Israel is seeking to become the regional hegemon. Good luck. They may find some pliant Arab governments, but the street despises them for the horrors they perpetrate. In Iraqi Desert, Two Israeli Outposts Were Kept Secret for Months www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/w...

One group’s triumph is one group’s tragedy. Both things can be true. Millions of Jews escaping persecution had to permanently displace 80% of the population in order to create Israel. Acknowledgment of that fact is not antisemitism. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/n...

If we make it through the Trump era, and that’s a big if, it will take a generation to undo the damage being done to our country. m.youtube.com/watch?v=-aJ1...

Water isn’t often considered in news stories regarding Israel and south Lebanon. It should be. There is a long history of simmering conflict regarding water rights. That is perhaps one of the reasons Israel controls land up to the Litani River. www.thecanary.co/global/2026/...

“However they start, they all end up ignoring democracy and human rights, promoting Arab normalization with Israel while ignoring Palestinian rights, putting pressure on Iran, and waging wars on terror.” carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

The Ideas of Africa photo exhibit at MoMa is phenomenal.

Jill Lepore is one of my favorite historians.This brilliant piece talks about her difficulties chronicling the Trump era. “Trump and his Jack Burdens wish to make American history great again by removing all evidence of anything that ever happened that wasn’t so great, not only the great miseries..

I’m so thoroughly disgusted by this that I have no words. How can any nation support its relationship with Israel? The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/o...

I’m honestly tired of posting atrocity after atrocity regarding Israel. When will the world stand up for what’s right and say, enough. Israeli settlers force Palestinian family to exhume and rebury their father one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5817...

This guy does an excellent job of drawing a through line with all the chaos happening right now. It’s difficult to make sense of events right now, but this helped. m.youtube.com/watch?v=eukQ...

The Trump effect on the Biennale. Also a fascinating political history of the Biennale. Suffice to say the US didn’t meet the moment. Pathetic and banal. An American Artist Plops His Sculptures on a World Stage www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/a...

“They want to create impossible situations for the Lebanese state. And when the Lebanese state cannot react to them, Israel can begin imposing their own solutions.” Israel is an expansionist terrorist state.

I’ll say it again and again. This sort of behavior comes from a sick society. www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...

“After 90 minutes, they find the first one: 60-year-old Shawqi Abu Naser. Family members identify him from his jacket. He is only clothes and bones. Nearly a year and a half after their deaths, the victims are mostly skeletons inside their clothing.” www.npr.org/2026/05/06/n...

I read Orwell’s 1984. I know how this goes. White House Insists Iran War Is Over, Even While Missiles Fly www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/u...

Wait, what? Now transgender students can’t go to college? www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/u...

Guy Venables

International law is meaningless in regards to Israel. The have acted with impunity for decades because they know that there will never be any repercussions. Israel Said It’s Applying the Gaza Model in Lebanon. This Is What the Devastation Looks Like. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Blistering editorial from Le Monde full of hard truths. The US under Trump is committing political and financial suicide. It’s breathtaking and depressing. www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/a...

New Yorker cartoon by Enrico Pinto.

Fractures Emerge Between GOP’s Pro-Pedophilia, Extremely Pro-Pedophilia Wings

I don’t think I need to even state this, but there is something deeply disturbing about this country during this era. Hearing this man’s story is shocking, but he’s one of the few that got out of ICE’s grip. m.youtube.com/watch?v=FRNC...

Troubling trend worldwide with targeting marginalized groups to direct public anger away from incompetent or corrupt government. Gays, trans, migrants, people of color, etc are convenient scapegoats. In Africa, brutal punishment for gays in many countries is terrible www.lemonde.fr/en/lgbtq/art...

““With God’s help, soon we will execute them one by one!” Mr. Ben-Gvir shouted, wearing a golden noose-shaped pin on his lapel.” And this isn’t genocidal rhetoric? www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...

Stay focused. Trump’s middle name is manufactured distraction. www.bbc.com/news/article...

A Bonus Daily Cartoon from The New Yorker by Felipe Galindo.

“If you hate America, you have no business demanding to live in America,” said Zach Kahler, a spokesman for U.S.C.I.S. Criticism of Israel is critical of the US? Ok. The Israeli lobby at it again Under Trump, Green Card Seekers Face New Scrutiny for Views on Israel www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/u...

“The most moral army”. Yeah right. m.youtube.com/watch?v=D4f3...

For some context, this compilation shows the beginning of the brutal Lebanese civil war. I just happened across this and was struck by how some of the situations are identical to today’s, especially regarding Israel and the Palestinians. m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcnz...

This is very real. Any careless agreement that Israel and the US impress upon Lebanon will set the country up for conflict. m.youtube.com/watch?v=NY5p...

Considering that the 3 players the Lebanese government has to consider in these talks are Israel, the US and Hezbollah, they should tread very carefully or the Lebanese people will end up the losers. All 3 negotiating parties are untrustworthy and dangerous. www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

“In short, the government should not fall into the trap of offering free concessions to Israel, which would only serve Hezbollah and its goal of reshaping the post-2024 order to its advantage…” carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

This is nothing new. The current Israeli society is rife with bigotry. See below for another story of the IDF desecrating a church and mocking Christians. Israeli Soldier in Lebanon Sledgehammered a Statue of Jesus www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/w...

Some Trumpy Bible stories, courtesy of Barry Blitt.

Witness the “most moral army”. This is absolutely disgusting.

Rome is burning, but we may as well still go to the theater. Great night out at Rocky Horror! This one is a MAGA/evangelical nightmare! Just about to open on Broadway. #rockyhorror

Great analysis by Michael Young on the Lebanese-Israeli talks. Only one thing to add, trusting negotiations with the current incompetent, amoral and criminal US and Israeli governments is a fool’s errand. It will lead to more misery in Lebanon. carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

I unearthed this as a response to another post. It’s a Washington Post op-ed from 2002 by Marwan Barghouti.He was imprisoned shortly after writing this and has been in an Israeli prison since. Israel will not release him. They’re afraid of what he represents electronicintifada.net/content/want...

Great piece by a distinguished Israeli scholar on genocide. One of the most enlightening reads into the Israeli psyche, which has baffled me for some time. It’s a long read but worth it. The conclusion is not a comfortable reality, but it explains the violence www.theguardian.com/world/articl...

If Israelis are so pessimistic, perhaps some self reflection is in order. Their chosen method of dealing with issues through violence and subjugation guarantees perpetual war. Perhaps that’s what they prefer. Israelis Don’t Feel Much Like Victors in War With Iran www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/w...

‘Everything is gone’: Israel destroys entire villages in Lebanon

“Today’s military wars are local or regional, but the economic war unleashed by the U.S. and Israel is global. The bill will be paid by the countries that can least afford it.”

Some of the more than 300 Lebanese killed by Israel on Black Wednesday. The Lebanese cannot trust the US and Israeli governments. The current administrations are completely amoral. today.lorientlejour.com/article/1502...

Forgotten history. At the end of the 2006 Israel/Hezbollah war, Israel dropped many illegal cluster bombs over south Lebanon.90% of the bombs were dropped in the interim between when the deal was signed and the start of the ceasefire. About 100,000 bomblets were dropped. news.un.org/en/story/200...

Scroll down in post for more coverage and videos.

The Red Cross simply never issues statements of this sort. It means that they believe the violations of the laws of war described here are flagrant and intentional. www.icrc.org/en/news-rele...

Please consider a donation to the Lebanese Red Cross/Red Crescent. They are overwhelmed because of the Israeli bombardments. Over 100 strikes in 10 minutes yesterday. Thank you. donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/lb/supportLR...

“In recent weeks,Trump had struggled to isolate the U.S. economy from the impact of the war with Iran,but he was nearing the end of the rope in his ability to do so,as it became evident that the United States had no silver bullet to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.” carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

Cartoon by Bob Eckstein