A Chance For Peace? #357
By Hank Silverberg
Commentary
I have spent much of the summer intentionally distracted from what is going on in the world. Much of it is depressing, so I focused on baseball. My Red Sox had a pretty good season. I am saddened that they did not go past the first round of the playoffs, mainly because I now have to pay attention to the real world again.
Here are five reasons it is likely to fail:
1) The plan relies on Hamas to return all the Israeli hostages, give up their arms, and submit to some kind of international monitors in Gaza to help rebuild and set up a Palestinian government that does not include Hamas. The trouble is, Hamas is not very trustworthy and will do again what they did in 2005. After Israel pulled out and gave the Palestinians the entire Gaza strip, Hamas took over through an election and turned it into a terrorist state where no one, including their own people, were safe. They ruled with an iron fist, murdering anyone who did not follow their rules. On top of that, many of the old leaders of Hamas, the ones who were responsible for the October 7th massacre of 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages, have been killed by the Israelis, so it's not even that clear who is left to agree to a deal.
2) Benjamin Netanyahu: The Israeli Prime Minister, who remains under indictment for bribery, has remained in power mainly because of the war. It's likely if there was peace, he would go back on trial and his right-wing coalition that forms his government would fall apart. Netanyahu will do anything to stay in power, and a peace deal won't help him do that. He continues the proposal to annex the West Bank mainly to please the right wing in Israel, which wants that annexation. But any peace deal is likely to put a halt to that policy.
3) Donald Trump: the President is promoting the plan mainly because he has it in his head that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, and that brokering some kind of deal over Gaza will help him get it. If the deal does not work well or takes too long to amount to anything, Trump will abandon it, blame someone else for the failure and move on. He will not commit the United States to any peace keeping role. It's been clear he has no clue of the complexity of Middle East politics ever since he proposed buying Gaza and turning it into a tourist attraction.
4) The PLA: the Palestinian Authority, which tacitly has autonomy on the West Bank, has proven time and again to be incompetent and corrupt and unable to govern. The last time they had authority in Gaza they lost it to Hamas and simply abandoned the Gaza strip.
5) The rest of the Arab world: they have never shown any initiative to help the Palestinians in the past, accept providing money and weapons, and have used them as pawns for their own political purposes for 80 years. It's unlikely they will provide anything but lip service to any proposed or established Palestinian state.
Much of the Jewish population of both Israel and the United States has grown weary of this catastrophe and the damage it has done to our reputation as the good guys. We long for a solution to the decades of conflict. But the motives and functionality behind the latest proposal is suspect, and its implementation almost impossible, leading me to the conclusion that no one currently in power really wants peace.
News You May Have Missed
Trump Golfs While Washington Closes
The government is closed. Over 750,000 federal employees are working without pay or have been furloughed. Why? Because the GOP wants to make cuts in health care, including the Affordable Care Act, making it too expensive for thousands of Americans who will then lose their health care coverage. The Republicans claim illegal immigrants are using the ACA, which is not true, and the Democrats have pointed that out repeatedly as bill after bill to keep the government open fail on that issue.
So, here's the truth. Undocumented workers, or illegal aliens as the GOP calls them, ARE NOT ELIGIBLE for benefits under the ACA. But there is a law that no one can be turned away from an emergency room if they don't have health care, so the undocumented are treated like everyone else in those circumstances. Hospitals are reimbursed for treating the uninsured including some undocumented immigrants and that is some of the money being cut though a small fraction of the cuts.
So it's all smoke and mirrors on who is right as the American public in general prepare for the impact of a long-term shutdown.
The President, of course, could have stepped in as mediator or get his party to bend, but he didn't. He spent the weekend on the golf course in Virginia just like he did during the flash flooding in Texas, which caused water and food shortages. The leader chose not to lead, but to putt instead.
Insights From a Virginia Poll
The race for governor in Virginia is being watched closely on the national stage as it often is, to see what may be on voters minds as we approach
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| (We are voting already in VA) |
But the poll shows that issue is way down on the list of worries for most Virginians. When asked about issues that are important to them, over 80% listed the economy, education and health care as their top concerns, while a majority said transgender issues were "unimportant," the only issue that received such a rating.
Earle-Sears has spent $2 million on anti-trans ads in September alone, and dropped in the polls as early voting got underway late last month. Transgender lifestyle is just not on the radar screen for most Virginians, and likely not a real issue for most Americans, either.
You can see the entire poll here: https://emersoncollegepolling.com/virginia-2025-polling/
Dumb Quote of The Week!
This week's dumb quote comes from Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem. She was talking about the controversy over "Bad Bunny" performing for the Super Bowl half-time show.
Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico and is an American citizen, but much of his music is sung in Spanish, and that got the usual prejudiced reaction from the political right.
But Noem went further.
" I have the responsibility for making sure everybody who goes to the Super Bowl has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave, and that’s what America’s about. So yeah, we’ll be all over that place. We’re going to enforce the law.”
Continuing.
“So, I think people should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they’re law-abiding Americans who love this country.”
First, it is highly unlikely that an undocumented worker is going to be able to afford a trip to the Super Bowl, which can cost thousands of dollars, although I suppose a few might be working concessions at the game.
Second, so Canadians can't attend? How about a Saudi prince? Or a British royal? Or maybe an ambassador from some friendly country, or some rich south American businessman? How about a rich playboy from Monaco? Or some corporate CEO from Japan? Since when are sporting events limited to U.S. citizens only???? Her comment is about as dumb as you can get. Of note, 3% of the NFL players were not born in the United States. Can they play if their team makes it to the Super Bowl?
Also of note: some past performers at Super Bowl halftimes include Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, U2 and Shikira, none of whom are American.
(You suggestions and comments are welcome)
My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
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Excellent blog as usual Hank. I greatly appreciate it, Rich
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