Ralph welcomes Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs to discuss what's motivating anti-Palestinian extremism in Israel, how the U.S. has been complicit in Israel's theft of Palestinian territory and genocide against the Palestinian people, and what the United Nations can do to help achieve a lasting peace. Plus, we share Ralph's recent column: "Israeli Leaders’ Objective All Along Has Been the Expulsion of Occupied Palestinians and Seizure of Their Remaining Land."
Sachs is right that “the core of this government does not want diplomacy, even if it were to deliver security. Their aim is not security through diplomacy. Their aim is ‘Greater Israel.’”
While Israeli militarism is obviously a critical part of this equation, it’s worth noting that the genocide in Gaza takes some inspiration from the genocide executed by Washington vis-à-vis indigenous Americans across our continent. And, contrary to popular belief, that genocide not only continued into the past century, but also remains effectively on going. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/indigenous-lives-matter-from-north
Not only is genocide a defining aspect of America’s international legacy, but Biden’s idiotic support for Netanyahu notwithstanding popular dissent reduces democracy in America to a cruel joke. There is no way for Americans to vote for a better or more humane policy, not only because both of the corporate political parties share a commitment to an accountable militarism, but also because each of the major parties presidential candidates have refused to show up for debates or heed the results of primary elections. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/genocide-joe-is-no-defender-of-democracy
My most recent post also addresses Israel and Palestine, particularly comments by Senator Tim Kaine that were largely overlooked in the international press. While reporters seized on Kaine’s comment that Biden knew “he had been played by Netanyahu,” the bigger scandal revealed by his comments is the vast chasm between the interests of politicians and their constituents. Kaine observed a grand fallacy at the heart of representative democracy with important implications for constitutional theory. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/a-senior-democrat-notes-how-career
The Israeli military’s real-time denigration and destruction of thousands of Palestinian civilians has confronted the world with moral horrors many believed—perhaps naively—were unique to the twentieth century.
A record number of aid workers are being killed. So far 203 aid workers were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and April 2024, according to Humanitarian Outcomes, an independent London organization monitoring aid worker attacks. By contrast, a total of 20 aid workers were unacceptably killed in Ukraine between 2022 and April 2024. Aid workers in Gaza constitute 63% of the global aid worker deaths between January 2023 and April 2024 despite the fact the Israeli onslaught on Gaza began 10 months into 2023.
Horrifically exemplifying threats to aid workers operating in Gaza, we learn the Israeli military sequentially targeted not one, not two, but three World Central Kitchen vehicles. Israeli forces stalked the hunger relief convoy over a one stretch of roadway, killing seven people. After the survivors of the first strike attempted to move to a second vehicle, Israeli forces fired upon and destroyed the second vehicle. When survivors of the second strike attempted to flee the scene in a third vehicle, the military fired upon and destroyed the final vehicle. The attack occurred despite the fact the World Central Kitchen had coordinated their movements with the Israeli military and the group’s logo was emblazoned on the rooftop and windshield of one or more vehicles.
Toward the very beginning of this essay, I saw verbiage to the effect that we must investigatge the origins of anti Palestinian sentiment.
In the recent attack from Gaza, Hamas terrorists were not oontent to merely kills Jews. The New York Times reports that they drove nails into the vaginas of Jewish girls. Any Jew with any sense must despise them.
Unfortunately intellectuals are not necessarily intelligent. Intellectuals love to manipulate ideas, but they don't always conform to syllogistic logic and often make no sense at all
Prof. Sachs was correct that the politicians need to change their SOP as they currently make their decisions based on campaign funding.
Bishop Barber said that if you are not for ending policies that perpetuate low wages and poverty you are an accessory to ending human beings lives. If you are not for ending policies that are perpetuating the death discussed in this episode you are also an accessory to ending human beings lives.
The question is how do citizens get the politicians to change their SOP of making decisions based on campaign funding?
If we continue to vote for politicians that take big money they have no incentive to not take big money.
Citizens have to change our SOP of making ourselves accessories by voting for the politicians that take big money.
The choice is to vote for the death of people and democracy by voting for big money politicians or vote to save people by saving democracy by using our votes to demand small donor politicians providing a powerful incentive that will force politicians to choose between getting our votes and taking big money to fund their campaigns.
How many more people have to die before we finally use our votes to save them instead of remaining accessories to their death and suffering by voting for big money politicians?
I wish I had left my predictions about who you likely read in my original comment. You only missed out T. Garton Ash. All the Stalin obsessives. 70+ years later and that thug is still a rich source for a career in Western academia. We'll set aside the fact that none of these folks, though early career, had any inkling of what was about to happen in 1989. I've usually found more success when applying my skepticism more evenly. Thanks for the exchange.
I want Peace, Israel wants peace, Palestinians wants Peace, Jeffrey Sachs wants Peace, and so does Ralph Nader. However why do you start with 2 obvious lies? The 3 professors' were Not bullied. in front of congress where they could not condemn Hamas for attacking Israel on Oct 7th. The 2nd lie Hamas did not inflate the death of Palestinians. Remember day 1 Hamas said Israel attacked a Hospital and it was verified. by New York Times. However it was proven a day later that it was Hamas missiles that accidentally hit the hospital. The New York Times had to retract it.
Sachs is right that “the core of this government does not want diplomacy, even if it were to deliver security. Their aim is not security through diplomacy. Their aim is ‘Greater Israel.’”
While Israeli militarism is obviously a critical part of this equation, it’s worth noting that the genocide in Gaza takes some inspiration from the genocide executed by Washington vis-à-vis indigenous Americans across our continent. And, contrary to popular belief, that genocide not only continued into the past century, but also remains effectively on going. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/indigenous-lives-matter-from-north
Not only is genocide a defining aspect of America’s international legacy, but Biden’s idiotic support for Netanyahu notwithstanding popular dissent reduces democracy in America to a cruel joke. There is no way for Americans to vote for a better or more humane policy, not only because both of the corporate political parties share a commitment to an accountable militarism, but also because each of the major parties presidential candidates have refused to show up for debates or heed the results of primary elections. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/genocide-joe-is-no-defender-of-democracy
My most recent post also addresses Israel and Palestine, particularly comments by Senator Tim Kaine that were largely overlooked in the international press. While reporters seized on Kaine’s comment that Biden knew “he had been played by Netanyahu,” the bigger scandal revealed by his comments is the vast chasm between the interests of politicians and their constituents. Kaine observed a grand fallacy at the heart of representative democracy with important implications for constitutional theory. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/a-senior-democrat-notes-how-career
The Israeli military’s real-time denigration and destruction of thousands of Palestinian civilians has confronted the world with moral horrors many believed—perhaps naively—were unique to the twentieth century.
A record number of aid workers are being killed. So far 203 aid workers were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and April 2024, according to Humanitarian Outcomes, an independent London organization monitoring aid worker attacks. By contrast, a total of 20 aid workers were unacceptably killed in Ukraine between 2022 and April 2024. Aid workers in Gaza constitute 63% of the global aid worker deaths between January 2023 and April 2024 despite the fact the Israeli onslaught on Gaza began 10 months into 2023.
Horrifically exemplifying threats to aid workers operating in Gaza, we learn the Israeli military sequentially targeted not one, not two, but three World Central Kitchen vehicles. Israeli forces stalked the hunger relief convoy over a one stretch of roadway, killing seven people. After the survivors of the first strike attempted to move to a second vehicle, Israeli forces fired upon and destroyed the second vehicle. When survivors of the second strike attempted to flee the scene in a third vehicle, the military fired upon and destroyed the final vehicle. The attack occurred despite the fact the World Central Kitchen had coordinated their movements with the Israeli military and the group’s logo was emblazoned on the rooftop and windshield of one or more vehicles.
https://jeffreynall.substack.com/p/existential-anguish-moral-retching
Toward the very beginning of this essay, I saw verbiage to the effect that we must investigatge the origins of anti Palestinian sentiment.
In the recent attack from Gaza, Hamas terrorists were not oontent to merely kills Jews. The New York Times reports that they drove nails into the vaginas of Jewish girls. Any Jew with any sense must despise them.
Unfortunately intellectuals are not necessarily intelligent. Intellectuals love to manipulate ideas, but they don't always conform to syllogistic logic and often make no sense at all
https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/graduating-seniors-disregard-most
Prof. Sachs was correct that the politicians need to change their SOP as they currently make their decisions based on campaign funding.
Bishop Barber said that if you are not for ending policies that perpetuate low wages and poverty you are an accessory to ending human beings lives. If you are not for ending policies that are perpetuating the death discussed in this episode you are also an accessory to ending human beings lives.
The question is how do citizens get the politicians to change their SOP of making decisions based on campaign funding?
If we continue to vote for politicians that take big money they have no incentive to not take big money.
Citizens have to change our SOP of making ourselves accessories by voting for the politicians that take big money.
The choice is to vote for the death of people and democracy by voting for big money politicians or vote to save people by saving democracy by using our votes to demand small donor politicians providing a powerful incentive that will force politicians to choose between getting our votes and taking big money to fund their campaigns.
How many more people have to die before we finally use our votes to save them instead of remaining accessories to their death and suffering by voting for big money politicians?
I wish I had left my predictions about who you likely read in my original comment. You only missed out T. Garton Ash. All the Stalin obsessives. 70+ years later and that thug is still a rich source for a career in Western academia. We'll set aside the fact that none of these folks, though early career, had any inkling of what was about to happen in 1989. I've usually found more success when applying my skepticism more evenly. Thanks for the exchange.
This resembles Sallust's Jugurthine War that resulted in a chaos and disintegration that we seem to be experiencing already.
I want Peace, Israel wants peace, Palestinians wants Peace, Jeffrey Sachs wants Peace, and so does Ralph Nader. However why do you start with 2 obvious lies? The 3 professors' were Not bullied. in front of congress where they could not condemn Hamas for attacking Israel on Oct 7th. The 2nd lie Hamas did not inflate the death of Palestinians. Remember day 1 Hamas said Israel attacked a Hospital and it was verified. by New York Times. However it was proven a day later that it was Hamas missiles that accidentally hit the hospital. The New York Times had to retract it.
Your guest lost me with his bizarre assertions about Ukraine. He seems to have missed the unprovoked and relentless invasion by Russia.