Yair Wallach
@yairwallach.bsky.social
14K followers 880 following 6.1K posts
Associate Professor (Reader), soas @soasuni.bsky.social, researching Palestine/Israel history. Race, migration, material culture, Antisemitism. "City in Fragments" (Stanford 2020) Currently working on Ashkenazi integration in the Arab Levant
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yairwallach.bsky.social
This is the toxic, totalising logic of "there are no innocents there". When I think of the victims, I think: it could have been me, it could have been my family. If I were in the wrong place, if I was born on the wrong side, I would not have been spared.

3/3
yairwallach.bsky.social
If you were on the Israeli side of the Gaza border on the 7th of October, you were at risk of getting murdered, tortured, abducted by Hamas - regardless of who you are. Palestinian from East Jerusalem, Jewish Israelis, Thai workers, anyone. All were shot, maimed, kidnapped

2/
yairwallach.bsky.social
If you have been in the Gaza strip in the two years since the 7th of October, you were at risk of getting murdered, tortured, abducted by Israeli forces. You were starved, expelled, regardless of who you were, how old you were, your profession or political views.

1/
yairwallach.bsky.social
That's why I wrote at least 9,000, number could be higher
yairwallach.bsky.social
No that is not correct.
2 were captured soldiers in active duty
2 were soldiers on leave (taken in the Nova party)
16 were civilians
yairwallach.bsky.social
The group with best updates that I know - ha-moked - say they have been unable to get authoritative information on the number and makeup of Palestinians from Gaza in Israeli prisons
yairwallach.bsky.social
yairwallach.bsky.social
(I've written on this before, so I may be repeating myself)

On the term "Palestinian hostages" for Palestinians in Israeli prisons:
There are thousands of Palestinian civilians who were arrested after Oct 7 2023, as bargaining chips, and they could be seen as hostages.

1/
yairwallach.bsky.social
On the 6th of October Israel had about 5,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Today, *after the exchange* Israel holds at least 9,000 prisoners, most of them have not been charged.
Conditions in prisons became intolerable after Oct 7. Torture and starvation are standard.
yairwallach.bsky.social
Netanyahu's government, since 2010, propped up Hamas in Gaza to prevent any peace negotiations.
It now wants to go back to that arrangement, while occupying half of the Gaza Strip.
That's the default scenario.
yairwallach.bsky.social
The Israeli government prefers a weakened Hamas in a besieged Gaza, to any alternative administration (including a neo-colonial one run by Blair).
A besieged, impoverished, ruined and unstable Gaza leaves open the prospect of ethnic cleansing and occupation.
yairwallach.bsky.social
"We launched a mad attack on a regional super power led by a messianic genocidal government counting on international law that the response would be proportional" sounds a reasonable thing for you? Totally reckless.
yairwallach.bsky.social
Prolonging this genocidal war, causing mass starvation and complete destruction made Israel a near pariah state.
All the promises for "total victory" proved empty. Hamas is in charge of the destroyed Gaza strip, and is now hounding and executing its opponents.

2/
yairwallach.bsky.social
The ceasefire agreement includes points Israel insisted on for 18 months:

- Israel did not release the 6 top prisoners
- Israeli troops stay for now in 53% of the Gaza Strip
Insisting on these points cost the life of 42-44 hostages, involved mass reserve call-up, and broke Israeli society

1/
yairwallach.bsky.social
Obviously there's no justification for genocide. But the fact is that, because of the 7 October attack, Israel was given an unprecedented carte blanche to do whatever it wanted in the name of self defense
yairwallach.bsky.social
If the atrocities they committed on that day were not sufficient reason to hold back, then the reckless, catastrophic gamble on the lives of millions should have been a good enough reason.
yairwallach.bsky.social
Well done Hamas.
Lost more than half of Gaza's territory.
Gave Israel the justification for a genocidal war which killed tends if not 100s of thousands.
Do those who cheered them two years ago, still think they expanded the imaginary for possibilities of resistance and freedom?
en.afp.com
Gaza Strip: Israeli army has withdrawn to the 'yellow line'

AFP Infographic with map of the Gaza Strip showing the 'yellow line' where the Israeli army has withdrawn its forces as of October 10, according to US envoy Steve Witkoff
yairwallach.bsky.social
Since 1967, Israel has never allowed international armed peace-keeping troops into the West Bank and Gaza.
If it does now, under US pressure, it would be major rewriting of Israeli red lines.
I'm still very sceptical, but if the US wants it it would happen.
Reposted by Yair Wallach
petersbeaumont1.bsky.social
If you've never been to Gaza, you won't appreciate what the yellow line means. Basically Israel now holds most of Gaza's small but important agricultural land. Continued Israeli occupation, which I judge the likely outcome, makes Gaza even more unliveable and more dependent on outside goods.
en.afp.com
Gaza Strip: Israeli army has withdrawn to the 'yellow line'

AFP Infographic with map of the Gaza Strip showing the 'yellow line' where the Israeli army has withdrawn its forces as of October 10, according to US envoy Steve Witkoff
Reposted by Yair Wallach
rimaanabtawi.bsky.social
Einav's first call with Matan after two years. Unbelievable.

The seven hostages are in the hands of the IDF.
yairwallach.bsky.social
Give him the Nobel Peace Prize
POTUS
yairwallach.bsky.social
If reports are to be believed, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is to remain in Israeli prison (without charges or trial) even after the exchange of hostages.
yairwallach.bsky.social
Getting international troops into Gaza as soon as possible is the only thing that *may* provide security for Palestinians in Gaza from Israel soon resuming attacks and later relaunching a genocidal onslaught.
yairwallach.bsky.social
These fascist "philo-Palestinians" are as sincere as the fascist philosemites
yairwallach.bsky.social
No, you do not have to hand it to Tucker Carlson, MTG, or any white supremacist who suddenly found compassion for Palestinian children