January 17 Meeting: War in Gaza
This month we will kick off our new schedule, which moves
our meetings to the THIRD WEDNESDAY of each month, January 17 for this month. Time and place as usual.
The topic for the January 17th meeting will be
the war in Gaza. This is a fraught topic with a wide range of views, which we expect
is reflected among our own membership. There is no way we are going to resolve
the issue, but we hope for a healthy exchange of views on matters like the historical
and political context of the conflict, the appropriate role for the United
States, and the range of possible outcomes.
An overwhelming amount of commentary has been written about this conflict. These readings that have been sent in as suggested readings by various Cracker Barrel participants represent a wide range of viewpoints. Inclusion on the list does not imply endorsement of any particular view by the Cracker Barrel as an organization.
- The Debate that Israel Needs over the War (Thomas Friedman, NYT)
- Keeping Sight of Our Moral Compass as the Israel-Hamas War Rages (Menachem Rosensaft)
- Its time for the US to give Israel some tough love on Gaza (Thomas Friedman)
- These next two make a logical pair to read together
- The Sin of Moral Equivalence (Sam Harris) Podcast version Transcript
- Dispatch from Israel on the Use of Human Shields (Eliav Lieblich)
- Public opinion poll (late Nov-early Dec 2023) of Gaza and West Bank residents
- Text-Book Case of Genocide: Top U.N. Official Craig Mokhiber Resigns, Denounces Israeli Assault on Gaza
- A Prophetic Vision for Justice: Letter To President Joe Biden
- UNICEF spokesperson describes scenes inside Gaza hospital as ‘death zone’
- Ezra Klein's (NYT) interview with Tareq Baconi on what Hamas really wants
- International Humanitarian Law at Risk, (Michael Schmitt, Prof. at West Point)
I propose the formation of the Levantine Union modeled after the European Union. The core countries would be Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and perhaps Jordan.
ReplyDeleteBriefly, this would involve Israel taking over the Gaza Strip which their army has essentially done. In return for that the Palestinians are granted full control of the West Bank and current “settlers” are free to relocate to the new Israeli territory of Gaza. Palestinians are granted the Golan Heights for settlement in compensation for the loss of Gaza. Thusly Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan despite a history of prior hostilities could refocus on unity and peace much as the EU member states have done.
--Phil von Voigtlander
The Wikipedia entry, Nuclear Weapons and Israel is a useful read as we face crisis upon crisis in their part of the world.
ReplyDelete