Or so said Ford. Or somewhat more exactly, "History is more or less bunk. It is tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s dam is the history we make today. That’s the trouble with the world. We’re living in books and history and tradition. We want to get away from that and take care of today. We’ve done too much looking back. What we want to do and do it quick is to make just history right now". One wouldn't want to push that interpretation too hard; some of my best friends are historians; there is nothing wrong with knowing history. But there is a lot wrong with obsessing over it; gathering round the fire and beating stones together and beating antique grievances into your children's heads.And so on to Putin, who apparently - I haven't read it - answered "why did you invade Ukraine" with a half hour history essay. The usual silly people have done the usual silly things - fact checking it - which is to miss the point: that simply thinking this way is wrong. It is the sort of thinking that leads to The Troubles; or the wars in the Balkans - take your pick as to exactly which ones - or the Palestinians deciding it would be an excellent idea to kill as many Israelis as they could. This is no great original insight; others have said much the same.
19 comments:
Ohh god...
"https://twitter.com/RichardHanania/status/1756052280875581601?t=qqJ8mbs4XUIcmUsQkdpnYA&s=03"
You're still linking to this racist?
Also
Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.
I gotta say this is your worst opinion yet. And it reeks of the luxury of never being oppressed.
You claim it was the "Palestinians" who decided to murder Israelis. This, again, is racism as the "Palestinians" decided no such thing. Some people did it - Hamas as an entity did it.
To blame an entire group for the actions of a few is racism.
You need to stop
He's a classy dude this Richard....
https://twitter.com/RichardHanania/status/1756699314947326255
So if history is being made here, is it bunk?
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/western-world-forsakes-victims-of-gaza-genocide,18321
For consistency, I have to refer Australians to Care less: this isn't their problem, they have very little influence either way.
As to "kettling" the Gazans: well, the obvious solution is to let them into Egypt. The reason for not doing this is purely other people's political convenience and has nothing to do with concern for the well-being of the Gaza folk.
> Some people did it - Hamas as an entity did it
I think this is spurious, unless you're also happy with "Israel isn't oppressing the Gazans, only a some people did it". Hamas is supported and enabled by Gazans; the last polls I saw still showed massive support; far higher than the percentage of Israelis supporting their govt.
"the obvious solution is to let them into Egypt. "
Did you check with Egypt? They see this as provocative.
It also denies reality, lots of people want to go to Egypt, but obviously the Israeli Govt are making it a little awkward. they're also aware they'll never be allowed back.
"I think this is spurious, unless you're also happy with "Israel isn't oppressing the Gazans, only a some people did it". Hamas is supported and enabled by Gazans; the last polls I saw still showed massive support; far higher than the percentage of Israelis supporting their govt."
This is blaming an entire people for some criminal actions of a few. It's never ok. I'm not ok with claiming that Israelis are responsible. The govt of Israel is responsible. Also, it's not 'oppressing' The Israeli Govt is killing them. Why be so careful with your language there.
You don't appear to understand what racism is, and you keep using racist ideas to support your notions. Truly awful racist ideas like:
Arabs hate Jews
Arabs can't form a stable Govt
and most recently your Egypt claim above - because of course, Egypt should be made responsible for over a million refugees, because they're of the same ethic group... Right? It's utterly bizarre logic. I guess you're content to let the Rohinga in Myanmar just move to Thailand?
The worst part of racism is it is so utterly lazy. Relying on cheap syllogisms... It's so stupid and fundamentally flawed.
As to your claims of 'care less', screw that. That's what leads to the sort of behaviour we're seeing around the world.
We need to care more.
"Hamas is supported and enabled by Gazans; the last polls I saw still showed massive support; far higher than the percentage of Israelis supporting their govt."
A very large proportion of people there are under 18. Perhaps 40%.
Let's see your maths. What is the actual proportion of people there who could vote for Hamas.
Or are you assuming when a 10 year says Hamas is great, they actually understands what that means.
I don't understand why we are taking pronouncements on the dire condition of Palestinians in the strip at face value. They all come from Hamas. Casualties, nutrition--everything. Hamas lies about everything. Why are we believing them?
Even if they are accurately counting the cadavers, they are making no effort to distinguish between civilians and Hamas soldiers.
"I don't understand why we are taking pronouncements on the dire condition of Palestinians in the strip at face value. They all come from Hamas. Casualties, nutrition--everything. Hamas lies about everything. Why are we believing them?"
What, you really don't think much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble? Seriously? And that's just hunky dory for civilians, presumably?
Tom
"Even if they are accurately counting the cadavers, they are making no effort to distinguish between civilians and Hamas soldiers."
None of the information I have is from Hamas.
It's such a luxury to turn away and ignore this.
Such a luxury to care less.
I think, since we're determined to talk about Gaza, it is worth noting that the UN is determinedly opposed to them moving to safety in Egypt; e.g. this report. For an organisation nominally out to help people, this is very strange.
This is not strange...
"The United Nations will not be party to any forced displacement of people."
Again, why not examine how people would move to Egypt.
What is the border made of? Where are the crossing points? How would it work?
Also, why not support the notion that the Israeli military should stop killing people?
Lastly
" safety in Egypt"
Who is making their home un-safe? Perhaps stop indulging in victim blaming.
Your whole premise appears based on the notion that Israel should bee allowed to displace people. This is a war crime. Stop being an apologist for war criminals
Here I did your work for you:
"Under the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty, the Philadelphi Route buffer zone was a 100-meter-wide strip of land along the Gaza–Egypt border. Until 2000, the actual buffer zone was 20–40 meters wide with a 2.5 to 3 metres high concrete wall topped with barbed wire.[5]
During the Second Intifada, which began in 2000, Israel widened the buffer zone to 200–300 meters and built a barrier wall mostly of corrugated sheet metal, with stretches of concrete topped with barbed wire.[6] The construction of the buffer zone required the demolition of entire blocks of houses at the main entrance to Rafah's central thoroughfare.[5]"
Sounds like a piece of cake to cross....
Yeah, but it gets better...
"2005 expansion
An army plan to dig a moat along the border was dropped in 2005 after it became clear that it would likely be rejected by Israel's Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz, because it required the destruction of 3,000 more homes in Rafah.[14][15] Instead, the IDF started the building of a 7–9 meters high (about 20–30 feet) concrete wall along the border in a 60–100 meter (about 200–300 feet) wide security strip, equipped with electronic sensors and underground concrete barriers to prevent tunnelling."
But of course, the sensible solution is for them all to just move to Egypt...
"I think, since we're determined to talk about Gaza, it is worth noting that the UN is determinedly opposed to them moving to safety in Egypt; e.g. this report. For an organisation nominally out to help people, this is very strange."
To see you move so far to the right that you support ethnic cleaning is pretty damn shocking.
Why do you lap up the victim blaming that Israel deploys so successfully? Or perhaps you think Hamas has got babies to work for them?
"If Palestinians who are not part of Hamas want this to end, removing the casus bello would be a good start."
How would they know?
Half of them are children
" But the Arab world acted like little shits for five decades before that." So did the nation of Israel.
It dates back to just after the first world war.
"UN acted outrageously by giving Jews a homeland a decade before that. " the Jewish people didn't do what the UN said, in any event
HOWEVER, no one can justify ethnic cleansing.
Funnily enough, I don't consider evacuating human shields from a war zone to be ethnic cleansing.
"Funnily enough, I don't consider evacuating human shields from a war zone to be ethnic cleansing."
It is when they're not allowed to be returned.
And they won't
And Israel has made it difficult to leave
Tom
Why doesn't Israel set up camps within Gaza or Israel for the refugees?
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