We took a trip from Jerusalem to Israel’s south, here are a few photos and notes along the way; we began at Ein Fescha, a national park which we had to reserve a time ahead of time due to Covid restrictions
Then we went to Ein Gedi’s Nahal David which we had to reserve a time ahead of time due to Covid restrictions
Then we went to Kfar HaNokdim, a sprawling desert camp near Arad where they only had an area for tents due to minimizing number of guest due to Covid-19
The next day we tried to get to the Flour Cave” but mud prevented us, so we went to the Dead Sea
At Ein Bokek the tourist restore area is totally sealed off and is a “green zone” and you can ONLY enter if you’ve had a Covid test; we didn’t have a recent one so...so we went on
We saw other sites along the way; a nice trip and gives a glimpse of things to do along this route but also how the pandemic has affected many things; for instance all dining facilities were closed at Kfar HaNokdim due to the pandemic, which was fine we had a huge BBQ
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Thread: The Jeffrey and Rayburn doctrine in action...?
The US had partners in Syria. They did a huge job defeating ISIS, sacrificed many. US officials, working against US CENTCOM and the SDF...backed Turkey and extremists, enabling an attack on the SDF. Russia swooped in.
Now the SDF have to go to Russia to stop Ankara's extremists from attacking...and this was all part of a quiet plan to break the SDF-CENTCOM success and force the SDF to go to Russians so the pro-Ankara lobby could say "see they are pro-Russia"
They weren't working with Russia before. But the US withdrew, enabled a brutal invasion...and purposely enabled Russia to move in as a buffer...this insanity...all of design from the US State Dept...created this ridiculous situation. The US could have helped its partners.
Ankara isn't so much a regime as just a giant prison. No evidence of any wrongdoing, but Ankara competes with Tehran to be the greatest persecutor of people for just thinking differently than the regime; english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle…
The lobbyists for the regime claim these poor people being imprisoned for decades are an "existential" threat to Turkey. There is an existential threat and it is the threat the regime poses to freedoms and minorities and dissidents.
"The camps in north-east Syria constitute a long-term security risk," the Finnish foreign ministry added....maybe if these countries had prevented this privileged citizens from joining ISIS and traveling to attack Syria, Iraq, then that would have stopped the "security risk"
You have to be shocked by the chutzpah of these folk who didn't do much to stop radicalization of their citizens...didn't stop them to genocide indigenoius people in MidEast; didn't even charge them...but claim if they are detained in a camp it is a "security risk"
How is it that globe-trotting ISIS extremists are not a security risk somehow between 2013-2018...then they get captured and detained and become one? I agree though...EU should take back its citizens...but they need to apologize for letting them be radicalized and travel too
Looks like Turkey is preparing an increasing invasion of northern Iraq; after Afrin, Tel Abyad, Libya and Armenia; the new target; the goal it claims is to “fight terror” but actually it has pushed KRG to brink of civil conflict to destabilize the region and wants Sinjar
The goal of Ankara is always to ruin peaceful areas, bombing and creating refugees. Ankara will get backing from the US under claims it is “stopping Iran” even though northern Iraq is one area free of Iran-backed PMU; goal is to destabilize and spread suffering
We’re the jets circling Erbil in recent days related to this? Not sure; but KRG tough statements on clauses, even blaming YPG is part of the goal of Rayburn and the Ankara lobby. KRG being driven to crisis for Ankara and Washington running along behind for no reason again
When US officials talk this way about the region, about being against their own military at Pentagon...about admiring the "great" authoritarian leaders abroad...and seeing civilians in Kashmir/Nagorna as just some geopolitical tool...fear them:
If you read one interview and you want insight into the fundamentally inhumane approach of some in the US over the last years, the lack of empathy for hundreds of thousands ethnically-cleansed in Afrin and elsewhere...this is the interview. It's horrid. Scary.
When they talk this way about whole swaths of the world...like some piece on a chessboard...some of them claim to be pro-Israel...but Israel should know that one day this same mentality will justify the same horrid measures that don't put people first either. Beware of them.