@Featherruffler But this isn’t just random blokes in the pub making these comments. They’re members of parliament. They have power and influence. They don’t automatically represent the views of the people of Israel but they have a platform from which to spread these views/legitimise war crimes. People in power help shape the narrative and the narrative they are going for is very concerning.
https://archive.vn/TzFJT#selection-305.0-448.0
“Gaza will be entirely destroyed” as a result of an Israeli military victory, and that its Palestinian population will “leave in great numbers to third countries”
“No one in the world will allow us to starve 2 million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages.”
both finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich
https://www.politico.eu/article/gaza-israel-netherlands-government-bans-entry-israeli-ministers-smotrich-and-ben-gvir/
“The government is racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out,” Eliyahu told Haredi radio station Kol Barama. “Thank God, we are wiping out this evil. We are pushing this population that has been educated on ‘Mein Kampf.'”
“There’s no hunger in Gaza,” he said. “But we don’t need to be concerned with hunger in the Strip. Let the world worry about it.”
“there are no uninvolved civilians”
Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu (who also said dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was ‘an option’)
Israeli’s have one common goal - “erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth.”
Deputy Knesset speaker Nissim Vaturi
[Gazans are] an entire nation out there that is responsible… This rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved [in the October 7 onslaught] — it’s absolutely not true.” Isaac Herzog PM of Israel
“We have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are
fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly"
- Yoav Gallant, Israeli Defense Minister
Now these are from various points across the last couple of years and some came shortly after the horrific acts of 7/10. Some may feel that that is a good enough reason to show such hatred/anger. My issue is that they don’t seem to differentiate between Hamas and the general Gazan population. The narrative supports the idea that they can destroy all of Gaza’s homes and infrastructure, wipe out many innocent lives (even if it’s just children and you believe all adults are somehow complicit) and that’s okay because it destroys Hamas,
Yes, Hamas have committed horrendous acts in the past and are no doubt still doing so (hard to know exactly they are doing what as journalists are banned from Gaza). But I don’t think that automatically means Israel gets the green light to raze the whole place to the ground and see innocent lives as simply cost of war against Hamas. There should be uproar when western democracies in particular have little to no regard for innocent lives, having put ourselves on a pedestal and made democracy the exportable, gold standard of ruling. We have to hold the Israeli government accountable including when its members make very concerning comments relating to a group of innocent people. Of course, the way Hamas operate means that just destroying all of Gaza and all its citizens would make life easier for Israel. But that means a huge number of innocent people are killed in the process. If we say that’s okay, what stops Russia bombing Ukraine and just taking all its territory?
Hamas are obviously not the good guys. Hopefully we can all agree that. But the Israeli government isn’t acting like the good guys either and I fear that their rhetoric and military tactics are only playing into the hands of Hamas, helping with recruitment and prolonging this war.