Netanyahu wants (among many other things) to put and keep diasporic Jews in danger, so that they will feel so endangered that they will think that they have to move to Israel in order to be "safe."
Thank you Peter. I really needed your commentary this morning. I appreciate the reminder that our financial resources need to be directed toward Americans in need rather than squandered on an illegal and immoral war.
The traitor Jewish American Jonathan Pollard spies for Israel and upon his release is flown to Israel by dual Israel/U.S. citizen Miriam Adleson and welcomed as a hero. He then meets with our ambassador to Israel, Huckabee AT the U.S. embassy. Huckabee then claims Israel has a biblical right to all the land from the Nile to Euphrates. A week later our two countries illegally and inmorally attack Iran, slaughtering school children once again almost as a calling card. While still committing an on going genocide in Gaza.
So yes I question the loyalty as well as the morally of anyone who continues to support Israel. And since most Jewish American institutions continue to do so that means mostly American Jews. We have the blood of innocents splattered upon us, put there by the zionist among us.
In the U.S. you can serve in the Israeli military and get elected governor of Pennsylvania. Or as an elected representative wear an Israel military uniform on the floor of Congress. But if you're an American citizen and ski for China you're called a traitor.
I agree. Now our city is on high alert. G-d knows if any Muslims were radicalized or if there were any terrorist sleeper cells that have been awakened. The Middle East is imploding, just like what was described in The Book of Revelations. It's frightening for everybody--Jews, Muslims, Christians, and many others. Trump and Netanyahu should stop colluding against humanity. This big war will have ripple effects for sure. I'm scared out of my wits.
What a case you make for anti Zionism which is also on the rise in the liberal American Jewish community. And of course the right wing Jewish leaders would call those anti zionists, anti semitic, which is not necessarily true.
Israel could be a pluralistic egalitarian state for all its inhabitants, but sadly it appears to have moved in the opposite direction, towards theocracy with no place for liberal Jews, as were the majority of its founding Zionist, socialist, secular founders. How ironic that Jews finally have a state of their own, and the craven Israelis are destroying it from within.
And destabilizing Iran, while sounding perhaps positive on paper, may well cause yet another regional Middle East war which will not bode well for Israel or the US. I hope I’m wrong.
"Israel could be a pluralistic egalitarian state for all its inhabitants, but sadly it appears to have moved in the opposite direction, towards theocracy with no place for liberal Jews, as were the majority of its founding Zionist, socialist, secular founders."
It was those liberal Jews, Israel's founding Zionist, socialist, secular founders, who decided in the 1940s that Israel would NOT be a pluralistic egalitarian state for all its inhabitants. They decided that anyone who was displaced during the war of independence would not be allowed to return to their homes, or even to enter anywhere within the area controlled by the new state, unless they were Jewish. This meant that half of the people who had been living in that area in 1947 were prevented from returning. For the non-Jews who did remain, the Israeli government put them under military rule until 1966.
Professor Beinart knows very well that I oppose Israel attacking Iran. On the other hand, let’s not fool ourselves about Iran. With all due respect, Iran has been attacking Israel ever since the Ayatollahs took over in 1979. Iran played a decisive, foundational role in creating, training, funding, and shaping Hezbollah from its earliest days in the early 1980s. Hezbollah does not make a move without the Ayatollahs' approval. And Hezbollah, which is a Shia organization like the Ayatollahs, is not a Palestinian organization, but its raison d’être is the destruction of Israel. And it has regularly attacked Israel.
Another Iranian-sponsored proxy is the Houthis, who decided to join the anti-Israel “resistance”.
As for Syria under Bashar, it was basically an Iranian-sponsored regime doing Iran’s bidding. Iran turned Syria into a playground for attacking Israel.
Of course, Hamas is both trained and funded by both Iran and Qatar.
Then there is the direct state sponsorship of terror by Iran, perhaps the best known is the bombing of Israel’s embassy in Argentina, causing the death of 29 and injuring over 200.
My point is simple: to suggest that Iran is not an aggressor state is bizarre. Literally every state in the Middle East trembles at the possibility of being infiltrated or attacked in one fashion or another by Iran.
I agree with the professor that it would be unwise for Israel to engage in conflict with Iran. While Iran may be a struggling state, it has a population over ten times that of Israel and a landmass that is sixty times larger. Additionally, Iran boasts nearly a million students enrolled in its universities. And they are not studying literature. Iran is a formidable technology center.
If Israel's last conflict with Iran had lasted longer than two weeks, it’s unlikely anyone in Israel would have celebrated a victory. Furthermore, if the current situation unfolds as Trump predicts—lasting 4 to 5 weeks—both Israel and the U.S. could find themselves depleting their munitions. And Israel would be more or less defenseless against an Iranian attack.
Suggesting that Israel is militarily superior because it, like the US, has nuclear weapons is not tenable. The only time nuclear weapons would ever be used, and I wonder even if then, would be if Israel were about to be destroyed.
Finally, I also agree with Professor Beinart that the American political map will turn against Israel and decisively so. As for American Jews? Well, that is why Israel was created to be a place where Jews can go when they are being blamed for everything that is happening to the country. And the rise of anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism has been going on for some time—it’s a very ancient form of discrimination. It thrives in bad times.
But let’s not kid ourselves, Iran is definitely the most destabilizing force in the Middle East. If this current war ends with not only the decapitation of the Ayatollahs but also a real change in Iran, then this war would have been more than worth it, but I am in agreement with most that bombs from the sky can destroy but are unlikely to build.
No country has been more welcoming to Jews than the U.S. Our nation has allowed Jews to reach heights of wealth and power as never before and no where else. Unfortunately it has become apparent that some Jews can not swim among others without shitting in the pool. We now have a Jewish American elite who have subjugated our politics and our society in service of Jewish supremacist state, that is a safe haven for Jewish pedophiles and traitors, and that kill children as a hobby. And it has imposed on our media, academia and politics a new age of McCarthyism in defense of Jewish supremacy.
Any Jewish-American, or should I say American-Jew, who feels threatened by this rise in anti-Israelism, what you and other claim is "a very ancient form of discrimination" should move to that abomination among the nations and stop contaminating our country. Leave it to the rest of us to create a United States that lives up to our highest ideals of justice and equality for all.
Amen, Peter! The United States is lawless imperial power with endless money for endless weapons and war and claim no capacity to help people in desperate need and risk.
The thing is this: WHY don't they attack Russia or China? I think it's Islamophobia that made them go after Iran. Yes, the Iranian government stinks. A lot of governments stink. How about a war against Uganda because they kill gays over there? Intervene between China and Taiwan? And surely, there are at least SOME grounds for defending Ukraine. Nope, if they aren't Muslims the U.S. doesn't care. They just want to do a genocide against Muslims. Turn Muslim against Muslim here in this country. Turn Muslims and Jews against each other here. Dump all the brown people; that seems to be the mantra.
The role of Jared Kushner, “negotiating” with the Iranians while also being on the payroll of the Saudi’s (who are the sworn enemies of Iran) is also not a good look for American Jews.
My G-d, have you had a mind wipe? Iran, through its proxies, has murdered Ameicans, Jews world-wide for the 40-odd years of the Islamic Republic's existence. Shall I remind you of Argentina?, the marine Barracks in Beirut, to just name a very few. They were continuing to build a nuclear enterprise as well as stockpiling thousand of ballistic missles. Their absolute refusal to discuss ballistic missiles during the recent negotiations showed the hand of this peace-loving regime. Oh, yo don't understand? the 20,000 missiles they were aiming for would overwhelm any defense system and cause enormous death and destruction...just see today's imapact in Beit Shemesh.
Mr Goldstein, your people slaughter children as a hobby. My hatred for Israel increases by the day and I know I'm not alone. At dinner each night I and my Jewish children clink our glasses with the prayer and the wish “Death to Israel!” Let it be , Lord , let it be. That is what your wickedness and the wickedness of all zionist have raught.
And when in the not too distant future Israel finally arrives at its Stalingrad I and my children will be rejoicing as will hundreds of millions world wide. Then I will spit on the ground and think of you.
How wicked...oh, yes...how dare the Jews who for centuries demurred, slunk away from conflict and quivered at hard looks from their masters. Zionism gave we Jews the confidence that they are equal..equal in every way and never, ever be afraid again. If it makes you and your fellow travellers uncomfortable, too bad!
Mr. Goldstein, if Israel continues on the path it is on, it will make Jews not equal but superior to others in the most horrific ways. Already Israel has shown that it can slaughter aid workers, journalist and children second to none in recent times. I should have hoped my people too inferior for such atrocities.
Ok Bernie,let's tale a step back. Commandment #9: Thou shall not MURDER! Murder being a pre-meditated act; vs killing being anything and everything from an abitoire to self-defense. Somehow the two defintions have, over the recent years, become interchangble...interchangeable by those who peddle progaganda on Tik Tok, Social Media, Substack and a whole coterie of opinionators. Thus at this point you would need a biblical Solomon to discern the truth. So where do I and the majority of Jews I know stand? War is horrible...people are killed in wars. The question is what are the FACTS. What begat the killings? I submit that the murders started the war and thus killings. As long as the murders continue (and are enabled by financial rewards and naiivety among people) killings will continue...and unforatunatley innocents have and will always be caught-up in the maelstrom. In sum, stop the Murders at the source.
Mr. Goldstein, on Friday evenings, after our sabbath dinner, when we have said our prayers, including "Death to Israel" my children and I will listen to passages from the Bible. We are currently in the book of Exodus.
A few weeks ago my 10 year old daughter asked a question that has puzzled theologians for ages "Why would God harden the heart of pharaoh?" You and other zionist have provided me the answer. To hasten pharaoh and the Egyptian along their path of self-destruction.
That is the path you, your fellow zionist and Israel are on. And I hope you feel the hand of God upon your back.
Sorry..disagree..G-d hardened their heart because the Israelites/Hebrews/Jews were getting too used to life in Egypt. I time the people would cease to exist. It was less the destructionof Egypt but more the salvation of the Israelites.
The zionist safe haven for Jewish pedophiles and traitors that kill children for a hobby that you glorify and defend Mr. Goldstein will be a stain on the Jewish people for centuries, perhaps outlasting the Jewish people themselves.
Thank you Peter for your thoughtful insights & analysis. I want to lift up a phenomenal new documentary “Forever Peace Now” by an Iranian American tech expert. I saw it yesterday, the day war on Iran started. EVERYONE should see it & you can, FOR FREE at https://foreverpeacenow.com & also learn about the project’s interconnected initiatives: striving to ensure that technology serves humanity, justice is pursued, and love remains the guiding principle of our existence.
Thank you as always for your moral courage and clarity. Deeply grateful for your presence in our world and the depth of your insight 🙇🏼♀️🙏
Netanyahu wants (among many other things) to put and keep diasporic Jews in danger, so that they will feel so endangered that they will think that they have to move to Israel in order to be "safe."
What right do any of us have to feel safe while our country slaughters others abroad?
And yet, so many in our community continue to blindly support this madness. It's beyond embarrassing, and so very dangerous.
Thank you Peter. I really needed your commentary this morning. I appreciate the reminder that our financial resources need to be directed toward Americans in need rather than squandered on an illegal and immoral war.
The traitor Jewish American Jonathan Pollard spies for Israel and upon his release is flown to Israel by dual Israel/U.S. citizen Miriam Adleson and welcomed as a hero. He then meets with our ambassador to Israel, Huckabee AT the U.S. embassy. Huckabee then claims Israel has a biblical right to all the land from the Nile to Euphrates. A week later our two countries illegally and inmorally attack Iran, slaughtering school children once again almost as a calling card. While still committing an on going genocide in Gaza.
So yes I question the loyalty as well as the morally of anyone who continues to support Israel. And since most Jewish American institutions continue to do so that means mostly American Jews. We have the blood of innocents splattered upon us, put there by the zionist among us.
Brilliant and thoughtful commentary from Peter Beinart. As usual.
In the U.S. you can serve in the Israeli military and get elected governor of Pennsylvania. Or as an elected representative wear an Israel military uniform on the floor of Congress. But if you're an American citizen and ski for China you're called a traitor.
I agree. Now our city is on high alert. G-d knows if any Muslims were radicalized or if there were any terrorist sleeper cells that have been awakened. The Middle East is imploding, just like what was described in The Book of Revelations. It's frightening for everybody--Jews, Muslims, Christians, and many others. Trump and Netanyahu should stop colluding against humanity. This big war will have ripple effects for sure. I'm scared out of my wits.
What a case you make for anti Zionism which is also on the rise in the liberal American Jewish community. And of course the right wing Jewish leaders would call those anti zionists, anti semitic, which is not necessarily true.
Israel could be a pluralistic egalitarian state for all its inhabitants, but sadly it appears to have moved in the opposite direction, towards theocracy with no place for liberal Jews, as were the majority of its founding Zionist, socialist, secular founders. How ironic that Jews finally have a state of their own, and the craven Israelis are destroying it from within.
And destabilizing Iran, while sounding perhaps positive on paper, may well cause yet another regional Middle East war which will not bode well for Israel or the US. I hope I’m wrong.
"Israel could be a pluralistic egalitarian state for all its inhabitants, but sadly it appears to have moved in the opposite direction, towards theocracy with no place for liberal Jews, as were the majority of its founding Zionist, socialist, secular founders."
It was those liberal Jews, Israel's founding Zionist, socialist, secular founders, who decided in the 1940s that Israel would NOT be a pluralistic egalitarian state for all its inhabitants. They decided that anyone who was displaced during the war of independence would not be allowed to return to their homes, or even to enter anywhere within the area controlled by the new state, unless they were Jewish. This meant that half of the people who had been living in that area in 1947 were prevented from returning. For the non-Jews who did remain, the Israeli government put them under military rule until 1966.
Professor Beinart knows very well that I oppose Israel attacking Iran. On the other hand, let’s not fool ourselves about Iran. With all due respect, Iran has been attacking Israel ever since the Ayatollahs took over in 1979. Iran played a decisive, foundational role in creating, training, funding, and shaping Hezbollah from its earliest days in the early 1980s. Hezbollah does not make a move without the Ayatollahs' approval. And Hezbollah, which is a Shia organization like the Ayatollahs, is not a Palestinian organization, but its raison d’être is the destruction of Israel. And it has regularly attacked Israel.
Another Iranian-sponsored proxy is the Houthis, who decided to join the anti-Israel “resistance”.
As for Syria under Bashar, it was basically an Iranian-sponsored regime doing Iran’s bidding. Iran turned Syria into a playground for attacking Israel.
Of course, Hamas is both trained and funded by both Iran and Qatar.
Then there is the direct state sponsorship of terror by Iran, perhaps the best known is the bombing of Israel’s embassy in Argentina, causing the death of 29 and injuring over 200.
My point is simple: to suggest that Iran is not an aggressor state is bizarre. Literally every state in the Middle East trembles at the possibility of being infiltrated or attacked in one fashion or another by Iran.
I agree with the professor that it would be unwise for Israel to engage in conflict with Iran. While Iran may be a struggling state, it has a population over ten times that of Israel and a landmass that is sixty times larger. Additionally, Iran boasts nearly a million students enrolled in its universities. And they are not studying literature. Iran is a formidable technology center.
If Israel's last conflict with Iran had lasted longer than two weeks, it’s unlikely anyone in Israel would have celebrated a victory. Furthermore, if the current situation unfolds as Trump predicts—lasting 4 to 5 weeks—both Israel and the U.S. could find themselves depleting their munitions. And Israel would be more or less defenseless against an Iranian attack.
Suggesting that Israel is militarily superior because it, like the US, has nuclear weapons is not tenable. The only time nuclear weapons would ever be used, and I wonder even if then, would be if Israel were about to be destroyed.
Finally, I also agree with Professor Beinart that the American political map will turn against Israel and decisively so. As for American Jews? Well, that is why Israel was created to be a place where Jews can go when they are being blamed for everything that is happening to the country. And the rise of anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism has been going on for some time—it’s a very ancient form of discrimination. It thrives in bad times.
But let’s not kid ourselves, Iran is definitely the most destabilizing force in the Middle East. If this current war ends with not only the decapitation of the Ayatollahs but also a real change in Iran, then this war would have been more than worth it, but I am in agreement with most that bombs from the sky can destroy but are unlikely to build.
No country has been more welcoming to Jews than the U.S. Our nation has allowed Jews to reach heights of wealth and power as never before and no where else. Unfortunately it has become apparent that some Jews can not swim among others without shitting in the pool. We now have a Jewish American elite who have subjugated our politics and our society in service of Jewish supremacist state, that is a safe haven for Jewish pedophiles and traitors, and that kill children as a hobby. And it has imposed on our media, academia and politics a new age of McCarthyism in defense of Jewish supremacy.
Any Jewish-American, or should I say American-Jew, who feels threatened by this rise in anti-Israelism, what you and other claim is "a very ancient form of discrimination" should move to that abomination among the nations and stop contaminating our country. Leave it to the rest of us to create a United States that lives up to our highest ideals of justice and equality for all.
Amen, Peter! The United States is lawless imperial power with endless money for endless weapons and war and claim no capacity to help people in desperate need and risk.
The thing is this: WHY don't they attack Russia or China? I think it's Islamophobia that made them go after Iran. Yes, the Iranian government stinks. A lot of governments stink. How about a war against Uganda because they kill gays over there? Intervene between China and Taiwan? And surely, there are at least SOME grounds for defending Ukraine. Nope, if they aren't Muslims the U.S. doesn't care. They just want to do a genocide against Muslims. Turn Muslim against Muslim here in this country. Turn Muslims and Jews against each other here. Dump all the brown people; that seems to be the mantra.
The role of Jared Kushner, “negotiating” with the Iranians while also being on the payroll of the Saudi’s (who are the sworn enemies of Iran) is also not a good look for American Jews.
The world has gone upside down. We have criminals making decisions and destroying our world. Scary times
My G-d, have you had a mind wipe? Iran, through its proxies, has murdered Ameicans, Jews world-wide for the 40-odd years of the Islamic Republic's existence. Shall I remind you of Argentina?, the marine Barracks in Beirut, to just name a very few. They were continuing to build a nuclear enterprise as well as stockpiling thousand of ballistic missles. Their absolute refusal to discuss ballistic missiles during the recent negotiations showed the hand of this peace-loving regime. Oh, yo don't understand? the 20,000 missiles they were aiming for would overwhelm any defense system and cause enormous death and destruction...just see today's imapact in Beit Shemesh.
Mr Goldstein, your people slaughter children as a hobby. My hatred for Israel increases by the day and I know I'm not alone. At dinner each night I and my Jewish children clink our glasses with the prayer and the wish “Death to Israel!” Let it be , Lord , let it be. That is what your wickedness and the wickedness of all zionist have raught.
And when in the not too distant future Israel finally arrives at its Stalingrad I and my children will be rejoicing as will hundreds of millions world wide. Then I will spit on the ground and think of you.
How wicked...oh, yes...how dare the Jews who for centuries demurred, slunk away from conflict and quivered at hard looks from their masters. Zionism gave we Jews the confidence that they are equal..equal in every way and never, ever be afraid again. If it makes you and your fellow travellers uncomfortable, too bad!
Mr. Goldstein, if Israel continues on the path it is on, it will make Jews not equal but superior to others in the most horrific ways. Already Israel has shown that it can slaughter aid workers, journalist and children second to none in recent times. I should have hoped my people too inferior for such atrocities.
Ok Bernie,let's tale a step back. Commandment #9: Thou shall not MURDER! Murder being a pre-meditated act; vs killing being anything and everything from an abitoire to self-defense. Somehow the two defintions have, over the recent years, become interchangble...interchangeable by those who peddle progaganda on Tik Tok, Social Media, Substack and a whole coterie of opinionators. Thus at this point you would need a biblical Solomon to discern the truth. So where do I and the majority of Jews I know stand? War is horrible...people are killed in wars. The question is what are the FACTS. What begat the killings? I submit that the murders started the war and thus killings. As long as the murders continue (and are enabled by financial rewards and naiivety among people) killings will continue...and unforatunatley innocents have and will always be caught-up in the maelstrom. In sum, stop the Murders at the source.
Mr. Goldstein, on Friday evenings, after our sabbath dinner, when we have said our prayers, including "Death to Israel" my children and I will listen to passages from the Bible. We are currently in the book of Exodus.
A few weeks ago my 10 year old daughter asked a question that has puzzled theologians for ages "Why would God harden the heart of pharaoh?" You and other zionist have provided me the answer. To hasten pharaoh and the Egyptian along their path of self-destruction.
That is the path you, your fellow zionist and Israel are on. And I hope you feel the hand of God upon your back.
Sorry..disagree..G-d hardened their heart because the Israelites/Hebrews/Jews were getting too used to life in Egypt. I time the people would cease to exist. It was less the destructionof Egypt but more the salvation of the Israelites.
The zionist safe haven for Jewish pedophiles and traitors that kill children for a hobby that you glorify and defend Mr. Goldstein will be a stain on the Jewish people for centuries, perhaps outlasting the Jewish people themselves.
Thank you Peter for your thoughtful insights & analysis. I want to lift up a phenomenal new documentary “Forever Peace Now” by an Iranian American tech expert. I saw it yesterday, the day war on Iran started. EVERYONE should see it & you can, FOR FREE at https://foreverpeacenow.com & also learn about the project’s interconnected initiatives: striving to ensure that technology serves humanity, justice is pursued, and love remains the guiding principle of our existence.
https://youtu.be/kf845Lfr22A
So, what do you think is in the Epstein files about Israel that contributed to the timing of this attack?
Well said