Bishara: Gaza war's origins And U.S. responsibility

Nov 17, 2025

Goodman interviews Marwan Bishara about Twelve Days That Shook the Middle East: Origins of a Genocide. He argues the first twelve days revealed a predetermined strategy rooted in ideology, dehumanization and exaggeration. He describes the Hannibal directive and claims its apparent October 7 use may have killed hundreds of Israelis; that estimate is not established. He cites mobilization, lethal targeting systems and official and soldier rhetoric as evidence of intent. Bishara accuses Biden officials of war participation, cites Biden's October 18, 2023 cabinet meeting, and disputes ceasefire-defense narratives. Archival clips show Sherman supporting Israel as an ally while saying Netanyahu and U.S. participation created genocide, and Miller rejecting genocide while asserting war crimes and distinguishing personal opinion from government conclusions. Goodman mentions McGurk's book. Bishara condemns Trump's displacement/redevelopment vision, weaponized aid and attacks on international institutions, and calls Security Council recognition of an undefined Board of Peace illegal while specifying that he is a historian rather than a legal scholar. Intent, responsibility, membership and legality remain his claims; the differing Sherman and Miller positions remain intact.

The November 17, 2025 adoption of resolution 2803 established the Gaza framework with Russia and China abstaining. In his June 24 recollection, Lavrov says the draft focused on Gaza without the West Bank or unified Palestinian statehood, describes implementation as blocked and says Arab and Palestinian requests led Russia and China not to veto. In the September 26 exchange, Lavrov says the draft gave the UN no meaningful role but Arab states and Palestinians again asked them not to veto it. The journalist's non-deployment claim and Lavrov's later qualified account of incomplete Palestinian control describe unfulfilled or incomplete arrangements, not demonstrated implementation. The criticisms and control estimates remain attributed. In an October 7, 2026 retrospective, Bishara says Council recognition of an undefined Board of Peace allowed Trump to define it afterward. He calls this illegal while specifying he is a historian, not a legal scholar. His claim about Trump, Netanyahu and Putin's roles remains attributed; it is not a finding of illegality or an independently verified membership list. The original November 17, 2025 vote and his later public response remain distinct.