Good. I always say what the world needs is an escalating conflict between two religiously zealous nations hellbent on controlling a mystical holy land so their version of the same God can bring about doomsday.Timeline of conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched its biggest assault on Israel in years early on Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters across the border.www.reuters.com
Hamas has launched one of the biggest offensive operations in ~2 years from Gaza, consisting of 2,000 rockets (as of several hours ago) and multiple border crossings of several hundred gunmen (assisted by tractors to take down the fences). Hostages have also been taken, including within Israel, as several groups of gunmen have held up in border towns. Israel reports about 40 Israeli citizens dead.
In response, the IDF has launched airstrikes on Gaza, and local medical sources say about 160 Palestinians have died. The IDF claims to be targeting only terrorist holdouts, but we know they often attack indiscriminately or target civilian areas as well.
I sort of get what you're saying at one level, but what do they have to lose? Much of their land has already been stolen, which they'll never get back. Even much of the land (certainly the most economically useful) the international community agrees is theirs they'll never have returned willingly, and every year their occupiers knowingly slice more and more territory off them permanently.What Hamas has done will set back the Palestinian cause by decades (Or maybe even end any possibility of compromise). These actions are reprehensible and unjustifiable. Palestine and Palestinians might have a right to defend themselves against an occupying force, but what we're hearing about is terrorism, not warfare, not defense, just straight up terrorism.
I do agree, the Palestinian people have nothing left to lose, but if you're going to walk the path of violence you could, at least, do it the proper way, targeted assassinations, attacks on military bases/targets, not going on about god or religion when talking justification, and, last but not least, making it appear as military action, not individual operations by militants.I sort of get what you're saying at one level, but what do they have to lose? Much of their land has already been stolen, which they'll never get back. Even much of the land (certainly the most economically useful) the international community agrees is theirs they'll never have returned willingly, and every year their occupiers knowingly slice more and more territory off them permanently.
Palestine is just a massive prison camp. People talk this shit about political process, but there is no political process - at least in terms of the Palestinians getting any meaningful resolution. Let's face it, no-one (with meaningful influence) is remotely interested in bringing Israel to heel. The Palestinians are just expected to be nice and compliant as Israel methodically strips them of everything they have worth a damn and the international community wring their hands and spout vapid objections. The only end to the Israel - Palestine conflict on the cards currently is the genocide of the Palestinians.
So, what does anyone really expect? Yeah, they're going to go out and kill Israelis, because what the hell else do they have to do but endure slow strangulation?
But this is the place where Brian lost his sandal !!
The Palestinians under Hamas have no meaningful say over being ruled by Hamas. Hamas is not a democracy. Nor can I really argue that the Israeli occupation isn't terrorism. They just disposses, destroy and kill as they please. Seanchaidh has put enough valid posts in this thread about Israeli soldiers murdering inconvenient Palestinians without so much as a slap on the wrist.I want a free Palestine, regardless of religion, but I also acknowledge that a free Palestine must have international recognition, as such you cannot rely on terrorist actions to liberate yourselves
Well that's just not true about anything in any thread.Seanchaidh has put enough valid posts in this thread...
This isn't really true.The only thing the US government, my government can do at this point is lower the carnage. Every president wants to solve Israel and Palestine. It's not happening because stubbornness, and religiously run deep for both sides.
If the US cared about oil, it would let Iran, and Venezuela sell their oil on the international markets. Also, war is bad for international shipping. The US is trying to get past oil in the sense that it doesn't want to be blackmailed for it. As for Palestine, it's a little more nuanced than that. Most American presidents are a bit narcissistic, and will openly go against their interests sometimes for brownie points. If Teddy Roosevelt had let Japan and Russia kill each other during the Russo-Japanese War in a grander way and weakened both of their rivals that would have been self-interested, but he did the opposite and created a peace deal. Similarly, the US could have just not signed the Iran Nuclear Deal and just weakened Iran economically while bombing the Iranian nuclear research buildings with B2 Bombers to prevent Iranian Nuclear blackmail while getting Black Market transfers of their oil to keep oil prices somewhat steady in exchange for Saudi Oil lowering oil prices at the gas station back home, but Obama signed the JCPOA which gave Iran a chance to be more powerful economically and thus militarily against US policy of keeping a hegemon down in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. (And likely also Latin America)This isn't really true.
The USA doesn't give a shit about the Palestinians. The USA has two major concerns - firstly that it be seen to roughly adhere to the postwar international order it created (and through which it extends a huge amount of its influence) and secondly keeping a lid on volatility in a part of the world that supplies a lot of oil. We could add a sort of third, which is meeting domestic expectations in return for votes, which means supporting Israel. The Israeli PM could literally spit in the face of the US president and it would have no significant repercusssions for his country.
The US president could leverage a vast amount of influence against Israel. It will not do so, because it is not in the geopolitical interests of the USA to do so (Middle Eastern defence strategy, intelligence sharing, etc.) and furthermore risks domestic support from American voters. Thus exists the context for your statement: "every president wants to solve Israel and Palestine [...but not that much]".
Yeah that Iran deal was only 3 weeks ago. That money still hasn't been released, the US still has it(although I think the accounts are in South Korea). And even if it was freed, no way Iran laundered 6 billion to Hamas, who then turned around and used it to buy thousands of missiles, had them smuggled into Gaza all the while training up regiments of militants and getting their equipment, all in the span of three weeks.Hamas launches surprise land, air and sea attack on Israel
Hamas claimed responsibility for the unprecedented assault, which the militants said involved 5,000 rockets and infiltration across the border.www.nbcnews.com
Thank you Biden for giving Iran access to their sanctioned 6 billion dollars to give more missiles to Hamas, and Hezbollah so that American troops will eventually have to waste more money getting deployed to the Middle East for "peacekeeping ops", and protecting MBS because he doesn't know how to run an effective military.
Iran then proceeded to hold hostage more Iranian Americans to extort the US for more money.
Meanwhile...
People don't kill each other over religion, people invent religion so they have a reason to kill each others. Look at Muslim, it didn't take long for them to split into two faction over something insignificant just so they could fight each others. Even if they all became atheist they would just find some other reason to kill each others.Unless atheism becomes more of a thing you and I will die and both sides will still be killing each other over holy land as has happened many times in history over said holy land.