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‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

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Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I, for one, am thankful this hasn't been taken down like any article remotely critical of Israel. Wait for few more hours to be thankful.

Was flagged and restored just now, haha. Edit: And this comment is flagged to hell, as well, haha. I guess saying that the systematic murder of civilians is bad is now a controversial opinion, lmao.

Honestly I find it kind of sickening how much people treat this conflict like picking a sports team. I’ve been saying that from the start - I feel for the civilians caught in the middle of this conflict, from both Israel and Gaza.

I’ve caught flak from both sides for saying so. Some people seem deadset on making an enemy of nuance.

Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#282
post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, Israel is the one currently banning international journalists from entering Gaza. Hamas has no reason to.

Why doesn’t Egypt allow journalists through the Raffah crossing? Or refugees..?

Because Egypt is under a US-aligned dictatorship at the moment. Most Egyptians are upset at their government about this.

Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like what? (Honest question).

Do you mean what non-viable positions? First and foremost the unrestricted right to return as this has the potential to end the state of Israel as a Jewish state if Palestinians become the majority population.

As a humanist, I consider the right of return to be undeniable. Given your logic, this would make the continued existence of Israel as a Jewish state the unviable option. I've been of that opinion for some time now. Nothing to do with antisemitism as some might try to suggest - just the logical conclusion of a humanist position.

I'm heartened to see that more people are coming to this same conclusion. Talk of a 'two state solution' has always been a convenient excuse for more of the same as far as I am concerned.

Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#284

I see an increasing number of politicians taking the position: "I supported Israel's government's actions when they first attacked, given the goals of destroying Hamas' leadership and freeing hostages, but now that it has turned into a brutal siege with mass civilian casualties on a horrific scale, I'm strongly against their actions." E.g. Macron, Angus King, and many people I know personally. And I think we need to…

Yes we should encourage changing minds. ...Except I clocked Israel as having genocidal ambitions within days of Hamas' attack, right about the time their generals started talking about cutting off power and water to the entirety of gaza. I have imagine I am both less informed and more naive than any of these politicians. I don't have to applaud them when they spinelessly slither with the prevailing political winds.

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Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#285
post #233

I see an increasing number of politicians taking the position: "I supported Israel's government's actions when they first attacked, given the goals of destroying Hamas' leadership and freeing hostages, but now that it has turned into a brutal siege with mass civilian casualties on a horrific scale, I'm strongly against their actions." E.g. Macron, Angus King, and many people I know personally. And I think we need to…

Pretty much my take. I thought Israel's actions were reasonable at first but out of hand now.

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Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#286
post #240

Does anyone still need testimonies like these to be convinced that Israel is systematically exterminating the Palestinians using kinetic force and starvation? We're past that point now. Making Gaza unlivable by carpet-bombing the strip, telegraphing mass murder in unambiguous statements at the highest levels of government, dehumanizing the Palestinians and silencing anyone who dares to speak up? I, for one, am thankf…

I mostly agree except the "no political system can survive disillusion" bit. In most of the examples you give the political system survived.

For now. Eventually, the injuries your system takes over time grinds your gears to a halt.

And I can provide numerous examples: Portugal's colonial holdings (Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique) were unwound after the carnation revolution because the overseas wars were consuming 50% of the national budget while the Estado Novo at home was a corrupt, violent, authoritarian, corporatist state.

The Brits could not square a global empire while their countrymen were rationing food, etc. at home. That had to go as well.

Despite all the Cold War propaganda spread since the fall of the USSR, in 1991, the Soviet Union was still a first-rate military power, with 35k to 40k nuclear warheads and >150 divisions, totaling 3.4M troops. It could easily suppress any of those pro-democracy protests, and all the CIA's burrowing in the Sovbloc would come to nought.

But there was no longer anything worth fighting for. Even people within the Party infrastructure had come to admit that they'd been living for a lie, lying for a lie, killing for a lie-all that for a lie!

The Qing dynasty faced massive internal revolts (Taiping, Boxer), external invasions (Opium Wars), and technological stagnation. The empire resisted modernization too long, then tried too little, too late.

Overwhelmed by foreign powers and internal revolution (1911), it died because it could no longer defend the illusion of legitimacy.

In France's Ancien Regime, nobles were exempt from taxes while peasants starved; France had a bloated, corrupt court and massive debt (partly from helping America fight the British!), yet refused reforms.

Nazi Germany claimed to be defending “Western civilization” while practicing industrial genocide and totalitarian control over - wait for it - Europeans!

One contradiction doesn't bring down a political system, but it cascades, because a hypocritical system dives deeper into hypocrisy until it eventually collapses.

Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#287
Removal of occupants from West Bank and Gaza, completely, was always the overall goal here. Israel doesn't seem to care overly much how this occurs, but they're making it happen. The goal is almost reached.

There will be no Palestine. Egypt doesn't want the refugees. Jordan doesn't want the refugees. Qatar doesn't want the refugees. UAE doesn't want the refugees. Syria doesn't want the refugees. Lebanon doesn't want the refugees. Iran and Iraq don't want the refugees. America doesn't want the refugees. Europe doesn't want the refugees. Russia & China don't want the refugees.

When the fortnite-circle closes in Gaza and West Bank, where do you think these people will go? To a gigantic concentration camp? They'll fight -and die- first. Israel, and all of the surrounding nations are counting on this fact.

Palestine is done. Over. Finished. They have nowhere to go. They won't accept permanent incarceration. That leaves rebellion unto death.

That is the option the world has given these people. Do we help them? Move them? No. We condemn Israel's actions and blah-blah-blah.

Humanity makes me nauseous.

Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#288
post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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> Jewish people occupied the entire region long before Islam existed or Islamic Arabs took it over?

And other peoples occupied the region long before judaism was an idea in some shepherd's preaching.

The problem with this logic is, where do you stop. At what point do you declare "these people were the special first ones and anyone before them doesn't matter"?

Much less the mental gymnastics required to believe that which human owned which land in 500bce is relevant to how to deal with things in 2025.

It's not that we should ignore history, it's absolutely worth understanding how we got to the current position, but we shouldn't privilege it over the lives and wellbeing of actual people living right now.

Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#289
post #278

Israel does not allow international journalists in and it's fairly obvious why.

BBC's Jeremy Bowen was on the Jordanian aid-dropping plane yesterday or day before. "He was told by the Jordanians that Israel did not want our crew to film outside the plane's windows while he was onboard".[1] Obviously why - then he'd be able to film the ... not decimation, but total destruction of some of the cities in Gaza that would provide evidence for the genocide. [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/clyj4gnzx…

The destruction is fully visible in satellite footage. Associated Press has “before and after” comparisons.

Re: ‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza – former worker at GHF aid site [video]

#290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An interesting thing in this case then is to see how these mind-changers are treating the people who called it correctly from the beginning. Is there any mea culpa, any contrition for the lives they could have saved by acting earlier? apologies for the protestors they attacked, the movements they painted as antisemitic? Anything learned for the future. We all had the same information after all.

What do you imagine that mea culpa to look like? Personally I don’t see it being a case of one side of protesters being “right” and “wrong”. I just think Israel should have pulled out an awfully long time ago. They went too far, have done too much damage and the calculus doesn’t make sense any more. I have no problem with the initial invasion of Gaza to stop Hamas and get their people back. I’m not sorry for saying s…

It was clear to me and many other people from the first days after oct 7 that the actions taken by israel in gaza did not align with their stated goals, and that genocide was the likely outcome.

I hope people changing their view of it now will reflect on at what point they could have seen that, and what prevented them from seeing it, and what prevented them from taking seriously the people who did see it. Does everyone hold the belief that everything was fine until two days ago? I don't think that's a very strong position.

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