Israeli–Palestinian conflict

[Magpietothemax]

In the post above, I forgot to mention South Africa which of course does not consider Hamas to be a terrorist organisation.
At the ICJ hearing the South African legal team presented devastating and incontrovertible evidence of the fact that Israel is acting with full knowledge and intent of carrying out genocide against the Palestinian population.
The Israeli defence team had no factually based response, and simply resorted to lies ("Israel is not bombing hospitals, etc) combined with attempts to justify the violence on the basis of "evil Hamas".
If the court is actually based on rational, legal principles, it will find immediately in favour of South Africa. However, it is to be feared that political interests will be deciding the case, not rational and legal principles.

[What'sinaname]

[David]

It’s a place of serious oppression for LGBT people, yes. But what do you think is happening to gay and lesbian Gazans right now, and what do you think is the more immediate risk to their lives and futures?

https://time.com/6326254/queering-the-m ... estinians/

You don’t need to put people on a pedestal to recognise their humanity.

[What'sinaname]

[What'sinaname]

It’s a place of serious oppression for LGBT people, yes. But what do you think is happening to gay and lesbian Gazans right now, and what do you think is the more immediate risk to their lives and futures?

https://time.com/6326254/queering-the-m ... estinians/

You don’t need to put people on a pedestal to recognise their humanity.

No, but it's still a pathetic and completely useless thing for SF to do.

Let's reverse the role, and Palestine approve a resolution calling for a ban on homosexual activity in SF. It would be useless. SF wouldn't suddenly say, "Oh well, we better ban homosexuals as Palestine approves a resolution"

Israel doesn't give a two shits about some fat Americans in SF.

[Magpietothemax]

New evidence has emerged that most of the deaths occurring at the Nova music festival were not caused by Hamas fighters but rather were carried out by Israeli security forces and Israeli Apache helicopters with Hellfire missiles. The article below is well documented with all its sources, from Israeli news media and testimony from Israeli witnesses who attended the music festival.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles-id/18526

[David]

I don't think that's a remotely trustworthy source, MTTM. Many of its quotes are taken (out of context) from this BBC article, which paints a very different picture:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67056741

[David]

[Magpietothemax]

I don't think that's a remotely trustworthy source, MTTM. Many of its quotes are taken (out of context) from this BBC article, which paints a very different picture:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67056741

It is interesting to compare the two reports. It is clear that the Israeli police did block the roads with checkpoints (this was confirmed by the testimony of Weinstein) and it is clear that the Israeli army was shooting across fields where the party goers had been told to flee.
Another strong argument raised in the article from Cradle was that Hamas militants were not armed with the heavy weaponry which could have burnt out all the cars. This required the Hellfire missiles, which only the Israeli Apaches were armed with. The BBC report does not address this issue at all.
Given that the BBC is a propaganda outlet for the British government (as the ABC is for the Australian government, for example) I see nothing in the Cradle report which is less credible than in the BBC account.

[David]

[pietillidie]

^M2M, there is more than enough horror without dismantling reality and going down conspiratorial rabbit holes.

Take the trauma reported in Haaretz as quoted by David above and multiply it by an extremely large number:

Since 7 October 2023, up to 1.9 million people (or over 85 per cent of the population) have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, some multiple times. Families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Information on the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Gaza and Gaza City was last updated on 12 October due to access constraints and the security situation.

As of 2 January, nearly 1.4 million IDPs are sheltering in 155 UNRWA facilities across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip, including 160,000 in the north and Gaza City, and approximately 500,000 are in close vicinity of these installations and receiving assistance from UNRWA. A total of 1.88 million[1] IDPs are receiving assistance from UNRWA.

https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports ... -Jerusalem

WTF is wrong with people playing silly internet side taking games with that many lives? It's outright psychopathic criminality up there with the worst of history.

[What'sinaname]

Congrats Penny on giving Hamas $20+ million.

[pietillidie]

^

Iran is the big agitator. This whole mess is basically a war between the US and Iran using proxies.

You're right, but don't forget it overlays on the Shia (Iran) and Sunni (90%+ Muslims) division. So, they're also very vulnerable, hence the tie up with Russia.

[David]

Congrats Penny on giving Hamas $20+ million.

For what it’s worth, the money is going to a UN relief organisation, not to any Palestinian administrative body (Hamas or otherwise). It’s undoubtedly much needed and will save lives, though unfortunately any humanitarian benefit will likely be entirely negated by Australia’s ongoing provision of arms and funding to Israel.

https://www.australianjewishnews.com/un ... llion/amp/

Although if Michael Danby hates it, that’s a sure sign that it’s probably a good idea.

[Magpietothemax]

If anyone thinks the Netahayu government values the lives of Israeli hostages and soldiers, its real attitude can be seen from the report below in Al Jazeera, where the IDF destroys its own tank and the soldiers inside it:

"Hamas says Israeli army bombed its own tank after failing to reach it
The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian group, said it had targeted the tank with a mortar shell.

“An Israeli rescue unit tried to pull the tank from the location where it was targeted. Our fighters clashed with them and stopped them from advancing towards the vehicle, so the [Israeli] air force struck the tank with several rockets and completely obliterated it with everyone inside,” the Qassam Brigades said in a statement."

The IDF is operating under the Hannibal Directive, which orders it to kill Israeli soldiers (or civilians) rather than allow them to be captured by Hamas.