What do the protestors want?

[TeenagersAngst]

Have seen/read many threads over the last few days about the rights and wrongs of the ongoing protests following the synagogue attack.

What I'm still not clear on is what the protesters actually want? I mean, I know everyone wants peace in Gaza but protests usually occur where some sort of response from their own government is expected eg Vietnam war in USA. But we have very little control over Netanyahu and the Israeli government’s actions. So are the protestors protesting about actions of the UK government or actions of the Israeli government?

Exactly. They are completely pointless. What do they want, the UK to go to war with Israel on behalf of Palestine?

We could stop selling weapons to Israel!!! Do you not read? Or listen to the radio?

I suppose coverage of these kinds of events does make the international news. Netanyahu was on the British news responding to the horrific synagogue attack in Manchester, so he's obviously aware of what happens in other countries.

Historically, the UK is one of the two biggest allies/supporters of Israel, so political ripples probably do go out on the world stage when there is any unrest or widespread negative public feeling that may put pressure on the Israeli government.

It's unbelievably naive to think that the UK has no impact on other countries. That is the entire premise of international relations - how different state actors affect one another.

The UK government could easily stop selling arms to Israel, could agree to comply with international law (Netanyahu has arrest warrants for being a war ciminal) etc.

The brutal genocide of an entire people is absolutely disgusting and is absolutely something to be protested against regardless of your own “personal connection” to it.

Don't be facetious by asking bad faith questions like this. Genocide is serious.

I want the UK government to put sanctions on Isreal, stop selling any arms, stop calling them an ally basically. I don’t want my country to be allied with a state that commits war crimes and genocide.

I’m not asking bad faith questions. When I watch footage of the protests, it’s not clear what the ask is. I think the message has become muddled because of the debate about the protests being hate marches and everyone being anti semitic.

Contrast that to the Vietnam protests and there was no doubt why they were happening.

Ive heard plenty of discussion in recent days that protests about a foreign war which we cannot end do not make complete sense.

The killing in Gaza is horrific and needs to stop, I am in complete agreement on that point.

Do you think the protests would stop if we did this?

They want different things.

Some misguidedly believe that Israel is committing genocide. Its recent willingness to enter negotiations with Hamas prove otherwise. Has this happened in any other genocide?

Some are genuinely antisemitic and wand to intimidate Jews, whether Muslims/Islamists or far left “academics” and trade unionists.

Some are TikTok addled kids with a Red Guard mentality.

I don't know how much moral ground we can take in that respect, considering what Blair did in our name.

Many would argue that Israel's 'willingness' to enter negotiations is actually a position that they've been forced into, as a direct result of the international protests and threatened sanctions at what they have been doing.

Yes, they are far, far stronger militarily than Gaza - which, to be fair, is why a lot of people have held them more accountable for their actions than Hamas (especially with the latter being internationally acknowledged as a terrorist organisation whilst they are traditionally considered a highly-developed westernised democracy)... but their position on the world stage is becoming more and more untenable.

They are powerful, but if they lost the backing of the UK, that would send them a huge warning bell; and if they then lost the support of rhe USA - unlikely as this would historically have ever been - they would be left very, very vulnerable indeed.

And some KNOW that Israel is comitting Genocide and want to shine a light on that.
Will it actually make any difference? probably not, Israel has powerful friends