Post by GBPost by pensive hamster[...]
Post by The TodalThe Jewish Labour Movement is an organisation of wankers. If you are
interested in making contact with Labour jews who are critical of Israel
and who support justice for the Palestinians, try Jewish Voice for
Labour and Jews for Jeremy.
Reminds me of a certain Monty Python sketch ...
Which sketch?
The whole concept of 'Justice for Palestinians' is unhelpful, in my very
humble opinion. It's simply not possible to undo the last 70 years of
history. Of course, we all feel sorry for the Palestinians, but there
needs to be some realism in this. The Israelis are not going to pack up
camp and go home, and they will oppose any suggestion that they should
do so.
It's far more positive to promote a two state peaceful solution to the
current war. However, at the moment, both sides seem to be pursuing
policies deliberately designed to antagonise the other.
This year will mark the 70th anniversary of the forced displacement of
the Palestinians caused by the violent creation of Israel, when 750,000
Palestinians became refugees virtually overnight. Their descendants
number 7 million today. They owned 93% of the land in 1948 and lost 78%
of it, over 4m acres. About 400 villages were destroyed.
To coincide with a Palestinian demonstration to mark the event, Donald
Trump decided to open his latest hotel/casino - the new American Embassy
which he decided must be sited in the disputed city of Jerusalem.
Was that a positive move? Hardly. Was it predictable that this would
intensify the fury of the demonstrators? Of course.
I don't think they give a fuck whether you "feel sorry" for them. They
would prefer it if you chose not to perpetuate the lie that the only
motivation of Palestinians is to destroy Israel completely. Israel has
repeatedly been condemned by the UN for continuing to seize Palestinian
land and to evict the Palestinian owners. It would be a useful first
step if Israel's loyal allies imposed some discipline on the right wing
Israeli government.
I don't think you'll ever see the Board of Deputies of British Jews
uttering any word of condemnation for the actions of the Israeli
government. Maybe it should man up, stop grovelling to the
Israeli-supporters and be the sort of good friend to Israel that
involves telling them when they are wrong.
As for the Israeli press, it is far more critical of its government than
our spineless press.
I'll quote, because I have a subscription.
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-what-kind-of-a-man-grins-like-that-1.6093255
Opinion: What Kind of a Man Grins Like That, Knowing the Gaza Death Toll
Is Rising by Ten an Hour?
All of Netanyahu's Zionist wishes just came true. Killings and all
What kind of man grins like a kid in a candy store, knowing that in
Gaza, the death toll is rising by ten Palestinians every hour? Knowing
that just outside Gaza, thousands of Israelis are under grave
trepidation for their families, their neighbors, their future.
Okay, he was busy at the time, helping the Trump administration formally
open a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.
But what kind of man talks like this, at a time like this?
As Netanyahu spoke, the casualty count mounted, eventually reaching 60
dead and well over a thousand wounded, many if not most by sniper fire.
What kind of man, well-read, well-spoken, aware of irony wherever he
sees it, chooses just that moment to tell this kind of anecdote:
At the age of three, Netanyahu told the crowd in a memory of growing up
near what is now the embassy, "I would approach this place right here,
but only so far, because my mother told me, ‘You can’t go any further.’
This was near the border. It was exposed to sniper fire. That was then.
This is now, today."
What is this man made of? He does not think like other people. He has a
vision and a way of operating which are his alone. He has hopes and
wishes and dreams and goals for himself and for Zionism which he has
harbored for the length of his decades-long career.
And now, in the space of barely a week, his every Zionist and personal
wish list just came true.
This is a man who found in 2016 that he could gain popularity by openly
siding with IDF medic Elor Azaria, who, on his own initiative, carried
out a field execution against an incapacitated terrorist.
This is a man who then found he could further enhance his power by
undermining his own army chief and firing his defense minister, because
they insisted on prosecuting Azaria for violating the IDF's rules of
engagement.
This is a man, that is, who has found he can benefit from the deaths of
Palestinians – provided he can titrate the killings to what an
increasingly sympathetic press calls a "reasonable'" level.
This was a man who for months this year pointedly turned aside the pleas
of senior army brass, who repeatedly urged Netanyahu to act immediately
to address a crippling humanitarian crisis in Gaza – lest the Strip boil
over into mass unrest. They gave ample evidence of the dismal plight of
Gaza's two million residents, driven to new depths of desperation by
high unemployment, infrastructure collapse and lack of opportunity.
Netanyahu's response? Banning officials from using the term
"humanitarian crisis."