Gary Lineker - foot in mouth again

Lineker is unusual in that, although he is very highly paid by the BBC, he could happily survive being sacked. Which leaves him free to express himself as he wishes.

So far, no one has answered

I did but you didn't agree. I still think the denial and disruption of aid distribution to an entire population (not a section) is pretty unique, particularly when that population is trapped and unable to leave.

I also mentioned the fact that UN has issued more resolutions against Israel, than all other member states combined
This has been discussed before, as far as I remember is that one of the main reasons is because they ignore the resolutions they are the leading country in doing this so resolutions get repeated.

Is Gary Lineker being used as a distraction squirrel?

Clearly you still want to speak up for Israel and feel that they are worth defending, good for you…

What did I say that was “clearly” in defence of Israel?

I questioned the claims that this conflict is unique in nature and that Israel is a uniquely evil foe, and asked what is happening in this conflict that doesn’t happen and hasn’t happened in other conflicts.

So far, no one has answered.

I also mentioned the fact that UN has issued more resolutions against Israel, than all other member states combined (including Iran, North Korea, Russia, Sudan etc) and asked if that seemed right to people, because it seems quite concerning to me, actually.

As a point of information-Lineker is not in the BBC news team and so is perfectly entitled to express his views. And to say that events in Gaza are the worst thing he's seen in his life time. He is simply articulating mainstream centre left thinking. Which he always does.

@LargeAmericano agree, and a lot of people seem to want to reward this despicable behaviour by a vile terrorist organisation by awarding them victory against the only functioning democracy in the Middle East.

The very reason we haven’t seen anything as bad in this in an actual war (rather than an actual genocide as in Rwanda), is that in no other war has the aggressor deliberately used its own citizens as sacrifices for its murderous ideology, teaching even children that to die a martyr is what their God wants.

Why is Lineker not giving his opinion on that?

Literally nobody is stopping people from speaking up about other issues but instead they prefer to spend their picking at people who have chosen to speak up for Palestinians. Thread after thread here about how people are doing it wrong, just think of all of the issues they could have highlighted but instead they chose to use their time to tell others they are doing it wrong. Why not use that time to speak about other issues instead if that is their problem?

Clearly you still want to speak up for Israel and feel that they are worth defending, good for you but the OP of this thread just wanted to poke holes in how some bloke chose to speak up for Palestinians.

I don’t believe this is true. I don’t believe for a second that anyone really thinks that Palestinians aren’t worth speaking up for.

There are, however, other issues that also need to be discussed.

Like the fact that the UN has issued more resolutions against Israel, than all other member states combined - including Iran, North Korea, Russia, Sudan etc.

Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, the only place in the Middle East where you can be a gay Muslim, living openly, is the place that has received the most human rights condemnations compared to any other country in the Middle East, or even the world.

Does that sound right to you?

I can state it decisively because I am educated enough and have read enough to know that this conflict is not unique and everything that is happening in this conflict is endemic to all conflicts.

If you disagree, please give me examples of what you think is happening in this conflict that doesn’t happen in other conflicts.

You mentioned the blocking of humanitarian aid. This isn’t unique to this conflict.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/middle-east/syria/report-syria/#:~:text=Denial%20of%20humanitarian%20access,earthquake%20aid%2C%20in%20Aleppo%20governorate.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/12/eastern-ukraine-humanitarian-disaster-looms-food-aid-blocked/

Pretty ill informed comment. You clearly don't know Israel's responsibility in this or how humanitarian aid during conflicts is managed or distributed

People have run out of things to say to defend Israel so now they just pick and pick on anyone that speaks up against them. You are boycotting wrong, protesting wrong, posting about it wrong etc. It's yawn inducing at this stage. When everyone who wastes their time picking at how other people are choosing to speak up spends their time leading by example instead of just criticising then maybe it'll be worth listening to. Until then you just look like people who can't bear the thought that some people think Palestinians are worth speaking up for.

@Dulra In how many other conflicts does the combatant (who didn’t start it) deliver humanitarian aid to their opposition?

There is nothing going on in Gaza that isn’t endemic to and hasn’t happened in every single war, ever.

I don't fully agree with this (and not quite sure how you can state it so decisively ) I think the one thing that even people who support Israel's campaign in Gaza cannot reconcile or tolerate is the difficulty in getting humanitarian aid through and the blocks Israel has put up to slow distribution down. That has caused immense suffering and death which is entirely preventable and which most people cannot support.

Not sure what issue you take with a celebrity condemning a horrific conflict.

So what if you think there has been 'worse conflicts' in his lifetime? Does that mean what's going on in Gaza is just fine in your book?

The difference is that people are seeing the cost of war in real time, they are seeing dead children for the first time and they are having a normal, human reaction to it.

This is worth repeating as it is a huge difference. Part of me is wondering if this is the key to us pursuing world peace seriously with the popular and political will to do it. Now that it isn’t just those in the war zones seeing these sights as they happen. Another part of me, the cynical part, wonders if it will just desensitise us and world peace will be even further away from ever becoming a reality because there are some who see these horrors and shrug “well that’s war” and have no urge to stop it now or in the future.

That’s because smart phones, Tik Tok and Instagram weren’t around then.

There is nothing going on in Gaza that isn’t endemic to and hasn’t happened in every single war, ever.

The difference is that people are seeing the cost of war in real time, they are seeing dead children for the first time and they are having a normal, human reaction to it.

It certainly doesn’t make it worse than any war that has come before, nor does it make it genocide.

Back in December 22 he also tweeted about the “Awful” death of a young Palestinian footballer killed by an Israeli soldier.

What he failed to mention was the footballer was also a Hamas Terrorist and was firing at the soldier when the soldier fired back.

That tweet resulted in a complaint to the BBC, filed by UK Lawyers for Israel, note that Mr Lineker has neither apologised for nor corrected the misleading information in his tweet.

With that in mind it’s assumed he was already on his last warning from BBC bosses who altered their guidelines to employees in an attempt to prevent him from causing further upset to the Jewish community.

My god! A kerfuffle- the monsters!

The definition is the definition. I cut and pasted the definition from the article and added zero of my own words/commentary to it.

You independently and unilaterally have inferred from the IHL definition that Rwanda was a “mere disturbance” which reflects on to you and your mind. Even though the sentence you have drawn that from is clearly a follow on to an “this also does not apply to…” catch all meaning that it’s not a choice between mere disturbance or armed conflict.

When you first posted your inference that Rwanda was a “mere disturbance”, I rejected it in the strongest terms, as not only is that not the case, it is not what the IHL definition from the Geneva Convention ‘suggested’ to me.

“Regardless, Lineker didn't say this was the worst armed conflict he'd seen in his lifetime he said “I can’t think of anything that I’ve seen worse in my lifetime”.

Ah, but the lead in from the interview was “Speaking on the Gaza war, he said “I can’t think of anything that I’ve seen worse in my lifetime”.

On the Gaza war

War

the interviewer asked about a WAR. So it follows he was responding about how he can’t think of any[war] I’ve seen worse in my lifetime.

The OP certainly thought in that same context…as she listed wars she considered to be worse, excluding everything that was not a war.

For the last time, you didn't post the link but you commented on it.

I think it is quite weird to want to take away Gary Lineker's human rights.

He has the right to freedom of expression.
Because he is famous and works for the BBC, he has his rights slightly limited by his contract. Duties and responsibilities blah, blah, blah.

He does not have to agree with you, you do not have to agree with him.

OP seems to have a loose grip of UK law.