Israel-Hamas Thread II

[Benaiah468]

Disaster for the hypocrites: Anti-Israel flotilla bobs around in port instead of “liberating Gaza”.

For days, the ships of the self-proclaimed “Global Sumud Flotilla” have been stuck in port, while their activists try to turn the harbor basin into a stage for anti-Israel propaganda. What was announced as a spectacular action is turning out to be a grotesque spectacle with no effect other than to spread lies.

Global Sumud Flotilla tracker

They had spoken of a “historic departure,” of a “mission of humanity” that was supposed to reach the “besieged Gaza Strip.” In reality, however, the boats of the so-called “Global Sumud Flotilla” have been lying idle in Tunisian ports for over a week. At times it was said that the weather was too stormy, at other times the ships were allegedly unseaworthy, and then activists spoke of drone attacks for which they could provide no evidence. The truth has long been clear: the whole thing is less an aid mission than a political stunt designed to make anti-Israeli slogans louder than any ship's siren.

The scene in Tunis and Bizerte now resembles an absurd street theater: boats that are barely seaworthy, activists hoisting their smartphones instead of sails, and the constant repetition of the same accusations against Israel. Meanwhile, people in Gaza are dying not from an alleged “blockade famine,” but from Hamas' decision to abuse civilians as human shields and systematically confiscate aid. But this reality interferes with the flotilla's script.

The real goal of this “Global Sumud” campaign is not at sea, but in the headlines. Even in Barcelona, where the ships set sail in early September, the organizers were not seeking confrontation with reality, but with the cameras. Every delay, every alleged mishap, every exaggeration is used to portray themselves as courageous fighters for “human rights” – when in reality, they are doing nothing more than waging a campaign to delegitimize Israel.

The name “Sumud”, Arabic for “steadfastness”, sounds heroic, but in this context it is mere rhetoric. In fact, weeks of loitering in ports prove one thing above all: political steadfastness in distorting the facts. For those who denounce Israel as a “genocidal regime” while concealing the role of Hamas are not working for human rights, but for a one-sided, anti-Semitic agenda.

Particularly grotesque is the activists' attempt to reinterpret their own disaster as propaganda. The fact that two boats are not allowed to continue sailing due to technical defects is declared to be the “result of enemy attacks.” The fact that they are rowing back to Bizerte, of all places, even though the weather there is the same as in Tunis, is sold as a “strategic decision.” Anyone who argues in this way exposes themselves: it is not about achieving something, but about making a statement.

And while a second group of sailboats is gathering in Sicily, supposedly to head for Gaza, it has long been clear that even if these boats do eventually set sail, they will not deliver what they claim to be delivering: humanitarian aid. They deliver headlines, images, and slogans. A spectacle staged at the expense of the truth.

Meanwhile, Israel is sticking to its clear line: aid deliveries will only reach the Gaza Strip via coordinated corridors, not via media stunts on the high seas. This is the only way to prevent aid supplies from ending up directly in the hands of Hamas. Anyone who wants to undermine this principle is consciously making themselves a tool of the terrorist organization.

In the end, the Global Sumud Flotilla is one thing above all else: a symbol of hypocrisy. While they portray themselves as saviors of the Palestinians, the activists are in fact accomplices in the service of a murderous ideology. Instead of liberating Gaza, they are shackling the truth. And the longer their ships bob around in the harbor, the clearer it becomes that this flotilla is not on course, it has long since been shipwrecked.

 

[Vanellus]

Here's my 2 cents:
We have to remember a few things.
1) Israel is lost. I don't know why some people think Israel can do no wrong. A lot of people who are pro-Israel, it's like they can't condemn something they do... it's weird, quite frankly. We have no qualms about correcting others or calling out others faults but it's like somehow, Israel becomes the poster child for perfection and can do no wrong. Israel will remain a lost country until their faith blooms in Christ.
2) The media throws out propaganda all the time. Arguing over it, is honestly a waste of energy. There is absolutely no way we can 100% know what is truth and what is false since I see conflicting articles ALL the time. I mean, just try and do research on "Did Israel commit genocide" and England just came out with a report saying no they didn't but other countries like Ireland, Spain says they are?? I mean... geeze....

The photographic evidence of the destruction of Gaza is an indisputable fact. Beware the rhetoric that says there is no truth, there are no facts.

 

[Vanellus]

Hmm does this thread now have the record for the most childish irrelevant cartoons?

 

[Benaiah468]

View attachment 369619

Judea and Samaria should be called by their proper names and not by the woke term that aims to rob the 800,000 Jews who live there of their heritage and their land.

These terms are ubiquitous in the Bible, with more than 100 mentions of Samaria alone in the Tanakh and in the Gospels.

Anyone who truly wants to understand the region must refer to it by its original name: Judea and Samaria. And they must be aware of its
deep-rooted biblical, historical and legal significance.

Huckabee makes it clear: America accepts Israel's sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

At a conference in Jerusalem, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee left no doubt: the United States will not patronize Israel. Should Jerusalem decide to extend its sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, Washington will respect that decision.

It was a statement that caught everyone's attention in the hall of the Friends of Zion Museum:

We respect Israel as a sovereign nation. We are not going to tell Israel what it can and cannot do any more than we would expect Israel to tell us what we can and cannot do,”

Huckabee, who has close ties to President Donald Trump, emphasized the uniqueness of the relationship between the two countries at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference. Friendship is an understatement,

"it is a partnership unlike any other the United States has with any other country."

Washington is thus signaling continuity: Trump's first term was already marked by historic decisions, the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the relocation of the US embassy, and the abandonment of diplomatic fictions that had paralyzed Middle East policy for decades. Huckabee is continuing this approach and toughening his tone against those states that are attempting to unilaterally recognize a "Palestinian" state within the framework of the UN.

"Unilaterally declaring a "Palestinian" state is a violation of the Oslo Accords, it is political theatre – it does not create a state."

said the ambassador.

His choice of words was also noteworthy. Huckabee rejected the term “West Bank” as a very modern, nebulous term. Anyone who takes history seriously, he said, refers to Judea and Samaria

"Eighty percent of the Bible is about this land. It is the core of Jewish history, culture, and identity,"

he explained.

The fact that an American representative openly adopts this view illustrates how far US policy has moved away from the rhetoric of neutrality that has been common for decades.

Huckabee also took a clear stance on Jerusalem. The US not only sees the city as Israel's capital, but has also recognized its historical significance.
This means that Jerusalem's undivided belonging to Israel is seen not only as a political fact, but also as a cultural given.

Huckabee's statements are far more than diplomatic pleasantries. They mark a clear line: Israel is sovereign, and no one has the right to dictate to it. What European governments accompany with moral admonitions, the United States responds to with respect and backing. This changes the international dynamic, and gives Israel leeway to confidently assert its historical rights in Judea and Samaria.

 

[Benaiah468]

UN report a farce: When Israel is declared a perpetrator of genocide.

In a 72-page report, a supposedly independent UN commission has accused Israel of genocide. The wording is radical, the conclusions one-sided and the evidence is based almost exclusively on Hamas narratives. For Israel, it is clear that this is not a matter of justice, but rather a modern blood libel.

The chair of the commission, South African lawyer Navi Pillay, stated: ‘Genocide is taking place in Gaza.’ With this assertion, which is said to be based on ‘investigations’ since 2021, she accuses the Jewish state of committing one of the most serious crimes in human history. According to the report, Israel fulfils four of the five criteria of the Genocide Convention: killing, causing serious bodily and mental harm, creating conditions hostile to life, and preventing births.

The text goes further: Netanyahu, President Herzog and former defence ministers such as Yoav Gallant are named and accused of ‘incitement to genocide’. Quotes from speeches, some taken out of context, some exaggerated for propaganda purposes, are considered ‘direct evidence.’ Even Netanyahu's letter to soldiers, in which he compared the fight against Hamas to a biblical duty to protect Israel, is interpreted as evidence of intentions to destroy.

In doing so, the report not only ignores the reality of 7 Oct 2023, when Hamas murdered 1,200 people in Israel, raped women and burned entire families alive, it explicitly relativises that day. The commission claims that the attacks did not pose ‘an existential threat to Israel.’

This is a slap in the face to all the victims and a cynical rewriting of reality: the massacre becomes a footnote, and the defence against terror becomes ‘genocide.’

The language used in the report is particularly revealing: it refers to ‘decades of occupation’ and ‘apartheid,’ thus constructing a political ideology that has long been refuted as legally unfounded. In doing so, the commission is making itself a political actor. The fact that its authors have been known for their anti-Israel positions for years fits into the picture. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar summed it up: ‘The authors are proxies of Hamas, notorious for their openly anti-Semitic positions.’

Israel reacted unanimously: Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana spoke of a ‘modern blood libel, like those once spread by the Nazis.’ Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein called the report ‘a construct of lies’ based on Hamas propaganda and long since refuted, among other things by an independent investigation by the BESA Institute at Bar-Ilan University.

But the scandal runs deeper. The report calls on all UN member states to stop supplying weapons to Israel, to launch investigations against Israeli politicians and to force Israel to cease its self-defence. This makes the paper not only slanderous, it is an attempt to disarm Israel and undermine Jewish self-determination.

The double standards are outrageous: while Russia is razing cities to the ground in Ukraine, while Assad and Julani are massacring hundreds of thousands of civilians in Syria, while Iran is executing women and financing terrorist armies, the UN is declaring Israel to be the main criminal against humanity. Anyone who believes that this still has anything to do with human rights is misjudging the reality: this is politically motivated demonisation.

For Israel, the report is worthless. It is not legally binding, it does not represent the position of the UN as a whole, and it will not deter Israeli society from defending its right to exist. But it does have an effect: it provides Israel's enemies with a propaganda pretext and normalises anti-Semitism in diplomatic garb.

The real message of this report is that the world must get used to seeing the Jewish state as the perpetrator once again. This is its most dangerous dimension. Those who speak of ‘genocide’ while Israel is doing everything it can to evacuate civilians, establish humanitarian corridors and bring aid to southern Gaza are turning the truth on its head.

Pillay's words are reminiscent of old anti-Semitic mechanisms: victims become perpetrators, defence becomes destruction. It is an attack not only on Israel, but on historical truth itself.

 

[Desk trauma]

We respect Israel as a sovereign nation. We are not going to tell Israel what it can and cannot do any more than we would expect Israel to tell us what we can and cannot do,”

We get to fund them and have no say in their conduct, great.

---

"Eighty percent of the Bible is about this land. It is the core of Jewish history, culture, and identity,"

A ethnic group centered their religion around their region? Shocking.

 

[Benaiah468]

The Turkish leadership accuses Israel of expanding into neighbouring countries and warns against attacks on Hamas terrorists in Turkey. What sounds like a defence alert is in fact transparent propaganda: Ankara wants to demonise Israel and at the same time conceal its own proximity to Islamists.

The rhetoric from Ankara has reached a new low. At the summit of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Doha, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan declared that Israel was planning to establish a ‘Greater Israel’ that would include parts of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and even Turkey. With this grotesque accusation, he cast Israel in the role of a colonial threat, while completely ignoring reality: Israel is fighting a defensive war against Hamas, a terrorist organisation that on 7 Oct 2023 carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Shoah.

Fidan's accusation is part of a long tradition of Turkish propaganda. In the past, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has spoken of ‘Zionist conspiracies’ while at the same time expanding his relations with Hamas. For years, Ankara has granted protection and safe havens to high-ranking Hamas cadres, even proven terrorist planners have been able to operate undisturbed in Turkey.

The warning from the Turkish Ministry of Defence is particularly explosive. Spokesman Zeki Aktürk suggested that Israel could now carry out attacks on Turkish soil following the targeted killing of Hamas leaders in Qatar. Ankara is not questioning the terrorists, but rather protecting them and making Israel the aggressor. The narrative is that it is not Hamas that threatens the region, but Israel that destabilises the Middle East.

Security analysts in Turkey itself know that these claims have no basis in reality. Israel has no interest in territorial expansion, it is fighting for the safety of its citizens and the return of hostages. The idea of a ‘Greater Israel’ is an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that has been circulating in Islamist circles for decades. The fact that it is now being repeated by a NATO member at the highest level shows how far Ankara is willing to go to capitalise politically on Israel's defensive war.

At the same time, Turkey is building up its military capabilities: with the ‘Iron Dome’, a new air defence system, and the prioritisation of the KAAN fighter jet project, Ankara is attempting to demonstrate its strength. However, this armament is directed less against Israel than against internal weaknesses: economic crises, authoritarian politics and the growing influence of radical movements within its own country.

The paradoxical message from Ankara is that Israel is threatening Turkey, while Turkish ministers openly admit that Hamas officials are present on their own territory. Those who offer refuge to terrorists should not be surprised when Israel puts its own self-defence above diplomatic sensitivities.

What remains is an image of hypocrisy: Turkey portrays itself as a victim of Israeli ‘expansion’ while protecting Islamist networks and spreading anti-Semitic narratives around the world. The warning against ‘Greater Israel’ is nothing more than a political myth, dangerous only because it further fuels resentment in Europe and the Arab world.

 

[Hentenza]

The photographic evidence of the destruction of Gaza is an indisputable fact. Beware the rhetoric that says there is no truth, there are no facts.

So do the pictures of Berlin and Tokyo at the end of WWII

 

[Benaiah468]

A march of no return: Israel's advance into the heart of Gaza.

Israel's army advances into Gaza City with force. Divisions surround the centre, air strikes shake the high-rise buildings, while hundreds of thousands of civilians flee. It is the beginning of an operation aimed at ending Hamas' rule.

Since Tuesday night, the Israeli army has significantly expanded its presence in the centre of Gaza. The political decision is clear: to conquer and completely destroy Hamas' infrastructure in the city. Fighter jets are continuously flying attacks on targets that have been identified in advance through precise intelligence work. According to military estimates, there are currently between 2,000 and 2,500 heavily armed terrorists in the streets and tunnels, ready to fight the advance of the troops by any means necessary.

The army is relying on a phased and comprehensive operation. Soldiers already control around 40 per cent of the city. In recent days, dozens of high-rise buildings used by Hamas as command centres, weapons depots and tunnel exits have been blown up. Entire neighbourhoods such as Sajaiya, Shajaiya and Zaytun have been the scene of intense fighting before the operation shifted to the centre.

The military concept is clear: several divisions, the 98th, 162nd and soon also the 36th, are to encircle the city from all sides. They will be supported by the 99th Division in the north and the Gaza Division in the south. This will create a pincer movement that leaves Hamas with few options for escape. At the same time, the population is being urged to move south. More than 350,000 civilians are said to have already fled, but Hamas is trying to keep many of them back by threatening them and using them as human shields.

Israel has mobilised enormous manpower for this phase of the operation. A total of up to 130,000 reservists will be deployed in the region. 70,000 have already been activated, with another 60,000 on standby. The level of readiness is high and motivation is exceptional, a signal from Israeli society that it stands behind the decision to liberate Gaza from Hamas rule.

At the same time, a humanitarian offensive is underway. Israel has designated a large area in southern Gaza as a refuge. So far, 20,000 tents have been erected there, and mobile hospitals, medicines, food and water have been delivered. The military crackdown on Hamas is thus going hand in hand with an attempt to protect the civilian population and meet their most basic needs.

The fighting itself is fierce and costly. Urban warfare in densely built-up streets is considered one of the most difficult challenges for any army. But the Israeli armed forces have learned from past operations. Systematic reconnaissance, air support and gradual ground movement are intended to minimise the risk to soldiers. A senior officer describes last night's air strikes as ‘high intensity and of strategic importance’. They are preparing the terrain for the infantry.

Nevertheless, the situation remains tense. Hamas is attempting to exert pressure on remaining civilians with targeted threats, propaganda and terrorist attacks. However, the appeal made in Arabic by army spokesman Avichai Adraee makes it clear where things are headed: ‘The city of Gaza is a dangerous combat zone. Those who remain are endangering themselves and their families. Leave the city, as tens of thousands have already done.’

The advance into Gaza City marks not only a new military phase, but also sends a political message. After years of Israel responding to Hamas attacks with limited countermeasures, a decision has now been made: this reign of terror in the heart of the Gaza Strip must come to an end.

It is unclear whether the operation will last days or weeks. The only thing that is certain is that this is Israel's largest ground offensive in decades, driven by the goal of crushing Hamas where it is most deeply rooted. For the people of Israel, this means hope for security. For the terrorists in Gaza, it means the end of a system built on fear, oppression and violence.

 

[Vanellus]

So do the pictures of Berlin and Tokyo at the end of WWII

The usual irrelevant WW2 comparison.

 

[Hentenza]

The usual irrelevant WW2 comparison.

The usual dismissal of relevant evidence.

 

[Benaiah468]

UN report a farce: When Israel is declared a perpetrator of genocide.

The German government disagrees with the “genocide” ruling by the commission, which was set up by the UN Human Rights Council, whose members include dictatorships such as Afghanistan, Russia, and Qatar. There are also serious doubts about the commission's neutrality. The suspicion is that its goal from the outset, even before the Gaza war, was to condemn Israel unilaterally. This is because all three chairpersons are considered hardliners when it comes to criticizing the Jewish state, just like the Human Rights Council itself, which commissioned the report.

The entire report fails to mention the terrorist acts committed by Hamas. Yet Hamas has declared its goal to commit genocide in Israel.

Particularly controversial: The text states:

On Oct 7, 2023, Israel launched its military offensive in the Gaza Strip”,

without mentioning the murderous terrorist attack by Palestinian terrorist organizations that triggered the war in the first place.

The investigation is being led by South African Navi Pillay (83). The former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been accused for years of being biased against Israel.

One example: in 2014, she declared that it was “unfair” that Israel had a missile defense shield but Gaza did not, even though Hamas was constantly firing rockets at Israeli cities from there! Pillay announced her resignation after the US threatened her with sanctions, officially for health reasons. It will take effect in Nov.

The other heads of the commission are no strangers to controversy either: Indian activist Miloon Kothari was already fantasizing in 2022 about the influence of a “Jewish lobby” and questioning why Israel was even a member of the United Nations. And according to the UN-critical observer organization “UN Watch,” Chris Sidoti from Australia complained in a speech to the Human Rights Council (2022) that Jews

“throw around accusations of anti-Semitism like others throw rice at a wedding.”

In fact, the Human Rights Council is considered the body that most absurdly undermines the values of the United Nations. No country in the world is condemned as often in the Council as Israel, more than all others combined. Islamist dictatorships use the Council to distract from their own failures with anti-Israel resolutions, and they almost automatically find majorities in favor of them. Israel is even a fixed item on the agenda (number 7) at every meeting, unlike countries that violate human rights on a much larger scale.

Israel and the US under President Donald Trump no longer recognize the UN Human Rights Council as an independent authority.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says​

The commission said its latest report was "the strongest and most authoritative UN finding to date" on the war.

A new report says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.

It cites statements by Israeli leaders, and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces, as evidence of genocidal intent.

At least 64,964 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen as reliable by the UN.

Most of the population has also been repeatedly displaced; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed food security experts have declared a famine in Gaza City.

The commission has previously concluded that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes and other grave violations of international law on 7 October 2023, and that Israeli security forces have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.

When asked by journalists on Tuesday if he would consider using the word genocide to describe Israel's actions in Gaza, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said: "It's for the court to decide whether it's genocide or not, and we see the evidence mounting."

A spokesman for the UK government also said the decision was up to a court, but added that this "does not take away from our position that Israel's actions are appalling".

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israeli forces of genocide, but it could take years to reach a conclusion. Israel has called the case "wholly unfounded" and based on "biased and false claims".