Today marks an anniversary that few seem to be celebrating. ABC NEWS’ Mary Kekatos took note early this morning:
Tuesday marks two years since the Israel-Hamas war began, bringing devastation across the region.
The war — which started after Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis, and Israel responded by declaring war — has led to thousands of people killed and injured in the Gaza Strip and Israel, as Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza.
In Israel, about 2,000 people have been killed, including about 900 civilians during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and at least 913 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers since the war began, according to Israeli officials.
Additionally, more than 20,000 IDF soldiers have been injured since the war began, according to the Israel Ministry of Defense.
In Gaza, more than 67,000 people have been killed, and more than 169,600 people have been injured as of Oct. 6, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
I’m a numbers guy, and I can’t stand looking at a single one of them. I’m also someone seasoned enough to remember another Israeli conflict that started around the same time of year. That war lasted Six Days and was won decisively. This one is 731 days and counting and if nothing else is conjuring up memories of Vietnam–no one will ever get what they would consider as victory, at a cost of time and life far exceeding even the most pessimistic expectations.
So do forgive me if I can’t be as excited as I probably should about the latest wave of positivity that emerged over the first post-Yom Kippur weekend of 5786 which the triumverate of LOS ANGELES TIMES journos Samy Magdy, Melanie Lidman and Wafaa Shurafa did their best to strike an upbeat tone on reporting yesterday:
Israeli and Hamas officials launched indirect talks Monday at an Egyptian resort on a U.S.-drafted peace plan to end the ruinous war in Gaza on the eve of its second anniversary.
The talks, which went on for several hours, unfolded amid many questions about the plan presented by President Trump last week, including the disarmament of the militant group — a key Israeli demand — and the future governance of the Gaza Strip. Trump has indicated that an agreement on Gaza could pave the way for a Middle East peace process that could reshape the region.
An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said that the parties wrapped up Monday’s round of negotiations at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh and that the discussions were set to resume Tuesday afternoon. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the parties have agreed on most of the first-phase terms, which include the release of hostages and establishing a ceasefire.
And yet, it was this paragraph that all but killed whatever buzz one might have hoped to glean:
Despite Trump ordering Israel to stop the bombing, Israeli forces continued to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing at least 19 people in the last 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said.
Sorry, friends, I can’t fully buy into such hawkish mentality. I clearly don’t have the same degree of emotional or personal investment in what’s going on as I acknowledge many of you who do might. I simply don’t have it in me to persistently and maniacally reference anyone who dares to attack a Jew as a “filthy rodent”. And may I sincerely ask to those of you who do–what’s in it for you? Perpetual anxiety and angst? Loyalty to some sort of ancient prophecy with practically zero real world application today?
That sort of approach reminds me of what was attempted to be sold last week by a couple of posers whose history with war seems limited to watching Patton or some of Bob Hope’s USO specials. CBS NEWS BALTIMORE’s Melissa Quinn provided a recap:
- Hundreds of generals and admirals were summoned from around the world last week for today’s unusual meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia, without initially being told why.
- Hegseth promoted the new name — the Department of War, although it has not officially been changed by Congress — and slammed “toxic leaders,” whom he accused of lowering standards to make the Defense Department the “woke department.”
- Hegseth told the military leaders he’s rolling out 10 new directives involving physical fitness, new grooming requirements and a return to “the highest male standard” for combat positions. He slammed what he said were “fat troops” and added “it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the world. It’s a bad look.”
- President Trump also addressed the generals, saying “together, we’re reawakening the warrior spirit.” His remarks, over an hour long, also included discussions of the Nobel Peace Prize, peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas and his love of tariffs.
The byline-lacking RECOUNT provided some even more disturbing highlights from our commander-in-chief’s remarks:
“San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles,” Trump said. “We’re going to straighten them out, one by one. … It’s a war from within.” “I told Pete, ‘We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military,’” the president said. “They like to say, Oh, you’re not allowed to use the military. … Well, that’s what the oath says: foreign and domestic. Well, we also have domestic.”
And as for the wholly inexperienced syncophant that shared the stage, well, get a gander at what THE INDEPENDENT’s Andrew Feinberg captured:
Standing in front of a large American flag backdrop, he attacked by name several of the leaders’ retired peers, telling them that the department’s “compass heading” was “clear.”
“Out with the Chiarelli, the McKenzies and the Milleys and in with the Stockdales the Schwartzkopfs and the Pattons,” Hegseth said, denigrating former Army Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli, ex-U.S. Central Command commander and Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie Jr, and ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman and Army General Mark Milley, each of whom has been critical of Trump or his administration.
Whether or not one personally supports leaders of the past or not is immaterial. You don’t go into a room and call out those in attendance as inferior–certainly not one filled with more decorations than are even on display in the Oval Office on a given day. Small wonder SNOPES’ Emily Winter reported these reactions:
In a recording of both speeches posted to YouTube by CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Snopes could identify only one instance where it sounded as if the audience were clapping: at the end of Trump’s speech. The military leadership present did not applaud during Hegseth’s speech and also did not clap at the beginning of Trump’s speech, when he noted the silence of the room and encouraged those in attendance to applaud if they wanted. Some people in the room did laugh when Trump joked about threatening to strip leaders of their rank early in the speech, but otherwise audibly reacted little to it.
I can identify with their exhaustive indifference. Using war as distraction or as a personal value extension, from within or otherwise, is to me as destructive as any drone attack with way more enduring collateral damage. And anyone who attempts to celebrate it in any way, shape or form is to me far more of an enemy than any perceived “antifa”, “communist insurrection” or “terrorist” could be.
So I’m not clapping or celebrating whatsoever today. Unless, of course, someone like Joey Heatherton just happens to show up.
Until next time…