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

No only antisemites feed antisemitism. It is perfectly possible to criticise the Israeli government or to criticise a jewish person without being antisemitic. Nothing a Jewish person does has anything to do with the antisemitic things in an antisemites head. My god this is so basic.

Is it perfectly possible to criticise Israel without being accused of antisemitism though? Look at poor Ms Rachel as an example. StopAntisemitism demanding that she is investigated to see if she is a 'foreign agent' because she shared the suffering of Palestinian children. She has been hounded, she has been abused, she has been accused of being in the payroll of Hamas because she has shown sympathy to children who are suffering the worst things imaginable. Who in their right minds thinks it appropriate to bully a woman for raising awareness and money for Save the Children? It's gross and it's a pattern of behaviour we have seen since the start of this conflict.

Thats one case that I dont know anything about. I have criticised Israel many,many times and not been accused of antisemitism. There you go, there's another case that proves the opposite.

That wasnt what I was talking about anyway. I was saying it was possible to criticise Israel without being antisemitic. As Israelis do every day

The overlap between those that are anti Semitic including wishing Israel to not exist as a state with those that are virulently 'Pro Palestine' is considerable though. Remember amongst Gazans themselves they allowed or actively supported a terrorist organisation to lead them.

The current conflict has allowed cover for anti semitism to become more overt and widespread. The shootings in the U.S. show that this spread of Jew hatred has real and devastating consequences. Opinion pieces like this in the Guardian can't obviously alter the course of the conflict but can inflame opinion which was the intent. I have always questioned the wisdom of this approach with the Jewish diaspora being accutely vulnerable to violence associated with the Gazan conflict.

It's possible to criticise Israel without being anti semitic but still be accused of anti semitism, such as Ms Rachel, Keir Starmer, David Lammy, Macron etc etc

Lots of things are possible 🤷‍♀️

Israel’s reinvasion of Gaza is a strategic disaster
Netanyahu’s war isn’t about protecting Israelis. It’s about protecting himself
Ehud Barak

The writer is Israel’s former prime minister, defence minister and IDF chief of staff

Almost 20 months after the massacre of October 7 2023, Israel faces a fateful choice: reach a deal to bring all hostages home and end the war — or launch a full-scale assault on Gaza in pursuit of the mirage of “total victory” over Hamas.

But the government also faces another, deeper choice: align with far-right ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who are pushing for Gaza’s reoccupation and resettlement, or turn towards the international community, US President Donald Trump’s vision of regional peace and international law.

Recently, Trump reportedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “We will abandon you if you do not end this war”. France, Britain and Canada have already demanded that Israel renew humanitarian aid or face consequences and the UK has announced it will suspend talks on a bilateral trade deal. The pressure is real — and mounting.

A deal would unquestionably benefit Israel. It would mean the return of the remaining hostages, an end to the fighting and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the beginning of reconstruction — offering Israel the chance to integrate into a new regional architecture, potentially including normalisation with Saudi Arabia and participation in the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor.

For Netanyahu, however, this path is perilous. It threatens his far-right coalition, opens the door to renewed calls for a commission of inquiry into October 7 and could accelerate his long-stalled corruption trial. More than 70 per cent of Israelis hold him responsible for the October failure, and more than half think he acts based on personal — not national — interests. A deal could mark the end of his long tenure.

War, on the other hand, shields him politically. But strategically, it’s disastrous. Israel has already destroyed most Hamas targets and infrastructure. I believe that another round of fighting will bring more destruction but will end at the same point. “Full elimination” of Hamas, a group embedded and hiding among more than 2mn civilians, is not a practical military mission. Indeed, a renewed offensive in Gaza offers no strategic gain — and renewed fighting will condemn even more hostages to death. That alone should end the discussion.

Many Israelis see Netanyahu’s reinvasion of Gaza for what it is: a political war to protect his fragile coalition masquerading as a security imperative. And when it inevitably ends — under global pressure, humanitarian collapse or domestic upheaval — Israel will find itself back where it began, needing to replace Hamas with a legitimate alternative. So why sacrifice hostages, soldiers and more innocent Gazans to get there?

To understand the depth of Netanyahu’s strategic mistake, one must recall the origins. October 7 was the darkest day in Israel’s history. It created a compelling imperative: ensure Hamas never again rules Gaza or threatens Israel. Yet Netanyahu never tackled this challenge properly. This is the same man who claimed in 2019 that “whoever is against a Palestinian state should be for” transferring foreign funds to Gaza to divide Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu facilitated an estimated $1.5bn in Qatari funds flowing into Hamas’s hands (to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, he claims). But part of it likely ended up in tunnels and arsenals.

The first law of war — emphasised from Clausewitz to Kissinger — is that it must serve a political purpose. Netanyahu ignored that rule and failed the core test of leadership: staying cool, sober and strategic under pressure. From the start, the IDF and war cabinet pressed him to define “the day after” in Gaza. He refused. Why? Because it would have led to a politically inconvenient truth: defeating Hamas means replacing it with a government accepted by regional partners, the international community and Palestinians themselves.

That would most likely require a transitional Arab-led force backed by the Arab League and, if needed, the UN. Funding could come from the Gulf states. Governance would fall to technocrats and a bureaucracy affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, and a new security apparatus could be gradually built under Arab and US supervision. Israel, for its part, would redeploy its forces to Gaza’s perimeter and require that not a single person from the Hamas military branch will be part of the new governing entity; the IDF would withdraw only after pre-agreed security benchmarks are met.

This plan has been on the table for more than a year. It was easier to implement before Gaza’s wholesale destruction. It remains viable now, albeit harder. But it’s still the only realistic path to sustainable victory.

Israel today can claim significant achievements: it has degraded Hizbollah’s threat from Lebanon, neutralised much of Syria’s military capability and struck deep inside Iran, while defending itself when Tehran retaliated. From this position of strength, Israel can now afford to pivot towards a broader deal: release all hostages (living and dead), end the war and pursue a peaceful regional order.

Embracing this path would break Netanyahu’s coalition and likely end his political career. The prime minister is not acting in the national interest; he is acting purely for self-preservation. Every other argument is a smokescreen.

Absolutely nothing because I'm not responsible for a war that's been going on for long before I was born and will go on for long after I'm dead in a place I've never been to.

I think one of them works in healthcare/the NHS which is a bit horrifying.

I can't believe that dodging avocados, closing down book festivals, haranguing people on the internet, crying performatively on tiktok and wearing a keffiyah every Saturday hasn't stopped a centuries old conflict between 2 military superpowers. But ladies, I'm sure if you carry on doing it, it's bound to work eventually.

How many people have been asked 'why do you care?' with the insinuation being that they are antisemitic just because they have a very normal reaction to seeing children starving, seeing children with their límbs blown off or burnt to death. People care because they are human and there is only so much death and destruction lots of people can sit back and watch before they say hold up, this is wrong.

So perhaps it isn't the act of criticising Israel that is seen always seen as antisemitic but the act of caring about Palestinians certainly is. So maybe that is why you haven't been accused of being antisemitic because you have criticised Israel, how much caring have you shown for Palestinians?

Am I at the pearly gates or something?

If the only suffering children you care about (and you have no personal conne tion) in a world full of horrific conflict and suffering, are Palestinian children, then, yes, you should probably reflect on your motivation.

Second ex Israeli PM speaks out - Ehud Olmert - Haaretsz.

https://archive.ph/3vvOi#selection-707.8-1454.0

So far. We are committing war crimes.
Yes, we are depriving Gaza residents of food, medicine, and minimal means of subsistence as part of a declared policy

A Crisis of Leadership and Conscience in Israel

The Israeli government is currently waging a war without purpose, plan, or chance of success. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, it has never engaged in such a senseless conflict. In doing so, the criminal clique led by Benjamin Netanyahu has set a dangerous and unprecedented course.

The result of Operation "Gideon's Chariots" has been chaos across army units deployed throughout the Gaza Strip — especially in neighborhoods where our soldiers have already fought, been wounded, and died, killing many Hamas fighters and, tragically, many innocent civilians. These civilians now inflate the statistics of Palestinian casualties, reaching horrifying proportions.

What is happening in Gaza in recent weeks no longer aligns with any legitimate military objective. Our soldiers are being sent into the neighborhoods of Gaza City, Jabaliya, and Khan Yunis in an illegitimate campaign. This is no longer a national war — it is a private, political war. Its direct consequence is the transformation of Gaza into a humanitarian disaster zone.

In the past year, serious allegations — including genocide and war crimes — have been leveled against the IDF and the Israeli government. I have consistently opposed such accusations, even while harshly criticizing government policy. I have voiced these views internationally — in Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, and more. I have insisted, again and again, that Israel was not committing war crimes in Gaza. Yes, the death toll among civilians — children, women, and the elderly — has been intolerably high. But I argued that no order was given at the political level to harm civilians intentionally or indiscriminately.

At the time, I believed the atrocities were the brutal consequences of war, not state-sanctioned crimes. I made the distinction between unjustified civilian deaths and deliberate genocide. I denied the latter, admitted the former.

But in recent weeks, I can no longer defend that position.

War Crimes Are Being Committed

What we are doing in Gaza has become a war of extermination — indiscriminate, unrestrained, brutal, and criminal. This is not due to a breakdown in discipline or a rogue unit. It is a direct result of policy: knowingly, intentionally, maliciously enacted by the Israeli government. Yes, we are committing war crimes.

Take starvation, for instance. High-ranking officials have made it clear: we are depriving Gazans of food, medicine, and basic necessities. Netanyahu plays his usual game of ambiguity to avoid future legal accountability. But his loyalists say it openly and proudly: “We will starve Gaza.” Because they claim: “All Gazans are Hamas.” Two million people, all labeled enemies — to be erased.

The Israeli media, for various reasons (some understandable), tones down the horrors. But the global picture is clearer and far more shocking. It is no longer credible to blame international outrage solely on antisemitism. That claim rings hollow when the images and voices from Gaza are so vivid and devastating.

Brutality Within the IDF and the West Bank

Within the IDF — including elite units — we are seeing too many cases of brutal shootings, destruction of homes, and unjustified property damage. There are also documented cases of looting and theft, with soldiers proudly sharing these acts online. This, too, is part of the war crimes we are committing.

I do not agree with Lt. Gen. (res.) Moshe Ya’alon that we are committing ethnic cleansing. But we are fast approaching a point where that label may no longer be deniable.

The atrocities are not confined to Gaza. In the West Bank, we are witnessing similar horrors. Settler violence is rampant, with little to no response from the army or police. The murder of Tsala Gas, a young woman en route to give birth, is a shocking tragedy. And when Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, calls for the destruction of Palestinian villages — that is a call to genocide.

Settlers who burn villages are not a fringe minority. They are protected and inspired by figures like Dagan. The authorities are silent. The settlers who should be condemning this are nowhere to be found.

Israel’s Growing Isolation

World leaders are speaking out — and these are not antisemites. French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni — they have long supported Israel. Macron even helped coordinate defense against Iranian missiles. But now, they are openly alarmed by our government’s actions. They understand: this isn’t about antisemitism — it’s about justice and human rights.

Countries like Canada, Britain, and France are calling for sanctions. The European Union may reconsider its agreements with Israel. These developments, combined with actions from the International Criminal Court, could bring devastating consequences.

The Netanyahu government will try to deflect with the usual cries of antisemitism and victimhood. But the truth is, this government is not protecting Israel — it is destroying it from within.

A Government at War With Its Own People

This government is unworthy. It fosters division, hatred, and chaos — pitting Israelis against one another, tearing apart the social fabric that has held us together through decades of war and crisis.

No foreign enemy — not Hezbollah, not Hamas, not Iran — has caused the damage that Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and Smotrich have inflicted on the State of Israel.

They are dismantling our unity. They are not returning the kidnapped. They are not safeguarding Israeli lives. They are not acting in our interest. They are using this war for political survival, while destroying our international standing and moral legitimacy.

Final Warning

We are close to becoming pariahs. The world will not tolerate these atrocities much longer. If we do not stop now — if we do not change course — we may find ourselves dragged before international courts, our nation ostracized, and our people condemned.

It is time to stop. Time to act. Before it’s too late.

The two articles I share written by former Israeli prime ministers—are a devastating indictment and confirmation of the horrors currently being committed in Gaza by the Netanyahu administration and the IDF.

People of conscience, regardless of their background or beliefs, should be united in calling for one thing: an end to this bloody war, the immediate return of the hostages, and the urgent start of rebuilding and peace.

No more excuses. No more delays. No more "ifs" or "buts."

Thanks for sharing that @sualipa

Its so true.

Yes this. It is a big issue when Netanyahu is accusing other leaders (Macron, Starmer, and Carney) of antisemitism and blood libels because they dared criticise his actions in Gaza. He is using it as a tool to discredit and shut down any dissent and an attempt to legitimise his actions. This is not something to be shrugged off, this is a calculated move to garner support in Israel by creating a narrative that everyone is against us and antisemitic.

This isn't the first time Israel has committed atrocities in Gaza, their slaughter of innocent victims goes back decades but we don't hear about or teach the history of their occupations in schools. Nothing ever changes,

He's losing the plot as Olmert elegantly states above.

The Netanyahu government will try to deflect with the usual cries of antisemitism and victimhood. But the truth is, this government is not protecting Israel — it is destroying it from within.

And this;

No foreign enemy — not Hezbollah, not Hamas, not Iran — has caused the damage that Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and Smotrich have inflicted on the State of Israel.
They are dismantling our unity. They are not returning the kidnapped. They are not safeguarding Israeli lives. They are not acting in our interest. They are using this war for political survival, while destroying our international standing and moral legitimacy.

If the only suffering children you care about (and you have no personal conne tion) in a world full of horrific conflict and suffering, are Palestinian children, then, yes, you should probably reflect on your motivation.

So you were right @Mylegishangingoff people do consider those that call out the horrific conditions and Israeli government actions in Gaza as antisemitic.

Have you ever typed on a thread that quiet Muslims make Islamophobia worse by not protesting against their Islamist co religionists?

Or that Black underclass criminals overrepresented in specific crime statistics feed into anti Black racism or stereotypes?

Or that English people who can go back twenty or more generations without finding an ancestor not born in England, by brandishing an England flag outside of there being an international football tournament have to be overt or closeted racists and feed into that middle class liberal/leftisy suspicion?

I'm saying it with my full chest: YOU by designation of what you so casually typed are an anti Semite.

A dunce one, but one nevertheless.
Being a bigot is not contingent upon effort/ thought or grand gesture.

That is why the majority of anti Semites get really cross. When it comes to Israel, Jewish people and Judaism, they will have to think before they type , write or speak if they want to be as covert as possible. Because Jewish people , after women have the longest history of being hated by at least most institutions not Jewish, much less people all over.

It is that very, very long cultural awareness of tropes that the average Jewish person is aware of that the anti Semite is up against.
And most know, deep down that most of the world , no matter how much the Jewish person contributes, assimilates, strives, provides, grins and bears.....when push comes to shove, too many of us today and in living memory, much less their millennia of experience .....find the lives of Jews perfectly expendable if it serves any "greater good".

But instead of self examination , bigoted liberals expect Jewish people to be cheek turners supreme because of the Holocaust.

Just like bigoted liberals weirdly expect Black people to be first in line advocates for/understanders of every minority (except Jews) , even to the detriment of their own determination and group determination and even with the knowledge that non Black POC anti Blackness makes White Western anti Blackness, (yes including the convenient Boogeyman U.S) look like a Summer skip through cornfields.

Most casual anti Semites are too thick to see that the evidence of their anti Semitism is in what they have typed/said.

Wrong and strong as my Jamaican grandparents would have said after seeing your zealous exclamation mark, punctuating what you thought was a "gotcha", but is a self reveal of a typical DARVOesque anti Semitic thought pattern.
Just like with homophobia, it is never too late to unpick one's motivations for being a racist bigot.

You even fit in some triangulation, which is a typically racist 101 move.

And while I'm at it. I, as a Black person have never met an anti Semite who cannot be revealed to be anti Black.

And every Black anti Semite that I know is either a self hater/ racial "divestor" in intimate relationships / is of a religion where the religion comes before race (in theory).

None are comfortable with being Black in and of itself.

So selfishly, anti Semitism acts like a canary in a coalmine for me and mine.

Most casual anti Semites are too thick to see that the evidence of their anti Semitism is in what they have typed/said

Brilliantly put

Just because Netanyahu was wrong on this occasion (I believe he was, I believe he's wrong on most things) doesnt mean all accusations of antisemitism are disingenous. False accusations of course are wromg and counterproductive, but don't pretend your average antisemite is actually capable of caring about the difference.

What? No idea why you have to be so rude maybe try and explain your point better