Months after some Israelis started to protest against aid lorries entering Gaza at the main Kerem Shalom crossing, the battle has moved to other key junctions, where rival groups of activists do their best to block or protect aid convoys.
Right-wing activists, including Jewish settlers living in the occupied West Bank, have uploaded dozens of videos of crowds, including some very young children, hurling food onto the ground and stamping on boxes of aid.
In one video, a group of jubilant protesters dance and celebrate on top of a looted lorry.
In another, one of the stranded lorries is ablaze.
In the West Bank, at least two drivers who were not carrying goods bound for Gaza were dragged from their cabs and beaten.
Other videos show Israeli vigilantes stopping lorries in Jerusalem and demanding that drivers show papers proving they are not transporting aid to Gaza. Their faces are uncovered and they appear to be acting with complete impunity.
I’m not. I’m saying that these extremists make the others look bad to the point that it’s difficult for non-absolutists such as myself to argue against collective punishment. Apologies if I was unclear.
Yeah it is. Whereas Palestinians are resisting (sometimes in less than optimal ways) a genocidal occupation force, these Israelis are safe and still trying to help that same force starve innocent civilians to death. That’s VERY different.
(about the last part, comparing extremists israelis and Gazans)
Dude that’s just bullshit. First, these Israelis absolutely have a reason to fight. They have kidnapped civilians held in captive under god knows what conditions.
Second, you’re comparing people who block aid trucks to people who raped and slaughtered families. Think about what type of person it takes to do either of these, then realize who you’re excusing.
Both extremists are despicable, but coloring Palestinian extremists as “resisting” (raping and abusing bodies) and Israelis as genocidal is plain hypocritical. Both extremists are genocidal, with one side being more barbaric. We should condemn both, and not make excuses for both.
But since you’re providing excuses for one side (“resisting”) I wanted to provide the excuse for the other side. Which tbh, is a better excuse, since it can actually possibly get them results (getting the kidnapped back is an option, exterminating all jews is less so).
Same goes for Israel and their hundreds if not thousands of baseless arrests of Palestinians who they then often torture. We never hear about them, though, since they don’t have a PR budget or indeed anything.
Nope, I didn’t compare those civilian Israeli people to the IDF.
All whataboutism aside, it have never said anything positive about Hamas and their terrorism. Palestinians ≠ Hamas.
You, on the other hand, are excusing the IDF, whose atrocities are just as barbaric as those of Hamas and who are an occupation force.
Again, I was talking about the favorite victims of the IDF, not Hamas
Why do you keep pivoting to the IDF?
Nope, the IDF and other parts of the Israeli government are by the official definition committing genocide. That’s not just an opinion or a matter under review, that’s a fact.
And again Palestinians ≠ Hamas
No. That’s not how genocide works. Saying “death to Israel” and then committing an enormous one day atrocity isn’t a genocide. Absolutely unforgivably barbaric, yes, but not genocide.
Not really, no. Both of the active sides are about equally barbaric. One is more in the wrong, though, because that one has all the power to stop the bloodshed. The one you consider less barbaric, in case you wonder.
That’s what I’m doing
Please take your own advice.
As I’ve pointed out many times i don’t, never have and never will consider terrorism legitimate resistance. So no, I’m not.
So it’s ok for you to be a hypocrite if you accuse me of hypocrisy first? 🙄
No, it’s not. The Israeli people care about the hostages, but Netanyahu and the IDF don’t. Their indiscriminate destruction is a greater danger to them than their captors and the IDF has murdered at least two of them already.
No. Only result they’re going for is to murder or expel as many Palestinians alive they can get away with and then take the territory for themselves. They’ve already started “resettling” Gaza.
Not one that Netanyahu and the IDF consider more important than murder and conquest.
That was always hateful rhetoric rather than a literal goal.
Extermination and displacement of all Palestinians, though? THAT’S something that can and likely WILL happen if nobody stops the genocidal apartheid regime.
Lots to reply here so I’ll just focus on some points I want to stress
First, lumping the IDF with the Israeli government is very wrong, and shows you have no real idea of how that military works. It’s like blaming the german army of genocide in WW2 instead of the nazi regime. The IDF really do their best to hurt as few civilians they can, and only target threatening targets in Gaza. The IDF is not commiting genocide, according to the definition, by the simple fact that it isn’t targeting genocidal goals. Yes, it dislocates and even kills civillians, but none are intentional or targeted, and they literally give up the element of surprise (something which 100% costs them military lives) in order to evacuate civilians before an invasion/bombing. As an army, it’s outstandingly humane.
Another point about the IDF, with regards to barbarism. You should really look at what Hamas did on oct.7, and try to compare it to how the IDF works. Comparing the two in terms of barbarism is really nuts.
The Israeli government tho on the other hand, are pretty much just as you say. If you allowed Ben Gvir to do as he pleases, we’d have a legit genocide of 2 million dead Gazans. The difference is that Israel has a functioning court of law (which Netanyahu a.k.a putin2.0 tried to weaken), and an actual opposition in their Parliament, which prevents them from acting on those genocidal plans (not 100% works tho, as we’ve seen in the start of the war where no aid trucks arrived at Gaza)
Oh and about the kidnapped vs palestinians arrests, don’t compare people who commit (or try to commit) terrorism to people who simply lived in a Kibutz/partied in the Nova.
Finally, Hamas is completely genocidal. Their lack of means of acting on that will, doesn’t make them less genocidal. Their “exterminate all jews” rhetoric is definitely a literal goal, considering the act of oct.7, which the main plan was sieging cities/Kibbutzim and killing/kidnapping their residence. It wasn’t just “a hateful rhetoric” it was a well planned extermination of the civilians, which sadly worked brilliantly.
The IDF really do their best to hurt as few civilians they can, and only target threatening targets in Gaza.
Patently false. They target civilian infrastructure, aid workers, journalists and Healthcare workers.
Another flat out lie, see above.
AKA forced relocation, which is another war crime. Think Trail of Tears. Besides, they even bomb “safe zones” that they told Palestinians to go to!
Your biggest lie yet.
I have. October 7th wad absolutely incredibly monstrous. The reply from the IDF and the rest of the Israeli apartheid regime has been even worse.
Yes, but not in the way you think.
Not when it comes to crimes of the occupation. Any Israeli person committing war crimes are either not reprimanded at all or get off with a slap on the wrist. That’s why the ICJ and the ICC find it necessary to interfere: because there’s no justice form Israeli courts and Palestinians are not even allowed to HAVE their own Justice system.
Fun fact: not everyone who’s arrested is guilty of terrorism or attempted terrorism. Far from it. In fact, the vast majority of Palestinian prisoners are guilty of dissent or knowing someone who might know someone or ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
That’s not how genocide works. Genocide is a concerted pattern of actions, not a wish.
That doesn’t follow at all. Especially since many of the victims weren’t even Jewish.
Besides, a terrorist attack, monstrous as it is, is not the same thing as a genocide. It’s not even in the same category.
Basically your whole pov is based on the fact that you think the IDF are targeting civilians. Since you’re clearly set in that opinion, I won’t further that point. Just food for thought: if they really do target civilians… Do you think the numbers would truly be 1:2 Hamas:civilian? If so, then sure. Whatever.
Oh and I’d love a source on that “vast majority of Palestinian prisoners are innocents” claim, since that sounds pretty far fetched, even considering the borderline alt-right current Israeli government.
And I really wish to understand your logic on Hamas not being genocidal… Is firing rockets almost every year towards civilian areas not a “concrete pattern of action”? Also, does genocide must happen towards a religion? What does the victim’s jewishness have anything to do with it?
Hamas wants to exterminate all Israelis. They keep saying it, and before oct.7 everyone thought (like you) that they’re all bark no bite, just saying stuff. That proved to be false. They bite, and they mean what they say. They proved it all too well, and I really don’t see how you fail to see their very really intent to kill all Israelis.
The only thing keeping Israelis from death by Hamas is the IDF. They’d all be dead or relocated (probably dead if we trust their rhetoric, which I do, after seeing their barbarism).
And again, if you truly think the IDF is more barbaric than Hamas, I just have no words. You either haven’t seen the videos hamas posted themselves, or are blinded by hate.
Bombing houses (after evacuation notices, which you call genocidal - I call humane. Do you wish they bombed it without warning in advance?) is soooooo much less barbaric than abusing dead bodies and burning families with their houses (knowingly, and shooting/kidnapping them when they leave).
Fixed it for you. It’s not something I think. It’s not in question. It’s established fact.
Again, not an opinion. They’ve said so themselves.
Nope, but that ratio is the low end of the IDF PR division estimate. The real ratio is closer to 1:4
…you know what? As I read on, you’re not giving me anything except more lies and distortions regurgitated from AIPAC and other PR outlets for the Israeli apartheid regime. That and signs of you simply not understanding or not wanting to.
So since I won’t be able to help you undrink the kool-aid, I’m gonna atop wasting time and effort on you. Have the day you deserve.
Ah yes, well established fact… By who exactly? By kids at universities thousands of kilometers away?
And even if we take your (baseless) estimate of 1:4 ratio, that’s still nowhere close to call it a targeted attack on civilians. Compare it to other urban warfare, and see for yourself, they don’t kill enough civilians to justify any of your claims.
Look at the numbers, and actually base your own opinion, rather than repeating words that people who are very not objective keep repeating. And differentiate between the IDF and the Israeli government. Since they’re vastly different both in world-view (one being extremely corrupt right wing) and in actions done. The racist israeli government expands settlements (and almost sparked a mini civil war between jews and arabs, ahem ahem Ben Gvir), while the IDF manages to supply aid trucks into Gaza, and evacuate Gazans from their (tunnel holes and weapon having) homes.
Don’t worry about it.
Hamas invaded areas which aren’t considered occupied, and kidnapped, killed and raped innocent people. I don’t care if they call this “resistance”, it’s terrorism.
I disagree with your view of the IDF, but even if I did agree, then Hamas and the IDF would be fairly equivalent in this case (except for the fact that the IDF has more firepower).
We were specifically talking about NON-Hamas Palestinians, though, not that terrorist group.
It’s not “my view”. It’s the facts of the matter as per international law.
No. Just no. One is one of the most advanced and well-funded militaries in the history of the world and the other is a terrorist group usually firing unguided rockets. While both are despicable, there’s absolutely no equivalence.
Especially since the IDF isn’t fighting Hamas. They’re eradicating the civilian population using Hamas as an excuse.
I’m saying unaffiliated Palestinians who support Hamas are supporting terrorism, not resistance.
Considering the fact that multiple international courts are currently dealing with this issue, it’s not as obvious as you present it.
Are you claiming Hamas was fighting the IDF on the 7th of October? It is well known in Israel that the reason so many civilians were hurt that day was that there was a lackluster response from the IDF, so civilians had to fight terrorists themselves.
Also, Israel evacuated 800,000 people from Rafah before entering, why do that if they just wanted them to die?
Even in the current government the voices calling for resettlement of Gaza are an unpopular minority.
You can claim the IDF has no regard for human life, so they don’t care if they kill innocent Gazans (I would disagree, but whatever). But to claim that they try to eradicate them is crazy.
Oh, you’re one of those false equivalence genocide - deniers that think all resistance is Hamas, only 100% eradication is genocide and the war crime of forced relocation is a mercy?
Forget it, then. Have the day you deserve.
That’s not what I believe or tried to say.
The IDF absolutely does not care if it kills innocent civilians. You do not establish invisible “kill zones” in a civilain occupied area and indiscriminately fire on men, women and children if you care about human life. These zones are so ubiquitous and so ill policed that the IDF killed 3 jewish hostages that escaped captivity, hostages that striped themselves shirtless, called out in hebrew, waved white flags, had large signs saying they were escaped hostages, and still the IDF ran them down like dogs to kill because they violated a invisible “kill zone” boundary.
After months of intense and very public pressure and a first in decades withholding of weapons from the US, and after very publicly murdering humanitarian aid workers that cost Israel a great deal of international support for this war. Even then they barely setup any services like tents, water or sanitation for those 800k forced refuges moved into a “expanded humanitarian area,” i.e concentration camp, all while your ministers like Ben Gvir call for the literal genocide of the Palestinian people to continue.
These are not the actions of a country that cares for civilain life.