After every bloody episode of violence perpetrated by Israel, media spin doctors are often deployed with one grand mission: to absolve Israel of any responsibility in their acts of carnage.
Not only do these apologists demonize Palestinians, but anyone who dares to take a stand on their behalf. The main staple of this Israeli strategy has been blaming the victim. Such a tactic is nothing new in the way the so-called “Arab-Israeli conflict” has been presented in Western media, whose narrative has been much closer to that of Israeli official and media discourses than that of Palestinians. This continued despite the decades-long military occupation, successive wars, and countless massacres.
Specifically, since the Israeli siege on Gaza, following the democratic elections that brought Hamas to power in January 2006, Israel needed all of its hasbara savvy, alongside that of its backers in western countries to explain why a population has been brutalized for making a democratic choice. The sheer amount of deception involved in the cleverly knitted story which purposely mixed between Hamas and al-Qaeda (as they once did between late Yasser Arafat and Hitler), among other ruses was a new low, even by Israel’s own standards.
While the media demonized Hamas, the resistance and all the other “bad” Palestinians who voted for the movement, it intentionally ignored the fascism that was taking over Israeli society.
For the bad – as in “radical,” “extremist,” anti-peace – Palestinian to exist, they have to be juxtaposed with the good Palestinian, represented in Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and any faction, person or leader willing to, practically speaking, co-exist with the Israeli occupation. The PA went even further, by cooperating with Israel to ensure the demise of the Palestinian “radicals,” as in those who insist on resisting the occupation.
Thanks to the PA, the price for the Israeli occupation has never been so cheap. Despite repeated attempts at re-activating the so-called peace process, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu always found a way to torpedo such efforts, even those promoted by his closest allies in Washington. “Peace” is a major risk for Netanyahu, whose government is sustained by Jewish nationalists and extremists, who feel no particular need to end their colonization of the West Bank. Abbas had done a great deal to ensure that Israel feels no pressure to negotiate. Every attempt at resistance, even by standing peacefully with placards and banners in Ramallah’s al-Manara Square was crushed; often brutally.
Gaza, however, remained an exception. Israel’s brutality there has reached unprecedented levels, especially after Israel’s Cast Lead Operation, which killed and wounded thousands. Many predicted that the crimes in Gaza would turn the tide against Israel, but they didn’t. Israeli influence over the media was still tight enough that somehow they managed to, at least, neutralize the impact of Cast Lead. The advent of the Arab Spring and the devaluing of human life, as happened in Syria, Libya and Egypt, somehow buried the Israeli crimes in Gaza; however temporarily.
But Israel’s latest war on Gaza mounted to a genocide. Israel’s argument that it was “defending itself” was no longer a sufficient excuse. No amount of hasbara was enough to explain the burying alive of entire families, the summary execution of civilians, the pulverizing of entire neighborhoods, the gunning down of fleeing children playing at the beach during a deceptive moment of “lull,” the destruction of dozens of mosques and churches, the killing of civilians hiding in UN schools-turned temporary shelters.
It was particularly embarrassing for Israel, but also telling, that the Gaza resistance, which stood alone, fighting tens of thousands of well-armed invaders from tunnels, killed 64 Israelis. All but three were soldiers, mostly killed inside Gaza.
As the world was awakened to the level of devastation created by Israel in Gaza, many also became aware that such wrath is not independent from the fascism that has gripped Israeli society for years. In Israel, there is no longer room for dissent, and those in the highest positions of power, are the ones who openly and freely preach genocide.
In his excellent article in the American Conservative on August 6, Scott McConnell wrote, “All societies have their hate groups and extremists, but nowhere in the democratic world are they nearer to the center of power than Israel.” He elaborated, “In the 1980s Meir Kahane had a small following in Israel, but his pro-ethnic cleansing party was made illegal. Now Kahanists are in the center of the country’s ruling ideology.”
This was discussed in context of statements made by Moshe Feiglin, deputy speaker of the Knesset and a “top player in Israel’s ruling Likud Party.” Fieglin called for Palestinians from Gaza to be resettled in concentration camps, and all of Hamas and its supporters to be “annihilated.” Who can now, with a good conscience, protest those who infuse the Nazi analogy to what is happening in Palestine?
Meanwhile, in this age of social media, where mainstream news networks no longer have complete command over the narrative, no self-respecting intellectual, journalist, official or any citizen with a conscience can plead ignorance and stand on the fence of neutrality.
Gaza has indeed changed everything. Israel’s criminality and fascism should no longer be open for vibrant media debates, but it must be acknowledged as an uncontested fact. Our language, as in our perception, must also change to accommodate this uncontested reality.
To end the Israeli genocide and occupation, the wheel of continuous action must turn and keep on turning. Those who support Israel must be exposed, and those who facilitate the Israeli occupation and sustain its war machine are partakers in the war crimes committed daily in Gaza and the rest of Palestine. They must be boycotted. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement must grow and serve as the main platform for international solidarity.
Time for clever words and no action are long gone, and those who remain “soft” on Israel, for whatever reason, have no place in what is becoming a global movement with uncompromising demands: end the occupation, punish its sustainers, halt ethnic cleaning and genocide, end the siege, and bring Israeli and other culprits to the international criminal court for their massive war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Murder and kidnapping of civilians are war crimes committed by the islamist Hamas and their jihad partners on an ongoing basis. Hamas created a state of war and therefore Israel would be justified in occupying G
On January 25, 2006, the Palestinian Authority held elections. Gazans were free to vote and did in fact vote in large numbers for Hamas, which achieved a significant political victory. But that wasn’t enough for Hamas, which conducted a bloody coup d’etat in which numerous Palestinian civilians who were associated with the Palestinian Authority were killed.
Hamas also resumed rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and increased its building of terrorist tunnels into Israel, which it used to kill and kidnap Israelis. It was only after these acts of war by Hamas that Israel instituted its blockade in 2007 – nearly two years after it ended its occupation.
So the truth is that the blockade has not been the cause of Hamas’ rocket and tunnel attacks. The blockade has been the result of these attacks. It is an entirely legitimate defensive military response to war crimes committed by Hamas.
It is only muslims for whom Gaza changes everything, since they consider Gaza the glorious spearhead of the muslim ummah, the one aimed to take Jerusalem and Israel from the Jews, even though the Koran states that Jerusalem and Israel belongs to the children of Israel. Muslims are therefore the only Zionists around since Jerusalem is already in Jewish hands, the Zionist dream is fulfilled.
The world is not that stupid. Since the Arab spring we have realised more about Islam and the workings thereof by muslims who wish to enact the supremacist, imperialist, racist koranic injunctions by the Koran that demand that every muslim fight, using any means, to make the whole world for allah only. We see that Hamas is of the exact same ilk and ideology as ISIS in Babylon, and that the arab muslims living in Gaza actually voted for a terror organisation, that does not adhere to international laws of military engagement, but fights dirty. These same arab muslims are happy to sacrifice their lives and the lives of their children in they psychotic quest for supremacy over the Jews.
Right now, muslims have a whole city surrounded, sieged, 20 000 people, no food or water, mostly Shiite muslims. Now that is what you call genocide. In fact the 250 000 people who have already died due to muslim wars in Syria and Iraq is genocide, and with specific targets of particular religions and tribes. The only genocide being perpetrated is by muslims, the same people who lay false claim on Israel and Jerusalem in Gaza.
The fact is that Hamas was desperate, and this is why they started a war, because now after the carnage of war, which they continue to provoke deliberately, money will be poured into gaza once again, to help the Gazans to rebuild. Hamas then steals this money to continue with criminal behaviour.
The only way to stop this ongoing self destruction by muslims is to stop funding them, force them to re-locate and settle down and stop paying for their deliberate destruction of their infrastructure. They must be made to bear the full weight of their bad choices in persisting with their religious war on Israel and the Jews.
There was no Hamas “coup”. The truth is quite the opposite. In fact, it was Abbas, with support and pressure from Israel and the US, that sought to overthrow the elected Hamas government.
It has also been Israel who has repeatedly violated its ceasefire agreements with Hamas, including the 2008 ceasefire prior to Operation Cast Lead and the 2012 ceasefire that lasted for a single day as Israel used it as an opportunity to draw out a Hamas official to assassinate him at the start of Operation Pillar of Defense.
Hamas’s rocket attacks into populated Israeli areas are a war crime. Israel’s war crimes, however, are on an incomparably greater scale.
The blockade of Gaza did not begin in 2007. Gaza has been under occupation since 1967, Israel controlling its land crossings and territorial waters since that time. Its closure policy began in 2005 following the withdrawal of forces from Gaza and was escalated in 2007 to punish the civilian population for voting the wrong way. The blockade is an illegal act of collective punishment in violation of international law.
Hamas did not start the latest round of violence. Israel had been bombing Gaza for a week already by the time Hamas fired its first rocket.
>Its closure policy began in 2005 following the withdrawal of forces from Gaza and was escalated in 2007 to punish the civilian population for voting the wrong way.>
lol. voting in a genocidal terrorist organization committed to the destruction of its neighbor? and you expect israel to open up its borders and trade with such an entity, even as hamas actively conspires to murder israelis (and palestinians) who oppose such mission?
no, no, the “blockade” is not an illegal act. using children as combatants and militarizing civilian areas is. hamas embezzling billions of dollars from aid organizations to support their own lavish style is illegal.
israel trucks in enormous amounts of aid (for free) into gaza, and allows palestinians – including hamas terrorists – to use their hospitals. hamas is so disgusting, they fire mortars and attack the crossings USED to deliver aid.
recently hamas tried to over-throw the west bank government.
on an ideological level – fundamentally – every single palestinian in gaza is expendable in the war against israel.
nothing is stopping hamas from engaging in positive relations with israel, but such policy is not nearly as enriching or rewarding as fighting israel.
and no israel did not “break the cease fire.” hamas had actively rockets, missiles, attacked soldiers and civilians – including firing anti-tank missiles at school buses – in addition to the various terrorist plots foiled by hamas AND the PNA.
the idea that one country needs to be attacked FIRST before defending itself has no basis in the rules of war.
sick and tired of leftists morons victimizing and apologizing for hamas. the degree of ignorance is gross and offensive.
Ahmad Bahr, Deputy Speaker of the Hamas Parliament, called all Muslims to jihad: “Why? In order to annihilate those Jews.” He goes on, “Oh Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, destroy the Americans and their supporters. Oh Allah, count them one by one, and kill them all, without leaving a single one.”
Engaging Hamas and encouraging its evolution away from violence and towards participation in the political process seems like it would have been a wiser policy course than implementing an illegal blockade that punishes the civilian population and provoking a violent response, yes.
Yes, the blockade is illegal.
Yes, it was in fact Israel who violated the 2008 as well as the 2012 ceasefire.
No, Hamas did not recently try to “overthrow” the PA.
Yes, there is “something stopping Hamas from engaging in positive relations with Israel” — namely Israel.
There is no evidence the Hamas leadership bore any responsibility for the abduction and murder of the 3 Israeli civilians.
Again, by the time the first rocket from Hamas was fired at Israel, Israel had already been bombing Gaza for a week.
No, stating the facts is not “apologizing” for Hamas, whose war crimes I also condemn — unlike hypocrites who condemn Hamas while supporting Israel’s own war crimes, which occur on an incomparably greater scale.
Lastly, I’m not a “leftist”. But no matter.
hammond you are being disingenuous and dishonest.
no, israel did not violate any fuckin cease-fire. hamas simply used lulls to re-build its army. it built offensive tunnels into israel, that itself is an act of war, as well as constant attacks in the west bank and shooting at soldiers from gaza.
you still dont seem to understand this, and ur obviously playing dumb. hamas is an iranian/qatari proxy. they are not interested in government or peace, it is against the fundamentals of their organization.
still israel has “engaged” hamas in terms of subsidizing the palestinians and hamas can spend its BILLIONS enriching themselves.
the blockade is perfectly legal, and righteous. there is no shortage of humanitarian aid in gaza. 5 star hotels, thousands of mansions. considering their government is led by terrorists who can complain. it isnt yemen.
hamas war isnt economical or territorial. when israel did ease its blockade hamas used the resources to re-build its army – spending millions on its tunnels.
regardless, expecting israel to engage hamas in the idiotic and dubious manner u suggest is like asking black people to engage with the KKK. jews with the nazis. idiotic.
and yes, hamas took responsibility for abducting the 3 kids and brutally murdering them. what do u think…hamas has a long history of abducting jews and brutally murdering them. hundreds of plots have been foiled by the PNA and shin bet. remember they want to kill all jews?
and dont forget hamas described the killing as a “heroic action.” sick culture.
>Again, by the time the first rocket from Hamas was fired at Israel, Israel had already been bombing Gaza for a week.>
trying to paint hamas as the victim is amusing. it is sickening though, considering their contempt for human life…doesnt seem to bother idiot leftists.
like i said before hamas militarizing protected areas and murdering its own people for speaking out…stealing aid for themselves, sabotaging cease-fires and constantly provoking israel….ugh.
the left wont be happy until israel is dissolved and replaced with an islamic state, as hamas demands
1) Yes, it was in fact Israel who violated the 2008 as well as the 2012 ceasefire.
The 2008 ceasefire ended on November 4 when Israel invaded Gaza and killed 6 Palestinians. Until that time, Hamas had fired no rockets since the ceasefire went into effect on June 19.
In 2012, Hamas was observing an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire when Israel launched an attack in Gaza to assassinate a Hamas official, having used the ceasefire to lull Hamas into a false sense of security and draw him out of hiding.
2) Israel’s blockade is ipso facto an act of collective punishment of the civilian population — a violation of international law. No less an authority than the International Committee of the Red Cross has observed that Israel’s blockade is illegal, not to mention numerous UN bodies and international humanitarian organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Gisha, etc.
3) No, Hamas most certainly did not accept responsibility for the murder of the 3 Israelis. Hamas denied responsibility and Israel offered no evidence to support its claim Hamas was responsible.
4) Calling me an “idiot” and a “leftist” does not at all change the fact bit that by the time Hamas fired its first rocket (Monday, July 7), Israel had already been bombing Gaza for a week.
these cease-fires were informal and hamas continued to attack israel and fired hundreds of rockets during the interim as well as construct tunnels into israel. in addition to terrorist attacks in the west bank. tunneling into israel was an offensive act, and consistent with hamas’ pledge to abduct soldiers and israelis whenever possible
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/18366
yes hamas accepted the responsibility of murdering 3 israelis.
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/In-first-Hamas-official-takes-credit-for-kidnap-and-murder-of-Israeli-teens-371703
of course hamas abducted the israelis, idiot. that’s a fundamental part of hamas warfighting behavior, which you remain ignorant of.
I repeat, the fact is that it was Israel that violated the 2008 ceasefire with an invasion of Gaza on November 4, up until which time Hamas had fired precisely zero rockets since the formal ceasefire began on June 19.
It is incredible that you actually go so far as to cite the report of the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center to support your claim that Hamas was firing rockets between June 19 and November 4. You should actually read sources before trying to use them to bolster your argument. Had you read that report, you would have noticed that it states that “Hamas was careful to maintain the ceasefire” up until Israel’s November 4 violation.
Likewise, Hamas was observing the 2012 ceasefire that Israel used to draw out a senior Hamas official to target for assassination at the start of its Operation Pillar of Defense.
Thanks for the report about Salah al-Aruri, which I was unaware of. I direct your attention to this counterpoint by former director of the US office of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem:
http://mitchellplitnick.com/2014/08/21/no-hamas-did-not-take-responsibility-for-three-israeli-youths-kidnapping-and-murder/
you seem to put a lot of stock in this informal cease-fire. i see u trunacated the quotation – hamas was careful to maintain the cease-fire (kind of) so it could re-build its arsenal.
the cease-fire was informal, and in no way is evidence of some kind of changing in belligerence of hamas offensive war against israel and jews. all this is bullshit anyways since hamas was constructing tunnels INTO ISRAEL during this entire time.
yes i read your link, its conclusions dont disprove hamas didnt take responsibility, it’s word-play. fucking read it:
“But the Qawasmehs are connected with Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-din al-Qassam Brigades. So, all al-Aruri said was what we already knew: the Qawasmehs carried out the act.”
YES. Thanks. Hamas is responsible. al-qassam brigade ordered the kidnapping, and baited israel into a ground operation – which makes sense given how fortified they were before the israelis arrived.
jesus christ. abducting israelis is an integral part of hamas warfighting behavior, it is a pillar.
Just to review the record, your own source — which you cited to support your claim that Hamas launched rockets between the start of the ceasefire on June 19, 2008 and November 4, when Israel invaded Gaza — states that “Hamas was careful to maintain the ceasefire” until that Israeli violation of the ceasefire.
Again, as your own source notes, Hamas fired precisely zero rockets up until that time.
Islamic jihad by Hamas and the muslims around Israel continues constantly, it is not based only on rockets launched into Israel, but the numerous ongoing crimes committed by muslims against Israelis and others, not only in Palestine, but anywhere in the world. Islam is the crime and muslims are the criminals, who never play by the rules, but fight dirty. The only time international laws come into play for muslims is when it suits them, otherwise international laws are kaffir.
It does not follow from the premise that Islamic extremists commit crimes that therefore Israel does not.
To get back to the point, your claim that Hamas violated the ceasefire by firing rockets is false, as your own source in fact supports what I told you, that “Hamas was careful to maintain the ceasefire” and fired precisely zero rockets into Israel from the start of the ceasefire on June 19 until Israel’s violation of the ceasefire on November 4.
Israel is defending itself from an isalmic jihad, something that Nigeria, Syria and Iraq seem incapable of doing. Perhaps you would be more comfortable if Israel was just as pathetic at protecting its citizens and defending its country. Hamas did violate the ceasefire, everytime. In fact the firing of rockets has been continuous. I have not given a source previously but I will now, just for 2014: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2014
this proves without a doubt that the barbaric kidnapping, mutilation and murder of the young boys by Islamic psychopaths, Hamas, was not the only factor involved when Israel decided to fight back. It is ridiculous that you advocate for terrorism on Israel. Israel is the most ethical army in the world, but the enemy they are fighting do not follow any rules of engagement.
Why do you single out Israel? Eritrea could do with some of your help, they are begging for international attention on their plight against their Islamic dictatorship that brings devastation wherever they rule. We really don’t need any more Islamic states, there are 57 of these hellholes already. It is as the Buddhists of Sri Lanka, Myanmar say: This world is not for muslims only. They have had every opportunity and all the assistance they needed to build better lives for themselves but they are obsessed with the murder of Israelis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3E41bEOoxQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWODdCgwOk
and then those bedoin muslim crime gangs do this to people running away from muslim hellholes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG-r9OwjZoM
The facts are as I stated them. It was Israel, not Hamas, that violated the 2008 ceasefire preceding Operation Cast Lead as well as the 2012 ceasefire preceding Operation Pillar of Defense.
As for Operation Defensive Edge, the first time Hamas claimed responsibility for rocket fire was July 7, by which time Israel had already been bombing Gaza for a week.
Bombing a defenseless civilian population and committing war crimes such as bombing UN schools where women and children are taking shelter, with more than 70% of the more than 2,000 deaths being civilians, is not “self-defense”. It’s murder.
Disingenuous and dishonest, is a phrase delivered by the Israeli Foreign office for the use of Hasbara volunteers.
State your case Superdust, but not from Israeli propaganda sources, that have long been seen through as the extremely bias lies they always have been, thank`s, in my opinion to the internet where it`s now very easy to obtain a balanced view.
Hamas was elected in 2006, later that year Hamas announced it would exploit the recently discovered off shore Gaza natural gas fields. To facilitate production a sea and airport were also proposed.
Israel objected to what Hamas proposed to do and refused to allow either a Gaza controlled sea or airport, imposing the blockade made it impossible for Gaza to develop a perfectly legitimate proposal.
Hamas threatened retaliation, and the rockets started, at this point it should be mentioned that the total number of Israelis killed, since 2007, by Hamas rockets is less that the biannual number of Israelis murdered by Israelis (No death sentence for Israeli murderers).
There are nearly 400 Israelis killed in Israeli motor accidents each year, that`s 200 Israeli motor deaths to every Israel rocket death (source Israeli Gov. web site and B`Tselem Israel Information Centre).
Since 2007 the UN has regularly stated “The blockade of Gaza is inhumane” and Hamas has regularly stated “There can be no permanent cease fire as long as the blockade exists”. To any reasonable thinker, the solution is obvious, lift the blockade and there will be peace. Gaza will get a sea and airport and gas production will give Gaza a higher GDP than Israel!
Only a fanatic would claim that Hamas, or anyone, prefers to kill Israelis rather than live in a high standard of comfort.
The tunnels have existed for years, they were used to bring in, not just via Egypt, essential goods denied by Israel. Gilad Shalit was kidnapped, but not via the Israeli tunnels, had he been his debriefing would have revealed such tunnels, Terror Tunnels is a glib expression, hiding the shock Israel had when it was clear tunnels were required for the people of Gaza to survive.
Israel can`t have it both ways, If the blockade is intending to prevent weapons getting to Gaza, then it
lunatic.
For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry, at which women excel, and so do all the people living on this land. The elderly excel at this, and so do the mujahideen and the children. This is why they have formed human shields of the women, the children, the elderly, and the mujahideen, in order to challenge the Zionist bombing machine. It is as if they were saying to the Zionist enemy: ‘We desire death like you desire life
David Ben Gurion said in 1947 “Let us not delude ourselves. We (Zionists) are the aggressors, They (Palestinians) fight to defend THEIR land”
In the 20 or so years prior, Yitzhak Ben Zivi and David Ben Gurion repeatedly stated “The Palestinians are the descendents of the inhabitants of the ancient land of Judea”. A simple statement of facts, over the generations the majority of the intrinsic population converted from Hebrew beliefs to Christianity and Islam.
Demographics confirm that situation, 15 million Jews worldwide, 2.2 billion Christians and 1.9 Billion Muslims.
As long ago as 1919, the US appointed King-Crane commission findings were; A Jewish homeland in Palestine was untenable as it would require the removal of the ethnic population and could only be sustained by force of arms.
And so it came to pass eh! Israel now effectively occupies 100% of Palestine, part of Lebanon and Syria, all taken by force of arms, creating 4.9 million UN registered Palestinian refugees, all denied a right of return to their homeland, simply because they are Christian or Muslim. Sustained only by unconditional financial and military support of the US.
Your Hasbara fantasies are simply that. Fantasies that have no basis in reality, designed to appeal to the bigoted and ignorant. Successful in past years, but becoming increasingly counter productive.
There are many Israeli Foreign Ministry volunteers like yourself Superdust, they all make the same comments in the same way, they all get shot down on this web site, simply because visitors here are those that look beyond the headlines and see things as they really are, not as people like yourself pretend they are.
Winston Churchill said “A lie can travel half way around the world before the truth can get it`s pants on!”.
Well Superdust, the truth has it`s pants on and is rapidly overhauling your lies”, that`s the way of the world and there is nothing you can do to stop it..
And you are informed by the Islamic jihad rhetoric, that is clear. Everything is Israel’s fault, muslims don’t have to take responsibility for the psychopathic tendencies, and they can happily blame and attack anyone else for their cause, anywhere, not only in Palestine.
That Lea, is a Zionist fanatical comic book comment.
You simply can`t ignore Israeli crimes by making such a comment.
If you wish to debate, please try an adult approach.
There is nothing adult about singling out Israel who is a beacon of virtue in comparison to her neighbours. Eritrea is begging for some international attention on their plight, another inhumane Islamic hellhole. The Gazans are simply spoilt brats. The millions upon millions of refugees in this world, produced mainly by muslim wars, are discriminated against by the UN policies towards the Palestinians, who are not more important than the rest. This must stop. Every time the muslims wage their insane attacks on Israel, which is nothing but criminal psychosis induced by their Islamic indoctrination, and they get destroyed, they are absolved of any responsibility and the world pays to build them up again, only to do the same thing to themselves again. You would do better, that is if you are really seeking the truth, to listen to what these arab muslims are saying in Arabic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NbRUXIXZOI
It is difficult to see how state established through ethnic cleansing that continues to occupy and steal Palestinian land, perpetually violate human rights and international law, and engages in war crimes can be described as “a beacon of virtue”.
It`s only a fanatic who avoids the issue by launching a bigoted diatribe in a juvenile attempt to deflect from the issue.
Israel is an artificial State created by the West and sustained by the US.
Only a lunatic could believe that hordes of European Immigrants, all belonging to one specific religious group, could attempt to create a State, for the exclusive use of people of that religion, then expect the intrinsic population to welcome them.
And only a truly bigoted religious fanatic, could attempt to put the blame on the intrinsic population who have every right to object to the theft of their land.
Israel has created 4.9 million UN registered Palestinian refugees, a world record, all denied the right of return to their homeland simply because they are Christian or Muslim.
Grow up Lea, or at least open your eyes.
tldr the blockade is not the cause of hamas terrorism, but a consequence of it.
Whether that is so or not is irrelevant to the fact that the blockade is an illegal act of collective punishment of the civilian population.
not according to the palmer commission, but israel isnt going to open up its borders to hamas. what is illegal is firing 12,000 rockets at israel, abducting and brutally murdering children, militarizing protected areas, and using children as combatants.
there is no shortage of aid and welfare in gaza. israel denying hamas the ability to access more sophisticated weapons – which is the only reason why hamas wants the blockade removed – is perfectly justifable.
All the Palmer Commission said Superdust was “It could appreciate the Israeli attitude”
There was no “approval” of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, As for the UN proper, The UN, since 2007, has consistently said “The Israeli blockade of Gaza is inhumane”.
And the UN is careful not to provoke irrational verbal responses from Israel, such as Mark Regev (The Australian) silly claims that the the UN is bias against Israel.
yea ur right the un is not biased at all against israel. how could i be so clueless
It`s only fanatical Israelis and their supporters that would suggest the UN was bias against Israel.
I don`t think you`re clueless I just think your refuse to accept reality, there`s none so blind as they who will not see!
The problem with Israel is; It demands to win each argument 10 – 0, even if it`s arguments are contradictory, and if anyone protests Israel cries wa,wa,wa, all the way home!
keep wailin bud, not changing reality.
“We will upgrade our (rocket) arsenal,” said Mohammed Zahar, a senior official, “to be ready for the coming battle, the battle of full liberation.” Zahar’s appearance before a crowd in Gaza’s central square was the first time he had been seen in public since the fighting started.
The UN is now run by the OIC. Iran is on the board of the Human Rights commission, that fact alone shows just how perverted the UN is.
“The UN is now run by the OIC” is typical Zionist propaganda and has no basis in fact. Your statement is typical of Hasbara attempts as misdirection.
However, I would agree that the UN is “perverted” as you say, the evidence for that is very clear in UN resolutions;
There have been 77 UN General Council resolutions critical of Israeli actions, yet the UN has failed to take action to implement any of them.
There have been 0ver 40 UN Security Council resolutions critical of Israeli actions, that have been vetoed by the USA, effectively preventing the UN from taking action against Israel.
No other member of the UN has been critisised as much as Israel, no other UN member has been allowed to commit so many acts of Genocide as Israel, no other UN member has been allowed to implement it`s apartheid policies as Israel has.
You are perfectly correct Lea, the UN has been perverted.
P.S. Iran has a Jewish representative at the UN.
Israel has no Christian or Muslim Israeli in any Israeli Government appointment.position.
Yes, the US is a member of the UNHRC, also. Perverted indeed.
The Palmer Commission was not mandated with issuing a legal opinion on the blockade and the reports authors themselves emphasized that their opinion on the matter was non-authoritative.
That Israel’s blockade is an illegal act of collective punishment is incontrovertible, as recognized by the ICRC, numerous UN bodies, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Gisha, etc.
““It’s like an appointment with a dietician. The Palestinians will get a lot thinner, but won’t die.” — Senior advisor to Ariel Sharon, explaining the purpose of escalating the blockade of Gaza following Hamas’s 2006 election victory.
you know whats illegal? militarizing hospitals and schools, arming children.
The fact that using locations with protected civilian status to conduct military operations or using child soldiers is a violation of international law does not render Israel’s collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza somehow legal.
For you, nothing matters except what Israel does or does not do. You are biased and irrational.
You are welcome to produce an argument if you think there is any error in fact or logic in my previous comment.
How is it that the perverted and psychopathic behaviour of muslims is never the point? We don’t care if the blockade is illegal or not, while the muslims wage their jihad of hatred and death on others. Until muslims can make better life choices, they should be forced to bear the consequences of their poorly formulated decisions to vote for Islamic terrorists who seek their death and destruction in the name of allah.
Murder, Kidnapping and the extermination of villages are also war crimes, committed by Settler terror organisations who`s aims were to create their own State based of a religion.
Prior to the British withdrawing from Palestine, there was no Israel, yet Israel now in effect occupies all of Palestine, part of Lebanon and Syria. Whatever the excuses European immigrants have expanded Israeli borders by use of military superiority and the approval of the US.
There are now some 4,9 million UN registered Palestinian refugees all denied the right of return to their homeland, their crime? they are either Christian of Muslim.
The crimes of Israel cannot be covered up with claims that “Palestinians” are terrorists, the simple historical facts show that terror was introduced by Zionist, not by the ethnic population.
A religious war was started by Israel and a religious war has been continued by Israel for over 67 years now. The problem was and always has been the creation of a Zionist homeland in a predominantly Muslim part of the world.
And don`t give me that “Jews need a national home” the simple fact regarding that statement is the overwhelming majority of the worlds 15 million Jews prefer to live in their respective homelands and not on stolen Palestinian land.
The religious war was started by muslims, almost 1400 years ago. The early Islamic invasion and colonisation of vast territories and the forced conversion and subjugation of non muslims and even those we call moderate muslims has an unattested factual history, the unholy precedent that informs the Islamic jihad terrorism today.
The mistake you make is by focusing purely on Palestine, when in fact this Islamic jihad is worldwide. Africa is a case with fine examples of muslims perpetrating death and destruction on innocent people on an ongoing basis, in the name of their pagan death cult, the reason why progress cannot occur in Africa.
Palestine was conquered by the West, who then had the right to do what it willed with the conquered territory. Most of the land assigned to Israel was taken away and given to the arab muslims. They were still not content. Palestinians are Egyptians, Iraqis and Saudis, as well as Jordanians. The fact is that their Islamic ideology is at the root of their racist hatred for the Jews.
It was these same arab muslims who declared war on Israel, who are the reason the Golan heights now belongs to Israel. Despite the fact that Israel has, even after legitimately conquering territory, given back that land, you still want to harp on this imagined land grabbing by Israel.
Muslims have a way of entering into other peoples countries and then waging war in order to claim a part as an Islamic state. Muslims have been stealing land for a long time. Just look at Bosnia, Cyprus, Philippines, Nigeria, to see the current situation.
Anyone who supports Hamas is in fact a supporter of terrorism. Hamas is of the same ilk and ideology as isis in Babylon. Israel exists, and muslims are driving a racist hatred at declaring the extermination of the Jews constantly. Muslims are responsible for most if not all the wars and conflicts on this planet right now, not Jews.
The “Religious War” was started by Hebrews when founding the Kingdom of Israel which fragmented after the death of Solomon, it lasted no more than 69 years.
The Palestinian Jew Jesus created the Christian religion which was persecuted by Palestinian Jews and Roman pagans, yet it grew to vastly outnumber those who clung to their Jewish Beliefs.
Then came Islam a religion that embraces the Torah and the New Testament, Muslims (like Jews), don`t accept Jesus as the son of God, but they do (unlike Jews), accept him as a Prophet of God.
That Lea is why Islam spread so rapidly, despite the attempts of the Crusaders to turn back the clock with violence.
Mohammed Ail converted to Islam, so did Cat Stevens, so did the sister in law of ex British Prime Minister Tony Blair!
The Church of England has The Dean of Durham Cathedral, Michael Sadgrove, he converted from Judaism to Christianity, as did The Israeli Mordachia Vanunu, they did so willingly!
Zionist settlers introduced and implemented terrorism into Palestine. Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir were both wanted for murder, their acts of terror have yet to be eclipsed by Palestinians, yet they were both approved by Zionists as Prime Ministers of Israel.
Look to Israeli crimes Lea, don`t attempt misdirection by nonsensical generalised statements that are not relevant.
Israel was created by terror and has been sustained by terror for over 67 years, if you refuse to accept that reality, then presumably you are supportive of the acts of ISIS, they are simply copying the methods used and implemented by Israel.
You can`t have it both ways! .
There is some merit to that argument. Of course, by the same standard, anyone who supports Israel is in fact a supporter of terrorism and war crimes on an incomparably greater scale.
disgusting. while the media demonizes hamas? hardly. the media did a wonderful job pandering to the hamas narrative. 1,000 journalists in gaza and not a single report on hamas war fighting capabilities or offensive behaviors.
what happened in gaza was the opposite of a genocide. the IDF is by far the most restrained military on the planet.
hams embezzles billions of dollars meant for palestinians to enrich themselves. khaled mashaal is worth 2.5 billion. over 1,000 millionaires in gaza. hamas uses children as combatants, and children to build their tunnels – over 150 died (that we know of). hamas then executes these children so they dont reveal their location to the IDF.
hamas stores amonium nitrate, detonators, IEDs, mines, mortars, and rocket fuel – and launchers – in civilian areas. they manufacture and assemble their rockets in populated areas as well.
hamas whole war fighting behaviors is predicated on the fact that israel DOES NOT target civilians. this is precisely why hamas commands and directs its conflicts with israel under a hospital.
to show how much contempt hamas has for human life, they fire mortars at the erez crossing as palestinians are being evacuated to israel for treatment. several gazans were killed and 4 israeli doctors were wounded.
ADDITIONALLY they prevent palestinians from accessing hospitals in israel, and wont accept blood from israeli blood banks.
look at the arab countries, even they hate hamas.
sickening.
It’s difficult to see how killing over 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including hundreds of children, can be fairly characterized as “restraint”.
Use of force that is indiscriminate or that can reasonably be anticipated would cause disproportionate harm to civilians — like targeting schools and hospitals — is a war crime.
The use of human shields by one side in a conflict does not relieve the other of the responsibility not to use disproportionate or indiscriminate force force.
Nor does sending text messages or dropping leaflets warning civilians they are about to be bombed.
you dont seem to understand what disproportionate force means. it has nothing to do with casualties. then again you dont seem to understand international law or hamas’ offensive capabilities – how can u belly ache about “civilian” casualties when you know nothing about hamas’ offensives? kind of a critical detail, given they operate in protected areas.
you are being disingenuous and dishonest. like the palestinians, who classify terrorists as civilian and murder their own people then blame the enemy for it. sickening.
What a bizarre assertion, that the prohibition against disproportionate force in international law “has nothing to do with casualties.”
How perfectly illogical.
it is perfectly logical. disproportionate use of force is based on military objectives. israel’s stated objective was to undermine and strip hamas’ offensive capabilities, specifically its ability to manufacture and assemble long-range rockets and munitions.
israel then decides how much force is needed to achieve such an objective.
disproportionate use of force means more force is used than necessary.
the fact that hamas suffered 2,000 casualties (allegedly) is a meaningless statistic without acknowledging its war fighting behavior and stated objectives.
since hamas doesnt follow any laws, and uses israel’s ROE for its own offensive purposes, the palestinian leadership in gaza cannot complain of disproportionate use of force when they define the battlefield.
international law permits the targeting of protected areas IF they are militarized. hamas deciding to store munitions in residential areas is a blatant war crime, and does not make the area immune from attack.
israel didnt use enough force in gaza because hamas still possesses the ability to fire and attack israel
Wow, still going on with the bizarre argument that the prohibition against disproportionate
force in international law “has nothing to do with casualties.”
FYI, the prohibition against disproportionate force is customary international law codified in Article 51 of the Protocol I additional to the Geneva Conventions, which states:
So how very illogical indeed to insist that the prohibition “has nothing to do with casualties”.
disproportionate use of force has nothing to do with casualties, but military objectives. read what you just put in bold. the IDF isn’t targeting military objectives and civilian targets “without distinction” because hamas doesn’t make distinctions between military and civilian targets! israel has to make its own inferences based on intelligence, hamas actively exploits the protected status of these areas which you seem dubiously concerned about except..
>The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations.>
How extraordinarily bizarre to continue to insist after having been shown Article 51 of Protocol I that the prohibition against disproportionate use of force “has nothing to do with casualties” when the whole purpose of the prohibition is to protect civilians.
This proportionality indictment is not only absurd but
amoral. When a democracy launches a just war, its moral obligation to its citizens and soldiers is to apply overwhelming force against the enemy, to secure peace quickly and authoritatively . . . .
War reportage should not treat the casualty count as some
kind of moral barometer. War is not a game; only in games such as golf does a higher score make you the loser.
The fact that Germany suffered over 10 times the number of war dead than Americans did in World War II does not change that war’s moral calculus. One can only imagine Wolf Blitzer on D-Day, counting German casualties without acknowledging German guilt. Americans were fighting a savage war – as all wars are – against a particularly heinous regime.
Your argument that the prohibition against use of force that doesn’t discriminate between civilian and military persons or objects is “amoral” when it is Israel guilty of violating this prohibition speaks for itself.