u/Equal-Passenger4750

I’m not saying this because I think they had a huge love for their children. Far from it. But can you imagine how they would’ve reacted? Jose had these completely delusional standards of perfection for both of his sons and cared so much about the family’s reputation. Imagine seeing that whole bright future he planned for them, all that strict discipline (which often crossed into physical and psychological torture) to make them successful end up becoming... this. A lifetime in prison with the family’s reputation completely destroyed

Erik being married to Tammi and basically having Talia as his daughter (José would’ve probably had a heart attack if he wasn’t already dead + Kitty wouldn’t have been able to stand Talia) and Lyle, Jose's favorite son divorced twice and for years now, no longer bothering to wear a wig. I can only say that karma is real

All those years of pressure, demands and extreme rigidity amounted to absolutely nothing. At least Erik and Lyle can still maintain some projects and a sense of purpose inside prison but that high bar their parents imposed collapsed irreversibly. I can’t complain either because they were the main ones responsible for much of it but it’s horrible to realize how life always finds a way to be ironic and painful

In the end what Jose and Kitty feared most ~ the public shame, the loss of control and the total failure of their sons (the careers they had planned) ~ ended up happening in the most brutal way possible

I've been closely following the Palestinian cause since 2021 but in recent years something has changed. The more I study the history in an unbiased way without romanticizing either side the clearer it becomes that, after October 2023 many pro-Palestine started oversimplifying the narrative. Something that even though I'm against Israel I simply don’t agree with. It has almost turned into "Arabs/Palestinians have always been innocent from the beginning" which simply isn’t true. No people are saints the Israeli one isn’t either but one side being more wrong doesn’t change the fact that Palestinians also bear significant responsibility for the point we’ve reached today

To begin with many pro-Palestinian supporters still live in an echo chamber, constantly repeating claims like "Palestine is being ignored" "Israelis always receive sympathy" or "Celebs who support Israel are benefited" when that’s not true. Since 2023 Israelis have arguably faced far more public hatred than Palestinians while the Palestinian cause has received an extraordinary amount of global attention over the past three years far more than many other ongoing genocides. At the same time anyone who expresses sympathy for Israelis even if it’s only for Israeli civilian is often met with intense backlash. There’s also a common narrative that celebs who support Palestine are inevitably “canceled.” In reality, that has mostly happened to smaller public figures. Major celebs such as Angelina Jolie and many other high-profile artists have openly supported Palestine without suffering any meaningful damage to their careers. What bothers me is how this has become almost a trope that “if you support Palestine, some evil Zionist Jew Lobby will destroy your career" that simply isn’t how things work. If you’re influential enough and publicly support Palestine, chances are nothing will happen to your career. In fact several celebs with genuinely problematic past behavior ended up receiving more public sympathy after taking a pro-Palestinian stance

Now let’s talk about the historical side of the issue “Jews and Muslims lived in peace and harmony in Palestine before Israel” is a lie

There were already records of violence by Palestinian Arabs against Jewish communities at the beginning of the 20th century long before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 (such as the Hebron massacre in 1929) + in the historical Islamic world the dhimmi system treated Jews as second-class citizens. They paid special taxes (jizya) had clothing restrictions, could not bear arms and could not testify against Muslims in court. There was religious and cultural animosity, Palestine and the Arab world were never the multicultural paradise they sell out there. Ignoring this and saying that "all problems started after Israel" is intellectual dishonesty

The same goes for repeating that Jews are European colonizers, the Khazar myth about Ashkenazim or simply forgetting that Mizrahi/Sephardic Jews always had a continuous (and often oppressed) presence in the region

It’s also at least strange to note that even before 2023 there were practically no Jews living in Palestine/the Palestinian Authority. Unlike countries like Morocco, which once had hundreds of thousands of Jews, the Jewish presence in Palestine was minimal for centuries. This didn’t happen by chance

Plus the Arab world (including parts of Palestinian society) has its own serious problems especially with racism that seem to be ignored while all lenses are focused on Israel like the case of Ethiopian Jews being sterilized. Focusing on only one problem isn’t activism it’s being selective. This also explains why many Arabs don’t care much about Sudan or Congo. I watched a documentary where the term “Abeed” (slave) for Afro-Arabs is still used pejoratively in several countries and many Arab countries still practice slavery. I don’t see people talking about this even though "everyone should be free" it only seems to focus on the Palestine problem because there’s a common enemy the Jews (because a Jewish-majority country does bother many Arabs) and the West

Continuing with this inconvenient side that many ignore the majority of Palestinians openly celebrated the October 7 attacks. Videos of people handing out sweets in the streets, fireworks and explicit support circulated widely. Polls by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) showed high approval for the attack shortly afterward (reaching 71% in some 2024 surveys) even with the enormous suffering in Gaza support for Hamas remained significant for months (above 30-40% in various polls) and a large portion still resists the idea of disarming the group

International aid of billions of dollars goes mostly into the pockets of corrupt leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas (many of them billionaires living in Qatar or in mansions) while the population lives in misery. Other Arabs even if they don’t speak loudly due to Muslim solidarity criticize Palestinians a lot for this. It’s no wonder they had civil wars and were expelled or massacred in countries like Jordan (Black September) and Lebanon

All of this leads me to see that a significant part of Palestinian society supports or tolerates terrorism against civilians not just "resistance" of course there are also Israelis who support brutal excesses both sides have radicals. But what shocks me most are the Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks (also used in UNRWA schools in Gaza)

•  Classic antisemitism (Jews portrayed as liars, greedy, controllers of the world)

•  Glorification of terrorist “martyrs”;

•  Encouragement of jihad and martyrdom

Reports from organizations like IMPACT-se, the European Union and other independent institutes have documented this for years despite repeated promises of reform. They are raising entire generations to hate Jews and see the destruction of Israel as a sacred goal. Not everyone is like this but the problem is real

Not every Palestinian supports Hamas (especially now with the destruction in Gaza support has dropped in some recent polls) Israel has also made many mistakes and I will never stop criticizing the expansion of settlements, disproportionate use of force and the prolonged blockade but in the West many people place all the blame on Israel ignoring the radical Islamic religious component that would not accept living in peace with Jews

What bothers me most is seeing how this has normalized antisemitism. Antisemitic attacks have surged worldwide (in the US, Europe, Canada) the highest peak in decades according to police and Jewish organizations. Many pro-Palestinian supporters make the mistake of repeating the old tropes:

•  "They control the media, governments and banks"

•  Comparisons of Israel to the Nazis (which minimizes the Holocaust - No genocide should be compared to another especially considering that many of the Jews murdered in the Holocaust had never even set foot in Israel. It’s not as if Palestinians are being ignored. The Palestinian cause has received an enormous amount of global attention much like the Holocaust did in its time)

•  Stars of David in trash cans, graffiti saying “f* the Jews" attacks on synagogues and ordinary Jews (not just Israel)

The Palestinian cause today has become an umbrella that attracts everyone from leftists who see Jews as "white oppressors" radical Islamists to neo-Nazis. Many people jump on the emotional bandwagon without studying the real complexity. This simplification is causing real suffering for Jews in the diaspora and is making the debate toxic. We need more honesty