The main news item this morning is actually mostly speculation. Hamas has presented a new proposal that might even be acceptable to Israel. The Israeli war cabinet will discuss it today. That means any real commentary about it will only appear on my posts after Shabbat. The leaks, as reported so far, involve a release … More Gaza War 15 Mar
Super Tuesday primary election results are getting all the media coverage. Well, not quite all, but most. CNN is busy accepting UN claims that the IDF blocked an aid convoy headed north. This time the source was the WFP, not discredited UNRWA. And, once again, the report was erroneous. The truck in question was being … More Gaza War 6 Mar
Ramadan is coming. It’s the time when Hamas usually claims that Israel is taking over Al-Aqsa mosque. What really happens is that /Israel places limits on the number of Muslim worshippers that are allowed to go in. The mosque and courtyard have limited space. Israel also screens out potential rioters by age. In the past, … More Gaza War 3 Mar
This morning I heard a set of extraordinary claims from an aid worker on CNN, The heart of the stories she presented was that Israel was responsible for the ‘starvation’ and suffering of Palestinians in Gaza who were not receiving the aid being sent to them. If you’ve been following my posts you will probably … More Gaza War 29 Feb
Almost all the reservists called up for the war have now been released. The war is being fought by the regular active duty army. There is still a constant exchange of fire on the northern border, Hezbollah sends rockets (and occasional drones) Israel replies with artillery and air attacks. The commander of the UN forces … More Gaza War 28 Feb
One of the saddest items seen this morning was the report that a young USAF Airman went to the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, and set himself on fire. He died in hospital. When he did it, he reportedly said he would no longer be a part of Genocide. His death is a tragedy. It … More Gaza War 27 Feb
There are a lot of “leaks” regarding the discussions about a new hostage exchange arrangement. A number of the parties involved would be happy to see some kind of agreement reached before the Muslim fast month of Ramadan. This results in a lot of optimistic data getting out to the media, even when there is … More Gaza War 25 Feb
The brief break in the news about Sinwar being in Egypt seems to have died down. All the potential official sources for the story are saying it isn’t true and that they do not know where he is. There is a new lead item to replace it. The US vetoed a Security Council Resolution (remember, … More Gaza War 21 Feb
Is Sinwar still in Gaza? That’s the question raised by an article in a Saudi newspaper that claims to have the information from an Israeli source. Of course, it’s all speculation. But raising the possibility will definitely result in a lot of tongues wagging. Expect the Egyptians to deny the possibility. They have an interest … More Gaza War 20 Feb
A number of countries are sitting on the sidelines and wringing their hands over the numbers of “civilian” casualties in Gaza and approaching humanitarian disaster there. They are also self-righteously giving gratuitous advice to Israel about not advancing troops into Rafah, This is the same Rafah where it appears the Hamas leaders are hiding, and … More Gaza War 19 Feb
Wetherhorn 