Facing up to the stark realities of Gaza
A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Netanyahu recently announced that Israel will take over the Gaza strip to 'further the elimination of Hamas.' It's another step in his attempt to annex Gaza. The United States has always considered Israel to be an ally. We have sent billions of dollars worth of weaponry and other aid to Israel. But Netanyahu is not our friend. The United States needs to stop supporting this power-hungry despot.
Advertisement
Sandra Breen
Warwick, RI
All eyes are on the innocents of Gaza
Re '
Advertisement
As plans to escalate the war against Hamas come to light, the horror of starvation in Gaza increases daily. The people of the world are watching the heartless killing of innocents in Gaza — women, children, and the disabled.
Israel, Hamas, and Iran are directly culpable. But we American taxpayers are financing this horror. We are paying for the fighter planes and ammunition used by armed Israelis to rain death and destruction on Gaza's people. We are complicit in the horrifying starvation of innocents, as the eyes of the world watch children struggle for life and die from lack of food.
Unless this horror is stopped immediately and the besieged innocents of Gaza have access to food, water, and safety, then the aggressors — both
Israel and Hamas — should be shunned by the world.
A coalition led by the United Nations must be given direct access to Gaza, with armed security and a variety of peacekeepers paving the way.
America, my country, must lead the way to peace in Gaza. We have been the world's peacekeepers since the end of World War II. Why are we now abandoning the innocent, the vulnerable, the starving children?
John J. Drew
Boston
The writer is the former president/CEO of Action for Boston Community Development.
History is repeating itself, and it needs to stop
It is not anti-Jewish to be against the Israeli government's actions in Gaza, which many experts conclude amount to genocide. Such mass starvation is an affront to humanity. Competent humanitarian agencies need to be given access to those starving; the annihilation of the Palestinian people needs to stop. President Bill Clinton wavered and did not call the Rwanda tragedy a genocide until it was too late. History is now repeating itself.
Advertisement
John Hammock
Belmont
The writer is president of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation and former president of Oxfam America.
There probably won't be a 'Diary of a Young Girl' from Gaza
Why we will likely never get to know the 'Anne Frank' of Gaza:
1. There is no attic in Gaza.
2. There is no food in Gaza.
3. There is no neighbor who can protect her.
4. Her family is likely injured or dead.
5. International
journalists are not allowed in Gaza.
6. Soon, she will be dead.
Kathleen Curtis
Marblehead
Some needed momentum for a two-state solution
Re '
Ron Israel
Milton
Hisham Jabi
Nablus, West Bank
The writers are members of the board of the Global Citizens' Initiative, a nonprofit focused on bringing people and organizations together to solve global problems.
Where is the outrage over Hamas's actions?
Where's the outrage? Hamas recently released video showing two barely alive, emaciated Israeli hostages abducted from the Nova music festival during the Hamas invasion on Oct. 7, 2023. Outrage against the tragedies of the continuing war in the aftermath of that vicious attack appears to be selective. It is reserved for Israel as the perceived sole perpetrator of all the misery now engulfing Gaza. Hamas, which for 20 years brutally oppressed the population under its control, in part through holding the reins of food and aid distribution, gets a pass from the international community. The new video evidence of Hamas's starvation of these hostages can't move the needle. Instead, France, Britain, and Canada have announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state, under various conditions. With no plan for effective governance in place, how will that help? Absent a coordinated agreement for responsible administration of Gaza by a coalition of Arab and Western power players, it won't.
Advertisement
David Greenfield
Waltham
Israelis and Americans need to take a stand
I agree with John Benjamin's piece 'Israel is losing America' (Ideas, Aug. 10). The Gaza atrocities are terrible. The United States would have lost worldwide support if we conducted our Afghanistan war with such callous regard for civilians. Israel must be held responsible for its conduct.
At the same time, the Trump administration is using American Jews and Israel as a divisive lever in the United States. His extortion of universities and companies is based in part on claims of antisemitism, while completely ignoring anti-Palestinian views. The good people of Israel, like the good people of the United States, need to reject the policies of their extremist governments and enable freedom and equality for all.
John Greichen Jr.
Newport, R.I.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Engadget
19 minutes ago
- Engadget
Court blocks FTC investigation into Media Matters' alleged scheme against X
The court has blocked the Federal Trade Commission's investigation into Media Matters, the media nonprofit that previously published research showing that ads appeared on X alongside neo-Nazi and other antisemitic content. In 2023, Elon Musk's X filed a lawsuit against the media watchdog following an advertiser exodus. It accused Media Matters of "knowingly and maliciously manufactur[ing] side-by-side images depicting advertisers' posts on X Corp.'s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white national fringe content." Just this May, the FTC started looking into whether the nonprofit violated antitrust laws by allegedly colluding with advertising and advocacy groups to boycott X. In June, Media Matters sued the FTC, accusing it of unfairly targeting the group in retaliation for past criticisms of X. "The Federal Trade Commission seeks to punish Media Matters for its journalism and speech in exposing matters of substantial public concern — including how has enabled and profited from extremist content that proliferated after Elon Musk took over the platform formerly known as Twitter," the group said at the time. Now, Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan has granted a preliminary injunction in the nonprofit's favor. Sooknanan has agreed with the group that the FTC's investigation is "a retaliatory act" and has noted that it is "likely to succeed on its First Amendment retaliation claim." She wrote in her decision that such probes would deter other reporters from speaking again. "Indeed, the FTC's [investigation] has had its intended effect." Apparently, because of the probe, Media Matters has "decided against pursuing certain stories about the FTC, Chairman Ferguson, and Mr. Musk." "The court's ruling demonstrates the importance of fighting over folding, which far too many are doing when confronted with intimidation from the Trump administration," Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters, told The New York Times . "We will continue to stand up and fight for the First Amendment rights that protect every American." As the publication notes, courts had also blocked investigations into the group by the attorneys general in Texas and Missouri. Musk's lawsuits against the nonprofit, however, are still ongoing.
Los Angeles Times
19 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Ukraine's Zelensky to meet Trump in D.C. on Monday after inconclusive summit
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet Monday in Washington with President Trump, who has shifted to saying that an overall peace agreement — and not a ceasefire — is the next step in ending the 3½-year-old war. Trump's abrupt reversal, aligning himself with a position held by Russian President Vladimir Putin, came in a social media post Saturday, hours after they concluded a summit in Alaska that produced no agreement to halt the fighting. Putin has long said that Moscow is not interested in a temporary truce and instead is seeking a long-term settlement that takes the Kremlin's interests into account. After calls with Zelensky and European leaders, Trump posted that 'it was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.' In a statement after the Trump call, the European leaders did not address whether a peace deal was preferable to a ceasefire, saying that they 'welcomed President Trump's efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia's war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace.' Trump and Ukraine's European allies had been calling for a ceasefire ahead of any negotiations. Trump's statement that a peace agreement should be reached before a ceasefire appears to indicate the U.S. president's thinking is 'shifting towards Putin,' an approach that would allow Moscow to keep fighting while negotiating, said Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. Zelensky, who was not invited to Alaska for the summit, said he had a 'long and substantive' conversation with Trump early Saturday. He said they would 'discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war' on Monday. It will be Zelensky's first visit to the U.S. since Trump berated him publicly as being 'disrespectful' during an extraordinary Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28. Trump, who also held calls with European leaders Saturday, confirmed Monday's White House meeting and said that 'if all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin.' Trump rolled out the red carpet Friday for Putin, who was in the U.S. for the first time in a decade and since the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But he gave little concrete detail afterward of what was discussed. On Saturday, he posted on social media that it 'went very well.' Trump had warned ahead of the summit of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin didn't agree to end the war. Zelensky reiterated the importance of involving European leaders, who also were not invited to the summit. 'It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America,' he said. 'We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine's security.' He didn't elaborate, but Zelensky previously has said that European partners put on hold a proposal to establish a foreign troop presence in Ukraine to deter Russian aggression because it lacked an American backstop. Zelensky said he spoke to Trump one-on-one and then in a call with other European leaders. In total, the conversations lasted more than 90 minutes. Trump said in Alaska that 'there's no deal until there's a deal,' after Putin claimed the two leaders had hammered out an 'understanding' on Ukraine and warned Europe not to 'torpedo the nascent progress.' During an interview with Fox News Channel before returning to Washington, Trump insisted the onus going forward might be on Zelensky 'to get it done,' but said there would also be some involvement from European nations. In their statement after speaking to Trump, major European leaders said they were ready to work with Trump and Zelenskyy toward 'a trilateral summit with European support.' The statement from French, German, Italian, British, Finnish, Polish and European Union leaders said that 'Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees' and welcomed U.S. readiness to provide them. 'It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory,' they said. 'International borders must not be changed by force.' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that 'the harsh reality is that Russia has no intention of ending this war anytime soon,' noting that Moscow launched new attacks on Ukraine even as the delegations met. 'Putin continues to drag out negotiations and hopes he gets away with it. He left Anchorage without making any commitments to end the killing,' she said. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting along a 600-mile front line. Since spring, Russian troops have accelerated their gains, capturing the most territory since the opening stages of the war. 'Vladimir Putin came to the Alaska summit with the principal goal of stalling any pressure on Russia to end the war,' said Neil Melvin, director of international security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute. 'He will consider the summit outcome as mission accomplished.' Zelensky voiced support for Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting with the U.S. and Russia. He said that 'key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this.' But Putin's foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, said on Russian state television Saturday that the idea of a three-way meeting 'has not been touched upon yet' in U.S.-Russia discussions. Zelensky wrote on X that he told Trump that 'sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war.' In apparent effort to bolster Zelensky's hand before he meets Trump, France, the U.K. and Germany will co-host a video call Sunday afternoon of so-called 'coalition of the willing' nations that could, in one way or another, help monitor and uphold any deal to end fighting, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said. Russian officials and media struck a largely positive tone after Friday's summit, with some describing it as a symbolic end to Putin's isolation in the West. Former President Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, praised the summit as a breakthrough in restoring high-level dialogue between Moscow and Washington, describing the talks as 'calm, without ultimatums and threats.' Putin has 'broken out of international isolation' and back on the world stage as one of two global leaders, and 'wasn't in the least challenged' by Trump, who also ignored an arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court, said Laurie Bristow, who was British ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020. 'Unless Mr. Putin is absolutely convinced that he cannot win militarily, the fighting is not going to stop,' Bristow told the Associated Press. 'That's the big takeaway from the Anchorage summit.' Kullab and Morton write for the Associated Press and reported from Kyiv and London, respectively. AP writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report.
New York Post
19 minutes ago
- New York Post
Bourbon blues: Five months into ban, Canadian bars running dry of Kentucky whiskey
Canadian bars that stocked up on Kentucky Bourbon are running on fumes five months into its nation's ban on US booze – yanking popular cocktails from menus or slapping on a premium for the scarce commodity. In March, provinces ordered their liquor stores to yank all American products from their shelves, in retaliation for the Trump administration slapping 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. One Canadian bar owner told The Post he stocked up on half gallons of Kentucky Bourbon to survive the trade war. 3 Rafferty, who stocked up in March, is down to his last few bottles of Bourbon. Courtesy of Johnny Rafferty 'When Ontario said it was going to take every American brand off the shelf, I went nuts,' said Johnny Rafferty, owner of Rose and Crown bar in Toronto. Rafferty bought six cases in March, each containing six bottles of the Bluegrass State spirit. 'When I showed up, they just had these monster bottles,' he said. 'I pretty much grabbed whatever I could.' He's now down to his last four — two bottles of Jim Beam, one Jack Daniel's and a Bulleit. 'If these tariffs lift, I think it'll be a free for all,' he said. 3 Canada pulled US booze from shelves back in March in response to US tariffs. REUTERS Another bar owner meanwhile has been overcharging customers who are desperate for a taste of Kentucky whiskey — the now rare liquor. 'Because it's in limited supply, I charge more for it, right?' Scott Swain, manager of Danu Social House told CBC News. 'It's a premium product right now.' 3 Except for Alberta, other provinces have stuck with the ban, even five months in. VCG via Reuters Connect Bourbon makers in Kentucky had slammed Canada's ban as a 'disproportionate response' to the trade war. Alberta — where some have warmed to the idea of a 51st state — lifted the US booze ban in June to help ease trade negotiations, but other Northern provinces have shown no sign of relenting.
