A “just war” is a concept that goes back to classical and medieval philosophy, and it’s used to determine when a nation or state has a right to go to war and how it should conduct itself during the conflict. The idea is to ensure that war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, which are usually split into two categories: ‘jus ad bellum‘ (the right to go to war) and ‘jus in bello‘ (right conduct within war).
Jus Ad Bellum:
Just Cause: War is only permissible to confront a real and certain danger.
Competent Authority: Only duly constituted public authorities may wage war.
Comparative Justice: The injustice suffered by one party must significantly outweigh that suffered by the other.
Right Intention: The intention must be to secure a just peace for all involved.
Last Resort: War can only be used after all peaceful and viable alternatives have been seriously tried and exhausted.
Probability of Success: There must be a reasonable chance of success.
Proportionality: The anticipated benefits of waging a war must be proportionate to its expected evils or harms.
Jus In Bello:
Distinction: Combatants and non-combatants must be distinguished. Actions should only be directed towards enemy combatants.
Proportionality: The force used must be proportional to the harm caused by the enemy.
Military Necessity: Military action can only be taken if it is necessary to achieve a military objective.
Fair Treatment of Prisoners of War: POWs must be treated fairly and humanely.
No Means Malum in Se: Weapons and tactics must not be “evil in themselves”. These include those that cause unnecessary suffering, such as biological or chemical weapons.
Examples of what some consider just wars include World War II, when Allied forces fought against the Axis powers who were committing mass atrocities, and the American Civil War, which was fought to end slavery.
Israel is not waging a just war
Israel is not waging a just war. That’s why men and women of goodwill must oppose it.
The war declared by Israel against Hamas does not fulfill any of the ‘jus ad bellum‘ criteria for a just war. Hamas is not a competent authority representing the Palestine people. However, Israel is waging war against all Palestinians in Gaza (and in the West Bank since before October 7). The Palestinian right of self-determination in their occupied land is not a “real and certain danger” to the Jewish people, but only to the Zionist supremacists. The true intention of the war effort is not to secure peace through right human relations with the Palestinians, but to ethnically cleanse Palestinians “from the river to the sea,” as evidenced in the criminal collective punishment of Gaza. Moreover, peaceful negotiations have not been exhausted, there is nil probability that anti-Zionistic terrorism will be eradicated in the region, and the current “exchange rate” of 100 to 1 Palestinians killed relative to the October 7 terrorist attack is disproportionate. True, civilians were killed in WW-II as unintended collateral damage, but not in a 100:1 proportion, a disproportionate rate increasing every day.
Therefore, based on the principles of legitimate authority, just cause, right intention, last resort, reasonable chance of success, and proportionality, we must conclude that Israel’s actions towards Hamas do not justify this war. Recapitulating,
Hamas is not a competent authority: This criterion demands that war can only be waged by a legitimate and recognized authority. Hamas, as an organization, does not adequately represent the Palestinian people.
Comparative justice is absent: The right of Palestinians to self-determination is not a real and certain danger to the Jewish people, thus questioning the just cause for war.
Right intention is not present: The true intention is not peace but rather the displacement of the Palestinians, which would violate the criterion of right intention.
Peaceful negotiations have not been exhausted: The principle of last resort requires that all non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified. This is evidently not the case.
There is little probability of success: The eradication of anti-Zionist sentiment and actions in the region is unlikely, thus failing the criterion of reasonable chance of success.
The response is disproportionate: The principle of proportionality demands that the violence used in war must be proportional to the injury suffered. The high casualty rate among Palestinians compared to Israelis demonstrates a lack of proportionality.
For all these reasons Israel is not waging a just war. Butthere is a more fundamental reason: this war is simply not right.
The rational (legal) mind is usually lost in a labyrinth of reasonings ending in either right or wrong inferences, but can’t ascertain a moral truth as self-evident. Only the intuitive mind can discern right from wrong with certainty. This war is simply not right.
World War II and the American Civil War were justified as valid exceptions to the general rule of the evil of war. A rational mind fixed on the ideology of pacifism would consider such valid exception as subjective and arbitrary. However, the intuitive mind would see the truth of the lesser of two evils to justify the valid exception of a just war. Israel’s vengeful retribution for the October 7 terrorist attack is not a valid exception to justify the evil of war. This war is simply not right.
Only a Adept of the fifth initiation, a Master of Wisdom and Compassion, can ascertain truth with perfect intuition. All spiritual aspirants, disciples and initiates under the 5th degree are in the process of calibrating their intuitive sense in a trial and error (quality improvement) process until perfection is attained. That’s why the Master’s viewpoint is useful as a reference, until we can directly see the truth.
The planetary spiritual Hierarchy approved the just war of the Forces of Light against Fascism from 1939 through 1945, culminating in the creation of the United Nations. However, the spiritual Hierarchy did not approve the creation of the state of Israel in land stolen from the Palestinians. Today, we are facing the consequence of this initial fatal error of the United Nations, further flawed by the veto power of its Security Council opposing the liberation of Palestine. The supremacist racial agenda of the Zionists in Palestine is wrong, as evidenced by the greater than 100:1 exchange rate of civilians casualties since the creation of the state of Israel. That’s why this war is simply not right.
O Thou Who givest sustenance to the universe, From Whom all things proceed, To Whom all things return, Unveil to us the face of the true Spiritual Sun Hidden by a disc of golden Light That we may know the Truth And do our whole duty As we journey to Thy sacred feet.
From the point of Light within the Mind of God Let light stream forth into the minds of men. Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ* return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known Let purpose guide the little wills of men – The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
*Many religions believe in a World Teacher, a “Coming One”, knowing him under such names as the Lord Maitreya, the Imam Mahdi, the Kalki Avatar and the Bodhisattva. These terms are sometimes used in versions of the Great Invocation for people of specific faiths.
The United States Must Stop Military Aid to Israel
The United States must not approve military aid package to Israel as it pummels Palestinian civilians, most of them refugees and children.
The US is planning to transfer $320 million worth of precision-guided bomb equipment to Israel, according to three people familiar with the matter, amid Israel’s aerial bombardment of Gaza as part of its war on Hamas.
The sale of the Spice Family Gliding Bomb Assemblies – a type of precision bomb kit that can turn unguided bombs into GPS-guided munitions – to Israel was approved by the relevant US congressional committees several months ago, before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and sparked a war, one of the sources said.
But the State Department did not formally notify congressional leaders that the transfer was moving forward until October 31, according to the sources and a formal notification reviewed by CNN.
The stock prices of weapons manufacturers have skyrocketed over the recent period and continue to rise as Israel bombards Gaza. These are obscene profits of the US Industrial Military Complex.
In the immediate aftermath of the Israel-Hamas War, shares of military contractors spiked as both institutional and retail investors bought in, according to VandaTrack research.
The iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF, which tracks companies including Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, has surged by about 7% since the initial attacks on Israel earlier this month.
It is imperative for the United States to uphold its responsibilities under International humanitarian law and human rights law, along with its commitments outlined in the declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas. By doing so, the nation would demonstrate its unwavering dedication to promoting justice and protecting the well-being of all.
Political Zionism Is Racism
Anti Zionism Is NOT Anti Semitism
An invited essay
A Plea: Please Don’t Look Away. We Are Not Powerless.
Today like every day, we are seeing the horrible traumas of life and death in the multiple areas of conflict around the globe. And they are not decreasing. There are those whose loved ones are far away from them and are suffering this pain of war and famine whilst they themselves remain safe. Their worry is beyond belief. Then there is us, we who just watch. We do not know the names; we do not know the faces. But we see them, and we hear them, and we know this is Not Right. This is not the kind of world we want to live in.
All over the world, hearts are breaking, lives are taken, for nothing. For an idea. That you and I are separate. That you are wrong, and I am right. That we are not one human race.
But please don’t look away. We are not powerless. Our power, first and foremost, is in our steadfastness and peace. Please do not lose your peace. Please do not let the virus of rage, hate and sorrow overtake you.
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh once said: “Our enemy is never another person. Our enemy is the wrong perceptions within him. When a doctor sees a person who is suffering, he tries to identify the sickness within the patient and remove it. He doesn’t try to kill his patient. The role of the doctor is to cure the illness which is within.”
But how do we cure the extreme illness of hate, fear and separation that has infected our planet, which overtakes us and our nations? The cure has to begin with me. It has to sincerely begin with me, here and now, in my own life. Every human being is a cell in the planetary being. We need to make our cells healthy. Only our peace and deep understanding will put out the fire of the virus raging within. Hate and anger is an enormous waste of energy, an illness in itself. We hold it at a distance.
Then, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: “Don’t just pray; do something.” There are, thankfully, a multitude of groups, organizations and individuals doing something to right the wrongness in the world in every kind of way.
So, we are not powerless. We can all do something. If we ourselves are suffering ill health, overwhelment or busyness, we can know that taking good care of ourselves and those around us, is doing something.
But if we have any time and space in our minds, it behoves all of us to not look away, to do something, any little thing. It begins with understanding and awakening from our self-focussed little lives into the greater whole.
Do we know what is going on, and why? Do we know what other human beings are enduring? History never begins yesterday. Everyone can find an unbiased, easily-understood source about any given event in history. Even one, clear source of information can help us understand. We will never find this through popular media. Please question and question again your sources. Please understand the narrative you are hearing, and why. When we put true information to our own hearts, we can see how to act.
Some people say the old world is dying and the new is being born. This, then, is surely the time to act. There are voices being heard in the thousands all over the world. This is not political. This is: Just Stop the Killing. Stop the Wars. Give Peace a Chance. Now.
We can join with and talk to people; we can write a letter; we can speak the truth. We don’t even need to elucidate who is good and who is evil. How often the enemy is within, within ourselves, within our own borders? Do we need to see enemies everywhere? We need to transform the anger, rage, and sorrow within ourselves to positive action of any kind.
At the very least, and yet this is very great, we can light a candle, send up and out a hope and a prayer and a thought for the suffering. Once a day, once a week, once a month. “We know you are there, and you are not forgotten.” Mother Theresa said, “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”
So please do not look away. Not from the facts and truth about the world, about ourselves and what is being done in our name, the human race. Those out there need to know, “Your suffering is my suffering. We hear you and we see you.”
So we are not powerless. As for those perpetrating the killing: Stop it. Listen to us. You are infected. You will never, ever be well this way. With every human life you take, you are killing a part of yourself, you are killing our beautiful planet. You will never ever have peace. Who are you anyway? A killing machine? You are a human being, with divine potential. Give up this drug of hate and violence. Lay down your arms. Sit with us.
So please, world, do not look away.
We can hold their suffering in our hearts. And raise our candles high, so we don’t stay dark against the night. And not just pray, do something.
Alexandra Ratcliffe (meditator, peace activist, educator in English, History, Government and Politics). Revised 4 DEC 2023
What, then, would an UN-norm-based position look like? For what would we work if we were true to our rhetorical admonitions about human rights and equality for all, accountability for perpetrators, redress for victims, protection of the vulnerable, and empowerment for rights-holders, all under the rule of law? The answer, I believe, is simple—if we have the clarity to see beyond the propagandistic smokescreens that distort the vision of justice to which we are sworn, the courage to abandon fear and deference to powerful states, and the will to truly take up the banner of human rights and peace. To be sure, this is a long-term project and a steep climb. But we must begin now or surrender to unspeakable horror. I see ten essential points:
Legitimate action: First, we in the UN must abandon the failed (and largely disingenuous) Oslo paradigm, its illusory two-state solution, its impotent and complicit Quartet, and its subjugation of international law to the dictates of presumed political expediency. Our positions must be unapologetically based on international human rights and international law.
Clarity of Vision: We must stop the pretense that this is simply a conflict over land or religion between two warring parties and admit the reality of the situation in which a disproportionately powerful state is colonizing, persecuting, and dispossessing an indigenous population on the basis of their ethnicity.
One State based on human rights: We must support the establishment of a single, democratic, secular state in all of historic Palestine, with equal rights for Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and, therefore, the dismantling of the deeply racist, settler-colonial project and an end to apartheid across the land.
Fighting Apartheid: We must redirect all UN efforts and resources to the struggle against apartheid, just as we did for South Africa in the 1970s, 80s, and early 90s.
Return and Compensation: We must reaffirm and insist on the right to return and full compensation for all Palestinians and their families currently living in the occupied territories, in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and in the diaspora across the globe.
Truth and Justice: We must call for a transitional justice process, making full use of decades of accumulated UN investigations, enquiries, and reports, to document the truth, and to ensure accountability for all perpetrators, redress for all victims, and remedies for documented injustices.
Protection: We must press for the deployment of a well-resourced and strongly mandated UN protection force with a sustained mandate to protect civilians from the river to the sea.
Disarmament: We must advocate for the removal and destruction of Israel’s massive stockpiles of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, lest the conflict lead to the total destruction of the region and, possibly, beyond.
Mediation: We must recognize that the US and other western powers are in fact not credible mediators, but rather actual parties to the conflict who are complicit with Israel in the violation of Palestinian rights, and we must engage them as such.
Solidarity: We must open our doors (and the doors of the SG) wide to the legions of Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian human rights defenders who are standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine and their human rights and stop the unconstrained flow of Israel lobbyists to the offices of UN leaders, where they advocate for continued war, persecution, apartheid, and impunity, and smear our human rights defenders for their principled defense of Palestinian rights.
This will take years to achieve, and western powers will fight us every step of the way, so we must be steadfast. In the immediate term, we must work for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the longstanding siege on Gaza, stand up against the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank (and elsewhere), document the genocidal assault in Gaza, help to bring massive humanitarian aid and reconstruction to the Palestinians, take care of our traumatized colleagues and their families, and fight like hell for a principled approach in the UN’s political offices.
Craig Mokshiber — who has investigated human rights in Palestine since the 1980s, lived in Gaza as a UN human rights advisor in the 1990s, and carried out several human rights missions to the country before and since — meets all the criteria for membership in the New Group of World Servers. Furthermore, in his official capacity as a UN human rights advisor, he has worked through the genocides against the Tutsis, Bosnian Muslims, the Yazidi, and the Rohingya.
As a human rights lawyer with more than three decades of experience in the field, he knows well that the concept of genocide has often been subject to political abuse. Still, he concludes that “the current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist settler colonial ideology, in continuation of decades of their systematic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs, and coupled with explicit statements of intent by leaders in the Israeli government and military, leaves no room for doubt or debate. In Gaza, civilian homes, schools, churches, mosques, and medical institutions are wantonly attacked as thousands of civilians are massacred. In the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, homes are seized and reassigned based entirely on race, and violent settler pogroms are accompanied by Israeli military units. Across the land, Apartheid rules.”
In his October 27, 2023 letter of resignation, after 28 years of service in the UN system, he further asserts: “This is a text-book case of genocide. The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase, toward the expedited destruction of the last remnants of indigenous Palestinian life in Palestine. What’s more, the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, are wholly complicit in the horrific assault. Not only are these governments refusing to meet their treaty obligations “to ensure respect” for the Geneva Conventions, but they are in fact actively arming the assault, providing economic and intelligence support, and giving political and diplomatic cover for Israel’s atrocities.”
Mr. Mokhiber’s wise counsel must be heeded. Of course, as a human rights advocate, he also uncompromisingly condemns the abhorrent Hamas terrorist acts of October 7. All violators of human rights should be held accountable, as he has publicly stated in a recent interview.
The planetary spiritual Hierarchy is not an esoteric organization disengaged from the problems of humanity. To the contrary, the spiritual Hierarchy does inspire world servers in the field of politics to work on behalf of right human relations, goodwill and peace. Thus, we must strengthen the hands of this world server and support his inspired leadership.
Speaking Truth to Power: The Path to Atonement
High Commissioner, I came to this Organization first in the 1980s, because I found in it a principled, norm-based institution that was squarely on the side of human rights, including in cases where the powerful US, UK, and Europe were not on our side. While my own government, its subsidiarity institutions, and much of the US media were still supporting or justifying South African apartheid, Israeli oppression, and Central American death squads, the UN was standing up for the oppressed peoples of those lands. We had international law on our side. We had human rights on our side. We had principles on our side. Our authority was rooted in our integrity. But no more.
In recent decades, key parts of the UN have surrendered to the power of the US, and to fear of the Israel Lobby, to abandon these principles, and to retreat from international law itself. We have lost a lot in this abandonment, not least our own global credibility. But the Palestinian people have sustained the biggest losses as a result of our failures. It is a stunning historic irony that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in the same year that the Nakba was perpetrated against the Palestinian people. As we commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the UDHR, we would do well to abandon the old cliché that the UDHR was born out of the atrocities that proceeded it, and to admit that it was born alongside one of the most atrocious genocides of the 20th Century, that of the destruction of Palestine. In some sense, the framers were promising human rights to everyone, except the Palestinian people. And let us remember as well, that the UN itself carries the original sin of helping to facilitate the dispossession of the Palestinian people by ratifying the European settler colonial project that seized Palestinian land and turned it over to the colonists. We have much for which to atone. But the path to atonement is clear. We have much to learn from the principled stance taken in cities around the world in recent days, as masses of people stand up against the genocide, even at risk of beatings and arrest. Palestinians and their allies, human rights defenders of every stripe, Christian and Muslim organizations, and progressive Jewish voices saying, “not in our name”, are all leading the way. All we have to do is to follow them.
In recent months, Beijing has promoted its alternative model across hefty policy documents and new “global initiatives,” as well as speeches, diplomatic meetings, forums and international gatherings large and small — as it aims to win support across the world.
For many observers, this campaign has raised concern that a world modeled on Beijing’s rules is also one where features of its iron-fisted, autocratic rule — like heavy surveillance, censorship and political repression — could become globally accepted practices.
The Zionist Anti Defamation League’s Autocratic World View Rules the US Congress
When House Republicans and a solid bloc of Democrats banded together this week to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, for her statements about the Israel-Gaza war, they homed in on her embrace and defense of one pro-Palestinian slogan they called unacceptable: “from the river to the sea.”
In a post on X this week, the A.D.L., a Jewish advocacy group that fights antisemitism and discrimination, wrote: “‘From the River to the Sea’ is a Hamas call to annihilate Israel,” adding that “claiming it is a rally of coexistence gives cover to terror.”
Many Palestinians have been dismayed over the outrage about the slogan, which they regard as the result of an orchestrated effort by groups like the A.D.L. to impugn the motives of Palestinians as a means of undermining their cause of statehood and silencing them.
Ms. Tlaib has rightfully defended her support of the pro-Palestinian slogan “from the river to the sea” as “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction or hate.”
The phrase “from the river to the sea” — or in Arabic, “min al-nahr ila al-bahr” — dates to the dawn of the Palestinian nationalist movement in the early 1960s … as a call for returning to the borders under British control of Palestine, where Jews and Arabs had both lived before the creation of Israel as a Jewish state in 1948.
The slogan reflects the geography of that original claim: Israel spans the narrow stretch of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. For many Palestinians, the phrase now has a dual meaning, representing their desire for a right of return to the towns and villages from which their families were expelled in 1948, as well as their hope for an independent Palestinian state, incorporating the West Bank, which abuts the Jordan River, and the Gaza Strip, which hugs the coastline of the Mediterranean.
But the phrase has also been adopted over the years by Hamas, which calls for the annihilation of Israel, taking on a darker meaning that has long shaped the way in which it is received.
Therefore, Beijing, the A.D.L., the G.O.P. (Republican) delegation (minus 4), as well as 22 Democrats compromised by Zionist interest in the US House of Representatives, share the same iron-fisted, autocratic world view. Accordingly, there is no room for dissent on dogmas pronounced by A.D.L..
Tlaib will become the second Muslim-American woman in Congress to be formally admonished this year for her criticism of Israel. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was removed in February from the House Foreign Affairs Committee for similar comments she made about Israel.
The US Congress, and the public opinion in the US, must be set free from dogmas imposed by extremists on both sides of the political spectrum, and this includes the A.D.L. and N.R.A. (National Rifle Association) currently controlling the political decisions in the United States.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) led debate on the former’s resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) for her statements about Israel.
From the River to the Sea to Fulfill All Righteousness
The first recorded utterance of the Christ was spoken to His mother (the symbol of the substance aspect of divinity) when He said: “Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?” That business, related by Him to the first divine aspect, the Monad or Father aspect, was the fulfilment of purpose and the carrying out of the intention, the will and the purpose of God. His second utterance came at the time of the Baptism in Jordan when He said to John, the Baptist: “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” Esoteric Astrology, p. 582
The message of the birth of Christ rings ever new but is not today understood. The emphasis during the Aquarian Age, the age into which we are fast entering, will shift away from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, and from the infant Savior to the Risen Christ. … The ancient story of the Birth will become universalized and be seen as the story of every disciple and initiate who takes the first initiation and in his time and place becomes a server and a light bearer. … Then followed, as we are told in the New Testament, a cycle of thirty years wherein all we know is that the infant Jesus grew to manhood and could then take the second initiation, the Baptism in Jordan, and begin His public service. -The Destiny of the Nations. pp. 149-50
Alice A. Bailey
So, the quote above may provide a key to the imminent reappearance of the Christ in this dawning Aquarian Age. The phrase “from the river to the sea” may also mean that until Humanity is able to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Christ may not reappear on Earth.
The Aquarian Messiah
It may interest you to know that the Christ has not yet decided what type of physical vehicle He will employ should He take physical form and work definitely upon the physical plane. He waits to see what nation or group of nations do the most work, and the most convincing work, in preparation for His reappearance. He will not, however, take a Jewish body as He did before, for the Jews have forfeited that privilege. The Messiah for Whom they wait will be one of Christ’s senior disciples, but it will not be, as originally intended, the Christ. Symbolically, the Jews represent (from the point of view of the Hierarchy) that from which all Masters of the Wisdom and Lords of Compassion emerge: materialism, cruelty and a spiritual conservatism, so that today they live in Old Testament times and are [Page 706] under the domination of the separative, selfish, lower concrete mind.
But their opportunity will come again, and they may change all this when the fires of suffering at last succeed in purifying them and burning away their ancient crystallization, thus liberating them to the extent that they can recognize their Messiah, Who will not, however, be the world Messiah. The Jews need humility more than any other nation. By humility they may learn something of value as well as a needed sense of proportion. They are dear to the heart of the Christ for—in the performance of His greatest work—He chose a Jewish body, but their materialism and their repudiation of spiritual opportunity has negated His use of their racial type again. It would provide too great a handicap. The probability is that the Master Jesus will assume (under instruction from the Christ) the part of the Messiah.
The Rays and the Initiations by Alice A. Bailey
Anti-Zionism is NOT Anti-Semitism
Calling out Israel’s brutality in Gaza is the right and duty of all men and women of goodwill throughout the world. Israel’s inhumane and criminal response in Gaza is creating more antisemitism worldwide than the terrorist attack of Hamas on October 7.
Debate: Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism
Final vote on the motion that Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism
Obama: Israel-Hamas war forcing ‘moral reckoning on all of us’
Israeli officials, facing criticism over the high civilian death toll in their military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, have invoked historical precedents to justify their actions. They have referenced past Western military actions in urban areas, ranging from World War II to the post-9/11 wars against terrorism. Israeli officials argue that it is impossible to defeat Hamas without causing harm to innocent people, and they believe Americans and their allies should understand this reality [Source: The New York Times]. We strongly differ.
Q: Balancing military advantage against injury to noncombatants. in warfare
A: In warfare, the principles of distinction and proportionality play a significant role in balancing military advantage against injury to noncombatants.
Distinction: This principle requires parties in an armed conflict to differentiate between combatants and noncombatants. It is unlawful to target noncombatants, which includes civilians, wounded soldiers, and prisoners of war.
Proportionality: This principle forbids attacks that may cause incidental loss of civilian life or damage to civilian objects, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
However, these principles often come into conflict during warfare. For instance, a high-value target may be located in a densely populated area. Striking such a target might bring significant military advantage but at the cost of civilian casualties.
Assessing military advantage involves considering the value of the target, its contribution to enemy capabilities, and its significance in the broader context of the war. At the same time, minimizing harm to noncombatants involves not only avoiding targeting them directly but also taking all feasible precautions to protect them from the effects of attacks on military targets.
This balance is difficult to maintain and can lead to controversial actions and decisions, especially when the value of the military target is high. It’s a complex issue with no easy answers and is often a subject of intense debate in the context of international humanitarian law.
In 2016, the department’s legal office circulated a memo that said U.S. officials could be found guilty of war crimes for selling bombs to Saudi Arabia that were being used in its war in Yemen, in which airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition were resulting in mass civilian casualties.
“The Israeli strikes we’ve seen so far should be raising serious questions for people at the State Department about how U.S. weapons are being used,” said Brian Finucane, a recent State Department lawyer who is a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group.
The Israeli defense ministry said it had dropped at least 10,000 munitions as of Nov. 1, in three and a half weeks of war. By contrast, the U.S. military dropped about 2,000 to 3,000 munitions per month during the most intense combat operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from 2015 to 2017, according to a report by the RAND Corporation. Only in one month, in the battle for Raqqa in August 2017, did that number hit 5,000.
“The pace of bombing in Gaza is off the charts,” Mr. Finucane said. “The U.S. engaged in heavy bombing of Raqqa and Mosul. It was heavily regulated, but even then, there were lots of civilian casualties.”
When it comes to the responsibility of nations selling weapons to another nation involved in war crimes that result in civilian casualties, it is a complex and debated topic. The extent of responsibility can vary depending on factors such as the knowledge of the buyer’s intentions, the existence of arms control agreements, and the geopolitical context.
Some key points to consider:
Arms export regulations: Many countries have regulations in place governing the sale and transfer of weapons. These regulations often include provisions to ensure that weapons are not used to commit human rights abuses or war crimes. However, enforcement and adherence to these regulations can vary.
Knowledge and intent: If a nation selling weapons has knowledge or strong indications that the buyer intends to use them to commit war crimes or harm civilians, they could be seen as complicit in those actions. In such cases, the responsibility of the seller may be called into question.
Arms control agreements: International agreements, such as the Arms Trade Treaty, aim to regulate and control the global arms trade to prevent illicit transfers and reduce the risk of human rights abuses. However, not all countries are party to such agreements, and compliance can be inconsistent.
Geopolitical considerations: The geopolitical dynamics and strategic interests of nations can influence their decisions regarding arms sales. Sometimes, political alliances or economic considerations may take precedence over concerns about potential misuse of the weapons sold.
Determining legal and moral responsibility can be challenging and requires careful examination of specific circumstances and international law.
Mr. Paul, the former State Department official, was a longtime employee in the agency’s political-military bureau, which handles weapons sales, until last month, when he resigned because of what he said was immoral U.S. support and lethal aid for Israel’s bombings in Gaza. Mr. Paul said there has been no real discussion within the administration about the use of American weapons in the strikes killing civilians and no way to influence policy on that from the inside.
He added that “in practice and in legal interpretation, there has not been a legal standard established for what constitutes misuse of U.S. weapons.”
While Mr. Blinken has said Israel should do all it can to minimize civilian casualties, the department has so far refrained from looking into any possible war crimes by Israel.
On Oct. 20, Mr. Blinken said “there will be plenty of time to make assessments about how these operations were conducted.” Last Wednesday, after the mass deaths in Jabaliya, Matthew Miller, the department spokesman, avoided answering questions on whether a process was underway, saying only, “It is not an assessment that we are making now.”
The State Department declined requests for an interview on this subject.
Brief Contrast of the Palestinian and the Ukrainian Situations
The Iron Dome system provided to Israel is a defensive mechanism designed to intercept incoming rocket attacks. It’s justifiably meant to protect Israeli civilians from rocket fire, primarily from Gaza. However, offensive weapons provided to Israel have been used in operations against Hamas, which have resulted in excessive Palestinian civilian casualties, mostly women and children. The high civilian death toll in Gaza is unacceptable and disproportionate to the military advantage gained in such operations.
Both Ukraine and Palestine face military actions from more powerful neighbors—Russia and Israel, respectively. In Ukraine, the conflict with Russia has also resulted in numerous civilian casualties, mostly Ukrainians, but the nature of the conflict—conventional warfare between two state armies—differs from the asymmetric warfare in Gaza.
The threats faced by Ukraine and Palestine are both severe but differ in nature. Ukraine faces the threat of losing its sovereignty due to Russian aggression. In contrast, the Palestinian situation is characterized as facing threats related to their displacement and its right of self-determination, which would amount to a form of ethnic cleansing.
Putting aside the disputed occupation of Palestine by Israel, the selling of weapons for self-defense to Israel would be morally justified. However, selling arms to Israel for ethnic cleansing purposes — the implicit purpose of Netanyahu in Gaza — would amount to being complicit to war crimes.
Self-Defense: The right to self-defense is recognized under international law, including Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Providing weapons to Israel or Ukraine for their self-defense against armed attacks aligns with this principle.
Occupation: The situations in Ukraine and Palestine are both characterized by occupation, but they are quite different in nature. Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine has been widely condemned as a violation of international law. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meanwhile, involves disputed territories and issues of statehood that have persisted for decades.
Ethnic Cleansing: Accusations of ethnic cleansing, such as those leveled against the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Gaza, are extremely serious. Ethnic cleansing is recognized as a crime against humanity under international law. If a state knowingly provides weapons used for such purposes, it could potentially be seen as complicit in those crimes.
Complicity in War Crimes: Under international law, particularly the Arms Trade Treaty, states are obliged not to transfer arms where there is a clear risk those arms might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. If weapons sold to any country are used to commit war crimes, the selling country could face accusations of complicity.
A more stringent control over weapon sales to Israel and greater emphasis on diplomatic solutions to the conflict is warranted. An active role by the international community, including the United Nations, the European Union, and influential nations, can help facilitate dialogue and negotiations, apply pressure where necessary, and provide support for peace-building initiatives. A focus on human rights is crucial. Any approach should prioritize the protection of civilians, the right to self-determination, and other fundamental human rights as outlined in international law.
Four weeks ago, Israel began its military campaign to defeat Hamas, in retaliation for the attack on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,400 people, kidnapped some 240 others and destroyed a fundamental sense of security for all Israelis. Israel has a right to defend itself against this threat at its border, and the United States, its closest ally, has rightly pledged to stand by its side until that sense of security is restored.
Not true. It’s not a military campaign in retaliation, but a brutal vengeful response in violation of international law. Which border does the NYT editorial refer to, pre or post 1967? The right to a “fundamental sense of security” pertains both the Jewish people worldwide and to the Palestinian people in their own land. No exceptionalism should implicitly justify war crimes.
This situation makes Israel’s fight against Hamas exceptionally difficult. As a liberal democracy, the only one in the Middle East, Israel has made a commitment under international law to protect Palestinian civilians while pursuing its military objectives. While it is true that Hamas has made no such commitment, Israel holds itself to a different, higher standard. It cannot allow anger and the desire for vengeance to undermine its moral obligations.
Not true. Currently, Israel is not a liberal democracy but an authoritarian regime turned against its own democratic institutions by a coalition of extreme right zealots, led by Netanyahu, illegally expanding its settlements in the West Bank, and undermining a two-state compromise to the Zionist occupation of Palestine. The NYT editorial ignores that crimes of war have already been committed — before, on, and after October 7 — and for which terrorists on both sides should be held accountable. There is a moral equivalence for killing children, on both sides.
After weeks of airstrikes by Israel and the continued firing of rockets by Hamas, civilians in Gaza have paid a grave price. Thousands have lost their lives or suffered serious injuries. As reporters for The Times detailed, Gazans under siege “say there is a surge of severely injured children entering hospitals, doctors operating without anesthesia and morgues overflowing with bodies.” There are shortages of food, water and fuel needed to power everything from desalination plants to generators.
Not true. Civilians in Gaza have not paid a “grave price,” but rather, they have been slaughtered in an inhumane and criminal retribution campaign of collective punishment, reminiscing the ethnic cleansing of a wrathful Jehovah in Canaan centuries ago.
That is why so many of Israel’s allies, including President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have called for a humanitarian pause to see to the urgent and immediate needs of civilians. … While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far resisted them, those calls have grown louder and more insistent after Israel’s recent bombardment of the Jabaliya neighborhood in Gaza, which Israel said targeted Hamas militants located there. UNICEF, a children’s aid organization, described the damage as “horrific and appalling,” and it said in a statement that the attacks follow weeks of bombardment “that have reportedly resulted in more than 3,500 children killed.”
Not true. A “humanitarian pause” is necessary but not sufficient. Netanyahu must resign to prevent a wider military conflagration in the Middle East. The United States Middle-East policy should not be determined by a foreign regime. The United States government must diligently work to prevent a worldwide conflict. Abusing its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to cover for crimes of war is not the way to accomplish it.
Anti-Zionism is NOT antisemitism
I drafted the definition of antisemitism. Rightwing Jews are weaponizing it
The United Nations, founded 78 years ago, cannot remain neutral today as civilian lives — women and children — are massacred in Gaza in revenge for the brutal and inhumane acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians on October 7. No level of cruelty can be used to measure the relative worth of, or the exchange rate for, another human life. No human life is worth more than another.
UN Secretary General Javier Gutierrez addressing the UN Security Council today, 24 October, 2023.
WHEREAS, the United Nations must stand for respect of international law, including the right of self-defense, and the law of war;
WHEREAS, all acts of terrorism against unarmed civilian populations, such as those of October 7, are condemned as unjustifiable and illegal;
WHEREAS, the prevention and defense against the acts of terrorism of October 7 was a neglected responsibility of the Israel Defence Forces;
WHEREAS, the loss of civilian life by inhumane acts of terrorists does not justify the reprisal of collective death punishment, a crime of war;
WHEREAS, the ongoing Israel-Gaza war has resulted in considerable loss of life and property, causing humanitarian crises and straining international relations;
WHEREAS, a ceasefire offers an immediate cessation of hostilities, enabling humanitarian relief efforts to reach those most in need;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, any ceasefire agreement
should not only involve the cessation of hostilities,
but also the unconditional release of all civilian hostages,
as well as steps towards addressing the root causes of the conflict,
including negotiations over key issues like the status of Jerusalem,
the rights of Palestinian refugees, and
the borders of a Palestinian state in recognition of its inalienable right of self-determination.
Q: if you have a cage with wild and hungry animals in a zoo, and the guards are unable to secure the gates of the cage broken wide open by the restless beasts, resulting in the brutal death a hundreds of visitors, who are responsible for the deaths, the wild animals or the guards?
A: In such a tragic scenario, the responsibility would likely be attributed to the zoo authorities, which includes the guards. While the animals are acting on their instincts and don’t have the same understanding of right and wrong as humans, the zoo authorities are expected to ensure the safety of both the animals and visitors. If the gates are not secured properly, leading to an incident, it would indicate negligence on their part. A thorough investigation would be needed to determine the exact circumstances and assign responsibility.
Q: if a child is chronically abused and tortured, to the point that rehabilitation is impossible, and only killing him, as an adult terrorist behaving like a beast, is a legitimate act of self-defense, who bears the ultimate responsibility for the hideous acts: i) the individual terrorist, ii) the structural injustices creating the conditions of abuse and torture, or iii) the aggrieved civil community out of which this youth emerged as a disfigured human with subhuman instincts?
A: This is a deeply complex and sensitive issue, touching on aspects of psychology, sociology, justice, and ethics. In such a situation, responsibility may not be attributed to a single entity, but rather distributed across multiple factors:
The individual terrorist: While it’s true that the individual committed the act, their ability to differentiate between right and wrong may have been severely compromised due to chronic abuse and torture. However, this doesn’t absolve them completely, as they are still the direct agents of their actions.
Structural injustices: These play a significant role in creating conditions conducive for such behavior. If the abuse and torture were a result of systemic failures, those systems bear a share of the responsibility.
The community: Communities, particularly those that may have enabled or ignored the abuse, also hold some responsibility. However, it’s crucial to remember that communities are often victims themselves, suffering from the consequences of the individual’s actions.
Rehabilitation systems: If rehabilitation was deemed impossible, it might indicate a failure of the systems put in place to rehabilitate such individuals.
In sum, the responsibility is shared and complex. It underscores the importance of proactive measures to prevent abuse, address structural injustices, and provide effective rehabilitation methods.
Q: should the relatives of the terrorist be held responsible, even if they do not support acts of terrorism? Should such potential responsibility amount to a death sentence of the relatives?
R: The responsibility primarily lies with the individual and the group that influenced their radicalization.
In terms of human rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) emphasizes that effective counter-terrorism measures and the protection of human rights must be pursued together. This implies that punishing a whole family for the actions of one member would likely be a violation of their human rights.
The current “exchange rate” of civilian deaths in the ongoing Israeli-Hamas War
Background
The question of whether one human life can be considered more valuable than another is a deeply complex and contentious issue in ethics.
Many ethical systems, including deontology, virtue ethics, and rights-based ethics, argue that all human lives have equal inherent worth. These systems would typically reject the idea that one life could be more valuable than another. They emphasize principles such as dignity, respect for persons, and equal rights, which are incompatible with valuing some lives more than others.
However, consequentialist theories like utilitarianism assess actions based on their outcomes, and in some situations, these theories might lead to the conclusion that it’s morally permissible or even obligatory to prioritize some lives over others if doing so leads to the greatest overall good.
Relativism, which holds that moral truths are relative to cultural or individual perspectives, might also allow for the possibility that some lives are valued more than others in certain contexts.
So, while many ethical theories would argue against considering one life more valuable than another, it’s not an absolute rule across all ethical systems. It’s also important to remember that ethics is a field of ongoing debate and discussion, and different people may interpret and apply these theories in different ways.
In consequentialism, particularly in its most common form known as Utilitarianism, the morality of an action is determined by its outcome. If the overall happiness or welfare is increased, then the action can be considered morally right, even if it involves harm to some individuals.
Applying this framework to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II, a consequentialist might argue that while the bombings caused immense suffering and loss of life, they ultimately led to the end of the war, which prevented further loss of life and suffering on a potentially larger scale.
However, this perspective is highly controversial. Critics would point out the immense human cost of the bombings, which killed an estimated 200,000 people, many of them civilians, and caused long-term health and environmental damage. They may argue that such actions are never justifiable, regardless of their outcomes, and that alternative actions should have been pursued.
It’s also important to note that different forms of consequentialism might reach different conclusions. For example, rule consequentialism, which considers the consequences of a rule or policy rather than individual actions, might argue against the use of nuclear weapons due to the potential for widespread and indiscriminate harm.
Ethics is a complex field, and different ethical theories often lead to different, sometimes conflicting, moral judgments. It’s also a deeply personal field, and individuals may weigh the importance of different ethical principles differently based on their own values and beliefs.
Both from an ethical and humanistic perspective, the loss of a civilian life due to terrorism and the loss of a civilian life due to collateral damage in a retaliatory attack are tragic and deeply regrettable.
In the eyes of most ethical theories, all human lives have equal inherent worth. Neither act of violence makes one life more valuable or worthy than the other. In both scenarios, innocent lives have been lost, which is a profound tragedy.
Deontological ethics, for example, would argue that both acts are morally wrong because they involve the intentional or negligent killing of innocent people, which violates the principle of respect for persons.
Consequentialist theories like utilitarianism would also view both acts as morally problematic because they result in suffering and loss of life. Although consequentialists sometimes justify harm to individuals if it leads to a greater overall good, many would argue that the large-scale harm caused by terrorism and retaliatory attacks cannot be justified.
Rights-based ethics would also condemn both acts, as they violate the basic rights of the individuals who are killed.
In sum, while different ethical theories may approach these issues in different ways, none would typically argue that one civilian life is worthier than another based on the circumstances of their death. It’s important to remember that each life lost in such situations is a tragedy, and efforts should be focused on preventing such losses in the first place.
The figures below represent the number of Palestinians and Israelis who were killed since 2008 in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel in the context of the occupation and conflict.
What is an acceptable “exchange rate” for civilian casualties in war?
When enough is enough?
Proportional retaliation in war refers to the principle that a state’s response to an act of aggression should not exceed the severity of the initial attack. It is rooted in the Just War Theory, a set of criteria used to determine whether a war is morally justifiable.
The principle of proportionality is one of the key components of Just War Theory, alongside other concepts like just cause, legitimate authority, right intention, and last resort. Proportional retaliation aims to prevent escalations of violence and unnecessary harm, particularly to civilians.
In practice, assessing proportionality can be complex and subjective. What one party views as a proportional response, another might see as excessive or insufficient. It’s also important to note that proportionality is generally considered alongside the principle of distinction, which requires parties to a conflict to differentiate between combatants and non-combatants, and to avoid targeting the latter.
Despite these challenges, the principle of proportional retaliation remains a fundamental part of international humanitarian law, which seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict for humanitarian reasons.
Israel’s military vowed to increase its aerial bombardment of Gaza, and carried out an airstrike on what it said was a militant compound under a mosque in the occupied West Bank, as it signaled it was readying for a new phase of war against Hamas, including a potential ground operation.
CNN
Ethnic cleansing refers to the deliberate and systematic removal or extermination of a particular ethnic, racial, or religious group from a specific geographic area with the intent to create a region inhabited by people of a single ethnicity, race, or religion. Methods used can range from forced migration and deportation, mass killings, rape, and torture, to destruction of property and other acts of violence intended to cause physical harm or instill fear in the targeted group.
The term “ethnic cleansing” came into wide usage during the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s, but the practice predates the term. Some examples throughout history include the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, and the Rwandan Genocide.
Though similar in many ways to genocide, ethnic cleansing is not officially recognized as an independent crime under international law. However, acts commonly associated with ethnic cleansing, such as murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts, can be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.
I believe that if Israel rushes headlong into Gaza now to destroy Hamas — and does so without expressing a clear commitment to seek a two-state solution with the Palestinian Authority and end Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank — it will be making a grave mistake that will be devastating for Israeli interests and American interests.
It could trigger a global conflagration and explode the entire pro-American alliance structure that the United States has built in the region since Henry Kissinger engineered the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
I am talking about the Camp David peace treaty, the Oslo peace accords, the Abraham Accords and the possible normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The whole thing could go up in flames.
This is not about whether Israel has the right to retaliate against Hamas for the savage barbarism it inflicted on Israeli men, women, babies and grandparents. It surely does. This is about doing it the right way — the way that does not play into the hands of Hamas, Iran and Russia.
If Israel goes into Gaza and takes months to kill or capture every Hamas leader and soldier but does so while expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank — thereby making any two-state solution there with the more moderate Palestinian Authority impossible — there will be no legitimate Palestinian or Arab League or European or U.N. or NATO coalition that will ever be prepared to go into Gaza and take it off Israel’s hands.
That is why I believe that Israel would be much better off framing any Gaza operation as “Operation Save Our Hostages” — rather than “Operation End Hamas Once and for All” — and carrying it out, if possible, with repeated surgical strikes and special forces that can still get the Hamas leadership but also draw the brightest possible line between Gazan civilians and the Hamas dictatorship.
But if Israel feels it must reoccupy Gaza to destroy Hamas and restore its deterrence and security — I repeat — it must pair that military operation with a new commitment to pursue a two-state solution with those Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza ready to make peace with Israel.
The hour is late. I have never written a column this urgent before because I have never been more worried about how this situation could spin out of control in ways that could damage Israel irreparably, damage U.S. interests irreparably, damage Palestinians irreparably, threaten Jews everywhere and destabilize the whole world.
I beg Biden to tell Israelis this immediately — for their sake, for America’s sake, for the sake of Palestinians, for the sake of the world.
I particularly want to challenge the suggestion, more implicit than explicit, that Gazan lives matter less because many Palestinians sympathize with Hamas. People do not lose their right to life because they have odious views, and in any case, almost half of Gazans are children. Those kids in Gaza, infants included, are among the more than two million people enduring a siege and collective punishment.
Israel has suffered a horrifying terrorist attack and deserves the world’s sympathy and support, but it should not get a blank check to slaughter civilians or to deprive them of food, water and medicine. Bravo to Biden for trying to negotiate some humanitarian access to Gaza, but the challenge will be not just getting aid into Gaza but also distributing it to where it’s needed.
Let me enumerate [the objectives facing the Hierarchy at this time and involving the personal attention of the Christ] in concise form, because it is essential that there be clear perception of the emerging values on the part of workers of all grades and kinds in the world, for otherwise perception is not possible. To each point enumerated I will append in a few brief words the reason why it is regarded as important:
The Reorganization of the World Religions.
To make way for the World Religion, universal religion.
To return humanity to the simplicity which is in Christ.
To rid the world of theology and ecclesiasticism.
The Gradual Dissolution of Orthodox Judaism.
Because of its presentation of a wrathful Jehovah, caring only for his chosen people. This is a basic evil. The Lord of the World, the God in whom we live and move and have our being, is totally otherwise.
Because of its separateness.
Because it is so ancient that its teachings are largely obsolete.
Because when the Jews become spiritual they will greatly benefit mankind, for they are found in every land.
Preparation for a New Revelation.
Because where there is no vision the people perish. [Page 552]
Because human expectancy indicates its emerging presence.
Because the new Invocation will inevitably bring it to us.
The Reaction of the Hierarchy to Shamballa.
Produces a direct channel.
Conditions the inflow of power energy.
Relates the will-to-good to goodwill.
Creates new constructive tensions and new ashrams.
A Closer Relation of the Hierarchy to Humanity.
Produces (in the near future) the externalization of certain ashrams.
Leads to the reappearance of the Hierarchy on Earth.
Recognizes that man’s point of development warrants this.
Presents a nearing opportunity for revelation.
An Effort to avert War.
Because the next war would annihilate the greater part of the human race.
Because, having a religious basis, the hate involved would be greater far than anything hitherto known.
Because Shamballa would be involved, and this has never been the case.
You can see therefore how critical, spiritually, are these times, and how urgent is the task which confronts the Hierarchy and its workers on earth. The war may be over in the physical sense, but great issues are still involved and undetermined and can lead either to peace or to a renewal of those conditions in which wars are generated and which, once generated, cannot be avoided. [Extracted from The Externalisation of the Hierarchy]
The area of difficulty—as is well known—is the Near East and Palestine. The Jews, by their illegal and terroristic activities, have laid a foundation of great difficulty for those who are seeking to promote world peace. As a Jewish member of my Ashram pointed out (and I commend him on his soul vision), the Jews have partially again opened the door [Page 430] to the Forces of Evil, which worked originally through Hitler and his evil gang. The “sealing” of that door had not been successfully accomplished, and it is the part of wisdom to discover this in time. These Forces of Evil work through a triangle of evil, one point of which is to be found in the Zionist Movement in the United States, another in central Europe, and the third in Palestine. Palestine is no longer a Holy Land and should not be so regarded. -The Rays and the Initiations
Another fear which induces mankind to regard death as a calamity is one which theological religion has inculcated, particularly the Protestant fundamentalists and the Roman Catholic Church—the-fear of hell, the imposition of penalties, usually out of all proportion to the errors of a lifetime, and the terrors imposed by an angry God. To these man is told he will have to submit, and from them there is no escape, except through the vicarious atonement. There is, as you well know, no angry God, no hell, and no vicarious atonement.There is only a great principle of love animating the entire universe; there is the Presence of the Christ, indicating to humanity the fact of the soul and that we are saved by the livingness of that soul, and the only hell is the earth itself, where we learn to work out our own salvation, actuated by the principle of love and light, and incited thereto by the example of the Christ and the inner urge of our own souls. This teaching anent hell is a remainder of the sadistic turn which was given to the thinking of the Christian Church in the Middle Ages and to the erroneous teaching to be found in the Old Testament anent Jehovah, the tribal God of the Jews. Jehovah is not God, the planetary Logos, the Eternal Heart of Love Whom Christ revealed. As these erroneous ideas die out, the concept of hell will fade from man’s recollection and its place will be taken by an understanding of salvation upon the physical plane, which leads him to right the wrongs which he may have perpetrated in his lives on Earth, and which enables him eventually to “clean his own slate.” -Esoteric Healing, 393
The Tibetan Master penned by Alice A. Bailey
Of course, for the average American reader, these remarks — issued by the Tibetan Master on behalf of the planetary spiritual Hierarchy — are difficult to reconcile with the unconditional support of Israel in the American public opinion since 1948, as reaffirmed last night in President Biden’s speech. Furthermore, the injunction against the “Zionist Movement in the United States” as a source of “evil” would most certainly be considered “antisemitic” and “hate speech.”
It is understandable that the copyright holders of the Alice Bailey books — a tax exempt nonprofit organization — would refrain from more openly bringing these remarks to the public, even at this time of dire need to have them widely known, for fear of losing their tax exempt status (for political speech), and for fear of being attacked and censored by the current climate of political correctness. To their credit, though, in the past the Lucis Trust has affirmed the right of the spiritual Hierarchy to fearlessly speak truth to (political) power disregarding claims for political correctness.
The Masters of the Wisdom, known collectively as the Hierarchy, have never attempted to adapt Their teaching to politically correct standards. A Master speaks from the level of pure Truth because his vision encompasses the vast sweep of the Plan through history and of our planet’s role in that Plan.
Jehovah is not the planetary Logos, God. It is not the Will of God that the Jewish people hold on to land that doesn’t belong to them. The Jewish people are not a separate nation. The Jewish people have no right to claim Palestine as their land.
These words — without the appropriate context — may be considered blasphemy, even hate speech, inciting antisemitic violence. Nothing further from the truth.
These truths were sorely missing from President Biden’s speech last night, a President held hostage by extreme and hostile right media outlets that spew warmongering and propagate hatred towards Israel’s perceived enemies other than itself. The Palestinian people are not the enemies of Jewish people, a truth conveniently distorted by these irresponsible media outlets conflating peaceful resistance to Israel’s occupation of Palestine with antisemitism.
The authenticity of the Tibetan Master, the “Messenger” of the spiritual Hierarchy, has been well established by the scholarly research of David Reigle, and by historical evidence of correspondence with His disciples, particularly His communication with Alice A. Bailey. It is impossible for a Master of Wisdom and Compassion of the planetary spiritual Hierarchy to engage in hate speech. Their “perfect harmlessness” expressed in a “completed point of view” doesn’t allow for any bias in Their hearts and minds, even if the wording expressing truth is imperfect. Endorsing these truths is not engaging in antisemitism.
Perfection calls imperfection to the surface. Good drives evil from the form of man in time and space. The method used by the Perfect One and that employed by Good, is “perfect harmlessness”. This is not negativity, but Perfect Poise, a completed point of view, and divine understanding.
A Completed Point of View … necessarily and primarily refers to the universal outlook of the Monad, and therefore to an initiate of the higher degrees. It can, however, be interpreted on a lower rung of the ladder of evolution and refers to the function of the soul as an Observer in the three worlds and the completed all-round picture such an observer gradually attains. This is brought about by the development of the two qualities of detachment and discrimination. These two qualities, [Page 674] when expressed on the Way to the Higher Evolution, become Abstraction and the Will-to-good.
A completed point of view-as experienced on soul levels—indicates the removal of all barriers and the freedom of the disciple from the great heresy of separateness; he has therefore created an unclogged channel for the inflow of pure love. Perfect poise, viewed from the same level, has removed all impediments and those emotional factors which have hitherto blocked the channel, thus preparing the way for the Observer to see truly; the disciple then functions as a clear channel for love.
Esoteric Healing
The truths revealed by the planetary spiritual Hierarchy, expressed “in time and space” through the words of a Master of Wisdom and Compassion, may need adaptation by Their disciples. However, any adaptation should never negate or hide the intrinsic truth of Their message.
Therefore, how would we, as a discipleship group — the New Group of World Servers — in preparation for initiation, “modify, qualify and adapt the proposed plan of Shamballa (for which the Ashrams are responsible) in connection with the coming civilization and culture?”
The third hint I gave you was intended to suggest that it was the duty and the responsibility of the disciple, working under the inspiration of the Ashram, to “modify, qualify and adapt” the proposed plan of Shamballa (for which the Ashrams are responsible) in connection with the coming civilisation and culture. There is an “art of spiritual compromise” which must be learnt and which it is difficult to master, because it negates fanaticism, requires a trained and intelligent understanding of applied measures and truth, and also negates evasion of responsibility; it involves also a comprehension of the time equation, of differing points in evolution, plus experience in the process of discarding the outgrown and unnecessary—no matter how good it may appear to be. -p. 278
I am seeking here to divorce your minds from the idée fixe that the initiate works because he knows. I would reverse the statement and say he knows because he works. -p, 282
Christ gave the same hint to His disciples when He told them that if they wanted to know the doctrine they must carry out God’s will. Do these words convey any true meaning to you? -p. 302
Five hints have already been given to you, and I would like you to get their sequence, for it may prove valuable to you and to other disciples:
That the changes brought about in the Hierarchy have been the work of the disciples of the world. Have you asked yourself (in studying this hint), Why the disciples?
That human world planning is today the first indication of the emergence of the will aspect. Why is this rightly so?[Page 320]
That disciples in all the Ashrams have the task simultaneously of “modifying, qualifying and adapting the divine Plan.” Why is this so? Why is the Plan not imposed?
That the initiate knows because he works. What does this hint mean to you?
A key to the correct interpretation of a hint lies in its association with the idea of direction in time and space.
Study these and see what is their relationship and what you feel is the inner meaning which they are intended to convey.
Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2
The Universal Jew
The concept of Jehovah as a “national controller” of the Jewish race was an early — and now obsolete — expression of God Transcendent in the sequential “spiritual approaches” of Divinity to Humanity:
Two major Approaches are to be found in the past history of the race, and both are of such significance that it would be well to note them here. They lie so far back in human history that we have only myth and monument to indicate their happening.
The first great Approach of the divine to man caused the appearance of the human soul and the adding of another kingdom in nature to the three (mineral, vegetable and animal) already existing. The kingdom of man appeared on Earth.
Aeons passed away whilst primitive man continued to evolve, and when the second great Approach took place and the Spiritual Hierarchy of our planet drew nearer to humanity; the spiritual Way to God was opened for those who consciously can move forward, who can definitely demonstrate the Christ spirit, and who earnestly seek enlightenment and liberation. The true appeal of Christ’s words: “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” urges them to move forward into the light, through the gate of initiation and on to that path which “shineth [Page 410] ever more and more until the perfect day.” At the time of the second great Approach, the fact of the existence of the Spiritual Hierarchy, of the open door to initiation and of the Way of Sacrifice first dawned on the human consciousness; from that moment men have found the Way and have moved out of the human kingdom into the spiritual; they have transformed their human consciousness into divine awareness. The kingdom of man and the kingdom of God were brought into relationship. Religion became a factor in the development of the human spirit and God drew nearer to His Own. God Transcendent first conditioned man’s concept of Deity. Then God as the national controller took possession of man’s mind, and the Jehovah concept (as depicted in the Jewish dispensation) appeared; next God was seen as the perfected human being, and the divine God-man walked the Earth in the person of the Christ. Today, we have a rapidly growing emphasis on God Immanent in every human being. Such have been the results of the second great Approach and such have been the results of the work of the world Saviours and Teachers down the ages, culminating in the work of Christ, Who summed up in Himself the unfoldments of the past and the hope of the future.
A third great Approach is now possible and will take place once the world war is over and man—purified by fire and suffering—has set his house in order and is ready, therefore, for a new revelation. For this coming revelation the work of the Buddha and of the Christ has been preparatory. They embodied in Themselves two lesser Approaches, and through Their united effort, humanity throughout the world has been prepared to play its part in this third Approach.
The Externalisation of the Hierarchy
Indeed, here and now, we are all Jews, the Prodigal Child of God. There is no chosen race to please an angry and jealous God. There is one chosen people — Humanity — whose seed is found in the history of the Jewish people. We are told “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” What must die is not the Jewish people but the false concept of a separate nation (the ideology of Zionism).
There is no need for the Jewish people to misappropriate a separate stretch of land, a land no longer considered holy. Even Jewish scholars argue against the concept of a Jewish nation, so ingrained in American politics by the “the Zionist Movement in the United States.”
This is the plain and simple truth, recorded and revealed by the planetary spiritual Hierarchy, and slowly, very slowly, dawning on human consciousness as it progresses to the next spiritual approach and becomes receptive to a new spiritual Dispensation. The “evil” of Zionism is a past good that should be left behind. Any fixed material attachment to a dead past is considered regressive (“evil”) by the spiritual Hierarchy, as L-I-V-E, spelled backwards, is to E-V-I-L.
Jehovah, the “national controller” of the Jewish people is no longer good. Jehovah is not the planetary Logos, God. Likewise, the Christian doctrine of vicarious atonement is a distortion of the simple teaching of the Christ, erroneously presented as “the living Scapegoat, bearing away the sins of the people.” The Will of God — here and now — calls for a New Spiritual Dispensation.
A New Spiritual Dispensation
Each age has left a reflection of a modern fivefold development upon it. Four ages have just passed away, astronomically speaking: Gemini, Taurus, Aries, and Pisces. Today Aquarius, the fifth age, is coming into power. In Gemini, its symbolical sign of the two pillars set its seal upon the Masonic Fraternity of the time [Page 127] and the two pillars of Jachin and Boaz—to give them their Jewish names which are, of course, not their real names—came into being approximately eight thousand years ago. Then came Taurus, the Bull, wherein Mithra came as the world Teacher and instituted the Mysteries of Mithras with an (apparent) worship of the Bull. Next followed Aries the Ram, which saw the start of the Jewish Dispensation which is of importance to the Jews and unfortunately of importance to the Christian religion, but of no importance to the untold millions in the other parts of the world; during this cycle came the Buddha, Shri Krishna and Sankaracharya; finally we have the age of Pisces the Fishes, which brought to us the Christ. The sequence of the Mysteries which each of the signs of the Zodiac embodies will be clarified for us by the Christ, because the public consciousness today demands something more definite and spiritually real than modern astrology, or all the pseudo-occultism so widely extant.
It is interesting to remember that when the Buddha came, approximately five hundred years before Christ (for the exact date of Christ’s birth remains debatable), the first dim influences of the Piscean Age could be felt, impinging upon the powerful quality of the age of Aries, the Scapegoat or the Ram. It was the influence of this age—persisting throughout the Jewish dispensation—which led eventually to the distortion of the simple teaching of the Christ when He came. He was erroneously presented to the world as the living Scapegoat, bearing away the sins of the people, and thus originating the doctrine of the vicarious at-one-ment. It was St. Paul who was responsible for this emphasis. A paralleling instance of a similar distortion was also of Jewish origin and appeared in the early stages of the cycle of Aries, the Ram. We are told that the Children of Israel fell down and worshipped the golden calf, the symbol of Taurus, the Bull; this was the preceding astronomical cycle. These are astronomical cycles and not a presented astrology. In the early stages of Aries, the teaching reverted to that of Taurus and in the early stages of Pisces, it reverted to that of Aries and thus set the seal of retrogression upon the teaching which now controls so many orthodox Christians. p. 106
The Reappearance of the Christ
In His public reappearance, the World Teacher — the Head of the Ashram of the Lord of the World in Shamballa (the true Holy City) — will embody a new dispensation. These new spiritual dispensation will be built upon the previous teachings of Hercules (Path of Return of the Prodigal Son), Hermes (I am the Light of the World), Vyasa (Death is not; the Soul is immortal), Buddha (Four Noble Truths and the Path of Enlightenment), Sankaracharya (Advaita Vedanta), Shri Krishna (The Bhagavad Gita) and Jesus Christ the Messiah (the factual nature of the soul, our essential divinity, as the foundation for establishing right (loving) human relations—to God and to one’s fellowmen).
The establishing of right human relations is an aspect of the divine will for humanity and the next facet of the divine expression to manifest itself in human affairs—individual, communal, national, and international. Nothing has ever finally impeded this divine expression, except the time factor, and that time factor is determined by humanity and is an expression of divine freewill. The intended, divine expression can move rapidly or slowly into manifestation, according as man decides; hitherto, man has decided upon a slow—a very slow—manifestation. It is here that the freedom of the human will shows itself. Because divinity is immanent or present in all forms and, therefore, in all human beings, that will must eventually be fulfilled; because of the tremendously material intention (esoterically speaking) of all forms at present, that Will has hitherto been retarded in its expression; it has not been the will of man to establish right human relations. Hence the discipline of war, the torture of the forms, and the misery in human living today.
The Reappearance of the Christ, 113
Goodwill, resulting in right human relations, is the only path conducive to a lasting peace. No military prowess can bring peace on Earth, less so to any nation. This was another truth left out of President Biden’s speech last night.
The condemnation of terrorism anywhere must be absolute and uncompromising. The acts of cruelty committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023 against Humanity (not just against the Jewish people) was an attack on us all. The is no possible justification for such inhumane crimes against humanity. Such evil must be eradicated from the face of Earth. However, a military defeat of one group of terrorists will not accomplish the goal of a lasting peace. Furthermore, seeking vengeance and retribution through crimes of war, including collective punishment and death, will only serve to generate more retributive karma.
The Law of Rebirth, also known as the Law of Reincarnation — one of the four main line of teachings to be embodied by Lord Maitreya, currently holding the Hierarchical Office of the Christ since He spiritually overshadowed Jesus 2,000 years ago in Palestine— is intricately interconnected with the Law of Cause and Effect, commonly referred to as Karma. According to this Law, each human soul goes through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth multiple times, experiencing the consequences of its actions in past lives. This perpetual cycle of rebirth provides individuals with opportunities for spiritual growth and eventual liberation. It serves as a guiding principle for understanding the intricate workings and interconnectedness of the universe, offering a profound perspective on the eternal journey of the soul.
Just as many British people and the preponderance of the British race are reincarnated Romans, so many Germans are reincarnated Jews. Hence the similarity of their points of view. It is a family quarrel and there is nothing more terrible than this.
Glamour: A World Problem, p. 147
An instance of the operation of this Law of Karma, in its retributive aspect, can be found in the horrific experience of the Holocaust.
What I have said in no way mitigates the guilt of those who have so sorely abused the Jews. You have a proverb, have you not? that “two [wrongs] do not make a [right].” The behavior of the nations towards the Jews, culminating in the atrocities of the second quarter of the twentieth century, have no excuse. The law must inevitably work. Though much that has happened to the Jews originated in their past history and in their pronounced attitude of separativeness and nonassimilability, and in their emphasis upon material good, yet the agents who have brought the evil karma upon them equally incur the retributive aspect of the same law; the situation has now assumed the form of a vicious circle of error and wrong doing, of retribution and revenge, and in view of this the time must come when together the nations will confer upon this problem, and together they will cooperate to bring to an end the wrong attitudes on both sides. All karma of evil nature is solved by the presentation of an accepting will, a cooperative love, a frank acknowledgment of responsibility and a skillful adjustment of united joint activity to bring about the good of humanity as a whole, and not just the good of an individual nation or people or race. The Jewish problem will not be solved [Page 267] by taking possession of Palestine, by plaint and demand and by financial manipulations. That would be but the prolongation of ancient wrong and material possessiveness. The problem will be solved by the willingness of the Jew to conform to the civilisation, the cultural background and the standards of living of the nation to which—by the fact of birth and education—he is related and with which he should assimilate. It will come by the relinquishment of pride of race and of the concept of selectivity; it will come by renouncing dogmas and customs which are intrinsically obsolete and which create points of constant irritation to the matrix within which the Jew finds himself; it will come when selfishness in business relations and the pronounced manipulative tendencies of the Hebrew people are exchanged for more selfless and honest forms of activity.
The Jew, owing to his rays and point of development, is outstandingly creative and artistic. This he must recognise and not seek as he now does to dominate in all fields, to grasp all opportunities away from other people, and so better himself and his own people at the expense of others. Release from the present situation will come when the Jew forgets that he is a Jew and becomes in his inmost consciousness an Italian, an American, a Britisher, a German or a Pole. This is not so at this time.
Esoteric Healing
However, the retributive aspect of the Law of Karma is but one aspect, in fact, a less frequent expression, of this Law.
The Law of Karma is not the Law of Retribution, as one would surmise as one reads the current books upon the subject; that is but one aspect of the working of the Law [Page 21] of Karma. The Law of Cause and Effect is not to be understood as we now interpret it.
The idea of retribution runs through much of the teaching on Karma, for instance, because men seek a plausible explanation of things as [Page 22] they appear to be, and are themselves fond of dealing out retribution. Yet there is far more general good karma than bad, little as you may think it when immersed in such a period as the present.
Esoteric Healing
Jerusalem, the city of peace. The New Jerusalem: the realm of the spiritual Hierarchy.
The Christian concept of the return of a triumphant Christ, coming in the clouds of heaven to Jerusalem, there to reign for a thousand years, is true in one way and utterly false as to design, location and method. Christ will return; the Jerusalem referred to (literally “the place of peace”) is not the chief city of a small country called Palestine or the Holy Land; the word is simply symbolic of a peaceful world—a world which, through its own self-initiated efforts, has attained a general quietude and has acquired a certain measure of right human relations. His coming in the air might be interpreted literally to mean that at the right time He will come by plane from the place on earth where He has been for many generations, watching over the sons of men; the words “every [Page 576] eye shall see Him” might mean that, by the time He comes, television will have been perfected and He will then be seen, by its means, from even the most distant spot on earth. To the orthodox Christian, the above will sound like the rankest blasphemy, but the question immediately arises: Why should it be blasphemy for Him to use modern methods? Whilst on earth before, He conformed to the customs of His time. “Riding on the clouds of Heaven” may sound more picturesque and apparently require a greater expression of divinity, but why use such a means when a plane will equally well fulfil the purpose and carry the prophecy to completion? A great deal of reactionary stupidity will have to be eliminated before He can come, and it will be as the new generation assert their hold over human thinking. But it is not the event or the stage of Christ’s appearing with which we are now dealing, but with the preparatory stages and with the task of fitting the world (which means, in this case, preparing the human consciousness) for the presence in physical activity and manifestation of the Hierarchy—in full force and with its esoteric equipment.
The Externalisation of the Hierarchy
He [the Christ] will not come as the Messiah of the Jews to save the so-called Holy Land and the city of Jerusalem for the Jews, because He belongs to the whole world and no Jews nor any other people have special rights or unique privileges or may claim Him as their own; He will not come to convert the “heathen” world for, in the eyes of the Christ and of His true disciples, no such world exists and the so-called heathen have demonstrated historically less of the evil of vicious conflict than has the militant Christian world. The history of the Christian nations and of the Christian church has been one of an aggressive militancy—the last thing desired by the Christ when He sought to establish the church on earth.
The Reappearance of the Christ, p. 110
The great experiences upon the various mountain tops as related in the Bible have all to do with Capricorn. Moses, the Lawgiver on Mount Sinai, is Saturn in Capricorn imposing the law of karma upon the people. A clue to the significance of the Jewish people as a karmic clearing house can be found here. Ponder on those words “a karmic clearing house.” The Mount of Transfiguration in the New Testament is Venus in Capricorn when love and mind and will meet in the person of the Christ, and “He was transfigured” before all men. At the same time, He received the vision of the Father and of what He had to do as He “went up to Jerusalem,” the place of death and likewise the city of peace. This Jerusalem is Pisces. In Aquarius, Christ put His disciples in touch with the “man, bearing a pitcher of water,” Aquarius, and in the upper room introduced them to union and unity under the symbolism of the [Page 168] communion feast. For that feast, humanity is today preparing, as we saw when studying the last constellation. The astrological significance of the New Testament is as yet little understood. Christ was born in Capricorn, fulfilled the law under Saturn, initiated the era of intelligent brotherhood under Venus and is the perfect example of the Capricornian initiate who becomes the world Server in Aquarius, and the world Saviour in Pisces, thus completing the round of the zodiac and able to say triumphantly in Pisces “It is finished.”
Esoteric Astrology
His statement to His disciples, “I must go up to Jerusalem,” after which we read that He steadfastly set His face to go there. This was an intimation that He had now a new objective. The only place of complete “peace” (the meaning of the word Jerusalem) is Shamballa; the Hierarchy is not a centre of peace in the true meaning of the term, which has no relation to emotion but to the cessation of the type of activity with which we are familiar in the world of manifestation; the Hierarchy is a very vortex of activity and of energies coming from Shamballa and from Humanity. From the standpoint of true esotericism, Shamballa is a place of “serene determination and of poised, quiescent will” as the Old Commentary expresses it.
The Rays and Initiations, p. 314
There are certain areas of evil in the world today through which these forces of darkness can reach humanity. What they are and where they are I do not intend to say. I would point out, however, that Palestine should no longer be called the Holy Land; its sacred places are only the passing relics of three dead and gone religions. The spirit has gone out of the old faiths and the true spiritual light is transferring itself into a new form which will manifest on earth eventually as the new world religion. To this form all that is true and right and good in the old forms will contribute, for the forces of right will withdraw that good, and incorporate it in the new form. Judaism is old, obsolete and separative and has no true message for the spiritually-minded which cannot be better given by the newer faiths; the Moslem faith has served its purpose and all true Moslems await the coming of the Imam Mahdi who will lead them to light and to spiritual victory; the Christian faith also has served its purpose; its Founder seeks to bring a new Gospel and a new message that will enlighten all men everywhere. Therefore, Jerusalem stands for nothing of importance today, except for that which has passed away and should pass away. The “Holy Land” is no longer holy, but is desecrated by selfish interests, and by a basically separative and conquering nation.
The Rays and the Initiations, p. 754 (written February 1949)
The Christ suffers, however, far more from those in His Own household than from those in the outer world; His work is more impeded by the advanced aspirant than by the intelligent thinker. It was not the cruelty of the outer world of men which caused the depths of sorrow to the Christ; it was His Own disciples, plus the massed sorrow—spread over the entire cycle of living—past, present and future—of humanity.
He comes to correct the mistakes and the misrepresentations of those who have dared to interpret His simple words in terms of their own ignorance, and to recognise those whose faithful service has made His return possible. He too is facing a major test, preparatory to a great initiation and when He has passed the test and fulfilled His task, He will pass to a still more exalted position in the Father’s House or to some distant place of service where only the most exalted can follow Him; [Page 56] His present position will then be taken by the One Whom He has prepared and trained.
But before all this can happen, He must again enter the public arena, play His part in world affairs, and prove the scope of His mission. He will gather round Him, in the flesh, His chosen associates and advisors; these will not be the ones who gathered around in those earlier simpler days but those members of our human family who today recognise Him and are preparing to work with Him as far as in them lies. It is a different world to which He is now planning to return and this is largely due to the intellectual development of the mass of men. This presents Him with stupendous difficulties, for the intellects of men must now be reached and not just their hearts (as in the earlier days) if the Will of God is to be intelligently carried out on Earth. His major task is surely the establishing of right human relations in every department of human living. I would ask you to use your imagination and endeavour to think out what must be the implications of the task which confronts Him; I would ask you to ponder on the difficulties which He must inevitably face—the difficulty, above all, of mass intellectual wrong emphasis.
He, the Representative of the love of God, is asked to work again in the world arena wherein His earlier message has been negated, forgotten or misinterpreted for two thousand years, and wherein hate and separativeness have distinguished all men everywhere. This will plunge Him into a foreign atmosphere and into a situation wherein all His divine resources will be needed, and will have to be tried out to the uttermost. The generally accepted idea that He will return as a triumphant warrior, omnipotent and irresistible, has surely no basis in fact. That He will ultimately lead His people, humanity, [Page 57] into Jerusalem is a fact, founded on a secure foundation, but it will not be into a Jewish city called Jerusalem but into “the place of peace” (as the word “Jerusalem” means). A careful consideration of the world situation today and a dedicated use of the imagination will reveal to the sincere thinker how appalling is the task which He has undertaken. But He has again “set His face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke IX.51.) He will re-appear and guide mankind into a civilisation and a state of consciousness in which right human relations and worldwide cooperation for the good of all will be the universal keynote. He will—through the New Group of World Servers and the men of goodwill—complete His association with the Will of God (His Father’s business) in such a manner that the eternal will-to-good will be translated by humanity into goodwill and right relations. Then His task will be done; He will be free again to leave us, but this time not to return but to leave the world of men in the hands of that great spiritual Server Who will be the new Head of the Hierarchy, the Church Invisible.
This is one of the issues that’s closest to my heart hard and it has been for a long time. So you know my history, I don’t know what to repeat it, but I’m a I’m personally a Holocaust survivor as an infant, um I barely survived, my my my grandparents were killed in Auschwitz, most of my extended family was killed um that’s my personal background
I was recently contacted by a Palestinian woman from Jericho she runs a program for Palestinian children who spend time in Israeli jails, 14 15 16 year olds are jailed for months or years sometimes they can’t see their families for months and she and she runs a program for them you know what she does she meditates with them she does Sufi Sufi dervish dancing with them swirling dancing to bring them out of their stress. she says we don’t have post-traumatic stress disorder here cuz the trauma is never post; the trauma is daily. she said
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Democrats’ Sympathies in Middle East Shift to Palestinians
Americans’ views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have become more polarized as Democrats increasingly commiserate with the Palestinians, while Republicans maintain their solid alignment with the Israelis. The escalation of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities over the past year, resulting in a high number of Palestinians killed, could partly explain the most recent shift in Democrats’ perspective. But Democrats’ waning religiosity may be a factor in the longer-term trend. Sympathy for Israel has historically been highly correlated with religion, with those attending religious services weekly being much more sympathetic to the Israelis than those who seldom or never attend.
October 15, 2023: It took us a week to formulate this statement. We are a movement made up of Jewish and Arab women with diverse opinions and positions, and we found ourselves inside this crazy, threatening, horrible and frightening movie. There are no words in any language to describe what we all went through this past week. We are still searching for the right words that we can share at this moment.
First of all, we mourn the brutal murder, in an indescribable and unforgiveable massacre carried out by Hamas, of over 1300 civilians, babies, children, women, men, the elderly, male and female soldiers, members of the security and rescue forces, among them Arab civilians and soldiers. We wish complete recovery and rehabilitation to the thousands injured in body and soul.
We share the deep sorrow of members of Women Wage Peace who lost family members; we offer support to the members of the movement from the Gaza Envelope who survived the horrific inferno last Saturday; and we are terribly worried about the safety and fate of all those missing, kidnapped and abducted – among them peace activist Vivian Silver from Kibbutz Beeri, a member of Women Wage Peace, and Ditza Heyman from Kibbutz Nir Oz, the mother of movement member, Neta Heiman.
We demand that the Israeli government begin negotiations immediately for the release of all those who were abducted. We call on the Red Cross and the international community to ensure their safety and act for their immediate release.
Despite the rage and pain in the face of the criminal and unforgiveable acts committed by Hamas, including incessant shelling of towns all over Israel, we must not lose human dignity. Even in the most difficult situations, it is our obligation as mothers, as women, as human beings and as an entire nation not to lose basic human values.
We hear words of revenge all the time – “all restraints have been removed”, “we will wipe out Gaza”, “we will act brutally”. But one cannot resolve one injustice with another injustice. We grieve the death of innocent Palestinians, among them hundreds of children, who are being killed in this accursed war. The situation in Gaza is getting worse all the time.
This war proves, more than ever, that the concept of “managing the conflict” failed. The idea that dealing with the resolution of the conflict could be postponed indefinitely has been proved to be fundamentally wrong.
For 9 years since the end of “Operation Protective Edge”, we, Jewish and Arab mothers have been telling the leadership in Israel – enough! We must turn every stone in order to reach a political solution. This is our obligation for the future of our children. This is our obligation to both Israeli and Palestinian children. They deserve a future of security and freedom, not a future of death, war and destruction.
Despite the complexity of the issue, we and the Palestinians have no choice but to strive for a resolution of the conflict. The Palestinian people will not disappear, nor will we.
More wars, bombings, assassinations, arrests and a never-ending cycle of bloodshed will not allow us and our children to live here as normal people. All conflicts in the world have been resolved by peace agreements. Hamas acts to destroy any chance for peace. Hamas has already managed to destroy the negotiations with Saudi Arabia. Hamas must not be allowed to win!
We know these words sound imaginary, naïve and unrealistic, but this is the truth, and we must recognize it. Every mother, Jewish and Arab, gives birth to her children to see them grow and flourish and not to bury them.
That’s why, even today, amidst the pain and the feeling that the belief in peace has collapsed, we extend a hand in peace to the mothers of Gaza and the West Bank.
We mothers, together with women from all over the world, must unite to stop this madness.
It is our obligation to say, even if it is difficult to say this now – Israel must consider its steps and actions responsibly and morally and prevent needless deaths of civilians and soldiers and, at the same time, wherever possible, prevent harm to innocent people in Gaza.
We raise difficult questions and expect answers – ground action, destruction of Gaza, forcing one million Palestinians to flee their homes – will all of this lead to a future of security? And what will happen the day after? Isn’t it essential to deal with the issue of the abductees first? Do our leaders have the answers?
We must maintain and strengthen the solidarity and unity between the Jewish and Arab public in Israel and continue to act against racism and hatred. The Arab public, which has lived for years with the internal conflict of being citizens of Israel and being part of the Palestinian people, rallied in this difficult time of crisis for the sake of the entire society in Israel.
We demand that Israel prevent a flare-up in the West Bank and not allow extremist elements from both sides to incite the region, as has already happened this past week.
Last but not least, we will say that even though this is 2023, there are almost no women in decision-making forums in Israel. This is an intolerable situation that must change. We demand that the negotiation team for the release of the abductees include women. It is not possible that only men run the country during this crisis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZ3VI8TUGY The videoclip of “Home” documents the “The Mothers” as they took part in “The Journey To Peace”. organised by “Women Wage Peace” this last September 2017.
It is imperative for humanity, represented by the United Nations, to prevent the recurrence of the merciless cruelty depicted in the Old Testament during the invasion of Canaan, in the context of the imminent invasion of Gaza.-JB
The invasion of Canaan is a significant event in the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Joshua. According to the narrative, after being led out of Egypt by Moses and spending 40 years in the desert, the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, entered the land of Canaan – the “Promised Land” given to them by God.
The Book of Joshua describes a series of military campaigns against various city-states in Canaan, including the famous Battle of Jericho. The walls of Jericho are said to have fallen after the Israelites marched around the city blowing trumpets for seven days, after which they invaded the city.
There are passages that depict the total destruction of some Canaanite cities and their inhabitants. For example, Joshua 6:21 states: “They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.”
Some additional quotes from the Old Testament that describe the destruction of Canaanite cities:
Deuteronomy 20:16-17: “But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded.”
Numbers 21:3: “And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.”
Joshua 10:40: “So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the LORD God of Israel commanded.”
Joshua 11:11-12: “And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.”
A few more quotes from the Old Testament that detail the destruction of Canaanite cities:
Deuteronomy 7:2: “And when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.”
Joshua 8:24-25: “When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.”
Judges 1:17: “Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah.”
Letters to a Jewish Friend of Christ, annotated by Dr. Michael D. Robbins
The article outlines a series of published and unpublished letters written to Roberto Assagioli (referred to as FCD in the text) by Master DK. The letters detail FCD’s assignment to work with the Jewish people as part of his spiritual mission. This task was seen as integral to achieving world peace.
FCD was tasked with helping the Jewish community move beyond historical complexes and a persecution mindset. He was advised to prepare for this work through study, meditation, writing, and networking. However, he was cautioned against starting with the Zionist movement due to its political motives.
The Jews were regarded as the originators of mankind, dispersed throughout all nations with the hope they would eventually cease to identify as Jews through evolution. However, Zionism became a threat to global harmony, operating under the same evil influences as the Germans.
FCD was encouraged to help the Jews relinquish their desire to return to their ancient homeland and instead embrace a spiritual concept of the Kingdom of God without geographical boundaries. His role involved aiding them to see their situation from a different perspective and adjust their attitudes towards life. However, this was expected to be challenging due to the Jewish community’s deep-seated pride, stubbornness, and intellectual approach to subjects.
FCD’s mission required in-depth thought, study, and a solid foundation for future endeavors. The ultimate goal was to help the Jewish community recognize their responsibilities and faults, and move beyond their past.
Overall, solving the Jewish issue is presented as a significant step towards achieving true world peace, an integral part of Master DK’s spiritual work.
Q: Why did the USA support the creation of Israel in 1948?
A: The United States’ decision to support the creation of Israel in 1948 was influenced by a variety of factors:
Humanitarian Response: The revelations of the Holocaust, where six million Jews were killed during World War II, created an urgent need for a Jewish homeland. Many in the U.S. were sympathetic to the plight of the Jewish survivors and supported the establishment of a state where they could seek refuge.
Political Considerations: The issue of Jewish statehood had significant support among the American public, and thus was a matter of domestic politics as well. President Harry Truman, who was up for re-election, recognized that supporting the creation of Israel would be a popular move.
Strategic Interests: Some policymakers believed that the creation of a pro-Western state in the Middle East would serve U.S. strategic interests, particularly in the context of the emerging Cold War with the Soviet Union.
Religious Beliefs: For some Americans, especially among certain Christian communities, the establishment of a Jewish state in the Holy Land had religious significance, fulfilling Biblical prophecies.
Diplomatic Influence: By being one of the first countries to recognize the State of Israel, the U.S. aimed to gain influence over the new country’s policies.
However, it’s important to note that the decision was not without controversy. Some officials in the State Department and Department of Defense were concerned that supporting the creation of Israel would endanger relations with Arab countries, potentially jeopardizing access to Middle Eastern oil and creating regional instability1.
Footnotes
Spiegel, S. L. (1986). The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict: Making America’s Middle East Policy, from Truman to Reagan. University of Chicago Press. Link↩
Q: Why was the popular support in the USA so high for the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 if Jewish-Americans comprised a small proportion of the electorate?
A: The high level of popular support among Americans for the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, despite Jewish-Americans comprising a small proportion of the electorate, can be attributed to several factors:
Humanitarian Sentiment: The horrors of the Holocaust had a profound impact on global consciousness. Many Americans, regardless of their religious affiliation, were sympathetic to the plight of the Jewish people and supported the idea of a safe homeland for them.
Biblical Connection: For Christian Americans, especially among certain Protestant denominations, the reestablishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine was seen as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. This belief, known as Christian Zionism, contributed significantly to pro-Israel sentiments.
Political Leadership: The stance of U.S. political leaders, including President Harry Truman, who strongly advocated for the establishment of Israel, also influenced public opinion. Truman’s arguments were grounded in humanitarian, moral, and democratic principles, which resonated with many Americans.
Anti-Communism: In the early years of the Cold War, there was a perception that a new Jewish state would be pro-Western and serve as a bulwark against Soviet expansion in the Middle East.
Media Influence: Media coverage in the U.S. of Jewish refugees and the violence in British-controlled Palestine also swayed public sentiment in favor of a Jewish state.
Influence of Jewish-American Community: Despite being a small proportion of the population, Jewish-Americans played a significant role in shaping public opinion through advocacy, lobbying, and fundraising efforts.
It’s important to note that public opinion was not universally in favor of the creation of Israel, and there were debates and disagreements about U.S. policy towards Palestine both within and outside of the government1.
Footnotes
Spiegel, S. L. (1986). The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict: Making America’s Middle East Policy, from Truman to Reagan. University of Chicago Press. ↩
Q: Did Jewish-Americans control many media outlets n the USA in the 1940s?
A: The claim that Jewish-Americans controlled many media outlets in the USA during the 1940s is a complex one and requires a nuanced understanding of the time period and the media landscape.
It’s important to note that allegations of Jewish control over media have been used as anti-Semitic tropes throughout history, and such blanket statements can be misleading and harmful.
That being said, it is true that some Jewish-Americans held prominent positions in the American media industry during the 1940s. For example, the Warner brothers, who were Jewish, led Warner Bros. Studios, and Adolph Zukor, a Jewish immigrant, was a key figure at Paramount Pictures. Similarly, in the newspaper industry, Jewish-Americans like Arthur Hays Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, held significant influence1.
However, the presence of individuals of Jewish descent in leadership roles within media companies does not equate to “control” of the media by Jewish-Americans as a whole. Media organizations are complex entities influenced by a diverse range of factors including market demands, government regulations, and individual editorial policies.
Therefore, while it’s accurate to say that Jewish-Americans were represented in the media industry, it would be inaccurate and overly simplistic to suggest that they “controlled” many media outlets in the 1940s.
Footnotes
Gabler, N. (1989). An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood. Crown. Link↩
Q: Is it fair to say that Jewish-Americans had more influence in the American media industry than Palestine-Americans in the 1940s?
A: Yes, it is fair to say that Jewish-Americans had more influence in the American media industry than Palestinian-Americans in the 1940s. Historically, Jewish immigrants and their descendants have played a significant role in the development of the U.S. film industry, as well as other media sectors1,2.
In contrast, the Palestinian-American community was much smaller and less established during this period. The first significant wave of Palestinian immigration to the United States didn’t occur until after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, which is after the time frame in question3. Therefore, their influence in American media during the 1940s would have been considerably less.
However, it’s important to note that influence in the media industry does not directly translate into control over public opinion or policy decisions. Media content is shaped by a variety of factors, including audience preferences, economic considerations, and societal norms.
Support for a two-state solution among Palestinians and Israelis declines to just one-third on each side, along with growing opposition to the detailed items of a permanent peace agreement for implementing a two-state solution. Slightly more Israeli Jews support one unequal state under Israeli rule than the two-state solution; but both publics still prefer two states to any other democratic framework for resolving the conflict. Pairs of reciprocal incentives can raise support somewhat on both sides, showing some flexibility particularly among the Israelis. But trust is declining to new low points, and a majority of Palestinians reject four proposed confidence building measures while a majority of Israelis accepts half of them.
Set on the backdrop of mideast conflict, Jeffrey Brown profiles the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a musical ensemble that brings Israelis, Palestinians and other Arab citizens together for a common goal of creativity and maybe more. He talks to their founder, renowned conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim.
Our message of peace must be louder than ever. The greatest danger is that all the people who so ardently desire peace will be drowned out by extremists and violence. But any analysis, any moral equation we might draw up, must have as its core this basic understanding: there are people on both sides. Humanity is universal and the recognition of this truth on both sides is the only way. The suffering of innocent people on either side is absolutely unbearable.
