A generational shift is transforming the US-Israel relationship. The Iran war has accelerated the fraying of ties. An end to unconditional US support would force a reckoning with reality - Kenneth Roth in the Guardian

A generational shift is under way in the relationship between the United States and Israel. Tensions were already palpable because of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu’s role in pushing Donald Trump to join a counterproductive war against Iran was the last straw.

Stopping unconditional US support for Israel would certainly be important for curbing US complicity in Israeli war crimes. It may also be the best thing for Israel if it is to have any hope of avoiding the dangerous dead end of relentless military escalation. And it is a prerequisite for Palestinians to have any prospect of escaping Israel’s endless occupation.

The relationship between the two countries was not always as close as in recent decades. At Israel’s founding in 1948, Washington was supportive but with a certain reserve. President Harry Truman refused to send weapons to the new state. In 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower forced Israel to withdraw from the Sinai.

But things changed when neighboring states attacked Israel in 1967 and 1973. Israel also benefited from portraying itself during the cold war as a bulwark against Soviet influence in the Middle East.

For many years, it became impossible to question Israel in discussions with most US officials. When in 2021 Human Rights Watch issued a report on Israel’s apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territory, it was widely welcomed around the world but landed in Washington like a lead balloon.

That extreme deference was visible even as Israel committed genocide. President Joe Biden stopped delivering the 2,000lb bombs that Israel used to indiscriminately decimate Palestinian neighborhoods but kept billions flowing in other military aid and arms sales.... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/30/us-israel-relationship-shift  

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Mark S. Singel: "This war is illegal and unconstitutional. It is raining death and destruction on countless innocent civilians who are simply in the way. The war is draining America of resources and costing families billions of dollars in higher prices and declining pension accounts. ​But it may be worse than that. It may be the beginning of a cycle of destruction caused by the deranged vision of one man. "

"... This war is illegal and unconstitutional. It is raining death and destruction on countless innocent civilians who are simply in the way. The war is draining America of resources and costing families billions of dollars in higher prices and declining pension accounts.

​But it may be worse than that. It may be the beginning of a cycle of destruction caused by the deranged vision of one man.

In a stunning article featured in The Guardian, some commanders are carrying an “end-of-times” message into the fray. One officer reported that his commander “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan … that President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”

​Even the most ardent MAGA supporters must know that it has never been the policy of America to initiate wars.

Yes, there have been clandestine operations that presidents have undertaken in the past.

Yes, we have engaged in conflicts that bogged down in the jungles of Vietnam or the deserts of Afghanistan. But we have never boasted about kidnapping foreign leaders or decapitating regimes just because we had the ability to do so.

​The real cost of Trump’s adventurism in the Mideast is that it validates behaviors that were, until now, reserved for the worst blood-thirsty leaders in history."

Trump’s war on Iran is an unconstitutional assault on American democracy | Opinion

• Published: Mar. 14, 2026

• Guest Editorial

By Mark S. Singel

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https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2026/03/trumps-war-on-iran-is-an-unconstitutional-assault-on-american-democracy-opinion.html?gift=d437e2df-540e-4bbd-87f7-bfa1f787eaf6 

“War does not solve problems — on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of nations that take generations to heal.” - Pope Leo XIV renewing his call for diplomacy and commitment to peace: “Let diplomacy silence the weapons; let nations shape their future through works of peace, not through violence and bloody conflict.”

“No armed victory can make up for a mother’s grief, a child’s fear, or a stolen future.” - Pope Leo XIV artwork by Be a Heart

Pope Leo XIV after U.S. bombings in Iran: ‘Humanity cries out and pleads for peace’

Reacting to what he called the “alarming news” of U.S. airstrikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, Pope Leo XIV on Sunday [June 22,2025] pleaded with the international community “to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”

 

 Pope Leo XIV spook to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus on June 22, 2025: 

“There are no distant conflicts when human dignity is at stake,” he said. “War does not solve problems — on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of nations that take generations to heal.”

The pope also evoked the most heartbreaking human toll of violence. “No armed victory can make up for a mother’s grief, a child’s fear, or a stolen future.”

Finally, he renewed his call for diplomacy and commitment to peace: “Let diplomacy silence the weapons; let nations shape their future through works of peace, not through violence and bloody conflict.”

READ MORE  https://ewtnvatican.com/articles/pope-leo-xiv-after-us-bombings-in-iran-humanity-cries-out-and-pleads-for-peace-5733 

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Gaza’s endangered heritage: 5,000 years of history at risk amid conflict

Remains of Anthedon, also referred to as Al Balakhiyya, was a Hellenistic city near Gaza (Photo courtesy of EBAF)

 By Saeb Rawashdeh - Apr 14,2025

JORDAN TIMES

AMMAN — The international community does not know how long will last the most recent of Zionist's offensives on Gaza, nor it can predict how much damage will be inflicted on the Arab and non-Jewish cultural heritage in the Gaza Strip. 

Because of that, relevant institutions, both local and international, should keep the record on artefacts, historical sites and cultural heritage that is under the constant threat.

In the early 12th century BC, groups probably originating in the Aegean established trading posts on the coastal plaine. They were known in historiography as "Sea people" and information on their ethnic origin varies. 

Sea people seem to be heterogeneous conglomeration of different ethnic groups from the Asia Minor, Greece and northern Mediterranen. However, our focus this time won't be on them.

"Conquered by the Assyrians in 734 BC, Gaza pledged allegiance to Nineveh. Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Gaza became a Babylonian outpost on the empire's Western frontier. In 539 BC, the Persian Cyrus seized Babylon and founded the Achaemenid Empire. During the Persian period, Gaza was the pearl of the Mediteranean," said British-affiliated archaeologist Claudine Dauphin. 

The archaeologist noted that all these historical periods have left their mark on an exceptional discovery in 1995: The ancient port and city of Anthedon at Tel Blakhiyyah, next to Shatteh refugee camp. 

Founded in the early 8th century BC as one of the Neo-Assyrian citadels of the buffer zone against Egypt, it was founded anew by Greek immigrants, probably from Anthedon in Beotia who took advantage of the 6th century BC boom in seaborn trade and established the new trading port of Anthedon of Palestine around 520 BC, Dauphin continued.

She added that it was active until the 12th century AD. The defensive site has been silted in, but parts of the city wall are still standing.  

The port structures used for fishing and shipbuilding and an aristocratic quarter with walls painted in Pompeii style (200 BC) were excavated by Franco-Palestinian expedition directed by Fr J.-B. Humbert, OP of EBAF, between 1995 and 2005, Dauphin underlined, adding that a Hellenistic city, Anthedon had an agora and temples. 

It was governed by a council (boule) of 500 members and had its own army commanded by a strategos, according to the Jewish Roman historian, Flavius Josephus.

In the course of his conquest of Syria, Alexander the great besieged Gaza in 332 BC, perpetrating massacres, looting and destruction. Rebuilt, Gaza regained its importance under his successors, the Ptolemaic Lagids in Egypt (323-30 BC) and the Seleucids (323-64 BC) ruling from Anatolia to the Indus.  

"In 97 BC, Gaza and Anthedon were conquered and devastated by the Jewish Hasmonean ruler, Alexander Janneus, and left deserted - a taste of what was intended but not fully achieved some 2000 years later, giving us as 21st century archaeologist hope for the renaissance of Gaza, since Anthedon was again important enough in the Byzantine province of Palaestina Prima (395–636) to become a suffragan bishopric of the metropolitan archbishopric of Caesarea Palaestinae," Dauphin underlined.

In the 4th century AD, the city became an episcopal see, though the worship of Venus and Astarte survived there until the 5th century according to Sozomenon. The first known bishop of Anthedon was Paul, who took part in the Councils of Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451). 

Bishop Eustathius took part in the Council of Jerusalem (518), and Bishop Dorotheus in the Council of Jerusalem (536). 

Roman and Byzantine Gaza... READ MORE   https://jordantimes.com/news/local/gazas-endangered-heritage-5000-years-history-risk-amid-conflict

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"These are not birds - they are the scattered remains of our brothers, flying through the skies of their occupied land." This is how Egyptian artist Abdullah Wagih described his artwork, in reference to the scene.

"These are not birds - they are the scattered remains of our brothers, flying through the skies of their occupied land."This is how Egyptian artist Abdullah Wagih described his artwork, in reference to the scene.

 Art Is Kinder Than Reality

Americans should focus on building peace - My letter published online in my local newspaper The Patriot News: "Our domestic and foreign policies should align to shape true justice, peace, and prosperity for all people, regardless of race or religion."

Americans should focus on building peace | PennLive Letters

https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2024/11/americans-should-focus-on-building-peace-pennlive-letters.html

Published: Nov. 29, 2024

Thank you for publishing William Lambers’ 11/11 opinion “The silence heard around the world brought peace.”

Lambers sagely reminds us that the true spirit of Armistice Day, is “to keep up the mission for a world free from the horror of war.”

We must make it a priority to invest in goodness, not war: We need to disarm and dismantle the military-industrial complex that our tax dollars have helped build.

Fully respecting basic human rights and the rule of fair and just laws is a good first step in building peace.

Our domestic and foreign policies should align to shape true justice, peace, and prosperity for all people, regardless of race or religion.

Anne Selden Annab, Mechanicsburg Pa.

Because of Us... poem by Emily Berry + Democracy Now "As the WHO warns Gaza’s hospitals are becoming cemeteries, it’s time to heed the poets and the doctors, stop the killing, end the occupation, and dress the open wounds of war."

 

The Undressed Wounds of Gaza

"... The late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, as a child, survived the 1948 Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” when 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes and 15,000 were killed during Israel’s founding. Darwish lived much of his life in exile and was a critic of Hamas. He wrote in his poem, “To A Young Poet,”

“A poem in a difficult time
is beautiful flowers in a cemetery.”

As the WHO warns Gaza’s hospitals are becoming cemeteries, it’s time to heed the poets and the doctors, stop the killing, end the occupation, and dress the open wounds of war."  https://www.democracynow.org/2023/11/16/the_undressed_wounds_of_gaza

The speech that Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American and Democrat, had hoped to give America at the DNC 2024

 My name is Ruwa Romman, and I’m honored to be the first Palestinian elected to public office in the great state of Georgia and the first Palestinian to ever speak at the Democratic National Convention. My story begins in a small village near Jerusalem, called Suba, where my dad’s family is from. My mom’s roots trace back to Al Khalil, or Hebron. My parents, born in Jordan, brought us to Georgia when I was eight, where I now live with my wonderful husband and our sweet pets.

Growing up, my grandfather and I shared a special bond. He was my partner in mischief—whether it was sneaking me sweets from the bodega or slipping a $20 into my pocket with that familiar wink and smile. He was my rock, but he passed away a few years ago, never seeing Suba or any part of Palestine again. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.

This past year has been especially hard. As we’ve been moral witnesses to the massacres in Gaza, I’ve thought of him, wondering if this was the pain he knew too well. When we watched Palestinians displaced from one end of the Gaza Strip to the other I wanted to ask him how he found the strength to walk all those miles decades ago and leave everything behind. 

But in this pain, I’ve also witnessed something profound—a beautiful, multifaith, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition rising from despair within our Democratic Party. For 320 days, we’ve stood together, demanding to enforce our laws on friend and foe alike to reach a ceasefire, end the killing of Palestinians, free all the Israeli and Palestinian hostages, and to begin the difficult work of building a path to collective peace and safety. That’s why we are here—members of this Democratic Party committed to equal rights and dignity for all. What we do here echoes around the world.

They’ll say this is how it’s always been, that nothing can change. But remember Fannie Lou Hamer—shunned for her courage, yet she paved the way for an integrated Democratic Party. Her legacy lives on, and it’s her example we follow.

But we can’t do it alone. This historic moment is full of promise, but only if we stand together. Our party’s greatest strength has always been our ability to unite. Some see that as a weakness, but it’s time we flex that strength. 

Let’s commit to each other, to electing Vice President Harris and defeating Donald Trump who uses my identity as a Palestinian as a slur. Let’s fight for the policies long overdue—from restoring access to abortions to ensuring a living wage, to demanding an end to reckless war and a ceasefire in Gaza. To those who doubt us, to the cynics and the naysayers, I say, yes we can—yes we can be a Democratic Party that prioritizes funding our schools and hospitals, not for endless wars. That fights for an America that belongs to all of us—Black, brown, and white, Jews and Palestinians, all of us, like my grandfather taught me, together.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/dnc-speech-uncommitted-movement-harris-walz-ruwan-romman/

Mother Jones illustration; Photos courtesy of Noah Lanard and Nate Gowdy

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To enjoy fireworks... No Explosions poem by Naomi Shihab Nye

 

CSM: Ken Makin Commentary on Columbia: History, protests, and humanity- After arrests at Columbia University and other schools, our commentator considers the legacy of civil disobedience. How and why does society’s lens on protests change over time?

Students protest in support of Palestinians near a closed entrance of Columbia University, in New York City, April 23, 2024. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters  

There was a political theorist who famously said there are decades when nothing happens, and weeks when decades happen. As someone who writes about history a good bit, I think we should take those decades when “nothing happens” to remember flashpoints.

When I saw students at Columbia University engaging in a pro-Palestinian protest last week, I thought about South Carolina State University, about Kent State, about Jackson State, and about Southern University. When more than 100 students were arrested in New York City after said protest, my concerns went to the natural escalation that occurs when the people clash with the police, when people push back against war.

I understand that pushback, because I never met my uncle, my dad’s older brother. A few days after his 20th birthday, he was killed in Vietnam. The presidential election year of 1968 was a harrowing one that hit close to home for my dad, who would later decide to attend South Carolina State. Only three months before my uncle died, a student protest ended in tragedy during the events that are now known as the Orangeburg Massacre. Students from SC State and Claflin University sought to desegregate a local bowling alley, which led to an eventual clash with police. It was the first instance of police killing protesters at an American university....  

READ MORE https://www.csmonitor.com/Daily/2024/20240424/Commentary-on-Columbia-History-protests-and-humanity?cmpid=shared-twitter

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MC Abdul - Shouting At The Wall

Official music video by MC Abdul - Shouting At The Wall © 2021

Israel-Hamas War: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

“Look, it is true that Gazans did at one point elect Hamas,” Oliver said. “But if you think that makes them all complicit in war crimes their government commits, then boy, do I have bad news for you about decades of U.S. foreign policy.”

He also noted that there were also “huge asterisks” on “Gazans electing Hamas,” considering the election was nearly 17 years ago, when much of Gaza’s population — which is nearly 50% children — had not even been born, as well as multiple other factors that were at play.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-oliver-israel-hamas_n_6551e7e4e4b09c9500aaeebb