Link to the live updates: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/1/16/live-celebrations-in-gaza-as-israel-hamas-reach-ceasefire-deal

Keep in mind that Israel has a long history of breaking Ceasefires and also ramping up their bombing campaigns right up until the ceasefire comes into effect

I expect Netanyahu to break the ceasefire as quickly as he can after currying favor with Trump by timing this ceasefire. Israel’s Zionist leadership is by no means any less genocidal and are dead set on expanding into a Greater Israel, backed and funded by the US

I’m doing what, recognizing the current situation?

You can’t discuss solutions without first recognizing the problem.

The problem is capitalism which prioritizes increasing profit accumulation at the expense of everyone. The solution is social organization of our community, the workplace, and the economy. Getting involved with grassroots community organizations, unionizing the workplace, shifting necessities like housing and healthcare to public control to provide them for every citizen. Considering the topic of this article, also joining the BDS Movement

If you read the article it’s pretty clear that the shift isn’t what people are mad at. It’s that it didn’t happen sooner, perpetuating the suffering of millions by continuing US policy (including Trump’s legislation since 2017) for years at the expense of the entire population of Cuba. Not to mention in violation of International Law.

“It is important to note that the economic blockade and much of the dozen coercive measures that have been put into effect since 2017 remain in force to strengthen it, with full extraterritorial effect and in violation of international law and human rights of all Cubans,” the ministry added

Many progressives welcomed Biden’s shift. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) said in a statement that Cuba’s SSOT designation “has only worsened life for the Cuban people without advancing U.S. interests” and “has made it harder for Cubans to access humanitarian aid, banking services, and the ability to travel abroad.” “It has also deepened food and medicine shortages and worsened the island’s energy crisis, especially after Hurricane Rafael,” she added. “These hardships have driven an unprecedented wave of migration, leading to the largest exodus in Cuba’s history.”

Alex Main, director of international policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said Tuesday that “while this decision, which comes years after 80 members of Congress urged Biden to reverse Trump’s ‘total pressure’ approach should have been made long ago, it is better late than never.”

David Adler, the co-general coordinator at Progressive International, called the delisting “far too little, far too late.” “POTUS removing Cuba’s SSOT designation in the final days of his presidency only means one thing: He knew—from day one—that the designation was simply an excuse to punish the Cuban people,” Adler added. “But he maintained it anyway. Sickening.”

The peace group CodePink released a statement welcoming Biden’s shift, but adding that “it is unacceptable that it took this administration four years to address these injustices.” “President Biden made the inhumane decision every single day to not alleviate the suffering of millions of Cubans by keeping this designation in place,” the group added. “As we mark this overdue progress, we can only hope that the Trump administration does not reverse these crucial steps towards justice and diplomacy.”

Capitalism inevitably leads to Fascism in the pursuit of ever increasing profits

Beyond the economics that leads capitalist countries to fascism are race and racial politics. Toscano discusses this in detail, reminding the reader of WEB DuBois’ observation that European fascism in the twentieth century was born in colonialism. The treatment of the Roma, the Jews and others deemed undesirable by the Nazis and (in different degrees and with different foci) the Italian fascists had been honed over decades of European colonialism in the Americas, Africa and Asia. It is an oft-repeated trope that Hitler acknowledged the US genocidal wars against the indigenous peoples of North America that provided him with the template for what became known as the Holocaust. Richard Rubenstein’s classic work, The Cunning of History, expands on this idea by linking the Nazi work camps to US and Brazilian slavery and its mechanization of humanity… The ongoing social upheaval caused by the privatization and ultimate destruction of most government support systems has not only caused massive inequality, it has as its ultimate goal the reduction of the government to its essential roles: war and repression. Given this, a fascist government is the ideal means to produce such a system.

• Fascism in the 2020’s

Europe is also experiencing an escalation of Fascism

Al Jazeera: Going back to the more powerful alliance that you say is upholding Zionism, you talked about the rise of the far right in Europe. Among them though, there are still strains of anti-Semitism.

Pappe: This unholy alliance was there from the very beginning. If you think about it logically, both anti-Semites and Zionists, when it comes to Europe had the same target, they didn’t want to see the Jews in Europe. Seeing them in Palestine could be an objective both of the Zionist movement and anti-Semitic movement.

Now there is a new layer of uniformity of ideas between the neo-right and Israel, and this is Islamophobia.

The new right is now, although it has still strong anti-Jewish, namely anti-Semitic elements in it, it’s targeting mainly Muslim and Arab communities. It doesn’t target Jewish communities, in particular.

They see Israel as the most important anti-Islamic anti-Arab force in the world, so there’s also identification on that level – but of course, it’s something that Jews would regret outside of Israel if they would be part of such an alliance. Even pro-Israeli Jews in Europe feel a bit uneasy about [those that] don themselves with the Israeli flag, but at the same time with the Nazi flag.

Hopefully, it will make them rethink their association with Israel. We already see the signs, especially in the American Jewish community among the young generation, that they understand that Israel is now part of a political alliance that they as American Jews cannot identify with.

No, I think it’s great that you’re looking into the sources, that’s something the trolls don’t do. There’s been decades of propaganda to manufacture consent for Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and now genocide. A One-State Solution with equal rights is the way forward. Cheers

Well you’re arguing off of misinformation. I provided sources for you to learn about the conflict if you are actually interested. I don’t care to argue. You have many resources available and I have even more, such as documentaries. But the books I referenced have the best depth of knowledge about the conflict

It’s honestly more for the many more who are just browsing. Although there have been a few that genuinely weren’t aware and changed their mind. But yeah, there are also plenty who are simply trolls and completely dehumanize Palestinians if not all Arabs and Muslims. I’ve got that troll tagged as a Zionist now

That’s completely delusional when we’re talking about Israel, an Apartheid State, committing genocide on the native population it has occupied for generations. I suggest you read any of the books listed or read any of the sources linked, because you’re either unaware of the reality of the situation or have completely dehumanized Palestinian people.

After the Nakba the Palestinians within now Israel that survived the ethnic cleansing were under the draconic Israel Martial Law and Defence (Emergency) Regulations, which we’re then practiced in the occupied territories instead after 1967. Even then, Arab Israelis continued to be second class citizens for many reasons including Education (2001 report)

This second class citizenship has only gotten worse. The article goes into a few more examples of how they are second class citizens, especially when it comes to censorship and a lack of civil rights. White very terrible, it’s nothing compared to the lack of human rights in the West Bank or the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, Israeli authorities have clamped down hard on Palestinian-Israeli expressions of dissent over the war in Gaza, while Benjamin Netanyahu’s government — widely regarded as the most rightwing in the country’s history — has advanced a raft of legislation that human rights groups say is discriminatory and infringes on Palestinians’ rights.

They argue it entrenches a system that has long treated them as second-class citizens and as suspects.

• Page 8, The Concept of Transfer 1882-1948

Zionism is a settler colonialism project that was able to really start with the support of British Imperialism. Zionism as a political movement started with Theodore Herzl in the 1880s as a ‘modern’ way to ‘solve’ the ‘Jewish Question’ of Europe. Western Nations supported this instead of instituting legal protections and refuge for Jewish people fleeing persecution.

Herzl himself explicitly considered Zionism a Settler Colonialist project, Setter Colonialism is always violent. The difficulty in creating a democratic Jewish state in an area inhabited by people who are not Jewish, is that enough Palestinian people need to be ‘Transferred’ to have a demographic majority that is Jewish. Ben-Gurion explicitly rejected Secular Bi-national state solutions in favor of partition.

• Page 8, The Concept of Transfer 1882-1948

• 10 myths of Israel by Ilan Pappe, summerized and full book

• Transfer Committee and the JNF led to Forced Displacement of 100,000 Palestinians throughout the mandate.

The existence of Hamas, and any armed resistance movement, is directly due to the decades of violence experienced daily under the permanent occupation, the Apartheid State, of Israel. It’s impossible to understand their existence if you don’t understand the lived experience and material conditions they are forced to live under. There is no such thing as a perfect victim when it comes to anti-Colonialist resistance, not for the Vietcong, the IRA, or the ANC either. Can you condemn the violence of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in the same way as the violence of the Warsaw Ghetto?

In the Shadow of the Holocaust by Masha Gessen, the situation in Gaza is compared to the Warsaw Ghettos. The comparison was also made by a Palestinian poet who was later killed by an Israeli airstrike. Adi Callai has also written on the parallels in his article The Gaza Ghetto Uprising and expanded upon in his corresponding video

Look, I know it’s hard for you to read any of these sources, but they completely prove you wrong.

The bombing of family homes where Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives supposedly live likely became a more concerted IDF policy during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Back then, 606 Palestinians — about a quarter of the civilian deaths during the 51 days of fighting — were members of families whose homes were bombed. A UN report defined it in 2015 as both a potential war crime and “a new pattern” of action that “led to the death of entire families.”

However, in many cases, and especially during the current attacks on Gaza, the Israeli army has carried out attacks that struck private residences even when there is no known or clear military target. For example, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, by Nov. 29, Israel had killed 50 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, some of them in their homes with their families.

According to six Israeli intelligence officers, who have all served in the army during the current war on the Gaza Strip and had first-hand involvement with the use of AI to generate targets for assassination, Lavender has played a central role in the unprecedented bombing of Palestinians, especially during the early stages of the war. In fact, according to the sources, its influence on the military’s operations was such that they essentially treated the outputs of the AI machine “as if it were a human decision.”

Formally, the Lavender system is designed to mark all suspected operatives in the military wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), including low-ranking ones, as potential bombing targets. The sources told +972 and Local Call that, during the first weeks of the war, the army almost completely relied on Lavender, which clocked as many as 37,000 Palestinians as suspected militants — and their homes — for possible air strikes.

Moreover, the Israeli army systematically attacked the targeted individuals while they were in their homes — usually at night while their whole families were present — rather than during the course of military activity. According to the sources, this was because, from what they regarded as an intelligence standpoint, it was easier to locate the individuals in their private houses. Additional automated systems, including one called “Where’s Daddy?” also revealed here for the first time, were used specifically to track the targeted individuals and carry out bombings when they had entered their family’s residences.

However, soldiers continue to occasionally use Palestinians as human shields even after the court ruling, especially during military operations. Despite the fact this violates an HCJ ruling, the security establishment, including the military law enforcement system, has responded feebly – if at all.

For example, over the course of Operation Cast Lead, which took place in Gaza from December 2008 to January 2009, B’Tselem and other organizations were informed of incidents in which soldiers used Palestinians as human shields. The vast majority of these reports were never investigated, and those that did resulted in no further action. Soldiers were prosecuted in one case only. The two soldiers in question had ordered a nine-year-old boy, at gunpoint, to open a bag they suspected was booby-trapped. Despite the gravity of their conduct – putting a young child at risk – the two were given a three-month conditional sentence and demoted from staff sergeant to private, some two years after the incident took place. None of their commanding officers were tried.

During Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, in 2014, B’Tselem again received testimonies regarding soldiers’ use of Palestinians as human shields. This time, no one was prosecuted.

In 2024, Israeli forces systematically used Palestinian children as human shields, a grave violation of international law. DCIP captured testimony from children like 12-year-old Moayad and 16-year-old Hazem, who were stripped, tied, and placed in front of Israeli tanks during aid distributions, enduring physical abuse and deprivation.

Anti-zionism is not Antisemitism. Your conflation of the two is genuinely antisemitic.

Zionism is anti-Semitic at it’s core, it other-izes Jewish people, and justifies the violent settler colonialim of Israel as in the defense of all Jewish people, which only serves to further fuel genuine Antisemitism at the expense of Jewish people globally.

Zionism is also an inherently fascist ideology. The ethnic cleansing of the native people of Palestine has always been fundamental since it’s inception as a colonialist movement.

Adi Callai, an Israeli, does a great analysis of how Antisemitism has been weaponized by Zionism during its history.

The IDF commit war crimes daily. You are completely delusional to blame the people being bombed and starved instead of the ones doing the bombing and starvation.

It’s a genocide.

And funny enough, they’re on the boycott list

The No Thanks app (should also be a available on apple) makes it easy to scan a barcode or search the brand name to tell if it’s on the list

The BDS Movement Website has more details on what companies are the main targets and why to boycott

Oikos and Silk are also both owned by Danone and on the BDS List, another reason to avoid them

After the Nakba they definitely were under Israel Martial Law and Defence (Emergency) Regulations, which we’re then practiced in the occupied territories instead after 1967. Even then, Arab Israelis continued to be second class citizens for many reasons including Education (2001 report)

Here is an archived version of the article of this post

Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, Israeli authorities have clamped down hard on Palestinian-Israeli expressions of dissent over the war in Gaza, while Benjamin Netanyahu’s government — widely regarded as the most rightwing in the country’s history — has advanced a raft of legislation that human rights groups say is discriminatory and infringes on Palestinians’ rights.

They argue it entrenches a system that has long treated them as second-class citizens and as suspects.

The article goes into a few more examples of how they are second class citizens, especially when it comes to censorship and a lack of civil rights

“Amnesty Israel was given two reasons from Amnesty International for the suspension: first, the branch conducts itself in a racist manner against Palestinians; second, the reports and messaging coming from Amnesty Israel do not align with Amnesty International,” the Israeli i24 news channel reported on Tuesday, citing “a source inside Amnesty International.”

The Jerusalem Post cited “leaked internal memorandums issued on Monday” that includes allegations that the Israel branch “systematically excluded Palestinians.”

“We take this action in response to evidence of endemic anti-Palestinian racism within AI Israel, which violates core human rights principles and Amnesty values, and evidence of AI Israel’s misalignment with and hostility to Amnesty positions,” an email from the IB Amnesty International interim chair Tiumalu Lauvale Peter Fa’afiu reportedly stated, said the Jerusalem Post.

Ourabi and Kader reportedly said that they left because Amnesty Israel “supposedly ignored Israeli human rights violations, and was focused on the impact of October 7 when a year later the war barely impacted Israelis as Palestinians continued to suffer.”

I know. It isn’t about existence. It’s about doing things through the appropriate legal channels. The entire world isn’t entitled to live in the US, just like the entire population isn’t entitled to drive on public roads or practice medicine.

Illegal immigration is a symptom of a broken legal immigration system. This is by design by both Republican and Democratic Administrations for decades for the benefit of corporations. Illegal immigrants do not desire to be here illegally. If they were able to come through legal channels, they would, but that’s not possible with our current legal channels.

Not only that, but there was a skyrocket of asylum seekers during this administration. They’ve combined to create a system in which people are used as balls in a shell game while their asylum cases are pending. This never should have happened in the first place.

It shouldn’t, but it’s intentional to perpetuate the two-tier immigration system for cheap labor. We need an expedient system to process everyone properly without denying them entry.

The solution to millions of people breaking the law is not to get rid of the law. Reform the process? Absolutely. But the government saying “We don’t care that you broke the law” for years got us to where we are now. Once our systems aren’t under such severe strain any longer, then we can make clearer decisions about who to let in.

You’re acting as if these people are breaking the law intentionally, instead of the law being unjust and used to exploit these people because of their desperate circumstances. Reforming the response from deportation to processing is entirely my point. And the process for legal processing needs reform too, as I mentioned before. The strain it’s under is deliberate and by design, it’s not an accident.

We certainly should make the facilities humane, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t exist. People aren’t being put there to be worked to death or exterminated. It isn’t fascist any more than normal prisons are.

There is no ethical way to have concentration camps. Nor is there any legitimate reason to have them. US prisons literally use slave labor, so that’s not really helping your point.

Legalization wouldn’t necessarily end their systematic abuse. It would, however, encourage illicit employers to continue seeking new immigrant employees and disregard citizens in the process. That’s not good for anyone other than the people running these businesses.

Legalization would give them the same worker rights that regular Citizens have. Not to say US citizens aren’t systematically abused by corporations either, but that illegal immigrants are abused even more.

Why is one city spending more on a problem that Biden created than Biden is on a problem that’s existed for decades? It’s likely that the impact of immigration and asylum seeking falls somewhere between the Cato Institute’s numbers and FAIR’s.

Because neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party care about people anymore than they can be used for exploitation by corporations to increase profits. Homelessness is a systemic issues that’s due to the privatization of housing, pricing millions of people out of affording the basic necessity that is shelter. Instead of helping them with Housing First, the US criminalizes homeless and exploits them through the prison system.

The two-tier immigration system is far more profitable, by magnitudes more than the costs to accommodate them.

It doesn’t help that the Biden admin is unpopular in general, as is the media that’s been running its cover for the last four years. Even if the admin had a response, barely anyone would have listened. As far as I’m concerned, they deserved to lose that trust

Definitely. Both parties work at the behest of the donor class, of capitalist owners who’s only interest is accumulating more capital by any means. Leeja Miller has a great video on the history of immigration and covers many of the questions you’ve had, especially when it comes to concerns about costs and legality.