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

Usually replies relate to the conversation.

@SomeWomanSomewhere "If you can't see what's offensive about "death to the Arabs" and "may your village burn" opposite Palestinians: likewise!"

No one on Mumsnet said they don't find this offensive! Not @SharonEllis or anyone else.

Why do people on the pro Palestine side make or repeat awful statements and then accuse pro Israel supporters of thinking them?

The words you quote are very obviously offensive and just because we support Israel that doesn't mean we would endorse racist comments made by far right Israeli marchers. That's like us accusing you of holding the most racist, extreme views of Hamas and their supporters in wanting to kill Jews, just because you support the Palestinians.

But we don't accuse you of that because you haven't said it and we don't make assumptions that you are an extremist.

There is something so gratuitous about digging these things up and then pretending we said them or thought them. Its a bit weird actually.

The difference with the Netanyahu Govt, now is the far right are running the show.
I cannot believe that the hostages have to all intents and purposes, been left to their fate, its almost as if their deaths and continued captivity is needed by Netanyahu, the only significant hostage release was when there were talks and a ceasefire.. so why isn't this the aim?

Aside, why Pro Israeli or Pro Palestinian? How about Pro Humanity?

Again your reply has nothing to do with the post.

https://www.haaretz.com/

If you read Israeli press you will see Isralis aren't some homogenous mass with one opinion on the war but there are those with deep concerns.however continually linking Israel and genocide is completely counter productive as you are labelling a whole people as some kind of monstrous society wishing to wipe out a foreign population. As well as being untrue the end effect as everyone knows is to stigmatise Israelis as well as News by extension leading to the extreme anti semitism we see in the UK today.

The people of Israel have an open and flourishing democracy with a free press which is unprecedented in the region including of course Gaza. We do not see picture of Hmas operatives building rockets, terrorists being treated in hospitals which double as command control centres, racist chants of Palestinians etc. We have to accept the press out of Gaza which we see is partly sanctioned by Hamas and obviously has a OR purpose and any student of history knows propaganda is used in war.

One other thing when we have terrorist atrocities in the UK e.g. Manchester and London where were the tears of sympathy from the Palestinian people then,. Where were the Union Jacks being flown in Khan Younis? Or perhaps maybe there was sympathy in those parts for bombers whose motivations could be drawn partly to the Plestinian cause? Just a thought as we think about our allies and relationships amongst the world.

The Netanyahu government is very right wing but does not represent the views of every Israeli person, let alone the views of every Mumsnet user.

There is a lot of criticism of the government within Israel as I'm sure you are aware and they are highly unlikely to be voted in again when elections are eventually held.

Pro humanity is something I would love but on these boards commentors naturally are showing support primarily for one side or the other in the war. It doesn't mean any of us lack humanity, and some of us can see things also from the other side. I would like to think we all desperately want peace in Gaza.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8820481/Manchester-bomber-Salman-Abedi-joined-rally-organised-Jeremy-Corbyns-pro-Palestine-group.html

Just to note you never know who you will meet on a Pro Palestine rally so again we see byproducts of sentiment to this war. We can't pretend that as UK citizens maybe one group of people in this conflict is a friend and the other not.

Aside, why Pro Israeli or Pro Palestinian? How about Pro Humanity?

Well that would be nice, but in the UK and other countries we have people tearing down and defacing hostage posters, attacking people on 'peace' marches who call out hamas as terrorists, and incidentally these marches don't call for release of hostages and regularly have placards that dehumanise Israelis and 'zionists' because most have learned to be a bit more careful since their disgusting celebrations on 7/10/23.
It feels very 'gaslighty' to keep being told they're peace marches. There are people in London openly calling for the death of Jews.
Also pro -humanity wouldn't try and target Yuval Raphael...again.
The only pro -humanity marches I've seen are those organised by the UK Jewish community calling for release of the hostages and ceasefire.

This issue has also highlighted a pitfall of proportional representation as a political system, but the only ideal political system in war is one that puts it's peoples' interests first and opinions differ there.

No of course Netanyahu doesn't represent all Israelis, esp the families of the hostages.
Just as Hamas doesn't represent all Palestinians either.

But his Govt is the one now doing the killing.... the poor little girl trying to escape the flames, trapped in a burning building yesterday, she was rescued, the father terribly burnt, others turned to charcoal.

Elections? well, there is an issue on that, no elections until war over, Netanyahu has no interest in seeing the war end, he may well even be in court for corruption if it does.

I believe you, as i do, want to see peace in Gaza but i'm not sure some others do at all, both on here but in Israel too.

All over this country the protests, vigils and memorials to hostages have been attacked. The memorial in Brighton to a hostage was defaced and destroyed again and again. Not much sign of humanity.

'Don't stigmatise Israelis', goes on to try and stigmatise Palestinians.

In the US there are less than 200,000 Palestinian Americans. A Palestinian American 6 year old boy was stabbed to death, his mother stabbed too. 3 Palestinian American students were shot. A Palestinian American was stabbed near the University of Texas. A woman who has been charged with attempted murder tried to drown a 3 year old girl after finding out she was Palestinian American.

So much serious, potentially fatal and fatal violence towards such a tiny minority group since the start of this conflict. Yet here you are trying to whip up more hatred towards what is obviously an extremely vulnerable minority. You want to censor the press to help prevent antisemitism yet you merrily attempt to stigmatise a minority that is far smaller in the US and the UK? Why is that?

@Alexandra2001 Elections are never held in wartime.

I can’t speak for what every Netanyahu or Hamas supporter wants in Israel or Gaza.

But on these threads, I’m going to carry on assuming everyone would like to see peace in Gaza, until & unless they say different.

You surely cannot compare defaced memorials or demonstrations, however distasteful, to that of children burned alive? whole families wiped out? starvation and disease?

One by product of the current action in Gaza is the increase in antisemitism, as i said earlier, the extremists will now and for decades to come, seek revenge on Jews worldwide.

Where did I do that?

You seem to revel in your prediction.

Yet again, it has to be said, only an antisemite would seek revenge on Jewish people in the diaspora for the actions of Israel. What are you going to do to stop it? How about addressing, rather than minimising that antisemitism?

Not at all but you do appear to be a difficult poster to engage with, a lot of accusations come flying back to me, almost all without foundation.

Actions have consequences and further attacks both sporadic and organised will increase, its fairly obvious i'd have thought?

What i'm i gong to do to stop it? that unfortunately is not within my gift.

It speaks to the hate that manifested on 7/10, even from people in a safe country far away from the war.
If you think the war in Gaza is justification for antisemitism than perhaps it was already there and just needed an excuse to manifest.

You send out a lot of accusations @Alexandra2001 mostly unfounded - which is why you get a lot back.

Maybe it’s time to have a nice cuppa instead?

And have a think about what she can do to combat antisemitism - something we ALL have within our gift.

How about a donation to CST for a start which spends thousands and thousands of pounds every year on defending Jewish organisations and Jewish people going about their daily lives. All need enhanced security because of antisemitic attacks and threats which are part of daily life on this country.

I'm saddened to hear you feel trying to stop antisemitism is not within your gift. Honestly I think small things do help the bigger picture. Researching tropes so I dont use them by mistake. Trying to understand both sides of the story. Pushing back on it when I see or hear it. At the very least to not add or inflame more hatred towards Jews.

That is a disgusting thing to say

This thread is so depressing. I should have stepped away pages ago but I can’t seem to stop myself. I have always known some people hate me just because of how I was born but seeing page after page of justifications for hate is overwhelmingly sad. I fear for my children most of all.

No i have not, i 've agreed with you recently, in an attempt to keep things civil, you've just thrown it back.... point made.

I ve also been accused of being an antisemite too, again totally unfounded.

I'm still not clear why you are absolved from doing anything about antisemitism?

😔