The Gaza slaughter has spiraled out of control. Meanwhile, the war machine is not slowing down. Back in October, I reached out to Detroit Jewish activist Rene Lichtman, to get his take.

Rene is sometimes perceived to be ‘too direct’. Rene is a child holocaust survivor, but probably more importantly, he holds an informed and outspoken opinion on Jewish and world affairs. He has recently been in France, preserving details of the WWII Nazi occupation.

Given the Gaza flare-up of Oct 7th, I had a first conversation on the topic with Rene on Oct 18^th. I didn’t initially publish this article, in part because it was so shocking. But now, so much of what he said is ringing true. Additionally, since then, Rene has been called out by local Jewish authority in what he considers an act of Jewish McCarthyism. Hence, he is no longer a featured speaker at the Zekelman Holocaust Center.

Interview on the Gaza Slaughter

Following is content from that interview. A secondary article is anticipated. Herein, my commentary and questions are in black, and Rene’s words are red.

What’s your top-of-mind take on this Oct 7^th attack and the fallout?

We see mixed up hypocrites and liars. It’s unbelievable no one is helping the Palestinians, while any criticism of Israel is aggressively attacked as antisemitism. Notice how Biden is not calling for a cease fire or peace. America’s immediate response is to pledge full support and give them more weapons. It’s guns over children.

How can this Gaza slaughter make sense, waging a new war for the sake of humanity?

Really, it cannot. The simple, sad answer that supports the charade is still oil derived money and power. (Rene rubs the thumb and first fingers of his hand together in the common symbol for money.) Why are the battleships headed to Israel? Oil. The oil business from which the US and Israel wildly profit. Bombs will rain on anybody that threatens the oil supply. This is another badge on capitalism.

I hope you’ll read and remember Norman Finkelstein. He’s a hero. And such a justice advocate. He’s essentially blacklisted, and people are even less likely to hear about him given today’s tightening restrictions on the 1^st Amendment. You won’t see him on MSNBC. Now it is strictly corporate media, with very little real news. Information is still coming through YouTube and hopefully that doesn’t get stopped.

Finkelstein has been researching and documenting the Israeli treatment of Palestinians in Gaza for many years, and of course he’s active now. Additionally, Rene draws from intellectual activist Noam Chomsky.

So, to be sure, Israel includes Gaza and the West Bank?

Per international law, yes. Israel includes the West Bank and Gaza. These are areas Israel helped construct and define, and they control all that happens there.  It has been ramping up to this for twenty years. Gaza is about two million people and Israel is ready and willing to kill them all, even if about half are children. The West Bank is basically another faction.

Unfortunately, Hamas does represent Israel’s Palestinians. Hamas was elected, which Israel helped coordinate, when the PLO was kicked out. However, Hamas is a religious organization; they cannot comprehend democracy. There is no separation of church and state, and in many respects it’s the same for Israel, and increasingly the USA.

Biden is fond of saying “you don’t have to be Jewish to be a Zionist”. How does today’s situation play into Zionism?

Zionism is the Jewish right-wing evolution into terrorism. Read up on Meir Kahane to learn how it started. Zionism represents religion that has gone openly racist and moved into genocide. The US and Israel support each other’s propaganda machines. Netanyahu is like Trump in America, willing to do anything to establish full fascist control. And Biden embraces Netanyahu, just like he embraces the Trump-controlled GOP.

Is the world ‘sleep-walking’ to some full war?

This Gaza event might be just another blip along the way, but it’s a big one. So, yes. But it is deliberate, not sleepwalking. World order is at stake. The neocon-led USA must be #1 militarily, so they anticipate war with China.

So, who starts or how does a final war start?

There’s only been one use of nuclear and the US used it on other people of color. The next one will be tactical rather than a big bang, probably much more deadly.

How can the big war be avoided?

It’s not clear in can be. It would first be acknowledging the USA is the core and source of endless war. Years ago, Eisenhauer warned of the military industrial complex, and it dominates today. The USA has grown it into 800 plus military bases around the world, when the most any other country has is three.

Thank you for the insights and context, Rene. I’m glad to see you are well and remaining consistent in your forthright opinions.

Beware Calls to Expand the Gaza Slaughter

There is immediately a growing push for escalation. At once, it is demanded by Israel and promoted by American politicians. America’s hawkish case for more is now spearheaded by Lindsey Graham and John Bolton, who are actively garnering support from others for a direct attack on Iran. Of course, these two are narcissist-proud to be the tip of the spear.