This last came after Binyamin Netanyahu claimed, possibly with a straight face, “Hamas-ISIS is sick. They turn hospitals into headquarters for their terror. We just released intelligence proving it. Here it is”. A slick graphic accompanied the Tweet. But just as Hamas and ISIS are two different organisations, reality and Bibi’s claim are most likely also very different.
Later, the IDF claimed that they had killed a Hamas commander, as if this justified trashing whole areas of Gaza. Meanwhile, in the dark and with no means of communication, ambulances could do no better than drive towards the area of the latest bombardment. The death toll, previously at 7,000, with well over 1,000 missing beneath the rubble, will have risen yet further.
Collective punishment. An occupying power cutting off essential services, including power and water. Preventing aid from getting through. Around 3,000 of those 7,000 dead are children. While our lame political leaders - both Tory and Labour - sit on their hands and hope it will all go away, others make their feelings known. Overnight, that meant the USA and Australasia.
As Jewish Voice for Peace told, “HAPPENING NOW AT NYC'S GRAND CENTRAL STATION: THOUSANDS OF JEWS AND ALLIES HOLD AN EMERGENCY SIT-IN, DEMANDING A CEASEFIRE IN GAZA. WE'RE TAKING OVER THE GRAND CONCOURSE. WE'RE REFUSING TO ALLOW A GENOCIDE BE CARRIED OUT IN OUR NAMES. CEASEFIRE NOW! NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE!” The iconic concourse packed solid.
He wasn’t anything to do with Hamas. And those who murdered him will face no criminal sanction. The West Bank has seen a steady stream of bloodshed, with Palestinian houses demolished, as settlers appropriate more land from those who have previously lived there. Yet there are organisations wanting to shut down protests, occasionally deploying easily disproved claims.
Like the so-called Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, which howled “Tomorrow there is yet another ‘National March for Palestine’. As we said at our demonstration, [The Metropolitan Police] must impose conditions under s.12 of the Public Order Act. Central London cannot be allowed to become a no-go zone for Jews every weekend. Make arrests, not excuses”. However.
Jewish Voice for Labour had already shot that particular fox. “March for Palestine: Jewish Block … Join Jewish Comrades on Saturday 28th October 11:30 to demand CEASEFIRE NOW … Meeting point: Cleopatra’s Needle, Embankment, WC2N 6NU”. Some “No-go zone for Jews” that was, with seven Jewish organisations joining the march. CAA research fail. Again.
Meanwhile, LBC host James O’Brien asked the obvious question: “How can calling for a ceasefire be controversial? It’s literally asking people killing civilians to stop. You can ignore the calls, disagree with them or try to explain why the killing ‘must’ continue, but trying to silence calls to end this carnage goes against all our values”. It cannot be answered with “look over there”.
What part of “CEASEFIRE NOW” do our political leaders not understand?
https://www.patreon.com/Timfenton
They're not "settlers". They are land thieves.
ReplyDeleteBenny & co ain't gonna even entertain the notion of stopping until the death toll ratio hits somewhere between 20 or 25/1.
ReplyDeleteWhen it gets to that point, (not IF) dopey joe will come down off his mogadon, tut, and wag his finger at Benny; at which point richy and keef will do the same (but without the finger wagging in keef's case).
It's the usual way. And then we'll be back here in another 7-10 years, going over the same thing.
The Palestinians have suffered decades of aggression in the form of Israeli land grabs and high tech military aggression. So it’s no wonder that they are trying to defend themselves. Ordinary British people recognise that, in the same way that we recognise Russian aggression in Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteThe surprise to me is that Hamas thought they would have a chance of success with their large-scale low-tech attack. Yes, they have some hostages, but the Israeli response is carpet bombing of Gaza; so we can expect about 2.2 million dead. One theory I have heard is that the Russians gave discreet encouragement to Hamas, with the intention that the Americans would support Israel and therefore forget about supporting Ukraine. Another theory follows from the sheer unbelievability that Israel had no intelligence warning them of the Hamas attack. Possibly this intelligence was kept very secret, so that the Israeli population would demand massive retribution for the Hamas attacks, leading to the extermination of the Palestinian population in Gaza.
ReplyDeleteAnd the 'official' estimate of the London march attendance, despite it being obvious that it exceeded (as you'd expect after a whole week of Israeli debauchery), last Saturday's figure ('100,000, despite the fact that was the estimate at 2pm when thousands were still arriving to join it) is, you guessed it, '100,000'. Or 'tens of thousands' on the BBC website.
There doesn't even appear to be the traditional 'police estimate' (a useful benchmark traditionally as you knew to multiply it by 2 or 3).
As so often, British public opinion is miles ahaed of the 'official' outlets which are supposed to, or claim to, or are paid to, or are elected, to represent it.
How strange in a supposed democracy with a 'free press'.
Anon 19:04 - maybe the Israeli government decided to keep quiet about the run up to the Hamas attack to, A, play on the world's sympathies and/or, B, shame those in the military who said they would not serve under Netanyahu.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Starmer won't back a call for a ceasefire because he would then be branded as antisemitic and a terrorist-lover by our press. Ignoring calls from his own party makes him (wrongly) appear strong, I guess. Still, what's another dozen dead children a minute to a politician, as long as they are not his voters kids...?
03:20.
ReplyDeleteStarmer doesn't "appear strong".
He appears exactly as he is: A tenth rate far right political opportunist and hypocrite. The current "Labour" Party is full of them.
ReplyDelete.
'Andy McDonald has been suspended as a Labour MP, after the party said he had made "deeply offensive" comments relating to the Israel-Gaza war.
In his speech at a demonstration on Saturday, Mr McDonald said: "We will not rest until we have justice. Until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea, can live in peaceful liberty."
More utter stupidity from Starmer. And again showing that they really can't (don't want to) distinguish one set of words from a similar, but entirely different in meaning, set of words.