I like ‘Real Time with Bill Maher.’ I watch the show on a regular basis and usually enjoy it. The arguing gets to me from time to time, especially when it’s happening through obstinance and it’s not fact-based, but, generally speaking, I like the information exchange. I don’t always agree with old Bill but, what the hell, it’s his show, right? I think he’s pretty even-handed in most areas but he has one area that he clings to as tightly as any MAGA con clings to 45. Israel.

He says he an atheist, which I believe, but his loyalty to Israel seems religious in nature, anyway. With the renewed violence in Israel and Palestine, he voiced full support for Israel and complete condemnation of HAMAS on his October 13 show. Like the MAGAS, his “beloved” can do no wrong and evidence to the contrary will not be tolerated. He sees every egregious act committed by HAMAS but explains away egregious acts committed by Israel. In his mind and telling of the tale, HAMAS is ALWAYS acting and Israel is ALWAYS RE-acting. I don’t see it that way.

In this country, whenever anybody questions the actions of Israel, the State, defenders of Israel are quick to label that person anti-Semitic. I believe that’s a shut-down position intended to blunt criticism of Israel through intimidation – fear of being labeled a bigot – and, frankly, it’s pure folderol. I know Israel is, primarily, a Jewish state. Hell, that’s the whole point of Israel. But I do not believe that what the Israeli government does has anything, whatsoever, to do with Judaism. Criticism of the Israeli government in no way equates to “MAN, I hate Jews!” and the person who pretends otherwise, it seems to me, is kind of confessing their inability to discuss the politics of the matter rationally.

I want to be clear, here. I don’t support HAMAS, either. I think it’s a horrible idea to indiscriminately launch rockets into cities, killing… whomever happens to get in the way. I also think it’s incredibly, incredibly stupid. The Palestinians are never going to out-punch Israel and every time they re-ignite the violence, they end up costing themselves, which I see as the whole point – the actual goal – on Israel’s part. In short, Palestine is playing right into Israel’s hands when they turn to violence.

John Lennon said it best: “When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you.”

The whole thing reminds me of a little brother being quietly antagonized by his older sister until he explodes in anger. She puts on her best, “Who, me?” face and he gets in trouble for his reaction. But the antagonism is rarely part of the conversation. If it does get mentioned to the parent, the response he gets is, “Well, you should have come to me.”
“But I DID come to you! You just said we should try to get along and didn’t do anything!”

If you pay attention, and don’t blind yourself with automatic rights and wrongs, you can see the Israeli quiet antagonism slip through in the newspapers from time to time. (There’s always a “reason” but the reason is often a RE-action and not an initiating event and the end result is always the same: Israel has a little bit more land, Palestine has a little bit less land. HAMAS is pretty vocal about wanting Israel off the land and wanting to push Israel into the sea. Israel never says the same about Palestine. But Israel is constantly working to push Palestine into the sea, all the while talking about how the two sides should just get along. Israel is FAR better at PR than Palestine.

If you live in Gaza, you are 100% dependent upon Israel for electricity, water, medical supplies, and food. The entire area is walled off and poverty-stricken – think Warsaw Ghetto – and, from time to time, the gates get closed – always for “reasons” – and you can’t get to work. Also from time to time, Israel cuts off the flow of electricity and water… AND the medical supplies and even the food. ALWAYS, the Israelis are building settlements in disputed areas and moving people in as fast as they can. Once there are enough people there, Israel says, “Too many to move. That’s Israel, now.” It’s like sharing an arm-rest in a theater. One person just keeps moving their arm more and more onto the thing until the other person is off entirely.

To me, it looks like Israel intends to “scoot” the Palestinians off the map. “Hey, could you scoot over just a bit? Yeah, we need to get by. Hey, if you could just scoot a bit more, there, we can get this thing done. Hey, how about you scoot that way just a bit? Oh, man, one more person needs to fit, could you scoot just a little more? C’mon, man, I’m going to need you to scoot a little more.” It seems to me it never ends. Imagine how it feels to the Palestinians.

For every one of those micro-aggressions I’ve just described, there’s an answer. “Yeah, but remember that guy that time?” “Yeah, but the Palestinians said…” “Way back in 237 B.C.E, Palestinians…” That’s a key, for me. NO ONE can chicken-and-egg this thing, as in ‘Which came first?’ This dispute goes back nearly 4,000 years and the list of grievances on both sides is as long as any list you’ve ever seen. Even if you could find the original, initiating event, are they REALLY going to keep fighting, killing, and dying over something that happened 4,000 years ago? Talk about holding a grudge!

Based on past history, Israel’s response will not be “measured.” They’ve already cut off the electricity and water and medical supplies and food for ALL of the 2.2 million people who live in Gaza, whether the people living there support HAMAS or not. Now, they’ve told 1.1 million of those people to scoot a little to the south because they’re about to RAIN bombs on Gaza. The UN has pointed out that the demand is “impossible.” I expect the bombs to fall, anyway, and when Israeli (U.S) bombs kill Palestinian women and children, those deaths will be dismissed. “Hey, we told them to leave. They didn’t.” But I don’t support Israeli bombs killing Palestinian civilians any more than I support Palestinian bombs killing Israeli civilians.

I’ll tell you this: This isn’t the start of Armageddon (sorry, hopeful Christians) nor is it the beginning of World War III. Palestine will run out of resources, soon, and be forced to stand down for awhile and Israel will impose new and more aggressive punishments and sanctions on the entire area. When the smoke clears, Israel will be a little bit larger and Palestine will be a little bit smaller and the whole cycle will begin again.

Humanity can be quite disappointing…