Who are the cowardly leaders who ordered that stupid attack on Israel? Do not attack another nation who has the right to Exist!
3
This is the Israeli version of the standard domestic abuse excuse. You know.
"Yeah, I abused that family member, but, you see, THEY MADE ME ABUSE THEM! So I am not to blame. They are!"
Listen to the knee-jerk Trump supporters mouth this nonsense. Dozens of unarmed Palestinians were killed. Thousands we're injured as Israel mounted a totally heinous violent response to a spontaneous Palestinian protest of despicable living conditions. So what was the response of the Trump sycophants and the Suite House? Blame Hamas! Blame Iran!
Innocent people died at the disproportionate force deployed by Israel. They did the killing. So how are Hamas and Iran responsible? How can Trumpians simply ignore this terrible tragedy? How can they ignore their own complicity?
13
Haley expressed US support for Israel crimes.
This is shameful day for America.
11
“We will take down the border (with Israel) and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies” – Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar, April 6, 2018
https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/04/swastika-next-to-palestinian-flag-...
4
Why don't all the people taking the side against Israel, invite Hamas into your home...see how it works out.
3
Lets give thanks to Comey,Putin, and all the voters who stayed home or voted third party. Shame on them!
1
To all of you Israel haters
Every Presidential candidate says that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and that the embassy should be moved there. But then, when they get elected, they balk, and say the same tired refrain "now is not the right time"
so now we have a President who delivers on his promises. This should be considered refreshing.
The Arabs know its Israel's Capital.
2) Gaza
The Arabs don't live anywhere near the border fence.
They don't go there to protest peacefully. That is such hogwash.
They are there for the purpose of storming the fence so that they can attack Israelis in Israel.
They have proved it time and again, by all the tunnels they have built to try to terrorize Israel.
Hamas receives millions of dollars, that could be used to build infrastructure and create jobs, but they are so corrupt- they use the money to build the tunnels, and to finance the bosses' luxury lifestyles.
And we hear about babies being killed.
What are young children doingthere in the first place? People don't live anywhere near the fence. They brought their babies there on purpose, because they use them as cover while their terrorist parents plot to storm the fence.
They have dropped thousands of leaflets all over Gaza warning people that they are putting their lives at stake, if they go there.
Israel has the right to defend itself.
And America, don't forget..
The Arabs in Gaza are the same people who celebrated in ecstasy while the twin towers came crashing down on 9/11
4
Abhorrent what Israel continues doing to Palestinians. Upsetting what the rest of the world’s blindness/deafness does to Palestinian children. No words to describe the atrocities committed by The State of Israel in the name of “self-defense”
9
if you are on the side of Ivanka Trump you may want to go back to your good book whatever it is and reread it.
4
I can't quite wrap my brain around how people like Sheldon Adelson can celebrate the new embassy for Israel with the likes of Trump, who caters to his base of Nazi supporters. And now Israelis are Trump supporters?
Equally perplexing is seeing how a people so historically victimized and driven from their homelands can now so callously evict and inflict the same brutality on another people for decades. Then they have the nerve to expect other countries to abide by UN decisions while defying the very one that tells them to give up the land they stole.
10
What foolish nonsense masquerading as some type of insightful news/editorial/analysis piece. More divided now? More like divided as ever and always, under successive administrations, with the one before this one losing the trust of both sides. Let Hamas and the Palestinians renounce violence, stop educating their children with hate and state unequivocally that ALL issues are open to discussion and compromise. This is the crux of the problem, the refusal of Palestinians to accept that the outcome of several wars has resulted in a state called Israel that they must accept exists and accept has the right to exist. In their hearts and minds Palestinians look at peace and the peace process as a step toward eliminating Israel and annihilating the Jews. The Arab mind harbors revenge as a bear clings to fat before hibernation. Any true and sincere overture for peace coming from Palestinians, where one major political group, Hamas, it should be reminded, continues to openly call for Israel's destruction, will be met with open arms by Israelis. If average Israelis believe that peace is really possible a large majority will insist on pursuing it, regardless of who the PM is or what the composition of the Knesset looks like.
5
Keep living beings, chained behind fences without prospect of adequate living conditions, let alone prospects for a future - then shoot them like stray dogs. PR - trained "spokesmen" then wave it off as anti-terrorist actions. Must not let it take away from the Javanka - led celebrations...
8
The world as a community has not been able to resolve an issue that’s essentially sharing God given planet. Where is common sense in all this? If it was meant to be a happy day, why people have to die?
1
Jerusalem should be an international city. Certainly not the capital of any one country to exclusion of others who have equally legitimate claims.
7
Israel wants it ALL. All the land, all of the power, and now all of Jerusalem. That is why there has been no Palestinian state created or negotiated. The blockade in Gaza for the last decade and even before that has always been to wear down, wear out and destroy generations of Palestinian lives. Israel is not the victim here.... that game is long over. The world knows it, the world sees it.
9
The Palestinians had the stated goal of breaching the border with Israel to retake "their land". If successful many more Palestinian lives and Israeli lives would have been lost. It amounted to a suicide charge. It's 70 years now and the fundamental issue that prevents any solution is that Palestinians regard the creation of Israel as a catastrophe and Israelis regard it as their home. Meanwhile many Palestinians in the occupied territories live in abject poverty with no hope only the illusion of a new state of Palestine on the territory that is now Israel. Time for a Plan B.
3
In a crime such as arson do we blame the oil company that made the gas? Or the manufacturer of the matches? No, we blame the arsonist who started the fire. The Trump Administration is responsible for this tragedy, not the Zionists, Palestinians, or Hamas. The tone deaf celebration with its elites and celebrities highlights the hubris behind it, and the glaring disconnect. Trump was warned, he just didn't care. Shame on him.
6
There are/were valid reasons for Israelis (especially Israeli Jewish people) to be wary of Hamas-motivated violent protester-rioters. Still, I must say that my heart breaks for the mother of the 8-month old child who died of tear gas inhalation. One might ask whether this innocent child was being exploited by a parent or community that put it in danger (riots or mass protests where people in arms on any side are known to be are NOT remotely safe places for young children); nevertheless, the mother’s grief must be enormous. I pray she knows that even people who see the world differently than she does still send blessings of peace for her infant’s soul.
2
I am not going to pretend that Hamas is a group of peace-seeking individuals. However, I also won't do the same for Israel's government (I'm making a distinction between the people and the gov't). Israel claiming innocence while blaming Hamas for all the violence is like Trump taking credit for everything good while blaming Obama for everything bad (or that Trump thinks is bad). And while people can say about Palestinians that they knew what was coming if they came too close to the border, I hear very few pointing out the same is true for Israeli settlements and settlers pushing further and further into Palestinian territory.
So called holy books written by men trying to control the populace, just as the books are being used now, are no justification for the raw deal Palestinians have received from the world.
22
An Embassy can be opened.
An Embassy can be closed.
2020 is coming and everything that
has been wrecked and ruined by
the vile Trumpists will be repaired.
9
Trump will leave behind a couple of hundred candidates for impeachment in the federal judiciary, at the rate things are going.
10
Way to go Jared! ‘Peacemaker extraordinaire’
1
It doesn't seem like that long ago under President Obama we were all reading reports of Israeli jets and cannons unloading white phosphorous on Gaza schools and burning innocent Palestinian children and the world community was in an uproar. Like that lasted a long time and much came of it? Hardly. Trump has nothing to do with what they do to each other over there.
The whole world has contrived to quarantine Gaza.
4
This is clearly the desired outcome for Trump and Netanyahu. Didn't Jared say outright of those killed that it was "their own fault"? Trump adores world chaos.
2
All this blood and suffering is on Trump and he couldn’t care less.
8
They are trying to breakthrough the fence. Since when this is a "protest"?
They are sending incendiary bombs to set fires on the crops. They are attacking the israelis. Protest is something different.
4
This whole situation reminds me of the American West, when the US Government tried to eradicate Native Americans to make room for US settlers. Today's actions of Israel are just as shameful to me as the actions of the US Gov. during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
2
Uh, except that birthrates and life expectancy are quite high in the WB and Gaza and no attempt is being made to eradicate anyone. This is instead like the ancestors of Mexican families attempting to reclaim Texas and rushing the border with fire bombs, knives and crude weapons demanding that American citizens abandon the land they are on. What would we do, order that the mob be confronted in a totally equal way and resort to hand to hand combat to avoid using "excessive" force?
5
Reminds you of the American West? And yet you still live in San Francisco? (Unless, and pardon me if, you are an indigenous person whose family are, perhaps, Miwok or Ohlone).
And please remember and don’t dis the Jewish Israelis who also can trace their ancestors to the land.
1
Lyin' Donald bears the brunt of responsibility for each and every death and injury. What is he going to do about it? Nothing, of course. Dido, when American body bags start arriving at Andrews. All he does is shoot off his mouth, usually about things he knows nothing, and many suffer as a result. Sad, so sad. America must make America Great Again by dumping all Trump supports who are seeking election or reelection this coming November.
2
Killing civilians is WRONG Investigate Trump's Indonesia deal. China gave Trump $500 million. Trump tweeted we need to save Chinese jobs. This is unethical and violates the Emoluments clause. INVESTIGATE Ray Sipe voter
1
can someone remind me when peace was close?
2
Is anyone aware of Bibi's closeness to and affinity for Vladimir Putin?
One might wonder if there's anything, then, to the fact that the only two nations to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel are -- starting a year ago -- Russia and now Trumperica.
Sure this plays to Trump's base, but it also follows Putin's and Donald's favorite strategy to sow division and unleash chaos and then swoop in and pretend they're saving us from it.
"American Carnage" and "nuclear war with North Korea" never existed prior to Trump. Extremism in Iran was on the wane. Trump continues to reverse a smarter, more thoughtful policy of treating Muslims like the humans they are instead of giving them reasons to radicalize against us.
We see it in the renewed vigor of ISIS and the Taliban, in the anti-American front-runner in Iraq, and now the Palestinians.
Who benefits? Monetarily, the military-industrial complex. Politically, the opportunists Vladi, Donnie, and Bibi with their Fake News heroism.
Great leaders strive for stability.
This corrupt triumvirate thrive on sowing chaos.
Trump is abusing his power and endangering our nation -- he needs to be removed from office or at least brought under control.
Please vote this November!
2
As long as Bibi is in power in Israel there won't be any solutions to this conflict,the man is driven by resentment and anger against Palestinians ever since Yonatan is brother,was killed in Entebbe in july of 1976.
It's not an eye for an eye any more.
4
It makes you wonder, doesn't it, how many of the many Palestinian protesters killed in the last two days would still be alive right now, eating dinner, walking down the street, listening to music, praying in a mosque, holding their child, playing with their sisters or brothers, smoking a cigarette, watching the night sky emerge . . . if Trump had not moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, saying that there was no need . . .
3
Did anyone else think about the book The Hunger Games when reading this article? Celebration in the Capitol in fancy garb whilst the people fight for justice outside of the gates of privilege... Yuck.
2
Today’s relative calm in Gaza and the West Bank is proof that yesterday’s Palestinian revolt was caused by the needles provocation of moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem .
2
Is this a news article, commentary, editorial, or analysis? I can't tell. How irresponsible.
3
Israel wants it ALL and that's why there has been no Palestinian state created or negotiated. In fact, the blockade in Gaza for the last decade and well before that has been to wear down, wear out and destroy each generation of Palestinian lives and steal their lands. Israel is not the oppressed....they ARE the oppressors.
9
The repeated, out-of-context, citations of parts of he Hamas Charter, to demonstrate that the organization is committed to the destruction of Israel, should, like so much else in this long catastrophe, be given some historical context.
"We came here to a country that was populated by Arabs and we are building here a Hebrew, a Jewish state; instead of the Arab villages, Jewish villages were established. You even do not know the names of those villages, and I do not blame you because these villages no longer exist. There is not a single Jewish settlement that was not established in the place of a former Arab Village."
~Moshe Dyan, March 19, 1969, speech at the Technion in Haifa | Quoted in Ha'aretz, April 4, 1969.
3
CNN claimed that the move of our embassy to Jerusalem receive "bipartisan" support in Congress. NOT TRUE! The one and only Democrat who celebrated this move was Senate Majority leader, Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish. It was inappropriate for him to speak in his public political role. He should have spoken as a private citizen. No other Democrat supported this dangerous and foolish move.
4
Katherine: and the other 27 Jewish members of Congress did NOT support moving the embassy.
4
As if all the hardened generations of animosity and hatred need reinforcements this will ensure peace will never come to the Holy land.
We're strengthening the one alliance I wish we'd destroy, and destroying all the others.
There are a few very important facts we should not lose sight of. First of all, these Gazans are not an occupied population, this is not Tiannamen square and this is not Kent State. Second, much of what is going on does not stem from rage it stems from boredom and opportunism and is largely staged. Take a look at for instance how the wounded are carried away, would any organized and competent medics pick up and grab an injured person like a rag doll and run with them virtually ensuring that any injury is made worse, I dont think so - but it sure plays well for the cameras! And finally, what normal person would spend their days throwing rocks at the border unless they were either getting paid for it or ordered to do it by a commander, these "protesters" are actors or soldiers or people who love the camera. These facts belie what is going on and make it very hard to feel sympathy for those who are doing it.
7
Israel has claimed all of Jerusalem, and is doing their best to ensure it remains that way. And the Trump administration fully supports their move.
In what world is this arrangement acceptable? The Middle East peace talks are over because of the Trump administration.
1
As long as Hamas remains committed to the elimination of the state of Israel (read their 2017 Charter) and as long as the people of Gaza accept Hamas as their leaders, they will live in desperation. Israel will not allow itself to be destroyed.
As soon as the people of Gaza accept the existence of the state of Israel and as soon as they demonstrate that they are not a security threat to Israel their lives will improve dramatically.
It is their choice.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamas-charter-1637794876
5
"loudspeakers on minarets urged Palestinians to rush the fence bordering Israel, where they were met by army snipers."
Shouldn't this be a war crime???
I'm not in favor of moving the Embassy to Jerusalem without part of a larger peace plan for both sides.
What was Hamas thinking when they told the citizens of the Gaza Strip to do this??
Answer: Only one thing, to have the blood of those they duped appear on TV all over the world to see and obtain sympathy to justify Hamas' cause.
Whatever that is?
It's obviously not peace.
9
Those people being sent to rush a fortified international border with weapons are not protesters. They are a variation on suicide bombers, but in this case tailored made for the Western media to portray them as martyrs for the cause of a terrorist organization funded by Iran that governs the Gaza Strip in such a way that if these same people were protesting against Hamas with one-tenth the energy as on the border fence, it wouldn't be 60 dead, it would be 600 dead. Where exactly is the journalism here?
7
one side funded by iran. another side funded by the us of a.
[while the us of a has been known to fund both sides of conflicts at times], the european union sometimes funding to rebuild what is being destroyed. yet, destruction has been prevailing, for all my lifetime now, i.e. for over half a century, which also means that on both sides, generations continue to grow up hating each other. WHILE WHO BENEFITS, apart from what they still call the "military-industrial complex"?
2
Reality check #1: if at any point during the past 70 years, the Palestinians had wanted a state, all they needed to do was acknowledge the rights and history of the Jewish people (as the international community had already done) and agree to live in peace. And if they weren’t sold on living peacefully, Israel didn’t even control any of the land the Palestinians claim during the first 19 years of its existence. It was illegally occupied by Jordan and Egypt who had expelled every Jew. Instead, the PLO explicitly renounced any sovereign Palestinian claims.
Reality check #2: the dispute has never been about borders but about Israel's existence. Both the PLO and Hamas say so in their respective Charters, though Hamas adds much outright antisemitic content t its. Tactically, the disagreement is over strategy. Abbas' group still speaks (in Arabic) of the "phased" destruction of Israel while Hamas is considerably less patient.
Reality check #3: moving the US embassy to Jerusalem signals that the US will not allow the Arabs to destroy Israel, recognizes Israel's superior claim to the city. The move alerts the Palestinians that the peace train is no longer subject to their veto of violence and is leaving the station.
Reality check #4: the Palestinian "cause", which was always and only the anti-Israeli catspaw of the Sunni states, has outlived it states usefulness to them. They now need Israel in their fight against a resurgent and threatening Iran.
That’s the Middle East reality.
10
Not only "no sign of peace," but less sign of a (Nobel) peace prize for our national CEO ("commander in chief" seems inappropriate), as Mr. Trump's incendiary acts/effects in Israel/Gaza may compromise whatever luster he gains from N. Korea developments (which themselves probably have much more to do with internal Peninsula developments, North's long-game strategy to use nuclear threat for bargaining leverage in a peace it likely planned to pursue regardless of White House occupancy & rhetoric, than Trump).
With such a waning candidacy, let me modestly propose another candidate to fill the void --incidentally one not known for "modesty" any more than Trump is-- Stormy Daniels.
Stormy Daniels may prove the more historically impactful contributor to world peace by standing up to sexual bullying & abuse of power, national scourges that also symptomize the broader decline in "rule of law" & the excessive "personalization of power" critics have diagnosed at the heart of so much political, cultural, & job-sector disfunction.
Seems ludricous, but it may be that honoring Stormy Daniels with the Nobel would achieve the Nobel mission of recognizing proper responses to dehumanizing violence, actions that point the way to its solution. Stormy Daniels has legally stood up to the nation's most prominent bully. By helping to expose bullying, modeling a response on the national stage, & possibly helping us to remove a tyrant, her contribution to peace may well be Nobel-worthy.
4
Stop dragging our domestic political squabbles into this. It’s not about Trump. Its not about the embassy. It’s not about Netanyahu or the “Israeli right wing.”
It’s about Hamas and their supporters.
They got, and continue to get, exactly what they wanted.
The longer you give them press, the longer they will reap the benefits of their fanatical kamikaze actions. And the more likely they are to do it again.
5
The first shots of World War III have just been fired.
My great-grandchildren will be reading the same headlines.
2
They are called "killings" here, but charging willy-nilly into an area you have repeatedly been warned not to enter that is manned by heavily armed troops smacks of suicide to me.
3
It's utterly disgusting to witness yet another division created and amplified by religion and politics.
The core of religion and politics is to bring peace and happiness.
Trump and Netanyahu have it all wrong. And everyone supporting them should revisit their moral conscience once again.
1
I have a problem with deciding our foreign policy on the basis of whether the Palestinians will riot. Because if we do that, it only encourages more selective rioting.
3
Most of the day Hamas insisted that the border had been breached and that Palestinians are flooding Israel (which was clearly a lie) and urging them to assault the fence. At 6 PM Hamas called on people to clear the area and within an hour there wasn’t a single person approaching the fence. Hamas therefore had the capability to avoid the death of Palestinians but it didn’t. This was clearly organized theatre of the macabre sponsored by Hamas as a way to end their own political and economic difficulties, with the Palestinian Authority, with Israel, with Egypt, with other donor countries. Essentially, Hamas sacrificed the lives of 61 Palestinians to create optics whereby, again, Israel is viewed negatively by arm-chair humanitarians in the Western World. Like Netanyahu, Hamas is not FOR anything, only AGAINST Israel. Hamas is against Israel in any size border between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, with a capital anywhere. Hamas is now the flag-bearer of the Arab factions that have not accepted self-determination and a homeland for the Jews within any borders, anywhere in the Middle East, and that is the crux of the conflict.
4
There hasn't been any signs of peace for some time. The cluelessness of the Trump's is a wonder to behold but it should not be used as an excuse to allow the Palestinian's "leaders" off the hook for malfeasance and murder.
1
I saw Kushner give a speech in Jerusalem. Did he fix the mid-east issue? Is that why he was there? What is he doing anyway? Does he get a government salary? Why?
1
We just broke a quiet "moment" in the middle east? What is wrong with this man and those around him? Is there an excel spreadsheet with a list of Obama's accomplishments which is sitting on his coffee table at nights - and he checks off all of Obama's accomplishments by causing havoc?
Hamas, Iran or no other organization have made the people of Palestine to protest. They walk, but Israel drops tear-gas via drones. How is this fair?
As for what was said by Ms Haley today at the UN, horrible. Sad moment for us and the rest of UN.
Hopefully Trump will get shipped off to China's ZDN to do some manufacturing work. They will be hiring American's soon.
1
Should the title not be Israel under attack from Hamas-led Gaza, while in Jerusalem a new embassy... etc?
Israel is being attacked by violent mobs of terrorists and what appears in the title is that some of those who are crossing the border into a different country: Israel, are shot?
As well, these violent riots on the border with Israel are coordinated with Iranian rockets that were flown into Israel from Iranian bases set up in Syria. The same Syria that has been killing its own people for several years.
Oh yes, and by the way, it's well documented that a large number of the "wounded" Palestinians are not wounded at all, only acting for the cameras.
5
Pallywood is a tradition Westerners have trouble understanding. A French inquiry into footage shot at “Martyrs Corner” (60 minutes bought into the fake injuries 100% and was embarrassed) showed the “made for propaganda” filming, easily proved to be phony.
2
i keep reading "hamas, funded by iran".
where has israel been getting funds from
[and way before hamas even existed]?
the situation has become so complicated
that simplistic approaches won't help ...
[all kinds of corruption on either side don't
actually simplify things either.]
One should not minimize the real threat to Israel from the Hamas-led demonstrators. Israel absolutely needed to defend the border. But Israel suffered a major propaganda defeat yesterday because of the high casualties. Israel needs to give a detailed explanation why the IDF could not have made greater use of non-lethal means of defense. Otherwise I, for one, will not be satisfied that the casualty toll among the Gaza residents had to be so high.
And let me add parenthetically that as a 2016 Bernie Sanders supporter, I am angry at Senator Sanders for his off-the-cuff pre-judging of this situation against Israel.
13
Ivanka, I am not sure that you understand how your beautiful, spotless dress contrasts with the blood-soaked clothing of the Palestinian protesters. Even more disturbingly, I am not sure that you care. Perhaps you want to say something? Or would you just prefer to smile?
12
In poetry, we’d call the writer’s use of the trope of immaculate white dress and blood soaked palestinians as “cloying.”
Everything this so-called president has done, needs to be undone, not out of spite like he has for Obama as a black president, but out of necessity and common sense. The embassy should be moved back until there's a peaceful resolution to the conflict, the nuclear deal with Iran needs to be reinstated (assuming there's no irreversible situation by then). Environmental regulations, climate accord, you name it, there's a lot need fixing when this cloud passes over our country.
9
Agree with you!
We are living thru a horrible time in our country's history but many people still believe in the "divider in chief".
Hopefully, we can change this starting this November and continue in 2020 (if he is still around by then!).
When hundreds of Chinese students demonstrate and are slaughtered they are remembered as freedom fighters. When Palestinians are slaughtered in a shooting gallery, they are provoking violence.
Who ever thought foreign policy could be so complicated?
8
Whoever thought that civil rights protesters could be thought the same as terrorists trying to destroy the neighboring country? FYI, the Chinese students weren't trying to kill anyone.
Tien Amin all over
3
The students in China, at Tienanmen Square, to my knowledge and recollection, did not use fire bombs, grenades, and blatantly espouse the desire to murder innocents on the other side. In fact, they were facing off with their own government. Very, very different.
Because nothing says "peace" like a bunch of dead bodies piled up in front of the Gaza fence. I am once again utterly ashamed to be an American. Of course we expect this kind of revolting chicanery from the autocracy adoring Trump administration. Chuck Schumer, however, needs to be primaried during the next draft pick. No more toadying and groveling before the altar of the orange emperor from members of our own party please. Fascists are not interested in compromise, only unthinking loyalty and blind obedience. We aren't in Kansas anymore Chuck. Try and keep up. Or better yet just retire now so we can work with actual progressives who aren't toadies and hypocrites.
6
The recognition by the US of Jerusalem as Israel's capital had little to do with the violence in Gaza. Their so called "peaceful" protests had started weeks before, realizing that their rockets and attack tunnels had resulted in a failed strategy. What better way to stir up public opinion against Israel than to create a no win situation, in which defending the border from attack by armed Hamas gangs embedded within the civilians and rushing the fence with bombs and molotovs, forces the the Israeli army to respond.
They could have had a peaceful protest, but that would have had too little effect on public opinion. Hamas cynically sacrificed their population for this public relations extravaganza. The media jumped on the bandwagon of condemnation with little consideration or coverage of the facts.
6
"58 murdered and thousands injured"
they weren't murdered, they were killed and were warned that if they try to cross the border they will be shot. that's not on Israel, that's on Hamas for forcing people to put themselves in harms way.
it was a glorious day for the people of Israel to be able to call Jerusalem their capital considering it has bee their for thousand of years.
btw Ivanka looked stunning as always
4
"Stunning"?
I think you misspelled "Vapid".
Well, they did not "cross the border". Many were shot hundreds of yards from the border barb wire which was never breached. It seems that the IDF snipers were trying to deliberately maim, with shots to the knees of these protesters; to maim them for life? The ones they didn't kill instantly with their American supplied rifles.
Over 60 Palestinians, many women and children are dead . The Palestinians are just tired of trying to live under the apartheid state Israel has created in Gaza.
Hardly "a glorious day for the people of Israel". ".
1
Ivanka and his husband and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a ceremony unveiling the seal for the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, while a few miles away people were killed and injured by snipers.
For me that ceremony picture was the essence of pornography. Forget Stormy Daniels.
5
I wonder what Mr. Halbfinger was thinking when he write this sentence:
"Now, with the militant Hamas movement hanging on to control of Gaza, and Mr. Netanyahu backed by President Trump, neither side is even listening to the other, and the Palestinians have lumped the United States together with Israel as an overt adversary."
First, while the reporter gingerly describes Hamas as "militant", the United States (long before Trump) the EU, Russia, The United Kingdom, China, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia,Turkey, Canada, Australia, Egypt and Switzerland, etc. take a different tack and they classify as a "terrorist" organization. The gratuitous moral upgrade that Mr. Halbfinger and your editors gave to Hamas, is not objective reporting and certainly would not advance any chance of peace.
Even worse, when Mr. Halbfinger conjures a fictional and meaningless phrase that "Now....neither side is even listening to the other" ?
Hamas has one political goal: the total destruction of the Jewish State and ridding all its Jewish inhabitants, one way or another. Why would any leader of Israel would ever listen to the next Hitler, other to take Hamas' seriously about Israel and its Jews.
Bibi, and his predecessors, have never "listened" to Hamas. Israel's object is, and always was, to defeat Hamas and Islamic Jihad, etc., in the hope of a more rational and reasonable leadership emerging and leading to peace and a national home for the Palestinians.
6
The problem is that overproduction of children is a critical part of Jihad. The Gaza strip is overflowing with testosterone fueled young men with no prospects economically or sexually. Israel needs to figure out how to remove them by resettlement in a Muslim country or perhaps cut a deal with Germany to take them.....Germany has just taken a million and a half....maybe they can take another few million young Muslim men since their government seems to favor open borders or maybe bring them to the USA.
1
I haven't been more ashamed of America since the Vietnam war. There is no two state solution and the Palestinians are being shot down for trying to exercise their right to return home after a war. If we could only wash our hands of Zionism by cutting off all aid. One state where Palestinians have the same rights as Jews is the only solution. No more military aid to Israel!
2
Cover Palestinian deaths as meticulousness as you see fit, but show at least a semblance of fairness and give the same attention to the Israeli civilians that die in their beds at the hands of the terrorists (some of whom are trying to cross the border right now). The biased coverage is growing unbearable.
6
How long do we have to see this disgusting show before the US realizes it has bet on the wrong horse?
1
The adjacent article, wherein Times journalists rode in the vehicles with "Palestinian victims", clearly illustrates the current PC bias and sympathy for the "Palestinian" plight. Hamas announced it was going to use "its people" as political pawns at the cost of their lives, and the Times and other media sources lapped it up and blamed Israel. The terrorist group Hamas controls the "Palestinians" and cares little for their well being since its primary goal is killing Jews and destroying Israel. Borders are in place to minimize the number of Hamas terrorists who may enter Israel to cause carnage and death. If people want to run into gunfire to further that goal, sorry if I have no sympathy for them. They are either terrorists themselves or complicit in the Hamas terror plans.
6
My belief here is not one shared by the people in control of certain aspects of this situation. And I do not need clarification of my point of view regarding my awareness of this situation.
There is an unresolvable problem in this part of the world. A world that can and will act in an appropriate way toward other nations is not represented here. Reading about the state of affairs along the Gaza front line is unimaginable. There is a right to protest, and yes there is a right to defend unspecified attacks. But this is totally unbalanced. In what form do these attacks happen? Do they overwhelm the Israeli forces?
There seems to be, in my mind, an in proportionate response from the Israeli side. It is possible the media is coordinating the dissemination of information, ok. But the reality is that there is a lack of control of the situation beyond killing effortlessly.
Why can we not expect a more compassionate role here from the current Israeli gouvernent?
It seems clear that a colonialist approach is the indugence if the current regime. Shame on you.
1
It simply goes to show how much the right-wing christian evangelicals and the Christian Zionists have come to control American policy making. What happened in Gaza is a geographically displaced symptom of our terminal illness.
4
Trump enjoys spitting on those who are most desperate. The Palestinians are perfect targets for this terrible man. Can I immigrate to Canada? I am not so proud to be an American lately.
2
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I'm ready to believe that, once upon a time, the state of Israel was very well intended -- particularly on the part of the men and women who erected it. But there was always a fly in the ointment: the land chosen was already a home, and those who lived there, had lived there for eons, were not on board. Thus an indigenous populace not happy about it became minions of the state of Israel. There have been problems ever since. Two peoples, seriously wronged, both proud of their heritage, both with a history that features untold abuse and legitimate grievance--European Jews and Palestinians--are now fighting to the death over who gets to claim that land as their own based on a sense of justice that is, essentially, equally infantile on both sides: "Our grievance is bigger and more legitimate that theirs."
3
There is no rationale that justifies an Army killing unarmed civilians, no matter how violent they may seem to be. The Gazan civilians were simply acting out New Hampshire's "live free or die" motto. We should salute them for it not blame them for it.
2
Please don’t equate Palestinian terrorists running people down in their cars, stabbing grandmothers at bus stops as anything but cowards. They have nothing in common with those who truly risk their lives for others.
2
There goes the Dude's Nobel Peace Prize.
1
The world keeps these Palestinian Arabs in refugee camps surrounding Israel for 70 years without any effort to give them new homes and citizenship rights in any country. Then when Israel defends itself from violence, murderous incursions, and kidnappings perpetrated by these desperate people and their descendants, it is Israel that is blamed.
The over 700,000 Jews that we’re expelled from the Arab countries when Israel was founded, have all been resettled in Israel and other countries. They have long since built new lives for themselves and their families.
Rather than keep the Palestinian Arab refugees as a wound to be torn open again and again, why has the world not resettled these people in their lands, given them citizenship rights? Where is the world’s humanity and regard for human rights?
Is it not time to accept the state of Israel as the homeland of the Jews and give up on trying to destroy it? Hasn’t the time cone to move forward and give up trying to destroy?
8
The NYT does a disservice to Palestinians by calling them "protestors" being killed by Israel. These are violent riots incited by Hamas who are only interested in the increased body count to support its narrative. This is not a peaceful protest - the express intent to kill Jews and sleeping children like the bloodthirsty terrorists that are being celebrated as martyrs and paid by terrorist groups for doing so. What does Hamas do for its people, encourage bloodshed and hide rockets in hospitals and schools.
4
Trump has brought chaos to Israel, Iran, and the United States. God knows what lies in store when he gets to Korea. He is a madman and we all will pay for his incompetence and hubris.
5
Thank you NYTimes, your constant barrage of one sided news will once again proclaim a Trump Victory in 2020!
5
Remember, the Israelis are great businessmen, own a lot of real estate in the U.S. (especially in NYC) and remember Trump wants real estate and hotels in Israel. So why are you surprised of this marriage bed?
2
There's no getting around it: Israel is now a quasi-theocratic ethno-state dedicated to racial segregation. When the former chief rabbi says that "Goyim were put on the Earth to serve us," it doesn't take a genius to figure out that any semblance of modern human rights is dead.
The only question now is: how can any Zionist still consider himself a "Liberal?" The notion is risible.
If you have a strong stomach, watch Israeli journalist David Sheen's expose on the vile racism now thriving in Israel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew13LfxrTa8
1
And the president of the US said that Mexicans are criminals and rapists. Your point is? The ADL on down have denounced the crazy old fool, both of them.
The evangelical core of Trump’s vaunted “base” not only betrays Christian values by rationalizing away Trump’s daily violations of them, but polls show many also seek the “end of days” - the destruction of the planet - so Jesus will return. That this deadly theology would find its way into political calculations and foreign policy is stunning. So much for the rule of reason that our nation’s founders hoped would guide us.
2
I am not sure of how intelligent Trump is. I can’t tell if he deliberately undermined Kushner’s ability to bring an end to this conflict by moving the embassy to Jerusalem or if he doesn’t understand the consequences of moving the embassy. Either way, Kushner is farther away than ever from accomplishing his goal (not that many people believe he was ever capable of it nor that he even was truly interested in a two-party solution, which is the only way peace could be accomplished.). But if Kushner’s real objective is advancing Israel’s interests, and that is becoming increasingly clear, then he did- in the short term. But the Palestinians aren’t going anywhere.
1
Who is paying the evangelical clergy to attend this event? And why would anyone think Trump should get a peace prize when he agitates war in every sector of the world?
3
Just so that it's clear, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is NOT in EAST Jerusalem. It is NOT on land that was in Jordanian control before 1967. The embassy is located primarily on land that has been part of Israel since the 1949 Armistice.
I say "primarily" because it's a bit more complicated than that. But in essence, the embassy is in no way interfering with a future use of EAST Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital.
For those interested in the "complication". After the 1949 Armistice the final border was established between Israel and Jordan, which passed through Jerusalem, dividing it between east and west. However, there were 3 or 4 pockets of land, each no larger than a few city blocks, that remained under British control. The embassy site straddles one of these pockets. So about half the site is inside 1949 Israel's border and half the site on what was British controlled land. NONE of the embassy property is on land formerly controlled by Jordan.
2
The Trump regime is all about business and international business influence. He takes the phrase "American interest" to a frightful ingenuousness level. American interest (business) must be protected. Forget about democracy and the plight of the oppressed. Forget about the constitution. Forget about decency. Peddling influence and charting courses for more business opportunities is his mantra.
1
So, as usual, each side thinks it's in the right and the other side is in the wrong. We all know that the difference of opinion is not going to get settled at a long table with bottles of water.
The two traditional paths in this situation are 1) fight it out - always a winner political leaders and arms suppliers, or 2) have the dispute adjudicated by a third party with the authority to do so.
Countries that respect the rule of law generally favor the 2nd choice. Why are the Palestinians open to that process but not Israel? Ah, because the appropriate authorities are all anti-Semitic. So, back to the bulldozers, cluster bombs, homemade rockets and bottles of water.
It is time for the UN to put some teeth in its Duty to Protect doctrine, and stop letting every kind of atrocity hide behind the fig leaves of self-defense and sovereignty. It's time for the parents to step in and lay down the law.
I am Jewish and a lifetime supporter of both Israel and progressive causes. While that statement might today seem a Socratic paradox, it wasn’t always so. And so:
While I believe that Israel has historically been a beacon of hope, liberalism and democracy in a region that is otherwise largely devoid of those precepts, I also believe equally steadfastly in the right of Palestinians to their own state.
While I believe that responsibility for the plight of the Palestinian people can be laid squarely at the feet of its leadership, I also take deep issue with the cynical and inflammatory platform of the Netanyahu government.
The video that demonstrated the chasm between the two sets of realities – the progression of right-wing leaders proclaiming the joy and triumph of the day juxtaposed against scenes of scores of unarmed people being maimed or killed – caused me to tremble with rage.
These are desperate human beings, robbed of all hope or opportunity, who see no other alternative but to fling themselves against a barbed wire fence backed by armed soldiers with orders to shoot. I'm left tortured by the generations of leadership failures on both sides of the conflict that led to this moment.
We can blame Trump, Palestinian leadership, Israeli leadership, the mullahs, decades of US policy biased toward Israel, the religious right, et cetera ad infinitum. But at the end of the day, we are left with a wretched people who deserve to be better served by all who control their fate.
4
I just returned from my first visit to Israel. The core of Jerusalem is walled old town of narrow alleys and multiple important religious sites. It’s a touristy and busy place. I was surprised to find West Jerusalem a modern, busy city with trams, office buildings, hotels, major museums and high rise apartments. And various buildings holding the Israeli government. And more people than Tel Aviv.
Moving the embassy should be a non event. It would be analogous to the US establishing its capital on the NY side of Niagara Falls.
4
Have any of you you read this?
"Across the Gaza Strip on Monday morning, loudspeakers on minarets urged Palestinians to rush the fence bordering Israel, where they were met by army snipers."
Did Trump or Bibi urge the Palestinians through these loudspeakers to rush the fence?
No. Who did?
Why do you feel Palestinians can not be held accountable for their own actions, and instead appoint Trump and Bibi as their custodian? If anything is colonialist, that is.
Please do list the countries that would allow an onrush of hostile throngs to overwhelm its borders and create mayhem for its citizens. Mindless comments justifying this violence only encourage it. as it is perpetrated for precisely this effect.
5
Remember Camp David : America was great .
Trump has made America shabby .
2
As Jared said, those who incite this violence are part of the problem, not the solution. That would include both Trump and Jared.
2
Trump in 2017, praising Jared Kushner's work on "peace" in the Middle East:
"...so great. If you can't produce peace in the Middle East, nobody can. OK. All my life I've been hearing that's the toughest deal in the world to make. And I've seen it, but I have a feeling that Jared is going to do a great job."
Mission accomplished?
2
The Palestinians might feel better if they fully understood that there is only one reason Trump moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and that is to bring glee to his evangelical right wing Christian voters (who think for some bizarre reasoning this is necessary to complete their vision for "the end times") so they will keep voting along party lines. There is no other reason.
1
As a Jew, I'll accept Jerusalem as the historical, eternal, and undivided capital of Israel, but only if we also do the following:
- Return ownership of North America to the indigenous Native Americans, because this land was historically theirs at the same times when Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judea.
- Remove all vestiges of European colonialism around the world, and restore all of those historical territories and capitals to their boundaries before 70 AD (including restoration of historical African tribal territories).
- Restore the borders of China to the contemporaneous Han Dynasty.
- Restore the capitals of the Incan and Aztec Empires.
If the Israelis can claim their "right" to historical ownership of Jerusalem, then we owe the same to all other historically displaced peoples of the world.
4
While the hearts of many people here are in the right place their actions lead to more violence and bloodshed - the same pattern of thought that drove Obama and led to an even more bloody middle-east. By supporting and understanding the Hamas you are essentially letting them believe that the right of return and the distruction of Israel is possible with the help of a world which slowly but surely hated Israel more and more. The right of return (like many refugees post ww2, including Jews) is not feasible. Only when the Hamas believes that a two state solution is the only solution will a peace process be possible. That better happen quickly if they want to prevent the right wing in Israel from annexing most of the West Bank.
There will no be any sign of peace at least in the foreseeable future as long as Netanyahu leads the state of Israel. Israel has subjugated Palestinians to less than a secondary class - both socially and structurally. And a right wing hardliner like Netanyahu with the help of Trump, the situation for Palestinians is grim.
1
It's like asking the left and right in the US to join for a unified election platform in 2020.
There is nothing more transparently partisan than blaming Trump because Israel and the Palestinians are at each other's throats. This has been an undeclared war for decades and decades and at this point neither side is very interested in peace. There is no reason for the US to even waste its time time until there are signs the warring factions are legitimately interested in peace. I'm inclined to believe Israel will stop shooting the moment people leave the border, but also believe they have an itchy trigger finger based on decades of bad blood.
It happened under Obama, it happened under Trump, and it would have happened under Clinton. Perhaps the provocation would have been different, but these groups consistently fight at the drop of a hat.
Israel, in its fear, has been treating Palestinians horribly including encroaching on more and more of their land. There will be no peaceful solution for anyone until Israel faces its own behavior.
2
Hasn't history shown that geographic partitioning does not work? Look at North and South Vietnam, North and South Korea, Northern Ireland, Berlin, South Africa. Only those nations progressive enough to let all stakeholders participate in the repatriation of culturally similar groups and encourage full participation in the creation of new inclusive governments can survive the kind of horror we saw yesterday. Sadly, the Trumps are self-dealing pigs. It's not going to happen on their watch.
1
These pictures don't lie, this is a tragic illustration of a regime who has gotten out of control! I hope the UN reviews this action and indicates that this is no where near a "Two State Solution" that many have been hoping for in prior peace talks. Trump should be ashamed that U.S. actions have led to this carnage! I'm embarrassed to be an American today.
1
When you keep people penned up with no hope for the future, eventually it leads to violence. Hamas has been kicked out of the West Bank and yet it still operates like a prison with the Palestinians as the prisoners and the Israelis their guards. Israel has allowed the growth of Israeli settlements that is taking away any hope of their being a two state solution. All this violence cannot be blamed on Hamas. To have any hope for peace their need to be honest brokers whose goal is peace. This does not currently exist anywhere in that part of the world today and the Trump administration is not capable of being an honest broker.
1
If Jerusalem isn’t the capital of Isreal what is?
The violence in Gaza is due to Obama sending billions to Iran, then Iran sends money to Hamas in Gaza to incite violence by storming the Israeli border.
The blood of the dead Palestinians is on the hands of obama hillary and Kerry
6
Doesn't take much money to storm a border unarmed... desperation and courage, yes.
Are you serious The blood of the Palestinians in Gaza is on the hands of the Israeli Government and those that support their actions !!!!!
1
Palestine wants a one state solution where both Palestinians and Israelis have equal say in the government. Israel wants a one state solution where Palestinians have been exterminated.
3
False! Israel has defended itself from wars of aggression since 1948 & beyond.
And Israel has offered fair peace solutions, the Palestinians have walked away from every peace negotiation/plan.
“Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.” -Golda Meir
“The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” -Abba Eban
2
Palestinians want a one state solution where they will soon be the majority and can make it as inhospitable for Jews as in other Arab countries. Two state solution is only possibility.
2
There is nothing in either PA, or Hamas, history, actions, or statements that would support the idea that Palestinians have any plans to share Israel with Jews. If Israel wanted to "exterminate" the Palestinians they'd have been gone a long time ago. The Palestinians have this insane idea that their "resistance" is holding back the IDF.
22
Israel deserves the Trumps. They are now one and the same.
1
If the palestinians would stop shouting Death To The Jews and Death To The Americans, maybe I would have some sympathy for them. Maybe then they could negotiate a 2 state solution. But, it's is not happening anytime soon. Why wont the rest of the arab world help the poor sad palestinians?
2
Trump deliberately disturbed a hornets' nest with moving the US embassy and pulling out of the Iran deal. What an irresponsible, ignorant swine. And the trouble has just begun. Maybe this is all calculated to divert attention from the multiple investigations brewing at home. That people are dying as a result means nothing to him and his entourage.
6
Israel has every right to declare its own capital. Palestinians do not even recognize Israel’s right to exist.
1
And Donald Nicolae Carpathia Trump, the Potentate wannabe, is right in the middle of this, with blood on his hands. This misbegotten, clueless man hasn't a clue.
1
“Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.” -Golda Meir
“The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” -Abba Eban
3
Aaahhh yesss!!!
Nothing says gods greatness, glory and grace, like sniping thousands of protesting David's using slings, against a nuclear power, backed by the largest arms and terror provider the globe has ever known.
Hallelujah! What a glorious Day indeed.
Boy, are we going to be disappointed when the Second Coming doesn't happen. Sorry kids. No Rapture, nor smiting today. Nor tomorrow. You'll just have to stay down here with the heretics, splinter groups, dissenters, atheists, agnostics, deists, pagans, infidels and unbelievers.
How about we attempt to save our planet from being over polluted and over populated. How about we become stewards of our earth and make this a heaven here on earth.
We can start by finding peace and brotherhood.
Ha! Right!
FIRE! Aim, ready~!
4
Just try to imagine if 40,000 armed Mexicans or Canadians committed to the destruction of the US were massed on our border, burning tires and sending fire bombs across the border. Imagine this misbehavior (in the form of hundreds of rockets and tunnels) had been ongoing for years. How would the US respond? Israel used rubber bullets and tear gas but the mob kept on coming. The mob would have murdered innocent Israelis - men, women, and children, had they crossed the border.
Sad as the loss of any human life is, the fact that less than 60 people died speaks to the restraint and professionalism of the IDF. The anti-Israel bias of the Times and other allegedly impartial news outlets is stunning and very sad.
5
Mystified why Ivanka would buy into whole "let them eat cake" tone deaf photo op. Oh yeah, orchestrated by husband. Tsk
2
I guess trump is tired of "making America great again" so now he's working on the Middle East. "May God, Allah, El Poderoso Divino" help them. Amen
1
Is anyone surprised by trump's knee jerk policies, that are not thought out or sane? More violence and more hated in the world thanks to trump. Just what the world needs!
I have been a Zionist all my life, but Zionism has been perverted and hijacked.
At the ceremony for the new embassy, two "ministers," from the far right of America, spoke.
They were from a patently Nazified branch of "Christianity"
The Jewish Zionist dream wanted to build a healthy, egalitarian society. The sinister ministers want my people to all relocate to Israel not so we can construct a "great society," but so that we may lay the ground work for Armageddon and die in the bloodbath dreamt of in the New Testament.
Zionists did not strive, fight and suffer all these years to cater to the messianic fetishes of the Christian far right. We came into being to celebrate life, not to incite a third world war.
Although I always believed that Jerusalem was Israel's capital, TRUMP'S TIMING HAS BEEN DIABOLICAL. Coming on the heels of the rejection of the Iranian agreement, I believe it was designed to provoke a war.
I think Trump and Netanyahu are both desirous of imminent war.
Finally, everything about Trump -- and his coterie of sycophants and supplicants - is diametrically opposed to the ZIONIST SPIRT, which featured self-sacrifice and sought to transcend the mercantile Jewish life of Europe. But the Trump gang is composed of nothing but grubby merchants who know nothing of Leviticus' injunction: Thou Shalt not stand idly by while thy brother's blood is being spilt.
4
What's really scary is that lunatics who call themselves "Evangelicals" have acquired so much power with thug-like "Great Leader" Trump. The combination is pretty bad.
2
I will not forget the look on Jared Kushner's face. Such an evil and cunning smile. As if the little boy did what grown ups couldn't.
2
"the eve of the day they commemorate the expulsion or flight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in what became Israel" Is this why they're called Palestinian Refugee Camps?
1
This narrative of Hamas killing people when it is clearly Israeli bullets and bombs doing the killing is bizarre. How is this ok that Israel murders a few hundred Palestinians every few years and nobody blinks?? This is really sick
2
Innocent people, children, killed and maimed for defending their lands while Ivanka plays Vanna White, disturbing optics.
2
Mecca is the seat of Islam? That's news to me. And probably to most Muslims. It is not. It has never been. Muslim Arabs have vast -- immensely vast -- amounts of land, and some are rich beyond belief, yet have any offered their "brethren" shelter or a homeland? No. They don't want them. They only care about them as a frisson for sparking hatred towards Jews and Israel. Where are all the Muslim countries when it comes to the butcher in Damascus, whose killing fields have claimed hundreds of thousands of innocents. I don't hear anything.
1
IDF definition of non-lethal force: We aim for the legs.
1
North Corea could cancel the meeting Trump/Kim Jung-un behttp://www.lalibre.be/actu/international/la-coree-du-nord-menace-d-annul... of military exercices USA / South Corea .
Trump makes America dangerous for the whole planet .
1
The whole Middle East is a confusing mess. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians seems intractable. I only know one thing for sure: the land occupied by Israel was not given to a tribe of Jews by an omnipotent deity. Israel gained control of the land it occupies the same way we gained control of our land. We occupied it by force and so did they.
3
Actually the international community (UN) gave some land to Israel and gave some land to Palestinians. The Palestinians wanted it all and have been attacking Israel ever since.
2
Read this: no fewer than 10 explosive devices targeting Israelis were detonated during today's violent Hamas-led riots at the Gaza-Israel border; gunfire was reported on at least 3 occasions; 17 kites carrying firebombs were dispatched into Israel, igniting 23 fires. (Channel 20)
So much for “peaceful protest”
2
Ivanka, what do you want to prove? That because you converted into Judaism you now want to fulfill God's promise? What a joke of a human being you are,
22
In case you missed it, this was Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, just a few weeks ago, talking about the goals of the Gaza riots: “We will tear down the border and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”
What a lovely peaceful chap, hey?
15
Is that your lame justification for killing so many and injuring thousands including women and children. So what if one man said something stupid. Netanyahu not only says worse things, he actually carries them out, as we have seen in the past few weeks. By your logic Palestinians have the right to massacre hundreds if not thousands of Israelis.
1
no, not really peaceful ...
but that kind of mindset had decades,
if not centuries, to grow and grow,
and now, it doesn't seem to want to go.
And what is YOUR justification for ignoring Hamas’ desire to never make peace, to kill as many Israelis as possible and to use their own people as human shields and political pawns ?
Netanyahu has never made comments as the one you read above. Remember it’s the Arabs who in 1967 declared the 3 “nos” of The Khartoum Conference: no peace, no recognition and no negotiations with Israel. Exactly what part of that are you having a hard time comprehending ?
1
The entire episode is like a circus on acid. Why do we have Christian end times freaks that think all Jews are going to burn in hell and chomping at the bit for us all to die as soon as possible, as the guest stars of this horrible reality show, instead of, oh I don't know - maybe a Rabbi or two? And as ringmasters we have the ken and barbie faux Jew nepotism dolls.
5
America, those are YOUR GUNS AND BULLETS slaughtering Palestinians. You give Israel BILLIONS in military aid every year. Remember this when you vote, and when you write that check to the IRS.
12
Isreali gave us Missile Technology while Hamas gives us Death to America through their Iranian funders
Hmmm...
Would you rather Israel use Nuclear Weapons ?
Who killed who? Come on say it in the title you excuse for a newspaper.
2
What are you talking about??
Hamas is using Israel to kill its own people in a pathetic attempt to score points and fill the media with their propaganda. That's who.
2
The rioters were given fair warning we’ll in advance to avoid violence yet choose to endanger the lives of innocent people. So they are met with deadly force to protect otherwise innocent victims.
The NYT continues to slant headlines and articles to make the antagonists the innocent victims.
8
shame on your conscious man for lying to yourself
1
Trump's general strategy, and one that Netanyahu seems to align with, is one of tightening the screws on terrorist regimes until their leaders and populations become desperate for an escape valve, thus forcing their leaders into a more reasonable agreement. Gazan rioters dying is an unfortunate part of this negotiation -- Hamas's equivalent of a salesman in the souk telling you that the price you offered is totally unreasonable and that he would rather walk away, before eventually cooling down and providing a counter-offer.
The tightening-the-screws strategy is farther along in North Korea (sanctions and tough talk leading to near-agreement on denuclearization), while we see the beginnings in Gaza (moving the embassy and supporting Israeli sovereignty without yet stating an end-game, which Jared Kushner's Mideast plan will presumably articulate) and Iran (sanctions and tough talk again, with North Korea providing something of a template for the end-game).
On the one hand, we might all feel less indignant and scared if we acknowledged both the strategy and that the path to success may result in things looking worse before looking better; on the other hand, this strategy may paradoxically work more effectively when a good fraction of the world is convinced that our leaders are homicidal madmen, thus simultaneously increasing their scariness and strengthening their negotiating stance.
1
"Me thinks the NYTimes doth protest too much.."
9 out of 10 times in the past the NYTimes would be on the side of Israel. Now with Donald Trump as President the NYTimes has morphed into an unreliable friend of Israel just to bash Trump.
They should be ashamed of themselves.
Where was that indignation 5 years ago, 10 ?
2
This is apparently some of your junk, Tom.
In the 9 out of 10 times you mention, is
someone as obscene, vicious and narcissistic as trump
in the story?? Is there anyone even close? The NYT
knows how to make comparisons giving all sides a
voice. You clearly, and shamelessly, don't.
The New York Times never sides with Israel, how did you not notice that? Strange of you to assume that they do.
1
Wrong....it’s possible that the reverse MAY be true, that one out of 10 times, the NYT will side with Israel....but i think the real number would be very close to zero....they never side with Israel. And historically, the NYT, founded by Jews, made an early decision, to NOT be viewed as a Jewish newspaper. So, it does make sense that you got it all wrong.
1
It would appear that the Gaza Strip is now a 200 square mile Israeli concentration camp. PM Netanyahu should look hard in the mirror to see who is looking back. He might be surprised.
10
The only problem a racial supremacist has with concentration camp is when they hold "his" people. Otherwise, they're entirely acceptable.
1
Why not have the USA bring in the “peaceful” Palestinians to America ?
Israel's army feels free to kill Palestinians much like the American police force used to feel free to kill blacks. In both cases, the victims are viewed as sub-human trash and there is no guilt associated with murdering them. It is not surprising that racist american whites are so pro-Israel.
10
Keep on insulting your police & the military of Israel; you’ll regret it when your life is on the line.
Oh sure it’s Israel stabbing grandmothers and performing pathetic sounding cowardly acts dressed up as “brave run-down operations” and pushing the infants and women and children to the front of a dangerous protest, hoping for a death of a baby or child they can turn into propaganda gold, which is a war crime, to use civilians or hospitals or schools to shield fighters....sure, it’s Israel, it’s Israel alright, Israel is showing real restraint in the face of Hamas telling its children “Look the soldiers are running away (not true), run forward and cut the fences and go kill the Jews!”
Pathetic.
1
No peace prize for you.
4
Trump, his daughter, his son-in-law, members of his administration, US lawmakers like Chuck Schumer, et al were celebrating while the war criminal Netanyahu and his Zionist gang were murdering 60 innocent unarmed Palestinians including women and children and severely wounding over 2000 Palestinians. These aforementioned people have blood of innocent Palestinians on their hands. What happened yesterday and today, is crime against humanity. To justify and support the cold-blooded murders of the innocent Palestinians by the brutal Zionist regime is vile, immoral and criminal. Unfortunately, the US media either gives a one-sided pro-Israel report or blames Hamas for the dissatisfaction of the entrapped Palestinians who are under siege in Gaza Strip by the brutal blood-thirsty Zionist regime. Further, as long as the US supports the brutal Zionist regime and ignores its atrocities against the defenseless Palestinians, there will never be peace in the region.
9
A massacre. Being jewish I consider Israel's actions shameful and disgraceful. Acts like these increase antisemitism all over the world. For God's sake we have been a persecuted minority throughout history. We should have the wisdom by now to act differently. Hubris has overtaken Israel's leaders. May God have mercy on them.
15
Apparently you have been living under a rock and not noticed it is Hamas that has a primary purpose of killing Jews and destroying Israel. Allow Hamas and their sympathizers free borders to reek havoc in Israel-Hell no!!! Hamas persecutes its own, preferring to spend all assets attacking Israel.
2
What do you expect when Trump and Netanyahu, two psychopathic criminals, get together? And yet, the blood is on all of our hands as well. Americans must force change by voting out Trump and pressuring their government to stop backing a lawless Israel with money and American power. Meanwhile, Israelis and Jews everywhere must demand change in their own government and consign Netanyahu to the trash heap of history.
9
All my adult years (I'm well into the middle years now), I believed a peace accord would achieve statehood for the deserving Palestinians and heightened security for the deserving Israelis. It's taken nearly a lifetime for me to realize that peace between these two peoples will not occur in my lifetime (or ever), because sick hyper-narcissists like Trump and Netanyahu don't give a damn about the Palestinians or their right to sovereignty. As long as the abhorrently self-righteous land-grabbing horde (the Israelis) prevail in wanton aggression against a people made desperate for freedom and a space of their own (the Palestinians), peace will not occur. P.S.: The Israelis, by their ceaseless belligerence, have forfeited their right to security.
13
Balfour? With a two state solution? Rejected, muslims attacked.
1948 UN Resolution, with a two state solution. Rejected, muslims attack. 800,000 Jews expelled from Arab countries, forced into Israel penniless. The Jews give 20%. of Arab population full citizenship, voting rights, freedoms. Arab countries, including Palestinians practice violent Apartheid. No Jews are allowed.
67, 73...,war. Arabs mount Pan Arab attacks and lose, though they told their populations they would wipe out the Jews and loot, confiscate all their land and property. Arabs swoon and believe their leaders who lie and tell them they are having great victories over the radio, right up to their defeat. All lies. Arabs are further enraged at humiliation by Jews they think of as”apes and pigs”. How embarrassing for Arabs. Losers every time it seems.
Oslo accords and 90s see a chance for Arabs who are offered a two state solution returning to 67 borders, ALL their demands met. Arafat shakes and cries in private to Clinton saying “But I can’t sign this...they’ll kill me.” (other Muslims who follow political Islam’s anti semitism won’t allow peace)
And so...Arabs reject peace tho they were offered ALL their demands. Why? Because they can’t have peace with the Jews. They can’t accept how superior the Jews have shown themselves to be in education, science, innovation, land use, prosperity. In all things it seems; and how terrible for the Arab mind that chants about “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yehudi...”
Pathetic.
1
The new Axis of Evil: USA - Israel - Russia
8
Why don’t you emigrate to Iran , Syria, or Afghanistan
That you will actually print a comment suggesting the Palestinians somehow 'had it coming' tells me everything I need to know about your paper. These comments would not be tolerated by anyone with even the smallest pretense of humanity or hopes for a peace borne of a civilized society.
This is a holocaust. This is genocide.
7
Palestinian terrorists are not innocent…
No Z, the fact that they would print your comment comparing this to a holocaust and genocide says more - And if you really believe what you wrote, either you have never read a history book or reality is a warped prism for many people.
2
Let's step back for a moment. If the Jews kills 50 plus while wounding 1500 more its called self defense. But if one Palestinian kills 5 or more Jewish soldiers its called a genocide. What's wrong with this picture? Whatever happened to the commandment..."Thou shall not kill."
5
Nothing new here . . . same old schmit.
Support My god, MY way . . . or I'll kill you !
But MY god LOVES YOU . . . especially if you send money.
My god always needs MONEY !!! Halle Julia !
3
Too bad. Americans outside the NYT readership support Israel and Jerusalem as the capital.
1
The Headlines in the Times are obnoxious-"Israelis kill dozens in Gaza. " Israel did not start the fire. Hamas did. What human being with a conscience would bring children to such a dangerous situation. Don't blame the Israelis for defending their house. Blame the real culprit, the valueless,politically motivated President of the United States, He may have gained some Jewish votes in the US, but lost some Jewish votes because some people believe those incendiary headlines
2
Nobel Peace Prize? NOT!
6
Be ashamed America; be very ashamed. VOTE OUT GOP FOR CHANGE Ray Sipe
4
LOL. Hillary was pro-Zionist, too. Google her son-in-law.
Both major parties are in AIPAC's pockets.
Why would Trump care about the Palestinians they have nothing to give him. He probably lumps them in with the shxxholes of Africa he's so fond of.
8
If there was ever an international dispute that this administration should never have become involved, it is this one.
Trump unsuccessfully tried to minimize the complexities of the involved history of both sides.
10
His son-in-law should never have gone to Israel to talk foreign policy; he is a real estate developer; he has no qualifications, not even an unbiased point of view. The deaths in Gaza are now part of the Trump/Kushner legacy, a bloody legacy. Who would not rebel living a subsistence existence in an open air prison. Israel has much to answer for with her "Greater Israel" policy, and the importation of violent Russian peasants to squat on the West Bank.
The last experiment in imperial colonization and the aftermath:
The clear intent of the relocation of the U.S embassy was to show Palestinians and Israelis that the facade of U.S. neutrality has been lifted. With that lifting, all Palestinians hopes for the independence of a separate state seem as intractable as peace in that region thanks in large part to President Trump. As the Israelis celebrate 70 years of independence, the Palestinians wage a lost war to regain their own dignity. What are a people supposed to do when they are dispossessed of that which they hold most dear. We, our leaders, should use their powers for peace not havoc. Jared Kushner spoke of "truths," yes there are many truths out there, if he were on the other side of that border wall, his truth would undoubtedly be a different one.
14
Palestinians should try to kick Hamas out of politics, stop promoting hate and violence. Then the peace is achievable. So many years and so many billions of dollars are wasted and stolen by corrupt PA. A prosperous society could be built long ago.
1
This is on Trump, in cahoots with just-as-bad Netanyahu. Two allied thug/oafs.
23
exactly they both make americans and jews look bad with their policies; terrible creatures
2
We should never forget that Netanyahu came to the U.S. when Obama was President; he insulted our President on the Floor of the House of Reps. He received a standing ovation from the GOP majority, a standing ovation for a foreign leader insulting the host country. Obviously, Trump has never honored the old adage: "politics stops at the water's edge". We caused this mess in 1948 with Truman's creation of The State of Israel. Prior to that, there were peaceful American zionist farmers who had good Arab neighbors; settlers were welcomed. The Holocaust drove thousands of angry survivors to that peaceful land; we now have what the Arabs told Truman: No peace. Trump has poked that hornet's nest with Jerusalem; what was the point? To please Adelson? The extreme fringe in his Party? Does he have an explanation, other than he made a "campaign promise" in return for Jewish votes?
Sorry but this is on America and Americans. And a lobby whose name we dare not mention!
This has distressed me (or rather, continued the cycle of distress) just in-and-of itself, and I fear this is not "the beginning" of something. "The beginning" already began a while ago. I fear this cycle is picking-up steam. We're not done yet...
10
The recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was a policy that incited anti-Semitic violence throughout the Palestinian territories and Israel. The Obama administration's stance on Jerusalem, not recognizing it as a Palestinian or Israeli capital, helped lower violence. And Trump made a large mistake by recognizing it as part of Israel. He's already denounced the Palestinians and drastically reduced U.S. aid to them, and recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, metaphorically - lit the fuse to a bomb, a statement once heard following the acquittal of LAPD officers who beat Rodney King, triggering the L.A. riots of 1992. While Israel has the right to defend their territory, the Palestinians have the right to be upset. Trump's new status for Jerusalem is a huge spit in the eye for Palestine, and he may be risking terrorist attacks against the United States by anti-Semitic anti-Zionist terrorists in the Middle East and here at home.
34
Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital is not the cause of violence. Palestinians always find the "cause" and excuse for violence. They are never ready to meet the Israeli side half road, and Hamas is ready to sacrifice children and women for the continuous fight for unrealistic solution.
2
@Ryan: heads of states of OTHER nations do not tell a nation where they can have their capital. Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since 1949 -- this was affirmed by a huge bipartisan vote in Congress (over 90%) -- and Obama had no power whatsoever to decide that the US would not recognize Jerusalem as the capital. Imagine if Israel told US we could not have Washington DC as our capital!
1
Israel has showed incredible restraint. The people trying to get across the border will kill women and children in the nearest village.
19
Yeah, mass killings are the Israeli version of "restraint".
4
They're just trying to get back to _their_ land.
1
Yes those silly Philistines just refuse to give up, squat in their cage, and stop trying to get their homes and land back. If they would just accept Israel, and lie down and cower, there would be lasting Peace in the Middle East. What is wrong with this picture?
1
I am a Jewish American and both my "homelands" are lost. I stopped feeling like an American in 2016 and, while it happened more gradually I now feel like a truly stateless Jew.
48
Stay positive these two thugs will be kicked out eventually and hopefully after them there will be real honorable leaders to lift at least some of the disgrace they have caused
3
Dear Neal, you can have only one homeland. In your case - USA.If you are disappointed with Israel , do come to live in Israel and fight to oust the fascist Netanyau junta.If for practical personal reasons you cannot fight him from here , you can do that by trying to clip the wings of AIPAC and money contributions from the disgusting Sheldon Adelson.I wish you luck.
5
You live in NY. Why should you feel anything other than a stateless jew?
1
Can we stop pretending that religion is a force for anything but evil in the world? These two antagonists will never come to any accommodation until the almighty is taken out of the arguement. They would have plenty of problems even without religion, but as long as their gods keep telling them they have a right to a piece of land (and to "sacrifice" even their own kids to get it) from the almighty and oh btw, they are also commanded to wipe the other out, this isn't going to end, new embassy or not. When you wear the lenses of intolerance, fundamentalism and the assuredness that you are divinely inspired, you're no better than the guys who wore belt buckles saying, "gott mit uns".
19
Not sure what scripture you're looking at but Jews aren't commanded to wipe the Palestinians out.
4
You make a good point Mitch. Almost all religions are, according to their adherents, all about peace, love, tolerance, puppies and brotherly love. I guess what I was referring to was what Hamas and Iran say about Israel and what Jews like rabbi kahane said about forced expulsion of Arabs from the land god had given the Jews no matter who lives there now. Religion is about pretty much whatever the faithful say god told them. It's just suspicious that so much of it seems to be so self serving.
Most Israeli Jews are secular and non-practicing.
1
The facts remain that there is a majority of Palestinians living in the area of the pre 1948 Palestine (including Israel). 3 million in West Bank, 2 million in Gaza and 1.75 million in Israel. Israel has about 6 million Jews. Now the Israeli leadership declares there will not be a two state solution. The only way forward for a Jewish controlled single Israeli state of the former Palestine will be to disenfranchise all the non-Jews. Will The U.S. agree? South Africa couldn't survive as an apartheid state. How long will this be a viable "solution". Neither Hamas, Netanyahu or this administration have a clue to a viable solution. Yesterday, the U.S. ceded any leadership role in this troubled land. In any future negotiations, Israel will be the singular negotiator for their side.
The Palestinians living in Gaza are refugees from areas now designated as under Israel's control. Gaza's 2 million residents live in squalor and are isolated. 2 million in 58 square miles living in poverty pretty well describes a ghetto. Ghettos are always powder kegs and will not work long term.
The U.S. and Israel should refrain from any celebrating until the Palestinian people (majority) have a permanent, dignified solution.
21
The Palestinians sealed their own fates when they voted for Hamas, an internationally-recognized terrorist group, as their leadership.
3
Encourage Hamas to declare Gaza as an independant State, all the more that they have at present no real affinity with Fatah or the people living in other territories . Have Hamas'Gaza renounce violence. Have it recognize Isarael ang give up its policy of throwing the jews into the sea; Recognize that 70 years havinfg elapsed, practicaly there are but only a few people in Gaza that have any notion of where they would "return", not having there ever.
Let Hamas and the Gazaouis use the millions in aid to build factories, roads, schools not only coranic, instead of tunnels Let them use pipes to bring water and not for pipe bombs
Let them show that, since the Israelis have left Gaza, they can become a successfull, democratic and peacefull people.
Then they will stop being pariahs living in a ghetto, like the jews had to for centuries.
As for the people living in the ocupied territories, a show in Gaza of what can be accomplished by peace would cetainly bring a satisfactory solution for all.
3
The solution is for them to go to Jordan, which is the true Palestinian homeland.
1
Disastrous for Gazans, Israelis and the world. If the UN is the least bit concerned for the plight of Gazans, it will meet in NYC and propose that Gaza be made a UN Protectorate, policed by blue helmets, heavily-armed, who are charged with demilitarizing Gaza. Hamas should be given a choice to become a non-military political entity (knock yourselves out with Salafism, but non-violently) and after a suitable period of peace and rehabilitation (rebuilding infrastructure, developing tourism and industry) elections can be held. If Gazans choose war the next time, that's on their heads. They've been had by the Hamas criminals. Help them!
16
this has nothing to do with stupid Hamas lets me honest here
1
David Brook: the Gazans were given their freedom, and the right to elections. They held elections and elected Hamas. There is no hope for them.
1
I suggest the Israelis build a giant soccer stadium right smack on the border with Gaza. They should then host Gaza-Israeli soccer games with free food , free medical and free dental for the Gaza people who attend. Get all the emotion out in a peaceful way along with some benefits.
11
Panem et circenses...
1
Hamas needs to go, until Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza, there will never be a change, and the Palestinians will be nothing but cannon fodder for radical Islamists. Believe me Hamas, you are on Trumps to-do list.
18
And you would keep Netanyahu? Really!
This is dehumanization. Israel kills people for petty crimes. Just approaching the fence gets the death penalty.
What if we had taken half of Mexico in 1949? Would we shoot to kill Mexicans at the border who merely approached the fence like Israel does? Would we raze entire Mexican villages to the ground because one or two hoodlums got through? Would we kill hundreds and thousands of innocents for the crimes of very few? That what Israel does. They call it "mowing the lawn."
Hard to believe Israel calls itself a modern democracy.
29
It is not a democracy, it is a renegade, Fascist state, killing all who may oppose its policies.
3
Israeli giv’t has lost its soul
Palestinian life worth nothing to them.
Shame! How can you be a member of the human race????
1
Every president over the last 30 years has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While I don't understand the desire to move the embassy, I do understand that Hamas is killing Palestinians. Hamas doesn't care about the people and to order them to attack the border is to invite tragedy. Sorry NYTimes, this one is on Hamas. And your agenda to back Hamas and pretend that they just want peace is utter nonsense.
27
Israel is today's Fascist nation.
3
“I ask my colleagues here in the Security Council, who among us would accept this type of activity on your border?” Haley asked. “No one would. No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has. In fact, the records of several countries here today suggest they would be much less restrained.”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/05/haley-gaza-violence-not-over-embassy-...
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/05/hamas-top-dog-this-is-not-peaceful-re...
7
I have a daughter and 5 grandchildren and many friends living in Israel; in fact, I just return from a visit in Tel Aviv. My family is not religious or right-wing politically. All my family has served in the Israeli army or been in its' medical core. They have experienced and understand the torments of war and its' painful aftermath. I know my adult children long for peace with every Arab person and country.
I am sure that if the Palestinians broke through and entered Israel they would be bringing flowers and peace. Isn't that what they want? They wouldn't want to kill Israelis (Jews, Druze, Christians or Muslims who are all citizens). They would want to sit down and share some hummus. All would be peaceful and they would finally be happy.
The End.
15
"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." – Preamble to the Hamas Charter. THAT is Gaza's peace process.
19
And the Jewish holy book teaches that the Jews will rule the world under their Messiah. Your point?
1
Blame the victim.
A reporter from the Washington Post noted how the plaque on the building had Trump's name in the largest typeface. The next time, he will use his company logo. Follow the money. How will Trump profit from this...???
12
That certainly should be the question for each and every position he and his administration takes - How does Trump (et al) profit from this? Nothing he does is not for his profit. He skips the Bush funeral but goes on a campaign/speaking visit - no time to waste!
There's an image of Ivanka and Jared walking toward the festivities. Ivanka is beaming, looking into the camera. Bloodshed is happening elsewhere, and I am sickened.
In 2005 the Israeli army evacuated, sometimes by force, 8000 Israeli settlers from the Gaza strip and bull-dozed their settlements to rubble. The intention was to return the strip to the Palestinian Authority. Unfortunately for all concerned, the residents voted in a group who did not share the agenda of the PA regarding peace with Israel. Hamas formed a military wing and has been placed on the terrorist list maintained by most western countries. To advertise their strength, they have rained rockets on Israeli settlements bordering the strip. The citizen march on the fence is a new tactic that has unfortunately resulted in many deaths. Israel is not alone in protecting itself from Hamas and is joined by Egypt, Gaza's southern neighbor in containing Hamas to the Gaza strip. There to all extents and purposes two Palestines: the PA under Abbas who maintain a working relationship and Gaza under Hamas.
5
Please stop calling them protesters.
If they are throwing incendiaries and explosives while charging the border, or running with those who do, they are invaders.
Proper blame should be directed at Hamas, for using their own people to create a body count in the pursuit of international sympathy.
19
All incendiaries and explosives aren't equal. These are the kind you see in some street protests here in the US -- molotov cocktails, fireworks, etc. That gets you arrested here, not shot, and the same should apply in Israel.
1
Whatever you choose to call them, it's appalling to shoot people for burning tires and throwing stones.
Yes, of course. Maybe you should try throwing a molotov cocktail at a cop here during a protest, and let us know how that works out for you.
In any civilized country if you encourage your children to throw fire bombs at people with guns who are otherwise not attacking your home, you, as the very bad parent, would be the one to get arrested. Only when the person defending the border is an Israeli, who is sitting in place and not attacking, do we hear these outcries against the people being attacked and not against the attackers. And we wonder why Israelis have stopped caring what the world says about them?
15
According to a number of reports, and currently being covered by MSNBC, Palestinians are angry at Hamas, America, Egypt, Israel, and the UN. Despite this, the only people or state attacked is Israel. This is not unintentional, nor is it coincidental.
11
There is something nefarious in doing a hateful thing just to show you can. It is thug-ish and deplorable. It is the behavior of little men with no intellect and no ideas.
13
At this point there is no dought Israel is a terrorist state. The argument they are defending themselves is fake news. They are so big on the old testament I reminded them of David and Galitho. This time they are Galitho.
15
There is nothing in your comment that makers any sense., But just to clarify one thing: You state that, "They are so big on the old testament" but this is not so. The "Old Testament" is a Christian modification of the "Hebrew Bible", with many changes made to attempt to show Jesus as being the Messiah. Christians, of course, are entitled to their religious beliefs but contrary to what you allege, Jews are not so big on these Christian beliefs. Jews, also, are entitled to their own beliefs.
2
What alternative world are you living in ?
2
As the old saying goes, "You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs". That's exactly what President Trump has been doing since he took office in January, 2017. And so far he's been a darn good short-order cook!
Finally cracking down on unfair trade practices...Tax reform...Securing our borders after years of abuse by enforcing the law fairly & impartially... Forcing Kim Jong Un to the disarmament peace table (with his tail between his legs)...Finally moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem (after years of promising to do so)...Pulling out of that JOKE of an "agreement" with Iran.
Some of our European allies may disagree with our actions with Iran, Israel, etc. But like it or not, the U.S. is THE de facto leader of the free world. These European allies (who may be thinking only in terms of their own short-term economic interests) are NOT in the same position as the U.S. Hopefully, they will come around to seeing "the forest beyond the trees", and recognize the long-term benefits & advantages to what Trump is trying to achieve.
Trump could have very easily "kept the peace" by maintaining the status-quo on all of these extremely difficult issues...by "leading from the rear" (like Obama and others before him) and by simply "kicking the can down the road" for someone else to deal with. But that's not what he was elected to do!
Those eggs are beginning to look good!
6
You might want to check the eggs for salmonella.
Those eggs are rotten. I can smell them from here.
I have never been quite as disgusted and embarrassed by this crowd. However, I believe it does serve a constructive purpose. It reminds the world and more importantly, our ignorant and indifferent voters, of this totally out of touch bunch of fools currently representing our country. I am deeply ashamed and feel utterly helpless to change anything. God help us all.
8
Anyone in the West who's watching Muslim Middle and Far East events, and who's willing to listen to Bernard Lewis and Samuel P. Huntington, would be told of the core conflict: A "Clash of Civilizations".
2
The British are still getting criticized for their colonial violence. The Boston massacre is still remembered, at least it was in Boston when I lived there. British troops opened fire on a group of civilians in 1770 and killed five people. The Israelis seem to get a pass on this. They declare it was justified and that seems to be good enough. It is quickly forgotten.
6
Karl, Jews have lived in this area for over 3000 years. They are not colonists.
2
Criticize Israel and you won't get a job.
This tends to have a chilling effect on people with mortgages and health insurances to pay.
If this is part 1 of the ultimate Kushner/Trump peace deal, what is part 2? Just out of curiosity, how many dead and wounded would constitute peace to Kushner/Trump?
1
1. Israelis are most loved by USA
2. USA will welcome Israelis with open arms into their homes
3. USA has plenty of land to accommodate Israel as 51st state, roughly the size of New Jersey (0.2% of US area)
4. Israel can have friendly neighboring states around it
5. US will no longer have to spend billions of dollars of tax payer money annually
6. Palestinians will get their life and land back
7. Middle east will again be peaceful without foreign interference
8. Oil prices will go down. Inflation will go down. Whole world be happy!
RELOCATE ISRAEL INTO UNITED STATES
6
But this isn't the Promised Land, as the legend has it.
How does aggravating other people, to the point where they are willing to run into rifle fire, fit in with making Israel a safe place for Jews to live in?
This very ugly situation remains me of the Northern Ireland conflict, where Protestants held annual parades that wound through Catholic neighborhoods, for no apparent purpose other than annoying the Catholics.
The worst of the worst - the Palestinian extremists, who, via loudspeaker, urge others to run into mortal danger; and the American contingent at the opening ceremony, who traveled to Jerusalem to cheer lead the Netanyahu extremists.
"Sanity Goeth before a War", should have been the theme of the Jerusalem event; not "Trump Make Israel Great".
4
Hamas is a terrorist organization and there will never be peace dealing with terrorists. The only "piece" they are looking for is to put all parts of Israel 6 feet under. By the way folks, the Egyptians blockade the border with Gaza in the same way as the Israelis. What does that tell you? American eyes and ears in the Middle East are squarely with Israel, our first line of defense and a solid ally Thanks for reading.
5
Leïla , 8 months old baby girl , killed yesterday at the border Gaza-Israël , was not a terrorist .
1
What has peace got to do with the rioting in Gaza? Why does your headline even mention peace? Was Israel supposed to negotiate with Hamas in Gaza and aim for a three state solution? Juxtaposing a smiling Ivanka Trump with masked Palestinians amidst their burning tires is creative editorializing which the Times no longer sees as something a newspaper shouldn't do other than on the editorial page. The paper is always ready to look for ulterior motives on the part of the Israeli government but rarely on the part of the Palestinian leadership in Gaza or the West Bank. For the readers of your newspaper who take everything at face value the Palestinians are always spontaneous and innocent whereas the israelis are always calculating and guilty
7
Its horrific how Israeli soldiers snipe at protesters across the fence and border with live bullets (international war crime for sure). Gaza is sadly a open air jail from which no one can go in or out for years, drinking water is polluted, israel doesnt allow them to buy equipment, they control borders, no jobs, no schools sad sad what they are doing to these people. How they dont revolt every day is beyond me as they have nothing to lose.
11
The Heritage Foundation: "Israel has been the only country in the world not allowed to choose its own capital." Reality: Palestine is now the only country in the world not allowed to choose its own capital." VP Pence: "Mazel tov" (in Yiddish, a European language, for congratulations) rather than "Kol Hakavod" (English transcription of the Hebrew equivalent). Reality: Hebrew (an Aramaic language), not Yiddish, is the national language of Israel. Pence bowing to conservative American Jewry, the real reason for the embassy move? Pastor Jeffress, an evangelical anti-Semitic Christian chosen to lead prayer for opening the embassy quotes Christian scripture celebrating the "capitol" of the Jewish state. Reality: our administration's crass cynicism at work. At this point, I don't care how many tiny bombs, rocks, fire crackers, etc., are aimed at "Israeli territory" from Gaza by civilian Palestinians protesting their continued de-humanization by violent Israeli government policy in the name of "Zionism." It was not the intent of the original Zionists to create a safe state for Jews at the expense of anyone else. The current state of affairs is an abomination.
6
Stay on your side of the border and you don't get killed - its pretty easy to figure out.
5
As I understand it, lots of killing took place on the Gaza side of the border.
1
It could have been a good idea in 1948 , before the creation of Israël .
Peace? That is the last thing on the minds of the Trump family, Pence, and Bolton, especially Bolton, who would like nothing more than to see Islam eradicated from the face of the earth. I have seen the embassy move to Jerusalem characterized as a failure. It isn't, at least in their terms, nor is the murder of dozens of Muslims something for them to decry.
2
The cause of the killings in Gaza is the moving of the Israeli capital to Jerusalem.
Yes, the US has approved the moving of the capital. However President Trump is the only president who is stupid enough to move the capital before a peace treaty is signed by Israel and Palestine.
The Palestinian blood is on the hands of President Donald Trump.
4
And where was the Israeli capital BEFORE THIS? Oh right...it was always in Jerusalem. Since 1949.
1
NYT much too impatient. 100 years from now there will be peace.
The split screen images of well-heeled self-anointed “I’m so special” people listening to speeches while soldiers close by shoot and/or tear-gas to death folks who appear humiliated, disenfranchised and lacking hope. Those images take their place alongside those of the young boys, children, lying dead on the sand of that beach just a few years ago. Also shot by Israelis. I’ve been to temple. I’ve prayed with my Jewish friends. They are still my friends and always will be. But Israel sure looks like the chest-thumping school yard bully to me. And I think many others are starting to feel same way.
4
This move was ill-advised, ill-timed and a disaster for any possible peace initiatives in the Middle East going forward. This was done strictly to appease the most extreme elements of Evangelical Christians and the powerful Israel lobby in the U. S., bottom line.
4
This violence was totally predictable and has no end in site. In any contentious situation, you don't do the one thing that is guaranteed blow up in your face...unless that is what you want. A divisive president was elected and the world is more divided.
4
As the old saying goes, "You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs". That's exactly what President Trump has been doing since he took office in January, 2017. And so far he's been a darn good short-order cook!
For example...finally cracking down on unfair trade practices...tax reform...securing our borders after years of abuse by enforcing the law fairly & impartially... forcing Kim Jong Un to the disarmament peace table (with his tail between his legs)...finally moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem (after years of promising to do so)...Pulling out of that JOKE of an "agreement" with Iran.
Trump could have very easily "kept the peace" by maintaining the status-quo on all of these extremely difficult issues...by "leading from the rear" (like Obama and others before him) and by simply "kicking the can down the road" for someone else to deal with. But that's not what he was elected to do!
Those eggs are beginning to look good!
1
These young Palestinian men are victims of patriarchy and polygamy and seething with anger at their helplessness and poor economic and sexual prospects in life. They are similar to the refugees in Germany. Young testosterone loaded fighting age men. The birthrate in Gaza is one of the highest in the world comparable to Haiti, for example. As Arafat pointed out the wombs of the women there are the real weapons of the Muslims. Muslim majority societies treat minority religions poorly and have for centuries. It s part of the culture. Unless Israel forcibly removes the Palestinians and relocates them to some other Arab country sooner or later Israel is doomed. Obviously Saudi Arabia or Egypt comes to mind. Stalin understood that well when he drove the Germans out of Prussia, the Poles and Austrogermans out of Galicia, the Germans out of Bohemia and Moravia and repopulated the areas with ethnic Russians. The Jews paid for most all the land they had in Palestine in the early part of the 20th century. If there was some sort of population control in Muslim nations this problem would not exist.
3
A little history lesson is needed here. In 1947, after the UN partition into an Israeli portion and Palestinian portion of the previously characterized British Mandate, ALL the Arab surrounding countries invades Israel and attempted to push the Jews into the sea. They lost and lost again in 1956 and 1967. and created the Palestinian refugee status that has lingered to this day. Gaza was controlled by Egypt and the West Bank by Jordan. Access to Gaza at Rafah was controlled then and now by Egypt, not Israel. Hamas took over Gaza, a thriving enclave of Jewish settlers, that left it all to Hamas and Hamas immediately destroyed the infrastructure and spent its resources on building tunnels and rockets to attack and destroy Israel. GET YOUR HISTORY AND STORY RIGHT!
6
md4totz, Correct, except for one point. Palestine, as defined by the British Mandate Over Palestine also included TransJordan (a historic portion of the United Kingdom of ancient Israel). This area (representing about 80% of the Mandate) was given away unilaterally by Britain to form the Kingdom of Jordan (now populated mostly by Palestinian Arabs). What remained of the Mandate was divided by the UN in 1948 between a Jewish and an Arab State. So Israel was awarded (and accepted) about 12% of the original Palestine. About 60% of this was desert and much of the remainder was malarious swampland that Israel cleaned up.
2
Apparently, only Palestinians residing in Gaza and ruled by Hamas were upset enough to "demonstrate" over our embassy's relocation. It seems that their West Bank brethren, those living in the new embassy's shadow, weren't nearly as exercised. An obvious but omitted observation that confirms the paper's bias in its Israel reporting.
5
It's been said that the New York Times is subtly anti-Israel. But based on your one sided headline and stories today, the only thing wrong with that assessment is the word subtly.
Yes Israel gave the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority in 2005 and basically said: Let's see with you can do here. A philanthropist paid for the hothouses there as well as lots of other items of infrastructure to kick start the economy and create a mini-state where people could live in dignity. But what did the PA do with this gift? First of all, they lost an election and control of the territory due to corruption. Hamas took over and basically turned Gaza into a military camp. This terrorist organization doesn't desire peace, but only the complete destruction of Israel. They have said as much in virtually all of their declarations.
So what's the answer to this problem? Concessions? Negotiations? Not likely, when your neighbor would only be satisfied with your destruction. If you have any practical solutions, I for one would be anxious to read them rather than the one sided arguments that too many of your reporters and editorial writers have offered.
6
Someone named Sarah in Oakland asked me after one of my comments, how many Israelis have been "slaughtered" by Palestinians, after I responded to someone who said that Israeli soldiers illegally and immorally slaughtered the invading Palestinians. I responded to that person by asking why it is all right for Palestinians to slaughter Israelis, but Israelis should not protect and defend themselves. Sarah's response to my comment inferred that no Israelis had been killed by Palestinians. So the response to Sarah's comment is this: As of May 2014: "According to wiki Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel that cites Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs: since 2006 total of 50 Israeli killed and >1900 wounded due to Hammas firing activity."
3
There is a lot of blood on Trumps tiny hands.
2
Yes it’s a mess. But which country would just permit the storming of its border by violence crazed mobs? When people talk about stone throwers and slingshots it conjures images of harmless kids. Not remotely true here. And who sends women and children to be in the forefront of such mobs? It’s an enormous tragic photo op.
Of course I deplore the deaths. But the utter hypocrisy of countries like Turkey is a tragic joke. In 70 years Israel has built a modern high tech scientific research country that made homes for Jews who were kicked out of and murdered in many “enlightened” countries. I did not use the word “perfect.” What have the Palestinians done besides allowed themselves to be used by everyone and perpetuate their own suffering?
I deplore the loss of life and I have no love for Trump or Netanyahu. But perhaps the Palestinians would benefit from inward searching and turning away from Hamas.
5
So many of these comments supports my notion that
hypocrisy has reached epidemic levels. Since 1967
when Israel came to control Gaza, by virtue of a
decisive victory in the 6 Day war. A conflict , if I need
to remind readers was fought by Israel in self defense
and for survival. Gaza has been used as a staging ground
and front line for attacks by various terrorist groups.
Imagine a hostile group numbering in the tens of thousands
on any country's border. With the intent to invade and cause
death and destruction. Always so much world attention when
Israel defends itself. Turkey and other Muslim states are up in arms up with their usual anti Israel, antisemitic rhetoric.
And yet the death toll in Syria is up to over 500,000!!!
And really nothing has been done by the world to stop it. I guess its more acceptable when Arab kills Arab.
7
Chilling… Ivanka Trump upstages Marie Antoinette’s … “let them eat cake” … she lives in a parallel universe of an alternative reality… her brand unfortunately, as demonstrated in the video, is validated by the US Seal… sad
3
Powerful video, thank you. I'd be curious to see it again a year from now, and a year after that. To compare where we are now, to where we will be then.
It might do honor to Salvador Dali and the other post-WWI surrealists in the years to come.
1
"A Dallas evangelical pastor who once said that Jewish people are going to hell and a megachurch televangelist who claimed that Hitler was part of God’s plan to return Jews to Israel both played prominent roles on Monday in the opening ceremony of the new American Embassy in Jerusalem."
By Matthew Haag
May 14, 2018
The presence of the lunatic right at the opening ceremony for our new embassy in Jerusalem, along with an eery rendition of our national anthem, the unveiling of the building itself--a monument to fascist architecture--and the ecstasy on the faces of Netanyahu and his contingent while his army was massacring unarmed protesters along the border all contributed to a kind of vertigo. Not since Nixon's lighting of the White House Christmas tree was broadcast on television in the midst of the Watergate scandal and the tv cameras revealed that the majority of those in attendance consisted of Rev. Sun Myung Moon's brainwashed followers waving litttle Korean flags have we come closer to living in a dystopian novel.
29
Well given that the building was constructed in 2010 pursuant to plans approved by the State Department under Hillary Clinton and signed off on by the Obama administration I guess we should criticize them for this "ode to fascist architecture".
I do not see why we had to move the Embassy given the unnecessary cost, but Israel has declared Jerusalem its Capital and I am not sure that we have the authority to disregard this because another people dispute the claim. In fact, President Obama like Bush and Clinton before him all recognized that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. Specifically, Pres. Obama said "I continue to say that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel, and I have said that before, and I will say it again,” Since the US has indicated that it recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and we put our embassies in the capitals of other countries, it seems that we should not discriminate against Israel and that we should put our embassy in the city they claim to be their capital and we recognize as such.
"Killings in Gaza"
No, it's "Murders in Gaza"
23
No, it's murder's "from" Gaza...
killed in order to prevent a massacre in Isreal
You are mentally impaired! If someone tried to enter your home with a firebomb or other lethal weapon, would you let them in or defend yourself?
Go back to the asylum until you understand the difference between aggressive behavior and self defense.
1
Crimes against humanity in Gaza;pure and simple murdering of unarmed people trying to cross a "fence"
Shame on you Israel
The western press refuses to present Israel in an historical context. Never any mention of the post-WW II displacement of Palestinians, never any mention of the Balfour Agreement, never any mention of how Israel was created. What is the NYT afraid of? The truth? Colonization is colonization, whether it is done by the East Indian Trading Company or Russian Jews escaping pogroms. Context please.
22
Israel project has become a nightmare for the world...The ONU should act by cancelling the creation of this rogue state...and see what happens
Maybe the NYT feels that its readers are capable of getting history books from a library. We are not a Fox News audience.
The headline incorrectly links the two events described. Gazans have enough problems without their actions being characterized as protests against Trump and Netanyahu’s little party in Jerusalem.
7
It was the recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital via the opening of the U.S. embassy, which is the end of the (not very alive) peace process which set off the protests.
So yes, blood on hands.
By the way, it’s false to say that this is one of the world’s most intractable conflicts, etc. It’s not. It’s relatively easy: two states, bordering on the green line, mostly, etc. The Geneva Accord of post-Taba, that is, more or less. Everyone supports it, including Hamas and Iran.
Except two nations: Israel and the US. And the key is the US. The second we say, No more, it’s over. Period—it’s over.
Thus, we, the people, have to force our government to tell Israel, cut it out, or you’re on your own.
It’s pretty much that simple. It’s not combatting global warming. It’s not getting rid of nuclear weapons. It’s not taming an out of control global financial sector that breeds crashes and disasters. Those are hard. This is easy, relatively speaking.
The American elite simply doesn’t feel like it, is all.
By the way, I’m Jewish, American, and my mother’s family was mostly wiped out during the Holocaust. So, uh, no, not a self-hating antisemite yadda yadda.
Hey, those afraid of antisemitism: ever heard of “crying wolf”? Right. Do you care that Israel’s government supports near-Nazis in Hungary going after a Jew, George Soros, like that?
It’s very simple: you either privilege some medieval, brain-stem, knee-jerk, nationalist/racist “support” for Israel...or you go with universal human rights, the core of any religion and thus of Judaism as well.
Your choice.
21
6 millions of people creating the wars and instabilities in the whole world...enough
"Two states, bordering on the green line, mostly, etc. The Geneva Accord of post-Taba, that is, more or less. Everyone supports it, including Hamas and Iran" - you are either delusional or naive, but in any case here's a newsflash: Hamas had and still have the opportunity to live peacfuly inside the green line which they fully control. they can use the billions of dollars of foreign aid they are receiving and actually invest it in the citizens of gaza rather than using it to build terror tunnels towards israel and manufacturing self made missiles. Hamas and iran agree and support exactly one thing - the continuous war against the state of israel which they refuse to recognize.
3
We're stuck with Israel until American arms manufacturers stop pulling strings in Congress.
As the NYTimes reported, "A Dallas evangelical pastor who once said that Jewish people are going to hell and a megachurch televangelist who claimed that Hitler was part of God’s plan to return Jews to Israel both played prominent roles on Monday in the opening ceremony of the new American Embassy in Jerusalem." This says everything you need to know about who and what Donald "Stable Genius" Trump and the GOP are about.
8
And Binny's content to let it all play out as long as he gets everything he wants from Washington.
"America will be annihilated , while Islam will remain. The Muslim will be victorious. The Palestinian mother bids her son farewell, and says to him: "Son, go and don't be a coward. go and fight the Jews..ohh Allah, vanquish the Jews and their supporters. Ohh Allah vanquish the Americans. Oh Allah count their numbers and kill them all, down to the very last one."
-acting speaker of the Palestinian legislative council Sheik Ahmad Bahr from Hamas.
Just so you understand what's really going on in Gaza.
10
I have a mile long list of exterminationist quotes from Israelis, including their heads of state, from the founding in 1948 to last week.
..and who has ALL the power in this conflict?
1
We should quit our "gnashing of teeth" while fretting about the plight of those in Gaza.
The fact is that Trump & Netanyahu were merely banging the final nails into the coffin of the so-called "Peace Process." It had already been dead for years.
What's needed now is to come up with a not-perfect plan to do SOMETHING to end the impasse that's been going on for decades.
A life in a stockade is not really a life.
4
For all the concerns for the dead and injured Palestinians from the Hamas's inspired and immoral abuse of their own people, why would we give them a pass for an invasion against Israel, a sovereign nation? It's not about US recognition of Jerusalem as a capitol of Israel, it's about a war against Israel.
22
Go live in Gaza for 6 months without food or money. Then get back to me about "it's a war against Israel."
12
There is some truth to what you say, however, Israel has illegally occupied (and annexed) Arab land since 1967 in violation of world opinion and the UN (242). Driven forward by their fundamentalist (and legitimate claims) zeal the Arabs continue to think they will wipe Israel off the map. The Israelis are too well armed and ruthless to let that happen so both parties live in an asymmetric world where there is no moral high ground just poverty, hopelessness, rage, fear and counter stroke.
Those who have recommended certain comments to this and related articles and made them Most Recommended might want to study Middle East history, religion, and ethnicity, as they seem to think all would be well, especially among Palestinians and Israelis, if it weren't for Trump and/or America. It is actually rather patronizing and condescending of them to think Arabs, Iranians, and Turks are not as capable of self-serving, cruel, and manipulative mischief and violence as are Americans and Israelis.
I would also suggest that readers show as much concern for Syrians, who have been slaughtered in a couple orders of magnitude greater numbers than the Palestinians. In general, comments and recommends are ten times as common for articles concerning the latter than the former.
And. perhaps they would consider denouncing religious fanaticism among Muslims (and Hindus and Buddhists) with the same justifiable intensity with which they denounce such among Christians and Jews.
20
I denounce ALL religious fanatics.
12
Why, yes, it's important that comments talk about everything under the sun, not the subject of the article. At least when they trend against one's position. ;)
Until petroleum became a factor, the West had lost interest in the region, and left it to Turks, Persians, and Egyptians to fight over.
1
The Times of Israel reports that Israelis are turning away from the "split screen" (image accompanying this article) showing the incongruity of mayhem on the Gaza border fence and a polished embassy opening just a few miles away. It is a surreal image, and Israelis are more tired of surrealism than the outside world knows, or cares to know.
This turning away is not at all surprising, since Israel does not control Hamas, and Israelis want a narrative for themselves of acceptance by the wider world, and normality. Make no mistake, Israelis ARE fretting over what's happening in Gaza, but they feel it is largely due to forces beyond their control.
In many ways the embassy opening is simply a catalyst for Hamas to engage in its cynical antics, plain and simple. And, Hamas is a great gift to the political survivor Netanyahu. He thanks them for their service.
How can the Palestinians, Israelis, the world, move beyond this tragic moment? The ball is in the Palestinian court. Everyday Israelis want peace (believe it or not!). They want normality. They are, however, not going anywhere, and the so-called Right of Return is a non-starter for them. Palestinians need to absorb these realities, finally, after 70 years. I will not live another 70 years, but I hope they can do it soon.
20
Israelis can vote Netanyahu and his followers out of office.
12
If you’ve been to Israel you’ll know that Israelis (rightly or wrongly) genuinely feel themselves to be the vulnerable party. They see aggression all around them, and they see Netanyahu as the only competent navigator (rightly or wrongly). Their actual (as opposed to cynical) self-perception is a big thing in all this; one that the Palestinians don’t give credence to. Yes, Netanyahu is a cynical politician (and as such, Hamas is his greatest gift). But average Israelis want for themselves what you and I want: the absence of the threat of eradication.
1
It’s not Hamas who’s outraged about the embassy. And it’s not only about the embassy. All Palestinians, those who acknowledge the existence of Israel and those who didn’t, are suffering under the Israeli occupation. Even some US citizens of Palestinian origin get harassed continuously while in that land because of their origins.
Israel wants to blame everything on Hamas. Hamas was created in 1988 but crimes against Palestinians started 40 years before that.
Battles in the US to "secure a nation" that we, as Europeans, took away from the original inhabitants and divided up to meet our destinies?
Very patriotic.
Battles in the Mideast over land that still has descendants of inhabitants that have been there for millenia? That has mostly been divided up along artificial borders by Europeans and Americans to meet their desires?
Well, THAT'S a different issue. They should all just get along. After all, WE are no so advanced and peaceful .... and powerful.
2
Mark Twain visited the Holy Land and described it as very thinly populated.
2
Startin' to think that Amateur Hour in the White House ain't such a good thing. The Apprentice is callin' the shots and burying his mistakes all over the world. We've arrived at Truth Or Consequences, and we're not in New Mexico.
May the world forgive us for our sins.
How will 45 pass this buck? Declare victory and go home? He needs a shot of Sean Therapy, I bet.
7
Trump is an extreme present hedonist fumbling about in a land with a 5000 year historical memory.
1
WW3 has begun, ladies and gentlemen. Netanyahu and Putin are finally getting what they want.
WE THE PEOPLE - average people around the world - are the only ones who can/will stop them.
Do NOT let your babies, of any age, be Robber Baron war fodder. Let them and their children/grandchildren die - not us or our loved ones.
They are using OUR hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fund their demented power wars. It MUST stop NOW.
16
Kim Jong Un is likely to tell Trump that there is no moral justification for his country to be excluded from the nuclear path the US has taken to protect itself from the rest of the world. His regime will denuclearize when the US does.
2
As long as the people do not cross the border ,the other side has no moral right to fire and kill people across from them on the other side. Trump has made no nattempt to bring the opposing sides together in the middle east. The split is growing wider and spreading. This may lead to a conflict no body will be able to control and anything can happen as the history shows.Israeli leaders cannot always count on military strength or US support.Peace is the only way to calm down and bring stability of long lasting cooperation.It is time to think about the masses on both sides ;the innocent who will suffer at the expense of people with lack of commonsense leading their countries. I would only Pray that wisdom prevail and ego from mightiness be removed.
9
I might suggest you add to your comment..."as long as people do not cross the border or throw pipe bombs or any incendiary devices across the border..." perphaps you might be a bit more correct...of less incorrect.
2
Except that Hamas, the other side of your so-called peace equation, has started 3 wars with Israel, called for its destruction and has governed as a form of organized crime, with zero regard to help the people who "elected" them. It is irrational to impose your morality upon those who are actually mired in this mess. Israel, like any other country, has a right to defend it's borders, especially against a foe, such as Hamas. Lethal force is the only thing that Hamas understands. Perhaps some time spent reading Machiavelli and understanding the basis of ethics lies in relationship between factions and not determined by a bystander sitting on the sidelines.
1
Trump and Netanyhu are of the same mind, nose-thumbing international law doing as they want, including slaughtering thousands of unarmed persons. With Trump'd support, Israel's aggressive posturing toward Iran becomes more dangerous to the region.
Palestine's borders were set by the U.N. in 1948. It made up 40% of modern Israel. Those borders are still the legal borders of Palestine.
1967 brought the Six-Day War.
After 6 days, Israel had taken control of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and left 20, 000 Palestinians dead. Israeli troops lost 1,000.
Those who lived in the now Occupied Territories were taken completely by surprise.
It's clear Israel wanted the land, and they took it. This mirrors Trump's mindset of taking what he wants without regard to consequence.
Israel is condemned by the International Court of Justice, the U.N. General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council (another Israel/Trump commonality) for its illegal occupation. Even the Israeli High Court of Justice has ruled that Israel holds the West Bank under "belligerent occupation".
The Israeli wall has cut off Palestinian access to jobs, education, healthcare and families. Palestinians fled their homeland in 1967. Israel continues to build illegally.
Who can blame Palestinians for wanting their land back?
Meanwhile, Trump and Israel are salivating to attack Iran, with no international support, making them the biggest danger to Europe and the Middle East.
29
Fake statistics. The 20,000 dead an inflated figure includes armed forces fro Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and other volunteer armies, as well as Palestinians.
From the SIX-DAY ARAB-ISRAELI WAR, 1967: Egypt lost an estimated 11,500 killed and 10,000 taken prisoner, including nine generals, in the six days of combat. Syrian casualties were 1,000 killed and Jordan lost 6,094. Israel casualties were 777 killed and 2,811 wounded.LA Times
Maybe if the Palestinians turned away from their terrorist leadership, drew down their arms, and accepted Israel as a country, they’d see their fortunes change for the better.
Where else in the Middle East do you see Muslims, Christians and Jews living together?
Um, again; it's hard to know where to start.
The UN set no borders, in 1948 or any other time. They recommended border lines in 1947--which were rejected by the Arab side.
After the hostilities ended in 1948, armistice agreements were signed between Israel and the neighboring states; mostly in 1949. Each of which denied that the lines of separation might ever be understood to be borders. Borders would have implied recognition; such recognition was never offered.
After the 1967 war, Israel offered complete withdrawal in return for recognized borders on the old lines. That was rejected by the Arab League (see: Khartoum).
So where is this made-up history coming from?
1
There is no peace on earth. It is a dream we can never achieve. My heart cries out for these people. It is also filled with anger at those who have chosen to ignite the fires by moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has operated for many years, to Jerusalem, where the outcome is almost certain to generate more violence. So many variables here: Hamas, the Israeli army, the Palestinian protesters, Donald Trump, Netanyahu - a volatile mixture indeed. Ivanka smiles for the press and opens her precious embassy, far from the horror swirling around her intrusion. I am repulsed by the photos of this vapid and insensitive woman.
Meanwhile, civilians die without raising their arms to shoot, without weapons to kill. And God - whatever that word means - must look on and wonder how humanity can be so vicious. If I were a god, I would not want innocents murdered in my name, although the holy books speak of this happening many times. Religions are born in blood. It is our shame that we cannot do better, all of us, believers and nonbelievers alike. We are complicit because we step aside and watch. I am complicit. I link to this horrific story, sip coffee, eat the fruit of others' work. I tend my flowers and take my medication, hoping it will be enough. But it is not enough. Half a world away, families weep and bury their beloved dead. And God, perhaps, shrugs at us and heads off to find another universe, for there are many and we offer little of interest here.
I am complicit.
8
Trump is a soap buble blown by the devil.
1
Please. Hamas sent 40,000 people to cross the border, cause mayhem, and draw attention to themselves. Abbas and his leadership are unhappy that more of their own were not killed, which would have brought them more sympathy and media attention.
1
The blood of 60 Palestinians who are killed (at this writing)and thousands of others who are injured in the violence is on the hands of President Trump. His diabolical decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel alone is responsible for the violence.
The hope of East Jerusalem becoming the capital of a future Palestinian state was an important incentives for the Palestinians to negotiate with Israel toward finding a permanent solution to the problem. That hope has now been dashed.
Live coverage of what is going on on the Gaza-Israeli border shows stone-throwing Palestinians being shot down by Israeli soldiers. One would expect Mr. Trump at least to issue an appeal to both sides to exercise restraint. Instead, we have his spokesman, Raj Shah, saying that the responsibility for it rested “squarely with Hamas,” the extremist Palestinian group that administers Gaza. He justified Israeli solders' mowing down of Palestinians, saying: “Israel has the right to defend itself.”
To the Palestinians who feel hopeless, let me offer a word of consolation: Both President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel could be thrown out of power once the investigations that are going on into the scandals they are involved in are completed. The arrogant and self-righteous decisions they have made, which have endangered your future could be reversed by those who succeed them. Be patient. There is hope.
10
It is time to stop providing support to the USA and Israel because of these recent actions, moving an Embassy and executing dozens of Palestinian protesters. This madness must stop now, right now.
8
The "truth" that should be recognized is that Israel has and in recent years especially has had no intention of compromise for a JUST peace with the Palestinians. (This does not mean they all return to '48 Israel, this means a viable state.) The truth is that Israel has and has had the upper hand militarily and does not need to make peace as long as it can continue on this road with the United States fully behind it. The truth is the United States has never required Israel to make the kind of compromises that could have ended this conflict years ago and it could have.The Israel Lobby. The truth is that Israel wants and seems to be getting all of Israel from the Jordan River to the Sea, plus Jerusalem. And the truth is this will be costly for Israel.
7
The move of the embassy was approved by the US Congress in 1995 (the Jerusalem Act) and reaffirmed over the years, including recently, by unanimous votes of the senate. Where is the commentary about the near unanimous support of the US legislative branch for the move? I’m not an advocate either way, just curious as to why a seeming important point is not discussed.
8
These politicians have revived the Crusades.
It's easier to blame or congratulate Trump - especially if you already hate or love him. Either way, it's illogical not to include Congress, but there is little logic in many comments here. Just visceral blaming or congratulations and support one way or another.
Then again, it's easier to fix the blame than to fix the problem.
1
As far as the vast majority of people weigh the "killings in Israel", those individuals believe that the deaths and the wounded are without a doubt self inflicted by Hamas. Stay away from Israel's borders, stop the attacks at the fence, stop trying to illegally entering a foreign country (yes foreign) and GO HOME. This only started with the actions of Hamas.
9
Go home? Israel is occupying part of their home since the 6-day war.
And even if they are protesting near or at the border, there was no reason to massacre them. The deaths are on Israel.
Benjaman Netanyahu has been waiting for this day for a long time. He is looking for an excuse to get rid of anyone he percieves to be a threat; his lack of restraint and giddiness proves this.
He'll try to drag the U.S. into another war in the Middle East, and I fear that Trump and his hard-liners will gladly comply.
What's missing on both sides of this conflict is the will for a lasting peace. Neither side seems to want it, and Trump is only making things worse by choosing sides.
4
Cynic that I am, I suspect that Trump the Dealmaker has found a way to help Putin restore the Soviet Empire, which rested upon Soviet alliances with the pro-Palestinian Middle East, pitted against US alliances with Israelis.
Only in Trumpworld does making the US great again involve the restoration of the cold war.
Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, PLO all want Israel destroyed.
What peace is possible with enemies sworn for your destruction?
26
The peace that has existed since the intifada. This will not help.
Israel is a new country, looks like its inception was not without the original settlers' permission?
4
No wonder the Israeli's want those noisey Arabs destroyed.
Back to 1967 borders OR NOTHING!
1
When since the Clinton administration, when Arafat dropped the ball, was there a sign of peace? This is not like the Civil Rights movement in our country. Minorities here were not threatening death to our country - quite the opposite, they wanted to peacefully co-exist. If the placement of an embassy can cause Palestinian leaders to send its citizens to their death, what chance does peace have?
This is an ever sad, ever horrifying continuation of a seemingly endless religious war. I do not believe the Israelis are blameless - I despise the resettlement program and any attempt to cleanse areas. But, I do realize they are the only country approaching an enlightened democracy. But, they are still surrounded by enemies, even if many have ceased fighting - many others haven't. The Palestinian leaders continue to do the wrong thing and sacrifice their people needlessly in the hopes that international horror of the deaths will force the Israelis to give up their country. Not going to happen.
Only a determined effort to co-exist by both sides will work. It doesn't look like it is going to happen anytime soon, no matter where the embassy is.
14
While Israelis and US conservatives are celebrating the opening of American embassy in Jerusalem, Palestinians are killed and wound without mercy by Israelis along the border between the two countries so to speak. Who are responsible for the mass killings?
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are responsible. Few approve what they are doing in the international community.
Seventy years ago there was no Israel. And no Palestine either.
At the end of the World War Two the United Nation’s Resolution 181 in 1947 proposed to create independent Arab and Jewish States and a Special International Regime for the city of Jerusalem without considering the principle of national self-determination.
After seventy years, that’s more than three generations, we know it was a lie and few countries really care about the Arab State. The rights of Palestinians have been ignored. Palestinians were forced out of their homes in 1947 and have not been able to return.
US gave Israel military aid $3.7 billion in 2017, but only about $600 million to Palestinians in the same year. Needless to say living standard between Israelis and Palestinians is day and night difference.
My question to our government is why we own so much to the Israelis while they are slaughtering Palestinians whatever way they want.
Who have unleashed the mad dog?
36
Trumpo has ignited a powder keg. His lack of foresight and intelligence has led to the unnecessary deaths of people already in a desperate circumstance.
26
I'm afraid you may be viewing the situation through a woefully distorted and myopic circus mirror, my friend!
Rather than simply "leading from the rear", maintaining the status quo, or "kicking the can down the road" for someone else to deal with, Trump is finally addressing these issues in a decisive and meaningful way. As the de facto leader of the free world, the U.S. must make those tough decisions. there's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, my friend!
But of course, there are those (like yourself) who choose to judge matters shortsightedly...based solely on the immediate short-term effects, rather than the long-term implications. .
1
This blood is on Trump's hands. It could easily be predicted.
22
It seems that an eight month old baby died. Who brings a baby to potentially violent locations? It makes one think.
15
The baby also had a pre-existing condition and may not have died from tear gas inhalation. But you know, that doesn't make as good of a headline as "Israelis kill baby."
3
>>> "Who brings a baby to potentially violent locations?"
All of Gaza is a "potential violent location." Giant, open-air prisons are like that.
Who unleashes the full fury of a modern military against protesters with slingshots and burning kites?
1
For those calling it a genocide, note that Israel has complete air and ground superiority. If it wanted to kill those 40,000 people protesting, it could have. Force was only used against those who approached the border fence; their clear intent was to tear it down and make it possible for those 40,000 to flood into Israel. 50+ were killed by snipers; any loss of life is terribly sad, but this this is not a matter of Israel firing tank shells at random into the crowd (which it easily could do). History teaches that when Arabs infiltrate against from Gaza, it is not with the intent to sketch the landscape. It is to kill to Jews -- any Jews, of any age, any way that they can. Israel is not the aggressor in this conflict. The Hamas-inspired Arabs remind of nothing so much as an addict hooked on a substance that will hurt them in the long run. Here, the substance is the impossible idea of a "return" to land that Israel gained in defensive wars or by the UN partition. My e-addict friends tell me that they stopped using only when the pain of the addiction was worse than the gain. It is sobering to think that the Arabs of Gaza especially want to feel more pain, but that may well be the case.
18
Yes. It's no wonder that they're not storming the Egyptian border too. Because the death toll on that side would exceed the actions by the Israelis. By hundreds.
3
Well with one swoop trump has arbitrarily poked the Arabs in the eye and strengthened Israel while pleasing his Evangelical friends who are waiting for the end of world. So the Arab- Israel peace is further away than it was and Now Jerusalem which was international city which has many different religions side by side is "Capital of Israel"
11
It always was the capital of Israel. It is where the Knesset sits. Regardless, it has been the capital of the Jewish people for since the days of King David.
4
President Trump is keeping making America great by ensuring that America is continuously involved in the imaginary peace negotiations that have been going on for at least 40 years that I have been seeing and perhaps half a century or more in reality!!!
You see, America can only be great if there is continuous need for America to intervene to bring about peace. And if there is no fighting then there will be no need for peace. This embassy move is to ensure that there will be fighting for the upcoming 50 years and then America will remain great in helping the peace process for the next 50 years.
President Trump is thinking ahead, thinking out of the box. We cannot keep the status quo as it was getting old, so he has put in a new parameter of the US embassy... Very well done, Mr President Trump. Let's keep it up. Make America Great!!!
5
trump doesn't think. he makes spontaneous decisions. What he has done is made us more unstable.
2
It's rather strange that the Palestinians don't feel the need to enter into talks with Isreal.
By this time the Palestinians should have accepted the reality that they are never going to get the land back. It's gone. It's high time to accept it and move on. They need to build a life with what they have.
People in the middle east seem to labor under the delusion that the West will ride to their rescue if they make a lot of noise. A lot of disillusioned Syrians have realized that they have to fight their civil war in their own.
The quicker the Palestinians understand that the West does not care and they are in this all alone, the better it will be for everyone.
Flying burning kites will only make a lot of smoke. Maybe a few Islamic countries in the region will donate some money. But that's about it. There is no future in the kite business.
Maybe they should come together and discuss how to make more money? Maybe on Friday the mosques deliver a sermon on 8 ways to improve your personal finances? Just a thought.
10
A stark contrast from days past . I am referring to the world response to the "Israeli aggression" defending hordes of "protesters" rushing the border with malicious intent . Once upon a time , this orchestrated ploy used to work , garnering wide spread condemnation that bordered anti-Semitism and put Israel squarely in the crosshairs . The world however is finally waking up , in particular the Arab world . Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Dubai see the economic opportunity of Israel as a trade and strategic partner . They finally see a sad Palestinian people misled by corrupt officials that are just fine and dandy with the status quo of maintaining struggle they could have ended 18 years ago by saying yes to everything they ever demanded(sans the old city of Jerusalem, not happening...ever) . The embassy move simply erased the fantasy that one day the Jews would be driven from Jerusalem at the behest of the USA and the rest of the world . Yes reality certainly stings.
10
Odd, that you can see what the NY Times cannot. It's a damn shame....for a newspaper.
1
Mr. Kushner said that "those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution".
Was he referring to his father-in-law or the Israeli military whose fighter jets struck 5 targets in the northern Gaza Strip?
Jet fighters, tanks and uzis against slingshots and stones, it seems the Israeli government is focused on annihilation rather than peace.
18
Does the move of the US embassy have anything to do with the spiritual/religious meaning that Jerusalem has for the all the people in that land? I do not think so, the move is an open warmongering act, a senseless provocation. No one can be surprised about what happened.
It sickens me!
15
Obama and Kerry are to blame. Their hands drip with the blood of these Palestinians. Giving $150 BILLION in CASH to the world's #1 state sponsor of terror...what were they thinking. Iran has funded Hamas...and this is what you get. The left can hide their heads in the sand...but the world knows what happened yesterday in Gaza.
10
Tom, indeed, the world does know and it is not what you think.
1
"In July 2015, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told lawmakers Iran would gain access to $56 billion.
It’s important to know that little of that money was under the control of the United States or any U.S. bank. Most of it, Habibi said, was in central and commercial banks overseas. Furthermore, it was Iran’s money to begin with, not a payment from any government to buy Iran’s cooperation."
__politifact
2
The problem is the billions in US support for Israel by successive administrations. Today's slaughter was clearly a crime against humanity, which should be prosecuted internationally.
1
Gaza's unchecked and unsustainable population growth will cause it to outstrip available water.
Watch when the water taps in Gaza go dry.
Suppose inside of encouraging suicide, Hamas took this energy and used it to rework a water infrastructure where loses are at 45%.
And act like a responsible governing body, for the betterment of your population.
Or would they rather play the victim card when antibiotic resistant typhoid comes as a plague.
7
The Palestinian protesters destroyed their own gas pipelines a few days ago. Now they are complaining about the shortages of gas. It pretty much sums up the Palestinians.
3
This treatment of the people of Gaza is horrific !!! The demonstrations were none life treating to the Israeli army but the number of Palestinians killed and wounded is beyond belief. I blame the Israeli government and President Trump for all the killings and wounding of the people of Gaza who live in what is known as " The largest concentration camp ever to exist",An open air prison and" a fence that separates life and death".They really have no effective leaders in Gaza or the West Bank and Israel will not stop building settlements in the West Bank and killing Palestinians !!! I believe there should be a" One State Solution" with the same human rights for both Israelis and Palestinians !!!! This is my dream !!!!!
8
Major philanthropist Bezalel Smotrich's plan “One Hope – the decision plan for Israel” is next now.
How freaky to read "a beaming Ivanka" and "800 religious and politicians from both countries singing Hallelujah.” Radiant? Praising God?! While such carnage was happening few miles away? Well, the whole historical circumstance is... freak. We lamented, moaned and wailed, we knew it, we saw it coming, but still, bizarre is to see such happiness through the suffering of so many, and for something so avoidable, for so prolonged time.
10
The Palestinians are the problem? This is the cruelest stupidest joke in the modern world. Adding insult to injury we have the leading American newspaper apologizing and justifying crimes against humanity.
Colonize:
col·o·nize
verb
(of a country or its citizens) send a group of settlers to (a place) and establish political control over it.
synonyms: settle (in), people, populate; More
come to settle among and establish political control over (the indigenous people of an area).
"a white family that tries to colonize a Caribbean island"
appropriate (a place or domain) for one's own use.
8
Not sure why the Times continues to cover this conflict in the context of peace when the political situation on the ground is one of intentional conflict.
8
“What a glorious day.”— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, May 14, 2018.
My dictionary just became obsolete.
7
yes we can talk about peace - but we have to kill you first.
11
The Israeli Arab conflict is spiralling out of control just as between WW1 and 2. In fact America and the whole world seem to be spiralling out of control- in ways REM and Billy Joel can't and won't wish to put to lyrics
2
When it comes to this contentious issue, I can only think of an analogy: The US government announces the unveiling of a statue of General Robert E. Lee next to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Thousands of offended Americans demonstrate and the police end up killing 60 demonstrators, while the president and his guests celebrate at General Lee’s monument, with the president calling it a “Glorious Day”. I don’t know, but it kind of sound like Emperor Nero singing the Sack of Ilium while Rome burns.
4
Israel has lost any claim to humanity. This massacre taking place on the Palestinian side of the border continues the barbaric legacy, one notable the bulldozing of Palestinian houses with their occupants still inside. Have Israel defend their original borders, the gift.
American Jews need to condemn Israeli barbarity and stop acting like they are the home team. People across the World are finding it hard to distinguish between the two.
10
Not one word of condemnation from the Republicans. If the roles were reversed and even if a single Israeli was killed, they would have all risen up in a righteous fury.
The hypocrisy is deafening.
18
Are you suggesting that the killing of an Israeli who is defending his land from people who are sworn to kill his family is the moral equivalent of killing the attackers? Do you know the difference between murder and self-defense?
2
If you had any doubt about the United States being morally bankrupt yesterdays display in Jerusalem while Israel is gunning down Palestinians should answer your question.
16
Want to repeat what Seattle Shannon said because the Times use of language here is quite troubling:
Shannon: "Why are you using the passive voice to describe the killings? E.g., "Protesters were killed." Yes, the active voice would actually identify who did the killings, like this description from a Vox article:
Israeli security forces killed more than 60 Palestinians and injured another 2,400 on Monday during protests at the Gaza Strip over the US Embassy move to Jerusalem, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It was the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 war with Israel."
The Israelis are killers in this case. Call them that and maybe it will help us get over our right-wing fascination with a corrupt and at times, quite murderous, little state that refuses to give the Palestinians what they cherish and protect for themselves -- their own country. So ashamed of the USA for supporting the Israelis and instigating the killings with the embassy move.
14
I see. So Israel should just step back and allow these "peaceful demonstrators" to enter Israel. I'm sure they'd give the children flowers and shake hands with the Israelis. NOT.
2
Re your website lead "Killings in Gaza, a New Embassy in Jerusalem and No Sign of Peace"
Please. You could delete the first two and nothing woudl change. No sign of peace because there is no one to make peace with on the Arab side. Most are unwilling to surrender their pipe dreams of annihilating Israel or that it will just disappear. Those who are more pragmatic, who might consider peace, could never come out for it. They would be dead very soon at the hands of the first group, and wouldn't survive the day.
There was "no sign of peace," even while Obama was coddling the Arabs and openly showed his distaste for the Israelis. Made no difference at all.
8
Are we worried that Israel won't be able to protect itself...and how many nukes did Israel get from the US? I am a Jew and this day came from many days of abuse and thievery.
Any attempt at a two state solution died when Netanyahu
was sworn in....leaving Palestinians with territory that
can't possibly work.....can't yield them anything.
I am ashamed of the duplicity of Nikki Haley. She praised Israel for showing restraint, while it massacred 60 Palestinian protestors and wounded 2000 others (the numbers are from Guardian and BBC). Just few weeks back she was shedding crocodile tears and accusing Russia of being heartless when 40 people were killed in Syria. But killing of 60 protestors is ok, because that was done by Israel who are actually very nice people and our friend.
14
Hey brilliant...
1. They are terrorist displaced Arabs
2. Israelis, Jordanians, British & MANY Arabs are "Palestinian"
3. These displaced Arab terrorists want to kill and are trained to do so
If these terrorists didn't attack, they wouldn't be harmed!
1
She is a hawk. Why are you surprised? Hillary is also a hawk and so was Margaret Thatcher.
Not every woman is an angel of peace.
Why do not you use the same logic and call everyone at Douma terrorists. That way Syria too can justify that 40 people who died were terrorists.
European countries have hated the Jews for centuries. In 1290, King Edward I of England expelled the Jews from England. Spain expelled the Jews in 1492. Poland expelled the Jews several times. We all know what Nazi Germany did. The Arabs have gone to war against Israel several times since 1948. ENOUGH! Modern-day Israel exists because Jews need a homeland where they will be free from persecution. If the Arabs do not respect Israel, they must understand that the Israelis will retaliate.
15
"Modern-day Israel exists because Jews need a homeland where they will be free from persecution"
True, but for THAT they could have accepted a part of Canada. I believe there was such an offer.
The trouble is that Jews (for sentimental reasons) picked a place where others were ALREADY living. While I understand these sentimental reasons, it was not "merely" that they wanted a safe place.
1
Forgot to mention that this same Muslims (and arab christians too) took in Jews many times (as they are people of the book) saving them from spaniards, english and many others but to mow down civilians across border like that is the worst thing I've seen ever
4
israel would gain respect if it wasn't trying to eliminate Palestinians, especially when they are unarmed. It's not the Jews one hates, its the israelis, who already have a country but want more. What trump did was not well thought out.
1
Where is the outcry from American rabbis and Jews? This is human slaughter.
11
Where is the outcry from Imams when the Arabs go and blow up citizens of Israel?
6
You probably would have faulted the Jews, then, for violently opposing German Nazis who took their property, belongings, and lives? And the early Israelis who targeted Palestinian villagers?
Israel is the aggressor; making false equivalencies is Trumpian.
I know a number of Rabbis who are appalled.
Hamas, a proud terrorist organization, inspired and encouraged these protests. They urged most to march unarmed while a small but pernicious group sought to break the fence and then kidnap and commit murder. It is awful that so many were shot to death, but, the responsibility lies behind them and not with Israel.
12
You condemnation focuses on one day. Go back a while
start with the pillaging of land not their own.......
Apparently it's ok for Israel to slaughter Palestinians. I expect the U.S. to stand by and do nothing, continuing to arm this malevolent, racist government. But it appears the rest of the Western world will stand by and watch as well, a bystander with a slightly shocked look who hopes the mess gets cleaned up quickly. This is wrong. It's that simple. It's mass murder. It needs to stop. We have the power to stop it.
11
All these temples, churches and holy sites within this region signifying what? If Jesus were here, they would probably shoot him. This is no holy land. Israel and their PM are nothing but bullies. While this is a situation that is far more complex and complicated at its core, did Israel believe that this wouldn't happen? If you are for "peace" as the WH and Israel say they are, why wouldn't you broker some kind of meeting or put in place nonviolent means of protection during this time of opening the Embassy?
This WH Administration, led by this ignorant, antagonistic immature excuse for a man much less a leader, thrives on provocation for its own sake and wielding power, then using doublespeak to back up its reprehensible actions. Maybe other stupid Americans believe these lies, but we are in for much worse down the road as a nation, in that already war torn and volatile region and else where in the world.
I can't believe our Congress and our Judicial system is allowing this man to so obviously sell our country out and our values, much less the corruption and criminality that is right under our noses, all for greed and power. Good luck to us.
12
I can hardly believe people still talk about peace in the Mideast. The U.S. has strategic interests in the region, and we should pursue those, but let's drop the pretense that there's a "peace process" to push forward. There are too many individuals and groups involved who have no interest in peace. We can't force it to happen, so let's leave them to their own devices and exploit the situation to our best advantage. Cynical? Sure. Realistic? I think so.
1
Watching coverage of this conflict is truly like the movie Groundhog Day. Hamas incites thousands of Palestinians to storm Israel to try to slaughter innocent civilians, the Israeli army tries to defend its people from the rampage, media blames Israel for the whole conflict. Rinse repeat.
8
Religion should be shown the door. We are all just one mass of cells living within a bigger cell, called animal.
9
De Natura Rerum ; Lucrèce ; Book 1 , vers 101 : " Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum "
1
The last 4 presidents, including President Obama, all said that they would move the American Embassy to Jerusalem. They all said it because it was the right thing to do. A few days ago Israel dropped leaflets telling the Palestinians if they rushed the border that they would be shot. Now the NYT casts them as victims. The media is just continuing their childish ways in their bias coverage of Trump.
9
This should be printed in capitol letters. Why can't people get it, respond to it, engage it, accept it, and facilitate it?
If someone, anyone, were to throw rocks, gasoline, burn tires, and facilitate chaos, they would be my enemy.
3
The media such as the NYTimes claims that because of the moving of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem there is now a lot of violence that has been caused in the area. This is patently untrue. For Hamas, it is business as usual only on a more visible and larger scale. They claim the things should have been left 'as is' and the embassy should never have been moved. Business 'as is' of course, would mean that it was ok to launch rockets from Gaza into Israel at civilian targets. Business 'as is' means that tunnels could continue to be built so solo terrorists could make their way into Israel to stab and kill innocent people. Business 'as is' means that child could continue to be used as human shields. Business 'as is'means that the Palestinians could continue to be used as hate pawns in a game to exterminate the Jews. Business 'as is' means that Hamas could continue to export hate around the world and that media such as the Times could continue to blame the Jews for the reasons that Hamas and others like them could continue to kill innocents around the world with impunity. As usual, according to the NYTimes it's all the Jew's fault when the only thing that the Jews want is to live in peace.
5
History counts. In 1948 when H S Truman was losing to T Dewy he promised the Zionist lobby to support their position in the UN for their votes. The UN did nothing as 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes and jailed.
Now just picture if that happened to Rhode Island.
8
Palestinian lives matter.
10
Disgusting and embarrassing as a Jew. What has Israel become?
12
Thinking that the year 2000 would be the end of the world, Bible prophecy programs were all the rage back in the ‘90’s and since we didn’t really have much else to watch we found it entertaining and tuned in often.
Well folks according to the Lalond brothers this is it. Trump has paved the way for the Anti-Christ.
Those aren’t farts you’re smelling, that’s brimstone!
4
There is a tragic irony here.
How many of these so-called religious, white, "Christian" conservatives so pleased with this latest of Trump's indecencies would accept an impoverished, Palestinian, Jewish, liberal ,very possibly gay, man to be their lord and saviour? And accept him so widely they would kneel before statues of his likeness and build monuments to him ?
Get my drift?
6
Good work with Mid East peace and Happy Ramadan,Jared you
dolt.What a disgusting display,rolling out Javanka in Jerusalem.
What a swell party this is and it seems endless and gets worse everyday.
8
You guys are fed by biased journalism. I live in Israel and am amazed by the choice of worldwide newspapers to selectively choose the photos and partial-context to bring you guys a narrative that is far from the reality as such. Here are few points for you to consider about the alleged "Protest"
(1) The "protest" is no genuinely a protest - it is a mob of over 40,000 Palestinians running into the boarder of Israel in order to invade the Israeli territory and kill as many Jews as possible
(2) Hamas encourages the Palestinians to run into the boarder and tell them that the IDF's soldiers are running away - which is a lie
(3) IDF killed 60 terrorists - indeed, these are no protesters for they are armed people trying to invade Israel with the aim to kill. 60 out of 40,000 should tell you the efforts made by IDF to avoid kill unless necessary
(4) Any other state would have acted no differently than Israel and probably would have killed way more.
(5)The issue over the status of Jerusalem is mere excuse of HAMAS to escalate the stability in the area - I say it is an excuse: nothing has changed in the way Hamas operates- they bring their own people to death in order to create propaganda and each time they cling to some excuse.
88
as every story has TWO sides, I'd love to hear the other side too...
19
Readers of the main stream media need more people like you, who live in Israel, to speak up. They aren't aware of the bias they are reading. They haven't visited Israel.
18
You undercut your message with bias of your own.
A protester is not synonymous with a terrorist. Each can be, but is not necessarily, the other.
With 40,000 protestors acting as a "mob," how is it that the IDF perfectly identified and killed 60, but only the terrorists among them?
22
The liar Netanyahu wants to claim that the Israeli massacre of Palestinians was provoked by the victims. The NYTs through the article states a kind of equivalence to the Palestinian and Israeli positions which is sadly reinforcing Israel's atrocity. The Palestinians are an imprisoned people largely abandoned by the rest of the world. While Sheldon Adelson and Netanyahu lead Trump around by the nose.
19
This administration truly is a slow motion car crash. Who didn't see this violence coming? Likewise, the economic and social costs we can predict coming with the tax cuts for the 1% to be paid for by the rest of us. And likewise with the disregard for precautions re climate change.
16
As mind-numbingly usual, the through line of much of the commentary here is that "Israel has a right to defend itself". Fair enough. But I will continue to ask this question: why is Israel seemingly always in a position where it feels the need to defend itself? What are the critical antecedents to Palestinian anger, Arab states leveraging that anger, and Israel's reaction? No one really talks about that much because, if we're really honest with ourselves, we would not like the answers to those questions. We rarely hear the thought that, hey, the Palestinians (regardless of how you feel about that term) might have a legitimate complaint. The default position always feels like "Israel, right or wrong". Not a good way to solve problems and America is of no help here.
86
What are the critical antecedents to Palestinian anger? It is complicated, but part of it is anti-Semitism, and this is the part that cannot be negotiated with. I think the Israelis would have worked out a peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians if there were not a significant number of them who believe that the Jews should be exterminated.
15
This move on the part of the Trump administration was a sop to the evangelical fundamentalist Christian section of his voter base. The administration must have known that this was provocative but did not care. Netanyahu has seized this "religious" naivete to further his own expansionist policies. The consequent Palestinian deaths are both tragic and completely unjustifiable.
10
Palestinians are themselves Semites, and qed this is the part that cannot be negotiated with.
Reporting the facts is one thing. Trying to make sense out of it is another. Is Israel really responsible for the misery of Gaza? What role does Hamas, and the PA, play-or are they innocent bystanders (some probably believe this)? What is Hamas' objective in these fence riots? Do westerners really think Israel is required to absorb millions of hateful, terrorism inspired Palestinians into Israel proper? Why is there a U.N. approved blockade, practiced also by Egypt, on Gaza? What would Hamas achieve if that blockade was removed but it still didn't reform its objectives to destroy Israel? Is there really a legality in the vaunted "right of return?" Who knows what resolution 194 called for, and why it was rejected by the Arab world and Palestinians, in 1948?
Without depth, the reporting and pictures are stirring some strong emotions, but not explaining the objectives of either side, and providing little to no context and historical facts.
16
This is not religion, it is greed and pride that is driving this violence. Mr. Trump's inability to understand the true cost of this decision to move the US Embassy has resulted in human sacrifice. Shame on him, and us for supporting this.
Ivanka looking like she is doing a Vanna White spokes model impression while a thousand people were being shot, shows how shallow the Trump family is.
16
"Killings in Gaza." Even the sub-headline does not state it is Israeli soldiers who killed innocent civilians in Gaza.
Israel continues to isolate itself from the rest of the World.
15
OK, why are these people innocent when they came to crash the border of another country with the intent to kill its citizens? Would you sit back if 40,000 Canadians tried to crash our border, coming with weapons and a declared intent to kill US citizens and not wish our soldiers were there to protect you? Israel has a right to protect its border, its citizens and its democracy. And, BTW, I abhor trump and his whole corrupt administration and family.
6
Hardly innocent gaza civillians
3
Sticks, rocks and Kites vs bullets and an air force.....
BTW we managed to ultimately make peace with Canada and Great Britain........
after the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.
Wow, I didn't realize we had so many experts on Jerusalem here. We need to hurry and politicize this for our causes, the world's waiting for our insights on how people halfway around a completely different world than ours should live their lives. I'm sure they look in admiration at all of the answers we have for our own. We've obviously got it all figured out.
12
I am ashamed that the U.S. allowed the political situation to come to this tragedy. The lives of the Palestinians have been an ongoing tragedy for the past 70 years. The people corralled behind the fence used to live on what is now the Israeli side of the fence. What happened to the 70,000 Palestinians who used to live in Jaffa? The U.S. has always been Israel's lawyer against the world view, against international law. We violate our own laws by giving financial aid to a country with covert nuclear weapons. Limiting campaign contributions to stop big donors from controlling the government, such as Adelson's reputed $25 million infusion into the Trump coffers would be a step in the right direction.
19
Corralled by their own leaders who spend money on bombs rather than improving living conditions of their people. Who preach and teach hatred to their children and consider suicide bombers martyrs. Who rather be seen as victims rather than work with Israelis
5
Palestinian’s were offered 98% of Gaza (land) and Jerusalem as their capitol in exchange for Peace in 2000. They rejected the offer. Just like the Dems on immigration they just want the issue and a reason to protest rather than embracing real solutions.
4
A note of concern about money in politics might
be sent off to Alito c/o the Supreme Court
1
Trump shares responsibility for the Israeli disaster and terrorism and does not really want peace. Why then does the USA public still support President Trump and not remove him sooner than later. IF ALL true Americans vote in the upcoming elections we may be able to reverse this situation, but I have some concerns that the vote will be "fixed". DJM
9
“Recognized the truth starting on this day”! Breath takingly callous to say nothing about the future place of the Palestinians in a two state solution will finally make lasting peace. For Ivanka and Jared to be leading this spectacle when at the very least they should only be spectators, is equally appalling.
A very grave mistake was made 70 years ago. The Israelis need to extend a hand to the Palestinians; respect for their people and the misery they have suffered. A helping hand could go a long way and stop the terrorism. Instead they give them more carnage makes them the terrorists shooting unarmed boys. Shame.
13
If only ONE Muslim country would extend a helping hand to the Palestinians, it would be a complete reversal of Arab policy.
2
Excuse me? The ISRAELIS need to extend a hand in respect? What respect, exactly is deserved from a government (the PA) who has vowed to drive the Israelis into the Sea? Give me a break
4
It is evident that neither Trump nor Netanyahu considered the implication and the consequences in choosing the day for the celebration. I am sure that Trump had no inkling, but I am also sure that Netanyahu chose the day to glory in his victory. While I understand the symbolic nature of the act for him, it shows the utter disregard that he has for the Palestinians.
7
Yitzak Rabin was our last chance.....and one of his
countrymen struck him down
1
And of course the bullets were proudly "made in America."
8
Yes, and God bless Trump, Sessions, and the entire crew! The same thing will be happening at our borders, with emphasis on the southern border, protests that will no doubt take place once Trump's plan is fully implemented. There will be many deaths to come by people, if they have their own way, to resort to invasion of the US and overpower the border. I wish them the best of luck!
1
The Bible makes clear that before the "Children of Israel" became immigrants in the promised land, it was already inhabited by the Caananites. What are the evangelical Christians on about? And the Jews with historical claims?
And if the US evangelicals are going to support this argument I expect they will now be good enough to give the land rights back to the native Americans.
14
Gotta love the English language. If you replace the word “protestor” with “militant” or “partisan”, then I believe the connotation changes drastically. I’d argue that both descriptions are much more accurate. The stated goal of these “demonstrations” is to tear down the border fence of a separate sovereign state and cause damage to life, limb, and property. Sounds like an invasion to me.
13
thank you for giving us the fox news version, but no thank you
2
Do some research. Not many “sovereign” countries have walls on their borders.
The East Germans did and also in South Africa. We are among the few to join that club.
That wall is more like a prison wall.
1
You have a point. Fences made good neighbors works poetically here in New England. But 70 years ago, International guilt decided to accept one group's religious folklore, and simply drove most of the inhabitants of a region of the Levant by 'invasion' to establish Israel. It has been blood soaked ever since, But apparently there is Old Testament blood, and then that other blood.
Males on both sides of 'border fence' wear beards, circumcise boys, and share formal language traditions. But, as you write "Gotta love the English language". En sha' Allah
There are so many stunning and terrifying moves made by this administration and its supporters there is no time to have any perspective. But I think shock an awe is the theme and the plan.
3
I can't help but compare this awfulness to David and Goliath, only in this story, Israel is the Goliath. Displaced people with rocks harassing an ever encroaching and fortified border are taken out by army snipers. That doesn't sound reasonable to me. I have always thought that Jerusalem is like (rather, should be like) the Vatican City of the middle east. Even more so because of Jerusalem's historical significance for Jewish, Islamic and Christian faiths. History shows over millennia the battles fought for control of the site, and the constant fluctuation of dominance represented in the symbols of a crescent moon, the star of David, and the cross. You can be sure that no would dream of allowing the U.S. to put their embassy smack in the middle of Vatican City. I hope Mr. Netanyahu enjoyed his "glorious day", because in my view, Israel is not the victim anymore.
13
To clarify, Vatican City is a sovereign city-state, and Jerusalem should have that status as well. The U.S. does have a small house inside the Holy See which is U.S. Embassy to Vatican City. The U.S. Embassy to Italy is located in Rome, as should the U.S. Embassy to Israel remain in Tel Aviv. I just saw some video footage of the unveiling of a rock to mark the location of the new embassy, starring Ivanka and Jared. People are being killed for what looks like a cheap, staged event timed to provoke, and that is deplorable.
America's ultimate diplomatic symbol - a new embassy - now used in the most vindictively undiplomatic way. How trumpian. It has quickly become the American symbol we deserve for choosing the wrong side - instead of the side of diplomatic peace between two parties.
8
I can’t help but see parallels between current conditions in the world, and those that were present leading up to WWI and WWII. Trump and his cronies seem intent on adding tinder to tinder to the tinder box.
6
"We will look back on this day..." and will do what people do in daily coping, adapting and functioning.For some, remember as one chooses to. Others can and will distort when necessary.The traumatized may repress when necessary.Deniers will abound in and with their "tales." Many complicit in an ideologically seeded and harvested WE-THEY culture, and weltanschauung, which violates, daily, selected individuals and groups, will choose to enable, transmit and accept revisionist-created history. The violated, on all sides, and from measureless perspectives of menschlichkeit,both the maimed and dead, will transmute into numbers.Their names, roles, and truncated futures, and very BEING as a miracle of life, forgotten.By those of US who never chose to- or perhaps couldn't- get to know them. As fellow, diverse, people.Or to understand THEM, to begin with.The agendaed influential stakeholders, mortals, like to rest of US, will mantrafy. Repeatedly. With the energies which
would be necessary for personal accountability to create, expand and sustain equitable well being for all. The misleading memes and mantras will be manifest because an anchored-"they" can.Because both a WE and an US enables a THEM to do so.Shamelessly.Unidirectional blame will balloon.Voiced personal-responsibility, rare as a black swan,is likely to recede long before being acknowledged.Blaming THEM is the game.Reported instantly by a global myopic media documenting quotes and not needed queries!History is NOW!
3
It is a well-known fact that East Jerusalem has been occupied by Israel since June 1967 resulting from the Six Day War. Then in the PLO)'s Declaration of Independence of 1988, Jerusalem was stated to be the capital of their state. It is a very sad fact that both sides actually have a right to their history but not necessarily their former homelands. Today is not 3000 BC. However, both sides need to work something out. Israel took this properly illegally and has never wanted to return it to the Palestinians while they cannot be trusted as their culture will need another 3000 years to change its perspective on history and learn that they are also not the real owners of this territory. Different groups found this part of the world somewhere between 70,00 and 270,000 years ago. These groups were neither Jewish or Palestinian back then. So, if either side feels that because of history they have the rights to this part of the world they need to be taken to the World Court and prove that they were the first to occupy this part of the world way before their heritages claim they did. Otherwise, all of the Middle East needs to be given back to those who currently occupy Africa. This would be fair, right. Oh, that goes too far back? Then, if the Israelis today want to keep Jerusalem and the other illegally occupied lands, then maybe they need to give up as much of its southern land, that between Gaza and Jordan, to the point that an equal value in trade is forced upon both sides.
3
When is US giving Texas back to Mexico?
8
Let's see. Which Native American tribe lived in Grand Haven before you parked yourself there? Potewatomi and Ottawa ring a bell?
6
Truth and the right to write history goes to the victors. So much for your “Illegally” acquired lands.
2
Regardless what people think of Trump, he is correct on one thing regarding the United Nations: "While it has such great potential . . . right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time."
9
Was that trump or Bolton speaking ? Trump the proverbial bull in a china shop will one day have us in a war. Bolton is an enabler for trump since he would prefer preemptive war on anyone who crosses the US.
2
American people look: we finally have a President that will stand for what is right and just. Israel will defend its sovereignty, as America will. If the radical militants continue their protests, then so be it. What happens next is their choice.
President Trump. Keeping America Great.
13
Ah yes a good Christian response, if you would go back a few years before 1947, Palestine was a protectorate of the English and they had a Jewish immigrant problem after WW2 so they partition Palestine and created Israel where their Jews could go . So from that aspect the Palestinian were evicted from their land and forced into the new Palestine..
2
This is not the Wild West.
We live in a world community increasingly interconnected by globalization.
By your reasoning it would be OK for border agents in Arizona to shoot to kill Mexicans approaching and trying to cross our border. That doesn’t sound right.
I think live fire on protestors who are mostly unarmed is going too far. Not even the anarchist protestors at the World Trade Organization meetings get shot for setting cars and streets on fire in actual urban areas.
We have international laws and norms of civilized behavior for countries even though the U.S. and Israel often don’t follow them.
We should not forget the Golden Rule.
1
If this is "right and just" according to Trump supporters then I suppose whenever Trump starts shooting desperate migrants who even approach the Mexican border wall his supporters will say it's "Keeping America Great."
Everything Trump touches turns into a mess, why would the Middle East be any different? He’s not even qualified to lead a parade...and he’d probably opt for a golf cart anyway.
Whether you are an Israeli or a Palestinian, having to constantly worry about dying, day-in, day-out seems like a raw way to live. I would find it immensely satisfying if our next president would allow both parties to emigrate to our country without penalty or restrictions. It’s not perfect here but at least we can say we offered a form of a solution to an intractable problem after contributing so much to it’s escalation.
3
President Trump is proving to be the star negotiator he promised during his campaign.
The headline that "peace (is) as distant as ever" may be premature in its conclusion.
The real roadblock to peace over the last 70 years has been the West's feckless acceptance of Palestine's assertion of a dual-state. Now that President Trump has effecively killed that strategy, both sides can move forward and accept a future state that more accurately reflects the real politicks of the region (Israel's dominance) and the American power backing them.
Game over.
8
Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem is a violation of international law. It is obvious that with Jewish and evangelical Christian political influence in the U.S., and very little influence on the Arab side, the U.S. has done nothing to stop Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and continued settlements on the West Bank, and military control of the area since 1967. Now Trump has gone even further with the likes of Sheldon Adelson and so-called evangelical pastors in attendance at a ceremony marking the occasion of the establishment of the U.S. embassy in occupied and annexed East Jerusalem. Of course, this was all after the Western powers decided to divvy up Palestine and kick the majority population of Arabs out because of "historical claims" of the Jewish people. What about Arab Palestinian historical claims? Why have those been ignored? You see, it is not really about justice. It is about political and military power. Who has it and who wields it. Israel and the U.S. have it and they wield it. The best that can be said for the U.S. is that we have not stopped Israel from wielding it.
3
How better to achieve peace than to begin from a position of reality? The Great Return is a myth, and as a false belief, it is a much greater impediment to peace than the reality of the embassy.
Most of the disapproval of the embassy stems from the resentment of Trump and/or the US' support of Israel. More sour grapes and convoluted arguments. Obviously many are heavily invested in preventing both from a win of any kind. And many are invested in a false peace narrative, which includes the "poor defenseless rock-throwing Gazans" who also happen to be high level members of a terrorist organization.
8
Israelis have a right to defend their home but the Palestinians don't have a right to live in theirs? Both sides have lived together for centuries; neither have an exclusive right to call Jerusalem home, nor should they have U.S. support to propagate such a claim.
81
Actually, Jews have been expelled from Arab nations, as well as Arab held territory of Palestine and East Jerusalem when Jordan ruled it 1948-67. It is not too much to ask that Jews have a place they can live in in the Middle East that is not taken over by people indoctrinated to destroy them.
3
About time someone had the guts and fortitude to set things straight.
6
So after all this time and with still no security clearance, Kushner is still there and never missed a beat. A major lie was just exposed,a bigger lie than most of the others.
5
I'm waiting for the president's statement where he says that "there are good people on both sides."
6
Well done Trump, you just made possible the best recruiting video for Jihadis. This timing of Jerusalem embassy opening and violating Iran deal makes preamble for a larger conflict in the region. A head start for Iran invasion.
6
It is all very very sad. How can people revel with joy while others are being killed and wounded?
5
The US embassy at Jerusalem will be known less for diplomacy or peace effort and more as a US-Israeli joint military outpost created mainly to ensure the extinction of the Palestinians and turn their Palestine dream into a nightmare.
8
Sadly, geopolitics are divisive. I remember India during her non aligned state. "India was one of the earliest champions of the Palestinian cause but in recent years turned to Israel for high-tech military equipment and anti-terrorism cooperation." "India was among more than 120 countries to vote in favour of a resolution in December calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital."
Perhaps India's right hand does not know what her left hand is doing?
Its so complicated. Alas.
3
How is Israel and Palestine any different than the civil war in Syria? Likewise Sunni and Shia in Iraq? Indifference is one of Natures best defense mechanisms. Forget Sheldon Adelson's obsession and agenda.
3
Trump is really killing this job! I wonder what the final death toll will be.
9
Peace on our dime I could accept. But, war crimes by a slime? A gratuitous insult that knowingly puts future U.S. diplomats in harms way infinitely more than a hundred Benghazi riots? Never.
The deeper one's knowledge of the circumstances and history, the dumber this senile Adelson funded provocation comes across. A true ideological gift to ISIS and Hamas. An internet loadstone for attracting frustrated and adolescent recruits for the next gen of Jihad. Dumb as Trump is stupid.
17
What a sick spectacle. Trump and Bibi belong in prison.
18
Trump and his surrounding band of narcissistic imcompetents' behavior in the guise of diplomacy is disgusting. Most of what he/they do is oppositional, provocative, chaos and violence-inducing ... the more I read about and get immersed in details, the more negative I get about it ... and our representation yesterday by Ivanka, Jared, and the two insane "clergy" was absolutely nauseating ... Israel's handling of the Gaza situation was horrible too ...
8
but the confrontations clearly set up by Hamas via Gaza citizens in their suicidal-nihilism politics ...
1
So Israel left Gaza without preconditions and got not stop rockets and terror tunnels in return. The charter for Hamas delcares that Israel is to be destroyed. Each demonstrator is paid by Hamas and as several demonstrators have said if we get across the borderr "we will kill Jews." Islamic theology says that once land is under Islamic control that it is illegitimate for it to be under any other form of control (Witness Ben Laden's speeches about the reconquest of Spain) This makes the Palistenians victims in the eyes of the NY Times. Perhaps the uber liberals and theTimes wishes Israel to commit sucicide? The first duty of a government is to protect its citizens
14
"The charter for Hamas delcares that Israel is to be destroyed."
Quiet, there! Such facts are not to raised in this venue!
1
No the Israeli "preconditions" mean that no one can leave Gaza by air land or sea without being shot. Try to fish more than three miles from the coast line, you will be shot. Try to bring in medical supplies or food you will be shot. Try to bring in materials to fix the water treatment plants so that you and yours don't have to live in sewage you will be shot.
Israel has the same preconditions on Gazans that a prison guard has on prisoners.
1
"Mr. Netanyahu spoke of peace with “all our neighbors,” praising Mr. Trump and his team as truth-tellers for acknowledging what he called the fact that Israel’s capital was an “eternal, undivided” Jerusalem," versus 60 killed and thousands injured as Palestinians tried to cross a barricade. Balloons released in a celebration versus kites lite on fire thrown across the border. It reminds me of when the US Military went on a rampage through Afghanistan after 911 killing hundreds of innocent people. It was the bombing of wedding parties that got to me the most. There is a divide here and it is not being recognized in a civilized manner. Ivanka with her glossy smile of fake teeth and coiffed hair versus elderly Palestinian women fighting for a cause with the risk of being killed. Why is this happening?
5
The next "truth" we expect from Netanyahu/Kushner/Trump is that the Scriptures guarantee all of Israel and the West Bank to the Jews. And no "peace that is built on lies" can survive.
How is that different from the "truth" that all of Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel? It isn't. And that is what Israelis believe.
The Palestinians? Maybe they could put in taller buildings in Gaza and move all Arabs out of the truthful Israel and into Gaza. And Trump could build a wall...
5
It’s good to know the history. Before 1948, Jews had been living in Judea and Sumeria (the name used up until then later called the West Bank) and East Jerusalem until they were all ethnically cleansed from the area by the Jordanians. Jordan then, illegally, annexed the entire area for itself. In East Jerusalem, Jordan destroyed much of the Jewish history there, buildings that had existed for centuries, prohibited Jews from visiting the Western Wall and instead used it as a garbage dump. No one seemed to care back then. In the 1967 war, initiated by Arabs to destroy Israel, they failed and Israel took back that land.
1
The Gazans approaching the security fence were not carrying flowers. Some perhaps bore love in their hearts; others no doubt bore hatred, violent intent, and weapons. The Hamas goal was to create a media spectacle that would cast Israel in a bad light. But what nation can tolerate an invading force seeking, with violence, the eradication of what they call "the Zionist entity." Hamas is not looking for peace but rather utter domination. A study of the long history of how Arab governments and leadership has cynically sacrificed the Palestinian people in the name of fanaticism is necessary to grasp what is going on now. Looking at pictures is not enough. The wall Israel built was put up to keep out people who came to bomb buses and restaurants, not to control immigration. Americans need to learn some history before they run to denounce Israel.
12
It's the Palestinian homeland too. They were there way, way before the Jews came after WWII. It is their sacred place as well -- their Mecca and their most holy place. I don't blame them for protesting. I would. I do blame the Jewish people for slaughtering them.
This is a terrible mess, and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse. Thank you, Mr. Prez, for creating what may become a full-out civil war in Israel.
6
"[T]heir Mecca and their most holy place."
Well, to be factual, Mecca is not in Israel or, for that matter, in Palestine. The Dome of the Rock is the third most holy place in Islam.
It would be nice if Palestinians didn't hurl rocks from the Dome of the Rock onto Jews praying at the Western Wall, which is the most holy place in Judaism.
You see how it works?
1
You should study history of that land. Jews were there long before Arabs...
2
Sorry, sharky44, you need a history lesson. "Palestinian" is a made-up word, created by Yasser Arafat. They are properly called Jordanians, or better yet, trans-Jordanians. Oh, and by the way, Israelites / Hebrews have continually lived in the area, now known as Israel, for over three thousand years.
4
I'm appalled by the coverage in this newspaper of the Hamas terror attacks yesterday and over the past few months against Israel. Why are you afraid to report the truth? Could it be because Obama and Kerry are partly responsible because of their $150 BILLION CASH bribe to Iran to sign the failed JCPOA. That money is funding this terrorism...the left can ignore this fact all they want...but Iran backs Hamas...and Hamas is behind this terrorism.
11
I take it that you're unaware that a) the $150 bil was actually Iran's money, which we'd seized, b) you generally have to give some to get some in a negotiation, c) Bibi Netanyahu's under indictment on corruption charges, d) Trump has now glued us to those charmers, the Saudi royal family?
Hey, guess Who was part of that familiy?
I was struck by the front page photographs in the UK press. The sense of national pride and optimism as personified by the upcoming wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle. Juxtapose these images with sobering reality of a devolving crisis in Jerusalem with violence and Palestinians being shot, complete with images of Ivanka and Jared dressed as Barbie and Ken as Trump's diplomatic corps vanguard, complete with Bibi Netanyahu nodding. Overlay Jared and Ivanka with Netanyahu with the presence of John Hagee and Robert Jeffress and all that Hagee and Jeffress have uttered in the past about Jews and Armageddon.
Trump forges backward with policy choices grounded in insanity and flagrant pandering to Israel's Netanyahu and the Evangelical Christian Right. Consider this a two-for major blunder on the world stage, forever throwing painful diplomatic efforts to craft peace into the wind. The payback is secretly grounded in financial gain for Trump (all of them, including Kushner) and acknowledging the lunacy which dominates Evangelicals, steadfast supporters of Trump and Pence, and zealots of a credo neither Christian nor morally right.
Just when one thought Trump could Eff it up even more, there stands Ivanka and Jared.
6
Peter: Bravo!
It's amazing how the NY Times is spinning all of this.
The US essentially took Jerusalem off the negotiating table, and not a single Arab country is protesting.
Hamas is desperately trying to create a global issue out of this, because it appears that nobody really cares. The Arab world is too focused on Iran to care about this cause.
How can you create a global cause? Give your citizens some weapons and put them straight in front of Israeli soldiers, wait for them to be shot down, and then parade around the number of dead for the anti-Israel media, led by the NY Times and the BBC.
The NY Times is a pawn in this global theater, and they hate Israel too much to notice or care.
19
Along the Gaza border, tens of thousands of Arabs were urged by their elected terror government to rush the Israeli border, break through and liberate their lands.
All are a product of lethal hate indoctrination against Jews.
Hamas has only one agenda and they are clear about it; the destruction of Israel. They do not hide behind suits and duplicity.
So yesterday, there was a massive"popular" enemy attack on Israel's Gaza border (the "return home march"). Israel made sure they did not get through. It cost the Arabs sixty deaths and many wounded.
Hamas got the bloody photos they wanted and the usual howl went up from the most caring and humanitarian of voices such as Turkey...
Of course, Israel's Arab Knesset members were joined by their Leftist allies in completing the picture that Hamas so carefully designed.
10
Wanting your land back may be foolish but I don't see how this can be equated to lethal hatred of the Jews. This is yet another example of the inflated rhetoric that you deplore when used, as it is, by the other side.
When the UN partitioned Palestine in 1948 Palestinians publicly vowed to push the Jews into the Sea. Nothing has changed since then. Except that killing Jews has consequences. They fight back.
10
Jews have always thrived wherever they lived. They have also always been enslaved and persecuted. What is in Jewishness that elicits this response? It is time the Jewish diaspora find an answer.
1
Jews were honored with Nobel Prize in almost all fields that prizes exist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureates
These Jews did not have to reside in Israel to be awarded Nobel prizes. They earned and deserved these prizes wherever they worked. These Jews were neither killed nor pushed to sea.
1
Some very special soil over there, the very most special in the world, worth every death.
1
I favor the no religion state solution, but how does one get these tribes to stabilize their populations?
2
Trump just invited the next intifada....check that, it has already started...the palestinians have no choice but to revolt ...their infrastructure is limited and they have almost no life for their young people...Netanyahu could not have wished for a better result...he and Trump are two birds of a feather...both liars, both blow-hards and and both bullies.
6
Israel is a state which will be on a permanent war footing from now until the moment some sort of "modus vivendi" beneficial to both Arabs and Jews is established between Islamic peoples and Israelis. As a country with military needs far in excess of their ability to pay for them, Israel will be dependent on the United States for most of its war materiél well into the future, leaving Israel as an American client state unable to exist on its own and acting as a bully in a tremendously volatile part of the world.
It seems to me that the ability to suppress the existence of an Islamic A-bomb will not always be the case. Trump's action in backing out of the deal with Iran will simply hasten the day such a bomb becomes a reality.
As it presently is, a major war is absolutely inevitable, and America will just as inevitably be sucked into it due entirely to the failure of its own foreign policy in the Middle East. The question is really when, not if.
2
Some simply can’t accept that the Jews defend themselves, that they have defeated the hate and anti semitism of the surrounding Armies of Islamio-fascist supremacists bent on wiping out the Jews.
Arabs cannot accept the superior Jewish state in their midst. They are told, as muslins, that they are superior to the descendants of “apes and pigs” (wonderful wording in the text, huh?) and that the lands are made for the muslim who is entitled to its land, property and persons (for rape, forced marriage, and slave trading, per the 7th century Quran). If they are humiliated by a ferocious army in 67, oh it was only because they had help, not that the Arabs left their Air Force on the ground for another ego speech by Nasser and co.; the Jews knew this and so in one hour their Air Force was destroyed. All of it! Sure they only won because of US/British help. 73? They defeated a surprise attack and on a decisive tank battle, overcame their enemies.
Anybody can buy bullets and rifles and planes from Russia if you’re Iran or the US and allies or China, ad nauseum.
1
It appears that Trump is merely acting on Obama policy. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/romneys-pledge-to... Read the entire article, get past the headline.
2
The NYtimes bias for terrorism and against democracy is astonishing and the reason we have DJT as president
7
Uh, just how do you figure that?
1
The poor people in Gaza are in a concentration camp. The expansion into occupied territories is Lebensraum.
Do the Israelis NOT see what they have become?
8
The Jewish diaspora, through sheer hard work, entrepreneurship became a stellar community, wealthy beyond worldly imagination. Wherever the Jews lived after they escaped from Christian persecution, the Persian and Arabic rulers, gave them refuge and they thrived and flourished because of that patronage. Now the successful Jews have forgotten their past, their suffering, the holocaust museum has become a mere symbol. APAC and influential wealthy Jews have hijacked the peace process in the excuse of a Jewish homeland based on religious exclusivity. It is most ironic.
1
How about blaming THEIR "leaders." What has happened to the aid money we give? I'll tell you: it goes to build tunnels so sophisticated I wish the subways in the US looked that good. Purpose? To bring death to the citizens of Israel. How about acting like good world citizens instead of vowing just to kill Jews?
5
"The poor people in Gaza are in a concentration camp."
Really?
Know much history?
2
Power to the powerful. Thus say these photographs.
Power to he powerful -- the motto and guiding principle of the Trump administration, of right-wing governments around the world.
2
it's clear - no matter what we do in the the middle east, we end up making a mess, either as a direct, or secondary result of out actions.
if we aren't going to be helpful in the middle east, can't we at least stop contributing problems?
what's WRONG WITH US that can't stop meddling?
8
There's lots of money in the oil and war business and there's a lot of greedy evil people in this country.
1
The demonstrations at the Gaza border were not a spontaneous act of a suppressed people, but rather an orchestrated attempt to break through the border fence and kill as many Israelis as possible. The IDF did not have a choice as their country was under siege. The Hamas government bused people to this event and sent their young men and women in waves to attack the Jewish State. They knew exactly how this would play in the West, and used their own people as cannon fodder for this purpose. And how could so many young folks be available for this.....because there are NO JOBS. Hamas is deplorable and their mission no different. They are fortunate to have Israel as their enemy. Had the Kurds acted this way against Turkey, Erodogan would have had them all slaughtered, and not shot in the legs. Don't be caught by the horror of the bodies, as this is exactly what these cruel leaders expect.
38
Howie- could not say better. thanks
10
TOUCHE!! The bias of those that think the Israelis are to blame for this horrific situation are uneducated and uninformed. It is deplorable what is happening in Gaza and it is ALL due to their terrorist government HAMAS who seems to be getting none of the blame. This is EXACTLY what Hamas wants.
2
How many Jews have the Palestinians managed to kill? Zero. How many Palestinians have been killed? Hundreds. Civilized countries don't kill people for burning tires. Blaming the victims is wearing thin.
2
Whenever news from Israel is open to commentary here, the same themes are endlessly repeated; each side passionately talking past the other, never the slightest meeting of minds. As an Irish-American, this is all too familiar from our native land's history: a clash of zero-sum patriots, each side dissatisfied with anything less than all of the tortured land of Northern Ireland and ready if not eager to kill and die for it. Such sentiments are not conducive to thoughtful dialogue. As our poet put it then, "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity."
58
Except that Arafat was given everything he ever asked for back in 2000 . Then he got greedy and pressed for the old city which he knew was a deal breaker . Hence we know what we already suspected , the Palestinian leadership has no interest in peace because the "struggle" serves a corrupt leadership so well . Arafat died with a net worth north of 2 billion dollars. What , you didn't know?
19
The embassy is not about peace it is about what makes sense geopolitically for Israel, notwithstanding there is an affronted party. There is ALWAYS an affronted party. No matter what.
6
Let's be clear, not much more than the flag was moved to Jerusalem. Embassy operations remain almost entirely in Tel Aviv. It will take years to build a real working embassy.
2
What is the point of this embassy move except to punctuate the careless narcissism of Trump and Netanyahu and the careless ignorance of their supporters? Many died and were injured in this tragedy that was certain to occur. A trigger has been pulled with some predictably violent and some uncertain consequences. Reckless people in Israel and the US and Trump in particular have added greater hazard to peaceful living for Israeli citizens and further fuel to already unstable factions of religious and political radicalism around the world.
Trump and Netanyahu have put their names on another singular failure and useless, mindless, narcissistic source of tragedy.
13
Jerusalem should not be the capital of any nation. It needs to be an independent city run by a council composed of Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Putting the US embassy in East Jerusalem was an action known to create strife. But that is what Trump and company specialize in causing. The deaths of a day of their celebration of power makes them war criminals. But as history is written by the victors, and the victors usually win by who ultimately has the biggest gun, justice will not follow Trump for the deaths his actions cause.
The leaders of Hamas are guilty of war crimes. The people urging Palestinians to rush the fence - knowing they will be killed - aided and abetted mass murder.
The 800 right-wing religious and politicians are liars and murderers. They wrap themselves in cloaks of religious belief and nationalism hiding their true motivations of ethnic and national purity - no matter how much blood is shed to achieve that goal.
I believe the best thing for the Middle East is a democratic Israel. The citizens of the Middle East remain violent fools sacrificing themselves to the rule of religious fanatics and political dictators. They have yet to learn grow out of the atavistic need for hierarchy and king-priest-dictatorial rule.
But Israel's willingness to turn into a violent state makes Israel no better. But the same is true for those who elected Trump.
9
Tell a lie long enough and it becomes accepted as truth. The US Embassy in NOT in East Jerusalem -- it is in an area that has been Israel since the partition. Facts matter. The pathway to peace has been known for decades. Renounce violence and recognize/accept Israel as a Jewish state, per the original UN plan which was accepted by Israel and still not by "Palestinians". It worked for Egypt (settlements were dismantled and abandoned) and it worked with Jordan. On the other hand, the evacuation of Jews from Gaza led to nothing but ongoing rocket fire in to territory nobody disputes except for people calling for Israel's destruction, terror tunnels and diversion of money meant for the people to fund weapons and enrich the leadership. Now the people in Gaza who are committed to destroying Israel are storming the border (What does that have to do with settlements? There are none in Gaza -- in fact there are NO JEWS in GAZA!) Enough already. If the people of Gaza went about their lives Israel would completely leave them alone. And if Abbas and his merry band of idiots were serious about peace they'd sit down with Israel and negotiate. The Embassy does not change anything -- nor does it preclude a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem. Please stop this craziness. Double standards don't work.
8
One hopes that diplomacy is more than just an exercise in hypocrisy. For decades, diplomats would travel every day from their embassies in Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli government officials in Jerusalem. They kept embassies in Israel, but pretended that the Israeli government wasn't based in its own capital. And now that Trump has done what everyone else has been secretly doing for years, we pretend to be shocked.
So ask yourselves this, when past Presidents and other foreign leaders sent their foreign ministers to call on the Israeli leadership, where did they send them? Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?
5
Actually.....I don't understand what happened. When Israel became a country in 1948, Jerusalem was declared to belong to all religions and a separate area, similar to the Vatican in the heart of Rome. I believe that this is the ONLY thing that makes sense.
14
Why are you using the passive voice to describe the killings? E.g., "Protesters were killed." Yes, the active voice would actually identify who did the killings, like this description from a Vox article:
"Israeli security forces killed more than 60 Palestinians and injured another 2,400 on Monday during protests at the Gaza Strip over the US Embassy move to Jerusalem, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It was the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 war with Israel."
10
These should be sufficiently active for you:
"A voice on a loudspeaker urged the crowd forward: "Get closer! Get closer!""
". . .when officials from Hamas and other militant factions addressed the worshipers, urging them into the fray. . ."
Those killed and wounded were not there of peaceful intent.
3
“Why are you using passive voices to describe the killings ?” Because, as difficult as it is for most people to comprehend the evil mindset of Hamas, most of the media simply ignores the fact that the strategy used by Hamas is to actually make sure that there are dead Palestinians in clips to be viewed all over the world. Hamas understands very well that these pictures can only help their cause because dead Palestinians is a win- win situation, where Palestinians get sympathy and Israel gets slammed. This has been their modus operandi for many years and judging from some of the comments here, it is and has been working rather well.
5
The Israeli response to the protests is violent because the protests are violent. The Israeli Defense Force said it intelligence showed that Hamas “planned to breach the border fence en masse.” “Hamas placed many women at the front in an effort to make it difficult for us to deal with terror targets. The Jerusalem Times is reporting that “the violence began at 11:30 a.m. with hundreds of rioters running towards the fence in the northern part of the Strip. A number of Palestinians climbed the fence at several points. Some 40,000 Palestinians took part in violent demonstrations at 13 different locations along the fence, throwing stones, explosive devices and Molotov cocktails at the fence and IDF troops, as well as burning tires and launching burning objects such as kites with charcoal or containers of burning fuel with the intention of setting fires in Israeli fields, the IDF said.”
21
The Gazans were not protesting the embassy. They want to destroy Israel.
7
Civilized nations don't kill people by the dozens for burning tires or rushing fences. This was a massive overuse of force, using a bazooka to kill a gnat.
1
Why isn't there more outrage heard from the US press and government The silence is unfathomable. Why is everyone afraid to point the finger at Israel? Fear of being shouted down, of being labelled an anti-semite, fear of reprisal?
I have a few questions that don't get asked by the cowering press. Did anyone actually scale the fence and pose even a semblance of a threat to Israelis? Did any Israeli actually feel threatened by the rocks, exploding kites, random guns and knives? Was anyone approaching or climbing the fence, in that moment, intent on killing Israelis, as Israeli spokesmen claim? What authority established the border between Gaza and Israel? Is the border the fence or the line on the Gaza side which is not to be crossed? What authority established that line?. Is it clearly demarked? If, by some stretch of gullibility, there was a threat to Israel, wouldn't it be more humane and logical to kill the transgressor after they had surmounted the fence? Israelis claim that they were shooting at the legs; it should be easy to determine how well they adhered to this claimed intention. How many children were shot?
11
“How many children were shot?”
An excellent question. Just excellent.
Here’s another question: “What kind of person or political operative take their children, and in some cases infants (!!) to a violent protest infiltrated with armed terrorists and then push them forward to the front in order to have them injured or killed, all in the hope of casting blame and condemnation on the Jews and Israel?”
“What kind of person, organization, or political/religious ideology advocates something like that?”
Another good question.
2
Amazing that you have failed to notice any headlines around the world. Israel is constantly being slammed by the press and by comments like yours. Unfortunately, very few are afraid to criticize Israel. In fact, it is probably the most criticized country in the world today. How much of the media is actually blaming Hamas for all these deaths ? Certainly not the NYT.
2
So according to LMS, Israel has to wait until the border is breached by a Hamas led people forever denouncing Israel, and calling for death to the "israeli usurpers" of their land.
Israel has made offer after offer to cede land for peace, none of which were ever enough and all of which were rejected outright. Can anyone cite one concession that the Palestinians have made for the establishment of a state that they keep telling the world they want? When Ohlmert offered them 97 percent of the West Bank, they walked away. When many was pumped into the P.L.O.' coffers, Arafat drained millions and his wife now lives in luxury in France. When Israel made offer after offer to find a way to peace the answer was always, "no" because the Palestinians always wanted peace on their own terms. How do you make peace without a willing partner? And why is a sovereign nation, not allowed to select the location of its capitol?
When The Palestinians fired rockets and dug tunnels to breach the border with Israel should Israel have invited them for a cup of tea to get into another fruitless discussion about peace?
When will the Palestinians come to the conclusion that rockets or tunnels or rocks or Molotov cocktails do not signal a desire for peace? As Einstein famously said, doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different outcome is sheer lunacy.
1
It's all about Trump's base, both evangelical and conservative Jewish. He continues to meddle in international politics to win elections at home.
7
"One clear loser, veterans of Israeli-Palestinian talks said, was peace in the region, which seemed ever more distant."
Really? And what veterans would these be? The veterans who have not moved the needle in 40 yrs?
I think it's time for some new veterans.
7
I would encourage the sane nations of the world to immediately recall their embassies and cut off all diplomatic ties to both Israel and the US, and to cut off all trade with these two rogue countries as well.
5
How about more accurately calling them “assailants encouraged by hateful militants” rather than “protestors”? If such a mob was moving across your property line, launching missles and setting fires, wouldn’t you also protect yourself? Especially when your home was the last, certain refuge from centuries of persecution and discrimination on the rest of the planet?
19
Trump's bellicose megalomania has set the Middle East peace process back decades. Worse yet, his haughty, self-congratulatory posturing only serves to alienate the Arab world against Israel and its allies even more. The world is dramatically less safe because of this myopic quid-pro-quo on the part of a pugnacious kleptocrat. Talk about sad!
8
Israel presently has a right wing government. During their last election the opposition had a chance according to the pre-election polls but the government urged their followers to turn out and came them in power which is what the public ended up doing. Hamas is the greatest ally to the right wing. Their tunnel building and vow to drive Israel into the sea will continue to hurt the peace movement within Israel.
2
"Hamas is the greatest ally to the right wing." That's why Bibi keeps them around. Vilifying, baiting and attacking the Palestinians is necessary for netanyahu to keep his grip on power. He has no interest in peace because his party has no future if peace happens.
1
So here is the math: Sheldon Adelson gives the RNC $30 million days before his number one request comes through, and now 52 Palestinians are dead. So that's approximately 576 K per Palestinian. That's how much Republicans are willing to sell lives for. Other people's lives. Of course, the cost is borne by the Palestinian people, while Paul Ryan runs to the bank scott free. Meanwhile Ivanka Trump, with her polished white smile, puts a shine on the festivities serving once again to obscure the dark side of her father's actions. Sickening.
7
And when -- if -- he thinks about these murders, somewhere in the back of Trump's mind, he's dreaming of the day he can do that on the Mexican border and wanting to know why he can't order the troops to fix bayonets right now this minute.
4
Although a native Armenian, I was a Palestinian kid in Jerusalem, until the Partition in May, 1948, when we were forced out of our home by the Jewish underground, and lost everything.
There is blame on both sides, but what Israel is doing, is so disproportionate in the conflict, it has re-interpreted the Jewish Tanakh, replacing the statement 'an eye for an eye" with "ten eyes for one eye".
As the Romans used to quip: if you desire peace, prepare for war!
6
The US has the same overkill mentality. I give you the response to 9/11 as a prime example.
1
Gaza's ordeal is completely self-inflicted and the solution is very simple: Give up their impossible dream of annihilating Israel and accept coexistence. Then, with Egyptian help, Saudi/Gulf funding, and Israeli technology, within a few years Gaza could be turned into the Dubai of the Mediterranean.
All they need to do is to accept coexistence. Simple.
17
You offer an apartment in a high rise to people who dream of returning to their great grandfather's olive groves?
Pretty sure that declaring Jerusalem the Israeli capital is the opposite of "accepting coexistence".
I am ashamed to be Jewish. Disgusting display to feed the hubris and distract from criminal investigations of Trump and Bibi.
1
Wish I could believe this fantasy. Achieving it would require a 100% reversal of the attitudes of both Israelis and Gazans toward the other. Given the last several decades of unbroken mutual hatred, this is not likely to happen.
Something I have not been able to figure out (I hope someone here will explain) is whether this new U.S. Embassy is in East or West Jerusalem. I have long been a supporter of two independent States (Israel and an Arab Palestinian State) living side by side in peace. It has long been assumed (even recognized during the Oslo Accord meetings) that West Jerusalem would be the capital of Israel, while East Jerusalem would be the Capital of the new Arab State. But the exact boundaries need to be negotiated by the two parties and not determined by the U.S. If the new Embassy is in East Jerusalem, this would be a strong provocation on the part of our government to interfere with two-party negotiations.
3
The new embassy is located in West Jerusalem. East Jerusalem will remain on the negotiation table, but you’d never know that based on the comments here.
3
Thank you Malone. The profound ignorance and prejudice of many people on this thread no longer shocks. Many seem to feel that a Jewish association with Jerusalem began only in the 20th century, not realizing that archeological evidence shows that Jerusalem was the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel more than 3000 years ago.
1
My two indelible images of the Trump presidency: the torch march in Charlottesville and yesterday's side by side images of mayhem and smiling attendees at the embassy party. Two days that should live in infamy.
8
But at the embassy dedication, Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, predicted that “when there is peace in this region, we will look back upon this day and will remember that the journey to peace started with a strong America recognizing the truth.”
No, we will remember blind stupidity...on everyone's part...and, in particular, that of Trump and Netanyahu.
7
Leonard Cohen must be turning over in his grave. The arrogance ignorance and provocative actions of this administration is mind boggling.
2
What's it got to do with Cohen? He's a Canadian and a jewish Buddhist , oh and as he said :"I'm the little jew who wrote the Bible"
1
I can only guess what Trump must be thinking about the violence at the boarder… “Folks. You need a big beautiful wall. (Nobody builds bigger more beautiful walls than I do.)
4
Borders are there for a reason. In this case religious leaders we're telling the people to storm the Border.
Going back to '48 Islamic leaders have used the Palestinians as Pawns to further Islamic dominance. Leftists in the west advocate open borders siding with those who seek to conquer all around them,as they have for 1500 years. No sympathy is warranted.
7
This is a disgrace and these people's blood is on the hands of the Trump administration and all of the Christian Conservative and American Jewish supporters who pushed for the move of this embassy. History will judge them and their actions.
It is amazing to me that people who invoke their religion have no problem with innocent people being killed in cold blood. No god that I know of, in any respectable religion would ever condone such barbary. Have we, as a civilization, forgotten that these are human beings and that Life is precious! To stand by and let this happen is disgraceful!
This is another stain on the history of the Nation of Israel which will not be forgotten and make the prospect of peace something that is even more unattainable.
To the supporters of Israel who standby and let this happen or encourage this, shame on you. For you will be judged and your arrogance may be leading to a Middle East rife with war that you will not be able to wash your hands of.
5
Leaders of Hamas who organized these demonstrations are criminals. They should be put in jail. These 58 lives, including several children between the ages of 12 and 14 are on their conscience. We should unequivocally condemn them.
12
What if the home of so many religions in Jerusalem is a sign from God that we all believe in the same God?
2
Israel's slaughter of protesters is simply a war crime.
No amount of weird justifications, word parsing and/or double talk can hide this fact.
3
At the current rate how long will it take until there are no Palestinians left.
1
"The two scenes, only an hour’s drive apart, illustrated the chasm dividing Israelis and Palestinians more than at any moment in recent history." I'd say the photographs in this article demonstrate this sentence poignantly. When you see images of "protesters" preparing to light tires on fire, cutting through a border fence with weapons (you forgot that photo!), hurling rocks, and encouragement to be violent from women, among other images...it is hard to have much sympathy. It's all about context. Israeli soldiers are not indiscrimantly shooting solely to kill Palestinians. They are defending themselves from aggression. I've wondered what would happen if a "protester" but through the fence and ran to an Israeli border city undetected. Actually, Hamas already told us via social media sites -- "use your weapons to kill the Jew." You forgot that piece of the story too for context. Omission of fact to make a biased point is bad journalism.
72
I don't think either side of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is in the right. However, this bloodshed was 100% predictable and preventable. The blood of these people falls on the Trump White House and for what? Trump's own ego and another "win" in his book. All the while the new US Embassy is being revealed by two family members that do not even have security clearance. This whole thing stinks to high heavens.
13
Well said.
In summary:
Palestinian "protesters" are intent on killing innocent Israelis at the urging of Hamas.
Israelis kill terrorists intent on harming innocent Israelis.
There you have it. The two sides to the argument.
2
This article is wrongly titled. 'Killings in Gaza, New Embassy in Jerusalem, and Peace More Distant Than Ever' would have been better.
A human sacrifice to the glory of Trump .
3
"What a glorious day," said Benjamin Netanyahu as Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians and wounded more than a thousand more. What more needs to be said?
6
Israel, Trump and arms makers are manufacturing failure as an excuse to drop more bombs.
1
Israel has never wanted peace. Israel would rather leech us of more money for its nuclear arsenal, walls and bombers.
8
Hey now! Give Jared a chance. Just kidding.
“Killings”? Let’s call this what it is. A massacre.
6
What would you call Hiroshima?
1
“A peace that is built on lies will crash on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
With the relocation of the American embassy to Jerusalem, Mr. Netanyahu may very well experience and live the meaning of his words for he is not an advocate for peace. If he was truly an advocate for peace, he would have insisted the American Embassy remain in Tel Aviv. The addition of Robert Jeffress a religious bigot to open prayers was another affirmation that there will be no peace in the region; and these people believe in God…..what a joke, Hallelujah.
4
The mainline media is buying into Hamas's cynical and genocidal stage craft. These events are orchestrated military operations run by a terrorist organization under the guise of peaceful demonstrations. Their real purpose is to delegitimize the right of Israel to exist, defend its borders, and its people.
10
I fully understand Israel’s absolute right to defend itself and the absolute tragic decision by Palestinian leadership decades ago to choose violence over a peaceful process, but the Israelis infuriate me when they use propaganda against US citizens. Israel is an important, essential ally and deserves our support but when Bibi supports one political party over another, as he has been doing since Obama, it makes me question our unwavering support. Maybe we need to attach some strings. That “truth telling” line made me cough up my muffin.
55
"Billy Bob" seems to be conflating Israel with it's Zionist leadership. It is also outrageous for an American to fleck-off a peoples deadly struggle for a redress of their grievances and complain about having to "think" about whether a foreign State actor is lying to us.
We euro-americans don't even care enough to follow our own laws and treaties in regards to the indigenous tribes on North America. Why expect Zionists to be more honest than our claims of Manifest Destiny?
Infuriated you say?
2
Yes, but don't forget the nearly successful attempt by Obama to overthrow Netanyahu in the last free and open Israeli elections.
2
The greatest danger to Israelis Bibi's arrogant and reckless behavior. He believes he has won because Trump will support him both in a war with Iran and with his total disenfranchisement of the Palestinians. What Bibi and the right wing extremist in the US do not seem to get is that the vast majority of Americans do not want to follow Bibi into a war with Iran or support his plan for an apartheid state. Israel is a very powerful state which will always be able to destroy its enemies until the day it cannot. When that happens Israel will stand alone. American parents will not send their children to fight and to die for the survival of an extremist led Israel no matter who is President.
4
These actions are disgusting. How can anyone justify killing people like this?
2
The reaction by the Israeli government to open fire and kill scores and wounding thousands, is deplorable. No matter how they and the US spin a narrative that Hamas is to blame, is ridiculous. Men, women, children are not Hamas leadership, but a population if underclass human beings living in squalor in a prison camp the size Austin City limits. The average Palestian living in Gaza never get out of this area, This is inturnment. Disgusting more so is the Israeli government ham handed bullying a complaint US president whose progeny converted to a religion not theirs, but her husbands, whose legacy is defined not by his acumen as a businessman, but a criminal. Why do I think the decision to move the embassy, thus encouraging the violence, is a political decision to cement both the Jewish and Christian US vote.? This is murder and not sustainable.
7
This is full-blown terrorism by Israel.
Why is nobody calling it that? No matter who goes on killing sprees like that, it IS terrorism.
5
Trump and Bibi, using deadly force against protesters is a crime and you both should be held accountable.
Their death is on your hands. All because you did what the rest of the world warned you not to do, but you did it anyway. I hope you like your new embassy in Jerusalem.
‘Making America Great Again,’ one death at a time!
Shame on you both.
6
Staggering, disgusting hypocrisy from the US Government. The State of Israel is an invading, occupying force in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and, through the continuing development of illegal settlements, the West Bank. They are stealing Palestinians land, evicting them from their homes and shooting as a "terrorist" any who dare to protest. Yet The US is now describing the deaths of 60 and the wounding of over 2000 by Israeli sniper fire as "unfortunate propaganda" and blaming Hamas.
It is not anti-semitic to say that the current government of Israel is a brutal violator of human rights, happy to tolerate its soldiers murdering unarmed women and children. And it is no exaggeration to say that the government of the USA is complicit in those murders. Iran is not the biggest promotor of terrorism in the region, the Saudis and Israelis are - but we don't mind that, because they're on our side. Vile.
3
Trump and his morally bankrupt GOP did this. He is pure evil and does not care about peace in the Middle East. We are very near to Putins warning he gave recently after Trump bombed Syria . He said anymore bombings there will follow international chaos. Trump is truly the worst GOP in history.
1
What would Texans have done if they were driven off their land to make room for a Jewish State to assuage the guilt of the US and Europeans after they stood by while Jews were slaughtered in Europe? The US refused boatloads of desperate women and children fleeing Nazi Germany because, like Trump, they didn't want those immigrants in our country. The Palestinians have had to pay the price for other people's crimes.
The US has now removed itself as an honest broker in any peace deal anywhere. Our word is no longer any good and our intentions are suspect. We are no longer a force for good in this world.
5
A New Yorker cartoon that has been on my frig for years depicts a defendant testifying in court. “I took aim, pulled the trigger, and then, suddenly, shots rang out.”
An updated version might show Trump announcing, “I moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, celebrated my outstanding accomplishment, and then, suddenly, shots rang out.”
Whether this president is incapable of understanding the predictable consequences of his provocative words and actions or simply does not care (or both) matters not to those who die. Their blood is on his hands and ours as well.
19
There will be hell to pay for all sides soon enough, no one is innocent with this insanity
2
Narcissism and short sightedness from an American president, bullets from Israel and money from an american casino owner and people die. You should all pat yourselves on the back for another job well done.
13
As reported elsewhere in the Times, the White House said the violence in Gaza would not hinder its efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
So glad the White House is on top of things and is not being hindered.
Speaking of hindering, for no good reason, President Trump unilaterally declared he would open our embassy in Israel in Jerusalem. He did this knowing (actually, being told repeatedly by hundreds of countries) that there would be massive tension, unrest, protests, and outright conflict with this decision.
The 60+ deaths that have occurred over the past 48 hours are all on Trump's shoulders, since he made this unilateral decision. These deaths also squarely lie on the shoulders of every person who voted for Trump. (Oh, I forgot....since the 60+ deaths are only Palestinian lives, and those lives don't matter, it's all ok...)
Full steam ahead, damn the torpedoes.
What an irascible, unthinking, uncaring, unconscionable, incredibly stupid leader.
25
"Across the Gaza Strip on Monday morning, loudspeakers on minarets urged Palestinians to rush the fence bordering Israel, where they were met by army snipers." This says everything that needs to be said about the story. The Palestinian government stirred its citizens into a frenzy and asked them to rush the fence which was guarded by the Israeli military. What tends to happen when people of a foreign power rush a military position of the enemy? People tend to die. I'm not advocating that the U.S. should or should not have moved our embassy to Jerusalem. What I do know is that Israel and the Palestinians were never going to come to a peach agreement as long as the city of Jerusalem was a contested matter. The optics suck but the fact remains that we the last four Presidents promised to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The U.S. position has always been that a wholly unified Jerusalem was the capital of Israel. We now have lived up to our promises. Were the promises a bad idea? Yes. Do the Palestinians have any doubt about who the final winner of the Jerusalem quandary is? I think they do now.
12
For 70 years not an inch of progress, and Israel has won land after wars it did not start, against an enemy whose stated goal is to destroy the state. Now with the embassy move the media trot out past "diplomats," all of whom have failed in their Middle East efforts, to offer their "expert opinions" on these new events. Why should their opinions matter? Say what you will, Trump has chosen a side, and done what other presidents promised and failed to accomplish. In the end that's why so many voted for him, to shake up a stagnant status quo.
21
& 40 dead bodies including a baby are the result of his taking a side.
2
American people , look : today the statue of liberty is crying with shame .
12
Israel is not fighting back. Israel is not defending itself. It is oppressing its citizens in an inhumane and violent way. 50+ dead on one side and zero on the other is not defense. It is slaughter.
31
Any thought, hope, or dream of a peaceful coexistence between Israel and the Palestinians for years to come is now dead. Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have killed it. While they have their dog and pony celebration; the real story is unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Trump has condemned the Palestinians as permanent refugees in a land they have lived in forever, I personally have always sided with Israel as a beacon of democratic hope in a land of murderous violence and hatred. But it has become crystal clear that Netanyahu ;armed to the teeth with a military (including nukes) that can defend itself against any aggressor; has basically calculated no one cares about the Palestinians. Especially Trump and his joke of a negotiator Jared Kushner. This deadly farce is a sham.
14
It is time to be more selective about which candidates to support. Aside from not voting for candidates who accept aid from the NRA, I will not be voting for candidates who vote for aid to Israel.
15
So you are going to stop voting! Excellent.
3
"the eve of the day they commemorate the expulsion or flight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in what became Israel"
As far as I know there were no expulsions. In fact there are many records of Jewish Leaders, including Meir, urging the Palestinians NOT to leave.
I am opposed to the settlements, and to many other actions of Israel, and am waiting for more information to decide whether Israel used too much force or not. But please let keep facts straights.
12
It's difficult to see more than 40 bodies dead, including a baby on one side, with no casualties reported on the other, and not conclude that disproportionate force was used.
3
I suggest you google "Plan Dalet" and "Lydda" for the truth in history.
Carnage and massacre, if this happen anywhere else in the world it would be condemn as the one of the worst human rights violation of the last decade.
8
Utter nonsense to even suggest any of this will lead to peace in the region. Unless you get rid of religion and all factions tied to religion, this is one conflict that will never end.
8
It's not just religion; it's much broader culture.
1
This, sadly, is more to do with Trump's wish for help with presidential fundraising in the US than to do with anything directly in Israel/Palestine
12
The wheel eventually turns, and even the most powerful empire's fate is determined by how it treated its subjects, neighbours, and those that it vanquished.
I have nothing but pity for the people of Israel, whose leaders are digging a grave for their nation.
7
Can this be a let-them-eat-cake moment?
9
Soldiers gunning down protesters while Netanyahu, Ivanka Trump, and The Kush drink champagne at the newly opened U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is appalling. Whether or not Hamas somehow forced those unarmed protesters to the barriers which keep them penned into destitute Gaza (a cover story which has to be doubted), there are humane ways to control a rock throwing crowd. But giddy Netanyahu got his shiny U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and some fifty seven Palestinians got mowed down by live fire at the Gaza fence. Be proud America. Israel is our favored ally.
8
“58 murdered and thousands injured” is nearly the same headline we saw the day after the Las Vegas shooting. Of all the atrocities this administration has amassed, this is the most evil to me. Seeing hundreds applaud, smile, and laugh in celebration while scores are murdered is the epitome of evil. I’m having a rough time going about my day this morning.
282
I agree. One side has celebration and the other side being slaughtered. You wonder, " Where is God ? "
1
What about purposefully trying to get the people you rule to get themselves killed as a publicity stunt? Do you see no evil there?
The most powerful Democrat in The Senate, NY Senator Senate Minority Leader Schumer agrees that Trump did the right thing in moving the embassy to Israel's capital, Jerusalem.
Despite this important information, the NYT does not report it, presumably because it doesn't fit with the narrative that Trump did the wrong thing to finally move the US embassy to the capital of a nation founded 70 years ago.
Unlike the several hundred thousand Syrians that did not elect their leadership, the Palestinians are responsible for electing Hamas in 2006. Hamas, a terrorist organization that brags about blowing up family restaurants such as Sbarro in Jerusalem, has chosen to spend money on missiles and tunnels instead of constructing housing and creating jobs for Gaza's. Hamas also does not recognize Israel which makes it extremely difficult to negotiate peace with Israel.
Also not noted by the NYT, Egypt has closed their border with Gaza. The reason is that terrorists from Gaza have been killing Egyptian soldiers in Sinai.
The hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have died in the conflict are deserving of attention and news, yet it receives less reporting that the Gazans who are suffering because they elected Hamas. This publicity simply encourages Hamas to put more people in harms way.
24
JERUSALEM DOES NOT BELONG TO ISRAEL. Jerusalem is the seat of all Abrahamic religions as well as the home since before the Romans of the people of Palestine. If Jewish people deserve a home in this region, certainly Palenstinians do as well.
297
Western Jerusalem does.
13
They have one. Jordan was created for that purpose and it's huge in comparison to Israel.
20
Thank you for stating this truth.
14
"Roadblock to Peace" = "Express Lane to Profits"
5
All these people in the US Administration and the Bible Belt should go back to the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament to reread (or read for the first time in their lives) the history of how the Jewish people took over some territory in the "Holy Land". Then you can start having a discussion about who has what "rights" to what pieces of land. Also note that there was no autonomous state for the Jewish people for 2000 years since the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD, and before then they had been under various regimes of foreign tutelage for centuries. The desire for a Jewish State and the concept of Israel survived the millennia all over the Jewish diaspora in the Middle East, Europe and North America till it culminated with the founding of a State of Israel in 1948 for the first time in several thousand years, partly a necessary consequence of Nazi barbarity. But others were living there in the interval.
Once one understands the true history, it becomes self-evident that there is no such thing as "God Given Rights" to own anything. Land rights are all about conflicting claims and cultures, and need to be negotiated. The policies of the Netanyahu and Trump Administrations have made that next to impossible, at least with the US guiding and steering it. It was, in all evidence, hard enough to start with, but by now the outlook for peace in the Middle East is grim, given the sheer self-interest, idiocy and insensitivity on display this week.
16
Chuck Schumer the leader of the democrats in the US Senate supports Trump's move of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Is it any wonder when progressive democrats don't vote for establishment democratic candidates in elections.
Remarks like his (Schumer) will effect the progressive turnout in the upcoming off year elections; for the worse. What is the Democratic Party gaining from Schumer's comments? At least the Republican Party received 30 million tax cut dollars from Sheldon Adelson.
The establishment (Wall Street) democrats are continuing to lead the failure of democratic politicians in recent elections. It's time for a leadership change in the party. Republican lite, will not suffice.
55
No surprise there. Senator Schumer is on record claiming his "Israel-First" credentials. He has defined himself as "Shomer" (Schumer) -- "The Shomer (Protector) of Israel."
And remember: He also opposed the Iran Nuclear deal, going against his own (Democratic) President.
Schumer is a Zionist first. He has said so in as many words.
10
I was called by a DNC fundraiser. I told him as far as I was concerned the difference between Republicans and Democrats was that of Coke and Pepsi. An argument ensued. But the fact is both sides endorse war and call it diplomacy.
It's way past time for leadership, period. Change will come in its wake.
5
@Hal Skinner:
I wouldn't be proud that the "progressive" arm of the Democratic Party has gone anti-Israel.
It was a Democrat, Truman, who created Israel against the wishes of his own Secretary of State Marshall who said he would not vote for Truman as a result and against the wishes of "the striped pants boys in the State Department."
Sheldon Adelson whom you mention was a Democrat until 2012 when he wrote in the WSJ: "Sheldon G. Adelson: I Didn't Leave the Democrats. They Left Me"
The Democrats have gone from the party of Truman to being anti-Israel. It is worth exploring what happened to the Democrats who for some inexplicable reason wish to not move the US embassy to Israel's capital.
Truman knew 70 years ago that it was important to support Israel, now it is the Republicans who support Israel. My question is, "What happened to break the Democratic Party?" Why is it the Republicans who have assumed the mantle of The Party of Truman?
3
Circa 1996 the USA's Congress authorized the move of our embassy to Jerusalem. For better or worse, Trump-Pence decided to do so.
We all must consider now: How does this move, in any way, justify the violent behavior in Gaza? Why is the first move from Gaza violence versus considered peaceful protest with its allies?
50
The fact that you think this is the "first move" from Gaza shows that you haven't even bothered to read the Wikipedia article on the conflict.
1
'With evangelical pastors preaching and Sheldon G. Adelson, the influential Jewish Republican donor who had pressed Mr. Trump to move the embassy, in the front row, the only reference to the Gaza violence came when Mr. Kushner said that “those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution" Those provoking violence are Kushner and Trump in addition to "evangelical" pastors and Adelson. It seems like the best opportunity for resolution of the bad activity against the population of the current Israel would be to offer the Palestinians who were forced out of their homes in the current area of Israel the offer that should have been made to Israelis at the end o! World War II - free transfer to life in the US and other appropriate areas away from Germany/Mid-European area. People like Adelson and Trump should provide the financial support for this process.
7
If you are old enough or have read the details of the history, you will recall that countries such as the US, Canada, Australia were very reluctant to accept large numbers of Jewish immigrants because anti-Semitism was rampant in our countries; but the governments knew something needed to be done about emptying those European refugee camps and resettling the inhabitants. They even considered confiscating a piece of Uganda for that purpose but the British Colonial Office would have none of it. So they settled on the land claimed by the Israeli movements in the Middle East who were at the time looked upon as "terrorists", but suddenly became respectable partners in the establishment of the new State. It helped the Western World out of a big conundrum back then, but they had no illusions about the issues it could cause, and did. Let us be realistic and face the fact that Israel is there to stay. The questions are with what borders and whether there will be peace or war in determining a solution.
1
A great nation should cherish benevolence to humanity. How can you make America great again, if there is no mercy?
6
Thank you, Angie. That’s all some of us are saying.
2
Trump will only care that China loaned his family business 500 million (can't get loan in USA) for a hotel and golf course in Indonesia. So now he decides in a total reversal to help the ZTE company in China who had recently been fined heavily for helping Iran. Making China Great Again!! Pay for play at its highest level, and the GOP continues to be silent. Trump: did someone die today in the Gaza strip, sounds like fake news?
3
Why can't the Israelis just invent bullets that read peoples' minds in mid-air and only hit those that intend to do violence? Sure, among the many thousands of people rushing the border fence and trying to force their way into Israel, there may have been one or two bad apples who intended to murder people once they got there. But there were, no doubt, countless others who wanted entry into Israel in order to hand out flowers and form drum circles for peace. Israelis are at fault for not having bullets that know the difference.
Similarly, among the people lighting kites on fire and trying to fly them over the border, there may have been those who were doing so in order to burn down houses and start forest fires. But others may simply have been trying to keep the Israelis warm on a cool spring day. Who is to say? Israeli bullets should be smart enough to distinguish. Why are the Israelis deliberately NOT inventing such bullets?
It is true that the Gazans could have protested somewhere other than the border separating them from the country that their government denies has a right to exist. But it is cultural imperialism to suggest that Gazans should be able to express their views in a way that does not involve rioting and invasion. Who are the Israelis, or we, to arrogate such ideas of correct behavior? The presumption that Gazans could express themselves peacefully is so outrageous that it fully justifies their violent behavior! Once again, I fully blame Israel.
22
Very clever.
3
Just reading the comments on this article shows the division over the issue. Israeli supporters blame the Palestinians and Palestinian supporters blame the Israelis. I don’t have the answer but, believe me, it’s not Trump.
9
The 2 scenes also illustrated how reckless, cynical and dangerous Donald Trump is, creating this mess to appeal to his evangelical base who are estimated to be only around a fourth of the U.S. population. God save us from Trump and his base.
5
There was angry condemnation of Israel in Dail Eireann (Ireland's government) this morning, with the Israeli ambassador summoned to a formal meeting for the Irish Government to condemn Israel's actions.
Furthermore, there is also a political clamour for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled from Ireland, both in protest at the killings and shootings, and in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Ireland, and the Irish, knows only too well the bloody cost and legacy of terrorism and entrenched violence, having seen thousands of people murdered by terrorists here, and hundreds of thousands of people affected by terrorism.
That Israel - a country that's also battling terrorism (via Hamas) and religious sectarianism - should see a country you might expect some support from instead castigate it with cross-party condemnation is an extraordinary state of affairs.
As Israel is closing its embassy in Ireland anyway this year - one of only five missions the country is closing in 2018, with Ireland-Israel relations at a frosty low - expelling the ambassador would be a largely symbolic act, for 'optics'.
Still, as has been said this morning in the Dail, just handwringing and complaining isn't enough, and action - and consequences - must greet Israel's slaughter of so many civilians. Violent protestors many were, indeed, but to gun down and kill so many is wholly reprehensible.
One wonders what our 'great ally', America, will think of our response, and now icy regard for Israel...
7
Fair question, but it is done and if there are any adults left the world we might move on ...
"... in solidarity with the Palestinian people." You mean the people Hamas cynically sent to their deaths?
4
Ireland should know how terrorism has to be dealt with, and how a country's borders SHOULD be defended. This is just vacuous grandstanding, as empty as the punishments of this non-proliferation agreement that the US just exposed as mere fraud and a smokescreen for Iran to continue arming HAMAS with missiles and militia fighters. Look at this again. These people were warned of the consequences of approaching the fence--and Hamas drove its people into it--they do pay 20K to martyrs, you understand. If these people had NOT been intent on swamping the fence and invading Israel, this would NOT have happened. It is not wholly reprehensible to defend your borders. What was Israel supposed to do, let this horde into Israel, and see them slaughter some Israeli citizens? I think the US will probably ignore your response. As it did the mealy-mouthed objections from other Europeans.
3
Israel has a right to declare Jerusalem as its Capital just like every other country. If the state of Palestine comes into existence, they will be able to declare Jerusalem as its Capital as well. I don't see why Israel should be denied the right to select its own Capital city?
10
Because Jerusalem is on land captured in a war that has never fully been resolved? In other words, until there is a real peace agreement, it’s occupied territory. Under those circumstances, putting a capital there is nothing but provocation.
1
Have the critics of moving the embassy no words of condemnation for the jihadi extremist who goaded their own people into inviting fire from the IDF?
Have they no words of condemnation for the pathetically weak Abbas?
Have they no words of condemnation for decades of US selling arms to the religious extremists in Saudi Arabia?
No, they are just consumed with criticizing Mr. Trump for acting on what has long been the stated US policy that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
12
Americans may not realize that the Gaza border is only miles from major Israeli settlements and major cities. It is as if the states that border New Jersey (a comparable size to Israel) pledged to wipe New Jersey off the map. I am not in favor of the Embassy move nor the west bank settlements but the issues are complicated, not black and white.
10
This is only true because Israel illegally took this land from Palestine.
3
Nostro, I am not very happy with what is happening now but your comment, "Israel illegally took this land from Palestine" is patently untrue. The land was divided between Israel and Palestinian Arabs by a vote of the United Nations in 1948. Do you have a problem with the legality of this? Israel's building of settlements in the occupied zone that should belong to the Palestinian people is another matter but the legality of the UN setting up two independent countries is indisputable by international law.
1
The parallels between the Palestinian people and Native Americans is striking. Someone decided that they wanted the land and suddenly they had no rights to their home. I wonder how many Americans would roll over and play dead if a group decided that they had a historical right to their homes, homes that they and their ancestors had lived in for centuries. I realize that after the Holocaust there was a need for a Jewish homeland, but the bottom line is that the Palestinian people were forced to pay for centuries of European anti-Semitism. This step is not only an injustice but a threat to peace and stability in not just the Middle East but also the world. History will not look kindly on Donald Trump.
210
Native Americans have been victims of genocide because whites wanted them fertile lands & mineral rich lands. There is no doubt today that whites would kill Native Americans for trying to take their ancestral homeland back peacefully. Out of more than 1000 treaties made by the US government with the Native Americans only 1 has been honored. Watch the movie "Thunderheart" if there is any doubt.
13
Your analogy could not be more askew. Native Americans, as the term implies, are indigenous to the Americas. They are OF the land, and have been going back tens of thousands of years. Their earliest appearance in North America can be traced back to the Mongoloids of eastern Asia when the two continents still touched.
Conversely, "Palestinians" are no more indigenous to the land of Israel than any other tribe of Bedouins that inhabited what the British called "Palestine" for only a few generations. "Palestinian" is a loose term for a collection of Arabs that squatted upon the land of Canaan in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Palestinian as a singular nationality is incorrect; "Palestinians" are in fact of Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Turkish and possibly even Kurdish origin if their ancestry is traced back several generations. The name itself, "Palestine", is a British term denoting the region under British control during that time and stems from the Roman term “Syria Palaestina”, which originates with Herodotus’ The Histories. The region was formerly known as Judea. They are Syrians, Egyptians and Lebanese mostly who lived under British-controlled Palestine for perhaps three to four generations at best. Thus, the identity of a Palestinian is itself a misnomer.
30
Let's simplify this. If the Massachusett ( a principal tribe in colonial MA) descendants came to claim land in suburban Boston backed by money, an ideology and force and rationalized their claim by rejecting the conquest of their people and lands by the British, would they have a legitimate claim? Based on the Israeli example, they would seem to.
As to the comments of Martin X, national identity is not typically genetic, it is a social construct. And the "Palestinians" have a shared experience on the same land stretching back a long time and a very poor experience from 1948 on.
As to Israel's right to "defend" itself, don't the Palestinians have the same rights asserted by the founders of Israel to use money, public opinion and force to to gain land that is "theirs".
In the Middle East we are in a "might makes right" world. Skip the sermonizing, I say.
It's laughable that this topic is even debatable.
- Israel left the gaza strip forcing israeli citizens out of their homes in 2005
- Gaza turns into a terrorist hotbed when palestinians elect a terrorist organization to govern them (due to fatah incompetence)
- Now that gazans haven't seen any positive results (shocking), it's terrorist government is sending children to the fence to try and break through the border
I wonder what the results would be if they actually managed to break through. I'm sure they simply want to hand israeli citizens flowers and have a heart to heart.
Is moving the embassy to jerusalem smart? Of course not! However, it would be absurd to think that these protestors are peaceful and don't have any ill intentions. This is the same area that shot missiles into israeli kindergartens (and israel doesn't hide it's launch points in hospitals or schools to justify targeting those areas).
19
Why is the US involved in this conflict at all?
We have been involved in this nonsense for decades- with nothing to show for it.
We should close our embassies with both parties. Let them maintain their own embassies here in the US.
We should cease providing aide to both parties- military or civilian.
We must recognize that no American citizens benefits from our involvement.
Let the two parties solve this on their own. Our involvement has never helped.
Shut it down.
75
The US needs Israel (and Saudi Arabia) to regime change Assad - - which is the next step
If a member of my family gets killed while demonstrating against this desperately unpopular and insulting embassy move, that memory and knowledge will stay in my family for generations. Its staying power will only be helped by the photos taken at the same event of smug, grinning, applauding American and Israeli nobility. It guarantees that kids, as yet unborn, will grow up knowing that the only valid attitudes to these countries are rage and hate.
The tone-deafness and sheer disdain of these two administrations for those it perceives as enemies is staggering. Even out of pure self-interest, how much history do you really need to know that you're better off making friends with your neighbors, not shooting them?
5
And the Hamas criminals who orchestrated this slaughter of their own people just for cheap PR points show NO tone-deafness, no disdain for these people. Israel clearly spelled out the conditions and consequences, but Hamas is intent on nothing but power for itself and death to all Israelis. Israel had every right to celebrate.
5
This is the kind of nation and world we can look forward to with this "my-way-or-the-highway" president. It's like the old "Wizard of Id" cartoon that said, "The Golden Rule: whoever has the gold, makes the rules."
7
Given that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" was the very first clause all of the original 13 states insisted upon to ratify the US Constitution, there should be no doubt whatsoever that the public of the time wanted a government that functions without religion.
8
The first amendment to the Constitution you quote means the establishment of a State religion.......not the absence of religion. The Founding Fathers opposed an established church because they believed that it was a threat to the free exercise of religion.
James Madison's famous Memorial and Remonstrance (1785), in which he argued that the state of Virginia ought not to pay the salaries of the Anglican clergy because that practice was an impediment to a person's free connection to whatever religion his conscience directed him.
Nor did most of the Founding generation believe that government ought to be "untainted" by religion, or ought not to take an interest in furthering the people's connection to religion. The Northwest Ordinance (1787), which the First Congress reenacted, stated: "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."
As President, George Washington's practice concretized the understanding of most of his contemporaries. In his first inaugural address, Washington declared as his "first official act" his "fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe" that He might bless the new government."
1
These images - the glossy thoughtless untouchable scion of inherited wealth, surrounded by sycophants, dancing in a gilded protected space, buoyed by the labors and miseries of the humanity beneath her feet. This great theme of literature, of art, used to teach common understandings of immorality, of the need for democracy, of an appreciation of how far we’d come, in my public school classrooms, now proudly represents America?
9
Very well put. I am sickened to see three unqualified oligarchs,the Kushners and Mnuchin, pretending to represent the United States. I can’t even look at photos of those three. Kushner doesn’t have security clearance.
How is it possible that our Congress allows this debacle? How is it possible that we Americans continue to allow the Trump family to destroy what standing we had left in the world?
1
Yesterday Trump struck a powerful blow for Islamic militants. The deaths and physical injuries combined with the ideological injury of moving our embassy to Jeruselam will fuel decades of hate against the West. If there is another 9/11, chances are it’s origins were begun yesterday.
We should be trying to build bridges to the Arab world, not pushing them farther into the hands of extremists. When you give regular people no choice but to hate you, who really stands to blame when they lash out?
7
Why don't you mention the hate fostered by Abbas and Hamas. Israel is building bridges to the Arab world.
Palestinian violence provokes Israel.
2
Palestinians have had several bridges built to them, the latest was in 1995, but their fascist leadership has not seen fit to enter into an honest contract, content to squander their peoples' lives and futures while they run their aid money extortion campaign. This will end soon. The gulf states are sick of being fleeced by Hamas and are ready to move on. The only place for a handout is Iran these days. See the connection?
2
The Palestinian perception of the USA has been validated. I do not know who can partner as a peace broker, but it aint us.
9
Move on already NYT. There has been no peace in that region for the last 2,000 years and will be that way for the next 2,000. In the meantime others are moving forward in life.
4
Trump I hope will move on faster than the blink of an eye, for the sake of people who have not yet been caught up in one of his selfish moves.
RIP.
Congress passed a law in 1995 called the Jerusalem Embassy Act which described Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and required the US embassy to be moved to Jerusalem by 1999.
Since then, when campaigning, Clinton, GW Bush and Obama promised to fulfill that law.
In fact, Obama said in a 1968 address to AIPAC, Obama said, "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."
In each instance, these presidents signed a waiver every six months preventing the movement of the American embassy to Jerusalem as promised for reasons of "national security"
While I agree that the ceremony in Jerusalem was grotesque, as all things Trumpian are, the fact remains that the establishment of the embassy fulfilled the requirements of a US law.
Hamas' response was to use the event to further inflame the situation by encouraging Palestinians to breach the fence and invade Israel to do what...promote discussions of their "right of return" or spread murderous mayhem?
Over the years, the tunnels under the same fence have allowed Palestinians to enter Israel killing who they could until stopped. If the fence was actually breached the flood of people and armed fighters would have produced even more dire outcomes.
13
I have always been a supporter of Israel in it's battle to maintain it's presence and to thrive in the Middle East. Yesterday as I watched the news I felt really sickened by what I witnessed. Palestinians being shot and killed, maimed and thrown aside while Israel and the US celebrated the opening of the embassy which will only cause more bloodshed. The images were stark and have been embedded in my memory. Israel cannot continue to ignore the Palestinian issue. These people have no rights because of Israel and this will mean trouble going forward.
162
Sadly this was entirely predictable. Both sides have been playing a tit for tat game since Israel was founded. There's a reason that previous administrations haven't moved our embassy to Jerusalem. No other president wanted to be responsible for the violence and death that such a move was bound to cause. Trump poured gas on a powder keg and now the world is watching and wringing their hands but no one has any fresh ideas for how to end this stalemate so nothing was accomplished other than unnecessary deaths.
4
I haven't read one word in the Times suggesting a less lethal way of dealing with the border threat. Surly there is a calculation any country makes how to efficiently guard borders. The U.S. tries to limit deaths, but still causes 300 deaths a year, however indirectly. Surly more money spent, including Trump's Wall, would limit the deaths which exceeded 450 during the Obama administration.
Maybe the Times should give more coverage to the U.S. border deaths, since it is ongoing and significant in numbers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migrant_deaths_along_the_Mexico%E2%80%93Un...
And
https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Dec/BP%20S...
Of course there is a big difference. At the Gaza Isreali border people wish to illegally cross a border manned by armed border patrol despite the risk of death, whereas at the Mexican US border people wish to illegally cross a border manned by armed border patrol despite the risk of death.
Maybe the bigger difference is the Mexicans come to work and not to commit terrorist acts and not to reclaim the land of Texas and California that Texas and the U.S. fought for in a series of wars.
13
That's easy. Treat the Palestinians like they are equals. Don't put the embassy in Jerusalem which belongs equally to many faiths. Stop the occupation.
It doesn't seem like you are actually replying to my comment. There is no occupation of Gaza and the borders are closed to keep out terrorists and halt importation of rockets and tunnel building supplies. Jerusalem doesn't belong equally to all faiths because it's a city, not a shrine. The embassy wasn't the cause of the assault on the border and the Times is guilty of bias and misreporting.
I would like to read about alternatives to live ammunition confronting crowds this size, but too little reporting is being done. Instead we get body counts.
Also the US border deaths raises questions. It's 300 per year, the 450 peak was just one year.
"Responsibility for the violence on Monday rested 'squarely with Hamas,' said Raj Shah, a White House spokesman, for 'intentionally and cynically provoking' Israel by urging Palestinians to storm the border fence. 'Israel has the right to defend itself,' he said."
A content citizenry — children who foresee bright futures, adults who feel they can freely determine their own circumstances — will not storm a border fence, no matter who calls for it.
Up until now, it has been the truth that has fallen victim under Trump's leadership. Now, human beings. One cannot help but think of Izhak Katznelson: "Though it be to die, we will fight."
There is a common humanity that calls for fairness and empathy to be the foundation stones of strong nations.
9
Your statement about the citizenry is only true if you assume an ethno-centric view of the world, that others should and do respond to the same incentives that you do. But you cannot relate to middle eastern mental postures because you’ve not experienced them. They do not think this way. Countless times they have have opportunities to improve their lot with the rational, secular decision making process you imply, but they don’t.
5
Gaza is ruled by Hamas, not by Trump.
6
Yes, let's all fight to the death. Both sides. That is what glorious war is for.
Other Presidents of the US have tried and failed over the decades. Now, Trump is changing the game and ushering in a new area of negotiations. The question now is how can Trump and the Allies help the opposing side.
4
South Africa was once like Israel, an apartheid nation locking black people behind concrete walls and occupied territories, called Bantustans. But South Africa, after killing many, and locking many away, and calling people like Nelson Mandela terrorists, finally yielded to international pressure and ended apartheid.
I doubt Israel has that courage. It will always be an apartheid, inhuman nation, forever refusing the Palestinian people a free and independent nation of their own.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
118
Other times, other peoples. These frenzy, approach, and motivation for Power were up to now, unknown.
I am hoping that Israel will be forced to accept a two-state solution in preference to a one-state. They cannot get away forever with this subjugation and wholesale slaughter.
I'm appalled at the simple-minded responses of Americans here who actually blame occupied people for protesting their illegal and untenable situation.
That fence is not their "border." It's the bars of their jail.
23
Virtually all of the rest of the countries of the world deny entry of Gazans as refugees.
4
The once noble idea of Zionism, creating a Jewish state, has now been turned over to the zealots, evangelicals and Christian fundamentalists who believe in hastening Armageddon.
126
Zionism originated among left-leaning intellectuals who were more responsive to reason than to religious tradition. Kibbutzniks raged from socialistic to communistic in their politics.
5
And, by the way, the fundamentalists are using the Israeli people. Under their scenario, only Christians will be "saved" come the "rapture".
Some journalists should check it out.
8
"Israel has the right to defend itself." This from a White House spokesman. While Ivanka and Jared preen and gush with pride, unarmed Palestinians are gunned down by Israeli snipers as they rushed a fence dividing Gaza and Israel. Here's a thought, don. Place snipers on the border with Mexico. After all, we have to defend ourselves from the "rapists and murderers" rushing our southern border. Just a thought.
11
That’s what Mexico does. And tons of other nations.
1
And remember, Palestine has a right to defend itself as well.
3
Trump presumes a right to be provocateur.
A-holes vs D-bags, Round 57.
4
Quote from a JOhn Nichols novel...."Welcome Back, sports fans...to the World Series of Darkness"
2
The Palestinian blood shed yesterday is blood on Trump's hands. I was in Cairo when the Israelis closed the borders which created which, by analogy, a prison camp. Gaza is a very small area---- approximately 141 miles into which nearly 2 million Palestinians are trapped. They are incarcerated and cannot leave. How terribly ironic and tragic that the Jewish state has done to the Palestinians what was to them under the Nazis. Palestinians lived in this area since before the time of the Romans. I have seen deeds of Palestinian families which are centuries old ... Israelis have taken their land, cut down their olive groves, built ever encroaching new towns on what was Palestine. The Zionist dream is the Palestinian nightmare. A unmitigated tragedy and a lost opportunity for peace in the Middle East.
112
The bloodshed is on Hamas hands. How in the world can you be so obtuse as to not see this, not see their agenda. Hamas ordered their citizens to attack the border. They knew what would happen and didn't care. They are not working for peace, for a 2 state solution, for anything other than the destruction of the Jewish state and all Jewish people.
1
And how can you ignore soldiers with guns mowing down kids with rocks? Those kids aren't Hamas.
Worst marriage ever: Donald J Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
12
Is this the first step in Jared negotiating peace?
Instead of questioning why previous administrations did not "move the embassy" trump takes his usual headlong plunge into fulfilling his campaign promises that were never vetted. More chaos!
You continue to use israel's propaganda narrative, Halbfinger, as you evade and fail to report on what the Gaza Great March of Return is really all about: Palestinians in Gaza, in East Jerusalem and in Palestine's West Bank have been demonstrating for 70 years to regain their freedom, justice and equality denied them by Israel for six decades. Israel has imprisoned the 2 million Palestinians in Gaza for more than 11 years with a blockade and military siege, heavily restricting both exit and entry. Gaza is in crisis, with 95 percent of its water contaminated, almost 50 percent unemployment and hospitals lacking equipment and medical supplies. CBS News aired an interview yesterday providing truth and historical context to the human rights crisis in Palestine: CBS News interview presenting facts about the human rights crisis in Palestine:
https://www.facebook.com/JewishVoiceforPeace/videos/10157392479514992/
This interview, by itself, shows how utterly deficient is New York Times "coverage"!
16
the "government of Hamas encourages it's people to storm a border and is shocked when the other side defends itself, all in the interest of headlines? What other people does this and expects sympathy? everyday the Palestinians use the money we give them to build weapons not food, tunnels, not schools. all in the name of visceral hatred. The same people whose president is in the 14th year of a 4 year term and calls the Holocaust a myth. How much must you hate Jews in order to overlook all the hatred on the other side. What would we as Americans do if in the same situation? We would defend ourselves and our children with the same righteousness.
61
If the USA mowed down a thousand Mexicans at our border, the world would condemn it. Why is our government giving Isreal a pass?
15
Because the American Zionist movement was a significant financial part of the Trump campaign. Just like Bush was backed by American oil interests and proved it through his foreign policy in the Middle East, Trump has been backed by those who dream of a united (Jewish) Israel without considering the needs and rights of others who also have legitimate claims to their ancestral lands.
3
I notice President Spanky was too cowardly to attend.
8
This criminal President is destroying the good name of this once great country.
16
Remember, the Evangelicals are looking for their war which will bring back their 'Christ' who will condemn everyone to hell except the prosperity preachers, a moronic notion but the likely self-fulfillment of war. The Christ will never turn up but we will have a big check of debt to repay. The right-wing, which engineered this latest crisis as they did in Iraq, will then have the moment to bitch and moan to cut social spending for the most vulnerable.
16
In the good old days when America made sense, such an occasion would have been after a decision with a majority approval by the UN, presented in an event hosted by the President and the Secretary of State and with a message of the importance of being a good neighbour in the end.
But hey, the hosts being a Real Estate businessman turned-advisor with no security clearance and being investigated for collusion with foreign agents, his wife, a bon vivant Investment Banker turned-Secretary in an event marked by death of dozens in a move dramatically criticized by the UN seems to be the new normal.
9
The UN is run by the Arab states. The UN has become a voice for anti-semitism, not peace.
2
The security council has China, France, Russia, UK and US as permanent members, with Bolivia, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Peru, Poland and Sweden as rotation members. Can you name the majority of Arab states in that list?
It’s quite incredible to think that in the near century since the Ottoman Empire was divided into Mandates, the greatest minds of the western powers have never been able to come up with a good solution to the struggles for land and sovereignty there.
One would almost be tempted to think that we will never actually be able to figure this out on our own and that, just maybe, our only role should be as a friendly intermediary - to all sides.
2
U.N. Resolution 181, also known as the Partition Plan was the solution. Israel approved it, and the Arab Palestinians rejected it as they were led to believe that the Arab nations that were about to declare war on Israel would drive the Jews into the sea, and the Arabs of Palestine would have all of Palestine for themselves. R181 would have given them 40%of present day Israel (including Gaza and the West Bank). It was the last, best deal. The current ongoing plight of the Arab peoples of Palestine (the name Palestinians was given by Yassir Arrafat in the 1960s) can be traced back to this rejection, and the subsequent rejection of them by the surrounding Arab nations like Jordan, who would not assimilate them. Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, could have taken in the original 800,000 or so refugees who were descendants of those lands, but chose to perpetuate their suffering and use them as political pawns. Israel is not without blame, but a 2 state solution was on the table requiring only a signature to become reality.
3
"Religion does three things quite effectively. Controls people, deludes people, divides people." ~ Carlespie Mary Alice McKinney
79
Steve, you may think that Jews are practicing a religion. We are not. Our laws are a constitution of a people. We are a people, not a religion.
2
True and yet the only one of the three major religions to spring from the desert sands that runs around the world insulting everyone by telling us how evil we are unless we convert and fill the collection plate is Christianity. Especially American Evangelicals whose gullibility is so deeply rooted that they think Trump is more than a waste of protoplasm.
6
The USA bears great responsibility here. Every Congressman and Senator lives in fear of the Jewish lobby, and what it can do to electoral prospects if wrong-sided. So tragically, most who support this lobby do so in good faith, but how that support is corrupted when it is brought to bear on the ground in Israel/Palestine.
We need an awakening in the USA. Those who have openly supported Jewish causes need to step back from American State diplomacy which must be seen as impartial. American foreign policy cannot be dictated and led by the interests of one small interest group in the United States, however well respected, and however magnificently, they contribute to modern American life.
12
That's 2% of American voters, many living where their vote is devalued to meaninglessness.
2
You are right but condemn the wrong group. Conservative politicians fear the loss of the Evangelical Fundamentalist Christian voting block who, in turn, fear the loss of access to Jerusalem and Christian holy sites if they fall into Islamist hands. And after all why should Muslims (or Jews for that matter) grant access to a religion which condemns all who have not seen the light?
1
Lives matter, even Palestinians? I am appalled at the dismissive approach of even well known journalists at the carnage. this is a war crime, a genocide. What gains do we make out of provoking the Palestinians and the entire world by shifting to Jerusalem, which anyway does not belong to Israel. Oppression, occupation and massacres.
32
Excuse me, but Jerusalem is and has been the capital of Israel since its inception. The Knesset, the Capitol Building of Israel, is in Jerusalem.
There is no "shifting" to Jerusalem except that our embassy is there now. which, by the way, every president going back to Reagan, wanted.
And yes, Western Jerusalem belongs to Israel.
5
Jerusalem according to international agreements does not belong to Israel; they may occupy it illegally but officially it doesn not belong to israel unless they come to an agreement of some sort with palestinians
The 1948 war continues.
20
Hold fast, Israel. Right is on your side. The Islamic extremists around the Middle East, lead by Iran, refuse to accept the reality and legitimacy of Israel as a sovereign nation and they will never stop funding the terrorism perpetrated by Hamas in Gaza. It is the right of Israel to fight back, and it is up to their only real ally the United States to help them in their efforts.
29
Unless the US publicly condemns Israel's human right abuse and demands a change in policy for the money we supply them, we can have no credibility where human rights are concerned globally. Trump and Netanyahu are doing great damage to both countries and further endangering the region and the world. It is time for a change in US policy toward Israel.
21
Let us stop this futile search for peace i Palestine. The simple truth is conservative (Fundamentalist) Jews in Israel and the US want all non-Jews to leave Palestine and want all of Palestine to become Jews Only Israel. They don't care about the lives of Palestinian Arabs' who have lived there for more than a thousand years, some might even have been Jews and accepted Islam, as it has happened in many countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, a African countries, and in India. There are many fundamentalist Hindus who demand that all Muslims in Inia should leave India and go to Pakistan. The fact is that the fundamentalist Jews control the Israel's government with Netanyahu as their enforcer.
13
To use a metaphor: Israel placed the charge, Hamas and the Palestinians wired the charge, but all was stable; then Donald Trump pushed the button with the Jerusalem embassy provocation.
Those who are arguing about why this happened are generally right (all the pieces are necessary); but as for why it happened now, I put the responsibility squarely on Trump. The whole idea is to put these off until there can be a better solution, not to provoke them and then defend by saying "too bad, was bound to happen anyway".
11
Killing and wounding thousands of civilians with live fire and cold blood. It is massacre, clear and simple. Why the Times call it what it is?
16
The carnage we witnessed yesterday is the very reason why Trump's predecessors refused to accede to Netanyahu's demand to move our embassy to Jerusalem because they knew the consequences. Not Trump. His sole mission was to garner the adulation of his base by fulfilling his campaign promise to move the embassy with absolutely no consideration of the bloody results.
13
Instead of sending 6 billion dollars a year to Israel so they can steal more land and suppress the Palestinian people why don't we spend that 6 billion on schools and healthcare here at home?
25
Moving the embassy was yet another gift to Netanyahu by this president and his administration. The other was his decision to pull the US out of the Iran deal, which Bibi has been screeching about since the start. If we really want peace in the region (and, maybe we really don't?) perhaps it's time for the US to go its own road, without bending to Israel's every wish?
7
We are witnessing another trigger event that will entice retaliation against the US. Trump is literally inviting extremists to hurt or kill US citizens. He is a threat to national security.
And when this happens, anyone suggesting that "the US brought this upon itself" will be accused of being inconsiderate of the victims. The US has become the world version of the NRA.
15
This is what I don't get, the suicidal practices of the Palestinians over a book. If there were a group of people trying to break down your front door with the intent of killing you because of a religious belief, I think most commentators here would defend themselves.
These people need to learn to become secular capitalists and do something productive with their lives, hence helping their fellow man. They would be much better off politically if they did.
9
King Jared reminds me of King Herod.
I get the feeling that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, look at themselves as some kind of odd Royal family, I am so sick of listening to either of them speak at events, they sound so pretentious, self-absorbed and out of touch.
19
Generations will pass before the bull's eye painted on their backs will wear away.
Crooked Kushner needs to broker peace in the Middle East NOW.
What is this administration waiting for?
3
Kushner has no business operating as a representative for the United States. He has no qualifications and no security clearance to act on our behalf. Trump and his crime family need to be kicked to the curb out of our Oval Office.
2
Another set of reminders about the unfortunate upshot of blind religious fervor on both sides. Religion, whichever one, is not about buildings or land, it's about the way one lives one's life. We'd be a lot better off to bulldoze the churches, synagogues and mosques in the Holy Land and be done with the place/building idolatry. Clearly, the show on both sides was a sick display.
2
* In his November 2002 "Letter to America", Osama Bin Laden described the United States' support of Israel as a motivation:
"The expansion of Israel is one of the greatest crimes, and you are the leaders of its criminals"
*According to Michael Scheuer, former CIA Chief of the Bin Laden Station Mission, Israel has engaged in one of the most successful campaigns to influence public opinion in the United States ever conducted by a foreign government.
Our support for Israel results in Americans dying. The Israel Lobby in the United States will do everything in its power to convince us this is not true
7
Peace in the Middle East and world over has never been so far fetched.
With Donald Trump and his emissaries of war; the world will be a much more dangerous place.
6
"We extend our hand in friendship to the Palestinians," says Trump as he dashes their hopes of statehood in a Faustian bargain with Netanyahu. Hopefully, both will be toppled by the separate investigations into their misdeeds, but the damage has been done and the dead remain dead.
8
With the countries in United Nations being cowed in silence and submission there is nothing now Israel can't do. Trump is handing everything to them on a silver platter for what I suspect is his historical glory and a lot of help in getting elected for another four years, I mean why wouldn't Israel want such an easy puppet?
3
Watching the demonstrations on Democracy Now it is clear that the demonstrators are basically unarmed and that Israeli snipers are randomly shooting people. If China or Venuzeula killed 55 unarmed demonstrators and gunned down hundreds of others we would be seeing the US demanding action from the UN Security Council and railing against barbarism and tyranny. U.S. hypocrisy now stands even more exposed before the world with respect to its double standards.
9
Jared and Ivanka looked like a million bucks beaming on the dais. Aldersen beamed too, his money well spent.
60 Miles away, scenes of desperate outcasts threw rocks, dodging bullets and tear gas knowing they have no voice in the future. No beaming there, lots of pain.
Trump created this yesterday for domestic political reasons and threw gasoline on the fires in the Middle East, days after freeing Iran to resume its nuclear weapons program.
11
Split screen footage (provided on p. of today's NYT) partially tells the story of why Trump’s decision to move the Embassy to Jerusalem may turn out to be a devastating and dangerous act to America, let alone the Middle East. Besides the fact that our historical allies have all condemned the move and that Jerusalem has been the home of several religions for millennia (way before there was a nation state in place in the region), there is the fact that the US has spent the last 50 years trying to undo the damage of the 1967 war in which Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria, taking the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip and the West Bank from those nations. After finally getting the leadership of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan back as American allies, along comes Trump with no clue about history and creates another mess. Those three nations, along with Turkey and others face significant pressure internally over the Palestinian issue and Israeli occupations, which can quickly turn ugly. Meanwhile hatred for the US is spreading across the region, fueling what will certainly be more terrorism against us. I hope Trump is serious about “securing the borders” because he owns this foreign policy and the attacks on us that may result from it.
8
Yesterday's events--both in Jerusalem and at the border--as precursors to our next war--whether it be regional in the Middle East or the beginning of a world conflagration. The signs are all there.
2
Obviously conflicts and hatred in the Middle East have now escalated beyond the point of solution. To kill some 60 people and severely injure more than 2000 in Gaza is inexcusable. It is murder and that while some silly, all smiles only, opening of a new US Embassy in Jerusalem took place right at that moment - it reminded me of the movie "The Godfather." This is far from over.
8
Take the "billions" of U.S. tax-payer funding away from both parties relating to this never-ending mess and let them hash out their differences themselves. We certainly can use the money to help provide decent health care for our own citizens. What happened to "America First" Mr. Trump?
6
The tragic shooting of Palestinians protesting a historical eviction from today's Israel some 70 years ago is reminiscent of the mass shootings of Sowetans by Apartheid regime in South Africa many decades ago.
I fully understand the need for Israel to defend itself but does it have to be with deadly bullets aimed at people throwing stones and ineffectual fire bombs.?
Longer term Israel and Palestine must find a solution to this inhuman problem.
There are two basic solutions , a single state where Palestinians are relegated to second class citizens without political rights to preserve Jewish control of Israel . Similar to Apartheid South Africa.
The second is a two state solution which gives Palestinians full rights in their own State and preserves The Jewish State.
We and other western states should incentivize the latter solution by tying aid to both Israel and the Palestinian State to working constructively to this solution
6
Did Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr and their followers give their nonviolent resistance demonstrators training in the tactics of nonviolent resistance? Did Gandhi and King (and other civil rights leaders) actually lead their marches and demonstrations?
Are the leaders of Hamas and the Palestinian Arab leaders of nonviolent resistance teaching their supporters the tactics of Gandhi and King? Are they out front of the marches to keep them nonviolent?
4
I see Jared Kushner is working hard on his Middle East plan, he sounded like King Herod or his Father-in-law, yesterday blaming the victims for the violence and their own deaths in massacre.
Ivanka reminds me of the image of Marie Antoinette saying to the starving people, let them eat cake.
8
Building walls as middle fingers; this "administration" really is superlative.
With this latest move, Jerusalem will become a eternal graveyard where peace rings hollow.
2
Why are all of these headlines in the passive voice?
"Killings in Gaza," like no one knows who is doing the killings?
If you don't want to report it don't report it. But don't act like it's not happening and there is no responsibility.
7
“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster...for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.” - Nietzsche
Israel has become what it was founded to escape.
10
Palestinians have poor leadership that has repeatedly sabotaged peace.
There is savage war throughout the Arab world. All that carnage has little to do with Israel.
8
Today is primary day in many states. Please vote.
2
How many more people will die before Donald Trump is removed from the Oval Office, an office for which he is totally unqualified by virtue of low intelligence, lack of mental fitness and inexperience??? Donald J. Trump is an American tragedy for which the whole world will suffer.
1
England had its Hundred Years’ War - any guess how long it will last for Israel?
2
It was Europe that had the 100 years war.
1
The boldest steps can be the most controversial. Peace has escaped the area since 1948 as a sure sign the previous policy has been unsuccessful as the leaders of the west were held hostage by their fears.
Trump's bold policy, while provocative, can lead to permanent peace as it goes where the meek has been afraid to go.
2
Would you care to expand on that and explain in what way Trump's "bold" policy can lead to permanent peace ie. what does the embassy initiative achieve precisely that makes a peace agreement of any kind more probable?
6
“Hallelujah.”
“What a gory, bloody day”
Holy War has returned to Israel with conservative Christians, conservative Jews and conservative Muslims digging in their religious heels.
The separation of church-synagogue-and-mosque from state is nowhere to be found.
This is the kind of thing that produces manmade religious end-times.
What a horror show.
160
"This is the kind of thing that produces manmade religious end-times." (A self-fulfilling prophecy)
"Religion ruins everything."
-- Christopher Hitchens
16
I wish the Times and other major media would reserve the term "protestors" for people who are using their words, instead of people trying to dismantle a border wall at an international border set by treaty, launching incendiaries and fire bombs, etc. It is misleading, and implies there was no reason for Israelis to feel threatened by a mob of thousands storming the border and promising violence to the civilians on the other side.
18
Yesterday, it turns out was also the anniversary of the establishment of Israel. And Israel's military celebrated by shooting or killing over 1000 Palestinians. Meanwhile, while this was going on the US, and Israel, as celebrating moving its embassy to Jerusalem. And, last night we have the picture we see at the top of the article.
All of this will become fodder for every Islamic, and/or Arab, terrorist group around the world. I expect all those sleeper cells that exit throughout the world, will become very active. And, trump, by this action, has set in motion a probable series of unfortunate events.
The message this sends is that the Us, and Israel, have tossed away the concept a two state solution, or even a unified Israeli and Palestinian government and that the land of Israel is for Jews only. The question is will the current far right wing Israeli government take more action to this end?
The UN, as weak as it is, needs to step in to prevent all of this from escalating out of control. It has the potential to create a far wider global conflict, as allies of Israel and Arab states get pulled into this.
Yesterday, Trump, and his administration, made the world a much dangerous place to live. What happens now is the blood is on his hands. He can forget about his Nobel Peace Prize.
51
Number seems to be about 60 dead. Your state 1000... this makes your statement provocative and untrue, unfortunately.
1
It says "shooting or killing 1000", it does not say they killed "1000". By teh way, before this is over with, a "1000" will be a very low number to the possible million s if thsi escalates into a world wide conflict.
Anne, you should stop drinking the Trump Kool-Aid. When you do, and look at this history, you will see what Trump has wrought.
Israel is already over 20% Arabic. And that number is growing. So much for your Jews Only Theory.
2
A private gift to the Kushners and the Messianic cult at home. Donald's most foolish, unpatriotic, and wingnut move by far., with Zero gain for anyone except Netanyahu. While the profile of dispossessed Palestinians has been declining in the region, it's now on the front burner, thanks to Donald. The Turkish masses now get to say their piece. Billions will be mobilized to hate Israel anew, just like in the 1960s. So just 2 days ago, Israel is validated by that win in the Eurovision competition; the very next day, on the Day when Palestinians mourn their loss, yet another Donald provocation, it goes back to being the pariah state of 1950. There's not a jot of difference between this: "Jerusalem is only the capital of the Jewish State" and this: "Johannesburg is only the capital of White South Africa." The history, religious rhetoric and visuals are identical. The choice of that preposterous tag team, 2 bible-thumping champions of Armageddon and Holy War, says it all.
90
Do you really believe that these millions are not already filled with hate against Israel? If you want to complain about something, complain about the US arming Saudi Arabia as it has for the past few decades.
1
As always, Trump who has no understanding of the history of this region, blew a perfect opportunity to get peace talks moving. He could have used this move---actually a double move--recognizing two capitals in Jerusalem---the Israeli and Palestinian capitals on opposite side of the city of Jerusalem. This bold move, would have the possibility of shaking up both sides, possibility with the goal of getting both parties to the bargaining table. But, as usual, that move is much too complicated for the man whose entire regime demands grand displays of decision making.
6
For those with the wit to see beyond their hatred of all things Trump, it's long been obvious that the Israeli-Palestinian issue has long needed a circuit breaker. More than 70 years of hand wringing about the 'peace process' has led us further into the mire. Maybe Trump is that circuit-breaker - he does bring a refreshing honesty to foreign relations. If he can now establish a US Embassy in East Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinian state, he will have crashed through where all others have crashed. Let's hope that happens.
6
What "honesty" Trump brings to foreign relations is not honest and far from "refreshing".
The policy is ready, fire, aim and wait for the fallout.
1
We can say Israel has the right to defend her border. We can blame Hamas for encouraging Palestinians to charge at the fence. Yet the fact is Israel under Netanyahu has squandered and vitiated the good will and guilt built over the years by the fact of Holocaust. Sure, Israel is winning the war of body count as U.S. won in Vietnam. Israel can bomb Iranians in Syria with U.S. money and weapons with impunity, yet she is losing the hearts and minds of the people of the world in the long run.
10
58 people dead. the trumpettes must be so proud of their accomplishment.
10
One can't but wonder if this decision on the part of Mr Trump to remove the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is yet another example of what seem to be his typical negotiating tactics, in which he proclaims a maximalist position and threatens the other party, but then, if the latter is powerful enough to resist, retreats from that position and attempts to reach a compromise. The recent interchanges with the DPRK - a country he threatened with «fire and fury the likes of which the world has never seen before», but afterwards agreed to a meeting with its leader - and China, after Mr Trump first banned the sale of US components to ZTE and then reversed himself and instructed the US Commerce Department to get the telecommunications company «back into business», would indicate that he finds these tactics useful, not to say essential....
Alas, the Palestinians have little ability, besides stone-throwing, which may have worked for the Biblical David but is hardly effective today, to resist the actions of either the United States or Israel, so it seems unlikely that Mr Trump will be walking back this latest move. As Thoukydides has the Athenian delegation say to the Melanians, «... right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must»....
Henri
4
It is disgusting to think of the US being represented by the self-satisfied Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in a photo op with the villainous Bibi. Meanwhile, Israel was unleashing a bloodbath on those who can no longer stand living oppressed.
Yesterday was a terrible day for humanity and for America.
17
Shooting children with an AR-15 for throwing rocks....
That's real big.
What happens when you pour gasoline upon a glowing ember?
9
Trump simply loves to take a match to a volatile situation and stand back and watch the chaos that ensues. He feeds on this and the exposure it affords him.
I hope for the people of this troubled region that there will be a time in the near future when each side will let go of their narrative and admit how they have contributed to the chaos. It will take a real soul searching and an honest effort by each side to end the suffering.
It will entail each side admitting how the other side has legitimate concerns and has suffered immensely, and it will take an honest commitment to ending that suffering.
As usual, leaders of both sides do not necessarily have their peoples' best interests at heart. They are power hungry and constantly aggrieved, and addicted to sowing chaos.
But at some point it will be the people who triumph over these leaders.
That includes Americans who will banish the thugs who are presently governing our country for their own benefit.
7
This has nothing to do with peace. It's a craven political move to make Jared Kushner feel valid in a world of his father in laws madness. The ignorance and arrogance of these people is astonishing.
10
In all of these pictures the ‘Times has, I don’t see any weapons, or rocks of any kind. Was any Israeli’s hurt to justify any self-defense by Israel in just shooting crowds of people charging the border?
Do we have access to CIA satellite pictures of the whole incident?
5
un ambassador Haley should be a neutral voice, not a cheerleader for Israel, what ever happend to two state solution! instead of poor Israel, how about poor Palestine,
2
Here we have a group of violent inciters, who already publicly stated their wish to kill Israelis whenever they can, who have already been caught building tunnels for the purpose of sending suicide bombers into Israel to kill Jews, and who have publicly stated they wish to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
Here they are, in mass, making a run for the fence with bolt cutters, burning rubber tires and kites of fire (burning objects are meant to distract from the real purpose of the event, to infiltrate Israel en mass during a moment of chaos). Any of these individuals rushing the Israeli border could be a suicide bomber or a menace looking for innocents to harm.
Given the totality of this event, and the history of the Palestinian people, their remarks and proclamations, Israel had every reason to view this event as a direct and serious threat to national security, which it was.
The Palestinians have made an industry of media manipulation and preying on the heartstrings of the less-informed. They have become experts at manipulating fact and appealing to a global public still generally uneducated to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They are very good at flipping the tables, crying “blame the victim!” when in reality it is the Palestinians who are the aggressors, who provoke and out-rightly harass the Israeli people. All while “demanding” the “return” of their homeland, which is an entirely different set of lies to be addressed in a different comment.
25
You are condoning this mass murder on unarmed civilians including children. This is not a "manipulation of facts".
1
I support defense of borders, if that results in mass deaths, so be it. I direct you to the masked invaders if you wish to assign blame, which it appears you do.
1