yardwork
yardwork's JournalLet me know if you would like to be a host in this forum.
The Feminist forum hosts have been the same for many years. I just dropped a host who has been FFR for many years, so we have an open spot if anyone wants to host. Shoot me a PM.
What is Zionism
There seems to be widespread misunderstanding about the meaning of the word Zionism.
Joe Biden said that he is a Zionist. Now people are asking what that means, exactly.
I am not Jewish. So I hope I'm not stepping on any toes by posting this thread. I am eager to learn more and open to corrections!
From the Anti-Defamation League, the definition of Zionism:
https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/zionism
Excerpts:
Today, with a Jewish sovereign state a reality, Zionists believe in and support the right of the democratic State of Israel to exist as a Jewish homeland. Israel is the only Jewish state in the world. Being a Zionist is distinct from supporting the policies of the government of Israel.
....
....There are Zionists who are critical of Israeli policies, just as there are Zionists who rarely voice disagreement with the Israeli government. There are diverse views among Zionists about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, about how to promote peace, whether to support a two-state solution, and about approaches to Israeli settlements. Being critical of Israeli policies is no more anti-Zionist than being critical of American policies is anti-American.
Zionism does not preclude support for Palestinian self-determination and statehood. For some Zionists, support for a two-state solution is the realization of self-determination for Jews and Palestinians alike.
There are also millions of non-Jews who consider themselves Zionists and supporters of the Jewish state, who are motivated by factors including religion, history, security or politics.
DU on my iPhone formatting messed up
Hi! The formatting of DU on iPhone suddenly broke into long, long columns of single lines. How can I restore the view? Thanks!
It's suddenly become difficult to navigate to forums on my iPhone.
I know DU is trying different approaches to navigation, and you're trying to meet the needs of folks who access DU on different platforms and devices.
However, this morning I'm actually struggling to make my way to GD or LBN. I got "stuck" in Latest threads and it took some non-intuitive clicking around before I found my way back to GD. I had to go to Forums and look up GD in the list of all forums. It used to be much easier.
On my phone, I actually liked the two button approach. Just my two cents. I appreciate what you guys are doing!
US-brokered cease fire near
Deal to free hostages, pause fighting between Israel and Hamas nears announcement
The U.S.-brokered agreement could take effect as soon as Tuesday and would include the release of around 50 hostages by Hamas.
The U.S. has brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to free dozens of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a four or five day pause in fighting, according to two current U.S. officials and a former U.S. official with knowledge of the talks.
All officials stressed that a deal isn’t final until it’s officially announced and that arrangements can always fall apart at the last moment. They said an announcement could come from the relevant parties as soon as Tuesday.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/21/deal-to-free-hostages-pause-fighting-between-israel-and-hamas-nears-announcement-00128239
I saw this just now on the blog Joe.My.God so I think it is new information from previous reports.
Is it a war crime to use civilians as human shields?
Is it a war crime to take over a hospital and embed combatants in the facility, thus drawing enemy fire?
Starbucks vandalized by anti-Israeli graffiti
Multiple Durham businesses, including at least five Starbucks locations, were vandalized Saturday amid accusations the companies are supporting Israel in its war in Gaza against Hamas.
At approximately 4:55 a.m., 911 dispatchers advised that there were multiple vandalism calls throughout the city that appeared to be related, according to a Durham Police Department statement. Officers determined that seven businesses were vandalized.
Durham police did not identify all seven businesses, but Starbucks confirmed that at least five of its locations were vandalized. “Kid Killers,” “Kids Killers” and “Don’t Support Kid Killers” were spray-painted all over the exterior of those Starbucks locations.
Pro-Palestinian groups have accused Starbucks of supporting Israel and called for a boycott of the coffee chain.
Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article281739558.html#storylink=cpyhttps://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article281739558.html?ac_cid=DM872948&ac_bid=216519064
Hamas hostage videos are cruel, manipulative, revealing. Experts expect more.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/31/hamas-video-hostages-israel/JERUSALEM — The latest hostage video released by Hamas is disturbing, manipulative and revealing. Three women sit on cheap plastic chairs pushed against a tiled wall, somewhere in Gaza. It looks like a waiting room for some fearful appointment.
....
By releasing the video, “Hamas is trying to increase demand” — to push Israelis to pressure their government into a cease-fire and negotiations — to remain in power and see its own prisoners freed from Israeli jails, Orbach said. He pointed out that Israelis are not new to having hostages taken and hostage negotiations. Many approached the video with hard-earned skepticism.
Everyone in Israel knows the case of Gilad Shalit, the soldier captured by Hamas in 2006 and freed in 2011 in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israelis didn’t need to be told that the words spoken on the video were what the Hamas captors wanted them to hear. “It is clear to all but the most gullible people that the hostages are under duress,” Orbach said.
....
Massive misinformation campaign against Israel.
I'm not Jewish. I'm not an expert on the Middle East. I've been critical of the Israeli government. There's a lot I don't know, but I know antisemitism when I see it. I'm seeing antisemitism and an anti-Israeli disinformation campaign that seems to be coordinated. The minute Hamas attacked Israeli citizens - in a shockingly brutal terrorist attack in which victims were gang raped, tortured in public, paraded naked in front of mobs - an anti-Israeli propaganda campaign took off across the globe. I happen to know some folks affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Their social media rhetoric instantly ramped up against Israel. Not even a pause. Coordinated. We're seeing it on DU.
I can connect some dots but I'll leave that to others. Im here to witness what I'm seeing.
UNC on lockdown for 'armed and dangerous person' two weeks after fatal campus shooting
Source: Raleigh News & Observer, NC
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill issued an emergency notification at 12:54 p.m. The alert says there is an “armed and dangerous person on or near campus.”
The university issued two additional alerts, at 1:29 p.m. and 1:54 p.m., urging people to continue sheltering in place on campus. Faculty and staff are advised to. Go inside immediately. Close windows and doors. Stay until further notice. Follow directions from emergency responders or university officials.
The report follows the fatal on-campus shooting of Zijie Yan, an associate professor, less than three weeks ago. That shooting sent the university campus into lockdown for more than three hours. Tailei Qi, a graduate student, is accused of first-degree murder in Yan’s death.
All schools in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district have been advised to enter “secure mode,” the district said. Classroom instruction will continue as normal, but doors will be locked and people will not allowed in or out of school buildings.
Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article279293124.html
Two weeks after a professor was shot and killed on campus. Students are terrified. I'm watching local news WRAL and there are clips of students running to get to shelter. The little kids in the Chapel Hill - Carrboro Schools are on lockdown again.
Updates says it was the boyfriend of a disgruntled employee who showed up in the Student Union waving a gun.
Looks like an all clear now.
Way too many guns!!!
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