Bill, over the decades I literally can never recall ever disagreeing with you on anything.
In this case, I'm struggling with the idea of punishing the soldiers, who apparently were fighting at night and under unspeakable duress.
Imagine if the media were criticizing the U.S. military after each little bombing during WW2. The U.S. carpet-bombed German cities killing tens of thousands of people per night, but it was necessary to defeat Hitler. Otherwise we would all be saluting Nazi leaders to this day.
An idea I have is that reporters who are allowed to report on the war must be required to actually be fighting in battle alongside the soldiers, to ensure that reporters are being realistic in their critiques of all the efforts to keep Israel from being wiped off the map.
I'm late to the game, here, and there are likely others who commented on this yesterday, but...
"Trump nominated many excellent men and women to the judiciary. A confident conservative majority, grounded in originalism and textualism, now controls the Supreme Court."
I want to comment on Will Selber's discussion of the recent tragedy in Gaza as well as the ongoing tragedy that is that war. Thank you, Will for your insight as very few of us have the experience you have in combat, particularly in the type of war that is happening in Gaza. I have signed up for your blog and I am looking forward to more of your work.
Thanks for the always excellent newsletter. Just a quick observation. Will Selber is categorically stating that Israel's Defence Forces made a "disastrous mistake". Until we know the outcome of a full and complete independent investigation isn't it a little early to make such an assertion? Again, thanks for your great work.
If you don't think conservative judges have been legislating from the bench...you haven't been paying attention 🙄 Originalism and textualism is long for...doing what we want to do.
IDF killed seven aid workers with the World Kitchen. Also aid workers all over the Gaza Strip have been killed. This same action happens year after year somewhere on earth. But it keeps happening. The definition of Insanity.
I am overtired of these two states trying to wipe out each other. Yes, I know Israel and Palestine have their “reasons”, that in my opinion don’t stand for anything if both countries are destroyed. For established countries to be fighting for a piece of the pie, give it up. There isn’t any planetary reason two or more countries not to equally settle differences. Sit down talk, listen, observe, agree, keeping working until peace in your countries. For those monster leaders that think the world is theirs…let me say ‘No one gets out alive’. So stop the chest thumping!
Yea, wishful, nonsensical thinking, most assuredly. As optimist as I can be today.
Bill, re our pro-democracy coalition and our "efforts with different messages using different mechanisms can get to different groups of voters" - the only voters who matter are the swing voters in WI, MI & PA. By all accounts, Biden MUST win those states to win the EC, so we all must support those Dem state parties: https://wisdems.org/, https://michigandems.com/, and https://www.padems.com/.
Another organization to support is Focus for Democracy (https://www.focus4democracy.org/). They have identified other organizations who are targeting swing voters in the swing states with evidence-backed messages that are proven to work. They turned me on to Galvanize Action (https://www.galvanizeaction.org/) who I'm supporting. They craft appeals to moderate women in rural, small town, and suburban communities who want progress on key issues, AKA swing voters.
Andrew, you said Israel "is a key ally in a region where most everyone would rather see them (and America, for that matter) wiped off the map." They want us out of their back yard. If we did that, would they still want us wiped off the map?
One other note — the killed aid workers, yes, for sure, a tragedy. But where was the writer's empathy for more than 32,000 murdered Palestinians? How could anyone write about only the aid workers and somehow neglect the tens of thousands of Gazans killed, being killed, and who will be killed? "Every flashpoint like the WCK strike threatens to broaden the anti-war coalition beyond those with pro-Palestinian priors." Rarely have I read such blindness. The antiwar coalition has been massive for months.
What a sadly distorted view of the Israel-Palestine war. Biden isn't butting heads with just the "progressives" who see "the Jewish state of Israel" as colonizer, etc. He's butting heads with every decent American who sees the continuous slaughter of Palestinians, mostly women and children. And all decent Americans smart enough to know that if war could settle Israel's problems with Gaza, its problems would have come to and end decades ago, many wars ago. The solution is two states but Israel's right-wing leaders simply will not countenance "decency." Now the U.S. is going down with an ally that spits in our face. We've lost what little credibility we had in the Arab world, and we'll pay for it for much longer than this war. Secretary of State George C. Marshall and Defense Secretary James Forrestal both saw this coming in 1948. Let the U.N. handle Palestine, they urged, STRONGLY. We should stay the hell out of that mess. But Truman screwed the United States but good.
There are several elements in the reporting of Aid workers being killed in Gaza that present serious differences of perceived truth as presented in most major US media and by President Biden in contrast to reports and the skepticism expressed in other credible western and middle east sources.
Many Canadians and Europeans have indicated possibility that Netanyahu administration specifically ordered attack on these vehicles as probably Hamas involved, in spite of IDF being assured of their Humanitarian bona fide. There is also great credulity about the supposed outrage from President Biden about the incident, particularly give no hesitancy of his what-so-ever in continuing weapons shipments to Israel under the cloud of charges at International Court of Justice (ICJ) of Israeli genocide against innocent Palestinians during this conflict.
For decades US politicians and government officials have constantly used term of "erring on the side of caution", yet in regard this specific aspect of humanitarian treatment and assistance for refugees in Gaza, there always seems to be "absolutes" accruing to Netanyahu decisions and actions, and Biden acceding to those Israeli positions.
Providing air-to-ground fires in a complex environment is militarily critical yet inevitably risky. The possibility of friendly-fire killings - which is what this essentially was - is inescapable. Even US AC-130 gunships, which have even better sensors and are routinely in communication with ground forces in proximity to a target, have been known to make this sort of mistake, as in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan when a Special Forces team leading Afghan fighters was killed. Of course the circumstances should be reviewed and whatever lessons may emerge should be learned. But passing judgment from an armchair half a world away is an even riskier enterprise.
I'm no progressive. I'm a former Republican turned left-of-center Democrat. I'm also a practicing Christian that grew up thinking Israel and its leadership could do no wrong. I'm well past that point. Biden needs to start holding Israel accountable, or he needs to cut off the funds. PERIOD.
Will Selber's characterization of the WCK tragedy (a group that I donate to) was a "disastrous mistake" is either naive or sanitized. The IDF struck the first vehicle. The wounded exited to the next vehicle. The IDF struck that vehicle. Those that could move then moved to the third vehicle where they finally all succumbed. This is the same well-trained and funded IDF that just hours earlier had carried out a precision strike in enemy territory (Syria).
My guess is that the unit that carried out the strikes knew full well it was the WCK aid workers. They apparently "suspected" a terrorist was with them. They also think starving civilians (including children) is okay in war, and they don't like the fact that WCK is feeding Gazans. The whole thing is sickening. I really had hoped The Bulwark would not succumb to the unquestioned support of Israel. We have leverage. They need to either stop committing war crimes, or we stop supporting their war. PERIOD. This was a very disappointing piece.
Will Selber characterized the murder of the 7 World Central Kitchen volunteers as a "disasterous mistake." I was shocked by that characterization because we were both clearly working from the same Haaretz piece (recognized the quote). To say that Selber provided a HIGHLY sanitized version of the facts is an understatement:
1) World Central Kitchen is a non-profit organization that feeds people in times of need be it due to natural disasters or conflict, in many countries including the U.S. They have an impeccable reputation in their 15 years of operation, in at least 14 countries, some of which are the most dangerous places in the world (e.g. Syria, Ukraine, and a number of unstable African countries). No one has even dared to suggest that WCK volunteers were in any way involved with terrorists. EVER.
2) The WCK trucks had "World Central Kitchen" placards emblazoned on the roofs & on the side panels. This is important because the IDF bombs were deployed from drones that have EXCELLENT optics--we're not talking a trigger happy pilot flying at mach 3.
3) The route was cleared in advance with the IDF, and the entire transport took place with coordination with the IDF.
4) Israel hasn't said that the trucks were accidentally misidentified and bombed, which seems to be the implication of characterizing the attack as a "mistake".
The actual narrative from the IDF itself isn't that they didn't know they were bombing WCK trucks--their excuse is that some unspecified source of information lead them to SUSPECT that the convoy had a single terrorist. "Suspect" was the verb used. Based on a suspicion alone they knowingly slaughtered 7 WCK workers. More about that below.
5) Selber's description of the attack makes it sound like three missiles were fired at the three trucks in quick succession. That is NOT how it happened.
Just as when IDF soldiers slaughtered 3 Israeli hostages in December, there was a significant time lapse between the first shot fired and the last, with IDF communication in between.
6) Here's how it actually went down per the same bloody Haaretz piece Selber was using. First, the drone took out truck #1. Luckily no one was injured. The second they were attacked, the remaining two trucks CONTACTED THE IDF and notified them that they had been bombed by mistake and to please stop.
The occupants of truck #1 transferred supplies and personnel to the remaining two trucks, and proceeded on their way (it's safe to assume at least 5-10 minutes elapsed) when truck #2 was immediately struck by another drone missile. This time the occupants were not so lucky, they were injured but at least no one was killed.
At this point the workers rushed the injured and remaining passengers into the final truck and took off towards the nearest hospital. This is when missile #3 destroyed vehicle #3, killing all 7 WCK workers.
7) Guess who they didn't find among the fatalities? The imaginary terrorist.
When the IDF and Israeli war cabinet say that the bombings were a "mistake" and were not targeted, what they are in effect saying is that the bombings were only a mistake because they were wrong about the presence of a suspected Hamas terrorist in the convoy. And it was pretty impossible of them to try claim otherwise given that all of the volunteers were European with the exception of two who were dual nationality Palestinian-American/Canadians. Had the IDF found a random Palestinian male among the causalities you can bet your life they'd be justifying the killing of the 7 volunteers, and they'd be using that as an excuse to shut down WCK so that the Israeli siege of Gaza can continue.
8) The timing is incredibly suspicious:
March 29 --> ICJ orders Israel to STOP blocking aid into Gaza (for the second time).
March 30 --> An Israeli sniper shoots through the windshield of a World Central Kitchen van, fortunately the driver was not injured. WCK immediately launched a complaint with the IDF about the shooting.
Oh and I didn't learn about the sniper shooting that occurred on Saturday from other sources, the EXACT same information was in the Haaretz piece that the author used for his commentary.
On the timing issue, remember that when the ICJ first ruled on the issue a couple of months ago, Israel was instructed to stop starving out the population of Gaza. Within 24 hours, Israel shut down the UNRWA operations in Gaza.
9) Finally, in case you think that "accidental" bombings of food aid workers is a common occurrence, think again.
You know how many WCK volunteers have been killed in the 15 year history of the program, running it in the most dangerous places in the world? Prior to Monday, ONE. In 2023 a Ukrainian volunteer was killed when a Russian missle hit his apartment building.
There has been intentional silence on the Bulwark relating to the conflict in Gaza which coincided with public opinion clearly shifting as Israel's conduct became more and more extreme.
JVL famously made a commitment to call out Israel for war crimes, if it were to be proven that Israel was intentionally cutting off water, food, power, fuel and medicine to civilians. Problem with his commitment was that the Israeli government had already been proudly boasting about said actions for at least a week at that point.
Needless to say, JVL never issued a mea culpa, and has never dared to criticize Israel.
Then we have Mona Charen who is so in the tank for Israel that one of her pieces unironically had a headline claiming Israel abides by international law. Sigh.
I was hopeful that this latest atrocity would finally break the Bulwark's silence on this issue--especially as it is becoming clear that the disappointment of young voters to Biden's acquiescence to Israel's demands IS GOING TO BE A SERIOUS FACTOR in the presidential election.
But boy, I certainly didn't expect to get a narrative of the killing of the 7 WCK workers from the Bulwark that could have been written by the IDF's propaganda department.
Bulwark: you can do better. I'm genuinely puzzled as to why your content is either actively pro-Israel or you go Fox News style and just ignore coverage for ideological reasons I can't understand.
Bill, over the decades I literally can never recall ever disagreeing with you on anything.
In this case, I'm struggling with the idea of punishing the soldiers, who apparently were fighting at night and under unspeakable duress.
Imagine if the media were criticizing the U.S. military after each little bombing during WW2. The U.S. carpet-bombed German cities killing tens of thousands of people per night, but it was necessary to defeat Hitler. Otherwise we would all be saluting Nazi leaders to this day.
An idea I have is that reporters who are allowed to report on the war must be required to actually be fighting in battle alongside the soldiers, to ensure that reporters are being realistic in their critiques of all the efforts to keep Israel from being wiped off the map.
I'm late to the game, here, and there are likely others who commented on this yesterday, but...
"Trump nominated many excellent men and women to the judiciary. A confident conservative majority, grounded in originalism and textualism, now controls the Supreme Court."
This is disingenuous at best.
I want to comment on Will Selber's discussion of the recent tragedy in Gaza as well as the ongoing tragedy that is that war. Thank you, Will for your insight as very few of us have the experience you have in combat, particularly in the type of war that is happening in Gaza. I have signed up for your blog and I am looking forward to more of your work.
I read Will's piece, "On Gaza," and I highly recommend folks go to his library and read that article (link: https://grumpycombatveteran.substack.com/p/on-gaza?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2. It is excellent and I learned a lot about what is happening in Gaza and why. I also recommend that you subscribe to his blog.
Thanks for the always excellent newsletter. Just a quick observation. Will Selber is categorically stating that Israel's Defence Forces made a "disastrous mistake". Until we know the outcome of a full and complete independent investigation isn't it a little early to make such an assertion? Again, thanks for your great work.
If you don't think conservative judges have been legislating from the bench...you haven't been paying attention 🙄 Originalism and textualism is long for...doing what we want to do.
IDF killed seven aid workers with the World Kitchen. Also aid workers all over the Gaza Strip have been killed. This same action happens year after year somewhere on earth. But it keeps happening. The definition of Insanity.
I am overtired of these two states trying to wipe out each other. Yes, I know Israel and Palestine have their “reasons”, that in my opinion don’t stand for anything if both countries are destroyed. For established countries to be fighting for a piece of the pie, give it up. There isn’t any planetary reason two or more countries not to equally settle differences. Sit down talk, listen, observe, agree, keeping working until peace in your countries. For those monster leaders that think the world is theirs…let me say ‘No one gets out alive’. So stop the chest thumping!
Yea, wishful, nonsensical thinking, most assuredly. As optimist as I can be today.
Give Peace A Chance.
How were the Oslo Accords "laughably one-sided"? Certainly Israel's withdrawl from Gaza in 2005 and removal of all Jews wasn't one-sided.
Bill, re our pro-democracy coalition and our "efforts with different messages using different mechanisms can get to different groups of voters" - the only voters who matter are the swing voters in WI, MI & PA. By all accounts, Biden MUST win those states to win the EC, so we all must support those Dem state parties: https://wisdems.org/, https://michigandems.com/, and https://www.padems.com/.
Another organization to support is Focus for Democracy (https://www.focus4democracy.org/). They have identified other organizations who are targeting swing voters in the swing states with evidence-backed messages that are proven to work. They turned me on to Galvanize Action (https://www.galvanizeaction.org/) who I'm supporting. They craft appeals to moderate women in rural, small town, and suburban communities who want progress on key issues, AKA swing voters.
Andrew, you said Israel "is a key ally in a region where most everyone would rather see them (and America, for that matter) wiped off the map." They want us out of their back yard. If we did that, would they still want us wiped off the map?
One other note — the killed aid workers, yes, for sure, a tragedy. But where was the writer's empathy for more than 32,000 murdered Palestinians? How could anyone write about only the aid workers and somehow neglect the tens of thousands of Gazans killed, being killed, and who will be killed? "Every flashpoint like the WCK strike threatens to broaden the anti-war coalition beyond those with pro-Palestinian priors." Rarely have I read such blindness. The antiwar coalition has been massive for months.
What a sadly distorted view of the Israel-Palestine war. Biden isn't butting heads with just the "progressives" who see "the Jewish state of Israel" as colonizer, etc. He's butting heads with every decent American who sees the continuous slaughter of Palestinians, mostly women and children. And all decent Americans smart enough to know that if war could settle Israel's problems with Gaza, its problems would have come to and end decades ago, many wars ago. The solution is two states but Israel's right-wing leaders simply will not countenance "decency." Now the U.S. is going down with an ally that spits in our face. We've lost what little credibility we had in the Arab world, and we'll pay for it for much longer than this war. Secretary of State George C. Marshall and Defense Secretary James Forrestal both saw this coming in 1948. Let the U.N. handle Palestine, they urged, STRONGLY. We should stay the hell out of that mess. But Truman screwed the United States but good.
There are several elements in the reporting of Aid workers being killed in Gaza that present serious differences of perceived truth as presented in most major US media and by President Biden in contrast to reports and the skepticism expressed in other credible western and middle east sources.
Many Canadians and Europeans have indicated possibility that Netanyahu administration specifically ordered attack on these vehicles as probably Hamas involved, in spite of IDF being assured of their Humanitarian bona fide. There is also great credulity about the supposed outrage from President Biden about the incident, particularly give no hesitancy of his what-so-ever in continuing weapons shipments to Israel under the cloud of charges at International Court of Justice (ICJ) of Israeli genocide against innocent Palestinians during this conflict.
For decades US politicians and government officials have constantly used term of "erring on the side of caution", yet in regard this specific aspect of humanitarian treatment and assistance for refugees in Gaza, there always seems to be "absolutes" accruing to Netanyahu decisions and actions, and Biden acceding to those Israeli positions.
"NYT BREAKING NEWS
President Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that future U.S. support “will be determined” by how Israel treats civilians in Gaza."
Providing air-to-ground fires in a complex environment is militarily critical yet inevitably risky. The possibility of friendly-fire killings - which is what this essentially was - is inescapable. Even US AC-130 gunships, which have even better sensors and are routinely in communication with ground forces in proximity to a target, have been known to make this sort of mistake, as in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan when a Special Forces team leading Afghan fighters was killed. Of course the circumstances should be reviewed and whatever lessons may emerge should be learned. But passing judgment from an armchair half a world away is an even riskier enterprise.
I'm no progressive. I'm a former Republican turned left-of-center Democrat. I'm also a practicing Christian that grew up thinking Israel and its leadership could do no wrong. I'm well past that point. Biden needs to start holding Israel accountable, or he needs to cut off the funds. PERIOD.
Will Selber's characterization of the WCK tragedy (a group that I donate to) was a "disastrous mistake" is either naive or sanitized. The IDF struck the first vehicle. The wounded exited to the next vehicle. The IDF struck that vehicle. Those that could move then moved to the third vehicle where they finally all succumbed. This is the same well-trained and funded IDF that just hours earlier had carried out a precision strike in enemy territory (Syria).
My guess is that the unit that carried out the strikes knew full well it was the WCK aid workers. They apparently "suspected" a terrorist was with them. They also think starving civilians (including children) is okay in war, and they don't like the fact that WCK is feeding Gazans. The whole thing is sickening. I really had hoped The Bulwark would not succumb to the unquestioned support of Israel. We have leverage. They need to either stop committing war crimes, or we stop supporting their war. PERIOD. This was a very disappointing piece.
Will Selber characterized the murder of the 7 World Central Kitchen volunteers as a "disasterous mistake." I was shocked by that characterization because we were both clearly working from the same Haaretz piece (recognized the quote). To say that Selber provided a HIGHLY sanitized version of the facts is an understatement:
1) World Central Kitchen is a non-profit organization that feeds people in times of need be it due to natural disasters or conflict, in many countries including the U.S. They have an impeccable reputation in their 15 years of operation, in at least 14 countries, some of which are the most dangerous places in the world (e.g. Syria, Ukraine, and a number of unstable African countries). No one has even dared to suggest that WCK volunteers were in any way involved with terrorists. EVER.
2) The WCK trucks had "World Central Kitchen" placards emblazoned on the roofs & on the side panels. This is important because the IDF bombs were deployed from drones that have EXCELLENT optics--we're not talking a trigger happy pilot flying at mach 3.
3) The route was cleared in advance with the IDF, and the entire transport took place with coordination with the IDF.
4) Israel hasn't said that the trucks were accidentally misidentified and bombed, which seems to be the implication of characterizing the attack as a "mistake".
The actual narrative from the IDF itself isn't that they didn't know they were bombing WCK trucks--their excuse is that some unspecified source of information lead them to SUSPECT that the convoy had a single terrorist. "Suspect" was the verb used. Based on a suspicion alone they knowingly slaughtered 7 WCK workers. More about that below.
5) Selber's description of the attack makes it sound like three missiles were fired at the three trucks in quick succession. That is NOT how it happened.
Just as when IDF soldiers slaughtered 3 Israeli hostages in December, there was a significant time lapse between the first shot fired and the last, with IDF communication in between.
6) Here's how it actually went down per the same bloody Haaretz piece Selber was using. First, the drone took out truck #1. Luckily no one was injured. The second they were attacked, the remaining two trucks CONTACTED THE IDF and notified them that they had been bombed by mistake and to please stop.
The occupants of truck #1 transferred supplies and personnel to the remaining two trucks, and proceeded on their way (it's safe to assume at least 5-10 minutes elapsed) when truck #2 was immediately struck by another drone missile. This time the occupants were not so lucky, they were injured but at least no one was killed.
At this point the workers rushed the injured and remaining passengers into the final truck and took off towards the nearest hospital. This is when missile #3 destroyed vehicle #3, killing all 7 WCK workers.
7) Guess who they didn't find among the fatalities? The imaginary terrorist.
When the IDF and Israeli war cabinet say that the bombings were a "mistake" and were not targeted, what they are in effect saying is that the bombings were only a mistake because they were wrong about the presence of a suspected Hamas terrorist in the convoy. And it was pretty impossible of them to try claim otherwise given that all of the volunteers were European with the exception of two who were dual nationality Palestinian-American/Canadians. Had the IDF found a random Palestinian male among the causalities you can bet your life they'd be justifying the killing of the 7 volunteers, and they'd be using that as an excuse to shut down WCK so that the Israeli siege of Gaza can continue.
8) The timing is incredibly suspicious:
March 29 --> ICJ orders Israel to STOP blocking aid into Gaza (for the second time).
March 30 --> An Israeli sniper shoots through the windshield of a World Central Kitchen van, fortunately the driver was not injured. WCK immediately launched a complaint with the IDF about the shooting.
Oh and I didn't learn about the sniper shooting that occurred on Saturday from other sources, the EXACT same information was in the Haaretz piece that the author used for his commentary.
On the timing issue, remember that when the ICJ first ruled on the issue a couple of months ago, Israel was instructed to stop starving out the population of Gaza. Within 24 hours, Israel shut down the UNRWA operations in Gaza.
9) Finally, in case you think that "accidental" bombings of food aid workers is a common occurrence, think again.
You know how many WCK volunteers have been killed in the 15 year history of the program, running it in the most dangerous places in the world? Prior to Monday, ONE. In 2023 a Ukrainian volunteer was killed when a Russian missle hit his apartment building.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There has been intentional silence on the Bulwark relating to the conflict in Gaza which coincided with public opinion clearly shifting as Israel's conduct became more and more extreme.
JVL famously made a commitment to call out Israel for war crimes, if it were to be proven that Israel was intentionally cutting off water, food, power, fuel and medicine to civilians. Problem with his commitment was that the Israeli government had already been proudly boasting about said actions for at least a week at that point.
Needless to say, JVL never issued a mea culpa, and has never dared to criticize Israel.
Then we have Mona Charen who is so in the tank for Israel that one of her pieces unironically had a headline claiming Israel abides by international law. Sigh.
I was hopeful that this latest atrocity would finally break the Bulwark's silence on this issue--especially as it is becoming clear that the disappointment of young voters to Biden's acquiescence to Israel's demands IS GOING TO BE A SERIOUS FACTOR in the presidential election.
But boy, I certainly didn't expect to get a narrative of the killing of the 7 WCK workers from the Bulwark that could have been written by the IDF's propaganda department.
Bulwark: you can do better. I'm genuinely puzzled as to why your content is either actively pro-Israel or you go Fox News style and just ignore coverage for ideological reasons I can't understand.