Two wrongs don't make a right. The children's anguish tells you that

The Advertiser

20-05-2025

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
The footage is haunting. Screaming children, desperate for food, swarming over a makeshift kitchen. Tiny hands scraping what they can from pots emptied by the bigger kids. A few grains of rice and lentils - anything to relieve the aching hunger that's been gnawing at them for more than 80 days, ever since Israel blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
A world away in London, advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel makes a sickening statement, that the war in Gaza with all its privations might be good for Palestinians, that the lack of food might address their obesity problem - might even increase their life expectancy. Such cavalier insensitivity carries a sinister echo from last century, when Germany was making plans to lay waste to Russia.
Similar dehumanising footage emerged in the early days of Operation Barbarossa, when starving Russian POWs behind barbed wire were filmed fighting over scraps of bread tossed to them by their captors. During the Nuremberg trials after the war, Soviet prosecutors estimated 3 million Russians had been starved to death during the German invasion. The policy of denying civilians food even had a name. It was known as the Hunger Plan.
Israel denies it is using starvation as a weapon of war. This week it announced it will allow some basic food back into Gaza as it intensifies military operations, including targeting hospitals in relentless air strikes. This, it says, is to avoid a famine. More like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
A much more likely motivation is Donald Trump's recent visit to the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia. It would be hard for the Netanyahu government not to feel a twinge of misgiving that even Trump might be losing patience with its heavy handedness. There's heavy symbolism in Israel being left off the president's itinerary as he toured the Middle East. The growing sense of isolation is evident on the Israeli news websites.
This concession on food aid is, however, just a token. Israel says it will allow only 10 per cent of the 600 trucks a day needed to deliver sufficient aid to Gaza. So the harrowing images of hollow-eyed children fighting for scraps of food will continue. They will be a stain on Israel for years to come, just as the terrible images of bloodied Israelis being dragged into Gaza on October 7, 2023 will forever cast Hamas as the personification of barbarity.
Israel's fanatical finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has made clear his intentions for Gaza. Early this month he predicted the strip would be destroyed, its population herded into a small swathe of land on the Egyptian border. Israel would annex the entire strip. There's nothing new in Smotrich's hardline attitude towards the Palestinians; he's been hawking it for years.
But now even the US is pushing back. When Smotrich called for two Palestinian villages in the West Bank to be "erased" following attacks on settlers last week, the State Department called it an incitement to violence which Prime Minister Netanyahu should disavow.
The rebuke, issued when the president was in the Middle East, signals the Trump administration might be beginning to realise something the rest of us have known since the early days of the Gaza war: that two wrongs don't make a right. Never have. Never will.
You only have to look at the anguish on those Palestinian children's faces to see that.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is Israel using starvation as a weapon of war? Can it hope to restore its international standing when the world sees images of starving kids fighting for food? Is it finally dawning on the US that Israel's behaviour in Gaza is unacceptable? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Indonesia has raised the alert level of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to the highest after it erupted eight times over the weekend. Lewotobi Laki-laki, on Flores island in eastern Indonesia, spewed volcanic ash between three to 5.5 kilometres high on Sunday, the nation's volcanology agency said.
- Former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer which has spread to his bones.
- Hundreds of people across NSW have been arrested during a domestic and family violence blitz. Police arrested 627 people and levied 1316 charges amid Operation Amarok X from May 14 to May 17.
THEY SAID IT: "Misery, mutilation, destruction, terror, starvation and death characterise the process of war and form a principal part of the product." - Lewis Mumford
YOU SAID IT: When the US health secretary takes a dip in Washington's most contaminated creek and posts about it social media, when the president sees nothing wrong about accepting a luxury jumbo jet as a gift from a foreign government, Australians can feel grateful we haven't reached that level of craziness.
Old Donald writes: "It's so hard to isolate any of the egregious American nonsense, with so many stupid acts on display: and yet these buffoons at the top were elected by a free and democratic society. Every American had their chance to say 'F off.' Half of them didn't even exercise their right to vote. We must be so grateful to our forefathers for compulsory voting (regardless of any political reasons they might have had). 2025 has shown that it's what ultimately keeps the sewer rats in their sewers."
"Trump needs people around him like RFK Jnr," writes John. "It makes Trump look intelligent."
Maggie writes: "The brain worm did a thorough job, and appears to have spread."
"I am not overly concerned about President Trump accepting a gift on behalf of the American people," writes Murray. "It's out in the open and apart from the usual quid pro quo resulting from the giving and accepting of a gift, I suspect it's just the normal 'Trump did it so it must be wrong'. It is true though, the current administration in the US resembles a lunatic asylum. Which only shows how incredibly bad the Biden government was. Donald Trump won in a landslide and was given a mandate to fix the country. When voters see Trump as the only viable option things are dire. Dire indeed."
Of corruption, Michele writes: "It is the mentality of the public that says it's OK and therefore it grows like cancer and the gifts in exchange for favours gets bigger and more valuable. We are just not always aware of it. On the matter of Medicare, Australia has one of the best systems in the world and other countries should be using us as their benchmark. In a civilised society with the taxes that is raised, we all should have the facilities to keep healthy no matter where we live in our vast country. Keeping the population healthy is an investment in people and in return, they will inject their labour to support it by working longer, either for money or volunteering. We need to keep improving it by supporting Labor for the Urgent Care Clinics. However, we need the health system to tailor them to suit each specific environment to maximise their benefits and reduce overall costs which are higher when attending local hospitals."
"The decline of the Roman empire was accompanied by incompetent and amoral leadership, an avaricious elite, corruption, inflation, financial crises, and heavy exploitation of a vast immiserated underclass," writes Phil. "Sounds familiar, does it not? The USA is in terminal decline. A new world order is going to evolve. Australia should earnestly, but cautiously, seek new allies and trading partners. The UK should look to repair its economy by grasping the remarkably providential chance to re-engage with Europe."
Jennifer asks: "When did the US have credibility? They market poor quality products and ideas, whether intelligence, health care, poverty or disaster support for their own people. Sadly we copy them and follow them, harming our own people. We deny reality rather than paying attention to those warning us of the risks. We must make informed decisions for Australia's future, rather than lazily travelling in the US slipstream. Hopefully that is now obvious to all. For me, US credibility was lost decades ago with Vietnam, Iraq, exacerbated with Biden sending weapons to Israel so they could kill more civilians and completely trashed with the re-election of Trump and actions since. Too often the US supports others to break international law and abuse ordinary people."
"We know why RFK was appointed to his position so his ignorance in health matters just like his boss should not surprise us," writes Arthur. "Medicare in Australia has a fundamental problem that neither side of politics is willing to fix. The problem is that unless a patient pays the full cost of a consultation up front the doctor has to choose between accepting a bulk billing payment or no payment at all. The bulk billing payment is often if not always below the cost of providing quality service. A simple change in the rules to enable the doctor to receive the Medicare payment irrespective of whether the patient has paid a gap or not would go a long way to improving Medicare. The gap payment should be negotiated between the doctor and the patient without government interference."
Jan has an admission: "In my young mad days, late primary age, I swam across the Cooks River and back at Undercliffe. I remember a couple stopping, probably in concern, and watching till I clambered onto the bank. All those years ago, there was dirt clinging to my skin!! Stupid!"
"Yes, you're right - the US is up Shit Creek with crazy Kennedy as health secretary, the developed world's worst health system and an even more dangerous, unpredictable president," writes David. "Australians and Canadians anti-Trump election votes were sensible and timely. However, we shouldn't be too cocky about our own health system with a worrying decline in vaccination rates, especially for children and a privatised dental system that is beyond the financial reach of many."
Patricia writes: "You just drove a few more nails into the coffin of that once great country the USA. I always say that you shouldn't get too wrapped up in the publicity about your greatness, especially when you created the publicity."
"The US lost all credibility with me when it elected Donald Trump for the second time," writes Barney. "If it was possible I'd say it's just gone downhill from there - where do you go from 'lost all credibility' anyway? The thing I really find incredible is that other so-called world leaders think it's possible to deal with the current US administration in any way. It isn't. The only thing you can rely upon is that Trump and his minions will do you down despite any 'deal' they might agree to; probably before the felt pen's ink is dry on the documentation. The only way to deal with the US going forward is not to make any deals at all."
Chris writes: "Those poor grandchildren! They trust an adult to look after them and he lets them swim in pollution? Are they even vaccinated? And hopefully most Australians have more sense than to OK policies like those in America. As for the gifted aircraft - the superr-ich looking after themselves."
"Thanks to Arthur and Col whose comments have moved us past the knee jerk reaction to the case of the 'deserting pollies', the end of that logic trail can unfortunately end at the Stair of Circumlocution," writes Susan (one s). "Moving on, RFK Jnr is perhaps looking for an Olympics in DC and trying to prove that the river is safe? Attempting to assert himself as a whole human being rather than understanding bell curves of ability and immune response? Anyway the rains and cold weather have given me a great excuse to return the Iain M Banks Culture series novels: The Player of Games: 'That intelligence could surpass and excel the blind force of evolution with its emphasis on mutation, struggle and death? That conscious cooperation was more efficient than feral competition?'"
Ian writes: "This is so incredible it just defies any sense of logic. There is no intelligence or dignity left in American leadership. I just cannot imagine where this is all leading."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
The footage is haunting. Screaming children, desperate for food, swarming over a makeshift kitchen. Tiny hands scraping what they can from pots emptied by the bigger kids. A few grains of rice and lentils - anything to relieve the aching hunger that's been gnawing at them for more than 80 days, ever since Israel blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
A world away in London, advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel makes a sickening statement, that the war in Gaza with all its privations might be good for Palestinians, that the lack of food might address their obesity problem - might even increase their life expectancy. Such cavalier insensitivity carries a sinister echo from last century, when Germany was making plans to lay waste to Russia.
Similar dehumanising footage emerged in the early days of Operation Barbarossa, when starving Russian POWs behind barbed wire were filmed fighting over scraps of bread tossed to them by their captors. During the Nuremberg trials after the war, Soviet prosecutors estimated 3 million Russians had been starved to death during the German invasion. The policy of denying civilians food even had a name. It was known as the Hunger Plan.
Israel denies it is using starvation as a weapon of war. This week it announced it will allow some basic food back into Gaza as it intensifies military operations, including targeting hospitals in relentless air strikes. This, it says, is to avoid a famine. More like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
A much more likely motivation is Donald Trump's recent visit to the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia. It would be hard for the Netanyahu government not to feel a twinge of misgiving that even Trump might be losing patience with its heavy handedness. There's heavy symbolism in Israel being left off the president's itinerary as he toured the Middle East. The growing sense of isolation is evident on the Israeli news websites.
This concession on food aid is, however, just a token. Israel says it will allow only 10 per cent of the 600 trucks a day needed to deliver sufficient aid to Gaza. So the harrowing images of hollow-eyed children fighting for scraps of food will continue. They will be a stain on Israel for years to come, just as the terrible images of bloodied Israelis being dragged into Gaza on October 7, 2023 will forever cast Hamas as the personification of barbarity.
Israel's fanatical finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has made clear his intentions for Gaza. Early this month he predicted the strip would be destroyed, its population herded into a small swathe of land on the Egyptian border. Israel would annex the entire strip. There's nothing new in Smotrich's hardline attitude towards the Palestinians; he's been hawking it for years.
But now even the US is pushing back. When Smotrich called for two Palestinian villages in the West Bank to be "erased" following attacks on settlers last week, the State Department called it an incitement to violence which Prime Minister Netanyahu should disavow.
The rebuke, issued when the president was in the Middle East, signals the Trump administration might be beginning to realise something the rest of us have known since the early days of the Gaza war: that two wrongs don't make a right. Never have. Never will.
You only have to look at the anguish on those Palestinian children's faces to see that.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is Israel using starvation as a weapon of war? Can it hope to restore its international standing when the world sees images of starving kids fighting for food? Is it finally dawning on the US that Israel's behaviour in Gaza is unacceptable? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Indonesia has raised the alert level of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to the highest after it erupted eight times over the weekend. Lewotobi Laki-laki, on Flores island in eastern Indonesia, spewed volcanic ash between three to 5.5 kilometres high on Sunday, the nation's volcanology agency said.
- Former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer which has spread to his bones.
- Hundreds of people across NSW have been arrested during a domestic and family violence blitz. Police arrested 627 people and levied 1316 charges amid Operation Amarok X from May 14 to May 17.
THEY SAID IT: "Misery, mutilation, destruction, terror, starvation and death characterise the process of war and form a principal part of the product." - Lewis Mumford
YOU SAID IT: When the US health secretary takes a dip in Washington's most contaminated creek and posts about it social media, when the president sees nothing wrong about accepting a luxury jumbo jet as a gift from a foreign government, Australians can feel grateful we haven't reached that level of craziness.
Old Donald writes: "It's so hard to isolate any of the egregious American nonsense, with so many stupid acts on display: and yet these buffoons at the top were elected by a free and democratic society. Every American had their chance to say 'F off.' Half of them didn't even exercise their right to vote. We must be so grateful to our forefathers for compulsory voting (regardless of any political reasons they might have had). 2025 has shown that it's what ultimately keeps the sewer rats in their sewers."
"Trump needs people around him like RFK Jnr," writes John. "It makes Trump look intelligent."
Maggie writes: "The brain worm did a thorough job, and appears to have spread."
"I am not overly concerned about President Trump accepting a gift on behalf of the American people," writes Murray. "It's out in the open and apart from the usual quid pro quo resulting from the giving and accepting of a gift, I suspect it's just the normal 'Trump did it so it must be wrong'. It is true though, the current administration in the US resembles a lunatic asylum. Which only shows how incredibly bad the Biden government was. Donald Trump won in a landslide and was given a mandate to fix the country. When voters see Trump as the only viable option things are dire. Dire indeed."
Of corruption, Michele writes: "It is the mentality of the public that says it's OK and therefore it grows like cancer and the gifts in exchange for favours gets bigger and more valuable. We are just not always aware of it. On the matter of Medicare, Australia has one of the best systems in the world and other countries should be using us as their benchmark. In a civilised society with the taxes that is raised, we all should have the facilities to keep healthy no matter where we live in our vast country. Keeping the population healthy is an investment in people and in return, they will inject their labour to support it by working longer, either for money or volunteering. We need to keep improving it by supporting Labor for the Urgent Care Clinics. However, we need the health system to tailor them to suit each specific environment to maximise their benefits and reduce overall costs which are higher when attending local hospitals."
"The decline of the Roman empire was accompanied by incompetent and amoral leadership, an avaricious elite, corruption, inflation, financial crises, and heavy exploitation of a vast immiserated underclass," writes Phil. "Sounds familiar, does it not? The USA is in terminal decline. A new world order is going to evolve. Australia should earnestly, but cautiously, seek new allies and trading partners. The UK should look to repair its economy by grasping the remarkably providential chance to re-engage with Europe."
Jennifer asks: "When did the US have credibility? They market poor quality products and ideas, whether intelligence, health care, poverty or disaster support for their own people. Sadly we copy them and follow them, harming our own people. We deny reality rather than paying attention to those warning us of the risks. We must make informed decisions for Australia's future, rather than lazily travelling in the US slipstream. Hopefully that is now obvious to all. For me, US credibility was lost decades ago with Vietnam, Iraq, exacerbated with Biden sending weapons to Israel so they could kill more civilians and completely trashed with the re-election of Trump and actions since. Too often the US supports others to break international law and abuse ordinary people."
"We know why RFK was appointed to his position so his ignorance in health matters just like his boss should not surprise us," writes Arthur. "Medicare in Australia has a fundamental problem that neither side of politics is willing to fix. The problem is that unless a patient pays the full cost of a consultation up front the doctor has to choose between accepting a bulk billing payment or no payment at all. The bulk billing payment is often if not always below the cost of providing quality service. A simple change in the rules to enable the doctor to receive the Medicare payment irrespective of whether the patient has paid a gap or not would go a long way to improving Medicare. The gap payment should be negotiated between the doctor and the patient without government interference."
Jan has an admission: "In my young mad days, late primary age, I swam across the Cooks River and back at Undercliffe. I remember a couple stopping, probably in concern, and watching till I clambered onto the bank. All those years ago, there was dirt clinging to my skin!! Stupid!"
"Yes, you're right - the US is up Shit Creek with crazy Kennedy as health secretary, the developed world's worst health system and an even more dangerous, unpredictable president," writes David. "Australians and Canadians anti-Trump election votes were sensible and timely. However, we shouldn't be too cocky about our own health system with a worrying decline in vaccination rates, especially for children and a privatised dental system that is beyond the financial reach of many."
Patricia writes: "You just drove a few more nails into the coffin of that once great country the USA. I always say that you shouldn't get too wrapped up in the publicity about your greatness, especially when you created the publicity."
"The US lost all credibility with me when it elected Donald Trump for the second time," writes Barney. "If it was possible I'd say it's just gone downhill from there - where do you go from 'lost all credibility' anyway? The thing I really find incredible is that other so-called world leaders think it's possible to deal with the current US administration in any way. It isn't. The only thing you can rely upon is that Trump and his minions will do you down despite any 'deal' they might agree to; probably before the felt pen's ink is dry on the documentation. The only way to deal with the US going forward is not to make any deals at all."
Chris writes: "Those poor grandchildren! They trust an adult to look after them and he lets them swim in pollution? Are they even vaccinated? And hopefully most Australians have more sense than to OK policies like those in America. As for the gifted aircraft - the superr-ich looking after themselves."
"Thanks to Arthur and Col whose comments have moved us past the knee jerk reaction to the case of the 'deserting pollies', the end of that logic trail can unfortunately end at the Stair of Circumlocution," writes Susan (one s). "Moving on, RFK Jnr is perhaps looking for an Olympics in DC and trying to prove that the river is safe? Attempting to assert himself as a whole human being rather than understanding bell curves of ability and immune response? Anyway the rains and cold weather have given me a great excuse to return the Iain M Banks Culture series novels: The Player of Games: 'That intelligence could surpass and excel the blind force of evolution with its emphasis on mutation, struggle and death? That conscious cooperation was more efficient than feral competition?'"
Ian writes: "This is so incredible it just defies any sense of logic. There is no intelligence or dignity left in American leadership. I just cannot imagine where this is all leading."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
The footage is haunting. Screaming children, desperate for food, swarming over a makeshift kitchen. Tiny hands scraping what they can from pots emptied by the bigger kids. A few grains of rice and lentils - anything to relieve the aching hunger that's been gnawing at them for more than 80 days, ever since Israel blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
A world away in London, advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel makes a sickening statement, that the war in Gaza with all its privations might be good for Palestinians, that the lack of food might address their obesity problem - might even increase their life expectancy. Such cavalier insensitivity carries a sinister echo from last century, when Germany was making plans to lay waste to Russia.
Similar dehumanising footage emerged in the early days of Operation Barbarossa, when starving Russian POWs behind barbed wire were filmed fighting over scraps of bread tossed to them by their captors. During the Nuremberg trials after the war, Soviet prosecutors estimated 3 million Russians had been starved to death during the German invasion. The policy of denying civilians food even had a name. It was known as the Hunger Plan.
Israel denies it is using starvation as a weapon of war. This week it announced it will allow some basic food back into Gaza as it intensifies military operations, including targeting hospitals in relentless air strikes. This, it says, is to avoid a famine. More like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
A much more likely motivation is Donald Trump's recent visit to the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia. It would be hard for the Netanyahu government not to feel a twinge of misgiving that even Trump might be losing patience with its heavy handedness. There's heavy symbolism in Israel being left off the president's itinerary as he toured the Middle East. The growing sense of isolation is evident on the Israeli news websites.
This concession on food aid is, however, just a token. Israel says it will allow only 10 per cent of the 600 trucks a day needed to deliver sufficient aid to Gaza. So the harrowing images of hollow-eyed children fighting for scraps of food will continue. They will be a stain on Israel for years to come, just as the terrible images of bloodied Israelis being dragged into Gaza on October 7, 2023 will forever cast Hamas as the personification of barbarity.
Israel's fanatical finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has made clear his intentions for Gaza. Early this month he predicted the strip would be destroyed, its population herded into a small swathe of land on the Egyptian border. Israel would annex the entire strip. There's nothing new in Smotrich's hardline attitude towards the Palestinians; he's been hawking it for years.
But now even the US is pushing back. When Smotrich called for two Palestinian villages in the West Bank to be "erased" following attacks on settlers last week, the State Department called it an incitement to violence which Prime Minister Netanyahu should disavow.
The rebuke, issued when the president was in the Middle East, signals the Trump administration might be beginning to realise something the rest of us have known since the early days of the Gaza war: that two wrongs don't make a right. Never have. Never will.
You only have to look at the anguish on those Palestinian children's faces to see that.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is Israel using starvation as a weapon of war? Can it hope to restore its international standing when the world sees images of starving kids fighting for food? Is it finally dawning on the US that Israel's behaviour in Gaza is unacceptable? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Indonesia has raised the alert level of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to the highest after it erupted eight times over the weekend. Lewotobi Laki-laki, on Flores island in eastern Indonesia, spewed volcanic ash between three to 5.5 kilometres high on Sunday, the nation's volcanology agency said.
- Former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer which has spread to his bones.
- Hundreds of people across NSW have been arrested during a domestic and family violence blitz. Police arrested 627 people and levied 1316 charges amid Operation Amarok X from May 14 to May 17.
THEY SAID IT: "Misery, mutilation, destruction, terror, starvation and death characterise the process of war and form a principal part of the product." - Lewis Mumford
YOU SAID IT: When the US health secretary takes a dip in Washington's most contaminated creek and posts about it social media, when the president sees nothing wrong about accepting a luxury jumbo jet as a gift from a foreign government, Australians can feel grateful we haven't reached that level of craziness.
Old Donald writes: "It's so hard to isolate any of the egregious American nonsense, with so many stupid acts on display: and yet these buffoons at the top were elected by a free and democratic society. Every American had their chance to say 'F off.' Half of them didn't even exercise their right to vote. We must be so grateful to our forefathers for compulsory voting (regardless of any political reasons they might have had). 2025 has shown that it's what ultimately keeps the sewer rats in their sewers."
"Trump needs people around him like RFK Jnr," writes John. "It makes Trump look intelligent."
Maggie writes: "The brain worm did a thorough job, and appears to have spread."
"I am not overly concerned about President Trump accepting a gift on behalf of the American people," writes Murray. "It's out in the open and apart from the usual quid pro quo resulting from the giving and accepting of a gift, I suspect it's just the normal 'Trump did it so it must be wrong'. It is true though, the current administration in the US resembles a lunatic asylum. Which only shows how incredibly bad the Biden government was. Donald Trump won in a landslide and was given a mandate to fix the country. When voters see Trump as the only viable option things are dire. Dire indeed."
Of corruption, Michele writes: "It is the mentality of the public that says it's OK and therefore it grows like cancer and the gifts in exchange for favours gets bigger and more valuable. We are just not always aware of it. On the matter of Medicare, Australia has one of the best systems in the world and other countries should be using us as their benchmark. In a civilised society with the taxes that is raised, we all should have the facilities to keep healthy no matter where we live in our vast country. Keeping the population healthy is an investment in people and in return, they will inject their labour to support it by working longer, either for money or volunteering. We need to keep improving it by supporting Labor for the Urgent Care Clinics. However, we need the health system to tailor them to suit each specific environment to maximise their benefits and reduce overall costs which are higher when attending local hospitals."
"The decline of the Roman empire was accompanied by incompetent and amoral leadership, an avaricious elite, corruption, inflation, financial crises, and heavy exploitation of a vast immiserated underclass," writes Phil. "Sounds familiar, does it not? The USA is in terminal decline. A new world order is going to evolve. Australia should earnestly, but cautiously, seek new allies and trading partners. The UK should look to repair its economy by grasping the remarkably providential chance to re-engage with Europe."
Jennifer asks: "When did the US have credibility? They market poor quality products and ideas, whether intelligence, health care, poverty or disaster support for their own people. Sadly we copy them and follow them, harming our own people. We deny reality rather than paying attention to those warning us of the risks. We must make informed decisions for Australia's future, rather than lazily travelling in the US slipstream. Hopefully that is now obvious to all. For me, US credibility was lost decades ago with Vietnam, Iraq, exacerbated with Biden sending weapons to Israel so they could kill more civilians and completely trashed with the re-election of Trump and actions since. Too often the US supports others to break international law and abuse ordinary people."
"We know why RFK was appointed to his position so his ignorance in health matters just like his boss should not surprise us," writes Arthur. "Medicare in Australia has a fundamental problem that neither side of politics is willing to fix. The problem is that unless a patient pays the full cost of a consultation up front the doctor has to choose between accepting a bulk billing payment or no payment at all. The bulk billing payment is often if not always below the cost of providing quality service. A simple change in the rules to enable the doctor to receive the Medicare payment irrespective of whether the patient has paid a gap or not would go a long way to improving Medicare. The gap payment should be negotiated between the doctor and the patient without government interference."
Jan has an admission: "In my young mad days, late primary age, I swam across the Cooks River and back at Undercliffe. I remember a couple stopping, probably in concern, and watching till I clambered onto the bank. All those years ago, there was dirt clinging to my skin!! Stupid!"
"Yes, you're right - the US is up Shit Creek with crazy Kennedy as health secretary, the developed world's worst health system and an even more dangerous, unpredictable president," writes David. "Australians and Canadians anti-Trump election votes were sensible and timely. However, we shouldn't be too cocky about our own health system with a worrying decline in vaccination rates, especially for children and a privatised dental system that is beyond the financial reach of many."
Patricia writes: "You just drove a few more nails into the coffin of that once great country the USA. I always say that you shouldn't get too wrapped up in the publicity about your greatness, especially when you created the publicity."
"The US lost all credibility with me when it elected Donald Trump for the second time," writes Barney. "If it was possible I'd say it's just gone downhill from there - where do you go from 'lost all credibility' anyway? The thing I really find incredible is that other so-called world leaders think it's possible to deal with the current US administration in any way. It isn't. The only thing you can rely upon is that Trump and his minions will do you down despite any 'deal' they might agree to; probably before the felt pen's ink is dry on the documentation. The only way to deal with the US going forward is not to make any deals at all."
Chris writes: "Those poor grandchildren! They trust an adult to look after them and he lets them swim in pollution? Are they even vaccinated? And hopefully most Australians have more sense than to OK policies like those in America. As for the gifted aircraft - the superr-ich looking after themselves."
"Thanks to Arthur and Col whose comments have moved us past the knee jerk reaction to the case of the 'deserting pollies', the end of that logic trail can unfortunately end at the Stair of Circumlocution," writes Susan (one s). "Moving on, RFK Jnr is perhaps looking for an Olympics in DC and trying to prove that the river is safe? Attempting to assert himself as a whole human being rather than understanding bell curves of ability and immune response? Anyway the rains and cold weather have given me a great excuse to return the Iain M Banks Culture series novels: The Player of Games: 'That intelligence could surpass and excel the blind force of evolution with its emphasis on mutation, struggle and death? That conscious cooperation was more efficient than feral competition?'"
Ian writes: "This is so incredible it just defies any sense of logic. There is no intelligence or dignity left in American leadership. I just cannot imagine where this is all leading."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
The footage is haunting. Screaming children, desperate for food, swarming over a makeshift kitchen. Tiny hands scraping what they can from pots emptied by the bigger kids. A few grains of rice and lentils - anything to relieve the aching hunger that's been gnawing at them for more than 80 days, ever since Israel blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
A world away in London, advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel makes a sickening statement, that the war in Gaza with all its privations might be good for Palestinians, that the lack of food might address their obesity problem - might even increase their life expectancy. Such cavalier insensitivity carries a sinister echo from last century, when Germany was making plans to lay waste to Russia.
Similar dehumanising footage emerged in the early days of Operation Barbarossa, when starving Russian POWs behind barbed wire were filmed fighting over scraps of bread tossed to them by their captors. During the Nuremberg trials after the war, Soviet prosecutors estimated 3 million Russians had been starved to death during the German invasion. The policy of denying civilians food even had a name. It was known as the Hunger Plan.
Israel denies it is using starvation as a weapon of war. This week it announced it will allow some basic food back into Gaza as it intensifies military operations, including targeting hospitals in relentless air strikes. This, it says, is to avoid a famine. More like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
A much more likely motivation is Donald Trump's recent visit to the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia. It would be hard for the Netanyahu government not to feel a twinge of misgiving that even Trump might be losing patience with its heavy handedness. There's heavy symbolism in Israel being left off the president's itinerary as he toured the Middle East. The growing sense of isolation is evident on the Israeli news websites.
This concession on food aid is, however, just a token. Israel says it will allow only 10 per cent of the 600 trucks a day needed to deliver sufficient aid to Gaza. So the harrowing images of hollow-eyed children fighting for scraps of food will continue. They will be a stain on Israel for years to come, just as the terrible images of bloodied Israelis being dragged into Gaza on October 7, 2023 will forever cast Hamas as the personification of barbarity.
Israel's fanatical finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has made clear his intentions for Gaza. Early this month he predicted the strip would be destroyed, its population herded into a small swathe of land on the Egyptian border. Israel would annex the entire strip. There's nothing new in Smotrich's hardline attitude towards the Palestinians; he's been hawking it for years.
But now even the US is pushing back. When Smotrich called for two Palestinian villages in the West Bank to be "erased" following attacks on settlers last week, the State Department called it an incitement to violence which Prime Minister Netanyahu should disavow.
The rebuke, issued when the president was in the Middle East, signals the Trump administration might be beginning to realise something the rest of us have known since the early days of the Gaza war: that two wrongs don't make a right. Never have. Never will.
You only have to look at the anguish on those Palestinian children's faces to see that.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is Israel using starvation as a weapon of war? Can it hope to restore its international standing when the world sees images of starving kids fighting for food? Is it finally dawning on the US that Israel's behaviour in Gaza is unacceptable? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Indonesia has raised the alert level of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to the highest after it erupted eight times over the weekend. Lewotobi Laki-laki, on Flores island in eastern Indonesia, spewed volcanic ash between three to 5.5 kilometres high on Sunday, the nation's volcanology agency said.
- Former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer which has spread to his bones.
- Hundreds of people across NSW have been arrested during a domestic and family violence blitz. Police arrested 627 people and levied 1316 charges amid Operation Amarok X from May 14 to May 17.
THEY SAID IT: "Misery, mutilation, destruction, terror, starvation and death characterise the process of war and form a principal part of the product." - Lewis Mumford
YOU SAID IT: When the US health secretary takes a dip in Washington's most contaminated creek and posts about it social media, when the president sees nothing wrong about accepting a luxury jumbo jet as a gift from a foreign government, Australians can feel grateful we haven't reached that level of craziness.
Old Donald writes: "It's so hard to isolate any of the egregious American nonsense, with so many stupid acts on display: and yet these buffoons at the top were elected by a free and democratic society. Every American had their chance to say 'F off.' Half of them didn't even exercise their right to vote. We must be so grateful to our forefathers for compulsory voting (regardless of any political reasons they might have had). 2025 has shown that it's what ultimately keeps the sewer rats in their sewers."
"Trump needs people around him like RFK Jnr," writes John. "It makes Trump look intelligent."
Maggie writes: "The brain worm did a thorough job, and appears to have spread."
"I am not overly concerned about President Trump accepting a gift on behalf of the American people," writes Murray. "It's out in the open and apart from the usual quid pro quo resulting from the giving and accepting of a gift, I suspect it's just the normal 'Trump did it so it must be wrong'. It is true though, the current administration in the US resembles a lunatic asylum. Which only shows how incredibly bad the Biden government was. Donald Trump won in a landslide and was given a mandate to fix the country. When voters see Trump as the only viable option things are dire. Dire indeed."
Of corruption, Michele writes: "It is the mentality of the public that says it's OK and therefore it grows like cancer and the gifts in exchange for favours gets bigger and more valuable. We are just not always aware of it. On the matter of Medicare, Australia has one of the best systems in the world and other countries should be using us as their benchmark. In a civilised society with the taxes that is raised, we all should have the facilities to keep healthy no matter where we live in our vast country. Keeping the population healthy is an investment in people and in return, they will inject their labour to support it by working longer, either for money or volunteering. We need to keep improving it by supporting Labor for the Urgent Care Clinics. However, we need the health system to tailor them to suit each specific environment to maximise their benefits and reduce overall costs which are higher when attending local hospitals."
"The decline of the Roman empire was accompanied by incompetent and amoral leadership, an avaricious elite, corruption, inflation, financial crises, and heavy exploitation of a vast immiserated underclass," writes Phil. "Sounds familiar, does it not? The USA is in terminal decline. A new world order is going to evolve. Australia should earnestly, but cautiously, seek new allies and trading partners. The UK should look to repair its economy by grasping the remarkably providential chance to re-engage with Europe."
Jennifer asks: "When did the US have credibility? They market poor quality products and ideas, whether intelligence, health care, poverty or disaster support for their own people. Sadly we copy them and follow them, harming our own people. We deny reality rather than paying attention to those warning us of the risks. We must make informed decisions for Australia's future, rather than lazily travelling in the US slipstream. Hopefully that is now obvious to all. For me, US credibility was lost decades ago with Vietnam, Iraq, exacerbated with Biden sending weapons to Israel so they could kill more civilians and completely trashed with the re-election of Trump and actions since. Too often the US supports others to break international law and abuse ordinary people."
"We know why RFK was appointed to his position so his ignorance in health matters just like his boss should not surprise us," writes Arthur. "Medicare in Australia has a fundamental problem that neither side of politics is willing to fix. The problem is that unless a patient pays the full cost of a consultation up front the doctor has to choose between accepting a bulk billing payment or no payment at all. The bulk billing payment is often if not always below the cost of providing quality service. A simple change in the rules to enable the doctor to receive the Medicare payment irrespective of whether the patient has paid a gap or not would go a long way to improving Medicare. The gap payment should be negotiated between the doctor and the patient without government interference."
Jan has an admission: "In my young mad days, late primary age, I swam across the Cooks River and back at Undercliffe. I remember a couple stopping, probably in concern, and watching till I clambered onto the bank. All those years ago, there was dirt clinging to my skin!! Stupid!"
"Yes, you're right - the US is up Shit Creek with crazy Kennedy as health secretary, the developed world's worst health system and an even more dangerous, unpredictable president," writes David. "Australians and Canadians anti-Trump election votes were sensible and timely. However, we shouldn't be too cocky about our own health system with a worrying decline in vaccination rates, especially for children and a privatised dental system that is beyond the financial reach of many."
Patricia writes: "You just drove a few more nails into the coffin of that once great country the USA. I always say that you shouldn't get too wrapped up in the publicity about your greatness, especially when you created the publicity."
"The US lost all credibility with me when it elected Donald Trump for the second time," writes Barney. "If it was possible I'd say it's just gone downhill from there - where do you go from 'lost all credibility' anyway? The thing I really find incredible is that other so-called world leaders think it's possible to deal with the current US administration in any way. It isn't. The only thing you can rely upon is that Trump and his minions will do you down despite any 'deal' they might agree to; probably before the felt pen's ink is dry on the documentation. The only way to deal with the US going forward is not to make any deals at all."
Chris writes: "Those poor grandchildren! They trust an adult to look after them and he lets them swim in pollution? Are they even vaccinated? And hopefully most Australians have more sense than to OK policies like those in America. As for the gifted aircraft - the superr-ich looking after themselves."
"Thanks to Arthur and Col whose comments have moved us past the knee jerk reaction to the case of the 'deserting pollies', the end of that logic trail can unfortunately end at the Stair of Circumlocution," writes Susan (one s). "Moving on, RFK Jnr is perhaps looking for an Olympics in DC and trying to prove that the river is safe? Attempting to assert himself as a whole human being rather than understanding bell curves of ability and immune response? Anyway the rains and cold weather have given me a great excuse to return the Iain M Banks Culture series novels: The Player of Games: 'That intelligence could surpass and excel the blind force of evolution with its emphasis on mutation, struggle and death? That conscious cooperation was more efficient than feral competition?'"
Ian writes: "This is so incredible it just defies any sense of logic. There is no intelligence or dignity left in American leadership. I just cannot imagine where this is all leading."