254 Comments

Hamas did NOT attack Israel! When will people get their facts straight? Hamas attacked the invaders who are occupying the land of Palestine, as allowed under International Law!

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Israel hasn't just destroyed its own reputation, but the reputations of the leaders of the global north who have enabled this genocide, sending money and weapons. It's also destroyed the reputation of global institutions who have not stopped it. And the reputation of mainstream media with its biased reporting.

When this has all ended the world will be a radically different place, with people radicalized after taking to the streets and doing everything they could to support Palestine and get a ceasefire.

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Points well made Caitlin.

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Nov 25, 2023·edited Nov 25, 2023

n.b. Israeli apologists recapitulate precisely the same arguments that the defenders of apartheid South Africa made.

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"If you’ve ever wondered why society’s most famous and influential voices all have dogshit status quo politics, just look at the current purge of pro-Palestine actors in Hollywood. If your own elite class interests and having loyalty to your rich friends isn’t enough to keep you supporting the empire’s information interests, you’ll just get thrown out."

It's not just celebrities. Being amenable to blackmail appears to be one of the qualifications for entrance into the elite. See: Epstein, J.

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Yet again, Caitlin, you say the things I say in a much more erudite way. All you say is entirely true.

Actors and actresses who speak out against Israel and Jews will be defined as anti-Semitic, though genuine criticism is not that, because Hollywood is owned and run very largely by Jews.

A huge amount of American films are pro-US: so much product is the US taking on the bad guys and winning. It’s all part of the dissemination of the US Empire’s propaganda.

The UK is not usually far behind.

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Here's Zionism's problem, illustrated when Bibi et al. roll out allusions to Biblical references like Amalek. According to sane humanist rabbis, these references should be interpreted metaphorically -- as should the entire old testament in my view. Although Amalek, for example, was literally the obliteration of an enemy of ancient Israel, these rabbis see it as NO justification for killing anyone now, but rather as a metaphor perhaps calling upon us to stamp out evil inclinations within ourselves. But to take it literally, use it as justification for murdering Gazans, means that Zionism is attempting to bring cultural values of 1400 BCE (era of Joshua) into the modern world. This strikes me as lunacy.

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Israel has done far more than to damage its image. It has doomed itself. After this, there will be a real BDS movement in America. Israel has no more chance of surviving what is coming than apartheid South Africa did.

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Right on Caitlin! And many thanks for not falling into that trap and quoting ad nauseum about condemning “Hamas’ vicious, unprovoked attack on Israel”.

If this attacked wasn’t provoked, I don’t know what the fuck it was.

And in what world does Susan Sarandon “need” a talent agency? Her work speaks for itself! ( Apologies; I’m not familiar with Melissa Barrera.)

Last night the MSM was on the released hostages like a fly on dogshit, cramming into our silly heads as how they would require “psychological help”.

As if the Gazan orphans don’t need Psychological Help. Or the man who had to identify his five children by their body parts doesn’t need Psychological Help. Or those forced to evacuate time and time and time again don’t need.. well, you get the picture. As I mentioned before, I could give a flying fuck less about a handful of hostages.

Finally, a shout-out to POPE FRANCIS for correctly calling IsraHell’s action TERRORISM. For many millions of people, His Excellency’s words mean a great deal.

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If hamas had attacked Israels soldiers, that is one thing, but to kill unarmed people is something I can’t condone. Some of the comments in this thread scare me.

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Hubris. They always forget hubris.

They thought they had such a tight grip on people's minds, too

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Thanks, Caitlin! You write, "Israel raging at Hamas for killing Israelis is like a man raging at his shadow for darkening his floor."

But the media's rage to condemn Hamas is like blaming the victim for the scratch on the rapist's arm. (Se The Biggest Little Terrorism: https://joelbentarz.substack.com/p/the-biggest-little-terrorism)

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Government is all about murder. All governments.

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Nov 25, 2023·edited Nov 26, 2023

Israel has banned Palestinians from publicly celebrating the release of prisoners.

The U.S. gets nothing in return for the extensive economic, military and diplomatic support that it provides the apartheid nation of Israel. The U.S. suffers internationally on account of its close relationship with Israel, because of its constant vetoing of UN Resolutions to punish Israel for its human rights violations.

There is no alliance and Israel is not our ally. Its government does not behave as an ally does, it has never fought alongside U.S. forces in any of our foreign wars, and its interests are not aligned with ours as an ally’s should be. There is no formal treaty and no binding obligations that require our governments to do anything for the other.

Pundits always grossly exaggerate the nature and extent of the ties between our governments. Israel is routinely called our “most important ally” in the region. Or even our “most cherished ally” in all the world. These are ideological assertions that are not grounded in any observable reality. Dozens of other states all over the world are better allies to the United States than the “most cherished ally” is. And they don’t preside over an illegal occupation that implicates the U.S. in decades of abuses and crimes against the Palestinian people living under that occupation, and none of them enjoys the lockstep, uncritical backing that Israel does. The effect of this constant repetition is to make the U.S.-Israel relationship seem extremely important to U.S. interests when it is not, and that serves to promote the “illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists.”

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/israel-is-not-americas-ally/

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I loved FInkelstein's comment that Palestinians have the right to hate those who did this to them. I didn't get his comment about Piers Moron and Susan Doyle???

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“Civilization is a hopeless race to discover remedies for the evils it produces.” Rousseau

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