Slovenia Demands Israel's Removal From Eurovision 2025

Well said. Israel also voted against a UN resolution for a ceasefire AND the release of the hostages. If the price for the return of the hostages is a ceasefire, Israel would be always against it. Israel cares more about bombing Gaza to smithereens than the hostages.

https://www.voanews.com/a/un-general-assembly-demands-immediate-gaza-ceasefire-release-of-hostages/7898418.html

"Why doesn’t Hamas release the hostages? Because they don’t care about their own citizens dying and suffering."

Similar things can be said about Israel. Why Israel has Hannibal Directive? Why did they use it on Oct 7th although it would cause mass casualties of its own people? Why Netenyahu is sabotaging hostage deals if he cares about hostages? Why Israel keeps bombing areas where hostages might be present? Looking at these actions I don't think Israel cares about its own people either.

But they've built encampments all over the West Bank, they're still invading Palestine left right and centre every fucking day of the week

Because it wasn't "quite that bad" in his lifetime, plus wasn't quite "the thing to say". He supported Palestine https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-palestine-israel-genocide-mandela-arafat-39d222b9dd65994c4c13730efabe8815
as should we all

On the actual topic of the thread I can't believe that this discussion has come around for another year and Israel destroying hospitals is still in the news. At this point the Eurovision isn't going to grow a set of balls so every country that doesn't feel comfortable with Israels presence whilst they have a leader with an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity and have made no action to rectify the situation in the West Bank having been found guilty of apartheid and racial segregation needs to say enough is enough and abstain.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/06/israel-occupation-50-years-of-dispossession/

Your absolutely correct there @BadgerInDungarees .

Totally unproductive and very frustrating.

After watching the documentary Israelism the other day so much of what has been posted on this board over the past year makes sense now. I think people are better off just refuting any misinformation that is spread rather than wasting their time trying to get the posters who repeat the same things like 'Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005' or who deny that their is apartheid to try and see what Israel have done to Palestinians over many years. The chances of it being anyway productive is slim to none.

They brought all of their citizens out of Gaza in 2005. It has been self-governing since then. But you probably know know that already. I suspect you’re just being obtuse.

Define "withdrew".

Actually don't bother.It's Christmas Eve and I'm just going to do Santa for my lovely children tucked up safely in their warm beds with their full bellies .

Before bed we said a little prayer together for every child around the world who doesn't have this privilege.

And you can go back to sounding very very close to justifying why a large portion of those poor children are in Gaza.

Israel withdrew from Gaza years ago. How is Israel ‘inflicting pain’ on Gazans without being there? You sound very close to justifying the actions of October 7th, just like so many others

Realise that October 7th was a direct result of the policies of successive Israel governments to inflict pain, suffering and displacement on Palestinians and that without compromise and sacrifice from both sides this will never end.

Because thinking that October 7th happened in a vacuum and was the start of all this is naive at best.

I do not in any way support Hamas and the horrific actions of October 7th.

I think the argument that Israel couldn't possibly be committing genocide because Jewish people were previously subject to a genocide is a particularly weak and frankly illogical point. I've heard Netanyahu make it too.

No, that’s not the argument. The argument is that Ireland by seeking to broaden the requirement effectively admits the ICJ case as it stands cannot be found to be genocide.

There is concern that under the current narrow interpretation of genocide no crimes against humanity could amount to genocide if they take place within an existing armed conflict. You are suggesting it's antisemitic to want to include such cases. That was the dangerous disinformation I alluded to.

No, I am saying it is antisemitic to change the interpretations or scrap them completely for the Jewish state, after the trial has already started. That is not disinformation, it is what is actually happening.

So what should Israel do in your opinion?

In 20 years .

Don't worry if Israel keeps going the way that are they should surpass that target in 5.

On a personal note if I am ever kidnapped I expect my government to do whatever it takes to rescue me and no matter how many terrorists and sympathisers they have to kill in the process. Even if I am killed in the process that's better than being abandoned.

But do you want your government to kill and harm children, no matter how many? I am sure you would not.

Not murder 67 children a day would be a bloody good start.

I won't even mention the ones left without limbs.

Again, at least do some research. Also, what has immunisation got to do with anything?

Why do you bother replying if you can’t even be bothered to do basic research? Close to 180,000 people in Afghanistan died as a result of the post-9/11 war

Civilian deaths caused directly by the US and UK in the aftermath of 9/11 were a fraction of those in Gaza.
It’s not really possible to compare excess mortality Gaza with Afghanistan because Gaza had high immunisation rates and different educational levels of attainment and the pattern of settlement was different.
If Israel was a country populated mostly by Catholics or Buddhists or any religion or ethnicity, it would be judged in the same way.

So you want to remove Israel from a singing competition because they’re responding to the biggest assault against Jewish people since WWII? What should Israel do in response to the Hamas attacks of 7th October in your opinion?

“Yet again Israel is condemned for doing what any other nation would do under the circumstances.“

Which country has responded to a terrorist attack with mass bombing of urban areas leading to tens of thousand of civilian casualties?

Thats not what happened in Afghanistan. Not in Iraq. But both of those campaigns were condemned with marches in the streets.

This narrative that Israel is condemned for things other countries do is totally without basis.

So responding to an attack is ok as long as you don’t have backing from anyone?

So presumably you disagree with Ukraine defending itself and attacking inside Russia?

Absolutely they should be taken out of the competition.

Any country that murders 67 children on average every day should not be given a platform.

What's it called when Israel gets significant western support in carrying out these crimes where other counties don't?

That's the only difference in standards when it comes to Israel. They're getting away with mass murder.