Over the last 48 hours, it appears that a simple step away from the path of an expanded war in Southwest Asia was flushed down the toilet. The negotiations to trade hostages being held in Gaza for drinking water, medical aid, and at least a temporary ceasefire, long enough to get the hostages out, would have been a first step toward recognizing some normal concerns on both sides. Washington was relying upon the mediation of Qatar over the last two weeks, and on Oct. 20 the first two hostages were released—more as an act of good faith by Hamas than anything else—though, admittedly, a bit less than 1% of the Gaza population received enough drinking water for one day.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing an unnamed U.S. official, as confirming that Qatar’s government had been “very helpful,” but that efforts to free the hostages are not being helped by the continued Israeli bombardment of Gaza. The slaughter has proceeded at about 300-400 deaths per day, mainly women and children—hardly Hamas warriors. But overnight, Israel has escalated the mass bombing campaign, apparently beyond the ability of authorities to dig out and account for all the dead bodies. Over 200 died last night in one single village, in this case refugees who had followed the orders to evacuate north Gaza—but to no avail. CNN reports that Gaza parents are writing their children’s names on their legs to help identify them when the time comes.
The second aid package came today, two days after the first, with less than 80% of the laughably ridiculous level of the first shipment. No fuel is allowed, even though that means no electricity for ventilators in the neonatal department at Gaza City’s main medical complex, Dar Al-Shifa Hospital. The UN agency on the scene estimates that the babies start dying on Oct 25. Dr. Fu’ad al-Bulbul has 45 incubators in his neonatal department.
Added to Israel’s expanded saturation bombing campaign were modest air assaults against both Lebanon and Syria last night. All signs are that a couple of weeks of the West pretending that Israel’s right to “self-defense” includes vengeance, bloodlust and destroying itself in a suicidal expanded war, hasn’t done much to abate the disaster.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin today, after consultation with President Joe Biden, announced escalated measures for U.S. force projection in the area. This includes putting the USS Dwight Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group under the Central Command’s area of responsibility. One can only wonder whether Austin told Biden about the Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles deployed into Black Sea with capability to strike into the area—or, for that matter, whether Austin has properly digested that open Russian announcement.
The horror is that all the above is being done in your name.
Today, Oct. 22, is the anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s 1962 address to the nation on the Cuban Missile Crisis. May it give some hope that Americans, and people who remember a better America, that insanity does not have to reign.
Perhaps it is time to grab hold of a chunk of sanity, as if your life depended upon it.
