Gavriel Hazony

Tucker: "Israel is one of the ugliest countries" Tucker: "Israel looks nicer than the U.S."

I hear the sound of abundance of rain, I hear the sound of victory.

It occurs to me, perhaps belatedly, that the rise of anti-Israel sentiment in certain circles on the right may be nothing more than an expression of jealousy over Israel’s military prowess and commitment to its independent interests.

Josh Hammer knocks Dave Smith out of the ring in their debate on the Mideast. Smith is not a nationalist or a conservative. Time for him to take his ultra-liberal foreign policy views back to the Left where they belong. @josh_hammer @charliekirk11

And then there is Monday’ newspaper. “May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” — Galadriel

@lexfridman When you say "at all costs" what do you mean?

Beware of warmongers and the military-industrial complex. A full-on regional war will lead to immeasurable suffering for everyone. It must be avoided at all costs.

I've been off-line since December and hope to stay off for a while. But I want to say a few words about US involvement in the Mideast in the wake of the deaths of US soldiers in Iranian-backed attacks near the Syrian border with Jordan. 1. I've said repeatedly that US soldiers should not be deployed in small numbers in Syria and Iraq. These countries are war zones, and small US bases are sitting ducks just waiting for tragedy to occur. Reagan realized this mistake too late after Hizballah killed 241 US servicemen in Beirut in 1983. He responded correctly by pulling US troops out of Lebanon. The US should do the same thing now, redeploying its forces to safer locations outside of Syria and Iraq. 2. Reagan succeeded in winning the Cold War without invading anything larger than Grenada. The US doesn't need to engage in direct military operations all over the world now either. The US should be focusing its attention on the one strategic rival that no one else can deal with: China. By constantly sinking US attention into Ukraine and the Middle East, America is taking its eye off the ball. Stay focused on China. 3. Israel is in the middle of a tough, multi-front war. All Israelis are grateful for US military supplies. But the Biden Administration's daily attempts to control the course of the war from the White House are damaging in two ways: (1) The administration is preoccupied with in trying to micro-manage Israeli military and other operations in Gaza and Lebanon. This harms American interests by ensuring that the US is not focused on China, which is exactly what the Chinese want. (2) It harms Israel because the White House is still deeply committed to trying to appease Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood at Israel's expense. A sensible US policy would let Israel, Saudia, and the Emirates focus on fighting Iran and its proxies while the US does all it can to deter and prepare for possible conflict with China. 4. The Iranian-backed Houthi blockade of Red Sea shipping is a different issue. The US has been involved in defending its shipping against Arab piracy since the Decatur raid on Libyan Tripoli in 1804. The US, Brits and Europeans can't evade this issue and have to defend their shipping interests unless they calculate that it's feasible to divert everything around the coast of Africa. But even here, a medium-term response is going to depend on the US and Europeans building up the military capabilities of regional actors with an interest in protecting the shipping routes in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea: Not only Israel, Saudia, the Emirates, and Egypt, but also India, Ethiopia, and Somaliland (whose independence the US and Europeans should recognize immediately). 5. Israel may have to take the fight to Hezballah in the coming weeks, and it may end up having to escalate its ongoing low-intensity conflict with Iran. It is not in Israel's interest for the US to take on either of these jobs. Israel doesn't need or want US troops in harms way. It needs to be able to buy the relevant weapons systems to fight Iran and its proxies, and it needs for the US to give up its foolish, failed policy of trying to negotiate a "balance" between Iran and Israel. A policy of building up the capabilities of Israel and other anti-Iranian regional actors, much like the one pursued by the Trump administration, is still the best way to keep the US out of a war with Iran.

@DrKarimWafa The prime minister of Israel during the first week of the war repeatedly said it was about ending Hamas. What kind of news do you think you're bringing us?

told y’all it was never about the hostages

Removing the Republican front runner from the ballot is not primarily a legal issue. It's something much more pressing: Democracy cannot exist without both major camps in a nation honoring one another. An exchange of honors is necessary for any national vote to be considered legitimate by both sides. Those who say that the multiple prosecutions of President Trump amount to election interference are certainly right. But they are worse than that. Disgracing the Republican front-runner means dishonoring the vast ocean of Americans who support him. Anyone who understands how democracy works can understand that this is a foolish mistake, whose result can only be to cultivate hatred and to recklessly endanger the future of the country. All of these things should be obvious. It's painful to recognize that elementary political wisdom has become so rare in America--and in the democratic world more generally.

The Jewish empire of Israel, folks.

@jakeshieldsajj Liar

The IDF has kidnapped Palestinian citizens in their own home and Joke about raping girls on Gaza beach

Terrorists in civilian clothing in Tulkarem shooting at IDF forces. When these guys are shot dead, they will be counted as civilians, the usual scam.

@dcinwashington @aziz0nomics x.com/ohazony/status…

Ben Gvir supporters come in my comment section and condemn me. Hamas supporters come in my comment section and condemn me. Moderate people who want peace come in my comment section and agree with me.

@medusaisdone @aziz0nomics x.com/ohazony/status…

@ohazony @aziz0nomics Oh for heavens sake, he wasn't comparing. Stop nitpicking and use your common sense and a bit of context (John's entire tweet history) and stop behaving like a dick.

@PondaBaba1 @aziz0nomics I'm not strawmanning. He said that they're both non-moderates, that's a comparison. I know that @aziz0nomics doesn't believe that there is a moral equivalency here, but many of his followers who are less knowledgeable about the conflict may take it the wrong way.

@ohazony @aziz0nomics So is strawmanning.

@aziz0nomics We're speaking of something that is 50-100 years away. Your question is like asking; if pigs could fly would Ben Gvir be different. The real question is whether there is any reason to believe that Ben Gvir wouldn't strive for peace with peaceful Palestinians.

@ohazony Of course. Anyone who advocates for the killing of Jews is obviously an enemy of peace. This practice should be totally ended. I hope it will be ended soon. Is there any indication Ben Gvir would support a 2 state solution under such circumstances??

@aziz0nomics That world is a world in which Gazan schools don't teach that the killing of Jews is a value. I've heard you say similar things.

@ohazony I obviously oppose Hamas. If there is some world where Ben Gvir maybe at some unspecified point in the future becomes a peace advocate then I would certainly change my view of him.

@erez87xp @aziz0nomics x.com/ohazony/status…

@ohazony @aziz0nomics No it isn’t possible with Ben gvir what are you on about?

@aziz0nomics On the other hand, circumstances would not change Hamas' view of the conflict. Their goal is clear. It's important to judge people based on their views and actions rather than where on the "extremism spectrum" they fall.

@aziz0nomics I would not call him a peace advocate, he's not concerned with making peace with Jew haters and murderers, he's concerned with security for Jews. That doesn't mean that if circumstances were different that he would not pursue peace with the Arabs.