1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: All Zone media. Hello everybody, and welcome to it could 2 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: happen here. My name is Sharene, and a lot has 3 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: happened recently and we definitely need to talk about it. 4 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: There's a lot to cover and things are changing every day. 5 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: I can't possibly talk about everything in a thirty minute 6 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: podcast episode, but just for context, I'm recording the bulk 7 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: of this on Wednesday, October eleventh. There are many different 8 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: things that we should get into, and we'll probably get 9 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: into them in other episodes, so look forward to those. 10 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: But today I want to talk about why exactly this 11 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: attack from Hamas is so different and so unprecedented for 12 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: many reasons, and why the response by Israel is also 13 00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: extremely unprecedented. There has been a lot of a lot 14 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: of death, and I thought a better way to start 15 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: to learn about this might be with something really specific, 16 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: like learning about the border fence that has been cajing 17 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: in Gaza for years, why Israel thought it was so impermeable, 18 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:19,639 Speaker 1: and how they were wrong. So let's begin the video 19 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: and images going around on social media of a bulldozer 20 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: breaking through a portion of the fence that has long 21 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: enclosed the Gaza stript for years. This cage that surrounds 22 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: that territory, the image of a bulldozer there's running straight 23 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: through it and Palestinians running to the other side. I 24 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: don't think you can find anything better to represent the 25 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: long history of Israeli Palestinian tensions, the decades of brutal 26 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: Israeli occupation, the recurrent Hamas bombings and rocket strikes, and 27 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: the political deterioration on both sides than this image. No 28 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: one thought this was going to happen. Professor Clive Jones, 29 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: director of Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at 30 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: Durham University, said, this is the first time since nineteen 31 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: forty eight that any Palestinian militant movement has taken territory 32 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 1: in Israel proper. That symbolic victory and defeat for Israel 33 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: will resonate across the region. So on the morning of 34 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: October seventh, there was a surprise attack from Hamas against Israel. 35 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: What happened was a colossal failure of Israeli intelligence as 36 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: well as the Israeli government. I'll go into this in 37 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: more detail in a bit, but in this surprise attack, 38 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: resistance fighters were entering in up to twenty nine different 39 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: locations outside the Gaza Strip. Most significantly, fighters tore through 40 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: the border fence, which has also been called the Iron Wall. 41 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: They knocked it aside with bulldozers, drove right through it 42 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: with jeeps and motorcycles, other hamas fighters sailed right over 43 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: it with fan powered gliders, and others hopped on boats 44 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,920 Speaker 1: to try to reach the other side by sea. A 45 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: crucial component of Israel's defense from an attack like this, 46 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: or at least it was supposed to be, was this 47 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: sophisticated border fence. I want to talk about how exactly 48 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: Israel came to build this fence, because throughout most of 49 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: its history, the IDF did not want much to do 50 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: with defensive measures. Its traditional security concept rested on three 51 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: complimentary pillars, deterrents, early warning, and decisive battlefield victory. Guided 52 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: by this concept, the IDF built offensive power designed to 53 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: deter its enemies from attacking, and intelligence raised in order 54 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: to detect when that deterns had eroded. If it was 55 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: unable to convince the other side that it was better 56 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: off avoiding conflict, the IDF would bring the full might 57 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: of its offensive capabilities in search of a rapid and 58 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: decisive quote unquote victory, which just means they would end 59 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: up killing a lot of people. They would fly in 60 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: cities and masker hundreds of people in order to essentially 61 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: make the other side lose all hope and not fight back, 62 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: and if they did, to tell them never to fight 63 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: back again. This would, according to this concept, initially strengthen 64 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: the terrens. The idea of defense for Israel began sneaking 65 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 1: into the conversation in the nineteen sixties, as Israel considered 66 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: purchasing the Hawk surface to air missile system from the US. 67 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: This idea had some opposition at the highest level of 68 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: the IDF Air Force. Commander Ezer Wiseman opposed the idea 69 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: on the grounds that it would give Israel's political chiefs 70 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: an excuse to avoid the bold offensive operations, in this case, 71 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: surprise air strikes that would take out entire buildings, which 72 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 1: he viewed as necessary to win a war. In the end, 73 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: though five Hawk missile batteries were purchased just before the 74 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty seven Six Day War for thirty million dollars, 75 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: the first makings of the present day security fence began 76 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety four after the signing of the Interim 77 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip when 78 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 1: Israel constructed a forty mile fence along its boundary with 79 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: Eastern Palestine. The construction was completed in nineteen ninety six, 80 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: though it didn't necessarily represent a hard border. In two 81 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: thousand and five, under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel 82 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: carried out a disengagement from Gaza, which included, among other things, 83 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: pulling out its troops. This meant that the one kilometer 84 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: buffer zone that the Israeli Defence Forces maintained after the 85 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: first fence was torn down by Gazans in two thousand 86 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: was no longer a possibility. A plan for an alternate 87 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 1: forty five fence a few dozen meters east of the 88 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 1: original fence, entirely on Israeli land, was then developed. The 89 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: present day forty mile long barricade has several sections, a 90 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: twenty foot high smart fence, which is the over the 91 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: ground fence with a maritime section by sensors to detect 92 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: encourageents from the water, and an underground wall of classified 93 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: depth and thickness with sensors to detect any digging. The 94 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: overground barrier, which makes up eighty one percent of the 95 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: fence is supported by a complex network of cameras, radar systems, 96 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: as well as command and control rooms. One hundred and 97 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: forty thousand tons of iron and steel were used in 98 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: the construction of the underground wall, which took three and 99 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 1: a half years to complete. The total cost of the 100 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: project is estimated at one point eleven billion dollars. The 101 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 1: project of the quote unquote smart fence was publicly announced 102 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: in twenty sixteen, and in twenty twenty one, Israel announced 103 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: the completion of the smart fence, which included an underground 104 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:49,919 Speaker 1: concrete barrier. This addition, which I feel like is important 105 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: to mention, was because Hamas used underground tunnels to blind 106 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: side Israeli forces in twenty fourteen, Access near the fence 107 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 1: on the Gaza side was limited to farmers who were 108 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:04,720 Speaker 1: on foot. On the Israeli side, observation towers and sand 109 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: dunes were put in place to monitor threats and slow intruders. 110 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: With the announcement of its completion in twenty twenty one, 111 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: the then Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the barrier placed 112 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: a quote iron wall between Hamas and Southern Israel. But 113 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: on October seventh, as we saw the wall failed massively, 114 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: and a surprise series of coordinated efforts enabled Tamas to 115 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: get past the wall. The fence was breached at twenty 116 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: nine points, according to the IDF. There were also Israeli 117 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: guard towers positioned at every five hundred feet along the 118 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: perimeter of the wall at some certain points, and the 119 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: Hamas fighters there appeared to encounter very little resistance. It 120 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: soon became apparent that the border was minimally staffed, with 121 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: much of Israel's military diverted to focus on the unrest 122 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: in the West Bank. Matthew Levitt is the director of 123 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: the counter Terrorism Program at the Washington Institute for Near 124 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: East Policy. He said the most compelling parts of the 125 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: system were the ones that provided indicators and warnings. But 126 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: you don't see in advance that someone is masked at 127 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: the fence. It's still just a fence, a big fence, 128 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: but just a fence still, he says. The idea of 129 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: a bulldozer getting that close to the fence at all 130 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: just boggles the mind. The attack has been documented as 131 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: the following. To put it very simply, using commercial drones, 132 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 1: Hamas bombed Israeli observation towers, communications infrastructure, and weapons systems 133 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:41,680 Speaker 1: along the border. Israel said Hamas fired more than three 134 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: thousand rockets into its territory, with some reaching as far 135 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 1: as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Militants also use explosives to 136 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: blow up sections of the barrier, and men and motorbikes 137 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: drove through the gaps and then the bulldozers did the 138 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: rest and this allowed for enough space for their larger 139 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: view to drive through. Experts said an attack of this 140 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: magnitude with all of these elements would have required weeks 141 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 1: at least of preparation and subterfuge. But maybe you're asking, well, 142 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: why now, why did Hamas now decide to launch an 143 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 1: attack of this magnitude. There are some clues in the 144 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: name that Hamas gave the attack. They named it Operation 145 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: of Axa Flood. Just days before the attack, hundreds of 146 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: Israeli settlers, with the protection of the Israeli forces, stormed 147 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: at Alexa Mosque and occupied East Jerusalem. I've talked about 148 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:38,840 Speaker 1: this before, but this compound is a very important and 149 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: contested religious site, and it's often very often a target 150 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 1: by Israeli settlers and the IDF, and Hamas said it 151 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: launched its attack in response to the desecration of Aluxa. Muhammad'ef, 152 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: the Rassam Brigade's commander, said, we have decided that the 153 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,080 Speaker 1: time has come to draw the line for the the 154 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: enemy to understand their time is up and they can't 155 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: keep going without consequences. But again, experts said this plan 156 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: would have taken weeks to plan. I'm sure the attacks 157 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: on Aleximosque played a role in the attack, but it 158 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: was probably being worked on for quite some time before that. 159 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: And Hamas also said the attack was a response to 160 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 1: decades of Israeli violence and occupation. The daily impact of 161 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: that occupation on the lives of Palestinians in Gaza and 162 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: other occupied territories like the West Bank is a huge 163 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,959 Speaker 1: part of this story. Let's take our first break before 164 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: I forget no clever segue here, Just listen to these 165 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: ads and we're back. Analysts and experts have been warning 166 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: for months that the reality on the ground in Palestine 167 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: in Israel was leading up to this. Nor Udin, a 168 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: political analyst and former Palestinian Authority spokeswoman, said the record 169 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: number of Palestinians killed, dispossessed, injured and traumatized by Israeli 170 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: forces and settlers across the occupied West Bank, the continued 171 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 1: siege on Gaza, the relentless attacks on El Samosque, they 172 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: were all pushing the situation towards this moment. I don't 173 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: think anybody imagined the particulars of this moment, but I 174 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: think everybody with a sense of what was going on 175 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 1: knew that this quote unquote calm was deceiving and that 176 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 1: something was going to happen, something big. And it did happen. 177 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: The wall came down. But for the two point three 178 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: million Palestinians who have been virtually trapped for fifteen years, 179 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:49,200 Speaker 1: as well as the Palestinians on the West Bank, who 180 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: have been constantly surveilled, having their movement restricted, and have 181 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:58,439 Speaker 1: experienced growing military violence, bulldozing through this fence means something else. 182 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 1: While the Israeli response was fed by the failure of 183 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 1: this system, making the future of all Palestinians even more precarious. 184 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:11,439 Speaker 1: The impact of Saturday's attack for Palestinians is hugely significant 185 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: psychologically and symbolically. It shatters the idea of Israel's military superiority. 186 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 1: It's a physical symbol of breaking out of the open 187 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: air prison they've been held captive in letting them step 188 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,319 Speaker 1: onto the land that they've been forced out of, some 189 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,679 Speaker 1: of them for their entire lives. Most of the Palestinians 190 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 1: and Gaza are children, and they have only ever known 191 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:36,079 Speaker 1: life within the confines of that fence. So bulldozing a 192 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,320 Speaker 1: hole right through this fence to the other side will 193 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 1: obviously have ripples in more ways than one. I want 194 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:46,080 Speaker 1: to mention something here that I've been thinking about is 195 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: that Gaza is often referred to as the world's biggest 196 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: open air prison, which is true, but I was thinking 197 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: about it, and prison implies that they did a crime. 198 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: They did not do a crime. The Palestinians are innocent. 199 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 1: They're stuck in a cage against their will, and they 200 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: have no way out. I think a better way to 201 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 1: describe Gaza might be an open air concentration camp, the 202 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 1: biggest open air concentration camp period. This is just something 203 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: I've been thinking about because I feel like open air 204 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 1: prison implies they're all criminals and they're not, so just 205 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 1: something to think about when it comes to semantics and 206 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: the power of words, I suppose, even if it's subconscious. 207 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:34,599 Speaker 1: Gaza has been under a land, sea and air blockade 208 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:37,600 Speaker 1: since two thousand and seven. More than two point three 209 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 1: million Palestinians live there, all crammed in and they cannot 210 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:46,840 Speaker 1: leave without Israeli permission, which very few people get. Hamas 211 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,440 Speaker 1: is a political and armed group that took control of 212 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: two thousand and six, and there hasn't been an election since. 213 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:57,079 Speaker 1: It's part of a regional alliance which also includes Iran 214 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: and the armed group has Bela and Lebanon. Hamas has 215 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: been designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, and 216 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:07,560 Speaker 1: the EU, among many others. We'll be doing a history 217 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: more in depth about Hamas soon, but it's important to 218 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: note that Israel basically helped create it. More details will 219 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,960 Speaker 1: be in that episode, obviously, but just to summarize very briefly, 220 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: Israel bolstered Hamas's creation and funded its expansion because it 221 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 1: wanted to divide the Palestinians amongst themselves, and they viewed 222 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: the leftist PLO, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which was the 223 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: governing party at the time, as a threat, and so 224 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: they encouraged Hamas to flourish and thrive, which leads us 225 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: to now again, that'll be a separate episode. There is 226 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: so much to cover, and I can do it all today. 227 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: Although the PLO used to be the dominant party decades ago, 228 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,120 Speaker 1: in recent years, the PLO and the secular FATA party 229 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: which the PLO is centered around, is often criticized for 230 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: being ineffective, and so many Palestinians see Hamas as the 231 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: most active group when it comes to resistance against the 232 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: violent Israeli occupation. Palestinians have lived in violent occupation for 233 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: seventy six years and the world has largely done nothing. 234 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: Palestinians have no outside support whatsoever, and no one is 235 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:26,240 Speaker 1: coming to their aid or rescue. They unfortunately only have 236 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: this militant group because of this, and also just a 237 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: reminder that Palestine has actually tried everything and that violence 238 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: is not their first resort. Many Palestinians don't even support Hamas. 239 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: Let's not forget about BDS, which is a Palestinian nonviolent 240 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 1: movement which calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions for Israel. 241 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: BDS is now deemed illegal. In twenty twenty one, thirty 242 00:15:55,560 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: five states passed anti BDS laws, so even boycott Israeli 243 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 1: products is suddenly illegal. So that was BDS. People are 244 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 1: obviously still engaged in BDS and I encourage everyone to 245 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: read more about it, because divestment and sanctions work. It 246 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 1: worked in South Africa, but here we are. And then 247 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: in twenty eighteen, Palestinians in Gaza mounted the Great March 248 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: of Return to show the world their plight. Day after 249 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: day they walked unarmed to Israeli's military fences around Gaza. 250 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: How did Israel respond to this non violent protest. They 251 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 1: shot eight thousand Palestinians with live ammunition, killed two hundred 252 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: and twenty people and wounded thirty six thousand, one hundred 253 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: and forty three. Palestinians are getting killed regardless of the 254 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: existence of Hamas, because Israel bombing Gaza isn't actually about 255 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: Hamas but occupation and ethnic cleansing. Israel and Hamas have 256 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,360 Speaker 1: fought many on and off quote unquote wars. I say, 257 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: quote unquote because it's not a war if only one 258 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: side has an army, and I personally really hate when 259 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,639 Speaker 1: it's referred to as a war because it's falsely portraying 260 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 1: an occupation as an equal fight when there's actually an 261 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 1: oppressor and an oppressed. But regardless, the last big war 262 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 1: Israel had had with Hamas was in twenty twenty one. 263 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: In the past, it's usually been an exchange of fire 264 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 1: across the Gaza border. Hamas launches rockets into Israel, Israel 265 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,479 Speaker 1: drops more bombs on Gaza. Hamas launches rockets into Israel, 266 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:37,399 Speaker 1: Israel drops more bombs on Gaza, and so on. Usually 267 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: this results in a huge civilian death toll in Gaza, 268 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: with Israel bombing entire residential buildings and killing entire families 269 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,879 Speaker 1: and hundreds of children. And just a reminder here that 270 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:53,160 Speaker 1: Gaza does not have an iron dome to defend itself. 271 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:57,359 Speaker 1: When Israel bombs Gaza, it does so knowing it is 272 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 1: very densely populated and filled with hundreds of innocent people 273 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:05,639 Speaker 1: that have nothing to do with Hamas. They drop bombs 274 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:10,680 Speaker 1: on buildings, hospitals, schools, nothing is off limits. I don't 275 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: have to remind you, or maybe I do that They've 276 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: also killed members of the press, clearly wearing press vests, 277 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,879 Speaker 1: but I guess that's another topic for another day. What 278 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: happened this time around with the attack that Hamas launched 279 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: on October seventh, was very different, though it's repeatedly been 280 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: called unprecedented, and this is true for a few reasons. 281 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,120 Speaker 1: One because of the scale of the attack that Hamas launched, 282 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:39,399 Speaker 1: and two because nobody really saw it coming. As of 283 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: this recording, more than one thousand and two hundred Israelis 284 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: and foreign nationals, the majority of whom were civilians, were 285 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:52,359 Speaker 1: killed and more than three thousand were wounded. Hamas also 286 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: said that it captured more than one hundred Israelis, including 287 00:18:55,320 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: some senior military officers. Nothing like this, especially at this magnitude, 288 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:04,880 Speaker 1: has happened since two thousand and six, when Hamas captured 289 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: one Israeli soldier, Galatchilit and held him in Gaza for 290 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:13,679 Speaker 1: five years. And three days after Hamas launched this attack 291 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,479 Speaker 1: on October seventh, there were still gun battles going on 292 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,120 Speaker 1: between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces in the three main 293 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: areas in southern Israel. And despite verified footage and reporting 294 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: from Gaza that indisputably shows countless Palestinian children who Israel 295 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: has killed so far, Israel's murder of Palestinian children is 296 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: receiving little to no media attention in the US or globally. 297 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: But they create the worst possible enemy, so the world 298 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: supports the destruction of an entire people, and as an Arab, 299 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 1: I want to mention that it's really hard to see 300 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: all of this play out, and if you have any 301 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 1: Arab friends, I'm sure they're going through it too, especially 302 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: if they're Palestinian, because it's almost like dejah of what 303 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: happened after nine to eleven, and what happened after nine 304 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: to eleven didn't really stop. To be honest, it's not 305 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: like a somophobia took a break and then came back. 306 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: It's always been there, but now it's very shameless and disgusting, 307 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:17,400 Speaker 1: and it makes no attempt to cover itself because it's 308 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,239 Speaker 1: not only ignored, but encouraged in order to validate the 309 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:25,479 Speaker 1: actions of the US military in the Israeli military. Another 310 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 1: reason for this all being so unprecedented is Israel's failure 311 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: to stop it from happening. The Israeli Army is one 312 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 1: of the world's most sophisticated military and intelligence organizations, as 313 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 1: well as one of the most powerful armies in the world. 314 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 1: Because of the United States support and billions of dollars 315 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:44,919 Speaker 1: in funding, any kind of communication going in and out 316 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,399 Speaker 1: of Gaza, at least in theory, would be listened to 317 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: by Israel's intelligence units. And again, the offense is heavily militarized, 318 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:57,199 Speaker 1: but still it collapsed. I think another significant result of this, 319 00:20:57,240 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: which I kind of touched on earlier, is that the 320 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: success full attack from Hamas completely undermines the never endingly 321 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,640 Speaker 1: talked about power of Israel and the power of their 322 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 1: army and military, especially their capability in the region. It 323 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:24,960 Speaker 1: kind of disrupts their entire image in a way. I 324 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: also want to quickly mention that the claim that Hamas's 325 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 1: attack was unprovoked is ignoring the years of brutal occupation 326 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:36,120 Speaker 1: and exactly why they attacked in the first place. It 327 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: was a surprise, yes, but I would never say it 328 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 1: was unprovoked, because you can't keep someone in captivity their 329 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:46,679 Speaker 1: entire lifetime and expect them to hug it out. And 330 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: maybe what I'm saying sounds radical to you, especially by 331 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: the standards of American media. But here is this award 332 00:21:55,040 --> 00:22:00,119 Speaker 1: winning Israeli journalist and writer Gideon Levy. He wrote an 333 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 1: incredible piece about what's happening right now. He writes opinion 334 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:07,639 Speaker 1: pieces in a weekly column for Herots, and he focuses 335 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 1: particularly on the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and he has 336 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 1: won awards for his articles on human rights. He wrote 337 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 1: an incredibly moving, powerful piece called Israel can't imprison two 338 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 1: million Gozzens without paying a cruel price. I want to 339 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,800 Speaker 1: read excerpts from this because he is speaking as inn Israeli, 340 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,960 Speaker 1: and I think it's extremely important to hear what he 341 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:38,080 Speaker 1: has to say. Behind all this lies Israeli arrogance, the 342 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: idea that we can do whatever we like that will 343 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 1: never pay the price and never be punished for it. 344 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: Will carry on undisturbed. We'll arrest, kill, harass, dispossess, and 345 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: protect the settlers busy with their programs, will fire at 346 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:58,360 Speaker 1: innocent people, take out people's eyes and smash their faces, expel, confiscate, 347 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: rob grab people from their beds heads, carry out ethnic cleansing, 348 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: and of course continue with the unbelievable siege of the 349 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: Gaza Strip, and everything will be all right. We'll build 350 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,400 Speaker 1: a terrifying obstacle around Gaza and will be safe. Will 351 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 1: rely on the geniuses of the Army's eighty two hundred 352 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: cyber intelligence unit and on the Shinbet Security Service agents 353 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:23,080 Speaker 1: who know everything. They'll warn us in time. It turns 354 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 1: out that even the world's most sophisticated and expensive obstacle 355 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,439 Speaker 1: can be breached with a smoky old bulldozer. When the 356 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: motivation is great, This arrogant barrier can be crossed by 357 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 1: bicycle and moped, despite the billions poured into it and 358 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: all the famous experts and fat cat contractors. We thought 359 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:45,240 Speaker 1: we'd continue to go down to Gaza, scatter a few 360 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: crumbs in the form of tens of thousands of Israeli 361 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: work permits, always contingent on good behavior, and still keep 362 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,280 Speaker 1: them in prison. We'll make peace with Saudi Arabia and 363 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 1: the United Emirates, and the Palestinians will be forgotten until 364 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:03,360 Speaker 1: they're erased. Quite a few Israelis would like we'll keep 365 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: holding thousands of Palestinian prisoners, some without trial, most of 366 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:11,400 Speaker 1: them political prisoners, and we won't agree to discuss their release, 367 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,520 Speaker 1: even after they've been in prison for decades. We'll tell 368 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 1: them that only by force will their prisoners see freedom. 369 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 1: We thought we would arrogantly keep rejecting any attempt at 370 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: a diplomatic solution, only because we don't want to deal 371 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: with all that, and everything will continue that way forever. 372 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:32,199 Speaker 1: Once again, it was proved that this isn't how it 373 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:36,199 Speaker 1: is a few hundred armed Palestinians breached the barrier and 374 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:40,199 Speaker 1: invaded Israel in a way no Israeli imagine possible. A 375 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 1: few hundred people proved that it's impossible to imprison two 376 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 1: million people forever without paying a cruel price. Just as 377 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: the smoky old Palestinian bulldozer tore through the world's smartest barrier, 378 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:58,320 Speaker 1: it tore away at Israel's arrogance and complacency. And that's 379 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: also how it tore away at the idea that it's 380 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 1: enough to occasionally attack Gaza with suicide drones and sell 381 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:08,639 Speaker 1: them to half the world to maintain security. On Saturday, 382 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: Israel saw pictures it has never seen before, Palestinian vehicles 383 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:17,199 Speaker 1: patrolling gets cities, bike riders entering through the Gaza gates. 384 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: These pictures tear away at that arrogance the Gaza Palestinians 385 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:24,879 Speaker 1: have decided they're willing to pay any price for a 386 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: moment of freedom. Is there any hope in that? No? 387 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 1: Will Israel learn its lesson? No. On Saturday, they were 388 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 1: already talking about wiping out entire neighborhoods in Gaza, about 389 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: occupying the strip and punishing Gaza quote as it has 390 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:45,880 Speaker 1: never been punished before. But Israel hasn't stopped punishing Gaza 391 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:49,879 Speaker 1: since nineteen forty eight, not for a moment. After seventy 392 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: five years of abuse, the worst possible scenario awaits it 393 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:58,560 Speaker 1: once again. The threats of flattening Gaza prove only one thing. 394 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: We haven't learned a thing. The arrogance is here to stay, 395 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,280 Speaker 1: even though Israel is paying a high price once again. 396 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:11,320 Speaker 1: Prime Minister Benjamin Nyaho bears a very great responsibility for 397 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,359 Speaker 1: what happened, and he must pay that price. But it 398 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,240 Speaker 1: didn't start with him, and it won't end after he goes. 399 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,160 Speaker 1: We now have to cry bitterly for the Israeli victims, 400 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 1: but we should also cry for Gaza. Gaza, most of 401 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 1: whose residents are refugees created by Israel, Gaza, which has 402 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:34,439 Speaker 1: never known a single day of freedom. I just think 403 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: that piece is very powerful, and I know I read 404 00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: a good chunk of it, but I think it's important 405 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: to hear, especially from an Israeli. As he mentioned, Israel, 406 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 1: because of this has responded to the attack with extreme force. 407 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 1: Prime Minister a little Bitchna NYAHUO said the enemy will 408 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 1: pay an unprecedented price. Israel has bombed Gaza for days, 409 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:02,720 Speaker 1: hitting Gaza with air strikes, targeting hospitals, mosques, entire residential buildings, 410 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 1: and calling Palestinians animals to the media, Israeli Defense Minister 411 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 1: Joav Galant said, we are fighting animals and acting accordingly. 412 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,119 Speaker 1: Israel also said that it wants to wipe out hamasa's 413 00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:19,720 Speaker 1: military capability and end its control of Gaza, which doesn't 414 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,919 Speaker 1: really make sense because they're kind of targeting anything and 415 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 1: now anything they can hit, including civilians, and at the 416 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 1: end they want control themselves. So I think a lot 417 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,159 Speaker 1: of right wing Israeli politicians, which was most of them 418 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 1: these days, say empty, stupid shit. And it also looks 419 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,280 Speaker 1: like amidst all this that a ground invasion is likely 420 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 1: going to happen because the IDF has been readying tanks 421 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,760 Speaker 1: and military jeeps. It sucks that I have to say 422 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 1: this out loud, but peace should not come at the 423 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 1: expense and the brutal oppression of others. There was no 424 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: peace before this attack. The violence of the Israeli occupation 425 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: has been there since the state was established in nineteen 426 00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 1: forty eight. Hamas is a direct result of that violence. 427 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:11,080 Speaker 1: There has never been peace in Israel because it was 428 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 1: created in violence, and this clearly does not justify Hamas 429 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: killing innocent people. That is never okay, But Israel also 430 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:29,359 Speaker 1: can justify killing thousands of people because of that. Abby Martin, 431 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:32,200 Speaker 1: who is the creator and host of The Empire Files. 432 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,120 Speaker 1: She also made the film Gaza Fights for Freedom, which 433 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: I highly recommend. She posted this exchange on her Twitter 434 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:43,000 Speaker 1: between her and one of their field producers in Gaza, 435 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:47,120 Speaker 1: and he says, I'm scared, Abby, I feel I could 436 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: die any second. Most of the people here lost power 437 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: and internet connections, so we don't know where they hit. 438 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,960 Speaker 1: Entire neighborhoods are being erased. They killed twelve hundred of 439 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:01,320 Speaker 1: us so far and destroyed massively, and yet they say 440 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: they have not started yet. We know massacres are coming, 441 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 1: and we're sure they got the green light from the 442 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: US to kill us all. So that is a perspective 443 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 1: of someone standing in Gaza living in fear, which isn't 444 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 1: entirely new as far as living in fear goes, because 445 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,920 Speaker 1: that's been the reality for Gazans for decades. But this 446 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:26,200 Speaker 1: time it's different because it's very clear that Israel's committing 447 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,880 Speaker 1: a purposeful genocide. But they're in the dark with no 448 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: one to help them, and I can only imagine how 449 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: helpless and hopeless it feels. It breaks my heart. I 450 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: just want to give a update, an unfortunate update, because 451 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: things are just fucked and people keep dying. But I'm 452 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 1: recording this update on the afternoon of October twelfth, like 453 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:57,719 Speaker 1: a day after I record the original stuff, and Israel 454 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,080 Speaker 1: has killed five hundred Palestinians and the Gaza strip since 455 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: this morning, five hundred in the last six hours twelve hours. 456 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: Gaza's health ministry said that one thousand, five hundred and 457 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 1: thirty seven Palestinians, including five hundred children and two hundred 458 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:19,239 Speaker 1: and seventy six women, have been killed and there are 459 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 1: almost seven thousand others wounded because of these Israeli airstrikes. 460 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 1: Loss of this magnitude is unsettling and overwhelming. And I 461 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,840 Speaker 1: also want to mention this something I just learned. Israel 462 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:37,400 Speaker 1: has bombed the international airports of Aleppo and Damascus in Syria, 463 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 1: and this has forced them out of service. So not 464 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 1: only are they massacring the entire families in Gaza, but 465 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: they're also dropping bombs on civilian airports in Syria. And 466 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:52,600 Speaker 1: the Western media still wants you to think that Israel 467 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 1: is the victim. It bears repeating that Gaza is very 468 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 1: densely populated, with two point three million people trapped in 469 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 1: a very small space, unable to leave, with nowhere to 470 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 1: escape to. An example of this empty, stupid rhetoric that 471 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:14,800 Speaker 1: Israeli politicians are saying is when Natanyahu said that civilians 472 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: should leave and evacuate Gaza. He said that, knowing full 473 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 1: well that that is impossible because his government forbids it. 474 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: He said that to the media so the world can 475 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,120 Speaker 1: see that he is just and not trying to attack 476 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,080 Speaker 1: any civilians. It's all a fucking show, like I guess 477 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 1: all politics are, but it's still really infuriating and I 478 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:41,000 Speaker 1: hate it so much. And in Gaza, before all of this, 479 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:44,680 Speaker 1: before the thousands that have already died, there was already 480 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: a blockade. They were trapped for fifteen years. And now 481 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:53,480 Speaker 1: in addition to this blockade, Israel has imposed a total 482 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 1: siege on Gaza, inflicting collective punishment, which is illegal under 483 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: international law. But Israel routinely commits war crimes and goes 484 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: about its business unchecked. Why would it be any different 485 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,200 Speaker 1: this time. Remember that half of Gaza's population are under 486 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds of children have been murdered, and horrific videos 487 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:19,040 Speaker 1: have been circulating of the destruction of Gaza, of bodies 488 00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: and babies and innocent people being pulled out of the rubble. 489 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 1: I had a break down last night because I saw 490 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:31,720 Speaker 1: a video of a Palestinian father holding his dead child's 491 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: corpse and hugging it for the very last time. And 492 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 1: I'm very privileged to be sitting here recording this, and 493 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 1: if I have difficulty processing it, I cannot imagine what 494 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:47,480 Speaker 1: Palestinians are going through. Israel controls everything in Gaza. If 495 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:52,760 Speaker 1: cut off electricity, food, water, and gas for an entire population, 496 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:58,040 Speaker 1: Israel is massacring Palestinians in a blackout on purpose, so 497 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:01,520 Speaker 1: they're unable to connect with anyone from the outside. No 498 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:04,920 Speaker 1: electricity also means that hospitals have no way of the 499 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:08,440 Speaker 1: already limited machines they have available to them so they 500 00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:12,200 Speaker 1: can save lives. Before this, the water in Gaza was 501 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 1: already ninety seven percent undrinkable, and now it's completely gone. 502 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:22,560 Speaker 1: This will lead to dehydration deaths, among many many other deaths. 503 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:28,320 Speaker 1: Israel is starving an entire population live on your television, 504 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:33,240 Speaker 1: openly committing genocide as the world watches on as it 505 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: always does. It could Happen Here as a production of 506 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, 507 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,200 Speaker 1: visit our website coolzonemedia dot com or check us out 508 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,200 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 509 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:52,120 Speaker 1: to podcasts. You can find sources for It could Happen Here, 510 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:56,160 Speaker 1: updated monthly at cool zonemedia dot com slash sources. Thanks 511 00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:56,720 Speaker 1: for listening.