Even in a situation where Population A has already committed a genocide against Population B, it cannot be argued that it's suddenly OK for Population B to start hankering after a genocide against Population A. But that is categorically not the situation Israelis are in. The atrocities committed against Israel over the last few decades are in strictly numerical terms pin-pricks compared to the atrocities committed by Israel against its neighbours and against the people whose territories it brutally occupies.
So what specifically is the "context" the commenter alleges I left out?
1. "Between 2001 and 2022, Hamas (mostly) and Hezbollah launched an average of 845 rocket attacks per year on Israel."
As far as I can see the death toll caused by those rocket attacks is a few dozen - and that of course is unacceptable, but it's a thousand times lower than even the official death toll of those massacred by Israel in Gaza since 2023, which almost certainly is a massive underestimate.
Why does an organisation like Hezbollah even exist, by the way? Is it not missing out vital "context" to fail to mention that Hezbollah was only created in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon?
2. "In 2005 Israel used its armed forces to forcibly remove Jewish settlers from Gaza and left the entire territory to the Palestinians. Their reward for doing this was to have Hamas launch 3,048 rockets from Gaza in the three years 2006-2008."
Apparently we are being invited to believe that it would be crazy to expect Israelis not to hold genocidal attitudes because nobody had the good manners to "reward" them when their ultra-right-wing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon downgraded some elements of the illegal occupation of Gaza, but retained others such as the blockade, which meant the territory continued to be the "largest open air prison in the world". Sharon's motivation was of course to try to make his intended annexation of the West Bank more palatable to the international community.
Again, the Hamas rocket attacks in 2006-8 caused an extremely low number of deaths compared to the massacres committed by Israel both before and after 2023. But isn't it amazing, the pinpoint accuracy with which our commenter can tell us the exact number of rockets Hamas fired within a specified time period? Does anyone even bother to keep track of the exact number of bombs Israel drops on schoolchildren or hospital patients?
3. "No Arab country is prepared to accept the Palestinians, who they regard as troublemakers and terrorists, who destroyed Lebanon"
Ah. Apparently it's only natural for Israeli citizens to want Palestinians to be exterminated, because Palestinians are in fact undesirable vermin. Yes, that's pretty much the same "excellent reason" the Nazis had for exterminating the Jews in the 1940s. I suppose we should just be grateful to our anonymous commenter for stripping away the pretence at this point.
Weirdly, he then proceeds into a rant on the subject of Stuart Campbell (but not a critical one, needless to say). Let me just point something out to those trying to minimise the significance of Campbell's genocide apologism. Yesterday, he inserted a photo into Don Paterson's article on Wings, featuring people holding up a banner reading "Book workers for a free Palestine". He did not do that approvingly. It was part of his ongoing efforts to pathologise expressions of support for the Palestinian people as they resist extermination and ethnic cleansing. He of course refers to pro-Palestinian demonstrators as "flagshaggers", and a few days ago expressed his contempt for media commentators who share photos of the Palestinian dead and wounded on social media.
Why would anyone want to make their followers react to pictorial evidence of one of the gravest crimes of our age by thinking "oh I shouldn't be seeing this, it's just some media tart trying to further his career"? It can only be to try to make people too embarrassed to pass the images on. Why would that be your goal? It can only be that you don't want people to know about what is happening in Gaza and you certainly don't want them to be emotionally affected by it, because that might motivate them to take some action to change the trajectory of events.
In a nutshell, Campbell's aim can only be to get everyone out of Netanyahu's way, and thus to allow the genocide to proceed in an orderly fashion without any vulgar clutter or obstacles.
🇵🇸 Gary Lineker on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/k2GYaiNLUg
— Faithfull Ballers (@FaithfullBaller) May 26, 2025
It's just as well that Mr Campbell of Bath has minimal influence beyond his own keyboard.
ReplyDeleteIf you discount the exclusion from the franchise in Greater Palestine, of actual Palestinians, then the Israeli system of PR is recognised as possibly the best currently implemented. We should therefore not be surprised that the government there is committed to the extermination of Palestinians. It is what the people want.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is not Benjamin Netanyahu, but Israelis.
It's both of them Netanyahu and the Israeli population.
Deleteis there a link to the poll and the specific questions asked anywhere? this is appalling but would like to see the specific questions.
ReplyDeleteIt was conducted in Hebrew and published in an Israeli newspaper. There are screenshots on social media for anyone who can read Hebrew.
DeleteBenjamin Netanyahu is part of the problem. He thinks he is immune to all sanctions. Time no 10 closed their embassy in London.
Delete" There is no context " - I 100% agree.
ReplyDeleteJames calls out Campbell for his discraceful and unacceptable attitude to what has been, and is happening, to Palestinians - I 100% agree again.
So I challenge James to call out the SNP for not doing enough to show their disgust of the Israeli genocide with actions wherever they can.
I posted some time ago that the Britnats in Westminster had helped to let the mad dog of Israel and its IDF off its leash. Some of them are now clearly getting worried that they may some day in the future, when they are out of power, get dragged before a court for assisting war crimes. That would be just as they have done that.
I said last year if you vote Labour or Tory you have the blood of thousands of children on your hands. It has only got worse.
You have a short memory ifs or perhaps you just prefer to forget the protests put forward by Stephen Flynn in the Commons falling out with the pathetic incoherent Speaker Hoyle.
DeleteIFS is like Stew he just opens his mouth or taps his keyboard and spouts crap because that's all he has in what passes for a brain
DeleteNo difference between IFS and Stewy they just spout crap because that's all they have for what passes as a brain
DeleteAnon at 2.40pm -I’m talking about actions not words.
DeleteWow Stephen Flynn falling out with the British speaker. In the words of Shania Twain " that don't impress me much" and neither do you anon with your snidey " prefer to forget" comment.
Anon at 3.16 pm and 3.18 pm has such a fantastic intellect he cannae even work out that his first post is in moderation. I have to laugh at this troll for calling anyone else out for having a crap brain.
DeleteAnon at 3.16 and 3.18 - try reading the bit where I call out Campbell for his disgraceful and unacceptable attitude to Gaza. You are talking pish.
DeleteGerman Chancellor has said he no longer understands Israel's goal's in the Gaza Strip, stressing humanitarian concerns. Even the Germans are getting worried about what is unfolding and the fact they have been supporting it for over 18 months.
DeleteIsrael now trying to turn the Gaza prison in to the Gaza concentration camp as they try to concentrate all the population down in the south of Gaza.
3.16/3.18 is either a lazy bastard of a troll who cannot be bothered using a full stop at the end of his sentence or he is that nutter from WGD Dr Jim.
DeleteIfs puts on posts to support himself thinking we don’t know.
DeleteIt looks like the lazy bastard of a troll has managed to put a full stop on his post at 6.11pm. Well done you silly billy. Off you go now to bed you have school in the morning.
DeleteHey troll at 6.11pm who are the " we " you claim to be. You got multiple personality disorder or are you just an arsehole as I think you are. Or are you bonkers and think you are royalty?
DeleteWhat is happening in Gaza is a serious and tragic matter but all you get from this troll is nasty little spiteful ad hom comments.
Israelis have now become who they themselves suffered horrendously from, last century - fascists.
ReplyDeleteThere is no other word for it.
Israel is now a fascist state.
Sad to see them doing to Gaza what the Nazis did to Warsaw. The wheel has gone full circle and any WW2 Nazis still living would be broud to see their example being followed so closely and with such enthusiasm.
DeleteThe Western world wants this or the Western world would've stopped it
ReplyDeleteI have to stand up for Mr Lineker and his hard stance on standing up for the truth. He has made his money, he doesn't need any more, and he doesn't need to put up with BBC propaganda which shut him up. Call him just a footballer, but he is obviously much more than that now.
ReplyDeleteWhat has happened with Palestine is nothing short of a disgrace and I think about them every day.
My advice to Swinney the Redactor is if you want to increase the votes for SNP at next year's Holyrood election then declare it to be a de facto referendum on independence. He won't do this, of course, because he is a devolutionist working his time till he gets his FM pension.
ReplyDeleteInstead Swinney tries to frighten people to vote SNP by saying Reform MSPs will close Holyrood down. That is disingenuous at best and an outright lie at worse. Only a referendum can close Holyrood down as it stands at present in the Scotland Act.
Farage as PM after a future UK GE could close Holyrood down but a group of Reform MSPs in Holyrood would not have the power.
In summary, Swinney disnae know what he is talking about or he is punting falsehoods to get more votes. I say Honest John the Redactor has a strange relationship with the truth. Pretty standard stuff for politicians though.
Salmond was the devolutionist "devo max" man remember him the referendum tanker, and what's left of Alba are still undermining Scotland just like you scumbag
DeleteDear Dr Jim at 8.56am many thanks for your kind words. I note as ever you do not contest the actual contents of the post but prefer ad hom insults. You seem to think the SNP is Scotland Jimbo. It isnae.
Delete