gaza conflict

[Son of Mathonwy]

Oh my God, a good decision from Lammy:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... avid-lammy

Disgraceful that the Tories never restored funding, despite everyone except the US doing so.

Well done Lammy, but don't stop there.

[paddy no 11]

Bella Hadid is anti semite now according to Adidas I notice the Adidas statement doesn't acknowledge her parents were ethnically cleansed from Palestine

[Son of Mathonwy]

Although there a suggestions that Harris might take a different line than Biden on Gaza, she goes and meets Netanyahu anyway. She's only the VP - couldn't she have made some excuse (she's pretty busy right now) not to meet the genocider?

[Which Tyler]

What do you want her to do?
Refuse to meet a head of state that she WILL have to talk to, and try to talk around, if she becomes president?

She's also shown more opposition to Israel than Biden, Trump, or... any American presidential candidate since... before I was born, probably?

[Puja]

Although there a suggestions that Harris might take a different line than Biden on Gaza, she goes and meets Netanyahu anyway. She's only the VP - couldn't she have made some excuse (she's pretty busy right now) not to meet the genocider?

She has at least spoken words about needing a ceasefire and made noises about concern for civilians. It's an improvement, even if that is a low bar to trip over.

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

Although there a suggestions that Harris might take a different line than Biden on Gaza, she goes and meets Netanyahu anyway. She's only the VP - couldn't she have made some excuse (she's pretty busy right now) not to meet the genocider?

She has at least spoken words about needing a ceasefire and made noises about concern for civilians. It's an improvement, even if that is a low bar to trip over.

Puja

Yeah, it's a tiny improvement. The 'unswerving support for Israel' remains, as ever. It's like holding a kid down for a bully but saying 'ooh, don't knock all their teeth out'.

[Son of Mathonwy]

This is good from Labour:

https://www.theguardian.com/law/article ... hu-gallant

It's mostly political (the Tories' action was only really likely to delay the arrest warrants?) but it's something.

Better still is the suggestion (at the end) that at least a ban on the sale of 'offensive' weapons is in the pipeline.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Could this perhaps be a hint of double standards, just maybe?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... hts-attack

It seems that blowing up Arab children in a rocket attack is horrific if you're Hezbollah, not so much if you're Israel, who are doing it most days.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... le-in-gaza

[paddy no 11]

Could this perhaps be a hint of double standards, just maybe?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... hts-attack

It seems that blowing up Arab children in a rocket attack is horrific if you're Hezbollah, not so much if you're Israel, who are doing it most days.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... le-in-gaza

It's this lack of equivalence between Palestinians that really makes the whole thing so infuriating

Israel could end this whole thing tomorrow but they won't, they'll just continue to ethnically cleanse the west bank and satisfy their ultras

And the west just say go ahead spartan from a few toothless judges and a toothless U.N

[Son of Mathonwy]

This is good from Labour:

https://www.theguardian.com/law/article ... hu-gallant

It's mostly political (the Tories' action was only really likely to delay the arrest warrants?) but it's something.

Better still is the suggestion (at the end) that at least a ban on the sale of 'offensive' weapons is in the pipeline.

Now delayed. So much for that.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... non-crisis

[paddy no 11]

Gaza is nowhere now

"Moderate" leader dead, there'll be no negotiations now until next guy comes in who's likely to be more militant which suits bibi down to the ground

Bibi extends his perpetual war into Lebanon and its a total cluster fuck

The world is basically relying on Qatar to try and resolve this and that's not going to happen

[Son of Mathonwy]

Gaza is nowhere now

"Moderate" leader dead, there'll be no negotiations now until next guy comes in who's likely to be more militant which suits bibi down to the ground

Bibi extends his perpetual war into Lebanon and its a total cluster fuck

The world is basically relying on Qatar to try and resolve this and that's not going to happen

We're the indifferent* cop, USA is the bad cop, Israel is the psycho cop. We all have our part to play.

The US could pull the plug at any time. By their actions they show that they're happy with the butchery.


* and that's being generous to Labour who have yet to really prove where they stand, although are substantially continuing the Tories' moderately evil cop role.

[Son of Mathonwy]

This is good from Labour:

https://www.theguardian.com/law/article ... hu-gallant

It's mostly political (the Tories' action was only really likely to delay the arrest warrants?) but it's something.

Better still is the suggestion (at the end) that at least a ban on the sale of 'offensive' weapons is in the pipeline.

Now delayed. So much for that.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... non-crisis

Really, how long does it take for lawyers to determine if Israel is committing wars crimes or crimes against humanity? I'm sorry if it costs those amoral bastards at BAE but we need to stop arms sales now.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... k-diplomat

[paddy no 11]

Doubtless they'll say hezbollah/Iran are a threat so nothing will change

I'm 45 now, I think if I live to 65 I'll see the complete takeover of the west bank or it'll be reduced to a minor gaza style prison. I'm resigned to this now

[paddy no 11]

Anyone see channel 4 news tonight, absolutely disturbing

[Son of Mathonwy]

Anyone see channel 4 news tonight, absolutely disturbing

The most moral army in the world. It's disturbing but not surprising.

[paddy no 11]

Polio being detected for the 1st time in 25 years in gaza

[Son of Mathonwy]

Legal advice: there is a real possibility that the UK and individuals in the UK have broken international law due to their assistance of Israel in Gaza and more generally over the occupation of Palestine:

there is a real prospect that the UK and/or
individuals herein have committed breaches of international law (by
vicarious liability).
(1) Re. Israel’s breaches of the prohibitions of acquisition of territory by
aggression and (allegedly) genocide and torture, and the Palestinian
peoples’ right to self-determination: There is a real prospect that the
UK or individuals herein rendered aid which facilitated these wrongs
and alleged wrongs. This, alone, would be sufficient to establish
vicarious liability in international law.
(2) Re. Israel’s alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity: there is
a real prospect that the UK and/or individuals herein rendered aid
and assistance which facilitated the alleged wrongs and had the
requisite knowledge thereof. This would be sufficient to establish
vicarious liability in international law.

https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/wp-con ... F_INAL.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... an-deny-it

[Son of Mathonwy]

(I know this has been out for months but) it seems that stories of the worst things that Hamas did on 7th October 2023 were completely fabricated by Israel in order to dehumanise the Palestinians, and naturally they were all eagerly swallowed and repeated by the US and UK and the media. The discovery that they were in fact lies remains ignored by the mainstream press.

[morepork]

Half expecting Tony Blair to swoop in like the corporate Angel of Death and make a quick buck. How blatantly can a people be shat on?

[Son of Mathonwy]

Labour suspend 30 out of 350 arms licenses to Israel. Better than nothing. Is it enough? Impossible to judge without seeing the detail but it sounds like the bare minimum they felt they needed to defuse problems at the party conference.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ar ... ter-review

[paddy no 11]

Into lebannon again, ground invasion on the way

[Son of Mathonwy]

Into lebannon again, ground invasion on the way

The US could stop it at any time, since they're supplying most of the weapons for it. Therefore they either want it to happen or they're indifferent. As the only superpower it would seem strange for them to let Israel make such big decisions for it, so it's safer to assume they want it to happen. Essentially the US is using Israel to wreck the Middle East ie create mass destruction and death in enemy Muslim countries, presumably for such ends as domination of an oil rich region, weakening Iran, to counter Russia's influence, whatever's trending in the CIA at this time.

[Puja]

Into lebannon again, ground invasion on the way

The US could stop it at any time, since they're supplying most of the weapons for it. Therefore they either want it to happen or they're indifferent. As the only superpower it would seem strange for them to let Israel make such big decisions for it, so it's safer to assume they want it to happen. Essentially the US is using Israel to wreck the Middle East ie create mass destruction and death in enemy Muslim countries, presumably for such ends as domination of an oil rich region, weakening Iran, to counter Russia's influence, whatever's trending in the CIA at this time.

Bold to assume that the US government has any control here. They may technically have the absolute power to call Israel to heel, but in doing so would guarantee a Republican landslide. Nevermind Trump's braying to the Christian nationalists and fanatics that would follow, just look at the special interest groups and PACS that targetted the reelection campaigns of pro-Palestinian Democratic Senators and destroyed them with funding their opponents, then scale that up nationally.

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

Into lebannon again, ground invasion on the way

The US could stop it at any time, since they're supplying most of the weapons for it. Therefore they either want it to happen or they're indifferent. As the only superpower it would seem strange for them to let Israel make such big decisions for it, so it's safer to assume they want it to happen. Essentially the US is using Israel to wreck the Middle East ie create mass destruction and death in enemy Muslim countries, presumably for such ends as domination of an oil rich region, weakening Iran, to counter Russia's influence, whatever's trending in the CIA at this time.

Bold to assume that the US government has any control here. They may technically have the absolute power to call Israel to heel, but in doing so would guarantee a Republican landslide. Nevermind Trump's braying to the Christian nationalists and fanatics that would follow, just look at the special interest groups and PACS that targetted the reelection campaigns of pro-Palestinian Democratic Senators and destroyed them with funding their opponents, then scale that up nationally.

Puja

The US government absolutely has control here. They choose not to exercise the power they have.

If you give a country billions of dollars worth of weapons habitually, massively increase this in response to that country's use of those weapons then it's reasonable to assume you approve of what that country's doing with them.

I appreciate that today would not be the optimal day for Biden to develop a conscience. It would have been better to have taken an ethically and legally defensible position much earlier. But we are talking about total hypotheticals anyway...

I disagree that opposing Israel's actions at this time would cause a Republican victory , let alone a landslide. Just because an action seems inconceivable does not mean the sky would fall on our heads. Opposing Israel's actions could easily be framed as opposing Netanyahu, effectively about saving Israel from a dangerous man who would drag it into war. He could (again, inconceivable) call the pager attacks what they are, a massive terrorist act, and say that Israel has an out-of-control leader. You may think Netanyahu has power over Biden but imagine how long Netanyahu would last if the Israelis thought he had lost them the support of the US.

And who knows? The voters might actually be impressed with a show of strength.