From the editorial board of THE BALTIMORE SUN:
There was a time when deadly attacks in the Middle East such as those the world has witnessed in recent days — including the destruction of a high-rise building in Gaza City housing offices of two international media organizations — would demand high-profile U.S. intervention with an envoy shuttling between representatives of Israel and the Palestinians, and a renewed emphasis on the two-state solution.
But that was back when the U.S. still had some credibility as being a somewhat neutral arbiter, when Israel was less attached to hard-right policies and Palestinians had a more functioning government. Those days are past for a variety of reasons. But it’s still disappointing how little President Joe Biden has done so far in making an effort to assert pressure for a ceasefire on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose administration’s efforts to evict Palestinian families from East Jerusalem appear to have touched off the latest wave of violence. Mr. Biden spoke with Mr. Netanyahu via telephone Monday afternoon, and expressed support for a ceasefire, according to the White House. But we’re beyond the expressing support stage.
[. . .]
At the very least, Mr. Biden needs to make clear that support for Israel and support for Mr. Netanyahu are not the same thing. Mr. Trump made that mistake about 20 too many times. Under previous administrations, the U.S. was able to broker cease-fires and prod Israeli leaders to take the difficult path toward compromise on the Palestinian question. Mr. Biden could surely attempt a similar approach. And while there’s surely no guarantee of success, Mr. Biden should understand that it’s where most Americans stand (sympathetic to both Israel and to the Palestinian people, as polls indicate). The other option, to either side fully with the Israeli government or do little despite the horror of the attacks, is simply not morally defensible.
Does Joe Biden have a clue?
I don't think so.
Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Monday, May 17, 2021. Protests erupt around the world.
Over the weekend, protests and demonstrations took place around the world to show support for the Palestinians. For example, Scotland:
Chicago:
Paris:
London:
Houston:
Berlin:
Los Angeles:
DC:
Qatar:
Tokyo:
Sydney:
Amersterdam:
Ethiopia:
Dallas:
Doha:
Jordan:
Massive protests in Jordanian capital in support of Palestine
And many other places around the world including Baghdad:
Why so many protests? Why such massiver turnout at the various protests?
Because this is an issue that can no longer be ignored. By the time former US President Jimmy Carter was referring to Israel as an apartheid state, people should have been paying attention in the US. By the time the US was carrying out two forever wars -- Iraq and Afghanistan -- people should have been paying attention. Many have worked for decades to raise attention on the plight of the Palestinians. Their work is the bedrock for what's going on right now and the ongoing wars helped fuel awareness over the last years. The movement the US government could not see coming was always going to rise. It' shame that so much money is wasted on 'intelligence' -- so much US taxpayer money -- when there is none in the government.
Another thing to note about the above? Moqtada al-Sdr had nothing to do with London, Sydney, etc. And no one is rushing, in those cities, to credit one person.
But with the Baghdad protest?
It's all Moqtada's effort, we are told. What a lie.
First off, it was a popular protest around the world. Second, Moqtada wasn't the only voice calling for protests as MEHR NEWS AGENCY notes:
In an exclusive interview with Mehr News Agency (MNA) Nasr al-Shammari, the deputy secretary-general and the spokesman of Iraq's Al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance Movement said that the Islamic Resistance of Iraq will spare no effort in defending their brothers in the Palestinian resistance and the dear Palestinian people based on their religious and moral duties.
Shammari added that the Iraqi resistance is ready to support the Palestinian resistance in the form of weapons supplies and the transfer of experience or in the form of direct participation in the fight against the usurping regime of Israel.
The missile power of the Palestinian resistance pushed ahead of the struggle against the Zionist regime into a new stage, according to the Nujaba deputy secretary-general, adding that now a new balance of power has been formed.
He added that the resistance now has the upper hand in the struggle and has achieved new deterrence, rendering the Zionist regime to think twice before taking action.
He also touched upon the unity among all resistance forces across the region based on their shared Islamic beliefs, explaining that all the resistance groups in different parts of the region have formed a united front against the Israeli regime and in support of the Palestinian forces.
Crediting the protests to Moaqtada? That's garbage journalism. That's taking the work of thousands and reducing it to one person. It's celebrity feature writing, not news. It obscures reality and leaves readers and viewers with the wrong perceptions.
The turnout in Baghdad was going to be intense (and was throughout Iraq). Al that was needed was for a date and time to be announced.
Sunday brought more COVID deaths including Nadia al-Iraqiya.
ALSUMARIA notes the passing here. ALMADA notes she began her career at the age of 16, working for IRAQI RADIO.
Moving on to other issues, e-mails are asking about Ava and my latest piece? We wrote it. It took five hours to write. We finished it at 9:00 am Sunday morning. THIRD's not finished the rest of the stuff, but we wrote our piece -- we also did an interview with Ty for this edition. (About KINDLE.) I have no idea what the status is on the rest. If it's not up by Monday night, I'm posting what is done Tuesday morning.
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