“The Israeli armed forces have regained control of all the communities near the Gaza Strip that were attacked by Hamas fighters.”
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When talking about the media reaction or the comparison of sides, I think we’re seeing a lot of the same as when Russia’s invasion began and had gone on for a while—now, I think the situation has started to change a bit. That is, when Russia was accused of war crimes, several parties emphasized that: “Well, but the United States did it too in Iraq.” The response to this was that it’s a different matter if civilians also die in a war and that soldiers who commit war crimes are court-martialed, even if not all are caught, versus consciously slaughtering civilians and specifically targeting civilians in a way that aims to be exceptionally brutal—for example, raping before killing, killing in front of relatives, killing children, etc.—and then afterwards celebrating these achievements and perhaps awarding medals.
So, civilians have died in Israel’s strikes, yes. Israel has targeted mainly military objectives, but it may be that they haven’t tried particularly hard to avoid civilian casualties. I don’t know if this is the case, but one could arguably claim so without making a fool of themselves. However, Israel has not primarily targeted civilians, they haven’t tried to do this as cruelly and brutally as possible, they haven’t rewarded those who slaughtered and raped civilians, they don’t share video footage of it and then visibly celebrate it. Conversely, Hamas has been guilty of all of this. Additionally, supporters of Hamas and Russia have also organized marches in Western countries and celebrated these slaughters of civilians, but I have yet to see Israel’s supporters acting this way.
If I try to put myself in the same position, it’s hard to come up with a perfect analogy, but let’s say Russia or Sweden, or even the Sámi, considered that the land belongs to them because it once did, and began slaughtering civilians, trying to do it as brutally as possible—well, my opinion would certainly start to polarize towards the idea that this must be put to an end, and I’d be more interested in how quickly and effectively this is handled, and less about how many bystanders are lost in the process. And if at the same time one were to watch these bystanders dancing on graves, then my opinion would likely harden even further.
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Trent Telenko’s analysis of the current situation and what is going to happen. Telenko’s assessments of Russia during the war in Ukraine have proven to be very insightful. I don’t know if Telenko is an expert on the Middle East, but I truly hope that this time the worst-case scenarios he presents do not come true.
The thing is, there is a faction Israel intelligence once lead by Rafi Eitan that believes Iran has had two Hiroshima gun-type nukes since ~2006.
If things go very sideways for the Israelis with Hezbollah. My gut says there is as much as a 1 in five chance that Israel will preemptively nuke Iran…
The one in five odds are based on the utter incompetence demonstrated by the Israeli Netanyahu government in detecting and preventing an attack of the scale Hamas & the Quds Force just executed.
Netanyahu’s incompetent and so are all the yes men he placed around him.
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In the late 19th century, Jews around the world (mainly in Russia, because of the poor conditions there) developed the idea or ideology that they needed their own country. The British army occupied Palestine, and after WWI, the UK declared Israel as the land for the Jews. Since then, Arabs have tried to reclaim the land without success, because Israel has very strong backing (a hell of a lot of the latest weapon technology) and its own strong army.
Perhaps a bigger conflict will break out this time, now that the Arabs have grown much stronger. If Israel uses nuclear weapons, it’s a clear sign to Russia to let loose…
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First as a nurse in the 'rona crisis and fighting against mandatory vaccinations. Next, Z’s cowardly attack, and now this. My mind and body have certainly been put to the test. I’m even the type of person who worries and stresses over things I can’t (really) influence myself. I’m also the type who follows world events very actively and absorbs information. I have intentionally avoided all the beheadings and other sick acts and watching photos and videos of them, though. Just knowing about such things is quite enough.
It’s hard to balance in the middle of all this shit. I have my own life to live and everyday routines to manage. I’ve succeeded in this with varying results. Sometimes it’s f***ing hard, other times it goes better. I believe there are many like me. Likewise, there are those who can live almost normally. I’m not saying one way is better than the other. It’s just almost impossible for me to understand those who are not affected by wars and atrocities in any way. I don’t judge them, but I can’t understand them either.
And about this war. According to Google Maps, Gaza is a patch of land about 40km x 10km where over two million people live. Though not all of them seem to be human. I don’t envy either side: the Israeli military leaders trying to kill as many terrorists as possible while these low-life bastards hide among civilians. It’s an impossible task, or at least very, very, very difficult, to ensure as few innocent Palestinians die as possible. I also feel sorry for the ordinary people living in Gaza. Total bullshit!
Again, my own life’s problems feel very small amidst all the shit happening in the world.
Peace and love,
-Suppis-
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I don’t understand where the idea comes from that Israelis, aka Jews, are somehow on Arab lands. During antiquity, the province of Judea (located in the areas of present-day Israel and Palestine) was inhabited specifically by the Jewish tribe. Many wars were fought there as, in turn, the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and lastly the Roman Empire occupied (did not settle) the area. The Jewish diaspora and flight from their ancestral lands began around the year 70, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. This flight was accelerated by the so-called Second Jewish War fought between 132–136. And as you described, at the turn of the 20th century, the time was ripe for the people who had been in diaspora (and yet preserved their culture and religion) to be given the “opportunity” to return to their own lands with the help of Western powers. Personally, I think that the current territory of Israel truly belongs to the Jews. I don’t know whether it stems from anti-religious sentiment, antisemitism, ignorance, or what, but various articles repeatedly try to twist things to portray Israel as an occupier. At least written history tells a different story.
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Without condoning Hamas’s actions in any way, it must be stated that after 500 years of Arab rule, the British conquered the area in the First World War and began systematically shaping it into a state of their own for the Jews. I understand well that the Arabs of the region perceive this activity as a genocide committed by a conqueror, which the Arabs have then resisted however they could. Here is an example of how things were handled in the region in the 30s:
Guilty parties for the entire conflict can be found on both sides and their motives are easy to understand, although impossible to accept. Mostly, I think the whole conflict is a good indication that neither the UN nor anyone else should start building states without asking the locals.
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Even the Russians pick a point in history to justify the war in Ukraine. Throughout history, wars have been justified by historical claims, holy land, or similar reasons. The truth, however, is that as the stronger power, Israel is seizing the West Bank piece by piece and uses force against civilians without hesitation. On the other side, extremists instill holy hatred to bolster their own power. As a result, civilian blood is spilled. It is completely futile to argue that there is good and evil, as it certainly depends on the perspective.
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I understand that the Ottomans accepted a Jewish community in the region, and after WWI, the ruling British and the international community formalized it. The British sought to control immigration, and for instance, during WWII, immigration was only permitted in small numbers. The British knew it would cause problems. After WWII, public opinion was naturally in favor of establishing a Jewish state, and the economically weakened British were unable to keep conflicts and illegal immigration under control; thus, the State of Israel was established. Whether the outcome was successful or not is irrelevant, as some kind of solution and peace must be achieved in the region.
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Great people, luckily this can’t happen in Finland…
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Right, that kind of thing doesn’t happen in Finland.
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The news focuses on Netanyahu, but I found myself reflecting more on this part of the article.
So, nothing new regarding the fact that Russia’s links to Hamas are what they are, but could there be a real danger of an even larger escalation here… 
(Oh, those were the days when we only had to worry about what Krutov and Larionov were doing; now Peskov and Lavrov are everyone’s headache…)
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Here is a background piece from a journalist specializing in antisemitism regarding the drivers behind Hamas’s actions – involving, among other things, the convergence of old conspiracy theories. It also highlights a clear shift in Hamas’s behavior: they are not trying to appear as victims, but on the contrary, are filming and sharing all the atrocities they commit themselves.
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I recommend listening to the discussion with Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Maté.
https://youtu.be/WdPdslOTwJU?si=38Zo8UskKfyWACjL
Briefly, my own thought on the matter is that Western countries (the UN) have long allowed the conflict between Palestine and Israel to continue. Israelis oppress Palestinians, and if Palestinians defend themselves against it, it is called terrorism. What Israel has been doing for 75 years is equally terrorism, even though they arrived in the country as post-war refugees.
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All land has been conquered through war; it just depends on how far back you start counting. Is Finland a vile rebel that belongs to Russia because it was like that long ago? Or is Russia a vile conqueror that seized the territory from Sweden, such that we should actually belong to them? Or do we count from when Finland became independent? Should the borders of Europe be as they were after the Second World War? Or like after the First? Or during the Thirty Years’ War?
The point is just that this chain can be continued indefinitely. I accept the formation of Israel just as well as all other similar events that have happened through war over the last approx. 4,000 years.
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Good link. Both Palestinian Gaza and the West Bank are held by Islamic groups that also engage heavily in armed activities. Hamas took full control of Gaza when it expelled another Islamic group, Fatah, from politics and the area—through armed conflict.
A quick look at Wikipedia:
- Gaza is under strict discipline and Sharia law. Men come first and women are in a submissive, secondary role.
- Corruption is very widespread, censorship is common.
- People can be detained arbitrarily and the torture of prisoners is very common.
- Rapes, domestic violence, and honor killings are common; gay people are persecuted.
And furthermore: In accordance with its charter, Hamas opposes a peaceful solution to the Palestinian question.
The more I read about Hamas and Gaza, the less I like it. A reactionary Islamic dictatorship and a breeding ground for terrorism that doesn’t even seek a peaceful solution.
A very valid question: are the politics and actions practiced by Hamas ultimately in the best interests of the Palestinians?
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It seems that after all the pretty and romantic notions, reality is harshly struck by the right of the strongest. Only the few and chosen are privileged enough to imagine otherwise.
Highlights:
Hamas is starting to do exactly what you’d expect from such scumbags; they are threatening to execute hostages if Israel doesn’t stop the bombing:
https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1711436775934263475
Gaza has indeed been bombed throughout the day and will likely continue to be bombed until the ground forces are ready to advance. Israel has also apparently stopped the flow of running water to the Gaza area.
This mentions that Israel’s losses were 700, but I’ve come across figures of 900 online:
Apparently, a narrative campaign orchestrated by Russia claims that Egypt warned Israel about the attack as early as 10 days prior. Israel has strictly denied this.
Another campaign orchestrated by Russia is trumpeting how Western weapons from Ukraine’s black market have supposedly ended up with Hamas. That Ukraine supports Hamas. 
Good grief, what a circus.
Naturally, Ukrainian representatives strongly deny this. According to Ukraine, Russia itself has donated/sold weapons captured from Ukraine to terrorists. It’s easy to imagine that this was already agreed upon in 2022, when Hamas visited Russia to seek favor. Russia’s goal is to sell a narrative of a super-corrupt Ukraine—and possibly, through that, the USA would want to give fewer and fewer weapons to Ukraine.
And Russia has nothing to do with this, according to some. A few less-than-carefully-chosen swear words to finish off
Edit:
You can also follow these well on Live UA Map, alongside Ukraine:
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Yle has just released a new Israel documentary, very timely. The situation inside the country has also clearly taken a turn for the worse recently.
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The White House warns anyone seeking to profit from the situation in Israel. No paywall.
“We are working with regional partners to warn anyone who might seek to profit from this situation,” Sullivan stated, referring to the situation in Israel.
Everyone is under a lot of pressure over there. Here is a story featuring an interview with a Finnish psychologist who lives in Israel. No paywall.
Psychologists are under immense pressure. “We said, do not send young psychologists to help, as this is heavy. Even I can’t meet very many families a day, because I also have to take care of my own well-being,” Ahonniska-Assa says.
This might be helpful for those of you with children:
Hamas is surely feeling the heat, but the lieutenant colonel states that it is impossible to defeat it completely.
“There have been attempts to destroy Hamas over the decade through several operations. Yet it is always able to recover at some level and rebuild its military capability,” Mäkelä says.
According to MÄKELÄ, Hamas’s partial military victory on Saturday was based on the fact that it was able to surprise Israeli intelligence.
In terms of military power balance, Israel is completely superior. Hamas has rockets at its disposal that are mostly homemade, Mäkelä says.
Picked from Yle’s Hamas attack news feed.
According to Hamas’s armed wing, every strike carried out without prior warning will lead to the execution of one civilian hostage.
Here is a report by Yle’s Antti Kuronen directly from the scene.
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That’s hardly surprising, given the number of migrants from the Middle East.
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