Hummus and Humanity

“If you are closing up, you are surrendering to terror. We will not agree to this kind of language of fear.” It’s not easy to find glimmers of decency and hope when it comes to the Middle East crisis, so when I find them, I’ll share them. One such glimmer can be found at a restaurant called Kanaan in Berlin. ‘Best of both sides’: Berlin’s Israeli-Palestinian restaurant that won’t give in to fear. “The fruit of a project by Ben David, an Israeli, and Jalil Dabit, a Palestinian, the casual restaurant has long sought to straddle one of the world’s most divisive conflicts over a culture-melding menu.”

+ “No forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, not now, not after the war. No use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks. No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempts to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza. We must also ensure no terrorist threats emerge from the West Bank.” Blinken: Postwar Gaza should have no Israeli occupation or blockade.

+ “In the bloody arithmetic of Hamas’ leaders, the carnage is not the regrettable outcome of a big miscalculation. Quite the opposite, they say: It is the necessary cost of a great accomplishment — the shattering of the status quo and the opening of a new, more volatile chapter in their fight against Israel.” NYT (Gift Article): Behind Hamas’ Bloody Gambit to Create a ‘Permanent’ State of War.’

+ House votes to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib for Israel-Hamas war comments. (I don’t agree with her comments and her description of the meaning of “From the river to the sea” is beyond absurd. But she has the right to voice her opinion and she is, of course, especially close to this subject. Censuring House members sets a bad precedent.)

+ Tens of thousands of Palestinians have used a safe corridor to leave Northern Gaza, the G7 calls for humanitarian pauses, 130 Tunnels destroyed. Here’s the latest from CNN and BBC.