaffirm his own legitimacy in any negotiations by holding last year’s election now.