Mideast Peace

 There is widespread anti-semitism AND there is also anti-Muslim bias. That's fact, stats, and things that you can look up with numbers. The brilliance -Machiavellian or Hobbes- of what's going on is that legitimate claims of anti-semitism are being used to foster anti-freedom of speech initiatives that are anti-Muslim in order to support continued militarization and xenophobia. And yes, all those things can be true at the same time. And yes, you can maintain love and equanimity for all ppl while recognizing the nuance of what's going on.

History: the US has been fighting a proxy war with Iran and radical fundamentalists since the Shah of Iran was overthrown. The Shah of Iran was a corrupt, Western-puppet installed by the US for oil, but he was 'our guy.' All the West knows is that they had their main bro, The Shah, in there and radical religious fundamentalists overthrew their ally. The radicals said they do not like Western values, they do not like Jewish values, and their goal is total eradication of both. When they talk about 'driving Jewish ppl into the sea' it is NOT a metaphor. When they talk about the great Satan of America, they mean it. 

Btw, as a reminder what is the evil of Western civilization to many Muslim fundamentalists? Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, capitalism, LGBTQIA rights, women's rights, democracy, internationalism, western education, freedom of the press, NATO, World Bank, UN, etc. Muslim fundamentalists have said 'oh yeah, we want to destroy all of that' and whenever they take over a Muslim-majority country all those rights do get destroyed. They keep to their word and are very consistent. 

Lockerbie bombing, 9/11, October 7, numerous attacks on Israel via buses, cars are all marks of the war against the West. And then celebration after the loss of civilian life is also a key component. Fundamentalists love to celebrate and cheer the twin towers falling or US embassy hostages in Tehran or Jewish women being kidnapped. Violence + humiliation + cameras= radical joy. 

So the US is fighting this war with ppl who want to destroy, humiliate, and celebrate in civilian slaughter. Nn this war, Israel is an incredibly effective ally. Period. You may not like Netanyahu and what's going on, but the US policy is 'the other side wants to destroy us and the Western civilization' so we're going to win. 

So you have one side that has said for my entire adult life 'we want to destroy the West and humiliate you' and the West went 'ok bet, so this means war.' In this long-running war, Israel is a reliable ally. In a war, you never give up a good ally, no matter how much you may question their tactics or leadership (Netanyahu). You do not trade in a reliable partner for a semi-enemy who has said 'we want to kill you.' That's just stupid. It's never going to happen. There will never be a point where the US logically sides with Iran or an Iran-proxy org over Israel no matter how many protests. So Hamas, Hezbollah, any territory run by Iran through a terrorist org is at war with Israel and US and therefore there is no immediate need for compromise. 

The problem is that the majority of people live between the warring sides. The women, children, and men who just want to live that are getting slaughtered. And the bigger problem is that the vast majority of all ppl want peace and peace is very very bad for small minority of radicals. Women start going to school, ppl start thinking, obsessing over 'western material things'  and thinking less about their God, and hating other ppl. So there is a fundamentalist triangle on 3 sides that subtly supports the continuation of war. And any time, we get close to peace, one of these three sides erupts into some violence. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is assassinated by radical Jihadist for making peace with Israel. An Israel settler assassinates Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for trying to work out a peaceful solution. Arafat waffles in peace negotiations b/c it calls on him to give up his biggest card -terrorism- in favor of becoming a statesmen and looking weak to the radicals. And the unexamined third side: Christian fundamentalists. Evangelicals want to see the second coming of Jesus and they believe that's going to happen with a united Jerusalem so they have thrown their lot in with Israel totally. But not because they are removed from hatred. Evangelicals are just as anti-semitic as Muslims, they just want Jesus back (who is a brown-skinned Jewish rabbi with communist beliefs but don't think about that, Christians!!) 

Radical Muslims want to destroy the West and Israel as stated before. If that happens that means 'no Jesus' according to certain Christian faiths. And fundamentalists in Israel do not want a 2-state solution. They want to expand and control Gaza and the West Bank. Now in fairness, Jewish radicals also do not want to see the eradication of Muslims. They just don't want them in Israel or the West Bank and there continued argument is 'go to any number of other Muslim countries. There is only one Jewish state in the entire world. Leave us that and go to Jordan or Egypt.' It's logical from their side but it's not logical to Palestinians who can trace their family lineage back for generations to the territories they are in. The territories are buffers against terrorists attacks, allows the expansion of the Jewish population, and staves off the population crisis of Arab Muslims becoming Israeli citizens. If they can keep Muslims in a non-state limbo where they neither have their own country nor are they apart of Israel, then that solves their problem. 

The algorithm and lobbyists are making it seem like what is going on is a binary choice. You are either more horrified by one or the other, you either support one or the other. What most people don't want to see is that the war is doing exactly what it was intended to do by multiple sides. It's raising money for the radical movements, getting us farther apart, and ensuring the continuation of hatred..which is good business for fundamentalists.