To have reservations about a friendship with a woman who refers to Israel's actions in Gaza as a genocide?

[Oodiks]

I like this woman a lot, but we have very differing world views, specifically her belief that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

We work at a university and were coming back from lunch together when she commented that she was pleased the protestors hadn't come back. I agreed, noting how nerve wracking it must have been for Jewish students on campus to run the gauntlet of pro-Palestinian / anti-Zionist posters in the encampment.

We'd been talking about the American election over lunch, and I thought we'd agreed that Kamala Harris was the better candidate for her views on climate change, if nothing else, but then my 'friend' commented on Biden/Harris sending arms "to support the genocide" and I was left kind of speechless.

Am I being unreasonable to feel unsure about continuing this friendship?

I'm not going to take sides, they're as bad as each other, but, you'll see that almost every government in the world absolutely supports Israel, sends them money, weapons, often for free, and protects them at the UN. Now tell me the PR campaign has not worked.

It's the same with the US. They've bombed the hell out of the ME, interfere in various democracies and aren't adverse to funding genocide but their PR machine means they're the 'good guys'.

If it's to influence governments then yes. If it's to influence the masses, then no. There are many who have taken the side of Israel who would agree on this too.

And even within many governments the support is waning. Just as an example Israel must have spent millions in their campaign to demonise the entire UNWRA agency and yet many governments including our own have started funding for them again much to Israel's disappointment. Anyway, it's not the topic of the thread so i will leave it here.

second largest PR machine - based on what data?

What a truly refreshing perspective ❤️

But they aren't.

The Houthis have slaughtered hundreds of thousands, the country of Yeman is not occupied.

Lebanon with its Hezbollah terrorists isn't occupied.

I won't continue but terrorists are not just due to occupation.

Rape, torture and slaughter is not resistance.

Rape, torture and slaughter is not resistance.

Nor is it defence: over 40,000 slaughtered, thousands being held in prison, raped and tortured.

Islamophobia is anti-muslim racism.

Jill Stein's campaign has said that she can't win but a vote for her will stop Harris winning Michigan and without Michigann, Harris cannot win the election.. Therefore, she actively wants Trump to win.

A vote for her would only mean Trump getting Michigan if you are a Michigan voter.

There is validity to a protest vote that won’t affect the final outcome but send a message to the winner that this is an issue a lot of people feel passionately about. They usually then take it on board for their party’s Congressional elections, and the next Presidential one.

Jill Stein doesn’t want Trump to win. She was arrested for protesting his actions as President not to long ago.

It is also worth noticing that in England virtually all our anti-Muslim racists are actually virulent antisemites, but generally, at the moment, keep their mouths shut about this. But if you read the propaganda of the NF, BNP etc it is very clear that they are just biding their time. Dangerous allies.

If you watching Israel murder scores of Palestinian children and women, blowing up schools, hospitals, churches and mosques does not amout to genocide to you, then you need to look deep inside yourself. Israel has been doing this for the past 76 years it has occupied Palestine and expanded even when the UN asked it to stop. If you were living in an open prison that is Gaza, would you not fight back against the apartheid regime that has occupied your land? The fact that Israel does not want a 2 state solution should tell you all there is to know about them.

Oh dear 🙄

I never said it was.

What are you doing that is different to everyone else who watches the news.

It's not on individuals. Pouring scorn on people who you 'assume' could do something but don't, doesn't really help. Does it make you feel better though.

None of us individuals are at fault. Did we instruct the terrorists, do we control the idf?

@Zahariel I’d really like an answer to this please. I’ve googled and can’t find anything that suggests Israel’s ‘PR machine’ is the second largest.

Why do so many Brits care about the gaza stuff?

Gosh, can’t imagine.🙄

Thank you for responding to my question. I intend to continue the friendship, as I really do like and respect her, and to, as you say, “challenge the argument not the person.”

I think part of what bothered me was her casual assumption of agreement, but that itself is a starting point for further discussion.

You do not care because you have never been colonized!

When I go to the toilet after my son and it smells and he has forgotten to flush. I don’t follow his argument that it was his sister who went to the toilet hours before or the months of his sister using the toilet.

😂

@MadeleineMummy what a really disrespectful analogy.