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Conflict in the Middle East

What did you do during the genocide in Gaza?

1000 replies

ssd · 22/05/2025 22:05

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

What did you do during the genocide in Gaza? | Arwa Mahdawi

When future generations read about Gaza with horror and wonder how we allowed a livestreamed genocide to happen, what will you say?

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

OP posts:
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mids2019 · 11/07/2025 06:56

There is reason why the BBC and government for instance do not call this a 'genocide' because (a) it's unproven and (b).for many of simply isn't true and certainly bears the ball mark of asymmetric warfare not mass executions which most people would think to be the hallmark of genocide in the meaning most people would ascribe to it.

how many people concerned about the 'genocide' gloss over articles about Iran planning terrorist attacks on the West or reflected on the 7/7bombings during the anniversary? Not many I expect. There are so many that are utterly blinkered to our position in the world at large it is worrying.

Twiglets1 · 11/07/2025 06:58

@Stripes56 the EU report you mention was still not calling for immediate sanctions on Israel. After nearly 2 years they were still only discussing sanctioning Israel.

However, the EU & Israel have reached agreement on more aid going into Gaza which can only be a good thing.

mids2019 · 11/07/2025 09:33

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15wxn851eqo

I think a lot of the more mature members of the medical profession are worried about these strikes in a period where satisfaction in the NHSq is around 20% and we are all facing tax increases to pay for an ever expanding public sector budget. When the rest of the country is worried about economic pressures and increasing waiting lists junior doctors have decided to strike at a time where other public sector professions have accepted pay deals under a Labour government.

I was talking to a nurse friend who was more th an happy with her pay rise and being on an incremental pay scale and she thought there was an element of greed (or at least lack of self awareness) for junior doctors to strike at this time.

Also we forget about the patients who should I would assume be at the forefront of a professional doctors mind, the same patients who pay for doctors salaries through their tax. Those patients deserve to have reduced ed waiting times and care delivered fully staffed departments not ones where a significant proportion of the staff are striking.

Maybe we should just have privatised medicine where doctors are paid a lot more so would be happy and abandon the idea of the NHS? (socialised medicine made feasible due to an acknowledgment salaries aren't as high as the private sector).

IVF pioneer Lord Robert Winston quits BMA over doctor strikes

The Labour peer says the strikes could damage public trust in doctors.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15wxn851eqo

mids2019 · 11/07/2025 09:51

Maybe I am just a slightly cynical NH S worker who is not asking for a 29% pay increase after deciding inflation busting pay rises over the last two years but I think the medical profession has to reflect on the optics and timing of this. We have yet to see the RCN position on strike action and I fear if they follow suit with strikes (for more modest pay rises ) we cannot expect any improvement in the NH S and the whole concept may under pressure as we as a society decide what we want in terms of healthcare.

Actually I think the government made an error saying it would use less foreign doctors as often they are very hard working, diligent and coming from relatively poor economies less prone to moan about pay.

Twiglets1 · 11/07/2025 10:42

@mids2019 I think you have posted on the wrong thread 😀

ssd · 11/07/2025 10:52

ForgeOfEmpires · 10/07/2025 23:30

People should only speak up on child marriage, forced conversion of children, rape, honour killings, forced disappearances, state murders, slavery, apartheid and violence against women if the country has enough respect and authority on the world stage?

What's the bar here?

Is there a list of respected countries where we care about what happens and shit ones where we don't?

Baffled here.

You are trying to twist my words here. Nowhere did I say people shouldn't speak up about human rights. Nowhere at all.

What I did say, that you don't want to hear, is that Israel has gone way down in most people's estimation with the over the top way it has responded to oct 7.

OP posts:
ForgeOfEmpires · 11/07/2025 10:58

ssd · 11/07/2025 10:52

You are trying to twist my words here. Nowhere did I say people shouldn't speak up about human rights. Nowhere at all.

What I did say, that you don't want to hear, is that Israel has gone way down in most people's estimation with the over the top way it has responded to oct 7.

What you said in response to my post that Pakistan should have attention to it's human rights crisis was was "No, the point is Pakistan doesn't have the same respect and authority on the worlds stage as Israel has always had....its not seen as on the same page as Israel. Israel was seen as more westernised and democratic"

So do you think people should talk about the suffering of people in Pakistan as well as Israel?

Yes or no?

Anonimummy · 11/07/2025 12:38

ssd · 11/07/2025 10:52

You are trying to twist my words here. Nowhere did I say people shouldn't speak up about human rights. Nowhere at all.

What I did say, that you don't want to hear, is that Israel has gone way down in most people's estimation with the over the top way it has responded to oct 7.

‘most people’. I suppose it only matters depending on who those ‘most people’ are. I think most people with the slightest intellectual capacity would be impressed at how Israel has carried out this war with the lowest combatant to civilian death ratio in an unprecedented densely populated urban environment where civilians are used as human shields with absolutely no safe havens and the enemy also poses as civilians. There’s been no other war like it.

Also as a tiny country fighting on 7 fronts, including literally castrating Hezbollah, ensuring Syria can’t launch airstrikes and also disabling Iran’s air capacity (US wouldn’t have joined in if they hadn’t done that) while severely damaging its nuclear weapon program with very few civilian casualties considering what they achieved.

They have made history in modern warfare.

All of which was necessary for Israel’s military goal of protecting its citizens. Not at all over the top. I don’t imagine any other country, least of all in the ME, would have acted any differently in Israel’s situation.

The only reason Israel is said to have gone over the top is because Jews shouldn’t fight back and definitely shouldn’t win, right?

Anonimummy · 11/07/2025 12:44

I also don’t think there’s ever been wars where numbers of deaths including combatants are accepted as if they are all civilians except where Israel is accused of causing them.

Stripes56 · 11/07/2025 13:14

Twiglets1 · 11/07/2025 06:58

@Stripes56 the EU report you mention was still not calling for immediate sanctions on Israel. After nearly 2 years they were still only discussing sanctioning Israel.

However, the EU & Israel have reached agreement on more aid going into Gaza which can only be a good thing.

I agree that it a good thing that the EU has been able to negotiate Israel into increasing aid into Gaza.

The intention of the report was to see if Israel was breaking international law. This would then raise legal concerns about the EU Israel association. It was up to EU diplomats what to with the finding of the report, and it seems highly coincidental that this has now resulted in increased aid going into Gaza.

Hopefully it will reach the people in need. Aid shouldn’t be used as a means of negotiation.

SisforSusanna · 11/07/2025 13:20

mids2019 · 11/07/2025 06:49

I find these threads fascinating as I think some wish for an echo chamber where people can share hyperbolic claims about Israel without argument.....in fact why not lobby MN to change the name of this section to 'genocide in Gaza'?

That’s the best post I have read from you I think. It’s an excellent suggestion.

Twiglets1 · 11/07/2025 13:43

SisforSusanna · 11/07/2025 13:20

That’s the best post I have read from you I think. It’s an excellent suggestion.

Any idea at all why it wouldn’t work?

Twiglets1 · 11/07/2025 13:46

Stripes56 · 11/07/2025 13:14

I agree that it a good thing that the EU has been able to negotiate Israel into increasing aid into Gaza.

The intention of the report was to see if Israel was breaking international law. This would then raise legal concerns about the EU Israel association. It was up to EU diplomats what to with the finding of the report, and it seems highly coincidental that this has now resulted in increased aid going into Gaza.

Hopefully it will reach the people in need. Aid shouldn’t be used as a means of negotiation.

Edited

It may seem coincidental to you but Israel have denied they were influenced by the report.

Who knows? Though I doubt the EU would ever have got the unanimous agreement they would need from every member country to sanction Israel.

Eatcakeplease · 11/07/2025 14:40

The threat of sanctions does seem to have made a little difference. I don't believe the EU are yet satisfied with this small progress and are going to push for more.

https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-pressing-israel-improve-gaza-humanitarian-situation-top-diplomat-says-2025-07-11/

SisforSusanna · 11/07/2025 19:01

Twiglets1 · 11/07/2025 13:43

Any idea at all why it wouldn’t work?

You’re on the wrong side of history as many other posters.

You don’t have to be left wing etc to recognise a genocide when you see one.

The UN, Amnesty, Doctors Without Borders have all called it out as genocide.

Twiglets1 · 11/07/2025 19:47

SisforSusanna · 11/07/2025 19:01

You’re on the wrong side of history as many other posters.

You don’t have to be left wing etc to recognise a genocide when you see one.

The UN, Amnesty, Doctors Without Borders have all called it out as genocide.

Edited

I'll take that as No.

As to who is on the wrong side of history, we won't know that for a while. The phrase being on the wrong side of history is used after the "history" has actually happened and enough time has passed to review what the long term effects are.

Many years after this war is over, historians will be debating whether Israel were right to try so hard to destroy Hamas or whether they would have been better off letting Hamas attack them over and over again.

SisforSusanna · 11/07/2025 20:17

This reply has been deleted

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Beachtastic · 11/07/2025 20:42

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Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Do you accept that Hamas's intentions are genocidal? And that Israel has a right to defend itself against such intentions (widely shared by very rich ME countries)?

ForgeOfEmpires · 11/07/2025 21:13

Twiglets1 · 11/07/2025 19:47

I'll take that as No.

As to who is on the wrong side of history, we won't know that for a while. The phrase being on the wrong side of history is used after the "history" has actually happened and enough time has passed to review what the long term effects are.

Many years after this war is over, historians will be debating whether Israel were right to try so hard to destroy Hamas or whether they would have been better off letting Hamas attack them over and over again.

Exactly this. All historic wars are not judged by how many people died but on whether they had just objectives. The question is always, "what would have happened if they hadn't fought it". The answer here is known: they would have done it again and again.

SisforSusanna · 11/07/2025 22:08

Well at least I know what I did during the Genocide in Gaza. I donated a ton of money to Doctors Without Borders to help them in their humanitarian efforts. Brave people. Israel has killed 12 of their people already.

notnorman · 11/07/2025 22:25

Didn’t morph into an anti semite

cupfinalchaos · 11/07/2025 22:30

mids2019 · 23/05/2025 06:03

Got annoyed at the use of the weaponsing of the word genocide.

It is a sad as described by all the respective large media outlets including the BBC. I see an Israel Gaza war tab....not genocide.

aerial war campaigns unfortunately do have civilian casualties e.g. the Blitz, Dresden, and of course Nagaski and Hiroshima. None of these aerial campaigns during ww2 has been described as genocide but there was a genocide during ww2 that defined
the word, the holocaust. To now label the people who suffered this event commiter s of genocide should give pause for thought for those capable of critical analysis.

genocide is the go to word for pundits wishing to shock with hyperbole which leads to a growing sense of anti-Semitism as well as being plain innacurate. Even if you wish to look at the legal definition of genocide nothing has been proven in any court of law and I doubt it will be .strange no one is asking about what we did during the genocide of rohinga Muslims in China as well......probably because it didn't involve Jews.

Very, very well said.

ssd · 11/07/2025 22:35

History will certainly judge Israel as completely over the top aggressors here. Their response to oct 7th has been genocide in Palestine. I don't know anyone in rl who still supports Israel and thinks murdering 56000 people is justified. Only on mn do we get unconditional support for whatever Israel chooses to do from certain posters. Which I take with a big pinch of salt...

OP posts:
Martymcfly24 · 11/07/2025 22:56

notnorman · 11/07/2025 22:25

Didn’t morph into an anti semite

Me neither.

I just tried to do my teeny tiny bit to shout about Israel killing children .

Fair play @SisforSusanna that's a great practical charity to donate to.

Lolapusht · 11/07/2025 23:00

ssd · 11/07/2025 22:35

History will certainly judge Israel as completely over the top aggressors here. Their response to oct 7th has been genocide in Palestine. I don't know anyone in rl who still supports Israel and thinks murdering 56000 people is justified. Only on mn do we get unconditional support for whatever Israel chooses to do from certain posters. Which I take with a big pinch of salt...

Well of course they will, because everyone holds Israel to a higher standard than other countries for some unfathomable reason.

Why do you believe Pakistan was less well thought of than Israel? What could it possibly be? Why would you not expect them to behave in a civilised way? In your world, if you’re a brutal regime what, you can just do what you want with impunity because you weren’t highly regarded? You clearly think Israel is a genocidal hellhole so why don’t they fall into the same category as Pakistan? Why are you not even bothering with Pakistan? Is it because you don’t think of them as western so they’re automatically incapable of being civilised?

I am genuinely interested in you reply because at the moment, your assertion is either racist or ill-conceived.

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