• theangryseal@lemmy.world
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        That is religion. It is crazy to me that we live in this age with endless knowledge at our fingertips and people still believe all of this nonsense.

        We can look into the belief systems and religions of people from all over the world, and somehow the majority of us can’t look at our own systems and realize that it’s all bullshit.

        You can hear the teachers in rural India say, “The caste system is the will of God! How can you question the will of god?” A couple clicks later and you can hear a child Imam saying, “How can there be any god besides Allah?!” A few more clicks, you can hear a rabbi say, “We are the people chosen by god!” A couple more clicks and you hear the preacher say, “All other gods are false gods. Only our son of god is the one true god!” Hell, you can go down a rabbit hole of all the “gods” currently living with lucky followers of the one true living god right here, right now. Vissarion in Siberia gave those lucky bastards the Last Testament they’ll ever need to read. Imagine being lucky enough to shake your god’s hand and watch him prance around in white and burgundy robes and grow old before your eyes.

        There are so many one true gods out there. You’d think that alone would make people think and question their own one true god. Nope. Not only do the majority of us keep putting our hands together and saying amen, we got folks out here making brand new gods today for future people to fight and die for.

        It’s amazing.

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      Rabbi Shay Tahan, the Rosh Kollel of Shaarei Ezra in Brooklyn, NY, graciously opens the gates to understand them.

      White dude from Brooklyn: “God promised me Lebanon”

    • PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1. War and Conquest: The concept of milchemet mitzvah (a commanded war) includes conquering certain territories that were promised in the Torah. If new land is identified as part of the biblical borders, there may be halachic discussions about the obligation to conquer and settle it.

      As we all know, religious texts are static and unchanging. Until one is “unearthed” that declares all of India “ancient Israel”.

    • TheOubliette@lemmy.ml
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      These kinda of things are why the US supports Israel. It helps destabilize the neighbors that don’t fall in line with US interests. The US fears a sovereign Middle East where they get to choose what to do with their own countries and resources, not just for the usual Imperialist reasons, but because of the importance of the petrodollar system.

      • anachronist@midwest.social
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        That’s too 5-d chess for “the US” to pull off. I find it more plausible that the US supports Israel because Israel has a lot of powerful supporters in the US who manipulate public opinion and government policy.

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          It’s not 5-d chess, it’s simple politics of weakening potential rivals. If you look at history literally the same thing was done even by ancient hegemonies, it has even popular Latin name - “Divide et impera”. USA is global hegemon and acts globally.

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          I grew up in the evangelical movement. I heard over and over and over again (some variation of this) when I was a kid, “The nation that refuses to aid Israel will fall! All of those who turn their backs on the Jews will burn when god returns.”

          Those people are deadly serious too. It wouldn’t matter what Israel does.

        • TheOubliette@lemmy.ml
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          That’s too 5-d chess for “the US” to pull off.

          It is not a complicated strategy. It just requires a large group that cares about the petrodollar. The US has a ton of those people in high places in government and finance.

          The US invented the petrodollar.

          I find it more plausible that the US supports Israel because Israel has a lot of powerful supporters in the US who manipulate public opinion and government policy.

          Israel has powerful supporters in the US because it is in the interests of capital to support Israel. The higher interests of capital do understand why the Middle East must be destabilized for their own gain. They are fully aware of and influence, for example, the invasion to control Iraq’s oil fields and depose the government of Iraq that was acting too sovereign about it. Same for the Syrian oil fields seized and controlled by the US to this day. This is also why the US promotes the Saudis as an ally - they stabilize the petrodollar system. It is no coincidence that they also target an independent Yemem.

          Powerful supporters are just the middlemen for capital, as are major media campaigns. It is not explanatory to say that powerful people support a country or policy. Of course they must do so, that is how every policy decision happens: the powerful people fall in line with the decisions of capital, decisions that may have been made decades ago but are now entrenched. Capital also leverages its close collaboration with the highest levels of the state. The White House is constantly consulting finance, economic advisors from finance, think tanks built to advance the interests of finance, etc (finance is the dominsnt wing of caoital in the US). And in the other direction, capital is constantly making threats and PR pushes.

          • anachronist@midwest.social
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            As demonstrated by @theangryseal@lemmy.world the zionists in America are not all Jewish. In fact, there are likely many more evangelical zionists in the USA than Jewish zionists. Also, most of the jews I know (especially younger ones) are anti-zionist.

            But cheers on the Israel=Judaism hasbara

            • Kuori [she/her]@hexbear.net
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              yes i am aware of all of this. none of that in any way interacts with my point, which is that “actually israel is secretly pulling the strings of the U.S. via shadowy manipulation” fucking reeks and it has the distinction of not being true

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                via shadowy manipulation […] and it has the distinction of not being true

                Yeah I agree with this part. Because the manipulation is obvious and in your face and absolutely not “shadowy”.

                AIPAC has made it clear repeatedly that they will carpet bomb any candidate no matter how minor with money if they support BDS or are even BDS-adjacent. Nina Turner, Cori Bush, and Jamaal Bowman have all had their political careers cut short for being even slightly critical of Israel.

                If there was an organization like AIPAC for, say, Russia, an ARPAC, it would be illegal and its officers would be hauled off to prison because foreign influence in American elections is illegal. Yet even though it says right in the name that AIPAC is a foreign influence organization, they are allowed to not only operate but yield enormous power.

                On the other side of the isle, Thomas Massie has said that every single member of the US congress has an “AIPAC Minder” who watches over them at all times and he’s even heard in meetings of Republican members statements like “I need to clear that with my AIPAC guy.”

                It is illegal to boycott a foreign country in 37 US states. The state governments of a majority of American states actually passed a law saying “this foreign country in particular, if an American citizen boycotts or advocates for boycotting it, they can be prosecuted.” Can you guess which country that is? (hint: it’s not Canada)

    • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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      Whatever the fuck they want. Both American parties are pro-genocide, and their voters are either too stupid or too scared to demand otherwise. Its relevant because Israel could be doing absolutely none of this without US backing. US voters had (and somewhat still have) an opportunity to demand from their candidates but as I said, either too stupid or too scared to demand it.

      Now Israel has carte blanc.

      • ISOmorph@feddit.org
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        Things I agree with:

        • fuck Israel

        Things I disagree with:

        • Israel has amassed such an arsenal, it can continue this shit on it’s own for a good while. An arms embargo would still be appropriate though
        • Voters are demanding a cease fire and have been for a long time. No one is scared. A lot of people have enough national problems to worry about, that they put first
        • it’s carte blanche, carte is feminine
        • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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          Israel has amassed such an arsenal, it can continue this shit on it’s own for a good while. An arms embargo would still be appropriate though

          No way. First they can’t use some of those weapons without US approval. They’re made that way. Second, if they were running a more normal terror campaign (like shock and awe for example) that’d be correct, but they’re not. They’re carpet bombing Gaza and Lebanon using “precision” airstrikes. It’s an incredibly wasteful method of genocide that only has the advantage of being able to say “but we’re targeting terrorists”. No way they can keep up this nonsense without unlimited US weapons. Third, Israel would be eaten alive by its neighbors without US diplomatic (or “diplomatic”) support. Do you understand how much support any middle eastern leader would get by sayint “We’ll go fight Israel to save our Palestinian brothers”? The only reason it’s not happening and even Iran is leaving the job to its militias is because of the US carrot and stick.

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        Support for Israel is “off the table” in American politics. It’s something that won’t even be offered to voters as a choice. I remember when globalization was like this. Between Ross Perot and Donald Trump you had zero candidates on either side who were anti-globalization.

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          It’s so shameful what greed and broken electoral finance laws in the U.S. have done to the country. Right now, an investment of a few million by a PAC can turn into billions of dollars from the government, via direct aid, passing laws, or simply looking the other way if a company isn’t being too obviously evil.

          The primaries this year were highly telling in that regard - politicians were being nakedly bought in plain sight, but, again, because “you don’t fuck with the money” it’s not a question in political circles of whether overhauling campaign finance should be undertaken.

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            Yeah. The silver lining is that, for specific issues, eventually the dam bursts and public opinion can overwhelm. But it can take a long time.

            Ross Perot was the most successful third party candidate in American history since William Jennings Bryan. And yet, for nearly two decades both parties refused to adopt his policies on trade despite their overwhelming popularity and the obvious benefit electorally.

            BTW The bigger issue with campaign finance is our radical right activist supreme court. We used to have a lot of laws limiting what money could do in politics but the court has dismantled most of them.

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      exactly what the us allows them to do. I can only guess that kind old uncle sam has been feeding its billions in war change to israel for reasons more compelling than mere genocide (but that would suffice for some). a middle east ground “incursion” may be it.

      because nothing could possibly go wrong with this. nothing at all.

  • Commiunism@lemmy.wtf
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    I’ve read The Guardian article about the situation, and what stuck out to me was this:

    The US president, Joe Biden, said he was aware of Israel’s plans to launch an operation into Lebanon as he urged against such a move. “I’m more aware than you might know and I’m comfortable with them stopping,” he told reporters at the White House. “We should have a ceasefire now.”

    Thank you Biden, just wag your finger and keep feeling “comfortable with them stopping”, that is ought to give you some moral victory points which is all that matters (and not thousands of civilians being killed by Israel that’s funded by US).

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    This will lead to WW3. Plus the blow back will be endless. You can’t murder tens of thousands of people, and displace and starve millions with out creating terrorists.

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      They think that hezbollah and hamas and all the attacks on Israel by both are 100% unprovoked and brought on by some inbred hatred for jews. Hell, I was accused of being a bigot simply for being Lebanese and it was somehow taught to me as a child that I must hate Israel because of where I was born.

      Nothing could be farther than the truth. I hate Israel and zionism the same way I fucking hate the nazis. It is because of what they believe, what they did, and what they are doing now, and what they plan on doing.

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        And whatever blindfolded bigotry is in these areas they are justifying with their actions. Do they think someone who just had their lives, friends and family blown up or stolen by Israel is going to think rationally? I’d tell you what I’d do in the Palestinians shoes but it’ll probably get me on a FBI watch list.

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          Look up ‘Hasbara program’ on your preferred search engine (duckduckgo or startpage. Degoogle your life!) And you will see that they train and pay people to go online and just spread this shit on various allegedly middle east communities until it is nothing but zionist hellscapes.

          On reddit the Lebanon and Syria subreddits are havens for zionist propagandists trying to get Lebanese to think that everything is their fault or hezbollah’s fault, and in the Syrian subreddit they claim that all Lebanese in Syria are troublemakers and drug dealers and thieves who want to wreck Syrian society.

          No joke. It is that fucked. I could write more but I don’t got the time or energy now.

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      A person born with hatred out of those conditions is not a terrorist. They have every right to feel the way to do.

      Typical westerners, acknowledging their plight and still blaming the victims.

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        That’s not the message or point I was making. I’m not blaming the victims. Just read my other replies.

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          Using the word ‘terrorist’ doesn’t convey that message at all, unless you mean it sarcastically or facetiously. Which also wasn’t conveyed. Just saying, might be good to use an indicator. Especially when Americans are such blood thirsty psychos.

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            Blow back implies it’s the person who (UN sanctioned terrorist Isreal and America) is the aggressor hurts themselves by harming others.

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        That’s a weird take. Why do you think anyone becomes a terrorist? It’s usually not because they had a normal upbringing.

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          You probably think of this, this is the upbringing making people desperately fighting for freedom and to end the oppression and genocide.

          Terrorists are the Isn’treal and USA and their allies and vassals.

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        There are countless fake Lebanese who claim that this invasion is justified and it is 100% hezbollah fault (yeah right) while not realizing that this shit could lead to something far worse.

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          WW3 is the something worse. I don’t see how this goes any other way. China and Russia will back Arab nations to stick it to the US if our troops get involved. (we just sent 10k troops to the region as “peace keepers and advisors” totally won’t backfire like very other time) We are moving away from the proxy War phases and straight into full on global war.

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      I am so so so expecting a nuclear exchange in or around the middle east witin 12 months - possibly after a “dirty nuke” attempt somewhere.

      I am clutching at straws to even excuse this out of my top 3 worst case black swans.

      only positive news is that nuclear winter will sure fix up that global warming thing real good.

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    This was always going to happen after the pagers exploded. Netanyahu is finalizing his legacy before he loses the next election. He’s taking out all of Israel’s enemies’ ability to wage war.

    Netanyahu is ensuring October 10 doesn’t happen again in the foreseeable future and also expanding land grabs at a rapid pace. He doesn’t give a single fuck about civilian death tolls to achieve his goals.

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      …and this ensures it will happen again. with greater magnitude. the machine needs more meat.

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      The recent military attacks on the people of Lebanon have increased Netanyahu’s popularity. When people talk about Netanyahu being unpopular, they often forget that this is because his government isn’t sufficiently meeting demands for blood and retribution and making the Israeli Ubermenschen feel like they are perfectly safe and dominant at all times. Attacks on Lebanon checks all 3 boxes, at least in their minds.

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      Do you know what blow back is? You don’t just kill tens of thousands of innocent people, and displace/starve millions of people without creating more terrorists. Isreal told us what Hamas and Hezbollah wanted in negotiations. Stop the occupation, embargo, and settlements in Gaza and the west bank and return all land stolen in those areas. Isreal said no. Does that sound responsible for Isreal? No because they don’t want peace. They want the land and will kill everyone currently living on it. Top officials in the Israeli government has publicly said that’s what they want, but we’re still having this fucking discussion?! Nah fam, this is full on genicide. Do you honestly think the middle east will be more peaceful if Israel gets everything they want? Buckle up buckaroo, next stop WW3.

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    Where will “I’ll attack them coz they attacked me coz I attacked them coz they attacked me…” finally lead to? Anything can be justified based on when you start looking at the history, and each new attack only fuels the next.

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      Where will “I’ll attack them coz they attacked me coz I attacked them coz they attacked me…” finally lead to?

      The end of Israel as an apartheid genocidal settler-colonial state. You can look to South Africa for an example.

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      Go look at the northern ireland troubles. There are other similar situations in history but that’s a good example. Essentially you have to get people talking until they agree to peace. Violence of any type just fuels more conflict.

      I suspect Israel just wants to wipe out its enemies. That can’t be done so they will have to stop one way or another.

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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      Because Israel is a settler-colonial genocidal project. It isn’t a nation, it’s a dog of Empire. Israel strikes first, and commits war crimes, and now you’re carrying water for fascists when the victims actually push back.

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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          Which part was propaganda? I’ll carefully explain any of my views. I want the genocidal settler-colonial entity Israel to be dissolved, and a democratic Palestinian state to replace it for Palestinians and former-Israelis alike.

          • PiousAgnostic@lemmy.world
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            The part you wrote. The first post definitely, and then also this last post. It’s the words you used, and then the order you placed those words in.

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                  Your words weren’t left, don’t try to hide behind us

                  100% of my words were written from Leftist analysis.

                  Is meaningless, we oppose the killing, we oppose the inequality with which they treat their neighbours. We still support their existence, we just want it to be a better existence

                  Offering mere platitudes and “thoughts and prayers” for a better world instead of actually working towards it is idealism, not materialism. Don’t carry water for fascists.

                • davel@lemmy.ml
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                  Your words weren’t left, don’t try to hide behind us

                  Judging by the modlog, you wouldn’t recognize an actual left perspective if it bit you in the ass.

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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          Where they came from. Netanyahu is from Philidelphia.

          “Blood and soil” is fascist rhetoric.

          Or, they can stay where they are, just in a secular, democratic Palestinian state.

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            I think Bibi was technically born in Israel and spent his early childhood there but lived in Philidelphia during the period that he went to high school.

          • Alsephina@lemmy.mlOP
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            they can stay where they are, just in a secular, democratic Palestinian state.

            This is the solution the PFLP supports iirc

            A settler colonial ethnostate built on the genocide of natives can never coexist with said natives. It can’t be a separate state.

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      This is the 4th ground invasion by Israel, and they are gearing up for a second occupation of Lebanese territory. Israel is using the same tactics as always when going in to occupy and settle land. You’re forgetting that the ‘big kid’ has been the aggressor, been committing genocide for a year, apartheid for much longer, and has never stopped it’s Settler Colonialist land grabs

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          You don’t have a single thought in your head and the only thing you’re covering it with is this haughty affectation.

          I mean, this shit has been going back and forth longer than we’ been alive. Saying one side is the aggressor is using some pretty heavy blinders.

          you’re just being a dipshit fascist doing “it’s too complicated to argue with so just let it happen” like with literally every other time ‘the big kid’ commits crimes against humanity

          It’s weird how we didn’t see blood and soil nazis like you coming forward with “it’s complicated” rhetoric when Oct 7 happened. Now that it’s Israel wanting to annex more territory with terrorism and pogroms you’re on board.

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          I’m not saying one is good and the other is bad. I’m pointing out that one is blowback from the other. Zionism, and it’s Settler Colonialism, is the underlying cause of all this violence. And that needs to be addressed in order to end all the violence

          One or Two State Solution

          The settlements represent land-grabbing, and land-grabbing and peace-making don’t go together, it is one or the other. By its actions, if not always in its rhetoric, Israel has opted for land-grabbing and as we speak Israel is expanding settlements. So, Israel has been systematically destroying the basis for a viable Palestinian state and this is the declared objective of the Likud and Netanyahu who used to pretend to accept a two-state solution. In the lead up to the last election, he said there will be no Palestinian state on his watch. The expansion of settlements and the wall mean that there cannot be a viable Palestinian state with territorial contiguity. The most that the Palestinians can hope for is Bantustans, a series of enclaves surrounded by Israeli settlements and Israeli military bases.

          • Avi Shlaim

          How Avi Shlaim moved from two-state solution to one-state solution

          ‘One state is a game changer’: A conversation with Ilan Pappe

          One State Solution, Foreign Affairs

          Hamas officials should be held accountable for all war crimes committed, same as all Israeli officials. That said, there are many parallels between the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and Gaza.

          In the Shadow of the Holocaust by Masha Gessen, the situation in Gaza is compared to the Warsaw Ghettos. The comparison was also made by a Palestinian poet who was later killed by an Israeli airstrike. Adi Callai, an Israeli, has also written on the parallels in his article The Gaza Ghetto Uprising and expanded upon in his corresponding video

    • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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      Noor Masawi was not Hezbollah:

      Noor Mossawi is among them. The six-year-old is lying unconscious in a paediatric intensive care unit, in Rayak Hospital, with bandages wrapped around her fractured skull.

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      How do you avoid personally attacking someone who so personally holds up their “I am evil” sign? Like, if I say “go fuck yourself” to the comment I’m responding to them I’m just going to get deleted for incivility. But the man is praising an invasion by a genocidal regime and I’m kinda fuckin tired of being forced to be civil with someone so incapable of civility themselves.