Reading about the latest range of war traumas today, from the killing of Oxfam-affiliate water engineers by IDF, to the destruction of olive trees & a woman harvesting them by WB settlers, to many dozens lately slaughtered in the north...
It is painful to know this will only end when the extremists win.
So many *here*, as there, do not a flying F about the lives shattered.
They're just not *people* to those who think fulfillment of violent prophecy is the best solution for all.
Atheist note, though:
History will show this awful work to have been done by *secular* folk too.
There are some extreme Jewish traditions involved - messianics in N's far-right coalition government - & they're bolstered by a mass of US Christian Evangelicals who've been supporting this conflict for decades...
But Netanyahu is secular, & belongs to a movement that leverages Torah solely for territorial ambitions, with none of the grace of faith involved.
It is a sick, brutal thing to witness.
@MLClark And he was arraigned for corruption before he started this escalation, amiright? He and his one war cabinet buddy want this war. The rest of Israel, not.
It's a little more complicated than that.
Netanyahu is definitely corrupt and has worked for decades to fend off a two-state solution. His right-wing Likud Party has always been big on reclaiming certain regions.
His latest far-right coalition ties him to messianic extremists responsible for immense settler violence in the West Bank.
And his domestic policies, attacking the judiciary & censoring media, have further fostered violent beliefs. Israeli polls are ugly right now. 1/2
Many of conscience left the country after the war started. Many others stay & protest. But right-wing politicians like N feed on hate, anger & the war machine to stay in power.
As a result, there's a deep psychological wound that'll take decades to heal. It currently has children cheering for the destruction of the ethnic other: never a healthy sign.
But it is not intrinsic. It's derangement from too much right-wing leadership & war rhetoric. People can & do come back from it. 2/2