Why does Palestine bring out such strong feelings?

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I really don’t want this to become about individuals’ feelings about the conflict. There are plenty of threads for that.

I am interested in why Palestine provokes such a strong feelings about civilian in Britain. We didn’t see weekly marches and such intense, passionate feelings regarding any other conflicts over in, say, the past ten years (Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Congo, Somalia, and, of course, Ukraine). These all involve thousands of civilian casualties caused by conflict.

What is it about Palestine in particular that causes British people to feel so passionately about it?

Someone said to me today that, for them, it was the most pressing political issue. They have never even mentioned any of the other conflicts above. It got me thinking about it. If you care greatly about what happens in Palestine, why Palestine and not the other conflicts?

Please don’t come on and say you care about them all. It might be true but there is no doubt that the reaction to what’s happening in Palestine in Britain is much greater than the rest, which barely cause a murmur.

Just today Israel have threatened to restrict aid to Gaza (again) if all the body's of the dead hostages aren't returned.
Which is a bloody hard task given the state that Israel have left the place in. The Palestinians can't even find all of their own dead.

Really? Hamas will have kept the bodies as they know fine well Israelis will want them back. Political leverage. They will still try to pass off dead Palestinians as Israelis though.

They have endless tunnels under schools and hospitals in which to hide them and themselves. They love to hide behind children and patients.

Detestable people.

Surely it's because people (wrongly) think it's simple and there's a "bad side" and a "good side"? A lot of people can't deal with complex issues and shades of grey.

As Dr Ben Goldacre likes to say (in a different context), "I think you'll find it's more complicated than that."

There is also an element of "what's broadcast, matters".

Personally I would get rid of all the sky fairies. It is amazing what evil people will do in the name of their "god" in many forms. That applies to most sides. I seem to recall there were large protests previously about stopping war in Iraq.

Being the sole homeplace of the Jewish people doesn't give the Israeli Government a right to starve babies.

‘Sky fairies’ doesn’t come into it. Non-practising and atheist Jews remain Jewish.

ETA: protests against war on Iraq were protests against this country’s government’s policy. They had nothing to do with opposing and denigrating a foreign nation.

So you question that but not the Israeli government having the right to kill babies. Ok then. Presumably you would have considered it a proportionate response the IRA to go into Ireland and kill all the Catholic babies instead.

The fact that anyone can see babies as acceptable colleterial damage is deeply shocking to me. You only target babies if you attempting to commit genocide, there is no other reason.

Like all sensible people I see both the horrors of war and the need for countries to protect their people from homicidal maniac terrorists, in this case terrorists supplied by homicidal maniacs in Iran. All of these terrorists and terrorist supporters are vicious antisemites who wish to destroy Israel and all Jews.

Hamas and Iran are the villains here.

Probably because it's existed for less than a century and has been in constant conflict since. It's done more harm than good. It's a failed experiment.

But a lot of countries in the world have existed for less than a century - South Sudan, Kosovo and Pakistan are just three examples off the top of my head.

And in terms of it being a ‘failed experiment’ countless countries are aligned - to a greater or lesser extent - around a religion. There’s a huge amount of Christian countries, many Muslim ones. Why shouldn’t there be one country in the world aligned to Judaism?

I’m in no way condoning the actions of the current Israeli government. But their actions shouldn’t detract from the fact the country was legitimately created in 1948, and it really shouldn’t have to defend its existence in a way other countries aren’t expected to.

Ok. We are never going to agree if you believe that the starvation of babies (which is a war crime) is acceptable. If the Israeli Government has done nothing wrong why won't Netanyahu surrender himself for the arrest warrant issued and defend himself in the Hague?

The Free Palestine rhetoric gets me, it’s never been free for Woman or people who are gay, but let’s not let facts stand in the way of a good march.
Hamas are to blame for all the atrocities they knew invading Israel would result it their own peoples mass demise and destruction yet they did it, but I never see get rid of Hamas marches.

Er, no, it's not just social media, it's also the fact that our government is complicit in a genocide.
Posts like yours which express innocent surprise at all the protests don't represent the typical UK position, you know. Many of us are appalled at what the Israelis have done in Gaza and the fact that our country has supplied arms to help them do it. Hence all the demos.

Yes but this is not as fashionable as wearing a fancy scarf and shouting about Israel so you won’t see any demos about this.

But why are you appalled at Israel and our country’s supply of arms when there are many more conflicts raging around the world, some of which with weapons supplied by the UK?

Wasn't there mention of Israel in the Bible?

Because Israel has been conducting a genocide.

Why are you making this point? Please explain your position.

No it hasn't. This word has been totally distorted to now loose all meaning.

Oh and the point the PP made still stands. Plenty of actual genocides in the world going on but no huge interest from the hate marchers.

Well this is a point on which we strongly disagree.

The Uyghur Muslims in China? For a start. Or don't they count because the Chinese aren't usually of the Jewish faith?

Yet they managed to find 3 more of the Israelis once they were threatened with aid refusal if they didn't, and have said 4 more will be coming later. I presume nobody thinks it's pure coincidence they suddenly happened upon these 7, some of whom have been dead for 2 years?

‘Genocide’ has just been adopted by the ‘pro-Pals’ to attempt to hide their naked antisemitism. It’s a sham term to use about Israel’s pursuit of terrorists in Gaza.

It doubly suits these racists because it’s so obviously offensive to label Jews as genocidal, given history.

I'll admit I hadn't cared much at all about a conflict a long way away that doesn't affect anyone I know, until relatively recently.

The sheer scale of the destruction and murder, on both sides has led me to take an interest and I look agape at both sides justifying it all.

I seem to vere towards the Palentinian side (not Hamas, the Palestinian people) because I can't see how on earth the Israeli settlements are justified. The Hamas response hasn't been right either, but what did they expect? Or why anyone thought forcing so many people into such a small area would be a success.

I don't claim to be at all educated in the matter, but that's how I see it from what I do know.

So the Israeli settlements justify loping off the breasts of young girls at dance festivals and throwing them around. And burning babies. I'm not sure you are veering on the right side if you are a Hamas supporter. Or a Palestinian supporter as an awful lot of civilians got stuck in too...

I'm sure I said none of it is justified.

There are atrocities on both sides and none of them are OK.

However, I do feel Israel started it all, way back.

Oh dear...