What is happening in Gaza is tragic on a scale that is hard to wrap one’s mind around. Israel is pursuing a ruthless and vindictive policy of making life hell for everyone in Gaza. Its proclamations that it is only targeting Hamas fighters ring blatantly hollow as its troops attacks hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and homes, leaving almost the entire population homeless and suffering from lack of food, water, medicines, and power. We are seeing before our eyes an utterly cruel policy of vengeance by Israel against the people of Gaza in which the US is complicit. Currently over 27,000 people are dead, about 70% of them women and children.
Much of the world is watching in horror, helpless to do anything as long as the US shields Israel and continues to provide it with the resources to continue its inhumane policies. The International Court of Justice has largely sided with South Africa in the case they brought before it that accused Israel of genocide.
THE INTERNATIONAL COURT of Justice ruled Friday that South Africa has standing to continue its case against Israel over charges of genocide and that a significant risk of genocide against the Palestinian population requires the Court to issue a preliminary order barring Israel from further such acts, namely:
killing members of the group; (b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and (d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
While the ICJ did not unequivocally state that Israel is committing genocide against the people of Gaza, that looks increasingly like a technicality, an evasion that is belied by what the world knows is going on, despite all the attempts by Israel to prevent international media from going in and seeing for themselves the devastation and cruelty that is unfolding.
Israel is of course ignoring the ruling but the world is turning against it and the US, leaving them isolated. Protests are taking place globally. Even European music stars are calling for Israel to be banned from taking part in this year’s Eurovision song contest.
It is hard to comprehend the sheer scale of the suffering of the people of Gaza that is unfolding before our eyes, suffering that is due to deliberate acts by a lawless state. The numbers of dead and wounded and displaced leave one numb. The feeling of helplessness, that one country with a powerful patron can act with such impunity and violate the norms of basic human decency, leaves one depressed. The government of Israel has shown itself to be devoid of any moral standing.
The radio program This American Life did what it does best, look in depth at one story and one family to make palpable what is happening more widely in ways that statistics cannot. Their producer Chana Joffe-Walt has been in touch with one woman in Gaza about what happened to her and her four young children and her husband during this siege. It is heartbreaking to listen to the woman describe how she had to repeatedly lie to her children to shield them from the knowledge that their home and friends and entire community had been destroyed. At least they were not killed or injured, which is not the case for so many.
The 27-minute clip can be heard here.
Why wouldn’t they? It’s been demonstrated to them again and again and again since at least 1967 that they can do whatever they like, and nothing will be done against them.
Citation needed. I mean, yeah, there’ve been protests, but there were protests against the war in Iraq and what did that achieve? The US and Israel are “isolated”? In what sense? Let me know when people stop buying stuff from them. While the dollar is the de facto world currency and they still pour into the US economy in their trillions, they’re “isolated” like New York City is isolated. Until there’s an internationally coordinated and seriously hurtful regime of effective sanctions against Israel AND the US, they can and will just carry on ignoring everyone else’s bleating complaints about their behaviour, as well they might. Why would they give a shit what the public in, e.g. France thinks or says?
That would be grimly funny if it weren’t so pathetic. “Oh, no, there’s a risk we won’t be allowed to take part in Eurovision, call off the tanks and the Apaches!”. Fuck off.
It has been demonstrated handily that there is nothing anyone can do. Someone, please, do prove me wrong. But Eurovision? I wish could laugh at that, I really do.
While the dollar is the de facto world currency…
What the fuck are you talking about?
Presumably, based on the Russia precedent, Israeli athletes will only be allowed to compete at the France Olympics as neutrals/independents, showing no flags or national colors. And just as Belarus, prime supporter of Russian aggression, will also be denied a national team in Paris, can we expect the same treatment for American athletes?
Whenever this subject comes up, it should always — ALWAYS — be remembered that Israel are “retaliating” against an enemy they themselves knowingly and willingly created. As John Oliver described in some detail, Israel has been supporting and propping up Hamas for many years before their 10/7 attack — precisely because they wanted an extremist enemy to do what Hamas have been doing, to justify Israel doing what THEY’VE been doing, both before and during this latest phase of their ongoing expulsion/extermination campaign against the Palestinians.
Israel paid Hamas to be the uncompromising extremist enemy they needed to pretend to be fighting. And on 10/7, Hamas did exactly what they’d been paid to do. This could be one (but not the only) reason why the IDF were caught by surprise — but their US propagandists weren’t.
Another thing we need to remember is Donald Trump’s legendary carelessness with classified information. I, for one, do not consider it implausible to suspect that information included intel regarding Israel’s military posture; or that Trump had no problem sharing that with his bestie Vladimir Putin; or that Putin passed some of that on to the Iranians, and the Iranians then used it to help Hamas to plan their 10/7 attack on Israel.
America, and Western liberal democracy, have several enemies, and they’re uniting against us. We need to unite against them.
@Raging Bee, 2:
Welcome, one and all, to “Educate a Fuckwit Time” with your host, sonofrojblake. Today’s guest fuckwit is Raging Bee, who doesn’t understand what it means to describe the dollar as the de facto world currency.
As ever, the fuckwitted guest is by definition sitting in front of or holding in their hand a device which could explain this to them in words even they could understand, but they lack the wit or motivation to bother to even try to find out, bleating instead that they don’t understand and requesting clarification.
In this instance, I’m going to quote from this website: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/petrodollars.asp
“But sonof, why not just give the link, like you already did? Why bother to quote?”. Well, cooperatively inquiring audience, I can tell you -- because you can’t trust these morons to follow links and read them. So here goes;
And here’s a doozy…
Yeah…. Iraq “suggested” that in 2000. Now, for five points, can any fuckwit remember what happened to Iraq in 2003? Just a coincidence.
Only one fuckwit here, and his name is Roj. Raging Bee is right.
In the news: At least half of Gaza’s buildings damaged or destroyed, new analysis shows
(Plenty of images provided)
Extract:
[OT]
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/08/is-there-a-world-currency.asp
WMDKitty, commentariat’s resident anti-semite*, 7:
If you mean what they said in post 4 is right -- yes, I agree, pretty much in full. Which was why I didn’t respond -- I’d nothing to add.
However, anyone with even a basic grasp of literacy would notice I was responding only to post 2, which I will quote here in full: “What the fuck are you talking about?”. I’m unclear what you mean by saying they’re “right” about that. It’s something we doctors call a “question”, rather than a statement, so it can’t really be said to have a truth value as such.
I will therefore take Raging Bee’s question and pose it back atcha -- what the fuck are you talking about?
* https://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/2023/09/03/the-controversy-over-bradley-cooper-playing-leonard-bernstein/#comment-5233899
Roj, you know full well I’m not antisemitic, it’s time to drop that old canard. You’re spewing ADL propaganda, you disgusting pro-genocide fuckstain.
What an odd thing to say. Did you follow the link I provided? The one where you make an anti-semitic statement, and when challenged, double down on it? This is something we doctors call “evidence”, evidence in this case of anti-semitism.
Now, this is an interesting one. What I initially thought you meant was “it’s time to drop the old canard that WMDKitty is anti-semitic”… but then I realised that I only even started calling you that when you started making anti-semitic comments, just five short months ago. Why would I have accused you of it any earlier? I’d never seen you make any anti-semitic comments, so there’d be no reason to. On that basis, it’s hardly an “old canard”.
Then I realised that’s not what you meant at all. What you mean is it’s time for people to stop calling other people anti-semitic, just because they, y’know, hate the Jews (and make no distinction between Jews generally and the people, government and armed forces of the state of Israel specifically). I only realised that when you described calling someone like that “anti-semitic” as “ADL propaganda”.
I’m curious -- who do you vote for, now that Hitler’s dead?
Also, when I called you “anti-semitic”, I *immediately* provided evidence. I’m afraid if you’re going to call me “pro-genocide”, you’re either going to have to
(a) provide a link to something I’ve said that’s explicitly approving of genocide (good luck) or
(b) look like an idiot.
I’ve been very clear that the government and armed forces of Israel absolutely are unequivocally and by any reasonable definition genocidal maniacs and that that is a BAD thing and absolutely indefensible. Fucking good luck coming up with anything I’ve said that contradicts that even slightly. Really, go ahead, I’m fascinated to see what you come up with.
. You’re spewing ADL propaganda, you disgusting pro-genocide fuckstain.
(That last sentence was a rogue bit of copy-paste, it’s superfluous)
*shocked gasp*
Sonof, have you forgotten the time when your claims about oil having to be paid for in dollars was debunked? It was pointed out to you, in plain English with at least one citation, that “priced in dollars” did not mean “always paid for in dollars and nothing else.” And now, apparently, you’re still so upset about being exposed as an idiot, that you had to come back and make yourself look like even more of an idiot. I guess I gotta admit, ya sure showed us…something…
Also, WMDKitty’s comment you cited was callous, poorly-thought and stupid, but your response of “who do you vote for, now that Hitler’s dead?” was even stupider. (Also, that comment was almost five months ago — got any more recent examples of “anti-Semitism?”) No one here has to even like or give a shit about WMDKitty to see that you’re being an absolute mucking foron. Were you drunk when you banged out all that insulting horseshit last night? I suggest you sleep it off, then take a step back and have a look at the tone and pattern of your comments of late.
Much of the world is watching in horror, helpless to do anything
Anser Allah has closed the Red Sea -Suez Canal to any ship supporting Israel. It is a bit embarrassing that a semi-legitimate government in the desperately poor country of Yemen must challenge Israeli genocide and US complicity.
Note: when I say “US complicity” I do not excuse many other countries, it is just that the USA ssems to be the main supplier of weapons.
While the ICJ did not unequivocally state that Israel is committing genocide against the people of Gaza, that looks increasingly like a technicality,
I listened to the entire judgement. The ICJ cannot make such a finding in a preliminary hearing but if you look at the transcript, Israel has lost the case. The ICJ brought in genocidal statements by senior Israeli officials including the President of Israel that South Africa did not cite it their verbal or written presentations.
Nasty mob, that. Basically, like the Taliban or ISIS.
I read this relevant analysis recently:
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/21726
They are having an effect:
https://www.voanews.com/a/red-sea-container-shipping-down-30-over-attacks-imf-says/7464979.html
There is always a nitwit who states: ‘Israel are “retaliating” against an enemy they themselves knowingly and willingly created.’
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Nope.
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Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt. Israel did not create Hamas. Muslim Brotherhood is very much jihadist, thus advocating military violence. Hamas started as a charity organization setting up clinics in Gaza. Thus in 2005 Israel favored Hamas over the palestinian authority which was corrupt and affiliated with Al Fatah, a jihadist organization. The Gazans were fed up with the corrupt PA and voted in Hamas. Israel did not voted for Hamas. Soon after being elected, Hamas started shooting missiles at Israel who then no longer supported Hamas. With the shooting of missiles, Israel placed on embargo of a spectrum of goods going into Gaza. There was never any friendship between Hamas and Israel. Preferring Hamas over the PA does not imply any friendship for Hamas.
The ICJ is a joke. South Africa is a dystopian nightmare of a nation. Yes, the ICJ has arrived at a joke of a decision.
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South Africa who recently repeatedly shouted “Shoot to kill! Kill the Boer! Kill the White Farmer!” (youtube = /watch?v=suL6sAN4bKU). “Kill the Boer!” is same as “Kill the Jew!” Yes, Boers have been assassinated in recent years. Genocide in South Africa? Hmmm… The pot calling the kettle black.
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I am amused by useless idiots who state most assertively that no one needs to be killed to have genocide. Yep. Victimless genocide. What a concept!!!
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Israel lost 1% of its population in the 1948 War of Independence. And Israel thrived since then. So losing 1% of one’s population is in itself neither genocide nor national suicide.
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Showing a sad face does not help your argumentation. Sentimentality does not help in a rational and impartial discourse.
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On average a nation loses around 2.5% of its population per year on non-war causes (natural causes, accidents, crime, drug overdose). So losing 2.5% of one’s population is in itself neither genocide nor national suicide.
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In 1939 there were about 17M jews globally. Nazi Holocaust killed about 6M jews. That is about 35% killed.
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So far about 1.5% of gazans killed.
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35% versus 1.5%. There is no genocide of Gazans.
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In WW1 about 1.4M French soldiers died. In 1940 the population of France = 40M. 3.5% of France died. I did not add in the killed French women and children. France survived. No genocide of the French people.
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3.5% versus 1.5%. There is no genocide of Gazans.
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In WW2, 6,500,000 Germans died, 24,000,000 Soviets died. In 1939 the population of Germany and of the USSR is respectively 79M and 170M. Germany lost 8.2% of its population. The USSR lost 14% of its population. No genocide of the German people. No genocide of the Soviet people.
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8.2% versus 1.5%. There is no genocide of Gazans.
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14% versus 1.5%. There is no genocide of Gazans.
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Stop being a crybaby. Accept the military loss and hope Hamas does the honorable and ethical thing: surrender to the IDF and negotiate the terms of surrender with Israel.
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If current action is a war on Gaza and not on Hamas, then have Hamas surrender and release all hostages (dead and alive) and see the subsequent Israeli action.
In the news:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/01/genocide-gaza-israel-california-court
Goes without saying, without the USA, Israel could not bully the Palestinians or steal even more of their land.
friedfishboy slips in his own grease again:
Israel did not create Hamas…in 2005 Israel favored Hamas over the palestinian authority…
Yep, that’s what many of us are saying: Israel favored Hamas — for the STATED PURPOSE of de-legitimizing the Palestinian Authority — thus empowering the enemy who gave them the excuse to bomb, kill and drive out Palestinians from land they’d already decided they wanted for themselves. Would Hamas have staged such an effective attack if Israel had not “favored” them for so many years beforehand? Would Israel have had sufficient excuse to turn Gaza into a concentration camp if Hamas had not been as powerful as they became?
And why, pray tell, did Hamas accept “favor” from their sworn enemy? Quite possibly because they knew their own people didn’t really support or agree with their militant extremist agenda.
South Africa is a dystopian nightmare of a nation.
Because it’s ruled by its black majority population?
There is no genocide of Gazans.
You repeat that sentence FOUR TIMES. What a pathetic feverish denialist. And no, those low percentages you cite do not negate the observable reality of what, specifically, Israeli forces are, and have been, doing to the people in Gaza. Their actions constitute a campaign of genocide, and we don’t have to wait till everyone in Gaza is dead to call it that.
A federal court in California has ruled that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza “plausibly” amounts to genocide…
Likely friedfishboy response: “California is a dystopian nightmare of a state.”
…have Hamas surrender and release all hostages (dead and alive) and see the subsequent Israeli action.
What subsequent Israeli action do you predict we’ll see?
@Raging Bee, 15:
Nope. I was wrong about that. Unsure of the relevance to this thread, but you do you I guess. Do you dispute that the dollar is the de facto world currency, despite links evidencing it? /shrug/ Whether you do or not is irrelevant.
@Raging Bee, 16:
I forgive you for missing the pop culture reference. https://twitter.com/KatherineEBoyle/status/1214952976051249152
Do I need any? If yes -- why? Is it your contention that WMDKitty has seen the light in the last five months and has simply forgotten to apologise and recant? Good for you for thinking the best of them after their, what was it? “callous, poorly thought out and stupid” comment. Me, I’ll wait until there’s evidence they’ve had a change of heart. I won’t hold my breath. Until then, I’ll continue referring to them (when relevant) as the commentariat’s resident anti-semite, based on the evidence of their own expressed AND DOUBLED DOWN ON WHEN CHALLENGED opinions. What evidence do YOU have that they think any differently? Out with it.