Mumsnet could do better (part trois)

[EllaDisenchanted]

Hello all, decompression thread 3️⃣

@Humdingerydoo "But I also really don't want to post on that board today. Sorry"

Me neither and probably not for a while too. Couple of you know why!

Another reason is I plan to put together something about how people become terrorists plus I'm also getting viewing requests for my house!🙈

You're right so I had it withdrawn. I will be taking a break as well. They just want an echo chamber and I am fed up with the points scoring.

I'm going to spend more time on the cat board :)

I was going to make a joke about how maybe we should ask MN to start a chicken board but it turns out there already is one. So I'll be spending a fair amount of time lurking on there now!

I just have to avoid those boards for my own sanity.

I have seen first hand the damage that has been done to, and the sacrifice that has been made by, some very brave young people fighting for their country’s right to exist. It’s very easy to be offensive, provocative and reactionary on an anonymous message board when you have your ‘friends’ echoing the same nonsense. I’d love to see how many of them would put their heads above the parapet when called upon. I’m sure most would be busy washing their hair!

Here's an interesting opinion piece from the WSJ about the strategic considerations regarding a war between Israel and Iran's proxy, Hezbollah.

War Between Israel and Iran Is Inevitable The question is now or later. Strategy argues for now, even if the politics might be better later.

The author, a former Naval officer now at a think tank, argues that sooner would be better than later for Israel. The only obvious flaw I see in his logic is that the IDF is already heavily committed in Gaza, and fighting a two-front war has historically been a very poor strategy. But hey ho, he was a naval officer. 😁

If I'm honest, I don't know whether the IDF has sufficient combat power to do both tasks at the same time or not. But fighting two different enemies simultaneously is a very risky business.

Very interesting article, @MissConductUS! I'll admit it would have been much easier reading this at any time before the last month, for me.

The writer talked about the strategic straitjacket imposed on Israel, largely due to what he called "American strategic irrationality". That does worry me as another expert, John Spencer also former US military & Dr Jacob Stoil, said Hamas' goal was to separate Israel from the USA:

"So why has Hamas refused a ceasefire now in Gaza?

Simple: They think their strategy is going to work.

They believe the United States will keep Israel out of Rafah, or that if Israel operates in Rafah, it will risk a strategic rupture with its only ally in the United Nations Security Council. Either way, Hamas potentially walks away with a strategic victory.

Without operations in Rafah, Israel will be forced to accept outlandish demands for the return of the hostages. Moreover, Hamas will survive and emerge as the only Palestinian organization to defeat Israel.

As it becomes increasingly clear that the United States has little stomach for an Israeli incursion into Rafah, Hamas has no reason to negotiate the terms of a ceasefire. It does not care about the interest of the Gazans. Hamas can maximize its gains with faith that the United States will ultimately impose a ceasefire on Israel. In the unlikely event that the Hamas assumptions about the United States start to prove false, they could attempt further delays of the Israeli offensive into southern Gaza by coming back to the table.

As long as the United States seems opposed to an Israeli entry into Rafah, Hamas' leadership can sleep relatively soundly in their tunnels and refuse to negotiate.

Ultimately, Hamas' strategy and unwillingness to negotiate is entirely dependent on the United States acting as Hamas wants—an outcome that looks increasingly likely. This means that the key actor in determining whether Hamas will come to the table and whether a ceasefire is possible is not Israel but the United States.

Without the realistic threat of an Israeli operation in Rafah, Hamas has no reason to seek a ceasefire, and given Hamas' strategy, there can be no truly lasting ceasefire if Hamas can return to control Gaza.

In other words, while the road to a lasting ceasefire in Gaza may run through Rafah, its first stop is in Washington."

I agree it's very difficult to fight a war on two or more fronts - military history has plenty of examples where it often fails. Sometimes it doesn't fail, e.g. galvanises a previously dithering ally into action.

But, on balance, I think he's right that "The strategic conditions aren’t ideal, but waiting won’t make them any better."

Taking the bull by the horns and all that.

For those of us here who know at least person in the IDF they care about, the prospect of a direct war with Hezbollah is worrying. It's a very anxious time.

@DownNative, I was interested in reading the full analysis you quoted from and found it here:

The Road to Ceasefire Leads Through the Rafah Offensive | Opinion

I agree that Hamas is trying to separate Israel from the U.S. Hamas directly supported and encouraged the protests on university campuses here last spring. They were both pro-Hamas/Palestinian and anti-Israel. Biden is in the election fight of his life currently and is greatly worried about losing young voters, who tend to have less affinity for Israel than older voters. He's also never cared much about foreign affairs. His long career in the Senate was exclusively focused on domestic issues. He's had to be dragged kicking and screaming into doing enough for Ukraine, to the point where American aid is enough to keep Ukraine from losing but not enough to allow them to win.

For reasons I don't fully understand, the far left here has adopted the narrative that this is all Israel's fault. One good sign is that they are paying a price for that. A far left congressman who made some horrible remarks about 7 October was defeated in his party primary election last night by a moderate Democrat who is pro-Israel:

Jamaal Bowman loses most expensive primary race ever

I've met the bloke who won, George Latimer. He's my current County Executive. He's a lovely man, and he regularly meets with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders in Westchester, the county I live in. Well done, him, and good for the voters decisively rejecting Bowman for another term in Congress.

There are other ways this could play out. Hezbollah could try to provoke a fight by trying to seize territory in northern Israel. A lot of people in the American diplomatic and defense community see conflict between Israel and Hezbollah coming in the next weeks or months. The US has sent the message to Hezbollah that it will not restrain Israel but will support it if the conflict escalates. More on that here:

US to Hezbollah: Don’t count on us to stop an Israeli attack The messaging comes as American officials seem more resigned to the likelihood of an escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

I'll have to go to some military sources to get a better idea of how the IDF would conduct such a conflict with Hezbollah in light of the forces committed to Gaza.

And speaking of the IDF, what do you ladies make of the Israeli Supreme Court ruling that the ultra-Orthodox are entitled to no special exemption from military service? I know that this has been a contentious issue for a long time.

Apologies for the long post. It got away from me somehow.

And for anyone who thinks that Iran might be open to a negotiated end to the conflict, consider:

Sorry, the link didn't post. That's happened to me before.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202311194318

Absolutely!

"If you want peace, prepare for war."

Very true, to be honest. Appeasement through dialogue doesn't prevent war. Dialogue also doesn't end them - military victories do whether a recognisable or an unrecognisable way, i.e., intelligence can win conflicts without it looking like a military victory. Most people don't understand that.

Aww, I see we had a visitor. How lovely.

@79Helene I need you to remind me to make a brie and chocolate toastie tomorrow! I bought the brie a while ago but I keep forgetting all about it

randomly - post Shavuot someone gave me her leftover Brie to store in my fridge for her, and then later told me I could have it, so i thought I’ll try this odd combination. Went to get it out and it was mouldy. I’m not buying a Brie just to try this so you’ll have to update us on how it tastes 😅

Not sure if I mentioned, but use dark chocolate! I'm not sure what it would be like if it was milk chocolate and possibly a bit too sweet.

Good tip! What would the appropriate ratios be? I need to get this right!

You need pics as well when you’ve made it 🧐

That will depend entirely on how hungry I am at the time 😅

I would say you want to go with a 60:40 brie to chocolate. If you're nervous, ease yourself in with a 70:30 brie to chocolate for your first time. And a 70/80% dark chocolate. You don't want it sweet, but neither too bitter. Oh and break up the chocolate into little pieces because if it's a gooey brie - you want to aim for synchronised melting, which won't happen if your chunks are big.

It's a delicate balance, but practice makes perfect! So nervous you're going to hate it 😂

Oh and if you're feeling brave, use the rind!

I was considering grating the chocolate! We'll see if I can be bothered taking it that far though - graters are so annoying to wash.

Might make one 70/30 and one 60/40 so I can compare and contrast the two for my post-toast(ie) report

Ooh, loving the food experimentation plans - hope it lives up to expectations!

I was inspired by this thread to buy date syrup & preserved lemons today.

Just one Tunisian Jewish household white settler colonialist stealing a recipe from an Iraqi Jewish household another white settler colonialist.

But we should also all go back to Poland, or something, according to the Internet.

@79Helene if you don't have a cookery blog, you should do. I never thought a brie and chocolate toastie could sound so tempting but now I want to aim for synchronised melting because I think it's something I could really aspire to.

Love it! I've never thought about grating the chocolate in.

I've just googled it and folk seem to use chocolate drops. The strawberries are a step too far for me! There's some with basil too, which sounds horrible. Just keep it simple I say.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipes/a47730/chocolate-brie-grilled-cheese-recipe/

https://foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/panini-chocolate-and-brie

I think you should all try making it then report back here with pictures and I'll judge the best one. I'll arrange for the winner to receive a special pin-up photograph and annual from Giraffe.

I literally use silan (date syrup) in everything. Best stuff ever! Ottolenghi has a recipe for making preserved lemons in the Jerusalem cookbook. It's on my one day to try to make list (i.e. probably never).

I want to know where I should go back to? My grandparents are from: Austria, UK, Jerusalem, great grandparents are Worms, unknown (prob Eastern Europe), France, and Tzfat. At least 3 were refugees. None from Poland though.🤔 And why is it always go back to bloody Poland? HALF of all murdered Jewish victims in the holocaust (about 3 million) were from Poland.