• There’s really no reason why we had to be in a war in Iraq. Afghanistan… yeah, probably not there, either, especially given how intimately we understood how well they had been trained at guerilla warfare against foreign invaders.

      Although, that’s not guite accurate; there were reasons, they were just serving different, less publically recognized, purposes. Much like Netanyahu’s war.

        • Good thing that basically every other action you could do falls between “do nothing”, and “commit ethnic cleansing”, so they’ve got a lot to choose from!

          Too bad they decided to go with the ethnic cleansing instead.

          •  sqgl   ( @sqgl@beehaw.org ) OP
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            7 months ago

            This shit goes back further than people here care to investigate…

            "The Antichrist will pass by this salty barren area i.e. Madinah, in a passage of a canal. Most of those who will come out to him will be women so that a man will return to his intimate wife, mother, daughter, sister or aunt to tie them up for fear that they might go out to him. Then, Allah will afflict him with Muslims who kill him and his followers and the Jews will hide behind a tree or a rock and the rock or the tree will say to the Muslim: There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!”

            This Hadith was reported by Ahmad in his Musnad. About 1200 years ago.

            https://alsalafiyyah.github.io/hadith-on-stones-will-speak

            •  t3rmit3   ( @t3rmit3@beehaw.org ) 
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              7 months ago

              I don’t know what relevance you think scripture has to this conflict, but despite what Israel would like to claim this is not a religious war, this is a settler-colonial project driven by modern, western Imperialism. Religion is being used by Netanyahu and Likud in the most cynical, blasphemous way, in order to justify their murderous acts.

                •  t3rmit3   ( @t3rmit3@beehaw.org ) 
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                  7 months ago

                  Not an any practical level.

                  It certainly hasn’t been weaponized by them to deflect criticism of their actions by international observers, like Israel has been doing.

                  I haven’t really seen any accusations that being anti-Hamas (the political entity) is Islamophobic, only that being anti-Palestinian (the people) is, which is true.

                  Contrast that to Israel and its supporters very openly pushing the narrative that being anti-Israel (the political entity) is antisemitic, not just being anti-Israeli (the people).

          •  sqgl   ( @sqgl@beehaw.org ) OP
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            7 months ago

            Do you not think Israel could have killed pretty much everyone in Gaza if they were interested in ethnic cleansing?

            Meanwhile Hamas really did do their best to ethically cleanse, and have said they would do it again given a chance.

            The reality is still pretty bad: at least 10,000 civilians killed and it seems Bibi wants to push all Gazans out of Gaza altogether in their mission to root out Hamas.

            •  t3rmit3   ( @t3rmit3@beehaw.org ) 
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              7 months ago

              In case you don’t know the definition of ethnic cleansing, forced removals are ethnic cleansing, so even by your own comment they’re engaged in it.

              Hamas is a terrorist organization, and Israel reaped what they sowed by supporting Hamas for a decade in order to delegitimize the Palestinian National Authority.

              Palestinians are not Hamas, and Israel is exploiting people conflating them to deflect blame for their genocide and ethnic cleansing.

              •  sqgl   ( @sqgl@beehaw.org ) OP
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                7 months ago

                Am aware of Bibi supporting Hamas. It was a cynical ploy by him.

                Bibi required five (re)elections to resume power. There were huge protests for ten days when he wanted to control the judiciary.

                Palestinians are not Hamas

                Istaelis are not Likud

                •  t3rmit3   ( @t3rmit3@beehaw.org ) 
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                  7 months ago

                  Israelis are not Likud

                  That’s why I try to be very deliberate in differentiating between “Israel”, which is a country and government, and “Israelis”, which are the people who live there.

                  As an American, I’m extremely mindful of this distinction:

                  Being anti-American is bigotry based on national origin.

                  Being anti-America is a moral and justified position against an Imperial, settler-colonialist state that kills millions around the globe.

                  •  sqgl   ( @sqgl@beehaw.org ) OP
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                    27 months ago

                    OK. By the way Israel always has coalition governments so there are several parties in this coalition although the largest component is Likud. The war cabinet is only Likud and National Unity (party led by Benny Gantz).

      • Well Iraq, the first time, yes. They invaded Kuwait which in my opinion did legitimise the first gulf war (though opinions may vary). Though IMO it should have happened under UN flag but of course the security council is forever locked into a stalemate.

        The second war, no. Whatever it was… Made-up WMD’s, funding of military industrial complex, Dubya’s desire to finish daddy’s pet project, whatever. A real reason there was not.