lolwut, you think being gay makes you impervious to bombs? They'd die like every other Gazan under Israeli brutality. What a silly question
In Gaza, gays are regularly set on by mobs and killed. Their fellow Muslim Palestinians are much more of a threat to gay people in Gaza than the IDF. "For LGBT Gazans, the specter of death from the Israel-Hamas war only compounds what was already a struggle to live freely in a place where homosexual relations between men is outlawed and open queerness violates social and religious mores." https://time.com/6326254/queering-the-map-gaza-lgbt-palestinians/ Pride and Prejudice: The Hellish Life of Gaza’s LGBTQ Community Four gay men and one woman tell Haaretz what life is really like in a ‘homophobic society’ where pretending to be straight is often a matter of survival https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east...ommunity/0000017f-db0b-df9c-a17f-ff1b46ca0000 ‘Queers for Palestine’ must have a death wish The destruction of Israel and the emboldening of Hamas would make life unlivable for gay Palestinians https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/11/09/queers-for-palestine-must-have-a-death-wish/
Arab countries basically will not fund or help the Palestinians whatsoever. The Arab countries which make such noise of the suffering of the Palestinians are basically providing zero aid and will not help assist Gaza after the war. These countries have made very clear their actual attitude towards Palestinians. Whether it is the UAE refusing to help with pay for Palestinian workers or Egypt providing basically zero assistance -- there is next to nothing in funding or aid coming from Arab countries to help their fellow Muslims in Gaza. The basic attitude appears to be that the UN will provide this money -- which, of course, is sourced from western nations. Not a single Arab nation is willing to let in even a limited number of refugees from Gaza -- even temporarily. The single exception being Egypt allowing less than 200 people in for medical treatment from Gaza. Until they discovered that many of the injured being sent to them were actually Hamas militants, after which Egypt firmly shut the doors. On top of not providing aid, the Arab nations have refused to have any involvement in re-building Gaza. They expect western nations and the UN to re-build Gaza. The re-building costs are expected to be in the billions of dollars and many of the oil-rich Arab nations can easily provide some funding -- but they are not going to do so. Naturally all of this is tied up in regional politics. Iran, a Shia nation, is the primary spreader of terrorism by proxy in the region. Not only does Iran fund and arm Hamas and Hezbollah -- they also fund & arm groups which target Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab nations. Many of these Sunni Arab nations do not want to give funding to Palestinians which are being already funded by Iran to commit terrorism. This would simply lead to the need to rebuild Gaza yet again after a future war -- in a continually re-occurring cycle. Actions speak louder than words. The lack of support for Palestinians by Arab nations is basically shouting FU at the top of their lungs as the actual message -- reflecting their actual attitude to the suffering endured by their fellow Muslims.
you cucking to Israel's "we ain't paying for what we broke, you pay" messaging already? Damn, that was quick
Unfortunately the Palestinians (human beings) are screwed. Hamas are suicidal. Religious doctrine (all sides) is suicidal. Just leading from war to war to war. Gays are fucked 'scuse the pun. Gays are hated by religous people in particular. It's just a shit bath of intolerance. Going there for a holiday for example would be the last thing I'd want to do. Sharia Law is - what can I say - something from the dungeons of hell. If I were Palestinian in Gaza, my advice would be GTFO the shit hole if possible, ya gotta be like the Europeans after WW2, emigrate and start a new life in a new culture, but that is difficult, no one wants immigrants these days, except Russia, then off to the front line to say hello to Ukrainians.
‘Still no endgame’ as Blinken concludes latest Middle East tour: Analysts Critics question whether Blinken’s trip is an exercise in ‘face-saving’ as US faces criticism over stance in Gaza war. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting with Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz in Tel Aviv, Israel [Evelyn Hockstein/AP Photo] By Joseph Stepansky Published On 11 Jan 2024 As the United States’ top diplomat concludes his fourth tour of the Middle East since the war in Gaza began, foreign policy analysts are questioning whether the visit was an act of diplomacy — or an exercise in “damage control”. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled from Israel to the West Bank and then Bahrain. The stops were part of a tour that included visits to Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with a final stop in Egypt on Thursday. Much of the attention was on the US’s continued support of Israel, as it continues its months-long military campaign in Gaza. An estimated 23,357 Palestinians have died in that offensive, amid mounting concerns over human rights violations. At a Tel Aviv news conference on Tuesday, Blinken ran through oft-repeated themes: that the administration of US President Joe Biden “continues to stand” with Israel but that civilian casualties in Gaza remain “far too high”. Analysts described the latest tour as an attempt at “face-saving”, as Blinken sought to walk a fine line between exerting influence over Israel and failing to publicly exercise any real leverage. “We want this war to end as soon as possible,” Blinken told reporters on Tuesday. But three months into the war, an “endgame” remains elusive, said Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, the director of research for Israel-Palestine at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). “There’s still no plan,” he told Al Jazeera. He cast doubt on Israel’s stated mission of eliminating the Palestinian group Hamas as part of the war. “Israelis are still living in fantasyland, in that they think they can accomplish the impossible, and the Americans are still in fantasyland [thinking] that they can bring Israelis around to something that’s acceptable to the world,” Omer-Man explained. Critics warned that the US and Israel are also articulating different visions for the path forward after the war. On his visit to Tel Aviv, for example, Blinken called on Israel to accept a two-state solution for Palestine, something he again discussed with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday. But Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected any moves towards a two-state solution and has said Israel will maintain security control over Gaza for an indefinite period after the war. Two far-right Israeli officials — Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — have also voiced a desire for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians out of Gaza, something critics have interpreted as a push for ethnic cleansing in the enclave. The latest rhetoric underscored the “yawning gap” between Washington’s vision for a post-war Gaza and what Israel’s government is willing to accept, according to Joshua Landis, the director of the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. “Netanyahu, who has said numerous times that America is easy to manipulate and who has done end runs around one president after the next, is doing an end run around Biden,” Landis told Al Jazeera. “He’s getting all the arms he wants, and he’s continuing to do this massive damage in Gaza, and he’s not moderating his government officials, who are constantly spouting out this hate messaging, which is embarrassing America in front of the world,” he said. ‘Preempt’ ICJ hearings Still, Blinken sought to claim some victories during the trip. He announced, for instance, that US and Israeli officials had agreed on a plan for a United Nations assessment mission in northern Gaza to “determine what needs to be done to allow displaced Palestinians to return safely to homes in the north”. That announcement came before the World Health Organization (WHO) cancelled its latest aid mission to northern Gaza, saying Israeli approval and security assurances had not been granted. Blinken also hailed Israel’s announcement that it would begin to shift some troops out of Gaza, describing it as a transition to a “lower-intensity phase” in the enclave. On Monday, in interviews with the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said his country would move from the “intense-manoeuvring phase of the war” to “types of special operations”, in an effort to reduce civilian casualties. However, intense fighting would continue in the centre and south of Gaza. Hours later, speaking at a campaign event in South Carolina, Biden said in unscripted remarks that he had been “quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza”. But far from acquiescing to US pressure, DAWN’s Omer-Man said talk of a strategic shift was more likely a response to South Africa’s proceedings against Israel at the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ). South Africa has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and requested a provisional injunction that would, in theory, order Israel to stop its operations. Preliminary hearings are set to take place on Thursday and Friday. Israel’s rhetoric about shifting tactics is “absolutely designed so they can tell the ICJ that any interim measures are not relevant any more because major military operations have ended”, Omer-Man explained. “I think a big part of this is the US and Israel trying to preempt [the ICJ hearings] in some way.” For his part, speaking in Tel Aviv, Blinken dismissed the charge of genocide as “meritless”. Israel-Lebanon ‘escalatory trend’ Blinken’s latest trip through the Middle East has also coincided with increased fighting along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where there have been a string of high-profile assassinations in recent days. Those include the killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, which Israel has yet to claim or deny, as well as the killing of Hezbollah commander Wissam Hassan al-Tawil on Monday. Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, described the killings as part of an “escalatory trend” fuelled by Israeli officials pledging to “change the status quo” in the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed movement, and fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border has fuelled fears of a wider regional conflict erupting, with Iran and other countries potentially entering the fray. “[The US] is concerned that things might get out of control. They are concerned about voices inside the Israeli war cabinet who want to escalate the Hezbollah-Israel front, who want to basically finish what they had not done in 2006,” she said, referring to Israel’s ground invasion of southern Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah war. On Tuesday, Blinken was asked if the strikes surrounding his visit undermined US calls to avoid any escalation with Iranian proxy forces and potentially Iran itself. “One thing that we’ve heard clearly every place we’ve gone, including in Israel, is that escalation is in no one’s interest. No one’s seeking it,” Blinken said. For his part, Omer-Man said there was less “daylight” between Israel and the US over the actions along the Israel-Lebanon border. The two countries remain united in their opposition to Iran. “Whatever public messaging is coming out of the US and Israel is really just meant to play ‘good cop, bad cop’,” he said. “Whether it’s chosen roles or understood roles.” Another ‘performative’ trip Nevertheless, Landis at the University of Oklahoma said the broader strategy behind the Blinken visit was damage control in the Middle East. Washington has consistently refused to support a ceasefire in Gaza, and it has continued to offer weapons and political support to Israel’s operations. That has strained relations with many of its Arab allies in the Middle East. “The major pillars of US strategy have been badly hurt,” Landis said. He added that those weakened relationships could result in the “years-long” delay — if not a “death knell” — for Israeli-Arab normalisation schemes sought by the White House. The US stance on Gaza might also set back efforts to calm tensions with Iran and its proxies as part of a wider pivot to Asia. As the Middle East Institute’s Slim told Al Jazeera: “The region, minus Israel, is not interested in listening to the Americans until the Americans call for a ceasefire.” Meanwhile, at home, Biden has faced criticism over his Gaza stance from within his own Democratic Party — and indeed within his own administration — as the humanitarian situation continues to worsen. Polls show a majority of Americans support a call for a ceasefire. But with little indication that the US will attempt to assert leverage over Israel, Blinken’s latest trip to the Middle East is fundamentally “performative”, according to Osama Khalil, a history professor at Syracuse University. “There is a face-saving domestic consumption element for [the Biden administration] and a separate face-saving element to allow Israel to claim some kind of victory,” Khalil said. Source: Al Jazeera
The conclussion of all this: Blinken is putting on a fascade for the media that US is attempting genuine progress, but seen from the results - nothing positive has been achieved.
In landmark case, South Africa accuses Israel of genocidal acts in Gaza By Mike Corder and Raf Casert Updated January 12, 2024 Key points South Africa accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians, top UN court hears. South Africa wants court to order Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza, where more than 23,000 people have died. The case is one of the most significant ever heard in an international court. Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has vehemently denied the allegations. The case strikes at the heart of Israel’s national identity. The Hague: In a case that strikes at the heart of Israel’s national identity, South Africa has formally accused the country of committing genocide against Palestinians and pleaded with the United Nations’ top court to order an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza. The case is one of the most significant ever heard in an international court, and it goes to the core of one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. Judges Israel’s Aharon Barak, centre right, and South Africa’s Dikgang Ernest Moseneke, centre left, preside over the opening of the hearings at the International Court of Justice.Credit: AP Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has vehemently denied the allegations. As a sign of how seriously they regard the case, Israeli leaders have taken the rare step of engaging with the court to defend their international reputation. Israel often boycotts international tribunals or UN investigations, saying they are unfair and biased. During opening statements at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday, South African lawyers said the latest Gaza war is part of decades of Israeli oppression of Palestinians. The court “has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct and related intention” that amounts to “a plausible claim of genocidal acts”, South African lawyer Adila Hassim told the judges and audience in a packed room of the Peace Palace in The Hague. “The intent to destroy Gaza has been nurtured at the highest level of state,” Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, advocate of the High Court of South Africa, told the court. He said Israel’s political and military leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were among “the genocidal inciters”. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators watch proceedings at the ICJ on a large screen in The Hague, Netherlands.Credit: Bloomberg “That is evident from the way in which this military attack is being conducted,” he said. Netanyahu blasted the case and vowed to continue fighting Hamas, the militant group whose fighters stormed through Israeli communities on October 7 and killed some 1200 people, mainly civilians. “This is an upside-down world — the state of Israel is accused of genocide while it is fighting genocide,” he said in a video statement. “The hypocrisy of South Africa screams to the heavens.” South Africa is seeking preliminary orders to compel Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza, where more than 23,000 people have died, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas. Pro-Israel demonstrators march towards the ICJ in The Hague, Netherlands.Credit: Bloomberg “Nothing will stop the suffering except an order from this court,” Hassim said. A decision on South Africa’s request for so-called “provisional measures” will probably take weeks. The full case is likely to last years. Israel launched its massive air and ground assault on Gaza soon after the deadly Hamas attack. Three months later, the offensive has driven nearly 85 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes. With only a trickle of food, water, medicine and other supplies entering through an Israeli siege, a quarter of the territory’s residents face starvation. And much of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, has been reduced to a moonscape. Although the court’s findings are considered binding, it was unclear whether Israel would heed any order to halt the fighting. If it doesn’t, it could face UN sanctions, although those may be blocked by a US veto. Israel says it is battling a fierce enemy that carried out the deadliest attack on its territory since its creation in 1948. Israeli leaders insist they are following international law and doing their utmost to avoid harm to civilians. The country blames Hamas for the high death toll, saying its enemy operates in residential areas. In a post on X after the hearing, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat called South Africa’s presentation “one of the greatest shows of hypocrisy” and referred to the legal team as “Hamas’ representatives in court”. He said South African lawyers distorted the reality in Gaza through a series of “baseless and false claims”. He did not elaborate. That reaction came after South Africa insisted Israel committed genocide by design. “The scale of destruction in Gaza, the targeting of family homes and civilians, the war being a war on children, all make clear that genocidal intent is both understood and has been put into practice. The articulated intent is the destruction of Palestinian life,” said lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi. He said the case’s “distinctive feature” was “the reiteration and repetition of genocidal speech throughout every sphere of the state in Israel”. The October 7 attackers also abducted about 250 people, nearly half of whom have been released. Ahead of the proceedings, hundreds of pro-Israeli protesters marched close to the courthouse with banners saying “Bring them home”, referring to the hostages still being held by Hamas. One of the Israeli protesters was Michael Nevy, 42, whose brother was kidnapped by Hamas. “People are talking about what Israel is doing, but Hamas is committing crime against humanity every day,” he said. At a separate demonstration nearby, pro-Palestinians protesters waved flags calling for an end to “Israeli apartheid” and the adoption of a cease-fire. Chanting by protesters on the streets around the court’s manicured grounds could sometimes be heard in the courtroom. The case targets the centre of Israeli identity and the country’s creation as a Jewish state in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust, which killed 6 million Jews. It also evokes issues central to South Africa’s own identity: its governing party, the African National Congress, has long compared Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank to its own history under the apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most Blacks to “homelands” before ending in 1994. The two-day hearing continues on Friday, when Israel, which has sent a strong legal team to make its defence, is scheduled to address the court. South Africa sought to broaden the case beyond the Israel-Hamas war. “The violence and the destruction in Palestine and Israel did not begin on October 7, 2023. The Palestinians have experienced systematic oppression and violence for the last 76 years,” said South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola. About two-thirds of the dead in Gaza are women and children, health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza say. The death toll does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. “Mothers, fathers, children, siblings, grandparents, aunts, cousins are often all killed together. This killing is nothing short of destruction of Palestinian life. It is inflicted deliberately. No one is spared. Not even newborn babies,” said South African lawyer Hassim. Finding food, water, medicine and working bathrooms has become a daily struggle for Palestinians in Gaza. Last week, the UN humanitarian chief called Gaza “uninhabitable” and said Palestinians were “facing the highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded”. Famine is “around the corner”. The world court, which rules on disputes between nations, has never judged a country to be responsible for genocide. The closest it came was in 2007 when it ruled that Serbia “violated the obligation to prevent genocide” in the July 1995 massacre by Bosnian Serb forces of more than 8000 Muslim men and boys in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica. The nearby International Criminal Court prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The case against Israel revolves around the genocide convention that was drawn up in 1948 following World War II. Both Israel and South Africa were signatories. Israel will be back on the International Court of Justice’s docket next month, when hearings open into a UN request for an advisory opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. AP, Reuters