Palestine v Israel.

[Tero]

Hamas might not have thought this through.
-Hey boss, we have not had major bombings for a decade. The weapons are getting old.
-OK, Mohammed, make a plan.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-ham ... ext-phase/

[Brian Peacock]

The Jews were chased off by Rome, centuries before the arabs arrived
if anybody has acted uncivilized, it was the jews in the first place...

Yeah, just ask an Amalekite. But we have to remember that the current far-right Israeli regime is not the Jewish people, even if that nation's leader invoked the biblical story of the Amalekites while promising to step up the bombing a few days ago.

[JimC]

Jericho would be another story he could use...

[Svartalf]

The Jews were chased off by Rome, centuries before the arabs arrived
if anybody has acted uncivilized, it was the jews in the first place...

Yeah, just ask an Amalekite. But we have to remember that the current far-right Israeli regime is not the Jewish people, even if that nation's leader invoked the biblical story of the Amalekites while promising to step up the bombing a few days ago.

Yeah, I should have written 'the sionists' rather then 'the jews'.

[Strontium Dog]

The Jews were chased off by Rome, centuries before the arabs arrived
if anybody has acted uncivilized, it was the jews in the first place...

Yeah, just ask an Amalekite.

I hope we're not going to be using myths to try and paint people as something they're not.

[Svartalf]

75 years of history prove that the zionist state, though not using the phrase, has been oppressing and displacing people so as to gain its Lebensraum

[Brian Peacock]

The Jews were chased off by Rome, centuries before the arabs arrived
if anybody has acted uncivilized, it was the jews in the first place...

Yeah, just ask an Amalekite.

I hope we're not going to be using myths to try and paint people as something they're not.

No, of course not. Something the part of my post you didn't quote made clear. But the Israeli PM seemed more than happy to do exactly that though, didn't he?

[Strontium Dog]

The Jews were chased off by Rome, centuries before the arabs arrived
if anybody has acted uncivilized, it was the jews in the first place...

Yeah, just ask an Amalekite.

I hope we're not going to be using myths to try and paint people as something they're not.

No, of course not. Something the part of my post you didn't quote made clear. But the Israeli PM seemed more than happy to do exactly that though, didn't he?

I don't have a problem if he wants to destroy Hamas, and I don't care what fairy stories he invokes while doing it.

[Brian Peacock]

Hmm. Bit of a double-standard. c.10,000 non-combatants dead so far. Got any problem with that?

[Strontium Dog]

Hmm. Bit of a double-standard. c.10,000 non-combatants dead so far. Got any problem with that?

What's the double standard?

10,000 dead, has that been independently verified? And they were all non-combatants?

[Brian Peacock]

Hmm. Bit of a double-standard. c.10,000 non-combatants dead so far. Got any problem with that?

What's the double standard?

10,000 dead, has that been independently verified? And they were all non-combatants?

Double standard chiding me because mythology doesn't justify characterising an entire demographic, but letting Netanyahu off when he does just that.

I said circa 10k. Estimated. The objective number of non-combatants dead is not the issue, nor the point of the question?

[Strontium Dog]

Double standard chiding me because mythology doesn't justify characterising an entire demographic, but letting Netanyahu off when he does just that.

I said circa 10k. Estimated. The objective number of non-combatants dead is not the issue, nor the point of the question?

I think there's a difference between treating mythology as fact ("Look at what the Jews did to the Amalekites!") and using mythological rhetoric to bang a drum ("We will destroy the enemy like the Rebels destoyed the Death Star").

If the alleged number of deceased non-combatants is not relevant, I am unclear why it was mentioned.

[Brian Peacock]

Double standard chiding me because mythology doesn't justify characterising an entire demographic, but letting Netanyahu off when he does just that.

I said circa 10k. Estimated. The objective number of non-combatants dead is not the issue, nor the point of the question?

I think there's a difference between treating mythology as fact ("Look at what the Jews did to the Amalekites!") and using mythological rhetoric to bang a drum ("We will destroy the enemy like the Rebels destoyed the Death Star").

If the alleged number of deceased non-combatants is not relevant, I am unclear why it was mentioned.

I'm not here to engage in a dispute about the current or final body count. It's a ball park figure that represents "an awful lot".

On Sunday Netanyahu invoked so-called Analek Theory to justify ramping up the campaign, saying “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Book." Now while some will say that he was only referring to members of Hamas, the biblical story of the Amalekites speaks about the eradication of an entire people. He made a number of references to the books of the people during the press conference. I accept that you have no objections to Netanyahu invoking Jewish mythology and it's language of a 'holy war' if Israel completely breaks or destroys Hamas. But Israel is is doing far more than that, and holy war rhetoric is being deployed to justify or excuse the killing of "an awful lot" of civilians. Do you have a problem with that?

For context: 1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."

[Strontium Dog]

I'm not here to engage in a dispute about the current or final body count. It's a ball park figure that represents "an awful lot".

On Sunday Netanyahu invoked so-called Analek Theory to justify ramping up the campaign, sauing “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Book." Now while some will say that he was only referring to members of Hamas, the biblical story of the Amalekites speaks about the eradication of an entire people. He made a number of references to the books of the people during the press conference. I accept that you have no objections to Netanyahu invoking Jewish mythology and it's language of a 'holy war' if Israel completely breaks or destroys Hamas. But Israel is is doing far more than that, and holy war rhetoric is being deployed to justify or excuse the killing of "an awful lot" of civilians. Do you have a problem with that?

For context: 1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."

But Netanyahu cited Deuteronomy, not 1 Samuel. Specifically, Deuteronomy 25:17-18, a passage about how the Amalekites targeted the weak, much as Hamas do.

"Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God."

I have to say, it's quite a leap from that to infer that Netanyahu is craving genocide. People have seen the word "Amalek" and are putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5.

[Brian Peacock]

So you're not going to engage on the very high level of civilian fatalities or the holy war rhetoric used to justify/excuse it. Remind me why you're posting here again?