Friday BOGO

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I wasn’t going to write this morning, but this turned into a short post. At the bottom is a review of all our best articles from the week. Please go back and read what you might have missed. Happy Friday!

The world is considerably brighter today. Israel and Hamas have agreed to an Egypt-brokered cease-fire. Egypt sponsored, negotiated, mediated, and is going to monitor the cease-fire. Not the U.S., and not President Biden. Both sides agreed to stop the war and the escalation. Neither side “won.”

However, reading the AP, you’d get not one, but two bad narratives. Buy one, get one free: BOGO.

Steve Berman @stevengberman

Gee if they're the oppressed helpless victims, why do they declare victory? I simply don't believe the AP here. They are being spoon-fed Hamas propaganda and publishing it.

apnews.comPalestinians see victory in Gaza truce as Israel warns HamasGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians rallied by the thousands early Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas.

Steve Berman @stevengberman

Also...when Trump was in office, it was a "stay out of Israel" attitude, but with Biden somehow he gets credit?

apnews.comHour-by-hour: Biden’s behind-the-scenes push for cease-fireThe diplomatic flurry was over and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu was on the phone telling President Joe Biden that it appeared the furious fighting between Israel and Hamas was about to end. But Biden remained wary even after the afternoon phone call.

President Biden made a few phone calls and is trying to act like this was his deal. It wasn’t. The Middle East has grown up and is taking care of its own business, much as it always has. President Trump’s greatest diplomatic feat (or you could say his one success in a farcical four years of idiots-on-parade) is recognizing the natural order of alliances in the Middle East and going with that, instead of trying to control everything, as Bush and Obama did. Trump is no more responsible for the Abraham Accords than Biden is for this cease-fire; he made a few phone calls, but they were the right phone calls.

Biden has brought back the ham-handed U.S. intrusion into a very complicated, but morally very simple, status quo in Israel. The Palestinian people keep electing or refusing to reject terrorists, corrupt tyrannical dictators, and fanatics to represent their interests, and those people, such as Hamas, spend blood and treasure trying to destroy Israel versus trying to come to a peaceful agreement with it.

Israel is not going to be destroyed. Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Sudan, and other nations have come to that conclusion (notably, Iran has not). Egypt can talk to Hamas and “reason” with them in terms Hamas will receive. Israel cannot. Egypt can talk to Israel and plainly represent the best and worst case scenarios, and Israel is grown-up and can make rational decisions.

The cease-fire was needed, and Egypt gets the credit. Good for them. The Palestinians might celebrate—and they should, because they were getting clobbered in the war they started—but in no world did they “win.” But of course the AP has to present the Hamas and PA party line, because that’s the only spoon they eat from.

President Biden gets zero credit for making a few phone calls, but the AP has to give an “hour by hour” account of making a few phone calls.

And these paragons of introspection wonder why nobody believes the media anymore.

Don’t miss our best from this past week

• Remember Brown v. Board of Education by Jay Berman. Really good, personal piece by Jay, who went to a school integrated by busing.

• AP, ABC repeat lies about Israel, oblivious that they are spoon-fed by Hamas, by me, and yes it’s more of what you just read.

• Wood someone explain high lumber prices? by David Thornton. Self explanatory.

• Chickens come home to roost, by me. The pandemic, defund the police, and other chickens are roosting, costing money, causing panic, and laying eggs.

• A new abortion case lands at the Supreme Court, by David. Could SCOTUS overturn Roe v. Wade? We hope so, very cautiously.

• This is not difficult, by me. A brief history of the Jews and the Holy Land, and why Israel has a right to exist and defend itself.

• Killing Andrew Brown: I have questions, another by me. Hyper-armed, tactical cops kill another unarmed man serving a warrant for a non-violent crime. Time to think harder and do better.

• UFOs are real...ly interesting! Me again, this time discussing Vulcans, demons, and weird stuff.

• Why would Republicans oppose a January 6 commission? David slams Republicans for ducking responsibility in Trump’s failed coup.

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