The U.S. and Israel: Further Notes

In Israel, Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, was asked about the goals of Hamas. What was the group trying to achieve, in carrying out its attacks? Blinken said he could only speculate. “The simplest explanation may be the most compelling — this is pure evil.”

• Some video:

Antony Blinken grew up in a Zionist family. He also grew up with a Holocaust survivor in the house. He has a deep feeling, obviously, for all this.

• A few nights ago, there were many police on a block in my neighborhood. (New York City.) I wondered: Had there been an incident, a crime? No. The police were protecting a synagogue.

Think of it: In Israel, over a thousand Jews are murdered, and threats to Jews thousands of miles away increase.

• George W. Bush has virtually no friends on left or right. He certainly has a friend in me — an appreciator:

• For months, people have been mocked for displaying a Ukrainian flag, in solidarity with a people under assault. Some leading politicians have been among the mockers. In the last week, many have been displaying an Israeli flag. Will they too be mocked?

• Something to consider:

• As an Ann Arborite, I can tell you there is nothing less surprising in all the world:

• Listen to ’em:

As a rhyme, that’s about a B-minus. I remember what kids chanted when I was in college. The Reagan administration was trying to slow the growth of social-welfare spending — not reduce it but slow the growth of it. The kids chanted, “Reagan, Bush, you can’t hide. We charge you with gen-o-cide.”

Catchy.

• Perfect:

In recent years, the term “microaggression” has popped up. There are “microaggressions” on campus, people say, and these are very bad. I like the formulation of my friend Barbara J. Fields, the U.S. historian: “If it’s micro, it’s not aggression. And if it’s aggression, it’s not micro.”