Hamas strike on Israel - mod warning in OP updated 19/10/23

I take it you aren't familiar with the far right members of the current Israeli government.

Then explain the chant "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free"

NYU students: "We don't want two states, we want all of Israel wiped out" (Manhattan, yesterday)

But hey, driving the Jews back to the 1967 lines would make it easier to kill them. Perhaps some regard that as a plus?

Indeed - the far right in Israel invited far right European politicians to an antisemitism event. The event was boycotted by prominent Jewish Figures, including the Israeli President.

The UK government's antisemitism advisor Lord Mann turned down his invitation, saying: "There is nothing for the UK to learn about tackling antisemitism from some of these characters."

Chief Rabbi Mirvis declined to participate "having been made aware of the attendance of a number of far-right populist politicians", his office said in a statement issued last week.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog did not attend either. He hosted his own separate event with Jewish leaders instead in what was seen as a compromise.

The conference was organised by Amichai Chikli, Israel's Diaspora Affairs Minister, and an outspoken member of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party. Chikli has over the past several months courted ties with far-right parties across Europe.

Among those at the conference whose presence had caused some consternation was National Rally President Jordan Bardella, whose party was originally founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, a man accused of antisemitism and found guilty of Holocaust denial.

Israel's ambassador to Austria, David Roet, has suggested executing Palestinian minors involved in armed conflict, a secretly recorded video has revealed.

During a closed-door meeting with the local Jewish community in Innsbruck on Thursday, Roet said that "there should be a death sentence" for teenagers for "holding a gun" or a "grenade". 

He provided no evidence of children carrying weapons in Gaza.

Listen to the Nazi talk.

The sheer irony of the far right organising something like an antisemitism event cannot be lost on anyone who's even just opened a history book.

Yeah, sure she was(!)

Yes she was. Surprised you didn't know.

Mother of hostage calls out Netanyahu:

Netanyahu said at the beginning of Sunday's cabinet meeting that a combination of "military and diplomatic pressure are the only things that brought back hostages," adding that talks with Hamas are still taking place, and that the fact negotiations are happening alongside renewed fighting shows the combination is "effective, suddenly we can see the cracks [in Hamas]."
Following Netanyahu's remarks, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan, said that the premier is "a liar. Most of the public knows you are sacrificing the hostages to stay in power."

US Surgeon describes how Palestinians are dying due to lack of medical supplies and Israel continues to lie to hide the War Crimes it is committing.

Also of interest, Israel stated that Ismail Barhoum, the Hamas finance chief, assassinated last week, was in the hospital "in order to commit acts of terrorism".

Dr Perlmutter has told the BBC that Barhoum was in the hospital to receive further medical treatment. He says that as a patient in hospital, Barhoum had a right to be protected under the Geneva Convention.

The human cost of the latest Israeli offensive was exemplified for Dr Perlmutter by two 15-year-olds - including the girl on the bicycle - who were brought into the operating room in each of the hospitals he was working in, a week apart. "They were both macerated and shredded by Apache gunships," Dr Perlmutter says.

The girl will, in his words, "be lucky if she keeps three of her limbs".

The boy was driving in a car with his grandmother after receiving warnings to evacuate from the north, Dr Perlmutter says. "Then the car was attacked by two Apache gunships. The grandmother was shredded at the scene and died," he said.

"The boy came in without a foot on his right side, the vascular repair on his left side took five hours - the nerve repair on his left side failed and he had a blackened hand the next day that required amputation at the level of his elbow - his left leg will require multiple surgeries for reconstruction and he has a chest wound. He may not have survived."

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it "does not target uninvolved individuals."

Hamas will be made pay for this. Have no doubt about that. Gazans will soon be freeded from their control.

…those Gazans left alive.

Absolutely not but let's not brush over this fact. Vicious colonizers as bad as the Europeans. They don't deserve a pass.

Hamas has started executing those involved in last week’s protests. Where is the outcry on this forum and in the Irish media about these deaths?

Meanwhile, protests in Israel continue, calling for the release of the hostages to take priority. Once the hostages are home, most accept that Israel will—regretfully— have to continue with the war. Israel once again offered Hamas a path out of Gaza over the weekend, but they are unwilling to leave. The ground offensive in Gaza is ongoing, and the IDF has ordered Gazans to evacuate the entire Rafah area.

Within Gaza, the reality is finally sinking in: things will not return to how they were before October 7th. Hamas had been relying on international pressure to prevent Israel from re-entering Gaza and to force it into a sham long-term ceasefire in which Hamas would pretend to relinquish power. That was their last card, and it has failed. More than ever, it seems likely that Hamas will lose control of Gaza—a dark day for supporters of Palestine in the West, but the beginning of a future that can finally bring the innocent people of Gaza the peace and prosperity they deserve.

I will leave the pro-Palestinian supporters on this forum to return to their high horses, pretending to care about the people of Gaza while blaming Israel for every wrong in this war.

I’ll start with your last question, which is a loaded one. A Palestinian life is not worth less than an Israeli one—they are equal in my eyes. However, Israel has a duty to protect its people, just as any sovereign nation does. The reason Palestinian civilians suffer is that their own leaders use them as human shields while targeting Israeli civilians. If you truly care about Palestinian lives, the first step would be holding Hamas accountable for its role in perpetuating their suffering.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the execution of protesters in Gaza by Hamas has been met with silence. Where is the outrage from Micheál Martin, Michael D. Higgins, the EU, and others? If the death of a Palestinian truly matters, then why is there no condemnation of Hamas' murders over the weekend? Does a Palestinian life only have value when Israel is involved?

I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on the future of Gaza. I’m an optimist by nature and firmly believe that Gaza, without Hamas, has the potential to be a peaceful and prosperous place. I want Israel and its people to live in peace with Gaza and its residents, and I truly believe that a Hamas-free Gaza is the first step toward achieving that. Time may prove me wrong, but I’m willing to stand by this belief for the sake of peace.

As for Trump’s "Riviera of the Middle East" idea, I thought we had all agreed that it was nonsense—a fanciful notion he came up with on the spot. It’s never going to happen.

Regarding Palestinians in Jordan and the West Bank, many fled wars initiated by Arab nations. Israel didn’t force Palestinians to remain stateless—their own leadership and neighboring Arab states did. If the "right of return" is so important, why is it a one-way street? Should Jews expelled from Arab nations also get their property back?

Your comparison to Ukraine is flawed. Ukraine was invaded by a foreign power, while Israel is defending itself against terrorism and existential threats. If you believe Hamas or the Palestinian Authority should have full sovereignty, then ask yourself why they have repeatedly rejected peace deals. I put it to you that it’s because their leadership is more interested in perpetuating the conflict than in actual state-building.

So, whilst you think "all lives matter", you're totally OK with Israel dropping 2000lb bombs on civilian areas? By doing so, how do you think they are protecting its people? By killing women and children, how does that secure the safety of Israeli Citizens? By murdering Palestinians in the West Bank, how exactly does that protect Israeli citizens?

I'm not an expert on Ukraine by the way but I'd bet Russia also maintains that the invasion of Ukraine is to "defend itself against terrorism and existential threats" - just like Israel.