See updates through August 26, 2024, at end of post.
We are told that “[g]lobal leaders were engaged in intensive diplomacy on Sunday [July 28] to dissuade Israel from increasing attacks on Lebanon, amid fears that a wider regional war could erupt in response to a rocket strike that killed 12 children playing football in the occupied Golan Heights.”[1]
All this proceeds as if Binyamin Netanyahu was not desperately trying to prolong his time in office by prolonging and expanding the war already raging in Gaza.[2] And all this proceeds as if Joe Biden and others weren’t sending Israel all the money and weapons it needs for genocide in Gaza. None of this can seriously be said to be in good faith.
We—all of us are implicated—have killed over 39,000 Gazans (“possibly above 186,000” when uncounted bodies still beneath the rubble are counted)[3] in revenge for 1,200 Israelis.[4] How many Lebanese will we kill in revenge for 12 children?
Update, July 31, 2024: Israel appears to have carried out airstrikes in Beirut[5] and Tehran,[6] threatening to escalate[7] the conflict with Hamas and its allies Hezbollah and Iran that Israel uses to excuse its genocide in Gaza. “The Iranian readout of the same phone call [between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian] stated that ‘any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences for Israel.’”[8]
I’m guessing those consequences will be more severe than last time[9] and this does absolutely nothing to refute the accusation that Binyamin Netanyahu seeks a wider war that would—he hopes—draw in the U.S.[10]
Simon Tisdall argues that, in effect, Israel has already declared war on the entire Middle East, writing, “The wider war Israel ‘prefers’ to avoid is, in fact, already raging. Israel repeatedly bombed Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah this month after a drone attack on Tel Aviv by Tehran-backed Houthi Shia militants. Netanyahu, whose answer to almost every problem is extreme violence, boasted the bombing ‘makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the state of Israel will not reach’. That sounded very much like a declaration of war on the entire region. Yet it’s a war Israel cannot ultimately win.”[11]
Tisdall offers no support for his claim that “Israel cannot ultimately win” the war.[12] But experts have, very nearly from the beginning, doubted Israel’s ability to eliminate Hamas—I would think in no small part because genocide exacerbates the tensions. Netanyahu now evidently proposes to take on Hezbollah,[13] Iran, and the Houthis as well. Which is clearly something he cannot do without the U.S.
Update, August 3, 2024: The U.S. is indeed moving forces to “defend” Israel and its genocide from an anticipated Iranian reprisal.[14] With allies like this, who needs enemies?
Evidently the Iranian Revolutionary Guard insists, despite other reporting suggesting a planted bomb, that Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a projectile fired from outside the building. “How Haniyeh was killed—whether it was with a short-range projectile or a planted bomb—could have significant implications, particularly for Iran’s internal response. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was reportedly woken up in the middle of the night of the attack to be briefed. He has vowed Iran will retaliate against Israel. A planted bomb would indicate deep infiltration of Israeli spies, with the ability to operate within a housing complex controlled and guarded by the most elite military and intelligence force in Iran. A projectile fired from outside the military compound also indicates a major security failure. The planners of this operation clearly wanted to send a message that Iran is no longer safe for enemies of Israel. . . .
“[Khaled] Qaddoumi added that he does not believe Israel acted unilaterally and, as Hamas’s official representative in Iran, he joined Tehran in accusing the U.S. of involvement. ‘Israel could not do such adventures without the blessing and the green light from America,’ he charged. ‘America is absolutely backing and facilitating the Israeli genocide in Gaza. And that is what's happening in the assassination operations.’”[15]
The Telegraph, however, also reports that agents hired by Mossad planted a bomb to assassinate Haniyeh, citing security camera footage, and that factions within the Revolutionary Guard are pointing fingers at each other. “There is now an internal blame game taking over the IRGC, with different sectors accusing each other of the failure, revealed the first official who spoke to The Telegraph.
“Esmail Qaani, the commander of the IRGC Quds force, has been summoning people to be fired, arrested and possibly executed, he said. ‘The breach has humiliated everyone.’” According to this report, the security breach is of higher concern to Iran’s Supreme Leader than retribution against Israel.[16]
I don’t know that I care much whether the method was a planted bomb or a short-range projectile. What I care about is a sense that the Iranians are taking this attack very seriously and I assume they will respond in a way that may very well drag the region into a wider war, a war that would almost certainly draw in the U.S. It concerns me that Hamas and the Revolutionary Guard believe that the U.S. greenlit the operation,[17] because, if they are right, then, unsurprisingly, the Joe Biden administration is insincere about seeking peace, suggesting that the escalation we’re now seeing[18] was intentional. And I have to wonder if Kamala Harris was in on any such greenlighting.
Update, August 8, 2024: “‘I am sorry, deeply, that something like [the October 7 attack] happened,’ [Binyamin Netanyahu] told Time Magazine during an hourlong interview this week in Jerusalem.
“The interview, which Time published in full, was Netanyahu’s first major one with any news organization since Oct. 7. Eric Cortellessa, Time’s national political correspondent, interviewed the prime minister shortly after his visit to the United States, where he addressed Congress and vowed to press on with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.”[19]
The money quote is here: “We’re in the midst of a war, a seven-front war.”[20] Let’s see here: I (generously) count Gaza (including but clearly not limited to Hamas), Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, Iran, and the Houthis in Yemen, all in significant part, related to the genocide in Gaza. But that’s only four and I don’t think he gets to count the West Bank. What are the other three fronts? And what are the implications if the U.S. is drawn in as Netanyahu apparently intends?[21]
Update, August 25, 2024: It has taken a while, but following Kamala Harris’ pledge, indistinguishable from Joe Biden’s pledge, to defend Israel,[22] Israel has launched a massive attack on Lebanon, claiming that Hezbollah was about to launch an attack.[23]
Binyamin Netanyahu is getting his way. He wanted a wider war that would draw in the U.S. and postpone any electoral, political, or judicial reckoning that he faces.[24] It looks very much like he’s gotten it.
I hope the pro-genocide people are happy.
I had hoped Joe Biden would at least have enough sense to avoid this. I see I was wrong. This seems highly likely be a disaster of a greater magnitude than Afghanistan or Iraq.
My god, these people are stupid.
Update, August 26, 2024: An analysis in the Associated Press argued that while tensions remain high, both Hezbollah and Israel had seemed to back off following an exchange of bombing, missile, and drone attacks.[25] The lull appears unlikely to last: Binyamin Netanyahu plainly still wants his wider war that will surely draw in the U.S.[26] and “has vowed that Israeli air raids targeting Hezbollah rockets in southern Lebanon in the early hours of Sunday morning [August 25] were ‘not the end of the story.’”[27]
When people want war, the only way to stop them is to take away the means to fight that war, and this, of course, both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris refuse to do, relying on a formulation that “[w]e will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.”[28] Tens of thousands of people have already died to defend Netanyahu’s hold on power and Israel is certainly no more secure for it.
When people want peace, we will recognize that Palestinians, not just Zionists (it is important to emphasize that not all Jews are Zionists), are human beings with universal human rights.[29] But Israel has been engaged in an ethnic cleansing project—750,000 Palestinians were displaced in what they call Nakba[30] and the Palestinian diaspora now numbers six million[31]—since the country was founded in 1948.
Whatever protestations we may hear from Zionists, it is the creation of a “Jewish state” excluding vast numbers of now-stateless Palestinians that lies at the heart of this dispute. Pro-genocide people, of course, refuse to recognize this. Justice, necessary for true peace,[32] and so peace itself, remain a very long ways away.
[1] Ruth Michaelson, “Global leaders try to dissuade Israel from increasing attacks on Lebanon,” Guardian, July 28, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/28/global-leaders-try-to-dissuade-israel-from-increasing-attacks-on-lebanon
[2] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/
[3] Reuters, “Explainer: Gaza death toll: how many Palestinians has Israel's campaign killed?” July 25, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-death-toll-how-many-palestinians-has-israels-campaign-killed-2024-07-25/
[4] Times of Israel, “Israel revises death toll from Oct. 7 Hamas assault, dropping it from 1,400 to 1,200,” November 11, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-revises-death-toll-from-oct-7-hamas-assault-dropping-it-from-1400-to-1200/
[5] Bassem Mroue and Tia Goldenberg, “Israel carries out rare strike on Beirut that it says killed Hezbollah commander,” Associated Press, July 30, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-strike-beirut-52c2a1711e274859b60daf8d2db3e0e2; Tamara Qiblawi, Tamar Michaelis, and Niamh Kennedy, “Israel targets Hezbollah commander in Beirut strike after deadly Golan Heights attack,” Cable News Network, July 30, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/30/middleeast/beirut-explosion-hezbollah-stronghold-intl-latam/index.html
[6] Abby Sewell, “Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is killed in Iran by an alleged Israeli strike, threatening escalation,” Associated Press, July 31, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/iran-hamas-israel-30968a7acb31cd8b259de9650014b779
[7] Laura Kayali, “European capitals scramble to avoid Middle East escalation,” Politico, July 30, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/europeans-seek-to-avoid-escalation-in-the-middle-east/; Abby Sewell, “Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is killed in Iran by an alleged Israeli strike, threatening escalation,” Associated Press, July 31, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/iran-hamas-israel-30968a7acb31cd8b259de9650014b779
[8] Laura Kayali, “European capitals scramble to avoid Middle East escalation,” Politico, July 30, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/europeans-seek-to-avoid-escalation-in-the-middle-east/
[9] Suleiman Al-Khalidi, “Most of the Iranian drones over Syria were downed by Israel, US, intelligence sources say,” Reuters, April 14, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/most-iranian-drones-over-syria-were-downed-by-israelus-intelligence-sources-say-2024-04-14/; Jeremy Diamond et al., “Iran launches unprecedented retaliatory strikes on Israel in major escalation of widening conflict,” Cable News Network, April 14, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/13/middleeast/iran-drones-attack-israel-intl-latam/index.html; Susannah George, “Iran crosses old red lines and sets ‘new equation’ with attack on Israel,” Washington Post, April 14, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/14/iran-israel-attack-missiles-drones/; Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/
[10] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/; Simon Tisdall, “Israel has all but declared war in the Middle East – a conflict it cannot hope to win,” Guardian, July 31, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/31/israel-hamas-iran-ismail-haniyeh-gaza-middle-east
[11] Simon Tisdall, “Israel has all but declared war in the Middle East – a conflict it cannot hope to win,” Guardian, July 31, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/31/israel-hamas-iran-ismail-haniyeh-gaza-middle-east
[12] Simon Tisdall, “Israel has all but declared war in the Middle East – a conflict it cannot hope to win,” Guardian, July 31, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/31/israel-hamas-iran-ismail-haniyeh-gaza-middle-east
[13] Nick Turse, “U.S. Poured Billions of Military Aid into Lebanon. Now Israel Threatens to Invade,” Intercept, July 31, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/07/30/lebanon-hezbollah-israel-war-us/
[14] Mohamad Bazzi, “The war in the Middle East is escalating fast – and Biden has squandered too many chances to stop it,” Guardian, August 2, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/02/gaza-israel-iran-joe-biden-middle-east; Emanuel Fabian and Jacob Magid, “IDF on ‘high alert’ as Biden vows US to defend Israel against ‘all threats from Iran,’” Times of Israel, August 2, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-on-high-alert-as-biden-vows-us-to-defend-israel-against-all-threats-from-iran/; Dan Lamothe, “U.S. forces move toward Israel as Iran threatens to attack,” Washington Post, August 2, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/02/us-military-israel-iran-attack/
[15] Jeremy Scahill, “‘Something came from the outside’: An Eyewitness Account of the Aftermath of Ismail Haniyeh’s Assassination,” Drop Site, August 3, 2024,
[16] Akhtar Makoii, “Mossad hired Iranian agents to plant bombs in Haniyeh’s residence,” Telegraph, August 2, 2024, https://apple.news/AAxGs77gRQQi_uh0_KQWYAg
[17] Jeremy Scahill, “‘Something came from the outside’: An Eyewitness Account of the Aftermath of Ismail Haniyeh’s Assassination,” Drop Site, August 3, 2024,
[18] Mohamad Bazzi, “The war in the Middle East is escalating fast – and Biden has squandered too many chances to stop it,” Guardian, August 2, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/02/gaza-israel-iran-joe-biden-middle-east; Emanuel Fabian and Jacob Magid, “IDF on ‘high alert’ as Biden vows US to defend Israel against ‘all threats from Iran,’” Times of Israel, August 2, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-on-high-alert-as-biden-vows-us-to-defend-israel-against-all-threats-from-iran/; Dan Lamothe, “U.S. forces move toward Israel as Iran threatens to attack,” Washington Post, August 2, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/02/us-military-israel-iran-attack/
[19] Philissa Cramer, “Netanyahu, 10 months after Oct. 7: ‘I am sorry, deeply, that something like this happened,’” August 8, 2024, https://www.jta.org/2024/08/08/israel/netanyahu-10-months-after-oct-7-i-am-sorry-deeply-that-something-like-this-happened
[20] Binyamin Netanyahu, quoted in Philissa Cramer, “Netanyahu, 10 months after Oct. 7: ‘I am sorry, deeply, that something like this happened,’” August 8, 2024, https://www.jta.org/2024/08/08/israel/netanyahu-10-months-after-oct-7-i-am-sorry-deeply-that-something-like-this-happened
[21] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/; Simon Tisdall, “Israel has all but declared war in the Middle East – a conflict it cannot hope to win,” Guardian, July 31, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/31/israel-hamas-iran-ismail-haniyeh-gaza-middle-east
[22] David Benfell, “The 'Lesser Evil,'” Not Housebroken, August 24, 2024, https://nothousebroken.substack.com/p/the-lesser-evil
[23] Josef Federman and Abby Sewell, “Israel stages heavy airstrikes on Lebanon as Hezbollah launches attack over slain top commander,” Associated Press, August 25, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-gaza-palestinians-hezbollah-52056075daebc9aac6675043f64439ab
[24] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/; Simon Tisdall, “Israel has all but declared war in the Middle East – a conflict it cannot hope to win,” Guardian, July 31, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/31/israel-hamas-iran-ismail-haniyeh-gaza-middle-east
[25] Joseph Krauss, “What to know about the heavy exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah,” Associated Press, August 25, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-iran-us-d3aeb1826cca2cbcda019f4778947e5b
[26] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/; Simon Tisdall, “Israel has all but declared war in the Middle East – a conflict it cannot hope to win,” Guardian, July 31, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/31/israel-hamas-iran-ismail-haniyeh-gaza-middle-east
[27] Julian Borger, Quique Kierszenbaum, and William Christou, “Netanyahu says attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon ‘not the end of the story,’” Guardian, August 25, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/25/netanyahu-says-attacks-on-hezbollah-in-lebanon-not-the-end-of-the-story
[28] Sean Savett, quoted in Julian Borger, Quique Kierszenbaum, and William Christou, “Netanyahu says attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon ‘not the end of the story,’” Guardian, August 25, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/25/netanyahu-says-attacks-on-hezbollah-in-lebanon-not-the-end-of-the-story
[29] United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “What are human rights?” 2024, https://www.ohchr.org/en/what-are-human-rights
[30] Kyle Rempfer, “Israeli operations uprooted Palestinians in 1948. Many fear a repeat,” Washington Post, November 3, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/11/03/israel-nakba-history-1948/
[31] Jane Arraf and Greg Dixon, “Why Millions of Palestinians Living in Arab Countries are Stateless,” National Public Radio, March 4, 2024, https://www.npr.org/2024/03/04/1196979690/why-millions-of-palestinians-living-in-arab-countries-are-stateless
[32] David P. Barash and Charles P. Webel, Peace and Conflict Studies (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2002).