Israel/Palestine Thread

Do you actually know how many countries recognise Palestine?

You are confusing two things. Prior to October 7th great strides were being made to normalise relations between Saudi and Egypt and Israel. Iran was deeply uncomfortable with this and October 7th was a vicious assault by Iran on these forward movements. Iran does not want to see anything that improves Arab Israeli relations as it means tolerating and accepting Israels right to exist. We are now effectively in a proxy war between Iran and Israel as Hamas are nothing but Iranian terrorist stooges. I have no doubt the Russians diplomatically encouraged this with Iran as it suits Russia, as it splits the West and distracts out attention from Ukraine. South Africa just another useful idiot in the Russian camp with the ICC nonsense. Israels immediate task is to elimate and degrade as much of Hamas's capacity as possible to protect itself. Where we go after that who knows and unless the Iranian regime collapses I won't hold out much hope of peace anytime soon as Hezbollah are more Iranian stooges on Israel's doorstep. The innocent civilians in Gaza I am afraid are just caught in the middle of all of this being used as pawns by Hamas to move Western sentiment against Israel and its working to some extent as you see with useful idiots like Harris and Spanish and Norwegian mistakes today as well. The problem is many people have conflated what is occurring here with the much older Israeli/Palestinian question but really what we have is a state Iran who wants to wipe Israel from the planet or failing that being viable, disrupt and involve Israel in warfare and controversy to at least prevent closer and peaceful ties with other Middle Eastern countries. While I am fully conversant and aware of the historical and continuing Arab Israeli questions, this I am afraid is another issue entirely and it's one which I fear will continue to run unless we see a dramatic collapse in Iran's awful regime.

Yes, calling Simon Harris a useful idiot is a profound critique of Irish foreign policy.

Recognising the sovereignty of another state isn't virtue signaling and calling it that demonstrates a total lack of understanding of international relations.

Not trying to make anything 'work' and well aware of what has been going on in the West Bank. Plenty to be discussed and critiqued on both sides in the long running Arab / Israeli issues. But what is going on right now is a different matter. I honestly think many people struggle to understand this. I am very happy to discuss and look at issues on all sides in that long running conflict be it Israeli or Arab but now is really not the time. Iran and it's support for Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis etc (who are happy to sink and shoot at Western ships and tie up American, British and other naval vessels protecting your goods being delivered from the Far East….) is the issue at hand here. Hate to say it but behaviour from Harris today, Spain and Norway is exactly what HHH and Iran wants, we are literally playing into their hands. Of course the right wing nature of the current administration in Israel isn't helping optics or realities but Iran is more than aware of this as they do all they can to tip Western countries against Israel. Every bit of help we provide is being carefully noted in Tehran and Moscow too.

United national movement?

Permit me to jog your memory. First, there was the Irish Parliamentary Party, still a force in 1919 and that had been the third largest party in Westminster at the outbreak of the First World War. Then there was Sinn Fein which swept the election in 1919. They stuck together for about three years until the Treaty was proffered, then they started shooting the crap out of each other in the Civil War and beyond. More people killed in the Civil War than had been in the War of Independence. Then further splits into Fianna Fail, Republican Congress, down through the years to Official IRA, Provisional IRA, INLA, Real IRA, Continuity IRA etc etc.

All the while, south of the border there were political assassinations, reprisal killings, firing squads, hangings, internment……and that's without mentioning the Unionists. Or Labour.

Unified national movement…..my arse!!!

New footage

A very ill advised move while hostages are still being held in Gaza.

I am confusing nothing, thank you very much. If you remember the 1970s and 1980s (I do) support for Palestine was equated with being in the pay of "The Communists" because it was all a devious Soviet plot to undermine the West by stirring up Palestinians who were actually perfectly happy with their lot as refugees and would be quite happy to say they had no desire to return to their homeland if it wasn't for those dastardly Cold War warriors with their promises of socialist nirvana.

Then it was the awful Saddam Hussein, without whom there would be no Palestinian problem. Now it's Iran and the Shia, given that the other two adversaries have gone.

The problem of Israel Palestine is rooted in Israel and Palestine. Cynical Israelis and their gruesome American supporters like to fool the gullible into thinking that its ALL a matter of international power politics when it really isn't. When the world moves on, the Israel Palestine issue will still be there, a bit like Winston Churchill's "dreary grey steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone"

Of course external powers take an interest. Take the very first occasion when the Israeli army invaded Gaza in force. That was in 1956, during what the Israelis call The 1956 Sinai Campaign, and which is known in these parts as the Suez Crisis. That occurred because two external powers (Britain and France) stirred up the Israelis (who were only too happy to be stirred up) to invade Sinai, including the Gaza strip. Each side had its own interest.

The British and French wanted to recover the Suez Canal which they used to own before Nasser of Egypt nationalised it that year. The Israelis wanted to "put a stop to Arab terrorism once and for all" (That's worked out well for them, hasn't it?) The Iranians weren't involved at all in that one.

By the way, the Israelis carried out a notorious massacre in Khan Younis on that occasion. One of the witnesses to that was a young boy called Abdel Assiz al Rantisi, who saw members of his family killed. 30 years later he founded Hamas. What sort of rough beast is being born in Gaza today who will some day in the future slouch towards Bethlehem, or Jerusalem or Tel Aviv in search of retribution?

Missing the point? You said there was a "unified national movement" in Ireland in 1919. I said "Bollocks" Sorry if the elaboration and citation of facts confused you.

What a Government.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls to punish Palestinian Authority by withholding transfer of tax funds, drawing reprimand from senior White House aide.

Condemnation for the European nations’ decision also came from far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called on Netanyahu to respond by imposing harsh punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority, including cutting off Ramallah financially.