It has been sunny in New York. And cold. A shabbat meal with old Seattle friends who are visiting NYC. Left over Indian food the next day.
Seen
In SoHo
Noted
Reports of West Bank Palestinians on the IDF Wanted list turning themselves in. Abu Ali Express calls it a "phenomenon." Why might this be happening?
They figure they will be shortly released in an upcoming exchange?
Their families or communities ask them to spare their homes and neighborhoods the destruction the IDF would bring hunting for them?
_______________ (something else?)
Read
The pause/ceasefire leads to many things and thoughts. Among them: Gazans surveying the destruction.
I read that years ago, when an Israeli was abducted, ordinary Gazans knew an Israeli had been killed or captured because of the enormous damage inflicted on a Gaza neighborhood. The quote was something like "Israelis go crazy when one of them is killed."
From Arabic language social media posts....
From Facebook
A Gazan who opposes Hamas (and remained in Gaza during the war) writes today on Facebook after learning of the extent of the destruction in Gaza:
If all this is considered victory and deterrence then what does defeat look like?
Two By Yemeni thinker, Hossein Waday
After Speeches by Leaders
Hossein Waday wrote about the situation in Gaza after the speeches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials:
After each victory... the number of tents and graves increases. After every victory... the unknown commoners become famous bodies on the television screens. After every victory... we wish it hadn't happened in the first place.
"If George Orwell were an Arab..."
Yemeni thinker, Hossein Waday writes today about the Arab victory and George Orwell's famous novel - "1984".
This is what Waday writes:
In the novel 1984, Orwell describes the life of the people under the dictatorial rule of "Big Brother" in Oceania. 3 slogans were written on the fences of the ministries (government offices) in Oceania in 1984:
Freedom is slavery War is peace Ignorance is strength
There was no meaning to the words. Each word contradicts the one before it. There were several government offices in Oceania:
The Ministry of Peace which was responsible for war.
The Ministry of Love which was responsible for torture and executions.
The Ministry of Truth was responsible for forgery and lies.
If George Orwell had been an Arab, they would have added a fourth slogan to the fences of the ministries:
Defeat is victory
And they would also establish another ministry: The Ministry of Victory, which was in charge of the following tasks:
The ceremonies of setting up the refugee tents
Digging the graves
Distribution of aid to Nakba victims
The arrest of those who refuse to recognize the victory in the shadow of destruction and death... and transfer them to the care of the "Ministry of Love"...
Book keeping
This might “belong” in the Relief Area, but I’m putting it here.
Channels affiliated with Fatah present Hamas with the (interim) account of the victory [the "receipt" above]:
14,500 dead
35 thousand wounded
7000 missing
1.4 million driven from their homes
3000 new prisoners
51500 houses destroyed
20 thousand workers lost their livelihood
Reducing the fishing space
Prevention of prayer in Al-Aqsa
Termination of services for the residents
Discount offset: release: 150 prisoners.
Thank You!
Relief Area
Alef “From the river to the se…”
Bet
Some comments on Reddit RE the above:
"From the river to the sea" is the Palestinian version of "the South will rise again"
The Palestine flag has become for the American left what the confederate flag is for the American right
Gimmel
I am in NYC for a few more days, then in transit for day. If a day or two gets missed, that is why.
Stay well,
Raf