Israel-Gaza war

[Lief 🗽]

Highly disturbing developments coming out of Israel.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/13/it-is-a-time-of-witch-hunts-in-israel-teacher-held-in-solitary-confinement-for-posting-concern-about-gaza-deaths

An unlikely charge of intent to commit treason landed Meir Baruchin, a grey-haired, softly spoken history and civics teacher, in the solitary confinement wing of Jerusalem’s notorious “Russian Compound” prison in early November.

The evidence compiled by police who handcuffed him, then drove to his apartment and ransacked it as he watched, was a series of Facebook posts he’d made, mourning the civilians killed in Gaza, criticising the Israeli military, and warning against wars of revenge.

“Horrific images are pouring in from Gaza. Entire families were wiped out. I don’t usually upload pictures like this, but look what we do in revenge,” said a message on 8 October, below a picture of the family of Abu Daqqa, killed in one of the first airstrikes on Gaza. “Anyone who thinks this is justified because of what happened yesterday, should unfriend themselves. I ask everyone else to do everything possible to stop this madness. Stop it now. Not later, Now!!!”

Ten days after that Facebook message, he was fired from his teaching job in Petach Tikvah municipality. Less than a month later he was in a high-security jail, detained to give police more time to investigate critical views he had never tried to hide.

He was interrogated again before a second judge ordered his release. Questioners told him his posts were like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, among the most famously antisemitic documents in the world. “I’m a history teacher, so I asked, ‘Did you ever read them?’ They didn’t respond.”

When his name is clear, Baruchin plans to sue Israeli media who reported police charges without asking for his response or looking for evidence, and accused him of justifying and legitimising Hamas.

Only Democracy in the Middle East^TM

That talking point deserves to be shredded, yes. Israel is a fairly typical Middle Eastern country whether or not the people there or elsewhere would hate to acknowledge it.

Imagine actually believing this

The people *currently* in charge of Israel see democracy as an inconvenience at best.

Look at who Bibi's mates are - Putin, Orban, Trump. By their friends ye shall know them.

And yet an Israel that has been led by Bibi for so long is still a million times more free, more democratic, and more equal than any of its neighbors.

[Lief 🗽]

Could any of the people changing their avatars and/or usernames in support of Israel despite having no connection to it explain their reasoning for me? Doing it for Gaza makes some sense if you believe that Israel is committing a genocide (see also: the outpouring of support in the form of such changes for the Armenians over the past few years). But there’s neither that nor a ‘plucky little Belgium’ sort of thing going for it. Anyway: please?

Israel supporters would say that Israel was the victim of a genocidal attack on 10/7, so it’s the same logic.

[Lief 🗽]

Could any of the people changing their avatars and/or usernames in support of Israel despite having no connection to it explain their reasoning for me? Doing it for Gaza makes some sense if you believe that Israel is committing a genocide (see also: the outpouring of support in the form of such changes for the Armenians over the past few years). But there’s neither that nor a ‘plucky little Belgium’ sort of thing going for it. Anyway: please?

Israel supporters would say that Israel was the victim of a genocidal attack on 10/7, so it’s the same logic.

Sure, that makes sense. At which point they would also be counting the Israeli intervention in Gaza as genocidal. So then it becomes a matter of supporting a government that is, by such logic, committing genocide against a people who did not (unless by such logic 9/11 was a legitimate military attack against legitimate military targets) (so "you started it!", if someone thought that was an excuse, wouldn't work anyway) during a war against a group that did. On second thought, I don't think it makes sense at all.

They don't count the Israeli intervention in Gaza as genocidal though.

[Lief 🗽]

Hamas rejects a ceasefire (again).
https://twitter.com/i24news_en/status/1749783407834378554?s=46&t=o2RmfeV6yYJ...

[Lief 🗽]

Big news. Thank you President Biden! UNRWA is a disgusting organization that should not receive a cent from the United States (or any country that values life and peace).
https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1750899738205937760?s=46&t=o2RmfeV...

[Lief 🗽]

NYT: Negotiators Close In on Hostage Deal That Would Halt Fighting in Gaza for Weeks

American-led negotiators are edging closer to an agreement in which Israel would suspend its war in Gaza for about two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas, a deal that could be sealed in the next two weeks and would transform the conflict consuming the region.

Negotiators have developed a written draft agreement merging proposals offered by Israel and Hamas in the last 10 days into a basic framework that will be the subject of talks in Paris on Sunday. While there are still important disagreements to be worked out, negotiators are cautiously optimistic that a final accord is within reach, according to U.S. officials who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive talks.

...

The deal now coming together would be more expansive in scope than the previous one, officials say. In the first phase, fighting would stop for about 30 days while women, elderly and wounded hostages were released by Hamas. During that period, the two sides would work out details of a second phase that would suspend military operations for roughly another 30 days in exchange for Israeli soldiers and male civilians being held. The ratio of Palestinians to be released from Israeli prisons is still to be negotiated but that is viewed as a solvable issue. The deal would also allow for more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

While the agreement would not be the permanent cease-fire that Hamas has demanded for the release of all hostages, officials close to the talks believe that if Israel halts the war for two months, it would likely not resume it in the same way that it has waged it until now. The truce would provide a window for further diplomacy that could lead to a broader resolution of the conflict.

[Lief 🗽]

Undercover Israeli troops dressed as medical staff kill three militants in West Bank hospital raid, officials say

Israeli special forces, dressed as civilians and medical staff, infiltrated the Ibn Sina hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday and killed three Palestinian men, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Hamas said the men were Jenin Brigades fighters, an umbrella group of armed Palestinian factions in the West Bank city. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they were terrorists linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and an Israeli government minister praised the operation.

The disguised special forces “infiltrated the hospital individually, headed to the third floor, and assassinated the young men,” Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported, citing sources from inside the hospital.

The IDF said it targeted Hamas fighter Mohammed Jalamneh who “had recently been involved in promoting significant terrorist activity and was hiding in the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/middleeast/israel-undercover-raid-jenin-west-bank-hamas-intl/index.html

The Islamist left is complaining about this. When Israel was bombing Gaza, they cried that Israel should only be using targeted assassinations so there wouldn’t be civilian casualties. But now targeted assassinations are a war crime too.

https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1752326543001424125?s=46&t=o2RmfeV6yY...

[Lief 🗽]

Very strange that Hamas isn’t listening to the calls for ceasefire from Chicago and San Francisco city councils??

https://twitter.com/jerusalem_post/status/1754194746438811802?s=46&t=o2RmfeV...

[Lief 🗽]

It’s time to designate UNRWA as a terrorist organization. Defunding is not enough.
https://twitter.com/yaaricohen/status/1756367547211899278?s=46&t=o2RmfeV6yYJ...

[Lief 🗽]

Between the heroic rescue of two hostages from “off limits” Rafah and Israel apparently buying a super bowl commercial last night, the Hamas supporters are melting down all over the internet today. Sad to see.

[Lief 🗽]

Bernie Sanders is one of the few US politicians with a sense of morality

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1757257562708218358?t=LwSMPPap9EIlguXyxNuo...

Nothing particularly moral about voting to abandon Ukraine to the Russian Nazis.

[Lief 🗽]

Nothing particularly moral about voting to abandon Ukraine to the Russian Nazis.

Are you serious? Sanders is asking to stop sending military aid to Israel, a country that is not under Russian attack

He’s tweeting about the foreign aid bill, which he voted against, and primarily aids Ukraine.

[Lief 🗽]

Who cares about the reason for voting for it? Ukraine doesn’t magically get the money if the money was opposed for good reasons.

And I’m not claiming an equivalence. There is an actual bill that Sanders tweeted about opposing, and that actual bill actually contains Ukraine aid.

[Lief 🗽]

U.N. Says Inquiry Finds Evidence of Sexual Assault in Hamas-Led Attack on Israel

In their report, the experts said they had found “reasonable grounds” to believe that sexual violence occurred during the Hamas-led incursion into Israel, including rape and gang rape in at least three locations: the Nova music festival site and its surroundings, Road 232, and Kibbutz Re’im.

“In most of these incidents, victims first subjected to rape were then killed, and at least two incidents relate to the rape of women’s corpses,” the report said.

The report said it found “a pattern of victims, mostly women, found fully or partially naked, bound, and shot across multiple locations,” and although the evidence was circumstantial the pattern could indicate some of form of sexual violence and torture.

It also said it had found “clear and convincing evidence” that hostages being held in Gaza were assaulted.

[Lief 🗽]

The explosion of antisemitism in Europe over Eurovision of all things (that repulsive statement from genocide extraordinaires Belgium, Greta (who has apparently declared mission accomplished on climate change) leading a lynch mob, singers from other countries being forced to publicly apologize for being friendly to the Israeli contestant, etc) has been really eye opening. Hopefully the poor Israeli girl wins and shows this is just an ugly, loud minority.

[Lief 🗽]

Hilarious that “right-wing Belgian forums” are the standard of objectivity by which he judges us too. Sorry that this forum is more pro-Israel than some neo-Nazi message board??

[Lief 🗽]

Most of these "civilians" were probably actively involved in holding the four hostages, based on what freed hostages have told us about their captivity.

[Lief 🗽]

https://twitter.com/jvplive/status/1799494704784089561

“Jewish” voice for “peace” furious that four hostages were freed.

[Lief 🗽]

https://twitter.com/jvplive/status/1799494704784089561

“Jewish” voice for “peace” furious that four hostages were freed.

210 innocent Palestinians died through the reckless actions of the Israel government. They are consistent in condemning the violent Zionist regime that is whipping out the people of Gaza.

Sorry the hostages are free and their jailers and guards are dead, I know this must be a hard day for you.

[Lief 🗽]

When the “pro-Palestinians” cry that Israel is targeting Palestinian journalists, this is who they’re talking about.
https://twitter.com/avivaklompas/status/1799846826616459371?s=46&t=o2RmfeV6y...