How can a nation be this depraved? It’s 2025, the entire world sees what is happening, and every single day Israel continues to show that it is one of the most evil countries in the world. I am truly at a loss.
Contacting my Congressional Representatives has been pointless; few of them care to do anything about this. Trump has signaled that it will get worse (somehow) for the Palestinians.
And the world sits back and watches this unfold. What are we supposed to do to actually help bring any relief whatsoever to the Palestinian people?
Even worse than sitting back and watching it unfold, the U.S. continues to supply Israel with more weapons. In my 81 years on this earth, I never expected to watch a live-streamed genocide, much less one in which the U.S. is an active participant. Our tax dollars are undoubtedly paying for these depraved propaganda leaflets. As for contacting my congressional representatives, I’m saddled with John Fetterman.
Genocidal criminality continues - I ‘m not sure if I can read any more, what good is it if I can’t stop it? What good is anything if we can’t stop this?
Meanwhile 22 Palestine Action members are beginning 2025 in jail - some uncharged on remand - in UK prisons for peaceful actions against Elbit Systems UK, the largest Israeli company producing land weapons for the IDF. Elbit also produce the notorious quadcopters
Don't worry. The many like me opposed to this diabolical genocide, in Australia and elsewhere in the world, feel like shaking our complicit morally corrupt governments off our shoulders. Like a dog shaking fleas. You're not alone in America and have friends in resistance worldwide. It's just so hard figuring how to stop it all.
Thank you for that information about the number killed in the first week of 2025, I will make a sign to that effect and add it to my vigil sign that informs Americans who pass me in their cars that Palestinian lives matter and that 50,000 are dead and counting.
No . I refuse to be anti-Semitic . I don’t buy Netenyahu and co’s line that being anti Zionist is being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic. I never forget the Jewish people who are actively speaking out against this Genocide all over the world, inc in UK on every national (monthly) march, and a group that hold weekly demonstrations outside the abode of the Israeli Ambassador to UK - Tzipi Hotovely - (who was calling for Gaza to be destroyed back in Jan 2024) a sickening mouthpiece for the Settler movement who stated “the Nakba is an Arab lie”. She is a political far right religiously driven Likud politician, we have to remember the politics in this. Would we be anti-American or anti-Christian because they have elected a Fascist?
Hamas does not need messages.The Israelis brutal treatment of the Palestinian people for 76+ years says it all. The people are fully aware as is the world of what is happening in Palestine. Sad that sufficient numbers of the global the population especially our youth are not demonstrating in the streets against this genocide. Israel is key to the US hegemony and is being used as an example to deter any country from opposing this.We will all pay a heavy price for allowing this to continue eventually.
I don’t really see anything inherently wrong with the leaflets. Let’s be honest: tens of thousands have died in Gaza because Hamas is willing to sacrifice civilians to gain political power. It’s not like Israel cares about civilian casualties—far from it—but the real question is, why don’t the people of Gaza care enough about their own lives to tear these retards down? At some point, self-preservation has to kick in.
From my personal perspective, why would I—or anyone I care about—willingly be put in peril because of a bunch of idiots who just want to jerk off their egos? It’s like committing suicide by Israel. Whether it’s propaganda or not, these leaflets highlight a truth: Hamas exploits their own people, and that’s something Gaza’s population should confront for their own survival.
Hamas’s operational plan is literally this: cause as many civilian casualties as possible, creating enough suffering to pressure Israel into stopping. The death toll isn’t a side effect—it’s part of the strategy. And what’s worse is that the population allows themselves to be used as pawns in this horrific cycle.
Honestly, it reminds me of that South Park episode, Faith Hilling (S16E03), where a train is barreling down the tracks, and instead of getting out of the way, people just stand there yelling "Oh Long Johnson" before the train smashes them. It’s the same vibe—staying in harm’s way while blindly following absurd, self-destructive leadership.
I get that there are humanitarian laws and ideals to consider, but in the end, it’s about survival. We’re just Homo sapiens—a somewhat clever, hairless ape—and the basic goal is to keep living.
Suggest you do more reading on the history of Palestine and not just accept the information released by right wing media sources. There is sufficient historical information available written by Jewish historians to verify the genocidal colonial actions of the US and its attack dog Israel.While I do not believe in violence and have a strong belief in the ten commandments I do believe the Palestinians have a right to defend themselves.
I’d like to clarify that while I’m not an expert, I’ve been actively searching for information to better understand the situation, including the history of the conflict. I’ve gone to considerable lengths to expand my perspective, exploring a variety of sources to challenge and broaden my worldview.
I watch Al Jazeera daily, follow Francesca Albanese, regularly watch Breaking Points, read Zeteo, keep up with Eye on the Middle East, and have also watched a few Norman Finkelstein videos to gain deeper insights into the historical and political dynamics. After 15 months of this—consistently immersing myself in left-wing media and different perspectives, trying to find the rationality behind all of this—I’m still baffled by this behavior.
Don’t get me wrong, the ultra-Zionists and ultra-Orthodox Jews are no different in my eyes. Their behavior is just as baffling—so irrationally retarded—driven by ancient fairytale books written thousands of years ago.
‘ tens of thousands have died in Gaza because Hamas is willing to sacrifice civilians to gain political power ‘ for all your immersing yourself in left wing media as you say (I trust yr not inc Al Jazeera under that heading) your opening statement proves you haven’t got it if you still read this Genocide as Hamas’s doing. I could go on but I’d be wasting my time.
Ok, so what is happening now, even though it has roots in the past, is literally due to about 3,000 militants rushing over the border, killing in the most barbaric way around 1,200 people, injuring over 7,000, and kidnapping more than 240. If we go tit for tat, this is the last action that triggered such a response.
Their goal was to capture people and, through that, gain political power. Part of this calculation involved anticipating retaliation from Israel. They must have looked at the situation and thought something like, "Hmm, we can kidnap a few soldiers or civilians, and that will lead to retaliation, which will likely kill hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. But I don’t care about the people—I care about the JUST cause, for which I’m willing to sacrifice them."
It’s like Lord Farquaad from Shrek: “Some of you may die, but it’s a sacrifice I am willing to make.”
Why would I, as a civilian, accept—even remotely—the idea that I or someone I care about could be killed because a bunch of brainwashed retards want to keep 240 captives to further their power goals?
By the way, in general, we are living in a deterministic universe. There’s no such thing as changing the past or dealing in “what ifs.” What happened had to happen because it’s the culmination of states and actions leading up to it. Therefore, it doesn’t matter much what happened in the past—all you can do is focus on improving the future.
And if you think this, in any way, shape, or form, improves the lives of people in Gaza, then honestly—WTF.
‘Their goal was to capture people and, through that, gain political power. ‘ nothing to do with living in an occupied state ? Living in an occupied state that the Israelis engineered they could with hold vital necessities of life - drinking water, power, food, and other necessities and being totally unable to do anything about it. And the world wasn’t paying attention. You weren’t paying attention to more than 2.23 Million people, most refugees from other places taken over by Israel -being held hostage.- you know what? At the beginning of the Genocide the support from Gazan’s for Hamas increased, such is the desperation, and anger. Now, well what can you do against genocide? You could do something but your only quarrel is with Hamas. Yes they committed war crimes when they breached the (illegal) border, and virtually walked in to the terrain of a militarily dominant power. If you say the retribution by the Israelis should have been expected, yes, every couple of years they have bombed Gaza for sending a few rockets that rarely hit anything! but this? You’re excusing this? You’re justifying this? I don’t know who you really are , but most of us call it as it is War Crimes and Genocide of a people already living under apartheid in their own country.
Ok, let’s start with the issue of withholding electricity, water, and other necessities. That kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? When you’re at war with someone, isn’t it standard practice to sever services between two parties? If Monaco attacked France, would you honestly expect France to continue delivering water, electricity, and other resources to their enemy? Or if South Africa were at war with Lesotho, would you expect them to keep feeding their enemy with resources?
Look, I hate Russia—my country was occupied by them for 40 years, and I despise everything about Russian culture. But even I wouldn’t hold it against them for cutting off energy transport to Ukraine during a war. That’s just how wars operate. You don’t strengthen the hand of the party you’re fighting by continuing to provide resources.
And this has to be part of the calculation, right? When you attack someone, you can’t realistically expect them to keep supporting you. That’s beyond unreasonable. Expecting otherwise is not just naive but completely detached from how conflicts have always worked.
Now let’s talk about refugees. I believe no one can remain a refugee for five generations—it defies the very definition of the term. I choose this example because it’s within a cultural context I understand. I’m Czech, and my people were directly involved in the killing and expulsion of Germans after World War II.
During the Nakba in 1948, around 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes, and an estimated 10,000–15,000 Palestinians were killed during the conflict.
In comparison, between 12 to 14 million ethnic Germans were expelled from Eastern and Central Europe after World War II, and estimates suggest that 500,000 to 2 million Germans died as a result of the expulsion—whether through direct violence, starvation, or disease.
These Germans were stripped of their property and sent to a devastated Germany. Yet they didn’t receive any special refugee status. They had the same rights as anyone else in Germany, and over time, they integrated into society.
Now, 80 years later, I live next to Germans without any problem. There’s no one shouting “Mein Wienerschnitzel!” while stabbing people in Sudetenland or blowing themselves up in protest. They moved on, even though the displacement was brutal and far-reaching.
I think this prolonged status of being a refugee has caused much more suffering than it has ever alleviated. Instead of creating conditions for integration and stability, it perpetuates a cycle of hardship, anger, and statelessness. This isn’t helping—it’s just keeping wounds open for generations.
About proportionality: I think this concept is absolutely flawed. It’s like me walking up to Mike Tyson and trying to punch him. He dodges, then starts beating my ass into the ground. If I then yell, "Hey! I only tried to punch you! This isn’t proportional or fair!" it would be completely absurd.
I understand that the notion to destroy Hamas and all perpetrators of October 7th is rational, right? In other words, I wouldn’t want to live in a country that just says, "Oh, you massacred my people? I’ll let this one slide, but you get a stern warning." I’m not a warmonger or nationalist in any sense of the word, but I would strongly propose returning to the tradition of defenestration and throwing anyone who lets it slide out of a window.
About the process of what’s happening: until Hamas is wiped out and all hostages are secured, I’m withholding judgment on the overall actions being taken. Hamas is the governing body in Gaza—they’re the ones making these decisions. If they were to return the hostages and dissolve themselves, and Israel continued such attacks, then my opinion would change drastically. But as of now, it’s a matter of rational cause and effect.
By the definition of international law, and after listening to Francesca Albanese, it is most likely genocide. I’m not disputing that—it meets the criteria as laid out in international law. However, my emotional reaction to the word "genocide" isn’t tied to its legal definition but to the context in which I associate the term.
When I hear "genocide," my mind immediately goes to events like the Holocaust or the Rwandan Genocide. I recently watched a documentary on Rwanda, and what’s happening in Gaza has nothing in common with that. The Rwandan Genocide was marked by the deliberate and rapid physical extermination of nearly a million people in just a few months. The scale, intent, and method of brutality are completely different from what we see in Gaza.
From what I understand, the use of "genocide" in this context focuses more on the societal and cultural aspects of the definition. That’s valid within international law, but frankly, I don’t care much about those aspects. I’ve never been someone who values national or cultural identity. I’m Czech, but I think we would have been better off staying part of Austria-Hungary after World War I. Today, I’m a Euro-federalist who would gladly burn my citizenship in exchange for a unified European identity.
Because of this, the societal or cultural dimensions of genocide are so far removed from what I value that I struggle to connect with them. To me, genocide is tied to the physical extermination of people, like the Holocaust or Rwanda. Using the term in the context of Gaza might be legally accurate, but it evokes a comparison that, in my opinion, doesn’t align with the reality on the ground.
I’m aware that the withholding of necessary resources didn’t start on October 7, 2023. It began right after control of the territory was taken over by an entity that has been extremely antagonistic toward Israel—Hamas. You could even say that this situation amounts to a state of war.
After Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007, Israel declared Gaza a "hostile entity" and imposed restrictions, including severe limitations on the movement of people and the entry of resources like gas, electricity, and food. Nutritional restrictions specifically began in 2007, as part of a blockade policy. During this time, Israeli authorities implemented what is now known as the "Red Lines" plan, which calculated the minimum caloric intake required to prevent malnutrition in Gaza’s population.
This policy, in effect until 2010, limited both the quantity and variety of food allowed into Gaza, contributing to significant food insecurity. While the "Red Lines" policy officially ended in 2010, various restrictions on goods and resources have continued, maintaining the economic and humanitarian challenges in the region.
These measures were part of a broader blockade aimed at isolating Hamas and preventing the smuggling of weapons into the territory. So, yes, it’s been the nature of the situation for over 15 years, coinciding with Hamas’s control.
It is so shameful how Israel and US governments are ignoring all international human rights laws and committing atrocities on other human beings. I think I will not be out of line to term Israeli Jews as animals.
No @Woo4 we wouldn't be anti American if they elected a fascist, and they have done something like that.
But we would if they persecuted a small group of people for 74 years and then hunted down their children and shot tens of thousands of them in the head, and dismembered thousands more by blowing them up and letting them die under piles of rubble, killing anyone who tried to help them or relieve their suffering, and killing anyone who wrote about it; 140 journalists.
Who can possibly like that sort of atrocity, @Woo4 ????
There is a time for antisemitism FFS, and Israel has bought it on.
SUCK IT UP to those who have caused such hatred around the world.
The behaviour of the IDF is worse than that of Hitler. he never specifically targeted children.
The IDF have
And we aren't supposed to put pressure on them. but instead listen to their bleating " poor me poor me Ive been through the holocaust'.
I come back to the same question throughout all of this. Why waste time and efforts to send these propaganda leaflets, if the final goal is to ethnically cleanse Gaza? If the goal is to make Gaza inhabitable and Gazans desperate to leave, which is well on its way if not already, does this turn on Hamas effort even needed?
How can a nation be this depraved? It’s 2025, the entire world sees what is happening, and every single day Israel continues to show that it is one of the most evil countries in the world. I am truly at a loss.
Contacting my Congressional Representatives has been pointless; few of them care to do anything about this. Trump has signaled that it will get worse (somehow) for the Palestinians.
And the world sits back and watches this unfold. What are we supposed to do to actually help bring any relief whatsoever to the Palestinian people?
Even worse than sitting back and watching it unfold, the U.S. continues to supply Israel with more weapons. In my 81 years on this earth, I never expected to watch a live-streamed genocide, much less one in which the U.S. is an active participant. Our tax dollars are undoubtedly paying for these depraved propaganda leaflets. As for contacting my congressional representatives, I’m saddled with John Fetterman.
Genocidal criminality continues - I ‘m not sure if I can read any more, what good is it if I can’t stop it? What good is anything if we can’t stop this?
Meanwhile 22 Palestine Action members are beginning 2025 in jail - some uncharged on remand - in UK prisons for peaceful actions against Elbit Systems UK, the largest Israeli company producing land weapons for the IDF. Elbit also produce the notorious quadcopters
It’s becoming increasingly challenging and shameful to identify as an American. It feels akin to carrying the stigma of leprosy!
Don't worry. The many like me opposed to this diabolical genocide, in Australia and elsewhere in the world, feel like shaking our complicit morally corrupt governments off our shoulders. Like a dog shaking fleas. You're not alone in America and have friends in resistance worldwide. It's just so hard figuring how to stop it all.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for that information about the number killed in the first week of 2025, I will make a sign to that effect and add it to my vigil sign that informs Americans who pass me in their cars that Palestinian lives matter and that 50,000 are dead and counting.
Israel Has No conscience.
It willingly exposes itself as a rogue state. Nothing can stop it.
It is the sole cause of antisemitism.
No reasonably minded person wants to dislike any country.
Israel forces antisemitism onto every one. like it or not.
lauriemillerjade.com
No . I refuse to be anti-Semitic . I don’t buy Netenyahu and co’s line that being anti Zionist is being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic. I never forget the Jewish people who are actively speaking out against this Genocide all over the world, inc in UK on every national (monthly) march, and a group that hold weekly demonstrations outside the abode of the Israeli Ambassador to UK - Tzipi Hotovely - (who was calling for Gaza to be destroyed back in Jan 2024) a sickening mouthpiece for the Settler movement who stated “the Nakba is an Arab lie”. She is a political far right religiously driven Likud politician, we have to remember the politics in this. Would we be anti-American or anti-Christian because they have elected a Fascist?
Would be interesting to know what Hama's messages to Gazans have been.
Hamas does not need messages.The Israelis brutal treatment of the Palestinian people for 76+ years says it all. The people are fully aware as is the world of what is happening in Palestine. Sad that sufficient numbers of the global the population especially our youth are not demonstrating in the streets against this genocide. Israel is key to the US hegemony and is being used as an example to deter any country from opposing this.We will all pay a heavy price for allowing this to continue eventually.
I don’t really see anything inherently wrong with the leaflets. Let’s be honest: tens of thousands have died in Gaza because Hamas is willing to sacrifice civilians to gain political power. It’s not like Israel cares about civilian casualties—far from it—but the real question is, why don’t the people of Gaza care enough about their own lives to tear these retards down? At some point, self-preservation has to kick in.
From my personal perspective, why would I—or anyone I care about—willingly be put in peril because of a bunch of idiots who just want to jerk off their egos? It’s like committing suicide by Israel. Whether it’s propaganda or not, these leaflets highlight a truth: Hamas exploits their own people, and that’s something Gaza’s population should confront for their own survival.
Hamas’s operational plan is literally this: cause as many civilian casualties as possible, creating enough suffering to pressure Israel into stopping. The death toll isn’t a side effect—it’s part of the strategy. And what’s worse is that the population allows themselves to be used as pawns in this horrific cycle.
Honestly, it reminds me of that South Park episode, Faith Hilling (S16E03), where a train is barreling down the tracks, and instead of getting out of the way, people just stand there yelling "Oh Long Johnson" before the train smashes them. It’s the same vibe—staying in harm’s way while blindly following absurd, self-destructive leadership.
I get that there are humanitarian laws and ideals to consider, but in the end, it’s about survival. We’re just Homo sapiens—a somewhat clever, hairless ape—and the basic goal is to keep living.
Suggest you do more reading on the history of Palestine and not just accept the information released by right wing media sources. There is sufficient historical information available written by Jewish historians to verify the genocidal colonial actions of the US and its attack dog Israel.While I do not believe in violence and have a strong belief in the ten commandments I do believe the Palestinians have a right to defend themselves.
I’d like to clarify that while I’m not an expert, I’ve been actively searching for information to better understand the situation, including the history of the conflict. I’ve gone to considerable lengths to expand my perspective, exploring a variety of sources to challenge and broaden my worldview.
I watch Al Jazeera daily, follow Francesca Albanese, regularly watch Breaking Points, read Zeteo, keep up with Eye on the Middle East, and have also watched a few Norman Finkelstein videos to gain deeper insights into the historical and political dynamics. After 15 months of this—consistently immersing myself in left-wing media and different perspectives, trying to find the rationality behind all of this—I’m still baffled by this behavior.
Don’t get me wrong, the ultra-Zionists and ultra-Orthodox Jews are no different in my eyes. Their behavior is just as baffling—so irrationally retarded—driven by ancient fairytale books written thousands of years ago.
‘ tens of thousands have died in Gaza because Hamas is willing to sacrifice civilians to gain political power ‘ for all your immersing yourself in left wing media as you say (I trust yr not inc Al Jazeera under that heading) your opening statement proves you haven’t got it if you still read this Genocide as Hamas’s doing. I could go on but I’d be wasting my time.
Ok, so what is happening now, even though it has roots in the past, is literally due to about 3,000 militants rushing over the border, killing in the most barbaric way around 1,200 people, injuring over 7,000, and kidnapping more than 240. If we go tit for tat, this is the last action that triggered such a response.
Their goal was to capture people and, through that, gain political power. Part of this calculation involved anticipating retaliation from Israel. They must have looked at the situation and thought something like, "Hmm, we can kidnap a few soldiers or civilians, and that will lead to retaliation, which will likely kill hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. But I don’t care about the people—I care about the JUST cause, for which I’m willing to sacrifice them."
It’s like Lord Farquaad from Shrek: “Some of you may die, but it’s a sacrifice I am willing to make.”
Why would I, as a civilian, accept—even remotely—the idea that I or someone I care about could be killed because a bunch of brainwashed retards want to keep 240 captives to further their power goals?
By the way, in general, we are living in a deterministic universe. There’s no such thing as changing the past or dealing in “what ifs.” What happened had to happen because it’s the culmination of states and actions leading up to it. Therefore, it doesn’t matter much what happened in the past—all you can do is focus on improving the future.
And if you think this, in any way, shape, or form, improves the lives of people in Gaza, then honestly—WTF.
‘Their goal was to capture people and, through that, gain political power. ‘ nothing to do with living in an occupied state ? Living in an occupied state that the Israelis engineered they could with hold vital necessities of life - drinking water, power, food, and other necessities and being totally unable to do anything about it. And the world wasn’t paying attention. You weren’t paying attention to more than 2.23 Million people, most refugees from other places taken over by Israel -being held hostage.- you know what? At the beginning of the Genocide the support from Gazan’s for Hamas increased, such is the desperation, and anger. Now, well what can you do against genocide? You could do something but your only quarrel is with Hamas. Yes they committed war crimes when they breached the (illegal) border, and virtually walked in to the terrain of a militarily dominant power. If you say the retribution by the Israelis should have been expected, yes, every couple of years they have bombed Gaza for sending a few rockets that rarely hit anything! but this? You’re excusing this? You’re justifying this? I don’t know who you really are , but most of us call it as it is War Crimes and Genocide of a people already living under apartheid in their own country.
Ok, let’s start with the issue of withholding electricity, water, and other necessities. That kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? When you’re at war with someone, isn’t it standard practice to sever services between two parties? If Monaco attacked France, would you honestly expect France to continue delivering water, electricity, and other resources to their enemy? Or if South Africa were at war with Lesotho, would you expect them to keep feeding their enemy with resources?
Look, I hate Russia—my country was occupied by them for 40 years, and I despise everything about Russian culture. But even I wouldn’t hold it against them for cutting off energy transport to Ukraine during a war. That’s just how wars operate. You don’t strengthen the hand of the party you’re fighting by continuing to provide resources.
And this has to be part of the calculation, right? When you attack someone, you can’t realistically expect them to keep supporting you. That’s beyond unreasonable. Expecting otherwise is not just naive but completely detached from how conflicts have always worked.
Now let’s talk about refugees. I believe no one can remain a refugee for five generations—it defies the very definition of the term. I choose this example because it’s within a cultural context I understand. I’m Czech, and my people were directly involved in the killing and expulsion of Germans after World War II.
During the Nakba in 1948, around 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes, and an estimated 10,000–15,000 Palestinians were killed during the conflict.
In comparison, between 12 to 14 million ethnic Germans were expelled from Eastern and Central Europe after World War II, and estimates suggest that 500,000 to 2 million Germans died as a result of the expulsion—whether through direct violence, starvation, or disease.
These Germans were stripped of their property and sent to a devastated Germany. Yet they didn’t receive any special refugee status. They had the same rights as anyone else in Germany, and over time, they integrated into society.
Now, 80 years later, I live next to Germans without any problem. There’s no one shouting “Mein Wienerschnitzel!” while stabbing people in Sudetenland or blowing themselves up in protest. They moved on, even though the displacement was brutal and far-reaching.
I think this prolonged status of being a refugee has caused much more suffering than it has ever alleviated. Instead of creating conditions for integration and stability, it perpetuates a cycle of hardship, anger, and statelessness. This isn’t helping—it’s just keeping wounds open for generations.
About proportionality: I think this concept is absolutely flawed. It’s like me walking up to Mike Tyson and trying to punch him. He dodges, then starts beating my ass into the ground. If I then yell, "Hey! I only tried to punch you! This isn’t proportional or fair!" it would be completely absurd.
I understand that the notion to destroy Hamas and all perpetrators of October 7th is rational, right? In other words, I wouldn’t want to live in a country that just says, "Oh, you massacred my people? I’ll let this one slide, but you get a stern warning." I’m not a warmonger or nationalist in any sense of the word, but I would strongly propose returning to the tradition of defenestration and throwing anyone who lets it slide out of a window.
About the process of what’s happening: until Hamas is wiped out and all hostages are secured, I’m withholding judgment on the overall actions being taken. Hamas is the governing body in Gaza—they’re the ones making these decisions. If they were to return the hostages and dissolve themselves, and Israel continued such attacks, then my opinion would change drastically. But as of now, it’s a matter of rational cause and effect.
By the definition of international law, and after listening to Francesca Albanese, it is most likely genocide. I’m not disputing that—it meets the criteria as laid out in international law. However, my emotional reaction to the word "genocide" isn’t tied to its legal definition but to the context in which I associate the term.
When I hear "genocide," my mind immediately goes to events like the Holocaust or the Rwandan Genocide. I recently watched a documentary on Rwanda, and what’s happening in Gaza has nothing in common with that. The Rwandan Genocide was marked by the deliberate and rapid physical extermination of nearly a million people in just a few months. The scale, intent, and method of brutality are completely different from what we see in Gaza.
From what I understand, the use of "genocide" in this context focuses more on the societal and cultural aspects of the definition. That’s valid within international law, but frankly, I don’t care much about those aspects. I’ve never been someone who values national or cultural identity. I’m Czech, but I think we would have been better off staying part of Austria-Hungary after World War I. Today, I’m a Euro-federalist who would gladly burn my citizenship in exchange for a unified European identity.
Because of this, the societal or cultural dimensions of genocide are so far removed from what I value that I struggle to connect with them. To me, genocide is tied to the physical extermination of people, like the Holocaust or Rwanda. Using the term in the context of Gaza might be legally accurate, but it evokes a comparison that, in my opinion, doesn’t align with the reality on the ground.
You really don’t know a lot do you? Withholding necessary resources didn’t begin on 7 Oct 2023! It’s been the nature of their occupation.
I’m aware that the withholding of necessary resources didn’t start on October 7, 2023. It began right after control of the territory was taken over by an entity that has been extremely antagonistic toward Israel—Hamas. You could even say that this situation amounts to a state of war.
After Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007, Israel declared Gaza a "hostile entity" and imposed restrictions, including severe limitations on the movement of people and the entry of resources like gas, electricity, and food. Nutritional restrictions specifically began in 2007, as part of a blockade policy. During this time, Israeli authorities implemented what is now known as the "Red Lines" plan, which calculated the minimum caloric intake required to prevent malnutrition in Gaza’s population.
This policy, in effect until 2010, limited both the quantity and variety of food allowed into Gaza, contributing to significant food insecurity. While the "Red Lines" policy officially ended in 2010, various restrictions on goods and resources have continued, maintaining the economic and humanitarian challenges in the region.
These measures were part of a broader blockade aimed at isolating Hamas and preventing the smuggling of weapons into the territory. So, yes, it’s been the nature of the situation for over 15 years, coinciding with Hamas’s control.
my man got south park brain
It is so shameful how Israel and US governments are ignoring all international human rights laws and committing atrocities on other human beings. I think I will not be out of line to term Israeli Jews as animals.
No @Woo4 we wouldn't be anti American if they elected a fascist, and they have done something like that.
But we would if they persecuted a small group of people for 74 years and then hunted down their children and shot tens of thousands of them in the head, and dismembered thousands more by blowing them up and letting them die under piles of rubble, killing anyone who tried to help them or relieve their suffering, and killing anyone who wrote about it; 140 journalists.
Who can possibly like that sort of atrocity, @Woo4 ????
There is a time for antisemitism FFS, and Israel has bought it on.
SUCK IT UP to those who have caused such hatred around the world.
The behaviour of the IDF is worse than that of Hitler. he never specifically targeted children.
The IDF have
And we aren't supposed to put pressure on them. but instead listen to their bleating " poor me poor me Ive been through the holocaust'.
FFS.
lauriemillerjade.com
I come back to the same question throughout all of this. Why waste time and efforts to send these propaganda leaflets, if the final goal is to ethnically cleanse Gaza? If the goal is to make Gaza inhabitable and Gazans desperate to leave, which is well on its way if not already, does this turn on Hamas effort even needed?
Another abomination, it seems the Palestinians can’t catch a break and have not been able to do so since 1948