Commenting at the New York Times and the Israel-Gaza War
Since the Israel-Gaza war began, I have often used the comment section of the New York Times to voice my opposition to the ongoing genocide there. I also register my condemnation there of the Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. There are many arguments that discuss the decades-long suppression of the Palestinian people to have their own state free of occupation, settlers, embargoes, and what is called “mowing the lawn,” Israel’s military incursions into the Gaza Strip.
I belong to a group of both my fellow Jews and others who condemn Israel’s actions vis-à-vis the suppression, military and otherwise, of Palestinian rights. As Jews we have been slandered and libeled by those who support Israel no matter how violent Israel’s attacks are. The death toll of innocent noncombatants in this latest war is reminiscent of what happened to people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the Vietnam War. Mass killing of civilians is the hallmark of both wars. I have protested the murder of civilians in wars my entire adult life.
I recently made a comment at the New York Times about the killing of civilians by the Israel Defense Forces in Rafah. That comment, along with many others, has never seen the light of day. I’m not surprised because the Times and other mass-media outlets have actively pushed the suppression of dissent against the Israel-Gaza war while lauding military actions by Israel. This would have been unimaginable during the Vietnam War as newspapers such as the New York Times and other media outlets became the place where the Vietnam War was shown in all of its horror, including the massacre of civilians there.
Also missing from the coverage of the Israel-Gaza war is the violent police suppression of protest here. It seems that especially in New York City the police have been given free rein to beat the shit out of protesters and bludgeon them. Go to the excellent YouTube source, Status Coup, for an accounting of some of those attacks on protesters by police. That police violence is reminiscent of the police riots against protesters at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968. An educated guess is that the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, is making political hay out of the beatings of protesters among some cohort of voters in that city. Think of the moral implications of endorsing police violence for political gain.
This morning, I had a comment at the New York Times posted almost immediately after making it. The post was in response to a humorous observation about an earlier post by a commentator on male hair loss. Here can be seen what’s acceptable at the Times.
Commenting at The New York Times and the Israel-Gaza War