Israel - Palestine Discussion | Post Respectfully | Discuss more, tweet less

I am disgusted by justifying the killing of 3000 child by the "What can Israel do?"

They should fecking stop this war now. No ifs and buts.
 
I keep seeing and hearing calls for senior politicians from all sides to call for a ceasefire, do Hamas actually want a ceasefire because if not these calls are pretty hollow, because any ceasefire would need both sides to abide by it

Yes and they offered freeing the hostages in exchange of cease fire.
 
They are not.

No matter what your quite simplistic view on that organization is, Hamas still has a nationalistic and independence related cause rooted to their very existence. They are inbedded in a way Al Qaeda and ISIS never were.

Their "resistance" has been limited to what they consider as their "legitimate territory". They never exported violence to other countries, they don't have the same delusional objectives as the aforementioned terrorist organizations (Hamas has its own delusional one, but it's not quite the same). The fact that they used ISIS methods on 7/10 doesn't mean that they are ISIS, or Al Qaeda for that matter.

Now just to be clear, for umptieth time, I'm not condoning their acts in any way. They're murderous, fanatic assholes, not interested in the slightest in a two state solution and a blight for the Palestinians. They've proven it time and again. I find them utterly repulsive and don't believe that their ultimate goal is particularly appealing for anyone with a lick of sense.

However, if you think that they're akin to the terrorist organizations you've mentioned and that the problem can be solved the same way, you're making a colossal error of judgement.

Do they? even that has changed since 2017. Carter did say Hamas was ready to negotiate but Netanyahu was not interested in a two state solution. The only thing I can see is Netanyahu marginalising the PA and Fath to give Hamas the ground for a bigger role in the Palestinian politics. That is the only way he can keep his dream of a one Israeli state if he has fanatics on the other side.
 
Their leader is calling Palestinians the children of darkness, he's making references to the Torah about how they have to kill all the women and children as well, they have a government full of racists who see the Palestinians as a blight to be purged, and last but not least, they're bombing the fecking shit out of a captive population that they keep in a ghetto and are denying even the basics.

And then there's the whole stealing land from the the other Palestinian population that they deny rights to and treat as second class citizens.

Do you think comparing that to Germany in the 1930s offensive? Okay. I find the fact that we have people in here going "this is all Hamas fault", is if Israel has no agency, disturbing. I find the fact that we have people arguing that Israel has to do this disgusting. I find the fact that we have people arguing that Israel is showing restraint mind-boggling.

Make actual points about Israel. Don't enter the thread with inflammatory short sentences that are specifically designed to shock a particular demographic. The reason behind it is that the thread is already a mess and we really don't need that type of dynamic.
 
[snip]

They lost them because the military presence was like a group of watchtowers in the middle of the immensity, thousands of kilometers from their capital. The United States (if that's what you mean) did not intend to send settlers to Kabul and occupy the land, Israel does intend to, now or in 20 years
I didn't specifically mean the US.

There are plenty of colonial powers throughout recent history that were much more powerful and more established than the US and Israel will ever be. And they all lost, unless they acted in full genocide mode.

Occupation is a losing bet. It's as degrading for the occupier as for the occupied and brings out the worst of both sides.

Israel is an occupying and colonizing country. That's a fecking fact and the sooner people realize that the better. They'll eventually stop doing insane mental gymnastics and wiggling like a frog on a hot rock.
 
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They are first and foremost an organization just like Al-Qaeda and ISIS were
That's not correct. Hamas are not the sole arbiters of Palestinian nationalism or statehood. They didn't exist until a certain point in the late 80s and are not guaranteed to exist indefinitely. They are first and foremost an organization with a leadership structure who control a small piece of land. If that leadership structure are killed and their ability to control Gaza taken away, then they will effectively not exist. The guys in Qatar may continue living there, but the Mossad will take care of them at some point in the future as well.

In the very unlikely scenario that Israel could somehow go into Gaza and identify and kill enough Hamas members to effectively put an end to that organization, another movement with the same Islamo-Nationalist impulse would emerge to assume its place, and likely a considerably worse one. PIJ - an older organization than Hamas with similar origins - are already there, and Palestinian nationalism is so deeply rooted and the ideological elements that comprise it so broadly accepted among Palestinians that it cannot be defeated military in a conventional sense. So @That_Bloke’s distinction between Hamas and the likes of ISIS is not only correct but also crucial to understanding why Israel can’t win here without effectively making life in Gaza uninhabitable for its residents. And even that would simply signal a new phase of conflict.
 
I'm not sure why we're even talking as if "eliminating Hamas" is some sort of real military and political goal.
 
The Hamas can't be gotten rid of "because they're not a group but rather a mindset/ideal" narrative is incorrect.

Experts disagree:

Dr Milshtein, a former head of the Department for Palestinian Affairs in Israeli Military Intelligence, fears that planning has barely begun.
"You need to do it right now," he says. [...] Hamas, Dr Milshtein says, is an idea, not something Israel can simply erase. "It's not like Berlin in 1945, when you stuck a flag over the Reichstag and that was that."
 
I'm not sure why we're even talking as if "eliminating Hamas" is some sort of real military and political goal.

Hamas went in to Israel, murdered, raped and kidnapped. The people want revenge and the politicians are obliging. Israel know that what they are doing know will give birth to even more terrorists but their citizens want blood. It's a spiral of revenge from both sides. Most of the other rethoric is just BS to sell lies imo.
 
What exactly is Israel’s end goal here then? Eliminate Hamas, level Gaza and that’s it?

Where do you think the million odd survivors will go? Under Israeli governance or levelled with Gaza?

How about all those Arab states that are waving the Palestinian flags take them in like Europe does with all other refugees? Saudi Arabia has the space and money, but that would require actual empathy and not superficial for political reasons. Strange that all demonstrations for Palestinian people never mention the blockade of all those Arab states refusing to take them in.
 
How about all those Arab states that are waving the Palestinian flags take them in like Europe does with all other refugees? Saudi Arabia has the space and money, but that would require actual empathy and not superficial for political reasons. Stange that all demonstrations for Palestinian people never mention the blockade of all those Arab states refusing to take them in.

this. Imagine believing that countries like Iran actually care about the plight of the Palestinians
 
this. Imagine believing that countries like Iran actually care about the plight of the Palestinians

Iran hates Israel more than it loves Palestinians. This I believe is true of several other Middle East countries
 
In the very unlikely scenario that Israel could somehow go into Gaza and identify and kill enough Hamas members to effectively put an end to that organization, another movement with the same Islamo-Nationalist impulse would emerge to assume its place, and likely a considerably worse one. PIJ - an older organization than Hamas with similar origins - are already there, and Palestinian nationalism is so deeply rooted and the ideological elements that comprise it so broadly accepted among Palestinians that it cannot be defeated military in a conventional sense. So @That_Bloke’s distinction between Hamas and the likes of ISIS is not only correct but also crucial to understanding why Israel can’t win here without effectively making life in Gaza uninhabitable for its residents. And even that would simply signal a new phase of conflict.

This sounds like Gaza is hard-wired to be run by increasingly worse terrorists. I'm probably naive, but I think Israel proclaiming their war goal of ending Hamas reached and another organization taking over Gaza is the best chance for a break through, though of course the way Israel is going about it is way too harsh on civilians.
 
How about all those Arab states that are waving the Palestinian flags take them in like Europe does with all other refugees? Saudi Arabia has the space and money, but that would require actual empathy and not superficial for political reasons. Strange that all demonstrations for Palestinian people never mention the blockade of all those Arab states refusing to take them in.

Because they are not supposed to be refugees.

"Why don't other countries simply facilitate Israel's attempts to get rid of the Palestinians in their territory once and for all." Great point.
 
This sounds like Gaza is hard-wired to be run by increasingly worse terrorists. I'm probably naive, but I think Israel proclaiming their war goal of ending Hamas reached and another organization taking over Gaza is the best chance for a break through, though of course the way Israel is going about it is way too harsh on civilians.

The most charitable interpretation of Israel's plans for a post-Hamas Gaza would be that they intend to hand authority for the territory back to the PA in the aftermath of this war. Such a re-ordering of authority there would be almost entirely dependent on continued force of Israeli arms and massive support from the West and so-called 'moderate' Arab states to support the PA. I think it's clear enough how the PA will be perceived by the bulk of the Palestinian population in such circumstances, particularly if Israeli actions in the West Bank continue unabated.

(Edit): just to add, I don't think any place or people is "hard-wired" in any way, but a range of historical developments and circumstances have brought Gaza to this point, and Israeli policies over the decades have been a major (though not the only) driver of those developments.
 
One of the most Surprising aspects for me (but shouldn’t have been) when watching the interviews with the hamas prisoners.

Having an ideology to fight often helps but people from poverty often fight because they are getting paid, and paid much better than anything they could get anywhere else.

As long as there is somebody willing (and plenty of countries have a reason to do this) to bankroll them to pay young men to fight this will continue.

Some of the men were getting paid in houses!
 
The most charitable interpretation of Israel's plans for a post-Hamas Gaza would be that they intend to hand authority for the territory back to the PA in the aftermath of this war. Such a re-ordering of authority there would be almost entirely dependent on continued force of Israeli arms and massive support from the West and so-called 'moderate' Arab states to support the PA. I think it's clear enough how the PA will be perceived by the bulk of the Palestinian population in such circumstances, particularly if Israeli actions in the West Bank continue unabated.

(Edit): just to add, I don't think any place or people is "hard-wired" in any way, but a range of historical developments and circumstances have brought Gaza to this point, and Israeli policies over the decades have been a major (though not the only) driver of those developments.

I wouldn't expect anything in this process to be easy, but someone has to take a step back and break the never ending cycle and it probably won't be the side that holds most of the cards.
 
How about all those Arab states that are waving the Palestinian flags take them in like Europe does with all other refugees? Saudi Arabia has the space and money, but that would require actual empathy and not superficial for political reasons. Strange that all demonstrations for Palestinian people never mention the blockade of all those Arab states refusing to take them in.
When did Arab states become the flag bearer of human rights when they have literally shown no evidence towards it?

When did people start holding Arab states to the same moral standards that Western aligned nations bloc preach?

don’t make it a race to the bottom due to your irrelevant whataboutery
 
Because they are not supposed to be refugees.

"Why don't other countries simply facilitate Israel's attempts to get rid of the Palestinians in their territory once and for all." Great point.
Nobody is supposed to be a refugee.
If these countries did genuinely care about the Palestinians, they would take those fleeing in. That would be the most logical and humane thing any of these states could do. Their refusal to do so, is a travesty and simply proves, that Palestinians have no real support at all, including the states claiming to be on their side. They just use the Palestinians as pawns in their political games.
So yeah, it is a great point. Because it shows how dire and desperate the situation of Palestinians is and how the lack of support is in no way an exclusively western thing.
 
How about all those Arab states that are waving the Palestinian flags take them in like Europe does with all other refugees? Saudi Arabia has the space and money, but that would require actual empathy and not superficial for political reasons. Strange that all demonstrations for Palestinian people never mention the blockade of all those Arab states refusing to take them in.

So you encourage ethnic cleansing.

hmmmmm.
 
Nobody is supposed to be a refugee.
If these countries did genuinely care about the Palestinians, they would take those fleeing in. That would be the most logical and humane thing any of these states could do. Their refusal to do so, is a travesty and simply proves, that Palestinians have no real support at all, including the states claiming to be on their side. They just use the Palestinians as pawns in their political games.
So yeah, it is a great point. Because it shows how dire and desperate the situation of Palestinians is and how the lack of support is in no way an exclusively western thing.

The effectiveness of this kind of moral scolding depends on who is making the argument.

For example, if we're in the 1930s and we hear a complaint about the U.S. not accepting enough Jewish refugees.

If the complaint is coming from a Jewish-American man? Effective. If the complaint is coming from Adolf Hitler? Not effective.
 
The effectiveness of this kind of moral scolding depends on who is making the argument.

For example, if we're in the 1930s and we hear a complaint about the U.S. not accepting enough Jewish refugees.

If the complaint is coming from a Jewish-American man? Effective.

If the complaint is coming from Adolf Hitler? Not effective.
You’re point in regards to my post being?
 
You’re point in regards to my post being?

My point is that the extent to which those observations are a "great point" depend on Ragnar123's actual positions, it is not a detached and objective argument of any kind.
 
My point is that the extent to which those observations are a "great point" depend on Ragnar123's actual positions, it is not a detached and objective argument of any kind.
And I don’t care for your personal arguments.
The point made is absolutely true. If countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Iran gave even the slightest shit, they’d be working on ways to get Palestinians to safety.
And as they don’t, they aren’t doing anything. And I don’t see how anyone supporting the Palestinian cause could actually be ok with that.
 
Nobody is supposed to be a refugee.
If these countries did genuinely care about the Palestinians, they would take those fleeing in. That would be the most logical and humane thing any of these states could do. Their refusal to do so, is a travesty and simply proves, that Palestinians have no real support at all, including the states claiming to be on their side. They just use the Palestinians as pawns in their political games.
So yeah, it is a great point. Because it shows how dire and desperate the situation of Palestinians is and how the lack of support is in no way an exclusively western thing.

In a vaccum you have a point but if you think about it a bit deeper there is a massive issue with the idea of taking in all palestinians-gazans that are fleeing. By doing that in mass while not heavily sanctioning Israel you incentivize isreaeli extremists, the worse they act the quicker they reach their goal which is to take every piece of land. The Palestinians are in a dire situation because they are the only ones expected to pay a price.
 
How about all those Arab states that are waving the Palestinian flags take them in like Europe does with all other refugees? Saudi Arabia has the space and money, but that would require actual empathy and not superficial for political reasons. Strange that all demonstrations for Palestinian people never mention the blockade of all those Arab states refusing to take them in.

Maybe there's a valid point in here about some Arab nations refusing to take in refugees while using their cause for political gain, though some have a much higher proportion of refugees than any European country. But if the proposed solution here is that 2 million Palestinians simply move from Gaza, then that amounts to one very successful piece of ethnic cleansing.
 
All of which was preventable a mere three weeks ago. The Israelis are now operating out of an existential trauma driven by a mindset that they cannot exist as a nation whilst bordered by an organization that exists for the sole purpose of annihilating them. Public opinion in various other countries won’t count for much if the Israelis believe their very existence is on the line.
Only existed for seventy years.

Perhaps, just perhaps some of this existential fear is something that is really, really fecking handy for a nuclear armed, highly militarised, western sponsored state to trot out every time another apartment block is levelled, killing men women and children and no Hamas soldiers are killed.

I recall the USA saying Al Quada "was a threat to our way of life".

Good fecking lord, it's mental to think when you consider the reality; A few blokes with AK47s and suicide vests apparently are going to take down and destroy a nation that spends a trillion on their military? Just insane but a great sound bite to rally support for a twenty year occupation and half a million civilian deaths.

It's a really decent justification to quash international law, similar to a husband punching his wife while screaming, "look at what you're making me do".

I'm so sick of it. Yes a terrorist organisation wants to do bad things to Israel, we all get that, every country has these issues, yet Israel is fine. They're not under any real geopolitical threat, they're backed by literally every large nation that matters, have a great economy, great standard of living, they have an iron dome. Name another nation that has that level of protection and support internationally? There isn't one.

Weirdly having Hamas around enables them to justify some of the cruelest policies currently on the planet and consistently having a proxy enemy close by, in the open air prison they've built, they can keep asking for support and military assistance because every reaction to this cruelty, just justifies that fear.

People used to argue that the slaves were inherently violent, especially after local uprisings, so they couldn't and shouldn't be freed.

Every time I hear "defeating Hamas" I just hear "killing Arabs who are under terrorist rule" remarketed. It's geopolitical justification.

This isn't directed at you Raoul, I've just seen another round of horrible shit online this morning and I should have avoided and I'm angry and blowing off steam here. I'm so angry.
 
Maybe there's a valid point in here about some Arab nations refusing to take in refugees while using their cause for political gain, though some have a much higher proportion of refugees than any European country. But if the proposed solution here is that 2 million Palestinians simply move from Gaza, then that amounts to one very successful piece of ethnic cleansing.

Exactly. People are essentially advocating for giving the land to Israel which is a difficult thing to defend and isn't actually to the benefit of palestinians. How about arab nations and the international community finally defend and protect the idea of palestinians being in Palestine?
 
Only existed for seventy years.

Perhaps, just perhaps some of this existential fear is something that is really, really fecking handy for a nuclear armed, highly militarised, western sponsored state to trot out every time another apartment block is levelled, killing men women and children and no Hamas soldiers are killed.

I recall the USA saying Al Quada "was a threat to our way of life".

Good fecking lord, it's mental to think when you consider the reality; A few blokes with AK47s and suicide vests apparently are going to take down and destroy a nation that spends a trillion on their military? Just insane but a great sound bite to rally support for a twenty year occupation and half a million civilian deaths.

It's a really decent justification to quash international law, similar to a husband punching his wife while screaming, "look at what you're making me do".

I'm so sick of it. Yes a terrorist organisation wants to do bad things to Israel, we all get that, every country has these issues, yet Israel is fine. They're not under any real geopolitical threat, they're backed by literally every large nation that matters, have a great economy, great standard of living, they have an iron dome. Name another nation that has that level of protection and support internationally? There isn't one.

Weirdly having Hamas around enables them to justify some of the cruelest policies currently on the planet and consistently having a proxy enemy close by, in the open air prison they've built, they can keep asking for support and military assistance because every reaction to this cruelty, just justifies that fear.

People used to argue that the slaves were inherently violent, especially after local uprisings, so they couldn't and shouldn't be freed.

Every time I hear "defeating Hamas" I just hear "killing Arabs who are under terrorist rule" remarketed. It's geopolitical justification.

This isn't directed at you Raoul, I've just seen another round of horrible shit online this morning and I should have avoided and I'm angry and blowing off steam here. I'm so angry.
This.
 
What does one suppose would happen if Hamas had the greater military might. Would they show restraint towards Israel or would they just bomb it out of existence?
 
The point made is absolutely true. If countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Iran gave even the slightest shit, they’d be working on ways to get Palestinians to safety.
And as they don’t, they aren’t doing anything. And I don’t see how anyone supporting the Palestinian cause could actually be ok with that.

Do you see anyone here supporting Mohammed bin Salman?
 
One of the most Surprising aspects for me (but shouldn’t have been) when watching the interviews with the hamas prisoners.

Having an ideology to fight often helps but people from poverty often fight because they are getting paid, and paid much better than anything they could get anywhere else.

As long as there is somebody willing (and plenty of countries have a reason to do this) to bankroll them to pay young men to fight this will continue.

Some of the men were getting paid in houses!


There is more truth in this than most people will realise.

I'm from Kashmir ways originally. As a young kid we were taught to support the mujahideen. Even though we didn't live in the occupied side we wanted the mujahideen to bring victory to the people of occupied Kashmir.

As I grew up and I started to understand certain things and actually spoke and met with people a different picture emerged. I'll put a few of what I now understand:

Not all are non military some are posing as Mujahideen but are actually army.

Because of economic situations many many are in for the money and food etc rather than the over all aim of a select few

They are paid to carry out certain "missions" by those in power who can disassociate themselves when need be.

The secret service know their every moves and have people deep in the structure.
 
When did Arab states become the flag bearer of human rights when they have literally shown no evidence towards it?
When did people start holding Arab states to the same moral standards that Western aligned nations bloc preach?

That part is clear to me, but it seems not so much to many of the Palestinian supporters. I've never seen a muslim demonstration to ask Arab countries to take the Gaza population in and save them.
You want to end their suffering in the open air prison and you have 2 options. Fight against a military far superior enemy who is raining bombs on you or just take them people in, so they don't have to suffer Israelian bombs anymore. What is the easier and faster way to end the crisis and suffering for 2 million people?
That would require the love for Palestinians to be greater than the hatred of Israel of course and somehow, the majority doesn't see the hypocrisy in that. If you want to save civilians, there are better, faster and realistic ways. If you just hate Israel and don't want them to win, okay it's your right, but then don't hide behind the Palestinians suffering and admit the real reason.

don’t make it a race to the bottom due to your irrelevant whataboutery

It's not whataboutery, I answered to the question where would the 2 million people go (if their neighbours would actually be concered about them, and not just use them to ignite Israeli hatred.)
 
Fear is the driver of right wing agendas. There's always some sort of existential threat on the horizon. In the UK, you can sense it in the small boats situation, comments about not seeing any white people or hearing English being spoken, tags like 'Londonistan', etc. In this conflict, it's in questions like "What should Israel do?" and "Would Hamas fight fair if they had the same military might as Israel?"

As has been said by @Murder on Zidane's Floor just now in this thread, there is no existential threat to Israel from Hamas. The same way there IRA couldn't wipe Britain off the map. It's fantasy stuff. The irony is, however, that Israel's response is doing more damage to it than Hamas could ever do.
 
Notes that Oslo “went nowhere”. Makes no mention of the role of Hamas suicide attacks in the 90s and throughout the second intifada in general in helping to ensure it went nowhere.

Do we not have ex Israeli military saying that was the point of funding Hamas but then go on to say it was ultimately a mistake?