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Crocodile Tears and Bogus Morality
I fully understand. The Israelis are slaughtering Palestinian women and children by the thousands, so there has to be a narrative to justify that action. It is interesting to see that Ricochet is almost fully on board with participation in that narrative. – Ricochet comment
I am fully “on board” with “the narrative” that Hamas needs to be destroyed. I would hope that Palestinians (a) heed calls to evacuate when told and (b) act to isolate and abandon the self-aggrandizing (now-wealthy) terrorists they elected to hasten the end of the campaign. In any event, civilian deaths are ultimately the fault of those who started the war.
Civilian casualties in the prosecution of a war of necessity are unavoidable. The US killed far more Japanese civilians than American civilians killed by Japan. Britain killed more unarmed Germans than Britons killed in the Blitz. There was no war referee to say that the war had to stop when the casualties became proportionate. Nor has anybody come up with a means for conducting a war in which there is not an inherent risk to noncombatants.
However, inflicting civilian casualties by intentionally rounding up and executing civilians is unambiguously wrong and qualitatively different. As a matter of law and morality, collateral human damage done in combat operations by the Wehrmacht is different from the SS lining up civilians for mass execution or transport to death camps. Heavy bombing of St. Lo or Caen before the Normandy landings was probably far more indiscriminate than what Israel is doing and will continue to do in Gaza because (a) the Allies could not warn French civilians to flee the imminent invasion because the location was secret; (b) those civilians were our allies, and (c) the technology was not as precise. So how is Israel more culpable than the Allied forces of WWII with respect to the prospect of civilian casualties?
The open joy with which Gaza terrorists abused and killed their victims reflects both the true nature of Hamas and the depravity of Palestinian culture such that another round of bogus negotiations was never going to be an answer. This is the war Hamas sought and must be fought to completion. Israel is clearly far more intent on avoiding civilian deaths than Hamas and its fan club which openly welcomes “martyrs” for their potential PR value.
Why do so many sentient adults adopt the weirdly racist notion that Palestinians really don’t know any better and cannot be held accountable because of their victim status whereas Israelis must have Vulcan-like emotional control despite unacceptable inhumane provocations? This is tiresome tiny-brained wokethink yet depressingly commonplace.
Lastly, to be blunt, why am I required to care about Palestinians at all? Over just the last few years, Muslims have killed two million other Muslims from the Maghreb to the Pakistani tribal lands. Nobody marches. No grand conferences of Muslim leaders to end the slaughter. No introspection, no self-critical examination in the Islamic world. Nor any condemnation of what the likes of Boko Haram and others have done to innocent Christians. And no recognition of the uniquely evil nature of the actions of Gazans on Oct 7. Out of that large menu of victims, only the Gazans deserve my interest and pity? How do they rate an appearance anywhere near the top of the list?
Other Arabs don’t seem to much like them. Palestinians are barred from Egypt, which (a) refused to accept the return of Gaza from Israel and (b) has built a serious border wall against Gazans that would make Trump envious. All 300,000 Palestinians were kicked out of Kuwait after the first Gulf War for openly cheering Saddam’s invasion. Palestinian political actions threatened the stability of Jordan, which has renounced claims on the West Bank mostly to keep from having to add more of them. In Lebanon, Palestinians naturally supported the more destructive elements to make that place a permanent warzone and, (perhaps most importantly from my narrow personal perspective), they cheered and gave candy to their kids when thousands of Americans died on 9/11.
All of this is why I find expressions of deep sympathy for Palestinian war casualties inherently suspect and transparently pretextual. There are a lot more people out there deserving of sympathy, starting with the Israeli families and communities attacked.
Published in War
Because of their use of the words “oppressor” and “occupier.”
Let me be clear: I know it won’t solve the whole problem, but the truth will make a dent in it.
It’s not just the rioters. That can be read right here on Ricochet.
So true. If there is anything that could be called “good” which has come from the after-effects of October 7th, it is the emerging realization that when you hear someone prattling on about “occupation” or “colonization”, you are dealing with a person who is openly signaling their support for, and celebration of, genocide. All of their academic and political mumbo-jumbo is nothing more than poorly disguised and coded language for wanting to kill a lot of Jews and white people.
What about those sinister bicycle riders? And those perfidious people who break their eggs at the big end?
How can you argue in good faith if you don’t believe what you are saying? It’s a necessary but insufficient condition. Otherwise, you’re in a Monty Python skit.
My impression is Marci has a good and tender heart and she cannot relate to the evil that resides in the hearts of others. I think even if these people knew the history and current state of affairs, they would go along with their hateful compatriots because standing against the mob takes courage and clarity. Two relatively rare features in humans.
The morning guest on WVLK was making some stupid statements and on the text line a listener suggested that he read this book:
Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America: Gabriel, Brigitte: 8601400093412: Amazon.com: Books
I know that.
I realize my idea won’t solve the whole problem.
:) :)
There is a very singular word to describe this disorder: anti-semitism. The people in Gaza raise their children from the time they can walk to hate Jews. They are trained to kill Jews. Not just a few, or some of the children, but all of the children, and they want to kill all of the Jews. This is a manifestation of the Hamas-stated ideology to overthrow the “Zionists” and remove them from the land of Israel. Hence the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” That would be the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, in essence, all of Israel. The people of Gaza voted in 2006 to be run by Hamas. They have not had an election since. They support Hamas. The bottom line is this: if you are pro-Hamas you are anti-semite.
I wish what you say were true and would have an effect. I really wish that when presented with facts, most people would change their minds. But I’m reminded of this: “You can’t reason a person out of a position he didn’t reason his way into.” (I forget who said this first, otherwise I’d give credit.)
The vast majority of the scum we’re discussing did not come to their position by facts and reason.
The NYT no doubt received their information from one of their paid embedded informants…who just happened to be associated with Hamas themselves. The informant knows this stuff because he was the person who shot the rocket, right before he called the NY Times to report the Israeli atrocity.
Well, actually I just made up that story. Maybe I should get a job at the NY Times!
I am leaning towards describing the citizens of the Gaza Strip as Gazans.
That’s what I call them.
I do too.
Except a significant number seem to think Israel is obligated to PROVIDE wealth and comfort to Gaza. And by not doing so, that makes the poverty/injustice Israel’s fault.
I have read (I think on Townhall) that some Gazans are providing intelligence to the IDF in the effort to destroy Hamas. I guess that’s what happens when Hamas entraps their own people in war zone of their making and then shoots at them when they try to flee on Israeli provided escape routes. . .
I would so love for that to be true, WC. Let’s hope they are finally realizing what’s going on….
It’s possible that there is more silent opposition to Hamas in Gaza than we know of. As I recall, after Hamas won their election in 2006 (never to hold elections again) a number of Palestinians who opposed Hamas found themselves dead. Publicly speaking out against Hamas in Gaza may come at a significantly higher price than mere social shunning. Obviously there is a lot of support for Hamas, but it may not be as strong as it appears.
From the few videos of interviews that I’ve seen (balanced, western, pro-Israel all) of Gazans speaking against Hamas, some few say that they would rather live in Israel, but they view this on comparison to living under Hamas whose recent provocations have begun to bring the buildings down upon them.
What those interviewed do not say, is that they want Israel to survive and thrive. Or for that matter, that Israel should be allowed to exist. To me it strikes me as, for example, a foreign moslem living in London preferring London to his home town, but still waiting for the day when London is inhabited only by moslems.
And what they seem to not understand is that if/when a time comes when London is inhabited only by people like their old town, then London will also be(come) the same as their old town.
“Ricochet is not intended to be a safe space where any group identity is safe from being criticized.”
I guess that means this isn’t a safe space for Jews. That’s okay, Randy, you’re in good company. Such spaces are, indeed, exceedingly rare, and becoming even more rare with each passing day.
I’m sorry, Joshua, but I think you are misguided. Because we are Jewish doesn’t mean we are immune from criticism. We are not perfect. Sometimes we do things well; sometimes we mess up. In effect, there is no safe space for anyone. If we don’t like what someone says, we push back. That’s what anyone should do.
We can only imagine what a world devoid of criticism of Jews will be like, when “ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ” (Zechariah 8:23)
Well, there’s a reason for that: Children as Young as 10 Took Part in Hamas’s Oct. 7 Terror Attack, Survivors Say (freebeacon.com)
Even a half-grown rattlesnake or copperhead is dangerous.
Children are being taught from birth to hate Jews and to want them all to be killed.
Imagine what monsters Germans would be, if the Nazis had not been defeated and had been able to indoctrinate multiple generations in the ideology of genocide.
In war, it is absolutely acceptable to ‘stoop to their level’. My understanding of the Geneva Convention(s) is that if side A doesn’t abide by them, side B doesn’t have to either.
As with many things muscular, lack of use causes atrophy.
And frankly, I’m ok with civilized nations choosing to not do uncivilized things to the uncivilized. What I am not OK with is others presuming to choose for them.