This is utter nonsense. If Israels modus operandi has always been "maximal violence and aggression with little to no regard for the sanctity of lives of civilian non-combatants,” why did they sign the 1993 Oslo Accord which brought Yasser Arafat and the PLO out of exile and gave them sovereignty of Arab areas in Judea and Samaria? And why did they forcibly evacuate all Jewish settlements in Gaza in 2005 instead of strengthening those settlements and digging in? The reality is, it was always the Arab leadership that sought to exterminate the Jews, giving the Jews no choice but to fight back.
When Israel goes to war, it goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties, but groups like Hamas go out of their way to target Israeli civilians, and the Palestinian Authority gives large cash rewards to any Arab who murders any Jew, whether civilian or otherwise.
Right now, people in Gaza are starving, not because of Israel, but because Hamas refuses to lay down its arms and release the hostages. The conflict would be over tomorrow if Hamas would do these simple things. In fact, Hamas tries forcibly, often with gunfire, to prevent Gazans from receiving life-giving aid that doesnt come through them, saying that receiving such aid amounts to "collaborating with the enemy.”
The truth is, Israel has displayed more concern for the lives of Gazan civilians than the Gazans’ own leaders have. Perhaps the reason for this is that Israeli culture is based on reverence for life, while Hamas culture defines itself as revering death, and seeking martyrdom in battle as the highest possible goal.
Martin Wasserman
> On Jul 24, 2025, at 2:45 PM, Salem Ajluni
wrote:
>
> As a modest contribution to a better understanding of the thinking and practices of the Israeli state, past and present, I recommend a very useful and short book that I read more than 40 years ago. It was written by Livia Rokach, the daughter of Israel Rokach who was the Israeli Interior Minister in the government of Moshe Sharett, the latter being the second prime minister of the new state (1953-1955). She translated and published her fathers diaries, as well as parts of Sharetts diaries, both of which give us insights into the private elite thinking, planning and actions of main actors in the Israeli state vis-a-vis its neighboring countries in the 1950s (and vis-s-vis the U.S. and European powers) (see https://ia804501.us.archive.org/17/items/sacred-terrorism/Sacred-Terrorism.pdf).
>
> The resonance and parallels between Israeli leadership thinking and actions in the 1950s (as explained by Rokach) and in the 21st century with regard to the states and peoples of Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Gaza and Egypt (and, by extension, Iraq, Yemen and Iran) are instructive. There are considerable continuities across time and space: aggressive and domineering (supremicist?) thinking and behavior; an expansionist impulse; a sociopathic and homicidal (genocidal?) animus towards Arabs, especially Palestinians. It was all there in the 1940s and 1950s, as Rokach tells us, and its all there now, as we witness on a daily basis.
>
> Israel certainly didnt need Hamas to induce such thinking and behavior. In fact, the Hamas movement wasnt formally inaugurated until late 1987, almost two generations after the establishment of the state of Israel. Reading historical accounts of the conflict teaches us that only the bugaboo changes (e.g. Nasser, the PLO, Saddam Hussein, Hizballah, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, etc.)—the Israeli modus operandi is more or less a constant--maximal violence and aggression with little to no regard for the sanctity of the lives of civilian non-combatants.
>
> The Israeli state was ushered in and made possible by the intial displacement of the majority of Mandate Palestines Arab population during 1947-1949 (on these events, see Ilan Pappes book based in large part on official Israeli archival sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ethnic_Cleansing_of_Palestine). It behooves us to remember that about two-thirds of Gazas population are themselves refugees from Madate Palestine or the offspring of those refugees. No disconinuities there either.
>
> Regards,
>
> Salem
>
> From: Martin Wasserman >
> Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 10:23 PM
> To: Aram James >
> Cc: Veenker, Vicki >; Lythcott-Haims, Julie >; Keith Reckdahl >; Ed Lauing >; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23 >; Lori Meyers >; Sheree Roth >; Henry Etzkowitz >; Binder, Andrew >; Mark Turner >; CityCouncil >; Michelle Bigelow >; Josh Becker >; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov >; Julie Lythcott-Haims >;eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org >; Doug Minkler >; Gerry Gras >; EPA Today >; Gennady Sheyner >; city.council@menlopark.gov >; dcombs@menlopark.gov >; Steve Wagstaffe >; Jeff Rosen >; Jeff Conrad >; Jeff Hayden >; Jay Boyarsky >; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto >; > >; Enberg, Nicholas >; Mickie Winkler >; Sean Allen >; Cait James >; San José Spotlight >; board@pausd.org >; boardfeedback@smcgov.org >; board@valleywater.org >; BoardOperations >; Braden Cartwright >; Raymond Goins >; Rodriguez, Miguel >; editor@paweekly.com >; April Wagner >; Don Austin >; Donna Wallach >; Burt, Patrick >; Patricia.Guerrero@jud.ca.gov >; Palo Alto Free Press >; Seher Awan >; Daniel Barton >; David Piper >; michael.foley@cityofpaloalto.org >; Mila Zelkha >; Palo Alto Renters Association >; Diana Diamond >; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com >; ladoris cordell >; cromero@cityofepa.org >; rabrica@cityofepa.org >; Bill Newell >; Bill Johnson >; Bill James >; Pat M >; Carla Torres >; The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan >; CityCouncil >; GRP-City Council >; Zachary.Perron@CityofPaloAlto.org >; City Attorney >; citycouncil@mountainview.gov >; Clerk, City >; GRP-City Clerk >; Friends of Cubberley >; Lotus Fong >; ParkRec Commission >; Liz Gardner >; Human Relations Commission >; Karen Holman >; Liz Kniss >; Patrice Ventresca >; Rowena Chiu >; Dana St. George >; Damon Silver >; Daniel Kottke >; Dennis Upton >; Zahra Billoo >; james pitkin >; Roberta Ahlquist >; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg >; Supervisor Otto Lee >; Salem Ajluni >; Stump, Molly >; Rosen, Jeff >; Baker, Rob >; Ruth Silver Taube >; Tom DuBois >; Blackshire, Geoffrey >; Jasso, Tamara >; DuJuan Green >; Dennis Upton >; dennis burns >; Eric.Jensen@cityofpaloalto.org >; Alex Afanasiev >; craig.lee@cityofpaloalto.org >; Anna Griffin >; Angel, David >; Greg Tanaka >; Reifschneider, James >; Bryan Gobin >; Yolanda Conaway >; Donna Wallach >; Vara Ramakrishnan >
> Subject: Re: Famine Expert: Israels Starvation of Gaza Most Minutely Designed and Controlled Since WWII
>
> The bias of the author is evident in the fact that the entire article mentions Hamas only once, in passing. Hamas could end the suffering tomorrow just by laying down their arms and releasing the hostages. But they care more about scoring propaganda points against Israel than about saving the lives of their own people.
>
> Martin Wasserman
>
>
> On Jul 22, 2025, at 3:08 PM, Aram James > wrote:
>
>
> Famine Expert: Israels Starvation of Gaza Most Minutely Designed and Controlled Since WWII
>
>
> Famine Expert: Israels Starvation of Gaza Most Minutely Designed and Controlled Since WWII | Common Dreamshttps://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.commondreams.org%2fnews%2ffamine-expert-israel-s-starvation-of-gaza-most-minutely-designed-and-controlled-since-wwii&c=E,1,ghG-xRzWOp17XV_8-il7_QgaYxbZJsN78AWcadRmu01akEZbCFmBdGpHFxXb4zetD9GMx81EjuloSbB1WkSl7EF01p958QM9jD3e4ofPKM_b8jl1hruJEQ,,&typo=1