Gaza under attack yet again.

[BillRiver]

You’re probably aware of this org:

Breaking the Silence › The Organization

Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran soldiers who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada and have taken it upon themselves to expose the public to the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories. We endeavor to stimulate public debate...

www.breakingthesilence.org.il

Yes I am thanks. They are veterans. But I guess some of them became sympathetic to Palestians while still in the IDF. I tend to think of them as ex-IDF but fair point.

 

[BillRiver]

Of course. They have National Service and conscription, for men and women. Being in the IDF has turned quite a few people into pacifists. How can you not know that? Don't you read books or newspapers or go to the cinema?

Yes of course. One of my best friends was conscripted, but she worked on forces radio rather than actually killing anyone. I just didn't make the connection, that's all. Most of my Israeli friends dodged conscription one way or another.

No need to be quite so snidey.

 

[David Clapson]

Sorry, I took your reply to mean total ignorance of conscription etc, and the rather large genre of films about IDF soldiers seeing things from the Palestinian POV. Apologies.

 

[BillRiver]

Sorry, I took your reply to mean total ignorance of conscription etc, and the rather large genre of films about IDF soldiers seeing things from the Palestinian POV. Apologies.

Apology accepted. You've never met me, so fair enough.

 

[Pickman's model]

Of course. They have National Service and conscription, for men and women. Being in the IDF has turned quite a few people into pacifists. How can you not know that? Don't you read books or newspapers or go to the cinema?

National service is conscription

 

[Gramsci]

A lot of the people who unthinkingly criticise all Israelis are falling into the trap of anti-semitism, perhaps without realising it. I try to encourage them to read Haaretz.com so they can grasp that there are pro-Palestine Jews everywhere, including in Israel and the Knesset and the IDF. It's such an obvious point that it shouldn't need explaining, but you hear it everywhere.

(The Haaretz paywall can be beaten with a Chrome/Firefox extension iamadamdev - Overview).

I've met anti Zionist pro Palestinian Jews in my local Lambeth and Wandsworth PSC.

 

[TopCat]

Of course. They have National Service and conscription, for men and women. Being in the IDF has turned quite a few people into pacifists. How can you not know that? Don't you read books or newspapers or go to the cinema?

...

 

[hitmouse]

I'm guessing this person is presumably a bit of an outlier when it comes to the BoD, but good luck to them:

I’m a Deputy and the Board is wrong to host Hotovely

From the blog of Tommer Spence at Jewish News

blogs.timesofisrael.com

Also links to this article from back in April, which I'd not seen before:

In first, Zionist youth movement in U.K. to boycott Israeli ambassador

***

www.haaretz.com

(I don't know much about Masorti Judaism, I think vaguely remember someone telling me something about how Masorti Jews were often at odds with the Board of Deputies or something anyway but fucked if I can remember any details.)

 

[likesfish]

Israeli squaddies don't have a choice

 

[BillRiver]

Palestinians protest for fifth day in West Bank after death of activist

"Demonstrations against the Palestinian Authority (PA) have continued across the West Bank after the death in custody of one of President Mahmoud Abbas’s biggest critics.
Several hundred people took to the streets of Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem for the fifth consecutive day on Monday to protest against the treatment of Nizar Banat, a social and political activist, who died during an arrest by the authority’s forces in Hebron on 24 June.
Crowds waving Palestinian flags, pictures of Banat and calling for an end to Abbas’s 16-year rule, have been met with brutal force from both Palestinian security forces and men in plain clothes loyal to Abbas’s Fatah party. Clubs, metal rods, teargas and the sexual assault of female protesters have been used to break up the demonstrations and stop reporters from documenting the events, according to the Palestinian journalists’ union.
There are no official figures on the number of people wounded or arrested."

 

[teqniq]

So this happened.... again. Most likely because 1 rocket from a militant group in Gaza got through the Iron dome defence system. But, you know, it ain't Ukraine so who cares?

 

[Dogsauce]

It’s probably happening because the world is looking the other way. Not that they give two fucks about how this sort of thing looks anyway.

 

[teqniq]

It’s probably happening because the world is looking the other way. Not that they give two fucks about how this sort of thing looks anyway.

Here's a report of the rockets launches and as you can see from my previous post, Israel's completely disproportionate response. Just like last time:

Israel, Gaza militants trade fire as Mideast tensions mount

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian militants fired several rockets into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip early Thursday and Israeli aircraft hit militant targets in Gaza, part of an escalation that was eerily similar to the run-up to last year's Israel-Gaza war.

apnews.com

 

[David Clapson]

Haaretz says it's happening because extremists on both sides want to draw attention to their cause. For Israeli and Palestinian extremists, Jerusalem's holiest site is just an excuse

 

[teqniq]

There are numerous vids on Twitter of the Israeli police beating the crap out of worshipers at the Al Asqa mosque. windows were also broken with sniper fire so smoke grenades could be fired inside. Rubber coated steel riot rounds were also used. There are also reports of settlers disguising themselves as worshipers to gain access to the mosque to act as provocateurs. i am reasonably certain who was upping the ante here.

 

[Pickman's model]

Haaretz says it's happening because extremists on both sides want to draw attention to their cause. For Israeli and Palestinian extremists, Jerusalem's holiest site is just an excuse

yeh they're both as bad as each other

 

[David Clapson]

Rockets are fired so that police and settlers will react and provide the twitter content which engages you.

 

[teqniq]

Rockets are fired so that police and settlers will react and provide the twitter content which engages you.

I am not condoning the firing of rockets, but they were fired after the incidents at the mosque - as a response. The same happened last year with a predictably heavy response from Israel. This year also at the mosque there were over 100 Palestinians arrested. I did not see any reports of Israelis arrested. So get to fuck with your trite assumptions and get your facts straight.

 

[David Clapson]

I'll carry on being informed by Haaretz. You can carry on getting your facts from twitter.

 

[teqniq]

I'll carry on being informed by Haaretz. You can carry on getting your facts from twitter.

I read Haaretz sometimes, their journalism is often very good. I have quoted them plenty of times on here. This time however I suspect the author has a bit of an agenda. I use Twitter as my main starting point for news sources because very often you find out stuff you would otherwise never come across. Obviously this can have pitfalls but i have learnt over time to be careful.

 

[David Clapson]

I think you can rely on the journalists at good papers like Haaretz and the Guardian to watch the twitter videos before writing their stories. They can also go to Al Aqsa to see for themselves. So I would always trust a good paper before social media.

As for who to blame for what's happening now...who really knows? There are more radical groups than Hamas in Gaza, IS has been killing police officers, Hamas praised them for it, nobody has claimed responsibility for the missiles. For me, it's just despair all round. And I've just read another Haaretz piece, which is too complicated for my tired brain today. So I give up Israel doesn't want to turn Jerusalem tensions into war, but an explosion may still be imminent

 

[Cpatain Rbubish]

Fucking grim

 

[SpackleFrog]

Rockets are fired so that police and settlers will react and provide the twitter content which engages you.

I actually don't entirely disagree with this statement. Certainly when rocket attacks are directed by organised groups like Hamas as opposed to just random individuals (not saying either way which category this event falls into - the article you linked to claims it was a group called 'Islamic Jihad', but I'm not sure I trust that publication as much as you) I think its largely to bolster that groups image as fighting back against the occupying force in the minds of ordinary Palestinians. It certainly doesn't look like a serious attempt to undermine Israeli state power.

But what you did previously, equating possibly an organised group or possibly just some individuals launching a rocket with a state deliberately killing large numbers of civilians, that is disgusting.

 

[David Clapson]

But what you did previously, equating possibly an organised group or possibly just some individuals launching a rocket with a state deliberately killing large numbers of civilians, that is disgusting.

Which post?

 

[SpackleFrog]

Which post?

You know what you said.

 

[teqniq]

I rocket fired from Gaza:

Rocket fired at Ashkelon, is intercepted; IDF responds with Gaza strikes

Sirens in coastal city, border towns; no injuries in 1st rocket attack from enclave since April; IDF assessing if Islamic Jihad fired projectile after 3 killed in Jenin clash

www.timesofisrael.com

elicits this response:

 

[teqniq]

This all started a couple of days ago:

Gaza: Palestinian militants hit back after Israeli airstrike kills senior commander

Sirens have been heard in southern and central Israel, with people in Tel Aviv also saying they could hear booms.

news.sky.com

Israel strikes Gaza amid tensions following arrest of Palestinian militant

Palestinian officials say at least 10 dead after Israel said it was preparing to ‘remove the threat from this region’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Dystopiary]

24 Palestinians, including six children, have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks over the past couple of days according to the Gazan health ministry. Many wounded.

Photos: Gaza death toll rises as Israel continues attack

 

[extra dry]

more on the situation, live so proberly over by the time you click the link.

 

[teqniq]

Compare and contrast from the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory:



and:



Israel's 'excuse' such as it is can be seen in the first tweet, there is however speculation that this was carried out because there's an election coming up. If true unbelievably callous and cynical.