Skip to content
TheTranscendenceDiaries

TheTranscendenceDiaries

Thoughtful musings for the unabashedly aware and ravenously curious intellectual and intelligentsia

  • About the Transcendence Diaries
  • About the Author
  • Subscribe or Donate
  • The Transcendence Manifesto
  • Ed Hale News
  • Videos
TheTranscendenceDiaries

Category: Israel/Palestine

World War III Watch – Week Of April 14, 2023

April 17, 2023

:: BREAKING :: April 20, 2023 10:36 am Nicaragua president Daniel Ortega appeared on a televised interview on COMBATE in Nicaragua today. What he said was no surprise to regular readers of these pages. But to the rest of the world, it came as quite a shock at first. And yet what was so surprising were just how many people once they viewed it, declared how much sense it actually makes. The realization is awakening in mass consciousness so quickly ….

Nicaragua President DANIEL ORTEGA: “World War III is already underway. This is World War III. Why? Because it is the United States and Europe using Ukraine to seek how to disappear Russia. The same thing that happened in World War II… and the first troops that entered the bunker then in Germany were the troops of the Soviet Union. They were the first to enter. In other words, the victory, the great defeat and the victory of the peoples rested on the Russian people, on the Red Army, on the Soviet people. And now we are seeing the same story…

The Russian Federation is fighting a battle for peace. It’s not against a nation. It’s against the fascists, the Nazis who staged a coup d’état there in Ukraine and settled there. It’s Hitler’s children who are ruling there… meanwhile, NATO harassing Russia with more weapons, more bases, and the United States leading the orchestra of international terrorists…”

Nicaragua President DANIEL ORTEGA: "World War III is already underway. This is World War III. Why? Because it is the United States and Europe using Ukraine to seek how to disappear Russia. The same thing that happened in World War II… and the first troops that entered the… pic.twitter.com/1leqANzwgV

— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) April 20, 2023

APOCALYPSE VOW —Ukraine Joining NATO ‘Guaranteed’ to Start World War III, Russian Official Says

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ukraine-joining-nato-guaranteed-to-start-world-war-iii-russian-official-says

“The war in Ukraine is “guaranteed” to escalate into World War III if Kyiv is allowed to join NATO, a Russian Security Council official said Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise announcement that he had made a fast-track bid for membership into the military alliance just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory on Sept. 30. All of NATO’s 30 members would have to approve Ukraine’s bid, making full membership of the defense group a long way off. “Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to World War III,””

BREAKING :: U.S. Treasury’s Yellen Says U.S. China Relationship Is Clearly At A ‘Tense Moment’

YELLEN SAYS U.S. CHINA RELATIONSHIP IS CLEARLY AT A 'TENSE MOMENT' -JOHNS HOPKINS SAIS SPEECH

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) April 20, 2023

EXCLUSIVE —- Pakistan makes its first purchase of discounted Russian oil —- https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/exclusivepakistan-buys-its-first-cargo-of-discounted-russian-crude-oil-3060193 https://twitter.com/deitaone/status/1649056913756389377?s=46&t=mnbi41BC-wcQNxvdeSy6nQ

“The U.S. dollar historically has been the currency of oil trade, but the Ukraine war has eroded its dominance as Russia avoids receiving a currency it has been largely blocked from using by Western sanctions.”

Well, we knew this. Or at least thought we did. And it’s turning out to be true. It doesn’t take much observation to see that neither the millennial federation nor Gen Z have any interest in suddenly turning patriotic, donning some itchy uniforms and traveling great distances to defend America’s strange form of capitalism-gone-wild-but-let’s-still-call-it-democracy half way around the world. One too many Vietnam movies for them. One too many “Iraq has WMDs” for them. And far too much desire to appear to be an Influencer or go viral or be a reality TV star or be a TikTok star or smoke a blunt for 15 minutes. Likes and Views baby do not demand serving in a military.

Kids these days are all too aware of the downsides of enlisting. Potentially getting killed, for one.https://t.co/TjHiGKiBDX

— The Nation (@thenation) April 20, 2023

And then there’s this. An expose’ about how the United States still spends more than every other nation on earth combined on continuing to build up its military. Nothing new there. The problem? It’s an old fashioned, large, clunky, antiquated military better suited to the 20th century. Already the U.S. and it’s various infrastructure is being bombarded by cyberattacks on a near daily basis to which it is completely unable to defend itself against. And that’s during, ostensibly, peacetime. Imagine if these foes continued their attacks as this quickly growing lead up to WW III were to heat up even more, which they will. The risk, the one that everyone in the world seems to see — especially America’s ever expanding enemies — except the bigwigs hiding behind the big doors who seem to be controlling everything in the US of A, is that Russia or China or Iran or any of the other countries now firmly entrenched in the New Communist Alliance will sit 2-3 capable 14 year old tech geniuses down in a little room, perhaps in Cuba or Venezuela, and order them to “take out all the major power grids in the US, along with their water mains and internet just for fun, and the American military response will be to roll out a battalion or two of tanks and a few thousand infantry men. And as funny as this hyperbolic image is, it’s also deeply sad and troubling because of just how true it rings in the hearts and minds of the few left with their wits still about them or smart enough to get it. After the Great Dumbing Down America went through as a side effect of the self-demolition of the Republican Party and their naked criminal-mastermind of an emperor, Donald Trump, it is hard to fathom that there are many. Americans of course won’t notice any of this because they’ll be far too busy hypnotized by their Netflix or their Super Bowl or their $500 a seat Taylor Swift concert or their TikTok. You know, as we write this this evening I can still remember the foolhardy comments I received four years ago when I stated i would never be so naïve and short sighted as to download TikTok onto my own phone nor let my kids do it and at the same time suggested what a genius move it was strategically for China to attack the United States so transparently right out in the open through an app, placed right into the greedy grubby hands of every American absolutely free. How many friends replied with snide or sarcastic remarks such as “yeah right, because the Chinese think I’m so important they want to spy on ME…”. Well that mission has been accomplished. We could write a small book on all the damage that “little app” has already put the country in; but much more importantly it’s about what a ticking time bomb it was set up to be and how now that it’s made the rounds through every digital nook and cranny of the entire populace, corporation, organization and government office it’s fully prepared to achieve any number of the countless nefarious missions China planned for it. Pure bloody genius. The bigger picture here is less about the impending global super-conflict heating up, and more about who the winners and losers are going to be, and given the context and data we now possess, just how completely ill-prepared the United States is for it.

From TIME Magazine :: America’s Military Is Unprepared for Our Age of Advanced Technology — Equipped to face the threats of yesterday, our military needs to reform to keep us safe from the threats of tomorrow —- https://apple.news/ADBcJh1l-QsWQZk1yAdM2BA

For current readers of the Diaries, specifically the new series, World War III Watch, the release of this new article in The Nation today should feel like vindication. For it is. As it very accurately echos everything this writer has been saying here for over six months. Though with a few glaring differences. They are taking a much more conservative approach to the events we’ve been witnessing than I have. They also seem to be operating under the misconception that president Joe Biden “has committed” the United States to anything, let alone “a four-front global crusade”. For those that have seen or heard Joe Biden anytime in the last year or two, it is clear that’s simply not possible. Physically, not possible. They’re also presupposing that the United States is somehow in charge of this current impending global military conflict. Probably because they’re accustomed to the US being at the forefront of most large scale global conflagrations — it’s probably not occurred to them that the United States is in the backseat on this one. At best going for a ride, albeit not driving, not choosing the destination, not giving directions and in the backseat. At worst they’re in the trunk, being taken for a ride by enemies who want nothing less for them than the end of their superpower status forever.

Biden has now committed us to a four-front global crusade against Russia, China, Iran, and a continually shifting terrorist hit list. None of these “enemies” threaten the survival or well-being of Americans.https://t.co/l0Dw9zKwMt

— The Nation (@thenation) April 19, 2023

I’ve been writing about this, first bubbling, now obvious & ever-growing story, in a series called World War III Watch in the Transcendence Diaries for 6 months. I disagree w the notion that “none of these threaten the well-being of Americans”. @evangershkovich comes to mind. ‬

Yet more poking at the Russian Bear by the West with yet even more dangerous, disturbing and completely unnecessary events. The sovereign nation of Russia, one of the oldest conti

US LOOKS FORWARD TO WELCOMING SWEDEN TO BECOME A FULL NATO MEMBER BEFORE JULY SUMMIT: U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY

— Market Rebellion (@MarketRebels) April 19, 2023

Russian foreign minister visits Latin America —- Russia is moving fast now in their travels around the world to collect both more new countries, and some longtime allies such as Cuba and Venezuela, for the New Communist Alliance they seem to be forming with now-seemingly global Head Honcho, China. No longer afraid or intimidated by the once mighty United States, both countries are on a mission to force those lines in the sand and see where everyone stands. America and a deflated Europe suddenly appear small, with the EU battling persistent inflation and weaker global influence, and the United States seemingly constantly battling itself in a strange Cold War Civil War. China and Russia know this is their time if there’s ever going to be one. Details in article below:

Sergey Lavrov spent Monday in Brasilia, where recently elected President “Lula” Da Silva has already irked Washington by both-sidesing the Ukraine war and refusing to sell weapons to Kyiv.

For Russia, it’s no small thing that one of the world’s largest democracies is at least sympathetic to the Kremlin’s version of the Ukraine story. The fact that Russia exports lots of fertilizer to Brazil’s powerful farm industry probably helps.

Lula, meanwhile, has long sought to carve out a role as a leader of the Global South, where many view the faraway Ukraine war chiefly through the lens of food and energy price inflation and are skeptical of American arguments about defending democracy or the “rules-based order.” Still, he has to tread carefully – osgringos are Brazil’s largest foreign investors and key partners on Lula’s climate change agenda.

While Lavrov thanked Lula for his support, the White House, in a tough rebuke, accused the Brazilian president of “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without at all looking at the facts.”

After Brasilia, Lavrov will visit old Kremlin comrades in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. All are countries where US sanctions have enabled Russia to gain significant footholds in energy, arms sales, and general “rogue-state” bonhomie.

But beyond that, Russia lags well behind the region’s two major external players: China and the US. See our GT below for more.

But it’s not as simple as that. America is still the economic super power in Latin America, by leaps and bounds. See the Eurasia Group article and graphic below.

Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia is on a mission to shore up support wherever it can – particularly among rogue and non-aligned states. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is currently jet-setting across Latin America in a bid to rally support for Moscow’s war effort and send a message to the Americans about its own inroads in the region. But when push comes to shove, Moscow has minimal economic clout in Latin America compared to Washington, resulting in less diplomatic leverage. We take a look at Latin American states’ trade ties with the US and Russia.

FBI arrests two alleged Chinese agents and charges dozens with working inside US to silence dissidents —- https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/17/politics/fbi-chinese-agents

TAIWAN TO BUY 400 US ANTI-SHIP MISSILES INTENDED TO REPEL CHINA

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) April 17, 2023

CHINA WARNS OF 'MAJOR' MILITARY ACTION IN YELLOW SEA TUESDAY…

— FxMacro (@fxmacro) April 17, 2023

CHINA MARITIME SAFETY ADMINISTRATION: MAJOR MILITARY ACTIVITY TO BE CONDUCTED IN YELLOW SEA ON APRIL 18 BETWEEN 0900-1200 LOCAL TIME

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) April 17, 2023

Like this:

Like Loading...
America at War, Current Events, Economics, Iran, Israel/Palestine, New World Order, Politics and Government, World Affairs, World War III 1913, 1914, Bank of England, banking, BOE, BRICS, CBDC, Central Banks, China, China new superpower, Fed Now, Federal Reserve, federal reserve act, fractional reserve banking, Iran, national bank of the United States, New Communist Alliance, new world currency, New World Order, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United States no longer superpower, US Dollar, USD, world War I, World War II, worlds reserve currency

World War III Watch — The Weekend

April 10, 2023

CHINA REFUSES TO USE OPEN CHANNEL WITH PENTAGON OVER TAIWAN

China wants the Ukraine war to last as long as possible to deplete Western military capacity before invading Taiwan. It’s working: we think we appear stronger by helping Ukraine, but we actually become weaker vis-à-vis China. pic.twitter.com/58QtXyVGIp

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) April 10, 2023

And now Europe talking about getting away from the US Dollar, more bad news for the United States…. Macron says that Europe must reduce dependence on US Dollar https://twitter.com/marketrebels/status/1645438988201906177?s=46&t=mnbi41BC-wcQNxvdeSy6nQ https://twitter.com/marketrebels/status/1645438988201906177?s=46&t=mnbi41BC-wcQNxvdeSy6nQ

#BREAKING Meeting between foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia, Iran, Syria is being planned to be held early May in Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu says pic.twitter.com/1F5ucL8QKe

— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) April 10, 2023

Russia switching to “scorched Earth” tactics in Bakhmut, Ukrainian commander says https://cnn.it/3KLBCjjhttps://cnn.it/3KLBCjj

Israel launched strikes against Syrian military targets after several rockets were fired from Syria, the Israeli military said https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/08/middleeast/israel-syria-rockets-fired-intl https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/08/middleeast/israel-syria-rockets-fired-intl

Jordan warns Israel of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if al-Aqsa mosque stormed again. https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/08/middleeast/jordan-warns-israel-al-aqsa-mosque-intl-hnkhttps://www.cnn.com/2023/04/08/middleeast/jordan-warns-israel-al-aqsa-mosque-intl-hnk

US Navy sails near South China Sea island militarized by China https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/10/asia/us-navy-south-china-sea-freedom-on-navigation-intl-hnk-mlhttps://www.cnn.com/2023/04/10/asia/us-navy-south-china-sea-freedom-on-navigation-intl-hnk-ml

China responds to a US ship sailing through the South China Sea amid Beijing’s tensions with Taiwan and calls them dangerously illegal. https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/04/10/exp-us-navy-china-taiwan-south-china-sea-jiang-fst-041004aseg2–cnni-world.cnn

China performs 2 days of simulated attacks on Taiwan after Taiwan leader visits the U.S. and meets with congressional leaders: https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/09/asia/china-taiwan-simulated-attacks-military-drills-day-two-intl-hnk-mil

China performs simulated aircraft carrier attacks on Taiwan after meeting with U.S. congress https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/10/asia/china-taiwan-military-drills-aircraft-carrier-strike-intl-hnk

China has slapped sanctions on two American organizations that hosted Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen during her recent travel in the United States, which Beijing had fiercely condemned. https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/07/china/china-sanctions-hudson-institute-ronald-reagan-library-intl-hnk

Defying China, US House leader and Taiwan president present a united front https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/asia/china-taiwan-reaction-tsai-ing-wen-mccarthy-meeting-intl-hnkhttps://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/asia/china-taiwan-reaction-tsai-ing-wen-mccarthy-meeting-intl-hnk

Taiwan’s president warns ‘democracy is under threat’ in joint remarks with McCarthy https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/05/politics/tsai-ing-wen-taiwan-meeting-mccarthy-california-hnk https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/05/politics/tsai-ing-wen-taiwan-meeting-mccarthy-california-hnk

Like this:

Like Loading...
Current Events, Israel/Palestine, New World Order, Politics and Government, World Affairs, World War III China, Israel, jordan, Russia, syria, Taiwan, Ukraine, World War III

How Long Will Americans Allow Their Government To Keep Supporting the Israeli Apartheid State Or Saudi Fascism?

March 21, 2023

From CNN: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denied the existence of a Palestinian people or nationhood over the weekend, prompting a rebuke from the United States just weeks after calling for a Palestinian town to be “erased.” Smotrich, a Jewish nationalist, argued that the idea of Palestinian nationhood was invented in the past century in response to the Zionist movement to found modern-day Israel. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/middleeast/israel-smotrich-palestinians-intl/index.html

This you just have to read to believe. Most Americans tend to view causes of disenfranchised peoples in other countries as something we may try to help with when we have the time, but not of major import to us. Considering the amount of problems we have here at home now, that may be a legitimate stance. The only problem with it is that the United States is the primary ally and supporter of Israel, especially over the last 30 years as more and more countries call for boycotting the country for their severe mistreatment and human rights abuses of the Palestinian people.

Oftentimes it’s only the United States that blocks major UN resolutions against Israel when the rest of the world signs them. Which makes Israel’s violations of human rights laws America’s violations. What Israel does, the United States automatically supports due to this alliance — even though someone from the American government always steps up and speaks out against, as in this case.

But those are just words. The truth is the United States has done nothing over the last 80 years in the face of even the worst human rights abuses by Israelis. Just as with America’s alliance with the Saudis, at some point the American people need to decide which side they are on and which ideologies they stand for: human dignity, freedom and Justice? Or barbarous fascism and apartheid?

It’s one of the first things one hears from people around the world when traveling —how on earth can Americans claim they stand for freedom and democracy in light of their support for Israel or Saudi Arabia? No one in the world who has taken up the noble cause of the displaced Palestinian people agrees with the more radical views of Hamas and others about “Israel needs to be destroyed”. That’s a fallacious distraction some use to try to justify their goal of eradicating Palestinians out of existence.

And that right there might be one of the most shocking realities of our current world: many Israelis and Jews all over the world don’t hide their desire to see every last Palestinian dead. If you ask them about the conflict, they’ll readily say something to that effect to you. The first time someone said it to me, about 25 years ago, I was shocked. Until I heard it a second and third and fourth time. It lies in stark contrast with their desire to have the atrocities of WW II against their own people to be remembered and never repeated.

To be fair to current facts the most ardent supporters of the Palestinian cause are Jews who live in Israel. The strongest base of anti-Israel apartheid state views and tactics are in Israel founded by Jews who are intelligent and compassionate minded people. There’s just not a lot of them compared to the immoral majority there who’d like to wipe out the Palestinians.

Regardless, the real issue for us here in the US is how long will we allow the American government to keep supporting these tyrannical nations in our name just because it serves some financial or militarily strategic goals?

Like this:

Like Loading...
Civil Rights, Current Events, Human Rights, Israel/Palestine, Politics and Government, Race Racial and Racism Apartheid, human rights abuses, Israel, Netenyahu, palestine, Saudi Arabia, Smotrich

The Mask Is Off — Pro-Palestinian/Anti-Zionism Is Not Anti-Semitism

December 6, 2022

As many know this is a subject I have researched and written extensively about for over 20+ years. Ten years ago I spent two weeks on a fact finding and Diplomatic Mission to Israel and Palestine, visiting with various government officials, legal experts, scholars, non-profits and regular folks on both sides of the walls (yes there are actual walls surrounding the Palestinian people whose sole purpose is to keep Palestinians out of “Israel”, but not to keep Israelis out of Palestinian territory.

This is what leads to the term “settlements” we hear about so often in the news related to Israel and Palestine. If you follow such things. Israelis are freely allowed to go beyond the walls of Israel into formalized Palestinian territory, knock down homes schools buildings farms, you name it, and build new “Israeli settlements” — think neighborhoods — on Palestinian land. Palestinians of course wouldn’t even consider doing that. They would be shot.

I encourage anyone who considers themselves an activist or freedom fighter interested in and dedicated to defending human rights to visit Israel and Palestine to see it with their own eyes. It is one of the most harrowing and heartbreaking trips you will ever make. In fact, going to Israel and Palestine and seeing just how dire the circumstances are for the Palestinian people was and has been one of the most traumatic and inhumane events I’ve ever experienced; still to this day.

It very much reminds one of what South Africa during the apartheid years looked like, or more ironically, what 19th and 20th century Europe during the rounding up of European Jews into ghettos looked like when we view the photos and video footage from that era.

For the record, most of my friends who are Jewish, whether here in America or in Israel or Europe, are very much pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist. I credit that to the fact that most of my friends come out of the arts, entertainment or activist communities.

So this issue of securing basic human rights liberty freedom equality and human dignity for the Palestinian people is not a Jewish issue. It really isn’t even an Israeli issue, because there are plenty of Israelis who also support the pro-Palestinian cause. More than anything it has nothing to do with being anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic.

Conflating those issues, making them seem as if they are equal — being pro-Palestinian or anti-Zionist and being anti-Semitic or prejudice against the Jewish people — is a political ploy used by unscrupulous self-serving deceit mongers. These types of politicians, rather than noble public servants, come in all shapes and sizes and exist in every country on earth, both free nations and not so free nations. They are not to be believed. They are not to be trusted. They are not deserving of respect.

Speaking of not being deserving of trust or respect, one must add that the recent spat of anti-semitism that has cropped up in recent months by morons like Kyrie Irving and Kanye West is doubly deplorable. Not only is it flat out stupid and ignorant racism and hate speech against our Jewish brethren, but it also acts as a great disservice to our being able to help our Palestinian brothers and sisters.

I read an interesting article today about the subject and how heated the whole confluence of issues is becoming once again in our shared human history by Dr. James Zogby, who I know from the Arab American Institute and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. I will let him go into more of the scholarly details. It is definitely worth the read. He always is.

Sincerely, Ed Hale

The Mask Is Off

By Dr. James J. Zogby ©

President 

Arab American Institute

Since its founding, Political Zionism has had two distinct and contradictory personas. One portrayed it as a national liberation movement that was liberal, democratic, tolerant, and inclusive. This was the face its adherents saw when they looked in the mirror, and it was the way they presented themselves to and wanted to be seen by the rest of the world. 

In reaction to antisemitism and the resultant ghettoization and pogroms that victimized European Jewry, Political Zionism promised an alternative for Jews in which they would be free to realize their full potential as a people while practicing the values and fruits of liberalism in a home of their own.   

The problem was that the European liberalism on which Political Zionism was modeled was, itself, based on a contradiction in that the benefits and progress it provided for Europeans were based on the colonial subjugation of Asians and Africans and exploitation of their conquered lands. As the early Zionists were immersed in that same European culture and worldview, it was without any hesitation or embarrassment that they saw themselves as an extension of the European colonial enterprise. That was why Theodore Herzl sought guidance on how to secure support for his proposed colony from Cecil Rhodes; or why he would write in the Jewish State that the enterprise he wished to establish would serve as “a rampart of Europe against Asia…and outpost of civilization against barbarism”; or why he proposed using the natives that his followers might find in their new colony to clear the land and engage in menial labor and then evacuate these natives to other lands.  

Political Zionism was the dream of Jewish liberation, but its implementation was to be the nightmare of Palestinian dispossession. These two sides of the same ideology coexisted, with the upside acknowledged and celebrated, and its reverse ignored and/or denied. This was true not only for the founders of Zionism but also for its most recognized “liberal” champions: Chaim Weizmann, David Ben Gurion, and Golda Meir. Even Benjamin Netanyahu made his name in political circles as a proponent of the cause of “liberal Western democracy” versus the authoritarian, savage, terrorist Arab World.  

Because such a worldview was so ingrained into Europe’s dominant sense of itself, the two faces of Zionism (the liberal and the racist) never raised an eyebrow. It was, if anything, understood and embraced by the British and French (and later by the US) who saw the need for, as Herzl had envisioned it, a civilized outpost to protect Western values and interests from the barbarians. 

Maybe this is what is meant when Israeli and US leaders speak of our “shared values”—the fact that we both have been able to mask the “dark side” of our behaviors with the outward facing veneer of our “claimed values,” values that apply to “us” not to “others.” And we’ve both gotten away with this game, until recently.      

For the US, it was the Iraq War and its attendant horrors, the epidemic of mass killings, systemic racism, and the emergence of the anti-democratic, racist, and xenophobic Trump movement that began to unravel the mask of our claim to be the bastion of “liberal ideals.” Despite Israel’s record of abominable behaviors toward Palestinians, it has taken much longer to peel away the veneer of liberalism from Israel’s image. One reason is that their propaganda machinery has been quite effective, and another has been the fear that pointing out the obvious (i.e., that Israel is engaged in oppressive and racist subjugation and dispossession of Palestinians) will result in the accusation of antisemitism.  

In this context, it may be considered ironic that it was Israel’s own democracy that has finally exposed for all to see its underbelly of intolerance and racist violence. By electing a far-right coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline Likud party and including fanatic nationalists and intolerant ultra-religious parties, the most recent Israeli election served as a clarifying moment for the Political Zionist movement.  

The newly elected Netanyahu government will include bigoted, intolerant, and violence-advocating ministers and deputy ministers who will oversee police, settlements, administration of the occupied territories, finance, and “Jewish Identity.” They include ideologues who: advocate expulsion of Arabs from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories; support rapid settlement expansion and annexation of the West Bank; back settler violence against Palestinians to demonstrate who’s boss; adhere to a theology that maintains that while Jews are full human beings with souls, Arabs are not; claims that human rights organizations pose an “existential threat” to Israel and therefore want them banned; maintain that only their rigid interpretation of Orthodox Judaism is true religion, and deny other Jews their rights; and insist on altering the status quo at the Haram Al Sharif,  turning Jerusalem into another Hebron.  

With ministers and policies such as these, the mask is off.  

This is Political Zionism, without the frills. It is intolerance, bigotry, repression, and aggression without the accompanying rhetoric of “liberalism” to smooth things over or put on a pretty face for the world.  

It’s been fascinating to watch how the major pro-Israel US groups have responded (or failed to respond) to this challenging situation. There were immediate protests over the ultra-Orthodox push to change conversion law, to outlaw LGBTQ rights, to restrict which “legitimate” Jews could immigrate to Israel, and to require the segregation of Jewish women at prayer. But these same leaders have been silent in reaction to the bigoted anti-Arab beliefs being espoused by key members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition and the policies they seek to implement that will further dispossess Palestinians.   

It’s true that many of these ugly attitudes and policies have shaped the Palestinian reality for decades, but they were always covered by the pretty words and the outward face of Zionist liberalism. But now the mask is off and those who, for decades, have been covering for Israel have the responsibility to acknowledge the ugly reality their silence has allowed to fester. 

***

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Arab American Institute. The Arab American Institute is a non-profit, nonpartisan national leadership organization that does not endorse candidates.

Note: To discuss this column with me, please register here for my next ‘Coffee And A Column’ event Wednesday via Zoom.

Like this:

Like Loading...
Activism, Current Events, Human Rights, Israel/Palestine, Politics and Government Apartheid, anti-semitism, anti-Zionism, Israel, Jewish settlements, Kanye West, kyrie irving, Likud Party, Netenyahu, palestine, pro-Palestinian movement, racism

A private little world for me… a private little world for you. The online journals and musings of singer-songwriter author and activist Ed Hale. The Transcendence Diaries have been posting regularly online since 2001. Comments are always welcomed. And so are YOU.

Recent Posts

  • Rest In Peace Big Man In Black
  • America Has Only One Political Party Left — What Happened to Republicans
  • The Great Divide Between the Religious And The Divine
  • What Language Do African Americans Speak? Ebonics Versus African American Vernacular Versus Standard English
  • At Its Core Royalty Is An Attempt To Legitimize Human Abominations and Those Who Commit Them – But Does It Work?
  • DNA from 25,000-year-old pendant reveals woman who wore it — But Not So Much
  • World War III Watch — May 2 – 24, 2023
  • New Mind-Reading Machine That Turns Peoples’ Thoughts Into Text Invented
  • What a Better World This Would Be
  • World War III Watch — Week Of April 24, 2023

Receive Transcendence Diaries Updates

   
 

Subscribe

* indicates required
  
  
  
    Email Format    
 
  
  
 
       
   
   

Join the Ed Hale Mailing List

Ask Ed Hale a Question

Follow Ed Hale Online

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Spotify
  • YouTube
  • Apple

To Follow & Like us

RSS
Follow by Email
Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
Tweet
LinkedIn
LinkedIn
Share

Follow Ed Hale on Twitter

My Tweets

Ed Hale on Facebook

Ed Hale on Facebook

Listen to Ed Hale on Spotify

Tags

Abraham Hicks ed hale and the transcendence activism America American imperialism Avatar avatar course China Consciousness Donald Trump ed hale facebook Federal Reserve finding God gaza god intuition Iran Iraq islam Israel itunes living in new york Music music video music videos new album New World Order new york palestine peace politics Relationships Religion Russia social media songs songwriting syria the adventures of Fishy Transcendence transcendence diaries Ukraine United States World War III

Categories

  • Academics
  • Activism
  • Alternative History
  • America at War
  • American Terrorism
  • Ancient History
  • Anthropology
  • Archeology
  • Art and Entertainment
  • Being an Artist
  • Black Lives Matter
  • black people
  • Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Civil Rights
  • Consciousness Exploration and Expansion
  • Consumer Protection
  • Cosmology
  • Current Events
  • Economics
  • Environment
  • Evolution
  • Film and Movies
  • Friends and Family
  • Gender Issues
  • Gun violence Gun Laws
  • Health and Wellness
  • Human Rights
  • Iran
  • Israel/Palestine
  • Just Published
  • Language
  • Life Hacks
  • Literature
  • Love Sex Romance
  • Metaphysics
  • Music
  • Music Videos
  • Musical Instruments & Gear
  • Nature
  • New World Order
  • Paranormal and Supernatural
  • Personal Expression Age
  • Personal Life
  • Physics
  • Politics and Government
  • Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Race Racial and Racism
  • Religion and Spirituality
  • Science
  • Social Media
  • songwriting
  • Struggling artist lifestyle working for the man
  • Technology
  • Television
  • Terrorism
  • Uncategorized
  • Wealth Finance and Investing
  • World Affairs
  • World War III

Recent Comments

  • Ed Hale on Two More Executed In Iran This Morning For Protesting For Freedom & Equality — What We Can Do To Help
  • Ziba on Two More Executed In Iran This Morning For Protesting For Freedom & Equality — What We Can Do To Help
June 2023
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« May    

Archives

  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • September 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • December 2010
  • October 2010
  • June 2010
  • December 2009
  • September 2009
  • April 2009
  • January 2009
  • September 2008
  • May 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • May 2007
  • September 2006
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • April 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • October 2003
  • September 2003
  • August 2003
  • May 2003
  • November 2002
  • October 2002
  • August 2002
  • July 2002
  • January 2002
  • December 2001
  • September 2001
  • April 218

Subscribe

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

The Transcendence Diaries is a property of Transcendent Media Group LLC (c) (p) TM 2001

Idealist by NewMediaThemes

%d bloggers like this: