Completely agree.
Completely disagree. Patronising those who vote in that way - as you are doing - is not the answer. It only serves to further the far right’s agenda of creating division.
New York both city and state, have a very high Jewish population. They tend to vote Democrat. Trump’s daughter, son in law and 3 of his grandchildren are Jewish. I don’t think you can ignore the Trump factor.
Republicans are even more pro-Israel than the Democrats. What's also noticeable is that Trump talks about wanting Ukraine to settle with Russia, but you don't hear him saying Israel should settle with Hamas and/or Hezbollah (or if he does it's not as prominent). There are even rumours that Trump has tried to persuade Netanyahu to not adopt any deal settled before the election as a means to try and thwart the Democrats' chances in the election, and/or allow him to achieve a deal to enhance his own reputation.
The US also has many Christian Zionists.
Also very true.
In your opinion, what would Israel ‘settling with Hezbollah’ look like?
Yes, Hezbollah has been a tragedy for the people of Lebanon.
Naturally I respect your right to call Hamas and Hezbollah ‘paramilitary groups/resistance movements’, but I’m genuinely curious to know your views on what happened on 7th October 2023.
That’s a really interesting point that I’ve been trying to think through since I read your post a few days ago.
Yes - the moron I'm referring to is Netanyahu. He may not be solely responsible for the atrocities that are being committed, but he's in charge and that's where the buck stops.
I keep reading comments saying that Hezbollah/Hamas are dedicated to the destruction of Israel, but Israel has made it very clear that certain members of its population aren't welcome. If it wanted to take steps towards ending this conflict, it would not be supporting the continuing settlement of land that it has no right to, nor would it not be preventing the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes and defying UN resolutions. You talk about entrenched negotiating positions?!
I’m sure you know well that Hamas/Hezbollah are Iranian proxies. How bothered do you think Iran is about the plight of the Palestinians? There’s a lot of condemnation of Israel in this thread, but pretty much silence about Iran’s role in this.
I'm well aware that they're Iranian proxies and I don't imagine that Iran is particularly bothered about the collateral damage - just like Israel doesn't give a stuff about who gets killed. However, it's the ordinary Lebanese people who are suffering simply because they're unfortunate enough to live in areas where Hezbollah has a presence. Sure, they can leave their homes as directed, but why the hell should they? It's not their fight.
I don't honestly know, but I think that Iran could be persuaded to hold back if Israel stopped settling in areas that it isn't entitled to. As long as the settlers continue to grab land that doesn't belong to them, driving out the native population in the process, there will be resistance to those actions. Do you accept that the constant land-grabbing and driving people from their homes is exacerbating the situation?
Again, I agree with much of what you have written: it absolutely isn’t the fight of the ordinary Lebanese people. The UN failing to keep Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon and Hezbollah’s breaking of the 2006 ceasefire agreement has been a tragedy for the ordinary people of the region.
To suppose that Iran is the slightest bit interested in the plight of the civilians in the region is beyond naive. From 2005 to 2023 Israel withdrew completely from Gaza and yet that didn’t stop Iran from building up Hamas, effectively ending any chance of a viable state there. I’m sure you are well aware that the international community put billions of dollars of aid into the region, only for Hamas to spend it on terror tunnels, rockets and its own leaders.
I do not agree with what Israel is doing in Judea and Samaria. I think it’s debatable though if this is a major influence on Iran’s thinking.
Again, I agree, it’s unacceptable, but at what point have I said otherwise?
Do you think that Israel would have invaded Gaza if the events of October 7th had not happened? It’s a genuine question. I personally think they would not.
"What if Israel simply colonised these people and showed them how to live properly, then it might all be peaceful"?
Do you think the USA would have invaded Afghanistan had September 11th not happened? No, but still - it did happen, and the US was quick to find an excuse. That was a humanitarian disaster, too.
I admittingly don't know what settling with them would look like at this stage. However my original post was about highlighting Trump's hypocrisy; I would say it's at least as difficult to negotiate with Putin, a leader who has form for violating past agreements and seems dedicated to the destruction of Ukraine, yet Trump thinks he can end that war in the long term by forcing Ukraine to cave into many of Putin's demands.
www.bbc.co.uk
Do you think the invasion is a proportionate response?
No. Proportionate responses make no sense to me.
Of course. That was also, IMO, a completely disproportionate response, just like what has happened in Gaza. I was both disgusted with, and frightened by, the invasion of Afghanistan.
I think the term they used at the time was "shock and awe" but unlikely to have the same affect with Hams and Hezbollah.
When General Qasem Soleimani was shot down by the US over Iraqi airspace in an air strike a few years ago, Iran struck a US airbase carefully so as to not take anybody out. The matter was over.
That was four years ago and conducted by a different country. The Iranian regime hates Israel even more than the US (even though the two have a special relationship) and that general's death was in essence a standalone attack. However we're now, four years later, in the context of a wider conflict in the Middle East with Israel and Iran (via its proxies) fighting each other, while Israel is on a run of spree killings in the region of prominent organisation heads. Just because something turned out not so bad 4 years ago doesn't mean a similar incident now will go the same way.
… I notice that you have neatly sidestepped the question of pointing out a country in the Middle East that would serve as a model for the Israel Mk2 that you seem so keen on.
What do you feel would have been an appropriate response by Israel to the events of 7th October 2023?
It is not relevant. What purpose does that question serve, other than to illuminate your point about musing whether it might be a good idea for Israel to colonise more peoples?
It wouldn't be committing a genocide, I can tell you that.
What would it be then?
If you're going to play that game, what would yours be then?
Sorry I really don't get this question, and I have seen it asked plenty - are people really saying "well, if you say committing a genocide isn't the answer to a terror attack, tell me how you'd respond? Have you got a better idea?"
Serious question, if Hamas had the capability to wipe out Israel what do you think it's actions would be?
