I try and keep a balanced view on the middle eastern situation. I know or have known Iranians, Lebanese, Israelis, Iraqis, Palestinians, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus ... and they are civilised, intelligent individuals who want to live peaceful prosperous lives with their families and definitely do not want war. And in that region the UAE has a thriving space programme - with a successful Mars mission led by a woman - and innovative cyber security companies (I've met excellent representatives from one); yes, still a way to go on civil rights but moving I the right direction so it's not all bad outside Israel?However, this reports about Netanyahu concerns me, if it's true:https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje3zl0dq2ko
It would suggest manipulation of the situation and the possibility of more civilian deaths purely for Netanyahu's own personal benefit to see Democrats out of office. The falure to agree a ceasefire has possibly lead to the deaths of all remaining Israelis being held hostage and the certain deaths of many more innocent Palestinians and Lebanese civilians. That would persuade me to believe potential war crimes should be investigated. We may know more from the actionin the Lebanon as western journalists are on the ground and can't be so easily excluded by the IDF.
Michael Ixer ● 83d