To think that the blame lies with Hamas and Israel deserves our support

[measuringmylifeincoffeespoons]

Of course, the deaths of the aid workers recently is a terrible tragedy and it is entirely right that Israel is investigating why it happened and holding members of the IDF responsible.

However, the criticism of Israel seems to miss a fundamentally important point which is that Israel is engaged in military operations in Gaza for one reason only: the barbaric terrorist attacks that were committed by Hamas on 7 October and their continued imprisonment of Israel citizens as hostages.

Of course, the deaths of the aid workers is a tragedy. Every civilian death that occurs in a war is a tragedy. But the reality is that that is what happens in a war, and Hamas is responsible for the fact that there is a war.

The war can be ended, and billions of dollars of aid can be released into Gaza, very simply. Hamas simply needs to lay down its arms and release the Israeli citizens that it has taken hostage and continues to keep imprisoned.

Unless and until Hamas do that, the state of Israel deserves our continuing support in its battle against a brutal terrorist organisation that has kidnapped the innocent civilians of a democratic state.

Or perhaps your language was seen as being provocative

And what is the evidence that leads you to believe one version over the other?

Also, what evidence do you have that Israel is engaged in genocide - that is the commission of acts with the INTENT to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group as opposed to being engaged in a war with consequences in terms of impact on civilians, as occurs in any war?

1948 - Israel is founded - Jews allowed to go back to Judea;

"Founded"
You are kind of rewriting history slightly there to ignore the people living there already

Again the ICJ thinks that Israel have a case to answer, they think it is plausible that Israel are committing genocide. What makes you so sure that they aren't?

No, actually, I don't. I have no idea what their religion is, because I didn't ask them.

Funny how you cherry picked through my answer to try to boil a valid argument down to anti semitism that simply is not present in my response.

The first guy was racist.

But you can stop the faux innocence that ‘ all you said’ and ‘even the slightest disagreement’ about deliberately referring to Israel as Palestine. That is a deliberate provocation as you are denying the right of Israel to exist. This wasn’t a ‘minor ‘ comment. I’m not surprised she was pissed at you. Putting this woman’s justifiable offense taking, in the same category as the other guy is really quite grotesque.

You talked about a country that didn’t exist and never has? By accident?

perhaps try to think about it from her point of view. She was brought up with constant fear of war from neighboring countries and acted brutal terrorist attacks from these “Palestinian” you acccidentally mentioned. Maybe consider she’s not a “psycho”?

also how do you know she is a “Zionist”? Did she use that word?

“• Jews - 2000 plus years of presence in Judea (today’s Israel)
• Jews banished from Judea, roamed the Earth with no homeland to return to, settled in many parts of the world, also in Europe (see my previous comment)”

So are the Palestinians paying the price for crimes that took place 2000 years ago?

My family also confronted someone assertively and aggressively when they referred to my family as Russian. They’re Ukrainian.

Perhaps if they can't play nicely no one should have that land

Yes, I find it hard to believe the veracity of these claims. They seem unlikely to me.

The deaths of the aid workers and children and indeed all civilians is a desperate tragedy. But that is what happens in a war, and Hamas is responsible for the fact that there is a war and, therefore, for the fact that these atrocities are occurring.

No. That’s not how the law works or how people judge a nation that’s part of the UN and a signatory of various human rights treaties. War always leads to civilian deaths but it is the responsibility of the military that controls/is targeting and area to minimise civilian deaths, not to target civilians, not to target aid workers and to allow the flow of necessities to civilians caught up in the conflict. Israel is responsible for the conduct of its military. Its military have deliberately targeted aid workers. Israel say it’s because of bad military leadership. It’s still responsible. This is the first time they’ve bothered to investigate the targeting of aid workers rather than just denying it, mainly, I suspect, because they killed three former military personnel from an allied nation.

Jews have always, and continue today to live in Israel.

there is a war in Gaza due to a terrorist attack by the Gazan government Hamas on Israel.

Yeah, this never happened

This tactic works quite well when you have two toddlers arguing over a toy...not sure it would work quite so well with the Israel/Palestine issue.

I'm not surprised she lost her shit with you.

I never suggested it was.

@Annettekurtin “You talked about a country that didn’t exist and never has?”

Hold on, I’m confused. You’re annoyed that somebody referred to Israel as Palestine because Israel is a country.

But you’re doing the exact same thing by saying Palestine doesn’t exist. According to maps prior to 1948 it did.

The hypocrisy is difficult to get past.

But they told you they were Zionists? They explained their political views on the complex issue of Jewish self determination in their own homeland? But you didn’t know they were Jews???

yeah right

Hamas are terrorists. The woke left ignores this.

I condemn anyone who didn’t feel sympathy for the Israelis in Oct or for the Palestinians now. Feeling sympathy for all these victims is the baseline of a decent person surely. I don’t know how Shani Louk’s mum even gets up in the morning. And I feel the same for every relative of any background who has lost someone.

I think most good people can feel horror for all innocent lives. People who only feel for one group are not people I want to associate with.

OP is trying to imply that Israel is entirely innocent with regards to creating this situation which obviously isn’t the case. Disingenuous at best.