HOTEL GAZAFORNIA: YOU CAN CHECK OUT ANY TIME YOU LIKE, BUT YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE

 

ADOLF HITLER AND HEINRICH HIMMLER must be jumping for joy and high-fiving amid the fires of Hell where their black souls are sequestered for an eternity or two. Why do I say this? Check out what an Israeli parliamentarian, a member in good standing in the Knesset, said last week. It’s a short clip at the 10:05 mark on Judge Napolitano’s go-to "Judging Freedom" YouTube channel. Judge Nap interviewed retired American diplomat Chas Freeman and asked him to comment on MP Zvika Fogel’s poisonous rant. Ambassador Freeman says:

 

“Well, it's both the best impersonation of a Nazi that I've ever seen and it does represent the government policy of Israel. That's why they're talking about building concentration camps as a way to expel  the Palestinians from that part of Palestine. Meanwhile, of course, while no one's watching, they're busily expelling everybody from the West Bank. There's quite an effort going on there to achieve what is called ‘transfer’, which is ethnic cleansing and expulsion. So, you know, one of the crazy things that's been going on is that normally when you deal with genocide, you have great trouble demonstrating intent, but [here] there's no question about the intent. You just heard it. That is, as I said, the best demonstration of Nazilike thinking that you could possibly imagine. And it is now the majority opinion in Israel.” (ret. U.S. Ambassador, Chas Freeman on the "Judging Freedom" podcast, 8 July 2025)

 

THE "CONCENTRATION CAMP" plan the ambassador mentions comes from the very real, recent proposal by Israel’s  Defence Minister, Israel Katz, to establish a “humanitarian city”, as he calls it, in the southern Gaza district of Rafah near the border with Egypt. The first stage of the plan is to entrap house several hundred thousand Palestinians from the local area inside a fenced off zone and keep them there until they ‘voluntarily’ choose to leave Gaza or until other arrangements can be made to “transfer” them abroad to a country willing to host them. [That's a war crime, the forced displacement of an indigenous population from their homeland. Ed.] To this end, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will build feeding stations and work with “partners” to construct housing (tents, actually), water and sanitation facilities, medical clinics and even a school. It will be policed internally by mercenaries private contractors while outside the fence, IDF soldiers keep watch. The idea, according to Israel Katz*, is to screen all entrants, digitally identify and “tag” them, and arrest any Hamas militants that may be uncovered during the screening process. Food and humanitarian aid would, of course, be distributed inside the camps. And, one more thing: once you enter the camps, you can never leave (except for 'voluntary' migration outside of Gaza and the state of Israel).

 

    "Barbed Wire" by David Ludwig Bloch

THIS FIRST prison camp will be a demonstration model where all the kinks in the system can be worked out. Minister Katz envisions that the place, and others like it, will eventually come to house two million Palestinian Gazans. These are “transition” camps, temporary stops for inmates as they make their way out the door and out of Gaza forever. Where they will go is a good question. Recall that in 2024 Egypt constructed a sixteen-square-kilometer fenced-off area abutting the Rafah Crossing into Gaza. I’d like to think they cleared the land for vegetable and flower gardens but it’s probably more likely the Egyptian President El-Sisi cucked to pressure from the Biden administration and threats and cajolement (aka “bribes”) from the Israelis and new Trump administration to prepare for an eventual exodus into the Sinai of some or all of the Gazan population. And Egypt may not be the only potential 'landing pad' for all those Palestinians soon to be bottled up in concentration camps in southern Gaza. I read recently that Cyprus may be petitioned to set up reciprocal “transition” camps to help Israel offshore its unwanted millions. We’ll have to wait and see which governments cuck first to the U.S. and its Levantine pit bull. It should be noted: There’s a fair bit of walking around money to be had in offshore oil and gas fields. Will Israel work a deal with Cyprus to share in the petroleum profits with a quid pro quo that Cyprus take in Gazans? Stay tuned.

 

👉ONE HOLD-UP to Minister Gatz’s wet dream of Gaza ethnically cleansed of Palestinians is that he needs a sixty-day ceasefire with Hamas to give him time to build his “humanitarian city" that will be sited atop the ruins of Rafah. It should come as no surprise that the idea of screening and “concentrating” Gaza’s population into IDF-controlled camps doesn’t sit well with Hamas and, so far, there is no ceasefire agreed upon, though negotiations continue in Doha. If the camps are filled with non-combatants, it stands to reason that anyone outside the camps will be considered a militant, whether they are one or not. And it’s quite probable that many Palestinians will refuse to enter the camps because they see what fate has in store for them behind the wire, meaning they will be considered “militants” by the IDF and treated as legitimate targets. 

Ethnic cleansing is still very much on the agenda in Tel Aviv and in Washington. Recall that the American president mused earlier this year about "deporting" Palestinians from Gaza, taking over the Gaza Strip and turning it into a "Riviera of the Middle East", with "big and beautiful" condos and casinos.

 

Pipe dream though that is, there are serious players in West Asia and elsewhere who are interested in turning Israel and Gaza into an "energy and commercial hub" with rail lines, oil and gas pipelines, and shipping lanes linking India, the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia Israeli ports⁺ and eastern Europe. The proposal by the Balsillie Paper think tank [see above link] envisions a rebuilt Gaza with Palestinians participating in an energy and commercial network (the "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor"), and by having Gazans share in the growing regional prosperity, the besieged Palestinian enclave would stand a better chance at becoming a stable and peaceful entity. Growing indigenous Palestinian wealth is a legitimate goal which should be discussed and analyzed. But, I don't see the Israelis wanting to share their toys with the Palestinians. Do you? Their racist project of ethnic cleansing and genocide has gone too far. Too much blood has been spilled. And the IMEC corridor, should it ever come to pass, would bring onto the scene global financial interests and energy corporations whose bottom lines might not be in the best interests of Palestinians. So, there's that. If I were to hazard a guess, by the time either Trump or an IMEC consortium ever break ground to redevelop Gaza, there will be no Palestinians left; they will be gone, one way or another. 

👉BUT, FIRST THINGS FIRST. Minister Katz’s plan for a “humanitarian city” in Rafah, something Ambassador Freeman sardonically calls: “Auschwitz on the Mediterranean”, is still on the drawing board. How long it will stay there, we’ll have to wait and see. Don't forget, the defence minister needs a ceasefire so he can build his concentration camp that's slated to hold several-hundred-thousand Gazans. So far, no ceasefire is in the offing. 

👉Who would have imagined in this bright, new century of ours that Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants would be complicit in creating the same type of system under which so many of their relatives were murdered by the Nazis during WWII? It's not exactly the Circle of Life, is it? (Circle of Death is more like it.)

 

    GHF aid station June 15, 2025

EACH DAY IN GAZA, dozens of people are killed by Israeli bombs and gunfire--often the figure is over 100 dead, mostly women and children. And since the end of May, around 780 Palestinians have been killed near the four Gazan Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) feeding stations and five-thousand-five-hundred have been wounded attempting to receive food aid.  What kind of humanitarian aid system is this, where people risk their lives for a box of food?! ANSWER: It's not humanitarian aid. It's cheese in a mousetrap, and there are so, so many hungry mice everywhere. As I mentioned in a previous post,  the GHF stations are purposely designed to induce stress and strife among Palestinians entering them, thus creating an inherently unstable environment where IDF troops are given license to fire on the crowds. But, I'm sure the "humanitarian city" Israel Gatz hopes to set up will be better organized and all the nutritional, medical, social, and psychological  needs of Palestinians living inside the wire will be met in a robust and forthright manner. 😝 Yeah, right. Fuck Israel.

 

Cheers, Jake. ____________________________________ 

 

* One Haaretz newspaper wag suggests calling it “Camp Israel” after the innovative and forward-thinking Israeli defence minister.

+ The main Israeli port of Haifa and a proposed Gazan port.  $$$$$$$$$$$$

 

    "Maus" by Art Spiegleman

 

 

 

 

 

RANT: SILENCE IS GOLDEN. BUT IS IT?

  

 

FOR THOSE WHO LIKE their dystopian stories set to a slower simmer, here’s an example from everyone's favourite soap opera, “Our World and You’re Not in It”. 

So, the British government this past week has proscribed the nationalist, non-violent, direct-action protest group, “Palestine Action”, labeling it a "terrorist" organization. And that’s not just a slur. It comes with serious consequences.

Last month, two members of PA, riding motor scooters, gained access to the RAF Rinze Norton base in Oxfordshire, about 121 kms. NW of London. Under the cloak of night, they sprayed red paint onto the wings and engines of two Airbus Voyager transport planes. A spokesperson for the group said they targeted the aircraft because they are used for transport and refueling operations in support of Israel's on-going genocide in Gaza. The group’s spokesperson states that their actions:

 

“…have interrupted Britain’s direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.” They go on to say: “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets.” In a further statement PA said, ““We represent every person who stands for Palestinian liberation. If they want to ban us, they ban us all.” (The Guardian, June 20/25)

 

IT IS IMPORTANT to note that the direct-action group targets the physical assets of empire—not people. PA targets multinational arms dealers and corporate banks. In 2024, for example, PA activists staged over twenty protests at a factory in Shenstone that makes drone components for the Israeli military,  “blockading the gates, occupying the roof and smashing up machinery.” UAV Engines, the British subsidiary of Israeli arms manufacturer, Elbit Industries^*, makes “85%” of Israel’s drone fleet and though the company says it makes components exclusively for the British army “trade data shows it exports drone parts to Israel.” (The Guardian)

For their efforts combating the Israeli death machine, Palestine Action has been designated by the British government a “terrorist” organization under the Terrorism Act 2000. This means it is now illegal to join, fund, or express support for the group. And Palestine Action is banned from any and all activity, protests, or direct actions. Meanwhile, four of its members have been charged with  “…conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977.” (The Guardian)

Following the arrests, supporters of AP in London, staging a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, were arrested for supporting a proscribed group. The arrests included an 83-year-old retired minister. Lawyer Tim Crosland, another protestor who was arrested, said:

 

“There are already 18 Palestine Actionists held in UK prisons without a trial… If we cannot speak freely about the genocide of Palestinians, if we cannot condemn those who enable it and praise those who resist it, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning, and democracy in this country is dead.” (Daily Mail)

 

 An expert panel from the UN Human Rights Council (which included Francesca Albanese) in a statement warned of “disproportionate penalties of up to 14 years in prison could apply” even for wearing a “Palestine Action” tee-shirt in public. The HRC panel said:

 

“These offences would criminalize legitimate activities by innocent members of the group that do not contribute in any way to property damage by other members, let alone 'terrorism' which, if properly defined, the group has not committed.... Mere property damage, without endangering life, is not sufficiently serious to qualify as terrorism.” (United Nations Human rights Council)

 

SO, where this all goes is anybody’s guess, but it’ll probably be to a place that is a whole lot less comfortable to live in.

AND a final bit of Kafkaesque icing to slather atop this fruitcake comes from the British Parliament during a July 2/25 debate when Independent MP Sarah Sultana concluded her remarks by saying:

“We have to recognize that this will go down as a dark day in our country’s history and one that will be remembered: people will ask: ‘Which side were you on?’ and I stand with the millions of people who oppose genocide, because I am one of them. I oppose the blood-soaked hands of this government trying to silence us. So, I say this loudly and proudly on Wednesday 2 July 2025: We are all Palestine Action.” 

 

 Palestine Action Website transferred to others outside the UK

👉The interesting thing, which is actually somewhat alarming, was that her speech, recorded by parliamentary video cameras, was edited in Hansard, the official transcript of parliamentary debates. The words “Palestine Action” were deleted from the official print record. Small beer? So what? You say. Yes, it is a bit in the weeds and fodder mostly for nerds and sticklers, but if the government censors and starts to “memory hole” what parliamentarians are saying⁺  (in a real sense their words are for posterity) where does the censorship end? Answer: It ends as far as they can go until we finally stop them. 

 

TODAY, we are faced with censorious “hate” speech laws, or laws that limit public protest, or tech censorship in one form or another across IT platforms, and perhaps most insidious, self-censorship. Challenging these new laws that clamp down on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest all come with possible real-world penalties, like losing your job, or not getting tenure, or  receiving onerous fines, even jail time. Being critical of Israel, for example, and saying so publicly, can get you labeled as "antisemitic" and charged with a "hate crime". For attending a pro-Palestine rally at your university campus, you can get deported from the United States if you're an overseas student studying there. Domestic students attending a rally may find themselves expelled or barred from campus. Think about that.  

 

We live in a time when governments are scrambling to control populations that are increasingly fractious and angry with political parties and politicians that ignore the will of the people and adopt policies they do not favour.

 👉GOVERNMENTS and institutions in democracies throughout the West are clamping down on critical speech and rational dialogue in favour of diatribes and platitudes. Shamefully, our politicians seem to lie all the time. Black is white. Up is down. Or at least it seems to me. At any rate, it's a safe bet the powers-that-be are just getting started. Buckle up!

 

Cheers, Jake. ____________________________________

  

* The firm made bicycles until the 1990s. Those were the ones that came with the optional mini rocket launchers.

+ “In George Orwell's 1984, a ‘memory hole’ is a physical opening in the wall connected to a chute that leads to an incinerator. It's used by the Party's Ministry of Truth to discard any documents, photographs, or records that contradict current Party dogma or have become inconvenient. This process effectively erases them from history and memory, allowing the Party to maintain control by rewriting the past to suit its needs.” (Google A-I)¹

 

1.   I have to admit the darn A-I gave a helpful answer to my “What is a memory hole?” query (which I thought might be Orwell). Okay. Not bad. For a machine. Yea. Thanks. That was helpful. Alright. Just as long as you don’t link up with other A-Is and go ‘Sky Net’ on us!