Israel Readies Rafah Invasion Amid Debt Downgrade, ‘Too Far’ Criticism
"Victory is within reach," Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC's Jonathan Karl in a weekend interview. "We're going to get the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in Rafah, which is the last bastion."
Netanyahu's under immense pressure, including from the US, to wind down the Israeli ground campaign in Gaza and to cease and desist entirely from what most observers now openly describe as an indiscriminate bombing campaign that's claimed the lives of countless civilians, including an estimated one out o
Too far?
Look, I know this isn’t a popular opinion here but, if 80% of the Gazans still support the ethnic cleansing (at best, the genocide at worst) of the Israeli, then I’m sorry but it means the Israelis haven’t gone far enough…
You’re absolutely right. It’s time to evolve “the punishments will continue until morale improves” to “the killing of women, children, the elderly, doctors, you know, basically everyone, will continue until you stop hating us and wishing us ill.” If only more people understood that peace in the Middle East can so easily be accomplished. All you have to do is kill all the people!
There’s not a lot of utility in responding to “fredm421.” By his/her own admission (in a comment from — I believe it was last year) he/she says things for the sole purpose of being abrasive both in online forums and in the real world. The mystery is why he/she does it here, a site not exactly famous for high-pitched reader comments.
That’s not quite what I meant. And not all my comments are abrasive. But on a couple of topics, I simply don’t see eye to eye with you (the damage of social media vs Fox New was another topic) and we have gotten in a bit of back and forth. I don’t mind and I appreciate you don’t seem to either.
So how did we convince the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese to renounce their war goals? They really really liked those policy goals of theirs.
Polls. The reality is that these enemies will never settle this until one or the other is gone. Defeated completely, gone.
Israel has been willing to compromise several times in its history till at least the year 2000. I’ll be the first one to admit Israeli society has hardened since 2000 and that there is a vociferous segment that isn’t interested in compromise. Still, overall, their political leaders used to be willing to compromise.
Wow, sort of like the good ol’ USA.
I’m not getting the parallel?
I only take issue with the 1 out of everyone 100 children killed claim. There is just no way to know this. I wouldn’t trust Hamas statistics in the first place, but even if you take them at face value, they will automatically classify all militants as civilians and anyone under 20y as a child. I think at the very least casualty statements should acknowledge the IDF estimates they have killed ~15k Hamas terrorists. Both sides have reason to lie, I don’t understand the tendency to align with Hamas of all things.
Ok, so let’s say it’s half that: 1 out of every 200 Gazan children is dead. Is that a “better” outcome? In one sense, sure, yes. In another sense, God no!
Some may wish it otherwise or have arguments about why Israel should proceed differently, but if you consider the motivations and constraints on the various parties, it seems clear that Israel will go into Rafah regardless of what others think. With Hamas hiding among civilians, the casualties among both will be significant – its been about 1:1 so far, and there’s no reason to expect different now.
So what are the implications for investors outside of Israel? Unless Gazans cross the Egyptian border, I don’t see any. Investors continue to care (a little) about the war spreading, but don’t care about the war in Gaza itself.
Wars continue until one side has achieved its aims, or until both sides are exhausted or otherwise compelled to cease; civilian casualties don’t end wars.