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It's for real. and here's the NY Times story with a link that bypasses the paywall Why the Discredited Dossier Does Not Undercut the Russia Investigation Former President Donald J. Trump and his allies have stepped up an effort to conflate the so-called Steele dossier with the Russia investigation following the indictment of a researcher for the document on charges that he lied to the F.B.I. about some of its sources. Mr. Trump and his supporters have long sought to use the flaws of the dossier to discredit the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election — and the nature of numerous links between Russia and the Trump campaign — as a “hoax.” But the available evidence indicates that the dossier was largely tangential to the Russia investigation. https://archive.md/2fHH5#selection-404.0-523.106 Here's one from CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/18/politics/steele-dossier-reckoning/index.html

"that is why Trump seems to be increasing in the polls with each ensuing new indictment," To you, it may seem that way, but in reality, not. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/

Trump’s fraudulent financial statements were key to getting loans, former bank official says https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/donald-trumps-fraudulent-financial-statements-were-key-to-getting-loans-former-bank-official-says

Did you note the comment made by one right wing member who claimed that even though in the transcript Biden's words were clear in their meaning, when he spoke them they made no sense? And he had the temerity to accuse Biden of being confused.

Given the absence of U.S. troops how would that be accomplished without actually bringing in more troops and staying indefinitely. Magic?

So they should have stayed until women's rights were guaranteed? Given that only 40% of US troops remained after the Trump withdrawal, short of sending troops back in, how could that have been accomplished?

I think you're seriously confused. You claim that the US shouldn't have been there but apparently you also are claiming that it shouldn't have left. Make up your mind.

Really? What's pathetic is that you can't acknowledge the reality of the huge role the Trump administration played in the downfall of Afghanistan. The withdrawal of 60% of American troops. And those remaining removed from the front lines. The release of almost 5000 Taliban prisoners. The withdrawal deadline of all US troops by May 1, 2021.

So,to recap, it-will-still-be-bad-but-maybe-better followed by it-could-be-worse.

According to official Palestinian and Israeli statistics, about 18,000 Palestinian workers from Gaza work in various Israeli cities, of whom 9,000 exit daily through the Erez crossing. https://www.newarab.com/news/israels-collective-punishment-focuses-gazas-workers

So if things go as they did in the past when these relative moderates were running things, treatment of the Palestinians will still get worse, but more slowly.

Given what it looks like Israel is about to do, this time looks different. A lot worse. Had there been a Hezbollah the first time, the outcome might have been different.

And the Trump administration bears no responsibility for this?

Because bias is sensible? Because the most enthusiastic supporters of Israel outside of Israel are not Jews but evangelical Christians. And are amoral and nihilistic people mostly or only Jews? That you can make such an assumption clearly means that you are an anti-semite.

Is that your answer to how Israel has treated the Palestinians?

Now you demonstrate your absolute lack of familiarity of how Israel has treated and is treating the Palestinians by invoking nonsense.

'medium-long term". It is to laugh. Tell that to the Palestians living in what has been described as an "open-air prison. And another howler: say as things are in the West Bank, or how they used to be previously As for Egypt, the ruling government's policy towards Israel is not popular with the most Egyptians. Given that the standard of living for most Egyptians is declining while the military kleptocracy keeps expanding its grip on the economy, it will indeed be interesting to see how the Egyptian government relates to Israel in the future.

This is laughable. Right from the start of Israel's occupation of the West Bank, it engaged in a massive campaign to make Palestinians lead a miserable existence via deeply discriminatory laws. And destruction of Palestinians villages and homes. Denials of equal access to water. And, of course the settlers. Severely limiting the right of Palestinians to open businesses. And so forth.

But anti-government why? Because of the way successive Israeli administrations have treated the Palestinians? You think this desire to depose the government is based on deep self-reflection on the part of Jewish Israelis? I think it's obvious that this isn't the case.

There was no Hezbollah during the siege of Beirut. And as for the destruction of a large neighborhood, rather a small neighborhood compared to Gaza. And maybe 1300 Lebanese civilians were killed. What is likely to happen is an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. It seems unlikely that the Israelis will come to their senses.

Clearly, you are unfamiliar with how the Israelis have treated the Palestinians for the past 50 something years. And if you think that a change in attitude among Palestinians could happen without major changes in the way that Israel treats them, think again.

And that's a guarantee of success? I'm on my mobile phone right now but there's an article in the New York times about how well those fleets may currently serve as a deterrent, pressure will build on Hezbollah to take action if the carnage becomes more severe. And most likely, it will become a lot more severe.

Well, it may eliminate Hamas, but unless the conditions that led to Hamas are changed, a similar organization will most likely arise to replace it.

Here's a snippet from a post by Amos Harel of Haaretz, cited by Friedman. "There is an unusual combination of people at the top in Israel. On one hand, there is an unfit prime minister, a nearly Shakespearean figure who is facing the personal danger of an ignominious conclusion to an arguably brilliant career. Facing him are a military brass who are smitten and consumed with guilt feelings (and if only Netanyahu would bother displaying a smidgen of that). That’s not a perfect recipe for considered decision-making." https://archive.ph/nzrH8#selection-1447.49-1447.493

Here's a few points raised by Thomas Friedman that point out the deep irrationality behind the presumably impending invasion of Gaza. "Just ask this question: If Israel announced today that it was forgoing, for now, a full-blown invasion of Gaza, who would be happy, and who would be relieved, and who would be upset? Iran would be totally frustrated, Hezbollah would be disappointed, Hamas would feel devastated — its whole war plan came to naught — and Vladimir Putin would be crushed, because Israel would not be burning up ammunition and weapons the U.S. needs to be sending to Ukraine. The settlers in the West Bank would be enraged." https://archive.ph/bpZcO Not only is it remarkable for his rare display of common sense, but also for the fact that he no longer refers to Netanyahu as "Bibi"