24 Comments
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Clever Pseudonym's avatar

Giving the Palestinians their own "state" is like a father naming his cretinous illiterate son CEO of the family business, even though everyone knows the new CEO will spend all his time picking his nose and making paper airplanes.

How does a people become a state or gain statehood? Wouldn't the bare minimum have to be the ability to govern your own territory, have relatively peaceful relations with your neighbors, have some sort of legitimacy involving a parliament or congress where everyone acknowledges each other's rights and works to help improve the lives of their people? The Palestinians fail at the bare minimum of any of this.

For the West the "2-state solution" has been a sacred delusion for decades now, it is simply beyond the ability of secular liberals to squarely face and accept what the Palestinians are or to look clearly at the basic facts: they have been offered their own state multiple times over multiple decades and have refused every single offer because the goal of their movement isn't the creation of their own state but the destruction of the Jewish state.

How many times do they have to say this for people to listen and believe!?

And now Israel is supposed to accept that the French are somehow gifting the Palestinians their own state as a reward for 10/7? Macron is a moral and intellectual midget trying to play statesman and while history will immediately forget him the moment he leaves office, he should always be remembered as a pretentious Parisian Neville Chamberlain.

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ExCAhillbilly's avatar

Great imagery. I listened to Palestinians. I heard. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. As for Macron and Saudi Arabia gifting Palestinians a State, would that require not murdering your neighbors? Yeah, sure, that's believable. We have some Tren de Aragua we are looking to rehome. Would you like them as neighbors?

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Brian Katz's avatar

The various UN agreements handed down since 1948 have always been crystal clear.

Only Israel and the Palestinians can negotiate this matter.

If virtue signalers want to pontificate about this at the UN, what difference does it make ?

Absolutely none.

Besides, Jordan is Palestine.

Has always been.

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Steve S's avatar

With the Scroll leaving substack many of us otherwise subscribers at a more reasonable $60 to $80 annual model will leave this worthwhile outlet behind, and sadly the good work by Park and Adam will mostly go ignored and unread.

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Hutch's avatar

I already was a subscriber at $60/yr and would like an online-only option to continue at a similar rate. $250/yr is a steep increase!

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Steven Rosenberg's avatar

I agree. I now live in Israel and the magazine is useless to me. I will miss reading the scroll when I wake up in the morning, but I can't justify the price.

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Sanda Kaufman's avatar

(My reply disappeared, hopefully it will not post twice).

I have been a subscriber for many years. As a retiree, I may not be able to subscribe at the new rate (maybe this should be a consideration?) As well, I have already paid for the year - am I supposed to resubscribe?! That would be rather unfair... Some details about the new regime would be welcome.

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Brian Katz's avatar

I’ve seen something to the effect that Tablet will credit your recent contributions towards the subscriber fee. Check their links and subscriber pages.

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Sanda Kaufman's avatar

Thank you! I'll check.

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H Frank's avatar

I enjoy the Scroll. However, the new membership price is out of line with the four Substack accounts I pay for. The highest price I pay is $80 a year. Maybe you will change your mind after you see how many readers are willing to pay $250. In the meantime I wish you success.

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Hutch's avatar

Does no one care about this France/Saudi conference under the auspices of the UN? Held on US soil? This would seem like a major diplomatic crisis. And the timing is very sketchy, just after Trump's Saudi visit.

To me, it's proof that Bibi is totally boxed in by Trump. As long as Iran's nuclear program still exists, Israel loses leverage internationally and with the war in Gaza. Once Israel attacks and eliminates Iran's nuclear program, it can be magnanimous and end the Gaza war, even on unfavorable terms. But Witkoff's negotiations with the mullahs delays action.

Until then, it's a free for all by backstabbers like Macron.

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barnabus's avatar

A lot of Western pressure on Israel has to do with conscious intent by the West to make life unliveable in Israel. The idea behind it is to "protect" those Jewish communities in the West that are still there from making Aliya. However, those Western communities are melting away - my guess is that the pure bloodstock secular demographic is 1/2 to 1/4 of its size 50 years ago and so loses its economic importance from decade to decade.

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Brian Katz's avatar

Simple math is not on the favorable side of Jewry in the US.

The ice is melting fast.

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barnabus's avatar

Yep. For one, one can't be secular and pure bloodstock at the same time, big population-wise. Unless one lives in Israel, that is.

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Brian Katz's avatar

One can argue, with a straight face, that the Reform movement in the US is a major contributor to how fast the ice is melting.

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Brian Katz's avatar

I care a lot and am watching this very closely.

In my humble opinion, Bibi has dragged his feet in Gaza.

He’s had 6 months, since Trump winning the election, to plan for clearing Gaza.

The Trump train so leaving the station, all aboard.

US vito powers at the UN is important for sure.

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Renton Hawkey (*rent)'s avatar

"Russia may have gained too much leverage during Joe Biden’s presidency, and by the time Trump took office in 2025, it was arguably too late."

Pure copahol here, come on. Trump has done zippo to move the ball here, in fact he is the ball being batted back and forth with no clue. Gimme a break.

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Lisa Simmons's avatar

Exactly.

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Renton Hawkey (*rent)'s avatar

The reporting here is getting frustrating, I'm not going to follow them off Substack. A bunch of this doesn't pass the "if Biden did it" test, but maybe they'll change their tune now that Trump is winking at the gulf states and leaving Bibi out to dry.

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Unwoke in Idaho's avatar

Meh. So Trump loses face. Thats not that big a deal. At least Americans aren’t dying there and quite frankly Europe can fund the war not us.

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Brian Katz's avatar

Ukraine cannot win this war and Europe is powerless to help.

The CIA and Pentagon sought to weaken Russia, and all that’s happening is Ukraine is disappearing.

But the bureaucrats are safe and secure in Washington DC.

Sure makes me proud to be an American.

Not.

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Suzie's avatar

You cannot theorize the complications of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia without now factoring in Russia’s dependence upon China and Iran in Putin’s prosecution of that war.

The Trump admin’s aggressive efforts at decoupling from China, not just in the US, but around the world, along with his so-called “negotiations” with Iran over ending its nuclear program have thrown a great wrench in being able to work out a deal between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia is somewhat now dependent on both those countries and you can be sure they certainly are not encouraging him to change that any time soon, especially in the current environment all three of them are now individually grappling with.

Throw in the EU/UK’s TDS penchant to obstruct Trump any way they can, walking away seems like the only option open for the President right now.

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glenlyon's avatar

Unfortunate that the Substack model isn’t working. Best to you.

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