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The WSJ mentioned last Thursday some of the Hamas asks regarding hostage release. Their usual formula is all Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the captured IDF soldiers. However, the article said this: "Hamas told the negotiators it was ready to extend the truce by an additional four days, the officials said, and discuss the release of fighting-age men in exchange for senior Palestinians jailed in Israel." It's been clear for a long time that the exchange ratio for soldiers would be more akin to the Gilad Shalit case. Does "senior Palestinians" mean political prisoners such as Marwan Barghouti?

Where did I deny the existence of tunnels? However, disproportionate killing is undeniable. Instead of bunker busters, IDF should use their technology to enter the tunnels instead of destroying them. Maybe they can find traces of hostage presence in the process. Bunker busters might kill hostages instead of Hamas people. As for whether they finish al-Shifa off with bombs remains to be seen. So far they are doing a good job of making hospitals unable to function.

If you had looked at the post above, this link was there: https://www.btselem.org/administrative_detention

Well, the settlers and Ben Gvir are working on it.

Your alternative reality?

Maybe Netanyahu is quite content to see Biden twist in the wind in the expectation that young US voters will abandon Biden in 2024 and Trump will win, so that the Greater Israel project can forge ahead full speed.

Didn't he also go to the Sinai side of the Rafah crossing? I have covered administrative detention in a response to Morch above.

Apparently the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem does not agree with you: https://www.btselem.org/administrative_detention A two-state solution for now is the only way to stop this cycle of violence. Maybe in the future, Israel will deal with the apartheid within its borders. Then a one-state solution would be feasible if people wanted that. I believe that Putin did not go to South Africa and sent Lavrov instead.

Somewhere back in this topic I suggested a veto override mechanism. UN Charter followed the WW I outmoded concept of victors dictating to the world, so the "powers" were the countries given veto power in the SC. Two of these were European colonial powers at the time - Britain and France, while the US was supposedly advocating abolition of colonies. In spite of its veto power, USSR was not able to block the UN authorized defense of South Korea, while China a/k/a Taiwan was irrelevant back then. Nowadays China & Russia seem to have imperial ambitions.

This sounds really paranoid. Are getting worried that the two-state solution might actually happen?

It seems odd that Cato Institute would favor another war, but supporters of the Israeli government's agenda on Iran want to get into any organization where they can have a platform to influence opinion of various elites.

The IDF includes settler militants. That may explain why we can see settlers committing murder why IDF soldiers look on.

First of all, are the Arab Israelis also Zionists? Maybe you will claim that the Druze are Zionists??? It's not fair to accuse all Israelis for this mass murder. There are a few Israelis who still believe in peace and justice for the Palestinians. The criminals like Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Smotrich are certainly Zionists. Zionism went criminal as far back as the 1930s.

10 Commandments: I find it ironic that the whole settler enterprise is spearheaded by "religious" Jews, who commit murder, etc, with government-issued weapons. Long before this, a settler murdered Rabin. Supposedly blessed by a rabbi? So as to Arafat's religiosity, that is not the point on which to judge the question of his concern for the Muslim community's interest in Jerusalem. Muslims are more or less religious, but they all have a high concern about Jerusalem IMO.

Let's wait to pass judgement until there can be international observers who can look freely, not on an IDF guided tour. That would mean that IDF should hold off on dropping bunker busters on al-Shifa.

Absolutely. So it's not something that can happen when major issues such as Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine are in flux.

In these administrative detentions by the IDF, there is no proceeding with an accusation and presentation of evidence, so there's no avenue for appeal. It's of course regarded as illegal under international law, but Israel acts with impunity. As for ICC, I cited the Putin case to show that what you said is incorrect. As regards Israel in the occupied territories, it's permission is not required for its bad actors, including Netanyahu, to be indicted by the ICC. The cases against Israel will move forward when international opprobrium reaches a point where the ICC prosecutor risks becoming an anathema to the UN system. Action by the ICC would add to the momentum for a just peace, where the sovereignty of a Palestinian state would remove the root factors which led to the birth of Hamas and the continuing relevance of its ideology (whether or not Hamas continues to exist as a formal entity).

No terrorists in (bomb)sight.

These leaders on both sides from 1947 on bear ultimate responsibility for acts committed in total violation of the 10 Commandments. In the end, the only peace possible will be one imposed by the international community after the US ends up isolated from not only the Global South, but most of the G7 nations. The last holdout there will probably be the UK, which bears historical responsibility for the current mess.

Still waiting for real evidence that Hamas was using hospitals for military bases.

I looked at the link, and don't see any countering, unless you mean a denial by Jonathan Conricus, blaming the victims pap. The link in question: https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-using-big-bombs-weighing-1-000-to-2-000-pounds-gaza-report-2023-11?r=US&IR=T

I just remember "Swiss cheese" from leaks at the time (2000). There were three cantons proposed, not including East Jerusalem. See sections 'Territorial contiguity' and 'East Jerusalem' in: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Camp_David_Summit The proposal on the table wasn't acceptable to the Palestinians, so then the White House put forth the Clinton Parameters to bridge the gaps. Israel issued 20 pages of reservations. Idem: 'Aftermath' Arafat was feeling responsible not only to his own people, but to all Muslims, so the Jerusalem provisions were crucial in the failure of Camp David. IMO.

At least there should be the possibility of overriding a veto, or limiting the ability to veto when the country wanting to veto is tne cause of the resolution. I wonder whether any historian has made a thorough study of the twists and turns in the drafting of the UN Charter.

Maybe it takes someone to appeal a judgement for the Israeli Supreme Court to act. The military invetigating itself does not lead to a verdict in the case of military bad actors. Concerning the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh, there is abundant evidence for it, i.e. prima facie. It's a prime example of IDF impunity. Now you divert to captive Palestinians. Those under administrative detention, now 1300 people, can be held up to 20 years without knowing why the are held, with no means of challenging their detention in court. So no way to appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court. As for your claim about ICC, it has indicted Vladimir Putin. It did not need Russia's permission to do so. The occupied territories are covered by the Rome Statute since 1 January 2015. I don't know whether prior war crimes, etc, could be prosecuted, but many activities are ongoing, so acts previous to 2015, such as the settlements, would nonetheless be covered IMO. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/icc-has-jurisdiction-over-palestinian-territories/2135545 The US in particular has been very active in attempting to undermine the ICC regarding Israel: https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-international-criminal-courts-failure-to-hold-israel-accountable/

Maybe the problem is that military law inherited from the British applies to Palestinians in the West Bank, so when war crimes happen, the military investigates itself with predictable outcome, even when there is video evidence. The murder of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist, has been referred to the ICC, which has jurisdiction in the West Bank (and Gaza).