@Miriambendavid@Marianhouk@Miriambendavid I call you out as a bot. And not a very good one at that. At least get the name of our organisation right. It’s the New South Wales Jewish Board Of Deputies. What we actually focus on is protecting Jews in Australia from incitement that bots like you generate.
Bill Clinton in 2016: “I killed myself to give the Palestinians a state. I had a deal they turned down that would have given them all of Gaza... between 96%-97% of the West Bank, compensating land in Israel, you name it."
“Hamas is really smart. When they decide to rocket Israel, they insinuate themselves in the hospitals, in the schools, in the highly populous areas, and they are smart. They said they try to put the Israelis in a position of either not defending themselves or killing innocents. They’re good at it. They’re smart. They’ve been doing this a long time.”
I am so sick and tired of constantly being on the defense and apologizing.
I am so sick and tired of having to answer to anyone.
So here is a full list of things I am NOT sorry for and the world can either get used to it, or they can sit down and shut up.
I hereby do NOT apologize for:
- Existing. Israel is the only country that has to constantly justify its existence. “Coincidently” it’s also the only Jewish country. We’re not going anywhere. Now or ever.
- Our war in Gaza. There is not a single country in the world that would have acted differently than Israel after an attack like October 7th. We didn’t start this war but we will end it on our terms. Every innocent casualty in this war is sad, but it’s on Hamas, not Israel. Innocents die in war. And yes, that includes aid workers who find themselves in a war zone. It’s on Hamas. Every single one of them.
- The poverty in Gaza. Not on Israel. Gaza elected Hamas. Hamas steals food and aid from Gaza. Gazans have themselves to blame. Themselves and their elected leadership.
- Maintaining security control in Judea and Samaria and now Gaza. The people who call themselves Palestinians had a chance to build paradise. Instead they built a terror base. Israel handed them Gaza with no conditions. But when they elected Hamas and embraced terror, Israel had to protect itself by constructing a wall. October 7th is the result of them breaching that wall, which is evidence of why Israel needed it in the first place.
- Standing up to antisemitism. I am not ashamed to pull the antisemitism card when I see it around me. In fact, I am proud to do so. There is definitely room for valid criticism, but once you cross over into the “Israel doesn’t have a right to exist”, you’re no longer expressing valid criticism. You’re saying Jews don’t deserve a home. That’s antisemitism and I’ll never stop pointing it out.
- The conditions in Gaza. You are worried about Gazans? Go speak to Egypt and tell them to open their borders. It’s not like they were brutally attacked by thousands of Palestinian terrorists. Hamas steals aid. Egypt closes its borders. None of this is on Israel.
- The Israeli government. Yea, you read that right. You don’t like the prime minister? Great. Then remove him in the next election. No one has any moral ground to call for the government of another country to be replaced. The Israeli government was democratically elected by the people of Israel. Biden, Schumer, and everyone else talking trash about Bibi, how do I say this nicely…? Who the hell asked you??
- Israel’s assassinations. Amazing how Israel can eliminate a huge terrorist with blood on his hands and somehow Israel is the bad guy. I am deeply proud of Israel’s intelligence and military capabilities and I hope and pray Israel continues to remove these terrorists from our planet.
- Zionism. Let me be clear. I am incredibly proud to be a Zionist. If that offends you, well, I cannot possibly care less. Jews deserve to come home after everything they’ve endured and no one is going to tell us what to do anymore.
- Settling our land. You wanna call it the West Bank? Go for it. I call it Judea and Samaria where the Jews originated. Wanna call it settlements? Go for it. I call it home.
Now, if you think I have a problem taking accountability or apologizing, let me apologize for some things.
Here are the things I DO apologize for:
- Letting a terrorist named Arafat hijack the word Palestine, a lie the world has completely adopted.
- Letting these Jordanians who call themselves Palestinians believe Israel will ever give them an inch of Israel.
- Leaving Gaza in 2005. We see the results now. We should never have given them anything for peace. They don’t want peace.
- Letting the world rename Judea and Samaria to “The West Bank”. No Israeli leader should ever use the word Palestinian or the phrase West Bank. Words matter.
- Playing along with the fantasy of a Palestinian state. They won’t ever have one and we need to stop with the act. Why won’t they? Because they don’t want one. They want no Israel. They won’t get it.
- Operating on Sinwar in an Israeli hospital when he had a deadly brain rumor. Shameful on our part.
- Waiting this long to go into Rafah. Every day we don’t go in is going to cost us in human life.
- Pretending that the vast majority of Gaza want peace when in reality, according to literally any survey, the support for Hamas in Gaza is overwhelming. Thousands of non Hamas terrorists took part in the events of October 7th. Hamas are the Nazis and Gaza is Germany. Sure, there are innocent people who didn’t elect the Nazis but that’s war and it’s unfortunate, but no one in their right mind would say that attacking Nazi germany was unjustified. The same goes for Gaza.
The days of us Jews following orders while our knees tremble in the face of some foreign government are over.
We are here to stay and that includes making sure Hamas is no more and that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel. At any and all costs. That’s right.
ANY AND ALL COSTS!
That offends you? Sorry, not sorry!
🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱💪💪💪✡️✡️✡️
I am an Egyptian, native-Arabic speaker, and a national security and counter-terrorism researcher. I have an MA in Intelligence and National Security and over 14 years of experience. Members of my family fought the Israelis in the 1973 and 1967 wars. But, I can tell you, with confidence, that the argument to suspend arms sales to Israel over the accidental killing of aid workers is antisemitic. It has nothing to do with decency, justice or international law.
You are singling out Israel when you haven't reacted the same way to the accidental killing of civilians by other militaries, including Arab militaries.
If we, the UK/US, stopped selling arms to every military that has accidentally killed civilians, we would stop selling arms to every single military on earth. In fact, we would stop manufacturing or buying arms for OUR OWN military, which has repeatedly killed civilians by mistake in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and elsewhere.
You will find below numerous examples of similar accidents in war zones. Please do not talk about something you don't understand. Do not
Amran Airstrike (Yemen, 2015): A Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a wedding party in the village of Wahijah, near Amran, Yemen, killing at least 131 civilians and injuring scores more. The strike was condemned by international human rights organizations and highlighted the devastating toll of the conflict in Yemen.
Kunduz Airstrike (Afghanistan, 2016): A US airstrike targeting Taliban fighters in Kunduz, Afghanistan, hit a civilian home, resulting in the deaths of at least 30 civilians, including women and children. The incident occurred during a military operation to retake the city from Taliban control and raised concerns about the accuracy of intelligence and targeting procedures.
Ghaziabad Airstrike (Afghanistan, 2008): A US-led coalition airstrike targeted a suspected Taliban compound in the village of Azizabad, near Ghaziabad, Afghanistan. However, the strike hit a gathering of civilians, including women and children, resulting in the deaths of at least 90 civilians, according to Afghan officials. The incident sparked protests and led to calls for greater accountability for civilian casualties.
Khair Khana Wedding Party Strike (Afghanistan, 2008): A US airstrike targeted a wedding party in the village of Khair Khana, near Herat, Afghanistan, killing at least 47 civilians, including women and children. The strike occurred after coalition forces received reports of militant activity in the area but mistakenly targeted the wedding celebration instead.
Al-Adala Camp Bombing (Sudan, 1998): The US military launched cruise missile strikes on a pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum, Sudan, in response to the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. However, the factory was believed to be producing pharmaceuticals, and the strikes resulted in civilian casualties, including workers at the facility. The incident raised questions about the legality and effectiveness of military responses to terrorist attacks.
Al-Majalah Airstrike (Yemen, 2009): A US drone strike targeted a gathering in the village of al-Majalah in Yemen, believing it to be a training camp for Al-Qaeda militants. However, the strike hit a Bedouin camp, resulting in the deaths of 14 alleged militants and at least 41 civilians, including women and children.
Bola Boluk Airstrike (Afghanistan, 2009): A NATO airstrike targeting Taliban insurgents in the village of Bola Boluk, Afghanistan, hit a convoy of vehicles, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 civilians, including women and children. NATO initially denied civilian casualties but later acknowledged the mistake and apologized.
Sanaa Funeral Hall Strike (Yemen, 2016): A Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a funeral hall in Sanaa, Yemen, where mourners had gathered, resulting in one of the deadliest single incidents of the Yemeni Civil War. The strike killed at least 140 people and injured more than 500 others.
Mansoura Airstrike (Syria, 2017): A US-led coalition airstrike targeting ISIS militants in the town of Mansoura, Syria, hit a building where civilians were sheltering, including families displaced by the conflict. The strike resulted in the deaths of at least 150 civilians, according to reports from local sources.
Wahat area of the Western Desert (Egypt, 2015): Security forces in Egypt mistakenly killed 12 people, including Mexican tourists, during an anti-terror operation, the interior ministry says. Egypt's interior ministry said the four vehicles the tourists were travelling in were "mistakenly dealt with" during a joint military police and armed forces operation.
@cowenconvos@JonHaidt@tylercowen I’m not sure why you got yourself so worked up during this particular discussion. Usually you’re amazing, but it was almost as if you just wanted to beat @JonHaidt. The discussion on government versus parental control as a yes / no was the key example.
@tzedekcollectiv@Enmore_Theatre Actually, that’s not true about Jews in Palestine, as there are of course the settlers in the West Bank who remain a part of the problem.
@tzedekcollectiv@Enmore_Theatre ‘Racist’ …and lots of Arabs and Muslim Israelis in Israel, but don’t see any Jews in Palestine – except of course the civilian hostages who have now been tortured and raped continuously since Oct 7!
@SydAirport If you are going to charge every single Uber $4.35 to enter and exit, then at least provide people who can marshall properly so that the cars flow through the space better. Nobody uses pick up areas C, D or E, because you don’t guide the traffic properly.
@mikeduncan. Quick fact check. I thought from THOR that a cause of the end of the Roman Empire was the rich avoided paying taxes. Is that correct? If so is there an interesting article to be written by you showing the similarities to what the Republicans are doing now?
@mikeduncan Given all your thinking about revolutions, should the government put those who storm the capital in jail or be lenient? I still haven’t worked out the answer on whether governments in power facing thus type of uprising should use the iron fist or soft response.
@nealstephenson I don’t get your infatuation with libertarianism. You’ve clearly travelled and seen functioning and non-functioning governments, and presumably noticed that the former work better than the latter, but so many of your books laud the ‘anti-Govt’. Why?
@mikeduncan Also, @MikeDuncan, I think this is a particularly American thing at this particular point in time. The rest of the world are not particularly outraged; just watching in disbelief as you guys tear yourselves apart
@paul_kerin. Hi. Karen and I are in Adelaide for the weekend, and would love to see you. Any chance you’re free for breakfast on Sunday or drinks later? GREG JOFFE. 0417 445 130.