What did you do during the genocide in Gaza?

[ssd]

This is a brilliant article.

This will be taught in schools one day and our grandkids will ask us but what did you do when you knew this was happening?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/22/israel-gaza-genocide

I have a lot of friends who feel similarly to you and they say they feel compelled to watch, its like they can't look away. They feel its right to bear witness.

Dont speak to me then @SharonEllis , if thats all you read from my posts we are best avoiding each other.

I feel very similar. I was horrified when I learnt about the holocaust. I wondered what I would be prepared to risk to save people.

But now, a genocide is actually happening and it's my country that is supporting an ally that is carrying out. Dehumanisation of Palestinians has been happening for long before this, and that's led to the apathy towards Palestinians by the government and media.

I feel that I need to speak out. I don't think just because someone is far away that they are not a human worth saving.

Sure but you're also doing nothing about so many other things, why are you focussed on this one? I genuinely don't understand this - people are so horrified by this one horrible situation while casually ignoring the 100 other things also happening in the world. More people are dying in Sudan than in Gaza or Israel and I have seen 0 horror about that. I haven't seen a Ukraine march in a long, long time. Being complicit in terrible things is a bigger problem than just thinking about one war.

For me... I am living in daily fear of course. My Jewish family and friends are in danger worldwide and things are happening to someone I know every single week - even if it's not always physical violence, it's always something. So for me I react by being the best person I can be and influencing as much as I can in my own little part of the world. I volunteer a lot, I buy books in a lot of difference language's for my children's primary school library that I helped to create from scratch, I recycle and go on litter picks and show up to argue for things at community council meetings. I try to be a good person and a kind human. I cannot solve a war but maybe I can do... something.

Absolutely. I don’t feel personal guilt but I do feel we have a collective responsibility to speak out. This isn’t just on Israel or on Hamas. The world has sat on it’s hands and let this happen and being from a country that is an ally of Israel makes it all the more important that we make our voices heard.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01683-0/fulltext

In fairness: the lancet also published this letter in response to the letter you linked to.

I genuinely don't understand this - people are so horrified by this one horrible situation while casually ignoring the 100 other things also happening in the world. More people are dying in Sudan than in Gaza or Israel and I have seen 0 horror about that. I haven't seen an Ukraine march in a long, long time.

The UK have imposed sanctions the SAF and RSF and they have increased humanitarian aid for Sudan. Now I do think more could be done about Sudan. But what would be the point of an Ukraine march? They have military and financial sector sanctions on Russia. They have condemned Russia in the strongest possible terms. What action would a march achieve.

In contrast the UK has been slow to take any concrete actions on Israel at all, those that have been taken are completely insufficient. That’s the purpose of marching.

Thats just not an acceptable answer sorry. You minimised the hatred of Jewish people. Do you know how inflammatory that is, in this climate? Jewish people have died or been hurt in antisemitic attacks.

You admit you don't know much, but you think Jewish people are not as hated as people on here are telling you. People who know because they have experienced it or know Jewish people or who have done research. Why do you think the Jewish people have been thrown put of nearly every country they have settled in, except the US and more recently the modern state of Israel (though originally indegenous in the region). Why is the world Jewish population smaller than it was before the Holocaust? Did you know there is a synagogue in england founded in the 17th century that is the only one in the world with continuous worship since that time? The only one in the world? Can you understand what that means?

I stood up for Palestine online, in real life, boycotted Israeli products, wrote to my representatives and attended protests. In fact I attended my first protest over 18 years ago. Explain that one if it started on 7/10/23 eh??

That's fair, appreciate the explanation. I go on lots of marches for other topics and the goal is more about raising awareness than any concrete ask. Do you have somewhere I can look at to see the specific asks of the groups who march? Mostly I just run away when I see them as it is a thoroughly unpleasant experience to hear people chanting about my country getting pushed into a sea and I really don't want to be recognised by anyone I know from work.

❤

Regarding the term 'Zionist', Ive seen it explained many times on this board what it actually means, namely someone who believes that the Jewish people have a right to a national state where they can exercise self-determination.
Yet some people keep saying “I’m not antisemitic, I’m just anti-zionist” as if questioning Israel’s right to exist was perfectly harmless.
To be honest, before October 7th, I also used to have some vague idea of Zionism being a particularly militant movement, but even then I wouldn’t have said “Oh, I’m just anti-zionist” without checking what it actually meant first.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avivim_school_bus_bombing

Equally, some people seem to believe that all Palestinians are terrorists.

Extreme views sadly exist on both sides.

Plenty of people from all backgrounds. Do you know how many hard-core Christian zionists exist in America who support Israel and this genocide?

I didn't minimise the hatred of Jewish people.. I clearly didnt. You are clearly trying to put words into my mouth.

And dont even try to tell me what is an acceptable answer. You seeing antisemitism where there is none is your problem and I'm not about to make it mine.
So this is my last reply to you, whether you accept it or not.

Was that a protest against Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation with a mandate to annihilate Israel and kill Jews, taking control of the strip placing Palestinians at great risk of Israel’s valid security countermeasures and making peace impossible, by any chance?

What's your point? That this has been going on for decades. We know

You seemed to think you had some new information.
Quite a few of us on here have come to our positions because we have informed ourselves.

Where did I say I had new information?

I’m actually in Ireland, so I’m not over the exact goals of the Uk based marches. There are also an increasing number of people marching in pro Palestinian marches here. Despite our government strong words, we have many economic ties to Israel including ties to the occupied territories and Irish airspace is used to transport weapons to Gaza. So our population remain complicit in what is happening.

There are rarely marches to “raise awareness” This is a very woolly idea. Behind most protest movements there will be clear aims to put pressure on governments usually to do specific things, either internationally, nationally or a mix of both like we see here.

There are many layers in a protest movement like this. So for example in Ireland, they want to get feet on the street to visually show support for the goals but there will also be other work like the main organisers have started legal proceedings against the Central Bank in Ireland for selling Israeli bonds.

Explain that one if it started on 7/10/23 eh??

Sounded like you were teaching your grandmother to suck eggs questioning posters knowledge of the situation. So hard to pick up tone from posts sometimes, I've been accused of all sorts of nefarious things on this board but irl I'm lovely as I'm sure you are too.

Like the Jews shouting 'death to Arabs' and 'may your village burn' in Jerusalem right now. I don't see the IDF doing anything to deter or stop these chants.

Agree , but I do have extreme feelings of " there but for the grace of god.."

I know quite a few 'hard-core Christian zionists' in America and I can tell you I've never ever spoken to one who supports genocide... have you?
In fact, I can honestly say I've never met anyone who supports genocide despite constantly being told on here that I support genocide.