1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: What's going on? Thank you so much for listening to 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,640 this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon 3 00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:12,519 to three on WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,719 want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,239 my daily show prep with all the links, become a patron, 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,640 go to dpeakclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,160 subscribe button. Get every episode for free right to your 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,679 smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for 9 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:34,280 your support. So over the weekend, I became an expert 10 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,479 on the Drews, not the Jews, the Drews, although the 11 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,679 Jews did help the Drews. Yeah, so I actually did 12 00:00:43,679 --> 00:00:47,560 not become an expert. I had heard of the Drews before, 13 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,079 but didn't really know anything about them. They are a 14 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:57,320 small Middle Eastern religious sect characterized by an eclectic system 15 00:00:57,399 --> 00:01:02,439 of doctrines and by a cohesion and loyalty among its 16 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,760 members that have enabled them to maintain for centuries their 17 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:12,400 close knit identity and distinctive faith. This is according to 18 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:17,719 the Encyclopedia Britannica. The Drus numbered more than one million 19 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:23,439 in the early twenty first century. They lived mostly in Lebanon, Syria, 20 00:01:24,079 --> 00:01:29,400 and Israel, with smaller communities in other countries. I thought 21 00:01:29,439 --> 00:01:35,079 this was interesting also that they call themselves Moahid muahadun 22 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:44,439 done anyway, it translates apparently as unitarians. So I don't 23 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:49,079 know if that will help with the pr that they're 24 00:01:49,079 --> 00:01:55,599 going to need from American liberals because they found themselves 25 00:01:56,319 --> 00:01:59,799 on the receiving end of just the latest installment of 26 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:06,560 the Religion of Peace. Yeah, they they have been targeted 27 00:02:06,719 --> 00:02:18,599 for actual ethnic cleansing by Syrians, by jihadists. So the 28 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,400 again back to the Britannica. The Dru's Faith and that 29 00:02:22,479 --> 00:02:28,159 spelled Druze Drews. The Dru's Faith originated in Egypt as 30 00:02:28,199 --> 00:02:34,599 an offshoot of Isma i Shiism. I don't know if 31 00:02:34,599 --> 00:02:37,520 that is like Shia or what. I'm not going to 32 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,080 go to in depth on their religious beliefs, but this 33 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:44,159 was around like nine ninety six to ten twenty one 34 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,360 time frame, Okay, so like over the course of like 35 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:51,639 thirty years, right as the nine hundreds were rolling into 36 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:58,319 the thousands, that's when this offshoot began. And then twenty 37 00:02:58,439 --> 00:03:02,360 years after that, in the year ten forty three, they 38 00:03:02,439 --> 00:03:10,479 basically ended all of their proselytizing and so ever since then, 39 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:17,719 so since ten forty three AD, they have not recognized 40 00:03:18,199 --> 00:03:23,879 conversions to their faith and they don't permit conversion away 41 00:03:23,879 --> 00:03:26,039 from the faith. I don't know what the penalty on 42 00:03:26,039 --> 00:03:29,800 that is, but like that's it. Like the one million 43 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:33,280 that there were in the early twenty first century, it's 44 00:03:33,319 --> 00:03:36,560 like you got to keep marying and reproducing among the 45 00:03:36,599 --> 00:03:39,639 million Drews in order to expand your ranks because they 46 00:03:39,639 --> 00:03:44,319 don't allow conversions in or out. Okay, the largest concentration 47 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,759 of Drews in the present day is in Lebanon. Oh. 48 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,439 By the way, the Drews are Arabs people. They are 49 00:03:52,479 --> 00:03:55,879 Arabs m h. And it seems like this is a 50 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:00,159 very similar kind of a religion to Islam, I think, 51 00:04:00,199 --> 00:04:06,520 but I don't know, but they're different and that cannot 52 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:11,039 be tolerated in Muslim majority countries in the Middle East. 53 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,439 So there is the largest concentration of Druze rather in 54 00:04:15,479 --> 00:04:18,079 the present day, that's in Lebanon. They've got like three 55 00:04:18,199 --> 00:04:22,240 hundred thousand. And while they got the largest concentration of 56 00:04:22,319 --> 00:04:29,600 Drus in Lebanon, the most the largest population by number 57 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:35,120 is actually in Syria, where there's seven hundred thousand Drews 58 00:04:35,439 --> 00:04:40,519 there now I thought this little tidbit was interesting in 59 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:45,439 this would have been in nineteen twenty five, the leader 60 00:04:45,519 --> 00:04:51,319 of the Druze, Sultan al Atrash, led a revolt against 61 00:04:51,439 --> 00:04:56,879 French rule. After local success, Syrian nationalists outside the Druz 62 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,240 community joined the revolt, and the rebellions spread throughout the 63 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,120 region and into Damascus before it was suppressed in nineteen 64 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,720 twenty seven. Among Syrians, this revolt is remembered as the 65 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,680 nation's first nationalist uprising. So the Drews were the first. 66 00:05:11,959 --> 00:05:15,759 Dare I call them anti colonialists? Right? They tried to 67 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,879 They tried to kick the French out of their area 68 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:25,279 back in nineteen twenty five. Dozens of local Dru's militias 69 00:05:25,519 --> 00:05:29,360 have formed amid the turmoil of the Syrian Civil War 70 00:05:30,439 --> 00:05:35,480 after Ahmed al Sharrah, a Sunni Islamist leader, took control 71 00:05:35,519 --> 00:05:37,680 of the country in late twenty twenty four. Believe this 72 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,600 is the the Isis guy, the former Isis guy, right, 73 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:42,639 or a former al Qaeda guy or whatever he is, 74 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:46,920 and he started pushing for the local militias to disarm. 75 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:52,160 But the Drews were a little suspicious of this, so 76 00:05:52,199 --> 00:05:58,480 they were very hesitant to disarm. Themselves Drew's militias in 77 00:05:59,079 --> 00:06:05,800 two different areas is One is called Sweda Orsuada Sweida Sweda, 78 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:11,439 and there's another another area called Jeremanah near Damascus. So 79 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:16,639 these various militias coalesced into four coalitions, and they were 80 00:06:16,759 --> 00:06:23,000 very hesitant to disarm themselves fearing what exactly has now 81 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:29,600 been occurring, which is the targeting of Drus by these 82 00:06:29,959 --> 00:06:36,480 Islamists in Syria. Israel also has a sizeable community of Drus, 83 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,879 about one hundred and forty thousand of them. Actually, back 84 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:44,600 in nineteen forty two, after the Sunni leadership in Jerusalem 85 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:49,319 threatened to take control of the Tomb of Jethro, the 86 00:06:49,439 --> 00:06:54,240 Drus sided with the Jewish forces in the nineteen forty 87 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:59,879 eight war. Druze soldiers have ever since fought for Israel 88 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:05,480 in every Arab Israeli war. So now you can see 89 00:07:05,519 --> 00:07:08,759 the problem that the Islamists have with the Drews. Right, 90 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:12,120 they are the only Arab group conscripted into the Israeli 91 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:15,639 defense forces, and they participate in Israel's border security and 92 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:21,000 diplomatic corps as well. So they're too close to the Jews, 93 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,439 which really I mean Drews. Jews like you can see 94 00:07:23,439 --> 00:07:26,120 how that would be like a natural alliance there. So 95 00:07:28,279 --> 00:07:31,839 John Spencer, the executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute 96 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,240 co author of Understanding Urban Warfare, wrote a lengthy piece. 97 00:07:36,279 --> 00:07:40,360 He posted it as an article on Twitter and The 98 00:07:40,439 --> 00:07:46,000 Jerusalem Post republished it, talking about what has been occurring 99 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,120 over the last excuse me, like a week and a 100 00:07:48,199 --> 00:07:56,279 half in Syria along the border with Israel. The Drews 101 00:07:56,319 --> 00:08:00,839 have been attacked, they have been targeted, and the Islamists 102 00:08:00,879 --> 00:08:05,040 who are engaging in the ethnic cleansing have been Stop 103 00:08:05,079 --> 00:08:10,000 me if you've heard this tactic before, videotaping their atrocities 104 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,920 and broadcasting them out to the world because they are 105 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,519 proud of the work they are doing for their profit. 106 00:08:17,079 --> 00:08:18,879 All right, if you're listening to this show, you know 107 00:08:18,959 --> 00:08:20,959 I try to keep up with all sorts of current events, 108 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,079 and I know you do too, And you've probably heard 109 00:08:23,079 --> 00:08:27,160 me say get your news from multiple sources. Why, Well, 110 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,879 because it's how you detect media bias, which is why 111 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,120 I've been so impressed with ground News. It's an app 112 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,519 and it's a website, and it combines news from around 113 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:39,000 the world in one place, so you can compare coverage 114 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,919 and verify information. You can check it out at check 115 00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:46,399 dot ground, dot news, slash pete. I put the link 116 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,519 in the podcast description too. I started using ground News 117 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:52,279 a few months ago and more recently chose to work 118 00:08:52,279 --> 00:08:54,360 with them as an affiliate because it lets me see 119 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:58,200 clearly how stories get covered and by whom. The blind 120 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,039 spot feature shows you which story get ignored by the 121 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,840 left and the right. See for yourself check dot ground, 122 00:09:05,039 --> 00:09:08,679 dot news, slash pete. Subscribe through that link and you'll 123 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,879 get fifteen percent off any subscription. I use the Vantage 124 00:09:11,879 --> 00:09:15,399 plan to get unlimited access to every feature. Your subscription 125 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,120 then not only helps my podcast, but it also supports 126 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,480 ground News as they make the media landscape more transparent. 127 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:26,480 John Spencer, the executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute. 128 00:09:26,519 --> 00:09:30,519 Over at the Jerusalem Post, Spencer writes this past week, 129 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:34,440 a brutal campaign of violence has unfolded in southern Syria. 130 00:09:35,159 --> 00:09:39,840 Hundreds of Druze civilians, members of a minority community indigenous 131 00:09:39,879 --> 00:09:44,000 to the area to the levant, have been murdered, kidnapped, 132 00:09:44,279 --> 00:09:47,759 or forced to flee their homes. Villages have been burned. 133 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,480 Women and children were reportedly slaughtered in sacred sites where 134 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:56,240 they had sought refuge. The perpetrators include radical Islamist militants, 135 00:09:56,759 --> 00:10:05,360 Bedouine gangs, Sunni Muslims, and regime backed elements, all empowered 136 00:10:05,399 --> 00:10:10,320 by years of state collapse and lawlessness. The carnage has 137 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:14,159 been captured on video and is now spreading across social media. 138 00:10:14,279 --> 00:10:18,519 These are not vague reports or unverifiable claims. There is 139 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:24,279 footage of Dru's civilians being hunted down and executed. Elders 140 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,480 are dragged into the streets. They are mustaches shaved in 141 00:10:27,639 --> 00:10:30,600 acts of humiliation see for the Drews. It's not just 142 00:10:30,639 --> 00:10:35,200 an insult, it's a desecration. In Druze culture, facial hair, 143 00:10:35,399 --> 00:10:40,480 especially the mustache, is a powerful symbol of dignity, piety, 144 00:10:40,879 --> 00:10:46,320 and manhood. Women are stripped and assaulted. Men are beaten, tortured, 145 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:51,519 and forced to leap from rooftops as militants cheer. More 146 00:10:51,519 --> 00:10:54,360 than one video shows Drew's men being driven to the 147 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:57,159 edge of their balconies. They are forced to climb over 148 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,759 the railings and as they leap, they are shot multiple 149 00:10:59,799 --> 00:11:02,960 times as they are leaping to their own deaths. This 150 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:10,679 is a special kind of evil, deliberate, performative, proud. All 151 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,360 of it is filmed. All of it is shared online 152 00:11:13,399 --> 00:11:16,799 for the enjoyment of the killers. These images are not 153 00:11:16,919 --> 00:11:20,799 just horrifying, they are a visceral reminder of the savagery 154 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:25,320 unleashed by Hamas on October seventh. It's the same evil, 155 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:30,480 the same joy in human suffering, the same defilement of 156 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:35,799 dignity for propaganda and sadistic pleasure. The worst of these 157 00:11:35,879 --> 00:11:40,600 atrocities have occurred in and around Sweda, that's the area 158 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:45,600 in Syria. The violence is not collateral damage from some 159 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:50,440 larger conflict. It is direct, targeted and deliberate. It is 160 00:11:50,639 --> 00:11:55,679 ethnic and religious cleansing in broad daylight, which is why 161 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:59,159 you've heard so many of the pro Palestinian people that 162 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,840 have been chanted from the river to the sea and 163 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:06,159 globalized the Intofada. That's why you've seen so many of 164 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:10,480 them rising up, you know, to condemn this slaughter of 165 00:12:10,519 --> 00:12:14,120 the Drus who are Arabs. I'm just kidding. They haven't 166 00:12:14,159 --> 00:12:20,159 done any of that. There's been nothing, no commentary, not 167 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:22,279 a peep, just like we didn't hear from all of 168 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:26,639 these you know, Christian defenders on the right that are 169 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:30,600 constantly just asking questions about Israel and the Palestinians and 170 00:12:30,639 --> 00:12:36,519 stuff after Christians got massacred in Nigeria last month by jihattists. 171 00:12:36,799 --> 00:12:40,440 Didn't hear anything about that from them. No, it's just 172 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:45,240 there's just one particular kind of conflict that really gets 173 00:12:45,279 --> 00:12:47,679 the juices flowing for so many people now on the 174 00:12:47,799 --> 00:12:54,480 right and the left. The violence began escalating around July eleventh. 175 00:12:54,759 --> 00:12:58,159 There was a Dru's merchant who was attacked on the 176 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:03,399 road between Sweda and Damas. In retaliation, Druze fighters from 177 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:08,840 local defense forces captured these suspected attackers that quickly spiraled 178 00:13:08,879 --> 00:13:14,120 into retaliatory attacks by regime linked bedoing gangs, with fighters 179 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:19,200 storming villages and igniting brutal clashes. Between July thirteenth and sixteenth, 180 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:24,559 entire neighborhoods in and around Sweda Province were overrun, homes burned, 181 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,639 bodies mutilated. Armed groups stormed hospitals, killing all of the 182 00:13:28,639 --> 00:13:31,120 wounded fighters, and by the end of the week, hundreds 183 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:35,600 were dead, tens of thousands had been displaced. No commentary 184 00:13:35,879 --> 00:13:40,120 about the targeting of a hospital. Now, see it's different. 185 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:45,840 See this is totally different. On July eighteenth, the ceasefire 186 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:53,080 was announced after international and regional pressure, the Syrian regime, Jordan, Turkey, sorry, Turka, 187 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:55,480 I think it is how they pronounce it now, and 188 00:13:55,519 --> 00:13:58,759 the United States all reportedly pushed to prevent a broader 189 00:13:58,799 --> 00:14:03,360 sectarian war. Despite that announcement, the violence has continued. Militants 190 00:14:03,399 --> 00:14:08,320 have ignored the truce. They are still roaming doing revenge killings. 191 00:14:09,279 --> 00:14:12,360 The underlying threats have not been resolved, because what is 192 00:14:12,399 --> 00:14:16,240 the underlying threat? What is the you know, what is 193 00:14:16,279 --> 00:14:22,679 the problem that the Drews pose is that they're not converting. 194 00:14:23,519 --> 00:14:28,360 They are a different religious group, and so therefore they 195 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:32,960 have to be eradicated. That's the extent here the of 196 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:37,320 the conflict. As the carnage spread, the spiritual leader of 197 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,679 the Druze community in Israel sent a personal message to 198 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:44,399 Benjamin Nintonyahoo, the Prime Minister of Israel, invoking the memory 199 00:14:44,399 --> 00:14:49,120 of the Holocaust. His response. Bibbi's response was immediate. He 200 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:53,480 shared the message publicly and issued a clear reply saying 201 00:14:53,559 --> 00:14:56,320 we have taken action and we will continue to take 202 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:01,559 action as necessary. What was that action, Well, we still 203 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,000 don't know the full extent of the response from Israel, 204 00:15:05,559 --> 00:15:09,879 but it has already included air strikes against Syrian regime 205 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:14,720 military positions South of Damascus and even within the capital 206 00:15:14,799 --> 00:15:19,720 Damascus itself. The strike's reportedly targeted forces involved in the 207 00:15:19,759 --> 00:15:24,200 attacks on Dru's civilians. It may also involve intelligence support 208 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,600 and other covert actions to deter further massacres. But John 209 00:15:28,639 --> 00:15:31,440 Spencer writes that what matters more than the tactics is 210 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:37,159 the principle. When a close knit, historically loyal minority community 211 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:40,080 within Israel cries out to the Jewish State for help 212 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,159 as its kin are massacred across the border, Israel does 213 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:48,279 not turn away. This is not just about shared history 214 00:15:48,519 --> 00:15:52,200 or mutual loyalty, though that does run deep. It is 215 00:15:52,559 --> 00:15:57,279 about moral clarity. It is about responding to evil when 216 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:01,279 others stay silent. Here's a great idea. How about making 217 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,360 an escape to a really special and secluded getaway in 218 00:16:04,399 --> 00:16:07,080 western North Carolina. Just a quick drive up the mountain 219 00:16:07,159 --> 00:16:10,519 and Cabins of Asheville is your connection. 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Final thoughts here from John 239 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,599 Spencer again. This was published over at the Jerusalem Post. 240 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:23,079 John Spencer is the executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute. 241 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,119 He writes, what matters most is not just what is done, 242 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:30,880 but who does it? While the international community hesitates, while 243 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:36,440 human rights organizations say very little, while Western capitals issue 244 00:17:36,599 --> 00:17:40,599 muted statements or none at all. Israel has stepped forward 245 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,799 when others calculate political risks, Israel sees human lives. When 246 00:17:45,839 --> 00:17:50,359 others look away, Israel acts. The silence is deafening. The 247 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:54,319 same institutions and voices that claim to champion human rights 248 00:17:54,599 --> 00:17:58,680 have gone quiet. There have been no emergency UN sessions, 249 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:04,480 no international protests, no hashtags, no outcry. It is a 250 00:18:04,519 --> 00:18:08,480 silence that reveals the selective morality of those who only 251 00:18:08,559 --> 00:18:12,960 speak when it fits their politics. It is a silence 252 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,200 that enables genocide. It is a silence that history will remember. 253 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:22,319 This moment reveals a deeper truth. It shows what solidarity 254 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:27,480 looks like when it actually costs something. It shows what 255 00:18:27,519 --> 00:18:30,480 it means to remember your own history and refuse to 256 00:18:30,559 --> 00:18:33,400 let others suffer alone. It shows that the vow of 257 00:18:33,799 --> 00:18:37,440 never again is not only about one people, but about 258 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:41,240 the kind of world we are willing to build. He concludes, 259 00:18:41,599 --> 00:18:45,839 Let history record who acted, let it record who stayed silent, 260 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:49,240 and let it record that when the DRUS cried out, 261 00:18:49,839 --> 00:18:55,480 Israel listened. This is what has been since October seventh 262 00:18:57,519 --> 00:19:01,799 when Hamas invaded Israel and slaughtered all of those innocent people, 263 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:08,519 took a bunch of them hostage, committed atrocities against innocent people. 264 00:19:09,599 --> 00:19:16,079 And I said at the time, you know, I said, like, 265 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:20,920 I have a moral clarity on this, and you can disagree. 266 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,759 You may arrive at some different morality. And that's not 267 00:19:23,839 --> 00:19:26,799 to defend every single thing that every single IDF soldier 268 00:19:26,839 --> 00:19:30,000 has done and everything Israel is done in every single instance. 269 00:19:30,039 --> 00:19:33,200 It's not to say that, and it's not to say 270 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:36,400 that war is good. War is not. War is terrible. 271 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,079 It is the breakdown of all order. It's the breakdown 272 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:44,839 of law, it's the breakdown of society. It is violence. 273 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:51,359 It is awful. But over the last what now almost 274 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:54,039 going on two years now, right, there has been this 275 00:19:55,759 --> 00:20:02,400 rising argument that gets more and more tracks that somehow 276 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:06,680 or another, Israel is behaving in a disproportionate way to 277 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:12,240 the threat. The threat is existential. This is what I 278 00:20:12,279 --> 00:20:15,079 don't understand. And nobody is ever, no one that I 279 00:20:15,079 --> 00:20:17,720 have seen, and I have watched over the last almost 280 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:22,079 two years, I have watched a lot of debates between 281 00:20:23,319 --> 00:20:27,680 people advocating either side of this issue. You know, pro Israel, 282 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:33,960 anti Israel whatever. I've seen scores of debates, and there 283 00:20:34,039 --> 00:20:42,119 is this failure, a refusal to grapple with the the 284 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:48,240 Hamas strategy. The defenders, well, I shouldn't say defenders of 285 00:20:48,279 --> 00:20:50,640 amask because a lot of times they will say, I'm 286 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:54,640 not saying Hamas should have done it, but right so 287 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:56,680 they'll say I'm not pro Hamas, I'm just you know, 288 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,200 I just want the killing to stop. That's comic Dave Smith, 289 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:02,480 who somehow was a stand up comedian and now has 290 00:21:02,519 --> 00:21:11,039 become some expert in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. But the 291 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,759 few times where I've seen people, most recently Josh Hammer, 292 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:19,680 conservative writer, he was on stage at Turning Point USA 293 00:21:19,799 --> 00:21:23,640 with comic Dave Smith, and he he asked Smith this question. 294 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:27,079 I've seen Smith dodge it. He dodged it again. What 295 00:21:27,319 --> 00:21:31,200 to do with the Hamas strategy? How do you combat 296 00:21:31,559 --> 00:21:34,920 a strategy? And Dave Smith's response was figure it out, 297 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:40,200 bro Like literally that's what he said. That was literally 298 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,039 his response. He did not know how you would go 299 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:48,160 about fighting a g hottest terrorist organization that has spent 300 00:21:48,279 --> 00:21:53,680 billions of dollars building tunnels right embedding itself in the 301 00:21:53,759 --> 00:21:57,839 civilian population using their own people as human shields. How 302 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,279 else do you fight them? How do you go get them? 303 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,680 How do you get your hostages back? How do you 304 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:08,519 do this? Right? Because they criticize every action that Israel takes, 305 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,759 but they offer no other alternative. And here's the thing. 306 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:18,440 If you allow Hamas to survive, then this strategy becomes 307 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,920 widely adopted because it would have worked. And if you 308 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:28,200 want to live in a world where civilian populations are 309 00:22:28,319 --> 00:22:36,000 used as shields, then keep demanding that Hamas be allowed 310 00:22:36,039 --> 00:22:40,519 to stay in power. Right, that Hamas be rewarded for 311 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:49,480 their tactics. By the way, all of these humanitarian groups 312 00:22:49,519 --> 00:22:55,440 that somehow have lost their tongues on the Druze attacks 313 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,519 in Syria, they are very very upset at the Gaza 314 00:22:59,599 --> 00:23:03,960 Humanity Foundation. And I've talked about this organization before when 315 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:07,559 they first launched. They're still doing it. They're still delivering 316 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:13,799 meals for free to people in Gaza, and Hamas keeps 317 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:18,079 shooting at them, at the people and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. 318 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:21,160 They Hamas murdered a bunch of these aid workers and 319 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:25,279 why would they do that? Why would Hamas murder people 320 00:23:25,319 --> 00:23:29,960 that are coming to feed the Gazans. Does that make 321 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:34,880 sense if Hamas cared about the blockade about you know, 322 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:38,160 people starving, If they cared about that, why would they 323 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,799 Why would they murder the people that are bringing new food. 324 00:23:42,759 --> 00:23:46,880 It's because Hamas wants to control that distribution system. You know. 325 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,480 Stories are powerful. They help us make sense of things, 326 00:23:49,519 --> 00:23:52,960 to understand experiences. Stories connect us to the people of 327 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,319 our past while transcending generations. They help us process the 328 00:23:56,359 --> 00:23:59,759 meaning of life and our stories are told through images 329 00:23:59,799 --> 00:24:03,640 and videos. Preserve your stories with Creative Video. Started in 330 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,559 nineteen ninety seven in Minhill, North Carolina. It was the 331 00:24:06,599 --> 00:24:10,559 first company to provide this valuable service, converting images, photos 332 00:24:10,559 --> 00:24:14,799 and videos into high quality produced slide shows, videos and albums. 333 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,359 The trusted, talented and dedicated team at Creative Video will 334 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:20,440 go over all of the details with you to create 335 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:24,319 a perfect project. Satisfaction guaranteed. Drop them off in person 336 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,160 or mail them. They'll be ready in a week or two. 337 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:31,559 Memorial videos for your loved ones, videos for rehearsal, dinners, weddings, graduations, Christmas, 338 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:35,880 family vacations, birthdays, or just your family stories all told 339 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:39,640 through images. That's what your photos and videos are. They 340 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:42,480 are your life told through the eyes of everyone around 341 00:24:42,519 --> 00:24:44,799 you and all who came before you, and they will 342 00:24:44,799 --> 00:24:48,160 tell others to come who you are. Visit Creative video 343 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:54,000 dot Com. The UN Food Agency is accusing Israel of 344 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,279 using tanks, snipers, and other weapons to fire on a 345 00:24:57,279 --> 00:25:01,240 crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid in what the territory's 346 00:25:01,279 --> 00:25:03,559 health ministry said was one of the deadliest days for 347 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:08,920 aid seekers in over twenty one months of war. Israel 348 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,920 that is helping to feed people, they're part of the 349 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:18,200 Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. We are to believe that they are 350 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,640 just handing out all of the millions and millions of 351 00:25:20,839 --> 00:25:25,400 meals in order to try to randomly shoot it some 352 00:25:25,519 --> 00:25:31,559 Palestinians to perform genocide. That's what we're supposed to believe, 353 00:25:31,559 --> 00:25:34,440 at least if you believe the World Food Program, which 354 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:41,519 is getting its information from that's right, Hummas, the Health Ministry, 355 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:47,200 the health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hummas, 356 00:25:47,599 --> 00:25:52,559 which as a strategy, wants the world to believe that 357 00:25:52,759 --> 00:25:56,559 Israel is murdering Palestinians left and right all over the place, 358 00:25:57,599 --> 00:26:00,519 doing so as part of an ethnic cleansing camp, which 359 00:26:00,559 --> 00:26:04,680 is in fact what Hamas is interested in doing right. 360 00:26:04,759 --> 00:26:07,599 They want to from the river to the sea, cleanse 361 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:11,200 the area of all the Jews. This goes back to 362 00:26:11,319 --> 00:26:14,160 the Nakba, right. And if you listen to the pro 363 00:26:14,279 --> 00:26:17,839 Palestinian folks, they will say, oh, that was when that 364 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,279 was the catastrophe, when we lost all of the homes, 365 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,960 all of our land was taken. This was the catastrophe, right. 366 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:31,200 The catastrophe was that you lost to Jews because Jews 367 00:26:32,079 --> 00:26:36,319 were second class citizens. They were looked down upon. There 368 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,960 was a superiority complex that the Arabs in the region 369 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,720 had against the Jews. And then to be defeated in 370 00:26:42,839 --> 00:26:48,119 combat by these people, that's the catastrophe. And by the way, 371 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:52,640 when you go to war with people over territory and 372 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:57,039 then you lose that war, you lose the territory. That's 373 00:26:57,079 --> 00:27:05,359 the historical norm. Okay, the historical norm. So I've mentioned 374 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:09,720 this organization before. It's called the Network Contagion Research Institute 375 00:27:09,799 --> 00:27:12,720 or the NCRI. It's based up in Jersey. I don't 376 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,680 hold that against them though. I think they're out of 377 00:27:15,759 --> 00:27:20,759 Rutgers and they did a study on the type of 378 00:27:20,839 --> 00:27:26,079 coverage regarding this issue. And you may want to sit 379 00:27:26,079 --> 00:27:28,839 down for this, but The study found that the US 380 00:27:28,839 --> 00:27:32,279 and European mainstream media have been complicit in spreading biased 381 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:35,799 and false narratives to malign Israel and discredit the US 382 00:27:35,839 --> 00:27:40,559 backed humanitarian operation currently underway in Gaza. The US led 383 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,839 Gaza Humanitarian Foundation quote was targeted and discredited via an 384 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:51,880 ecosystem of unverified claims, narrative laundering, and institutional amplification. According 385 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:56,200 to the study, we believe Hamas made yeah, so this 386 00:27:56,279 --> 00:28:00,640 is the GHF's executive chairman, Reverend Johnny Moore says, we 387 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,880 believe Hamas made over one billion dollars last year just 388 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:07,359 from manipulating the system of aid managed by the UN 389 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,400 and others. They take the free food, they then sell 390 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,920 it to their people, They hoard some for their fighters. 391 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,680 They use the food to recruit to their ranks. This 392 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,160 is why, and I said this when the GHF started. 393 00:28:19,839 --> 00:28:24,960 This is why Hamas views the GOHF as an existential 394 00:28:25,039 --> 00:28:31,319 threat because if people can get fed and Hamas isn't 395 00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:35,119 in control of the distribution of the food, they lose 396 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:40,720 money and they lose power. That's why they've been attacking 397 00:28:40,759 --> 00:28:44,519 the GOHF sites. They've been shooting at their own Palestinian 398 00:28:44,599 --> 00:28:49,119 people right. They are totally fine murdering as many Palestinians 399 00:28:49,119 --> 00:28:51,880 as they have to in order to win the propaganda 400 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:56,000 war against Israel. That's what we are witnessing right now. 401 00:28:56,799 --> 00:28:59,720 And the NCRI, kudos to them for looking into this 402 00:29:00,119 --> 00:29:02,960 and for coming to these conclusions which anybody who's been 403 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:07,319 following it already knew. All right, that'll do it for 404 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,039 this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I could 405 00:29:10,079 --> 00:29:12,359 not do the show without your support and the support 406 00:29:12,359 --> 00:29:15,240 of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, so if 407 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:17,279 you'd like, please support them too and tell them you 408 00:29:17,319 --> 00:29:19,400 heard it here. You can also become a patron at 409 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:23,480 my Patreon page or go to thepetecleanershow dot com. Again, 410 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,279 thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything 411 00:29:26,279 --> 00:29:30,880 while I'm gone.