War Hezbollah and Israel

Really, you genuinely think that a place with no seaports, no airports, no control of their borders can thrive?

Why on earth is there such strong feeling about the West implementing sanctions on Israel or even just on people boycotting Israeli companies if a tiny strip of land hosting 2million people can thrive without even having a port surely Israel will just get better and better if trade with the West is severely restricted. If we stopped all planes going to and from Israel things would probably get better again right?

I really don't know who posters think they are fooling with this nonsense. Repeating foolish things they saw on tiktok or somewhere without actually stopping to think things through.

I feel so utterly sick of it all. I'm not going to comment on who are the good guys and who aren't. Just enough! The utter misery being forced upon the people who live in these regions. It doesn't bear thinking about.

She didnt say she didnt like you. She was making a point. Its the silliness that these threads descend into that is so depressing.

The UN, ICJ and other international experts all disagree with your first sentence.

Hamas has been a disaster for Gaza. Nobody is disputing that. It is difficult to see why people can't accept that the occupation and blockade have also been a disaster for Gaza, to the point of still denying the existence of the occupation. There's decades of academic work, legal work and lived experience saying that these were happening. Recognising that doesn't mean betraying anyone, or excusing awful things done by terrorists. Recognising it is an important step in being able to consider how things need to change in order to create a situation in which sustainable peace is an option. The only way for Israel to be safe in the region without violence is for there to be a peace process based on words rather than bombs - and to engage meaningfully in such a peace process, there needs to be recognition of the harms caused by occupation and annexation.

If the billions in aid and the taxes raised by Hamas were spent just on the betterment of its peoples then yes it could be so much better. The corruption of the leadership who have millions in other countries is surely not a doubt!

I don’t particularly like the French at the moment
Care to elaborate? I am French so I would like to know why you don't like me.

Thanks!

I don't support terrorism in any shape and form.
I don't have sympathy for terrorists.
My sympathy lies with the innocents on both sides.

It really has. The only people who don't consider it illegally occupied are their illegal occupiers and their apologists.

So you can't see a reason other than Hamas that a place blockaded by land, air and sea couldn't thrive?

You made it sound like the conflict just 'happened' to Hamas. Israel withdrew militarily and Hamas had a chance to make different choices. They chose the path of continuing to fight Israel.

Gaza has not been under illegal occupation! Hamas has been in charge and made choices. I don't think in 20 years it would have built an economy to rival Israel's because its focus has been attacking Israel not building a thriving economy.

This.

Do you think that saying a place under illegal occupation and blockaded by land, air and sea could have a similar economy to Israel is based in reality and offers balance?

Yes, indeed, there have been wars due to successive aggression exacerbated by Hamas rhetoric about destroying Israel and Israel being responsible for all their woes. If Hamas hadn’t built tunnels in/under civilian locations they may still have them!

You can't seriously be defending Hamas & excusing their appalling leadership over the last 20 years. They chose to build tunnels to smuggle arms and fighters, not bomb shelters for their citizens. Of course gaza had hospitals, schools, shopping malls & normal infrastructure but they chose to infiltrate it all with military infrastructure. They chose to send rockets & suicide bombers into Israel & they chose to launch the 7th October attacks against a militarily superior country knowing they had no way of protecting their civilians.

Can we please have some reality and balance in these interminable conversations?

With all the aid pumped into Palestine in the last few decades they could have had a similar economy. Instead their elected leaders chose to spend it on tunnels, weapons in a war against their neighbour, and luxury apartments in other ME countries for their elites.

I'm sorry so many seem to read only propaganda and reserve their humanity only for one 'side'. This must be very frightening for all civilians & hope the war mongers quickly see that a path to peace is better than escalation.

The dehumanisation of Israeli citizens in that post was callous and unacceptable. As well as inaccurate.

@Silence1
I live in a mixed town in Northern Israel. Very religiously diverse. And the whole lot of us are home with our kids listening to the booms and occasionally dashing to the bomb shelters. Rocket fire doesn't discriminate. Not been doing much Hi-Tech, restaurant eating or supporting the government. What are you talking about? And what are you basing it on?

So ultimately has Iran thrown its proxies under a bus?

I guess Iran is an opponent of Israel and it can only strike through its proxies really so if the proxies are severely damaged what does it do now?

What you say is interesting. In the +972 interview with Ori Goldberg he was saying that what Iran really wants is influence.

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hamas

Hamas and Hizbollah are Islamist militant groups. I merely make the point that there will be Christians and moderate Muslims that may not be happy with Hizbollah operating out of their country....