This latest Israeli–Palestine conflict requires comment.
It started when the Hamas military crossed the border and murdered more than a thousand Israeli civilians. Had they not done so, the conflict would not have happened, so the tens of thousands of Palestinians since killed by the excessive Israeli response would still be alive. Thus all the deaths in this round of conflict are the responsibility of Hamas. Were these deaths of their own population something that concerned to the Hamas leadership, they wouldn’t have permitted the original masssacre.
But there are a good number of other issues that arise from this conflict. Israel has undoubtedly been heavy handed. Hamas have committed crimes against humanity, but I don’t think for one moment Israel has not, mostly because of their history of doing so.
Personally, I believe Israel should not have dived in regardless. Their reaction was auto, was hot and emotional, not cold and calculating. That’s a very good way to make serious mistakes, a very good way to miss devious opportunities. I think we’ll see some negative consequences of their unthinking, if understandable, hotheadedness in the longer term.
I wasn’t surprised that a lot of Palestinian supporters came out of the woodwork, once the initial shock had passed. I was very surprised, though, to see many of them repeating the meme “I am not an antisemite, but …”, echoing the infamous “I am not a racist, but …” cry of bigots of old. It confirmed to me that the Palestinian supporters movement is riddled with antisemitism, so much so that it cannot be respected. There is a serious humanitarian problem in Gaza, to understate the situation. The antisemitic pronouncements of many Palestinian supporters dimish the situation’s seriousness. Here’s a sane pro–Palestine position, written before the current conflict began.
The core issue remains the old nonsense of “we once controlled that land and we want it back”. It is the poison of nationalism. Palestine was once controlled by the Brits, the Turks, the Romans, the Palestinians, the list goes on. To whom should we give it back to? Personally, I would suggest that last surviving Roman institution, the still active last–connection with the ancient Roman empire, the Vatican. I suspect His Holiness might have a different opinion. We can take this further. Belgium was once controlled by the Spanish, the Austrians, the French, the Germans, etc.. To whom should we give that? The Vatican’s not an option, given the Romans were (rightly) scared of the Belgians.
Is there are part of the world that has never been controlled by a different nation, a different group, another empire? Borders and identity and nations and culture are fluid. Wishing to go back to some magical state of before, is wishing to cancel change, it’s wishing to deny reality—it’s childish & it’s ignorance. So many parts of the world were once controlled by so many different nations and identities. Which one should we give it back to? To want to claim somewhere because once it belonged to X is idiocy, is ego, is insanity, is nationalism. Supporting conflict and violence simply because your faviourite group once controlled somewhere puts you in the wrong, puts you in the camp of pointless violence for the sake of opinionated, egotistical, insanity.
And, yes, I am very aware of the history of the Israel. The current conflict is a very nice illustration of my point of the consequences of following the fake God of nationalism. I wish people would realise that land and country are not the same as a football club, that patriotism is not the same as hooliganism.
Hamas were voted into power by the Gaza population. They refused to surrender that power when they were voted out, when the Gaza population realised their mistake. Thus Hamas are thieves. The Gaza population made the mistake, regretted it, and are now being forced to die for it. Hamas, by seizing power, showed themselves to be a false, incapable of recognising that other opinions have validity, thus incapable of recognising that they can make errors, that they can be wrong, proving they are indeed wrong. How can anyone learn from the mistakes they refuse to admit they make them? The election of Hamas shows the danger of voting arrogance, ignorance, and error into power. It’s a lesson that has been given many times, it’s a lesson that has been ignored many times. While I have great sympathy with the Palestinian population, I have no sympathy for the pro–Hamas, nor the antisemitic propaganda that pretends to speak for it.
Hamas are terrorists. Their victims are Israeli civilians, but more so their victims are Palestinians, and most of all their victims are Gaza Palestinians.
I use to support the Palestinian cause. It was only when I saw the severe antisemitism around the time of the second intifada, that I realised the Palestinian supporters movement is riddled with the poison of antisemitism, so I dropped my support. Now I try to stand neutral.