Sure. Lehi and Shamir are indeed awful and that's why the Hunting Season was justified. There was no similar ability to unify against the extremist voices in the Palestinian side which is the main point I'm making here.
This isn't history. You see the same patterns happening right now. Arafat and Abu Mazen were unable to control Hamas in the same way the Jews were able to control their extremists.
You could argue that the Irish were unable to control the IRA which would be a very accurate comparison. But the scale would be different. Hamas killed in one day more than the IRA killed in its entire existence. Hamas enjoys the backing of Iran, Qatar, Turkey and others. It's used as a puppet to force a regional war that goes against the interests of the Palestinian people. At least the ones who don't want to die in a holy war.
It's good to see a contraction from "Palestinians" to Shamir and Hamas.
We can also contract Jews to IDF and perhaps discuss how they kill 10x more than Hamas by most accounts.
The killing is the extreme behaviour. The insidious cause is the constant slow creeping pushing out of the other, the dispossesions and land captures that continue unabated.
> We can also contract Jews to IDF and perhaps discuss how they kill 10x more than Hamas by most accounts.
Why is killing more of the enemy a "bad thing"?
> The killing is the extreme behaviour.
Yes. However, you fail to offer an alternative. Israel left Gaza, Israel made attempts to form a Palestinian state. Palestinians had the opportunity to end the cycle and Israel made that step...
Last time Israel left Gaza Hamas took over. It killed MANY Palestinians then started preparing for war, building rockets, tunnels etc. Israel didn't return to Gaza and tried to limit retaliation. That clearly didn't work.
> The insidious cause is the constant slow creeping pushing out of the other, the dispossesions and land captures that continue unabated.
This I actually agree with. I think the settlements in the west bank, especially the deep ones are a huge mistake. Guess what enables them...
> Some see it. Other refuse to acknowledge it.
Goes both ways sir. What do you expect Israel to do?
I wish the current conflict wasn't as violent. I wish more planning was given for "the next day". I wish Israel worked with the Palestinian authority and used this as an opportunity for that. I wish it would clear the deep settlements in the west bank instead of expanding them.
Unfortunately, Israel has a terrible government and Hamas/Iran knew that when they initiated Oct 7th. I hope that after this is all over Israel would elect a more reasonable government. It would probably still be very right-wing since violence tends to push people in that direction, but hopefully it would be reasonable. A right-wing government cleared settlements in Gaza, made peace with Egypt etc. So everything is possible.
Okay. Wow. I hadn't realised you were on board with Hamas killing more Jews.
Or are you saying all Palestinians are "the enemy"?
Currently there's a lot of legit credentialed journalists being killed with evidence that some are being specificly targetted. That's a straight up war crime .. although as unlikely to be prosecuted, just as Kissinger skated.
> However, you fail to offer an alternative.
It's on me? Perhaps act in good faith, eg:
> Israel left Gaza, Israel made attempts to form a Palestinian state.
Israel also continued displacing and taking land via settlements in defiance of International law, etc.
> Guess what enables them...
Is the answer Netanyahu and his scaly mates? They do seem to offer a lot of incentives.
> What do you expect Israel to do?
Act in accordance with the people that have acquired power .. for now I expect Israel to act in the worst way possible and it hasn't disappointed .. years of pushing limits have rebounded much as many predicted and now those that sought permission to go all out have that in spades.
It'd be nice albeit a little fanciful, if the people of Israel could put better people in power .. but that's a whole other slice of alternative history.
> Okay. Wow. I hadn't realised you were on board with Hamas killing more Jews.
That's a ridiculous strawman argument. Do I seriously need to explain how wars work?
It's fair to be a pacifist, but it's unrealistic and deadly. PLO killed many Israelis, children etc. But their goal was statehood so they stopped and moved forward. Hamas's goal is ending Israel. Wars work towards goals.
> Currently there's a lot of legit credentialed journalists being killed with evidence that some are being specificly targetted.
That is terrible. But you know what's also terrible? Hamas literally kept hostages in the house of a Journalist. Many so called Journalist were part of the October 7th attack. They used UNWRA as a puppet as part of their attacks and money laundering.
They used ambulances, hospitals etc. as cover. There's some point where using an ID as a get out of jail free card is a problem.
> That's a straight up war crime .. although as unlikely to be prosecuted, just as Kissinger skated.
That is a huge problem. Unfortunately the UN has zero credibility at this point. It came up with more resolutions against Israel than all other countries combined. More than Russia, Sudan, China, Iran etc.
That's a problem because I would like to know if Israel is committing actual war crimes and I would like an objective body to be in control of that. The UN is not objective by any stretch of the imagination.
Luckily the US has Leahy. If there is actual evidence of a war crime being committed then a lawsuit against Israel in the USA can stop financial support for Israel. Even if the lawsuit is thrown out the facts would still be out. Yet such a lawsuit isn't prosecuted.
> > Guess what enables them...
>
> Is the answer Netanyahu and his scaly mates? They do seem to offer a lot of incentives.
How did Netanyahu get into power and keep it for so long?
During the 90's Israel tried to go through with the Oslo accords. Hamas blew up busses filled with civilians in the middle of Tel Aviv. Many busses. They shot up coffee shops and did everything they could to stop the peace process.
Netanyahu used that and built his power base around it. He went to every such attack site and gained traction. Without Hamas he would have been an anonymous secondary "also ran" politician. Hamas made him. This symbiotic relationship continues to this day to such an extent that the right-wing extremists defined Hamas as an asset. Following October 7th they expanded settlements in the West Bank as "retaliation" which is stupid and evil. But again, zero-sum entities act like that.
The difference here is that Israel is the stronger side. When Palestinians pick a zero-sum approach to solving a conflict it is a suicidal death cult.
> > What do you expect Israel to do?
>
> Act in accordance with the people that have acquired power ..
That isn't an answer. Israel tried to do that. It tried to offer statehood. It tried "just leaving". You can argue that this wasn't "genuine" or wasn't enough... But baby steps are required in this case and Hamas proved the problematic nature of this approach.
> years of pushing limits have rebounded much as many predicted and now those that sought permission to go all out have that in spades.
This shows deep misunderstanding of the situation. Hamas is a zero-sum player, it wants an all out war because it wants everything from the river to the sea. It objects to the very notion of peace with Israel.
> It'd be nice albeit a little fanciful, if the people of Israel could put better people in power .. but that's a whole other slice of alternative history.
Israel did put better people in power. Notice how the whole world including Europe and the states are seeing a surge in the right-wing?
Why is that? Because unfortunately the extreme left has become delusional in its extreme stances.
There's a huge difference between wanting peace and refusing to fight a war. You're completely dismissing Israeli attempts at peace and mis-labeling Hamas attacks as territorial when they are religious, fanatic and proxy driven.
In the US the majority of people want to deport all immigrants. These are people who contribute to the economy and do nothing wrong. Is it a surprise that Israelis moved to the right as a result of Hamas attacks?
Is it a surprise that these right-wing politicians use that to further their agenda in the west-bank?
I think Israel is naturally liberal and will move back to the left when it is no longer under threat. The problem is that as long as Hamas is a threat this just can't happen. One of the reasons the settlements are expanding is to block such motion to the left, this is where US pressure could help but it's a delicate needle to thread. If the UN had any credibility it could help, unfortunately it doesn't when it comes to Israel.
This isn't history. You see the same patterns happening right now. Arafat and Abu Mazen were unable to control Hamas in the same way the Jews were able to control their extremists.
You could argue that the Irish were unable to control the IRA which would be a very accurate comparison. But the scale would be different. Hamas killed in one day more than the IRA killed in its entire existence. Hamas enjoys the backing of Iran, Qatar, Turkey and others. It's used as a puppet to force a regional war that goes against the interests of the Palestinian people. At least the ones who don't want to die in a holy war.