Ari Akerstein @AAkerstein Twitter profile

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Ari Akerstein

4 months

@MaxNordau Two opposite value systems living side-by-side: builders and destroyers. Play the tape fast over the past 80 years, put on your science cap, and ask yourself: which is the better way?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@MuhammadSmiry Could have been zero. Don’t take hostages in the future

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@MuhammadSmiry Don’t take hostages.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

11 months

@RetsefL Thank you for writing this. The inability of our institutions to display courage in the direction of stated values shows how fragile these values actually are. Pathetic.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@HilzFuld This hits me so hard. We don’t talk enough about what this society is about. And this, fighting like hell to bring back hostages, that’s what proper civic engagement looks like. Am yisroel chai

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@ShaiDavidai @Columbia This is a remarkable document. Kol ha kavod to these students. Will share this widely.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

6 months

@eyeslasho It’s not just Arab vs Israel. There’s nuance - Saudi and Iran are enemies.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@briebriejoy @RitchieTorres @CommunityNotes to please correct her disinformation

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

10 months

@martinvars This summarizes very well how many Jews are feeling right now. The fact that I can be having serious gun ownership conversations with other SF/progressive Jews (whatever progressive means anymore) - unthinkable just weeks ago - speaks to the hard shift right. The real shock of

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@HarvardChabad Well stated. There is no place for Hamas sympathizers and blatant anti-semitism in America, let alone on campus.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@sfrantzman And I suspect more are dead. This would conveniently explain why Hamas turns down every attempt at a deal; they don’t have live/as many hostages as claimed.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@Hind_Gaza Perhaps we try and understand cause and effect?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@academic_la Wait really? Is your view that had those things not happened, that there would be some kind of peaceful coexistence, Iran would be moderate, not funding Hamas, Hezbollah etc? How do you reach this conclusion? Iran was rushing toward nuclear during Obama

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@mdubowitz I can’t believe the extent to which I agree with Cruz

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

3 months

@RepRashida @ninaturner Hmm. But Black liberation doesn’t rely on rape as a tactic for achieving its aims.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@JewishWarrior13 Hey college protestors. Any Thoughts?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@jacobkornbluh 0.5% - overwhelming. I’d be embarrassed to post this tbh as the story is the 99.5% would disagree

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@RepRashida Anyone know where I can find out who funds @RepRashida ? This person’s views, independent of thoughts on Israel, threaten the democracy she supposedly represents.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@muhammadshehad2 Potential Lesson: don’t take hostages

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@HilzFuld I remember as a new dad I was sitting at a bus stop in Jerusalem holding my 6mo. A man started yelling at me! Get a hat on that boy! I’ll hold him while you get it.l from your bag. This is what Jewish society is about.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

6 months

@HilzFuld The us has lost credibility as a deterring force. This is what happens when the us (president) looks weak internationally. Bad things happen.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@GadSaad Said another way, cultural relativism is dangerous; not all ideologies/value systems are equal. And some are incompatible with western values (interpret that how you like) in that coexistence is impossible. Cancel culture has hurt our willingness to state plain facts, eg Jihad

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@RichardHanania It’s amazing when I see journalists asking basic questions of Palestinian/hamas leadership…because it happens so rarely. But do you really need to see more than 30 seconds of a clip to get the whole picture? Also, Someone here said he looks like an Orc, which seems accurate 😂

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@ninaturner Ok at this point I just need to ask it straight up: who is paying you?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

7 months

@HenMazzig Not surprising - but just sickening to read this. Where is the world? Where is the @UN ?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@Mr_Andrew_Fox To be fair most Jews under let’s say 70 - esp in America - didn’t realize either. I’ve always assumed the world had fundamentally changed since wwii, and that never again was something of an abstraction (because duh!). Not so. And I also always assumed 3rd reich was some sort of

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@Mr_Andrew_Fox Accurate. Worth pointing out (sorry haven't yet read your full post!) that this strategy only works with some combination of the following on the other side: complicity, naïveté. weakness.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@afshineemrani You know, it’s “resistance”

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

2 months

@strxwmxn You’d be forgiven if you thought the campus protests were about lgbtq rights for Palestinians, suppressed by those gay-hating Jews! ✊

Tel Aviv Pride - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

11 months

@BMWK Yes it is! Incredible that it’s Germany of all places doing this. I applaud their leadership.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@afalkhatib I wish a broader coalition would have pressured Hamas (directly, indirectly, by any means) these past months so it didn't come to this. Is there a real alternative you see at this point?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

3 months

@patrickc @arcinstitute Two remarkable things here: 1. The content of the paper is staggering 🤯 2. The translation into layman speak makes this all the more accessible.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

3 months

@sfrantzman I’m going to start predicting Mr. Gutierrez’s responses to amuse myself…on this one: either no comment, or vague condemnation w/o naming Hamas.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

9 months

@antonioguterres It’s About time you got here.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@Ayaan I guess it’s one way to see the world. I do wonder when the last time someone in this crowd changed their minds about something based on data or facts

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@RitchieTorres Over the past 8 months I have seen virtually every institution with a modicum of trustworthiness crumble. One more just fell

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@Mr_Andrew_Fox This is a fascinating take and I believe accurate. An important perspective.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

3 months

@jnewsgabe Wow - this rings very true. And the “anti-racist” veneer really is salt to the wound.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

2 months

@JustinTrudeau Yep. Just need the hostages back, and sinwar to surrender. Make that happen and we’ll respect what you’ve got to say on the topic.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@Osint613 “We love death the way you live life”. What more can be said? This man will sacrifice his children in his pathetic and doomed cause. This could almost be seen as tragic if it the aim was noble. But it is evil. As a father I cannot imagine a cause coming before my children. And

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@JewishWarrior13 Ask yourself: if the news inverted, doubling the casualty estimates by Israel, do you believe it might hit the front page @nytimes (my guess, yes).

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

8 months

@Israellycool @KeithPekau Wow. Thank you for this plain spoken display of clear morals and courage. Well done, sir!

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

9 months

@ReichmanShmuel He’s such a sane voice. The amazing thing is how rare it is to hear such rational and historically grounded views in the broader discourse.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@naftalibennett Well said!

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

11 months

@BillAckman @Harvard @MIT Exactly right. The thought experiment is to substitute in any other “oppressed group” for Jews/Israelis/zionists and see how much well an argument holds up.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@_david_ho_ This is what a failed multi-generational strategy and worldview by Palestinian society looks like. Let the cardinal rule if any society to aim for a better life for the children. This is what happens when such a rule is disregarded.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

6 months

@RichardHanania He’s been a sane voice all Along on this topic. More folks should pay attention to him

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

10 months

@Assita_Kanko Thank you for speaking up

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

1 month

@jaltucher That tracks with my main takeaways!! Great summary. A good way to stress test this is by stating the policies/issues and approaches to tackling them, and then having people guess which candidate holds that view. We seem unable to get past the personalities to substance anymore.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@TigayBarry I really thought this Obama/Biden re-alignment of the middle east was a bit of a conspiracy. These latest moves have me re-evaluating my dismissal of this as potentially naive.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@liamcunningham1 Don’t take hostages!

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@HilzFuld Really this is an excellent speech that is on the mark. Everyone should listen and understand this perspective.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@DrewPavlou That explains a lot

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

2 months

@JRIngallinera Yep. I moved out of sf 3 years ago. Funny how contrarian takes are rewarded - except in a few areas, religion / trump / Israel come to mind as 3rd rails not to touch. But f- that.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

1 month

@MsMelChen @bariweiss @TheFP Well, I expect the NYT to go low. Bari is eating their lunch, doing proper journalism.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@leekern13 Sadly most Ivy League students camping out on the lawns protesting against Jews aren’t grasping this.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@SocialistMMA @CommunityNotes fact check this

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@eyeslasho This might be the absolute most cognitively dissonant / perplexing / funniest / running out of descriptors / thing I’ve ever come across.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@afalkhatib I doubt it’s as close as folks think. I see no reason to believe this is anything but Hamas buying time.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@GlobalRabbi @mariaressa Abraham: Kol ha kavod on calling this out in such an articulate fashion.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

2 months

@academic_la Sadly, probably makes things worse. The intention is true/right/noble. But the asymmetries and double standards in play make self-critique dangerous - as you pointed out. Truth has lost all meaning w/r/t Israel.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@MarinaMedvin What’s our fearless UN leader have to say?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@SpencerGuard I want to throw up my hands at the lack of journalistic integrity I see on this topic. Thanks for being accurate and truth seeking. There’s so few people like this

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

24 days

@afshineemrani @BillAckman A weak America emboldens evil.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@BriannaWu Israel would have ceased to exist long ago were it not for this plain fact. The idea of right and wrong have taken on a relativistic flavor - just look at the UN, or the dialogue in the US. Sorry, some things really are clear/black and white and merely require backbone and

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@ShabbosK @BillAckman @AvivaKlompas @KassyDillon @yaelbt @emilykschrader @bethanyshondark @SavvyAuntie @ShaiDavidai @EYakoby @HarvardJews Yep! This is what fighting for “the oppressed” looks like

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@AvivaKlompas No surprise. Will the msm pickup on it? I doubt it

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@theallinpod @DavidSacks I love this podcast. Gotta disagree with the Vietnam comparison. Sorry for the long reply but some thoughts: Re: winning — Hamas is despicable. Maybe the war is not winnable in terms of fully eradicating them, but there’s no sensible alternative. The strategic motive for Hamas

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

3 months

@NTFabiano Super cool. Would it be reasonable to assume low doses + directed activities (eg learning a new skill) might lead to faster gains than on placebo? I could see an argument for the flip side too, curious what we know on this topic…

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

10 months

@kiyahwillis Fascinating how there’s something akin to a violent allergic reaction at the prospect of letting Jews into the oppressed cool kids club.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@JewishWarrior13 This was obvious to anyone paying attention from the start. The political maneuverings are fine for optics, but that's about it. One way or another Hamas must go. This can happen in some combination of ways: 1. Moderate Palestinians rise up (not possible/likely) 2. Arab

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@WajahatAli I’ve yet to see Muslim leaders accept any responsibility for Oct 7 atrocities or even speak out against Hamas. Help me understand why that is so.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

Sam harris and John Spencer on urban warfare in Israel. This is absolutely worth a listen if you’re curious for a military perspective on the situation.

#366 — Urban Warfare 2.0

Episode · Making Sense with Sam Harris · Sam Harris speaks with John Spencer about the reality of urban warfare and Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. They discuss the nature of the Hamas attacks...

open.spotify.com

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@ianbremmer Why lie about what he said?? That’s literally fake news

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@Ahmad4ISRL Don’t know you, but Thank you 🙏

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@NasirIqbal49620 Reported this account

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@RichardHanania Sam Harris is excellent

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

3 months

@shaunmmaguire Asking myself lately if this is ineptitude, or something more?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@academic_la What might get lost, worth underscoring, is that Israelis lead from the front!! I’ve noticed how rare this is these days. May his memory be a blessing, and an example.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

7 months

@nfergus @DouglasKMurray Thank you for continuing to be a sane voice rising above the rabble.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

2 months

@ShelleyGldschmt My prediction would be that she moves left w/r/t foreign policy.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@RitchieTorres Exactly right. It's a form of manipulation by gas-lighting, omission and erasure.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@BriannaWu I went to several local “human rights council” meetings over the past few weeks in Massachusetts. The world view on display from those calling for a “cease fire” would immediately combust on contact with the outside world.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@amjadt25 This is beautiful. I wish some of the “free Palestine” mobs could listen to what a sane view on the situation looks like. 👍

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

7 months

@MosabHasanYOSEF Thank you for saying the things you are not allowed to say. 👏

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@rafikaposte @MuhammadSmiry Yes Hamas does that as part of their strategy

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@FrancescaABlock Who is the oppressor vs the oppressed again?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

11 months

@CoriBush I’m genuinely curious about your position. Can you articulate your reasoning? As a powerful member of the government you have the mental ability to imagine the following scenario: what would you do if you were the prime minister of Israel? It’s a strategy question I’m asking you.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@afshineemrani The difference between true courage and virtue signaling/optics. The former is rare, the latter is not.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

2 months

@EylonALevy Actually it’s the values and spirit of our ancestors that is very much alive in all of us today.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@yashar Feels like a dangerous precedent

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@KosherCockney @metpoliceuk @antisemitism Honest question: are these protests being financed externally (vs organically organized)? When I think about this from 1st principles (meaning I have no evidence to support my assertion) it would seem the best way to defeat the west is to sew internal discord vs military/direct

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

11 months

History is worth reading

Yashar Ali 🐘

@yashar

11 months

Houston Chronicle Headline “Jews Attacked In All Germany” “Synagogues Burned, Shops Wrecked After Nazi Envoy Is Slain” “Many Victims Commit Suicide as Wild Wave of Rioting Grips Reich; Munich Orders Jews to Leave Nation in 48 Hours.” “Rome Decree Bans Jews In Government”

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

5 months

@afalkhatib @WFPChief Spot on. But also, Hamas wants this - is responsible for this hunger crisis in the first place eg hijacking trucks/aid (not to mention prolonging this engagement by continuously holding hostages). Seems all part of their sickening strategy.

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

2 months

@HenMazzig Ask: is there any other group you could imagine this happening to?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@sfrantzman Important thread 🧵- the lack of critical thinking like this w/r/t Hamas is astonishing. Perhaps that’s the 3rd leg of genicidal intent; gas-lighting about first principles reasoning

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

2 months

@mishtal @BBCNews @rburgessbbc Thanks for this! So let me ask - what should the accountability mechanism be? We’ve all been seeing this sort of deliberate misleading journalism wrt Israel coverage since 10/7 (and before). How’s it get fixed?

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

11 months

@mysteriouskat To get philosophical a moment: I think Palestinians are “seen” as indigenous (headscarves and such), whereas Jews/Israel is big, bad and modern. They have tanks and planes etc. Maybe at root people just want to look at pictures of the underdogs fighting the power. The narrative

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

10 months

@Osint613 Wow - again Germany leading the charge on the display of moral backbone 👏

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Ari Akerstein

@AAkerstein

4 months

@BarakRavid Blinken, again, getting played. Hamas does not want a deal. Recommend we send Blinken to a Souk for a few days to haggle over some rugs/vases so he can sharpen up his thinking about how things work in this region.

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