I have started wondering if Putin/Russia had anything to do with Oct 7th. We know Hamas personnel went to Moscow at the end of October. What were they doing there?

Did Russian help fund or plan the attack?

There are lots of good reasons for them to do this:

1. Ensnarl Israel in a war that would take attention and resources away from Ukraine.

2. Create division in the U.S. Democratic party (pro-P v. pro-Israel) that could help get Trump elected next year.

There's a lot at stake for Russia.

Googling hasn't shown me any analyses that look at this possibility.

Q&a with Hanna Notte about Russia's possible involvement.

https://www.rferl.org/a/israel...w-iran/32629626.html

Excellent piece by David Ignatius in the WaPo about Israel's likely strategies over the next few months. Behind paywall, of course.

An Inside Look at What's Ahead ...

I haven't read all of P*D's WaPo link, but I am able to access it by using Reader View.

I looked for a non-paywall link but there isn't one yet.

P*D, can you do a gift link that everyone can see?

Try this link:

Ignatius Article

It works!

Thanks...

From Twitter:

The fact that absolutely no one at the #Shifa Hospital spoke about the presence of hostages inside the hospital during the past month and a half, I think is clear evidence, that #Hamas has a more permanent presence there.

You would not bring hostages to a place you though could be compromised by ennemy intelligence, but to a place you felt absolutely certain you can control. This level of control and operational security is not achieved by operating there "from time to time". It means you know no one will speak, either because they are complicit, or because they're scared for their life.

——-

Beyond that, there are many posts, including pictures and video, that Hamas operates at and likely held hostages at the hospital.

Also from Twitter, with a map of the hospitals:

Every possible route Hamas terrorists could have taken the hostages into Gaza would have passed through at least 5 other hospitals before reaching Shifa Hospital.

They didn't take them there for "medical treatment"; they brought them specifically to Shifa because it's their headquarters.

(thread drift)

For anyone who wants to catch a bargain...WaPo has a Black Friday deal going...99 cents a month for up to a year....

(back to your regular programming)

It's genocide when you look at all of it in context today and going back to when Jews slaughtered 700,000 people. Was this in 1948?

11,000 have been killed, half of them children.

The settlers are slaughtering the Palestinians, practicing ethnic clensing.

Israel is a state. I don't care if they are officially a Jewish state.

It is not against the religious identity of others to be against a state's actions.

I'm not seeing any value placed on humanity by Israel.

I am seeing a bunch of excuses and rationalizations.

It's a story as old as time. Your group wants the land and all others living on it to be dead.

Too cynical? I don't think so personally.

I realize my point of view is unpopular but please respect my right to have it and to express it.

quote:

...when Jews slaughtered 700,000 people.

This is how ignorant people become anti-semites...

quote:

Originally posted by Piano*Dad:

quote:

...when Jews slaughtered 700,000 people.

This is how ignorant people become anti-semites...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakba

Please read the above text least my error turn you anti-Semitic, ye ignorant people.

Violent is in the first sentence (let alone the rest of it).

Daniel, Read the page you claim to be quoting again. Where does it say "slaughtered", or killed?

You have a right to your views and a right to express your views. But no one has to respect those views.

Either you be;over in Israel’s right to exist, or you do not. This is a fundamental question. If you do, it’s possible to discuss Israel’s actions in the context of, they live in the midst of an area where everyone wants to kill them, and how should they respond?

If you don’t believe in Israel’s right to exist, there’s no point in having a further conversation.