18 Comments

At 62 years old, passionate with history and geography since my infancy, since I've found your profile I'm always learning A LOT with your fantastic work. Thank you!! Hugs from Brasil πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ™

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Glad to hear FlΓ‘via! Thanks for being part of the community!

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Anxiously waiting for more articles from you about Israel.

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Is your persistent (though not consistent) use of the word β€œPalestine” in place of Israel a foreshadowing of your agenda with this series? Are you planning on educating or influencing? What background, expertise and education and/or personal experience do you have in Middle East history? Over the last 15-20 years, have you been to the Middle East? Anywhere in that region? If so, where, for how long and for what reason? I read that in Dec 2021 you predicted the end of nation-states. Do your readers know who you are? Have they read this, for example: https://brownstone.org/articles/tomas-pueyo-returns-the-mba-who-shut-down-europe-on-masks-and-the-cochrane-review/

What’s your end-game with this series? What do you really want to tell us? I look forward to reading and perhaps learning more.

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I think I mention it at the beginning?

I use Palestine the way the Ottomans and the Brits used it in this article. It’s the historically accurate word to use for the land occupied now by Israel and Palestine. I will take a better word if you have it.

I don’t have an agenda. Read my other posts to confirm that.

I have been to both Israel and Palestine in the last 15 years. I talked with militants in Ramallah and Ehud Barak, among others. I specialize in geography and history. You can read my other posts to get a sense.

More importantly, I’m as transparent as I can. I never make claims without support or links. You can always take apart any of my arguments. This eliminates the need to believe me because of who I am. My arguments speak for themselves.

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Thank you for your reply. Do you believe that www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/origin-of-quot-palestine-quot is a good or valid historical reference and resource? The 6th paragraph under the heading Judea Gets a New Name reads: β€œUnder the Ottoman Empire (1517-1917), the term β€œPalestine” was used as a general term to describe the land south of Syria; it was not an official designation. Many Ottomans and Arabs who lived in Palestine during this period referred to the area as Southern Syria, not Palestine.”

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Another great series not unlike your Covid series that appeared in th NY Times

I look forward to a wide dissemination of this also

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Glad to hear!

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Looking forward to more

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Haven’t gotten to the article yet but the headline β€œWill Israel be at War” seems odd because Israel declared war a few days ago. Israel already is at war.

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Technically, you're right. What would have been a better name? I meant international.

Personally, I don't know. I'm not sure I would call Gaza an independent state, or Hamas a full-on government or military. Using "war" for that seems off, even though I understand this is how both want to portray it.

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I'd suggest "Why War Seems Eternal in the Holy Land" might work. It seems like the article is basically explaining why that is.

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The geopolitics of Israel and Palestine works too. It’s less interesting thoigh

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And for good measure, here's a new backgrounder from Amy Stoken. πŸ”― https://jewdicious.substack.com/p/marching-toward-madness-the-hate

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Tomas, I appreciate your series and balanced analysis, but I’ll disagree with you on a couple of threats.

1. Iran for its own Machiavellian reasons (a theocracy hated by many of its citizens) is a regional power that invests enormous amounts of money, training and prestige in preparing a realistic threat to Israel through multiple simultaneous fronts - Syria, Lebanon and Gaza. You must have noticed daily fire into Israel from Lebanon since October 7th and on occasion Syria. There is zero basis to Lebanese violence, other than that it’s a failed state, with the Iranian regime’s proxy having more power than the Lebanese army.

2. Lebanon is exactly the same genocidal threat to hundreds of thousands of Israeli in the north. Hezbollah has planned the same massacre in Israeli border towns as Hamas did to Israelis on the Gaza border. Maybe that’s not an existential threat yo the entire country, but it’s absolutely a realistic threat of massacres to all who live in the north.

3. Hezbollah has the same DNA as Hamas with regards to intentional rocket attacks on civilians, but is a larger threat.

In conclusion, you seriously downplayed the threat of Iran’s axis of genocidal religious savages.

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You might be right!

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I found this fascinating and am eagerly waiting for more! I am still a little bit confused about the division between palestine and israel like where the horders are

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It’s coming!

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