Justifying the unjustifiable
Although I am vehemently against the current conflict, I acknowledge there are many knowledgeable Pro-Israeli people here who have helped me see some of the nuance of the situation and to help me understand that not every Israeli is a Ben-Gvir. Recently I felt the conflict had turned a new page and was starting to wind down in terms of civilian deaths and I was very glad.
But then 7 western aid workers were deliberately struck, including one of my fellow Australians - and suddenly my outrage has reignited. Why does Israel continue to do things like this and just isolate itself from world support?
Australia for example, has largely been indifferent to the conflict - citizens seem to care more about housing affordability than the conflict. And yet with the latest strike, you'd be hard pressed to find many Australians who supports the war effort by Israel now. Widespread media coverage. Widespread condemnation. Even the Jewish Council Australia is condemning the IDF.
We are your allies, and yet you make it so hard for us to support you.
Why does Israel keep doing this to itself?
Here's a list of questions I just cannot get my head around - please help me understand:
Targeting Civilians
- Why is it when Israel deliberately kills a non-combatant, it's an "accident", but when Hamas deliberately kills a non-combatant, it is "deliberate"? Do you really believe there is no moral equivalency between shooting dead 3 naked, Israeli hostages holding white flags, and shooting residents of a Kibbutz? Especially when each Kibbutz have their own security forces so the line between armed combatant and non combatant is not black and white either. Both are deliberate, unforgiveable and demonic. You are literally comparing a trained IDF soldier to a disenfranchised, untrained, uneducated Terrorist, and yet you excuse the IDF soldier's actions as "mistakes" and claim a disenfranchised, untrained, uneducated Terrorist has more accurate target acquisition protocols than a trained IDF soldier. Ergo, that means either the IDF are as murderous as Hamas, or they are MORE incompetent than Hamas.
- If Israel warns people before they bomb anywhere (leaflets, SMS's, roofknockers etc.), even forgetting about the 30,000+ dead, how is it possible that according to the IDF, 10000+ Hamas operatives have been killed. Are Hamas operatives illiterate to warnings? Do Hamas operatives just stay in one spot and allow themselves to be bombed?
- Were leaflets dropped and SMS's sent before the 7 aid workers were bombed 3 times? Were leaflets dropped and SMS's sent to Hind Rajab? Were leaflets dropped and SMS's sent to the Israeli hostages killed by the IDF?
Claiming the death toll is fictitious.
4) If you think the Gaza Health Ministry casualty count is incorrect, how many Gazans do YOU think have died? Is the number not completely superfluous to the point that too many civilians have died? What difference does it make to anyone's opinion if it were 5000 vs 10000 vs 30000 vs 50000? Too many have died. So why go on about the numbers and not believing the Hamas numbers?
5) If you think the Gaza Health Ministry casualty count is incorrect, whose figures do you believe? The figures which have been validated by independent human rights organisations as well as the UN? Or the IDF who cannot even identify 3 naked, white flag waving Israeli hostages correctly?
6) If you think the Gaza Health Ministry casualty count is incorrect, why do you not allow independent, international journalists into Gaza?
Human Shields
7) Hamas is claimed to use human shields. Hamas is also claimed to hide in tunnels to protect themselves from air strikes whilst civilians are left above ground in the open to die. So if that's the case, why does Israel keep bombing the human shields, knowing the Hamas operatives won't be touched?
8) If Hamas is hiding in tunnels, and civilians are left in the open - how is it possible to use someone as a human shield if you are physically underground and your shield is above ground? Wouldn't your human shield just run away?
9) Who were the aid workers human shielding? Who was Hind Rajab human shielding? Who were the two Palestinians shot and bulldozed human shielding? Who were the 3 Israeli hostages human shielding?
Gazans being at fault
10) Why do you claim that Palestinians deserve death because they voted in Hamas, despite more than half the population of Gaza not even being alive when Hamas was voted in? Once you factor in that 20 years ago, even those alive back then would have been children as well, it's even more damning.
11) Why do you claim that Palestinians are all guilty because they cheered Hamas taking back hostages to Gaza city - how is this any different to the Israelis being all guilty because they cheered warplanes flying overhead into Gaza? How is it different to hundreds of Israelis on Telegram groups laughing at photos of the dead Australian killed and claiming she won't be able to hop with Kangaroos in Sydney anymore? How is it different to IDF soldiers parading the Bras and lingerie of women they killed?
12) If Gazans deserve the death and destruction they faced because they voted in Hamas, does that mean Oct 7 victims deserved the death and destruction they faced because they voted in Netanyahu?
13) You claim 70% of Gazans support Hamas actions on October 7th. Aside from the fact that 50%+ of Gazans are CHILDREN - if your entire family was bombed, your children buried alive, your spouse blown to pieces, would YOU support violence against the other side? 90%+ of Israelis are reported to support what the ICJ has concluded is a plausible genocide, so with your own statistics you've basically concluded Gazans are more peaceful than Israelis.
13.5) You claim that Gazans will not be radicalised after this much death and destruction, because German civilians were not radicalised after World War 2. Are you not forgetting this region has been radicalised literally for 80 years? Are you forgetting the most recent war on terror in Afghanistan, Iraq? Are you forgetting how ISIS rose up from the ashes? Are you forgetting how Al-Qaeda rose up? Are you forgetting that Hamas itself is literally a product of Israel radicalising Palestine? And you want to make it worse?
We care about hostages
14) If you care about hostages so much, why do you continue to bomb them, restrict aid into Gaza, target their captors (the only people who have access and know where the hostages are being imprisoned) and jeopardise their lives?
15) If you care about hostages so much, why are Israeli politicians telling hostage families to shut up, or threatening them if they dare speak up about the hostage situation? (Source: Israeli news)
16) If you care about hostages so much, why has Israel killed more hostages than they have rescued?
17) If you care about hostages so much, why did Israeli helicopters fire rockets and missiles at hostage filled cars driving back to Gaza on october 7th?
18) If you care about hostages so much, why are you so against a Ceasefire, knowing that the last ceasefire resulted in the release of 100+ hostages?
19) If you care about hostages so much, why are all the hostage families protesting 24/7 around the Knesset?
Hamas vs IDF lies
20) Why do you believe Hamas when they say they want to attack Israel again and again, and yet not believe Hamas when they say they want a ceasefire, or that they did not deliberately target civilians on Oct 7, or that they do not use human shields, or the casualty numbers. I have no reason to believe Hamas, but the fact that you SELECTIVELY believe Hamas is just indication of using their words to aid your own agenda. You can't have it both ways. Either believe Hamas, or not. Don't be selective and hypocritical.
21) Why do you believe Hamas when they say they want to attack Israel again and again, indicating their genocidal intent, and yet whenever an Israeli minister says something similar about Gaza you claim "they do not represent government policy"
22) Why is it that Israel always claim that they will thoroughly investigate an atrocity that Israel has committed - and yet we never see the results of that investigation? For example, how is the investigation into the deaths of the 3 naked Israeli hostages shot by the IDF going? Any updates to that?
23) Why is it that Israel always claim that they will thoroughly investigate an atrocity that Israel has committed, and yet no investigation was needed for Oct 7 before air strikes occurred on Oct 8? Clearly it seems like the IDF could find out the facts about Oct 7 within 24 hours, and yet months after the 3 naked Israeli hostages were shot by the IDF, we still don't know what happened. Same with Hind Rajab. Same with the other countless victims not publicised by the media.
24) If Hamas lies, why not allow international media into Gaza?