Early Saturday morning. I’m on the treadmill at 24 hour Fitness in El Cerrito. I aways hope to find one in front of the large screen TVS that’s tuned to CNN or MSNBC. I did. By 6 am I had learned that Hamas had launched a multi-pronged attack against Israel, killing hundreds with missiles, hand grenades, and machine guns. Kibbutzes were raided, residents kidnapped.
In a field where hundreds of young people were celebrating a music festival, paragliders armed with machine guns mowed them down. 260 bodies were discovered.
Running for their lives.
A kidnapped member of a kibbutz being taken to Gaza.
Images of dead bodies, entreaties from fathers whose families are missing, gnashing and wailing, all part of the madness of war.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, told President Biden on Sunday that Israel does not have any choice but to unleash a ground operation in Gaza. "We have to go in," the Israeli leader said, according to three Israeli and U.S. sources briefed on the call.
Hamas has promised to execute captives taken to Gaza if Israel attacks. Soldiers, men, women, children, young, the elderly, over 100 captives have been taken to Gaza.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh blamed Israel for the war, accusing it of "creating a climate of hatred, violence, incitement, and violating international law." Of course. It’s your fault. No, it’s your fault. No, it’s your fault.
The relationship between Israel and Palestine has never been smooth. Looking at it from an historical perspective is beyond anything I could write in a blog. Or even understand. It’s going to be long, bloody, and will never solve the issues that have brought these two peoples to this point.
Eleven Americans are reported dead. The US is sending ammunition, guided missile cruisers and other support. Iran appears to have supported Hamas. Could the US engage in warfare with Iran?
Just another Saturday.
But here in the USA...
Saturday, a week later. The 6-0 Oregon Ducks played the 12-0 Washington Huskies in Seattle. The tying short field goal sailed wide, and the Huskies won. Thirty seconds later the cameras recorded the rapturous Husky fans gathered on the field celebrating the team’s unexpected win.
Three Days Later.
Israel-Hamas War
Israel and Palestinians Blame Each Other for Blast at Gaza Hospital That Killed Hundreds
Gazan health authorities said the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike. The Israel Defense Forces said it was caused by a malfunctioning rocket fired by a Palestinian armed group.
Simon and Garfunkel sang it in the seventies when they combined “Silent Night” with the horror of the daily news.
After the LA riots Rodney King, the trucker who was beaten by LA policemen said,
"People, I just want to say, can't we all get along? Can't we all get along?"
“Imagine there’s no countries/It isn’t hard to do/Nothing to kill or die for/And no religion too/Imagine all the people/Living life in peace” John Lennon
A relic from the sixties
