“You’re my father! You’re supposed to be on my side!”
“There are as many sides as there are people, sweetheart.”
My father did have very definite beliefs and opinions of his own. However, as a defense attorney, he had learned that if he didn’t know all the facts of the case, one of those facts could sneak up and bite him in the butt in the middle of a trial with disastrous results for his client. He also had to gauge how the personal experiences of the jurors would affect their verdict.
That which can happen to a lawyer and his client can also happen to a country and its people. For example, let’s take the war between Israelis and Palestinians. Each and every Palestinian and each and every Israeli has a story to tell. Think of your own autobiography—your life up until now. If you started writing your personal history, which facts are important to tell and which would you leave out?
If we collected all the stories of Israelis and Palestinians, we would find that they have many things in common—The love that parents feel for their children, for example. And yet, in this war there is a concerted effort to kill mothers and their children. Let’s not forget that soldiers are mother’s children too. All humans spend their first nine months inside their mothers’ wombs. Israelis and Palestinians also have that in common.
However. biographies are not the only stories to be told. There is always a financial aspect to war. Bombs and drones are very expensive. Soldiers must be housed, clothed and fed. The wounded must receive care. There are many other costs of war (death, destruction, displacement, trauma), but without soldiers and weaponry those costs wouldn’t be created in the first place. Therefore, it is very important to ask: Who pays for the bombs? And just as important, why do they spend vast amounts of wealth on war and not on something else?
As far as American mainstream journalists are concerned, Iran is paying for the weapons used by Hamas in its attacks on Israel. They express this by linking the names “Iran” and “Hamas” with the words “Back” or “Backed” in order to signal a source of financial funding. This did not start on October 7, 2023.
Iran, a Longtime Backer of Hamas, Cheers Attacks on Israel
New York Times
May 23, 2021 — Tehran jumped at the chance to portray militants’ barrages on Israel as revenge for Israeli attacks on Iran.
In a Worldwide War of Words, Russia, China and Iran Back Hamas
New York Times
November 3, 2023 — The conflict between Israel and Hamas is fast becoming a world war online.
Air-Raid Sirens in Israel Warn of Continued Strikes on Sunday
New York Times
Oct 8, 2023 —Iran has for decades backed Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza and whose own interests in battling Israel align with Iran’s.
Houthi Militia in Yemen Present a Special Challenge for US
New York Times
Dec 23, 2023 — Hamas and the Houthis are both backed by Iran.
Of course the New York Times is not the only publication that uses the words Back or Backed to link Iran with the enemies of Israel—and this doesn’t just happen in America.
Israel says time running out to reach diplomatic solution in Lebanon
The Guardian
Dec 28, 2023 · Israel and the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah … Israel’s retaliatory war on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has already become one of the most destructive conflicts of the 21st century, with
Whether or not it is true that Iran is funding Israel’s enemies, there is no doubt that someone is paying for their weapons. But who is paying for Israel’s weapons? Let’s take a look.
Would it be correct to express the relationship between the United States of America and Israel by using the words Back or Backed i.e. America-backed Israel?
Why has the American government been “giving” Israel billions of dollars? Governments never “give away” money for no reason. They expect something in return. What are Americans getting in return? I have a few answers of my own to that question, but they are based on a very weak understanding of international finance. I find the subject confusing and boring. However, I no longer have the luxury of willful ignorance, because America-backed Israel has been committing America-backed genocide for three months—not with my consent, but ( I’m guessing) with my tax dollars. Cui Bono? Who benefits? My uneducated answer is: Huge global financial entities benefit at the expense of billions of mothers and their children. But I know that my Dad, bless his soul, would immediately cross-examine that statement. So I guess I had better go looking for answers to the questions that I know he would ask.
Happy New Year 2024 to all Mothers and Mothers’ Children and their Dads
Control Savvy 