IDF confirms authenticity of a photo of a soldier destroying a statute of Jesus Christ

[childlessbutconcerned]

https://x.com/idf/status/2045973415643767091?s=46

Disgraceful.

Why do I feel there was just as much news regarding bombing Gaza Christian churches, killing Christian families sheltering inside, as there is about a Christian statue being sledgehammered in Lebanon?

Of course both are wrong but it is disquieting to me how we are giving attention to a statue and not the civilian Lebanese killed that same day?

Fair point, but why stop there?

Why do we give so much attention to this particular conflict at all... amongst all conflicts going on in the world?

Why do we care so much about some civilian death and so comparatively little about others?

Most of us are only giving attention to this statue because the OP @childlessbutconcerned started a thread about it and gave their opinion that it's clearly something that is seen as normal amongst IDF troops.

Replies have indicated that yes, we all see it as awful but no, it doesn't seem to be accepted as normal behaviour amongst the IDF as those responsible have been investigated then* *jailed for 30 days and removed from combat duty.

That’s pathetic. A pathetic punishment that shows it’s just about keeping americas support.

What do you think should happen to the soldiers who vandalized this statue then?

The government want Palestinians out and some of them happen to be Christian. People tend to assume this is a Jewish-Muslim issue but it's an erasure of Palestinians from their land, regardless of their religion. The talk from certain government representatives has been nothing short of terrorism. I don't think there has been a rise in this, it just hasn't been as widely reported until now.

I don't know about that. As people have been saying, at the end of the day, it is only a statue.

Though to be clear, I think it was an awful thing for the soldier to do because of the lack of respect for other religions (almost as bad for the other soldier to film it rather than to intervene). I think it's fair that both of them have the shame of a month in prison and being publicly removed from combat duty.

Considering gang raping a prisoner so badly they had internal injuries gets you no punishment at all it's a bit hypocritical.

Most of the conflicts I assume you’re referring to, are civil wars, save the Russia/Ukraine war, where the West has condemned the invasion and placed sanctions on Russia. That doesn’t take away from the horrific impact of conflict on the people of Yemen. Syria, Libya, Myanmar…, but it’s not the same as one of the global military giants, supported fully by another global military giant, unleashing their might on unarmed Palestinian civilians in their own land. Surely you can see the difference? They have razed Gaza to the ground, which is what they set out to do. And they are now attacking the civilian population in Lebanon. They’ve as good as annexed part of Southern Lebanon already.

Indeed. Peace talks between Iran & US in Islamabad, meanwhile ...
https://www.osac.gov/Content/Report/e6572612-4e3a-43dc-9711-29d07cc72cb1

What's the purpose of your link?

I found it quite interesting didn't you? Not a conflict I know much about.

Deflection, because apparently we're exceptionalisng the IDF by discussing their terrorising and abusive activities and we need to reflect on why.

Personally I don't think anyone on a mn site should be anything other than appalled at soldiers sexually abusing children no buts or whatabouts needed, thought it was a given that using sexual assault and child sexual abuse as a tool to intimidate and control is wrong. That's all that needed to be said. Yet here we are.

Yes I did find it interesting.

But I asked what the purpose of it was on a thread about how IDF soldiers vandalized a religious statue.

Yes it would appear so..

The IDF most certainly are exceptionalised as the self proclaimed most moral army in the world who use child sexual abuse as a toll and yet are still defended.

"those responsible have been investigated then* *jailed for 30 days and removed from combat duty."

What do you want to happen to the soldier who vadalised the statue?

In the UK a group from Palestine Action, broke into a factory, used whips on security guard, vandalised equipment with sledgehammers and received little in punishment...... the one who was filmed breaking the spine of a police woman whilst she was lying on the floor, apparently felt threatened by the presence of a lying prone police woman so needed to whack her with a sledgehammer
🤔
..... interesting

What’s interesting? I find the acts of those members of Palestine action to be horrific, I do not agree with them and think they should face life in prison as it’s s.18 GBH with intent.

I agree with you they should get prison.

I asked what you think the soldier who vandalised a religious statue should get. Is 30 days and removed from service not enough. He'd get less for damaging a statue in the UK. He was wrong, and rightfully has been condemned widely and on here too. Now been punished too, as is correct. Yet you stated:

"That’s pathetic. A pathetic punishment that shows it’s just about keeping americas support."

So what punishment do you think he should get?

A longer prison sentence, community service and complete dishonourable discharge from the military would be a start.

Thank for replying. 30 days you deem pathetic, 6 months, several years, longer.... at the end of the day, its been condemned and punished. My point is that in the UK you wouldn't even get 30 days for vandalism of a statue.

Lovely to see people agree that the IDF soldier was wrong, has been condemned widely, and punished. Its obviously not a usual thing to occur since not heard of this before and people expressed upset and condemnation and now punishment, even if you believe not severe enough punishment...

I mean it's not an unusual thing for IDF soldiers to do is it? They desecrated the graves of soldiers from WW1 and 2. They destroyed and damaged hundreds of mosques, multiple churches and graveyards. It's open season on non Jewish places of worship and the resting places of non Jewish people. The IDF will kill dozens of people including children to look for a body of a Jewish airman who died 40 years ago but think nothing of bulldozing the graves of Australian and British soldiers leaving their families with no idea what has become of their loved ones bodies. It's no wonder this bloke didn't think much of smashing a Christian statue up is it?

There are people in the IDF who aren't Jewish you know. And even if they weren't, you don't need to mention their ethnicity in every single post.

When you are talking about an army who take part in racial segregation and ethnic cleansing ethnicity becomes quite important.

Thanks for explaining your position.

It honestly does come across as repeated 'Whataboutery'. I notice that you haven't commented on any of the reasons I gave for why this is different ,but just seem to be trying to justify the IDF's violence on the basis that armies do bad things again.
You talk about racism and your family not being white. I see this situation as racism against the Palestinian people. Their treatment by Israel, has been repeatedly accepted, ignored, even supported by the West. It seems that when white people are attacked, they are given very different treatment compared to brown people. That applies even more when the brown people are Muslims imo. That is where the racism lies and, sadly, that seems acceptable to some. This makes me angry and sad.

I'm not sure what the sentence would be in the UK.
I'm not sure if you are aware that Palestine Action was roundly condemned by the British establishment after vandalising a plane last year. The organisation was proscribed as a terrorist organisation for this. Since then, there have been multiple, sometimes rather violent arrests of people who were simply holding placards expressing support for Palestine, incuding very elderly men and women. That is a far, far more major reaction than there has been about this one incident. Of course, all of this pales into comparison to the flattening of Gaza and now parts of S Lebanon. That is where the focus should have been.