1y ago

Netanyahu says Israel will push on with Gaza offensive, including in Rafah

www.reuters.com /world/middle-east/netanyahu-says-israel-will-push-with-gaza-offensive-including-rafah-2024-03-07/

Israel will push on with its offensive against Hamas, including into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite growing international pressure to stop, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.

Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas after its fighters attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting 253, according to Israeli tallies. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel's subsequent offensive, Palestinian health authorities estimate, prompting worldwide criticism and condemnation.

"There is international pressure and it's growing, but particularly when the international pressure rises, we must close ranks, we need to stand together against the attempts to stop the war," he said.

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"There is international pressure and it's growing, but particularly when the international pressure rises, we must close ranks, we need to stand together against the attempts to stop the war," he said.
Sorry, why is Isreal not an isolated state at this point? If they won't respond to international pressure, and indeed are intent on doubling down because of that international pressure, why even include them in international bodies?
- It's so odd
  
  Oh dude. I can confirm that for you. I grew up Roman Catholic. I know 80 percent of practicing Christians around the world just want to live and let live.
  But the polling for American Christian evangelism is fucking scary. There was a deep dive into Jan 6 2020 and it turns out the evangelical community was key in planning the entire thing. They will tell you with a straight face that Sharia is bad and we should replace the Constitution with the Bible. There was an article yesterday where they proudly said women shouldn't be able to vote.
  ChristoFascist is a descriptor, nothing more.
  
  I think you're talking about Christian Zionism which was at odds with many Orthodox rabbis who were anti-zionist early on. Crazy stuff
  
  We had a crazy Christian in our office. He was 100% all-in on the prophetic books like Ezekiel and Revelations. He would go on and on about how all the current events in the Middle East, Russia, and the Caucasus were prophesied back in biblical times, and that the Rapture would happen any time now. He literally told me that if he didn't show up for work for a few days it was probably because he'd been Raptured up to heaven, and that's how we will know that the end times are upon us. Our previous CEO was also of the crazy Christian persuasion. He wasn't as loud as Rapture-boy, but definitely into Christian prophesy and numerology and applying it to current events with an eye on the end times. And I don't even live in a bible belt. This is not as uncommon as you would think.
  
  Well, you gotta remember that in the Bible, the Jews (then Hebrews before becoming Israelites) are God's chosen people and God aids them in destroying other nationalities all the time in the Old Testament. Hence the 12 Tribes and Israel coming about.
  Christians will back the 12 Tribes of Israel because they're the foundation of their religion. You can't have Christianity without accepting God chose the Jews as his people and created the Kingdom of God and distributed it amongst Jacob's 12 sons. If this is not true, nothing after it is either including Jesus as the Son of God, gentiles being accepted, and being judged be the 12 thrones in End Times.
  So I think you will find most Christians support it while those that don't simply don't know their own religion too well.
  So, yup! Pretty fuckin' scary. But it's not like it's anything new. Lots of people have been killed in the name of religion before us and lots of people will once we're gone.
  
  Great perspective, I enjoyed reading that thank you
- Israel has a strong backing from the US. It is part of their Modus op since early 1900s which is to get a strong backer. Earlier, British was their patron and that's how they get their foots in Palestine. Sometimes in 1930s or 40s (if I am not mistaken), they managed to get close support from the US, that became their new patron, and they reduced their dependence to the British at that point and even committed terror campaigned against them so that the British wouldn't be in their way to gain Palestinian territories.
  So, why would they care about international pressure/support when the US is with them. It's not necessary, as the international community won't be able to do much as long as some powerful body is always be behind them.
  
  A couple of details you got wrong Israel didn't exist until 1948, until then the area was the Brit Mandate over Palestine.
  After WW1 the UK was granted control of the area from the former Ottoman Syria by the league of nations in 1920, under what was called Mandatory Palestine.
To watch the Biden administration continue to pretend that they have any effect whatsoever in preventing Israel's murderous rampage is just embarrassing at this point.
I can't wait to see how they completely fail to hold Netanyahu to account this time ...
- Can’t fail to hold someone accountable if you never try to.
  The bare minimum would be to follow international law regarding supply of weapons to a genocide.
  If you wanna go absolutely wild, you could stop vetoing UN resolutions demanding a ceasefire.
- You don't understand, they're building a dock in Gaza!
  The Biden Administration takes no responsibility for the 18 year old Israeli Naval Blockade or any internal checkpoints that may or may not be turning around aid convoys. Furthermore the American administration cannot guarantee any Gazans will be able to reach the docks without Israel deciding they are in fact Hamas because they're conducting civil governance.
  
  I really need the onion to make this comment into an actual ad with the fast talk side effect speech so I can link it anytime someone says Biden is helping Gaza
- Haven't you heard?
  Biden said they'll be a ceasefire in a week, it's like "infrastructure week" all fucking over again.
  
  Yep - that prediction certainly aged like milk.
- According to half of lemmy he can press a magic button to stop it.
  Oh, and it's his fault... Somehow.
  
  It's not his fault, but he has approved a number of military aid packages that get sent directly to Israel. So, in a way, it kinda is indirectly his fault.
  Instead of dealing with our own problems in our country, he's giving money to Israel to participate in genocide.
  
  Biden could stop supplying weapons and ammunition until the radical Republicans finally pass a budget that includes money for that. He could put limitations on the weapons that we do supply to Israel, like we've put restrictions on the weapons we supply to the rest of the world - including Ukraine. He could put sanctions on the members of the Israeli government and the Israeli press and the Israeli religious community that have publicly called for Palestinian genocide. He could speak against Israel's actions in his speeches, or send surrogates out to do so on his behalf. He could stop vetoing toothless UN resolutions calling for Israel to stop murdering civilians.
  
  Nice strawman.
  What he could do, at the very least, is follow the tone already set by his VP, or even (dare I say it) threaten to pause US military support if the assault on Rafa goes ahead.
  
  He's personally stopped Netanyahu before. The Israelis stopped bombing Gaza in 2021 after one phone call.
  Also supplying the bombs makes you pretty fucking complicit. Everyone understood this when Iran supplied AQ with roadside bombs in Iraq but now it's some distant concept.
  
  Yeah the button is labeled "stop transfer of bombs to Isreal". All he has to do is push it. Without the unlimited firehouse of US taxpayer funded weapons flowing in, Isreal will have to decide whether they want to draw down their current stocks blowing up residential houses and hospitals, leaving them more vulnerable to actual threats, or pull back. Also, the US is the only thing holding back international accountability. If Isreal loses that support, they might face consequences for their actions, become isolated, lose trade, etc.
  Now it doesn't have to get all the way to that point, the US could just seriously threaten cutting off support, military or otherwise, and Israel would likely back down. But Biden calling bibi and saying "pwease don't target civilians" is not asserting pressure.
  Biden won't do more because he knows if he puts real pressure on Isreal then Republicans would attack him as "weak on Hamas" or whatever, and that threatens his reelection. Biden cares about that far more than human rights.
  
  That's only half the problem. The other half is that they don't know that diplomacy happens behind closed doors.
  For instance, the DOD has been working the last couple of weeks getting together material for the floating docks for Gaza announced today. If you think this angers Bibi, you would be right. Instead half of Lemmy takes credit for it by their uncommitted votes. Ridiculous, but that's OK.
  As for this, the rumor is that Biden has some consequences for Bibi if he makes a move on Rafah.
- At least your honest about your call for genocide, instead of pussyfooting around with "right to defend themselves" nonsense.
  The majority of the state of Mississippi does not support LGBT rights or protections for women That's their culture, even if not everyone agrees with that. I assume your cool with genocideing Mississippi as well?
  
  That's a yikes! from me, dawg.
  
  This comment is so coldhearted and monstrous that I barely know how to respond to this one. The shear ignorance and idiocy it takes to justify genocide is fucking chilling. I really hope you take a minute to take a step back and really think about what you just said.
  You don't agree with these people's feelings on politics, ethics, and laws. Okay.
  ....therefore it is okay in your eyes that men, women, children, and babies be murdered, bombed, stripped naked, raped, executed, tortured, and eliminated....because you don't agree with them. Fucking yikes dude.
  For someone that considers LGBTQ, gender-inclusivity, and women's rights important, your comment is beyond appalling and really speaks volumes about much depth and thought you really give beyond the face values of the things you support.
  Delete your comment. Reevaluate what it means to be human being, and I really hope you never forget what you wrote here. Seriously. Let it sink in the depravity of what you just supported. I hope it haunts you for the rest of your life - at least then you might possibly become a better human being for it.
  
  So we're just actively advocating genocide now?
  
  The bombs don't avoid gay Palestinians.
  
  You are advocating for the elimination of an entire ethnicity. Being an advocate for mass murder/genocide, do you consider your own life to be among those that is worth nothing and should be ended? You'd be a massive fucking hypocrite if you don't.
  
  Don't cut yourself with all that edge.
  
  Yikes
  
  Removed, rule 6:
  "Rule 6: Memes, spam, other low effort posting, reposts, misinformation, advocating violence, off-topic, trolling, offensive, regarding the moderators or meta in content may be removed at any time."
I'm disappointed to be a part of this species
I have a serious question!
What could Hamas do to end this blood sheet?
What could the Gazans do to end this blood sheet?
Please answer seriously. I am not asking for what anyone else could do. That has been discussed to exhaustion. I want to hear the options of the two mentioned. No one else.
- I'm not sure what they can do when peaceful protests are responded to with live ammo and the Two State Solution has been wielded by Israel only as far as further annexation and denial of human rights for Palestinians. Hamas has been for a permanent ceasefire for months. It's kind of like asking what the Jewish people in the Warsaw Ghettos could do to end the bloodshed when Nazi Germany was cracking down after the uprising.
  Israel does hold all the power as the occupying force. This is a genocide. To Israel, Palestinians are subhuman animals. We need a lot of international pressure, and hopefully more internal pressure from Israelis, to get Israel to stop its ethnic cleansing campaigns.
  
  About the attitude of Hamas:
  https://ryanmcbeth.substack.com/p/why-the-jlots-wont-work-in-gaza
  The "ceasefire" by Hamas looks like that they are still shooting 100 rockets per day at Israelian civilians. Not to mention the more than 1000 people they killed last year alone. In 2023 they shot 23.000 rockets and grenades at Israel - actually most of them BEFORE the October attacks. That is a typical Hamas-Ceasefire.
  To Israel, Palestinians are subhuman animals.
  The only one who called them subhuman animals is actually... you. Very interesting, indeed.
  And btw, can you tell me what HAMAS could do to end the war?
- Nothing because the people doing the murdering are the people self-determining who is and isn't a "hamas soldier."
  
  Hamas has no soldiers because they don't qualify for the Geneva definition of a soldier. For example they usually operate disguised as civilians which makes them unlawful.
  They do qualify as "armed unlawful combatants" though. "Unlawful" means they don't fall under the rules of war but under civilian Israeli law.
  And to realize who is an armed combatant it is enough seeing he carries a weapon and then they are legit targets. If someone picks up his weapon he becomes the next legit target. And so on. The unarmed combatants - yes, those exist by the Geneva defintion too - are also legit targets although with more caveats. Overall it is a reliable way to get killed while holding a weapon. Much less if you drop it.
  Just because came with a knife to a gun fight doesn't mean you have extra rights.
  And one more question, after all this guilt-mongering I would like to hear what options Hamas has to end the conflict.
Why does the United States not take all of these refugees? They could easily fit them all in Miami.
Thanks Biden

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