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Conflict in the Middle East

What does 'ceasing responsibility for life' mean?

488 replies

flufferknutter · 20/10/2023 15:49

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12653619/Israel-reveals-plans-three-phase-war-Gaza-starting-airstrikes-ground-manoeuvres-moving-eradicate-pockets-resistance-ceasing-Israels-responsibility-life-Gaza-Strip.html

I'm sorry for the DM link. I want to know what is meant by Israel 'ceasing responsibility for life' means though. I don't understand.

Israeli defence minister reveals plans for 'three-phase war' in Gaza

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli lawmakers that the IDF expects to start its three-phase war with airstrikes and ground maneuvers, before defeating Hamas pockets of resistance

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12653619/Israel-reveals-plans-three-phase-war-Gaza-starting-airstrikes-ground-manoeuvres-moving-eradicate-pockets-resistance-ceasing-Israels-responsibility-life-Gaza-Strip.html

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43
mushti · 21/10/2023 16:44

I saw a sign at the demonstration in London, it said something like "land you have to kill for isn't yours. Land you have to die for - is."

To some extent, I agree.

The Arabs tried to take away the land from the Jews in 1948. The Jews won, and the Arabs lost. Enough Jews died for that land that it's now Jewish land.

Maybe there needs to be a complete re-run of the War of Independence. Hopefully the Jews will win again.

Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 16:48

WhiteHorseSpirit · 21/10/2023 16:22

Some national identity would have coalesced during the mandate era- 1927-1948. The region was called Palestine and they had their own currency.
sample coin
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces5483.html

sample banknote
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/note234885.html

You do realise that this was British produced? There was no independent Palestine, it was the British who did it. Palestine was only the name for the territory (interesting historial snippet, it was the Romans who changed the name following the expulsion of the Jews based on the Philistines who lived on the coast)

Also, British mandate was from 1917-1948, not 1927

By the way, do you see the Hebrew writing on the coin and on the banknote?
Do you know what it says? It says Palastina (EY). Ey = Eretz Yisrael = Land of Israel. So you're saying that Palestinian coins recognised that Palestine was also the Land of Israel. I agree - good point!

What does 'ceasing responsibility for life' mean?
Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 16:49

mushti · 21/10/2023 16:42

In terms of terminology: Until 1948, the word "Palestinian" applied exclusively to the Jewish inhabitants of the area. There was Arab nationalism, but it definintely wasn't know as Palestinian nationalism.

The Palestine Electric Company was a Jewish company - it became the Israel Electric Company upon independence, in 1948. It has been privatized since, but it's still there.

The Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra - was a Jewish orchestra - it became the Israel Philharmonic. It still plays.

The Palestine Post - was a Jewish (English Language) newspaper. It became the Jerusalem Post. It's still published.

True. My Dad was a Palestinian, born under the British mandate.

ketchup07070 · 21/10/2023 16:51

DownNative · 21/10/2023 15:28

Swim with caution, don't boat in areas with scum, keep pets away and....don't drink the water.

The Jordan River is not what it used to be. Once fast flowing....now the opposite.

So, desalination plants required.

Is nobody using the water or any of its tributaries then? That seems an enormous waste and possibly something international aid could address, thus supplying West Bank and Gaza with usable water, independent from Israel. I did see a BBC article about water shortages in the region, may dig it out later if I have time. I believe that ensuring water supplies to all parties in the region would be significant for peace.

WhiteHorseSpirit · 21/10/2023 16:58

Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 16:48

You do realise that this was British produced? There was no independent Palestine, it was the British who did it. Palestine was only the name for the territory (interesting historial snippet, it was the Romans who changed the name following the expulsion of the Jews based on the Philistines who lived on the coast)

Also, British mandate was from 1917-1948, not 1927

By the way, do you see the Hebrew writing on the coin and on the banknote?
Do you know what it says? It says Palastina (EY). Ey = Eretz Yisrael = Land of Israel. So you're saying that Palestinian coins recognised that Palestine was also the Land of Israel. I agree - good point!

Yes I do, I just think that twenty years of this- all the trappings of a country called “Palestine” put in place by the British would have seeded a national identity amongst the people being born, growing up and living there during the mandate years.

Yes, I know the coins do say Palestine on the front in English and Arabic and then on the back the short hand for Palestine Land of Israel in Hebrew on the back.

So to me, a lot of this question of a Palestinian national identity goes back to how the British drew lines on maps then named regions, how they designed snd issued currency, birth certificates, and other official documentation.

interesting historial snippet, it was the Romans who changed the name following the expulsion of the Jews based on the Philistines who lived on the coast yes you are absolutely right, the Romans did and another interesting historical snippet is that todays Palestinians are not descended from the Philistines! Two very different peoples. Palestinians are also ethnically different from Arabs…yet are called Arabs by the Israeli government and often by themselves due to Islamic religious affinity.

mushti · 21/10/2023 17:01

Israel gets most of its fresh water from the Sea of Galilee. It's transported south via the national water carrier:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Water_Carrier_of_Israel

From the southere there it is (or was) supplied to Gaza too, I believe.

Gaza has some desalination facilities, but they need fuel which Israel now won't allow because it's used to make rocket propellent by terrorists.

Take a look on Google maps at Gaza, and the area to the south in Egypt. Look at the lush vegetation of the Israeli Kibbutim, and the Gazan farmers fields.

Now look at the barren soil on the Egyptian side of the border.

The soil is the same: the only difference is water.

Now that Israel has decided to withdraw support to Gaza, which side do you think those Gazan fields are going to look like in a couple of years time?

What a pity.

National Water Carrier of Israel - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Water_Carrier_of_Israel

WhiteHorseSpirit · 21/10/2023 17:01

Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 16:48

You do realise that this was British produced? There was no independent Palestine, it was the British who did it. Palestine was only the name for the territory (interesting historial snippet, it was the Romans who changed the name following the expulsion of the Jews based on the Philistines who lived on the coast)

Also, British mandate was from 1917-1948, not 1927

By the way, do you see the Hebrew writing on the coin and on the banknote?
Do you know what it says? It says Palastina (EY). Ey = Eretz Yisrael = Land of Israel. So you're saying that Palestinian coins recognised that Palestine was also the Land of Israel. I agree - good point!

Yes mandate was from 1917, but the currency and official documents saying Palestine date from 1927. The people there from 1917-1927 had British OT citizenship and British passports. There was a 1925 law that undid this Britishness.

Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 17:03

WhiteHorseSpirit · 21/10/2023 16:58

Yes I do, I just think that twenty years of this- all the trappings of a country called “Palestine” put in place by the British would have seeded a national identity amongst the people being born, growing up and living there during the mandate years.

Yes, I know the coins do say Palestine on the front in English and Arabic and then on the back the short hand for Palestine Land of Israel in Hebrew on the back.

So to me, a lot of this question of a Palestinian national identity goes back to how the British drew lines on maps then named regions, how they designed snd issued currency, birth certificates, and other official documentation.

interesting historial snippet, it was the Romans who changed the name following the expulsion of the Jews based on the Philistines who lived on the coast yes you are absolutely right, the Romans did and another interesting historical snippet is that todays Palestinians are not descended from the Philistines! Two very different peoples. Palestinians are also ethnically different from Arabs…yet are called Arabs by the Israeli government and often by themselves due to Islamic religious affinity.

Palestinians are not Arabs? But Syrians, Lebanese and Jordanians are?
If they are not arab then what are they? In what way is a Palestinian (I don't dare say arab) ethnically different from a Syrian or Lebanese Arab?

WhiteHorseSpirit · 21/10/2023 17:03

In terms of terminology: Until 1948, the word "Palestinian" applied exclusively to the Jewish inhabitants of the area.
Source? Because many Palestinians now living in other countries are not, and never were Jewish but they and their family that lived there before 1948 all have official identity documents saying they are Palestinian.

DownNative · 21/10/2023 17:06

ketchup07070 · 21/10/2023 16:51

Is nobody using the water or any of its tributaries then? That seems an enormous waste and possibly something international aid could address, thus supplying West Bank and Gaza with usable water, independent from Israel. I did see a BBC article about water shortages in the region, may dig it out later if I have time. I believe that ensuring water supplies to all parties in the region would be significant for peace.

Check out EcoPeace, an Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian organisation.

ketchup07070 · 21/10/2023 17:16

mushti · 21/10/2023 17:01

Israel gets most of its fresh water from the Sea of Galilee. It's transported south via the national water carrier:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Water_Carrier_of_Israel

From the southere there it is (or was) supplied to Gaza too, I believe.

Gaza has some desalination facilities, but they need fuel which Israel now won't allow because it's used to make rocket propellent by terrorists.

Take a look on Google maps at Gaza, and the area to the south in Egypt. Look at the lush vegetation of the Israeli Kibbutim, and the Gazan farmers fields.

Now look at the barren soil on the Egyptian side of the border.

The soil is the same: the only difference is water.

Now that Israel has decided to withdraw support to Gaza, which side do you think those Gazan fields are going to look like in a couple of years time?

What a pity.

That's interesting, but the BBC article states 60% of Israel's water is supplied by the West Bank's mountain aquifer in addition to the sea of Galilee. It also states the 67 war gave Israel exclusive control of waters of the West Bank, and that 80% of the aquifer's flow is diverted to settlements and to Israel. It's from 2010 so perhaps you will know if the situation has changed? I'll link it. as it poses an interesting point. If Israel finds providing water to Gaza a burden, why not give full control of water in the west bank to the west bank, so they can supply Gaza?Obstacles to Arab-Israeli peace: Water - BBC News

BBC News

Obstacles to Arab-Israeli peace: Water

The BBC's Martin Asser looks at issues still dividing Arabs and Israelis.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11101797

WhiteHorseSpirit · 21/10/2023 17:22

Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 17:03

Palestinians are not Arabs? But Syrians, Lebanese and Jordanians are?
If they are not arab then what are they? In what way is a Palestinian (I don't dare say arab) ethnically different from a Syrian or Lebanese Arab?

When talking about people whose ancestry traces back to the Levant (Syrians, Palestinians and Jewish), they are the same ethnicity within what is known as the Semitic peoples. The Semitic peoples lived in Mesopotamia, Levant, Arabian peninsula and parts of N. Africa (not Egypt). Each one has distinct DNA.

Today’s categories of Jew/Arab in Israel are really labels based on religion and language, not ethnicity as demonstrated by DNA. It’s also to psychologically associate the Palestinians to when the religion of Islam appeared and spread through the region by the Islamic caliphate and conquest circa 8th century AD.

The Palestinians did not come with Islam as colonisers though, Islam came to them as they were already there. DNA has shown their presence dates back as far as the presence of the Jewish people. They’ve not always been called Palestinians of course, earliest name for them was the Canaanites.

Desertrose2023 · 21/10/2023 17:26

mushti · 21/10/2023 16:44

I saw a sign at the demonstration in London, it said something like "land you have to kill for isn't yours. Land you have to die for - is."

To some extent, I agree.

The Arabs tried to take away the land from the Jews in 1948. The Jews won, and the Arabs lost. Enough Jews died for that land that it's now Jewish land.

Maybe there needs to be a complete re-run of the War of Independence. Hopefully the Jews will win again.

You are actually delusional and now trying to re-write history.

Palestine was stolen from Palestinians in 1948. It was a country where Palestinian Muslim, Christians and even some Jews had loved for generations.

for anyone who actually is interested in reality and wants to understand what happened in 1948 I recommend you watch the movie ‘Farha’ on Netflix. Israel tried to get it banned because it actually explains how the State of Israel was formed by terrorist groups forcibly expelling people from the lands and homes they’d lived in for centuries to make way for the current racist apartheid state that is currently occupying it.

born in Gaza is another one worth a watch on Netflix.

Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 17:27

ketchup07070 · 21/10/2023 17:16

That's interesting, but the BBC article states 60% of Israel's water is supplied by the West Bank's mountain aquifer in addition to the sea of Galilee. It also states the 67 war gave Israel exclusive control of waters of the West Bank, and that 80% of the aquifer's flow is diverted to settlements and to Israel. It's from 2010 so perhaps you will know if the situation has changed? I'll link it. as it poses an interesting point. If Israel finds providing water to Gaza a burden, why not give full control of water in the west bank to the west bank, so they can supply Gaza?Obstacles to Arab-Israeli peace: Water - BBC News

Its changed a lot. Most of israels water is from desalination and reclaimed sewage (for agriculture). In fact, Israel has a surplus of water due to advances in technology. It can and does supply gaza with as much water as it needs. Until gaza decided to commit a massacre and take hostages

For the wb to supply water to gaza (not that they've actually offered- its not like the PA is crying over hamas), they'd have to cross Israel. Not exactly a popular proposition right now.

mushti · 21/10/2023 17:27

WhiteHorseSpirit · 21/10/2023 17:03

In terms of terminology: Until 1948, the word "Palestinian" applied exclusively to the Jewish inhabitants of the area.
Source? Because many Palestinians now living in other countries are not, and never were Jewish but they and their family that lived there before 1948 all have official identity documents saying they are Palestinian.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jerusalem_Post

The Jerusalem Post is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. In 1950, it changed its name to The Jerusalem Post.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Philharmonic_Orchestra

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was founded as the Palestine Symphony Orchestra by violinist Bronisław Huberman in 1936, at a time of the dismissal of many Jewish musicians from European orchestras.[1] Its inaugural concert took place in Tel Aviv on December 26, 1936, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Its first principal conductor was William Steinberg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Electric_Corporation

In 1923, Rutenberg founded the Palestine Electric Corporation, Limited[5] which was granted the "Jordan Concession". Rutenberg merged Jaffa Electric Company into that company, which in 1961 was renamed the Israel Electric Corporation Ltd.

My mother's step-father was a Palestinian; a Jew who was born in and lived in Tel Aviv.

You'll not find any contemporaneous documents referring to the Palestinian People (referring to the Arabs). Not until the 1960's.

As Golda Meir put it (interview, 1970, Thames TV)

"Golda Meir: "When were Palestinians born? What was all of this area before the First World War when Britain got the Mandate over Palestine? What was Palestine, then? Palestine was then the area between the Mediterranean and the Iraqian border. East and West Bank was Palestine. I am a Palestinian, from 1921 and 1948, I carried a Palestinian passport. There was no such thing in this area as Jews, and Arabs, and Palestinians, There were Jews and Arabs.

Interviewer: "You deny that there was a Palestine Arab people before, but there is now a Palestine liberation movement, and the history of liberation movements are that they grow, won't this one grow and become in the end in fact your biggest enemy?"

Golda Meir: "I don't say there are no Palestinians, but I say there is no such thing as a distinct Palestinian people."[3]

- listen to her from about 3 minutes in.

The Jerusalem Post - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jerusalem_Post

Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 17:29

Desertrose2023 · 21/10/2023 17:26

You are actually delusional and now trying to re-write history.

Palestine was stolen from Palestinians in 1948. It was a country where Palestinian Muslim, Christians and even some Jews had loved for generations.

for anyone who actually is interested in reality and wants to understand what happened in 1948 I recommend you watch the movie ‘Farha’ on Netflix. Israel tried to get it banned because it actually explains how the State of Israel was formed by terrorist groups forcibly expelling people from the lands and homes they’d lived in for centuries to make way for the current racist apartheid state that is currently occupying it.

born in Gaza is another one worth a watch on Netflix.

So did my grandparents imagine being ethnically cleansed from Hebron in 1929? Narrowly missing being massacred like their neighbours.
They obviously missed the memo that they were loved 😍

WhiteHorseSpirit · 21/10/2023 17:30

Links
(please note “Arab” is used to refer to Palestinians)
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israelis-and-palestinians-are-both-indigenous-and-why-that-matters/

https://www.science.org/content/article/jews-and-arabs-share-recent-ancestry
“Intrigued by the genetic similarities between the two populations, geneticist Ariella Oppenheim of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who collaborated on the earlier study, focused on Arab and Jewish men. Her team examined the Y chromosomes of 119 Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews and 143 Israeli and Palestinian Arabs. Many of the Jewish subjects were descended from ancestors who presumably originated in the Levant but dispersed throughout the world before returning to Israel in the past few generations; most of the Arab subjects could trace their ancestry to men who had lived in the region for centuries or longer. The Y chromosomes of many of the men had key segments of DNA that were so similar that they clustered into just three of many groups known as haplogroups. Other short segments of DNA called microsatellites were similar enough to reveal that the men must have had common ancestors within the past several thousand years. The study, reported here at a Human Origins and Disease conference, will appear in an upcoming issue of Human Genetics.”

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2020/05/dna-from-the-bibles-canaanites-lives-on-in-modern-arabs-and-jews
”The researchers also compared the ancient DNA with that of modern populations and found that most Arab and Jewish groups in the region owe more than half of their DNA to Canaanites and other peoples who inhabited the ancient Near East—an area encompassing much of the modern Levant, Caucasus, and Iran.”

Israelis and Palestinians are both indigenous and why that matters

From the blog of Rafi Gassel at The Times of Israel

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israelis-and-palestinians-are-both-indigenous-and-why-that-matters/

ketchup07070 · 21/10/2023 17:32

@Meshigenus Interesting you say it's changed a lot. Thank you for your view. I think, for a future viable Palestinian state, Gaza does need to be connected to the west bank anyway, and it needs to have full control of its natural resources. I would say that competition for resources, such as water, is a huge factor in ongoing conflict and perhaps one of the simplest things to resolve.

ketchup07070 · 21/10/2023 17:33

In fact, if Israel does not need to control west bank water, as it has plenty, it should be no problem to hand control of it back to the west bank.

Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 17:36

ketchup07070 · 21/10/2023 17:32

@Meshigenus Interesting you say it's changed a lot. Thank you for your view. I think, for a future viable Palestinian state, Gaza does need to be connected to the west bank anyway, and it needs to have full control of its natural resources. I would say that competition for resources, such as water, is a huge factor in ongoing conflict and perhaps one of the simplest things to resolve.

You know that was part of the Oslo.accords? A passage between gaza and the west bank across Israel.
Seems like a pipe dream now

But yes, thankfully water is not the issue it used to be in the region.

Desertrose2023 · 21/10/2023 17:37

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Reallifelurker · 21/10/2023 17:37

In terms of terminology: Until 1948, the word "Palestinian" applied exclusively to the Jewish inhabitants of the area

That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Palestinian only apply to the Jews living in the area known as Palestine?

mushti · 21/10/2023 17:38

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Meshigenus · 21/10/2023 17:38

ketchup07070 · 21/10/2023 17:33

In fact, if Israel does not need to control west bank water, as it has plenty, it should be no problem to hand control of it back to the west bank.

I know there were agreements in Oslo around water. I'm sure that in future negotiations it'd be reopened given how the situation has changed. There are more issues around drilling an aquifer than just extraction of water but I'm far from an expert

SomeCatFromJapan · 21/10/2023 17:38

Ah so you’re from Hebron? The crazy totally makes sense now.

@Meshigenus has consistently posted in a measured, knowledgeable and compassionate manner.

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