100% they do, which is why they’re telling civilians to stay put in areas the Israelis have said to evacuate; they know that collateral damage and dead civilians will generate sympathy towards their cause, regardless of what’s happened beforehand.
7 Likes
History maybe a wonderful teacher, but the present is not a very good learner!
2 Likes
Sadly, 16 years later, this is still very relevant.
1 Like
Thats all good and well except the whole massive rascist element where she slams all ‘Arabs’ into the same boat.
Hamas is not the same as all Palistinians.
Just as ‘back in the day’ ye oldie terrorists were not the same as all Palistinians.
3 Likes
At the time Israel had not long survived three Arab trying to destroy Israel.
1 Like
True.
To be clear.
Im not pro either side.
I am however on the side of zero children suffering.
5 Likes
Big badda boom.
Looks like the proper offensive has just begun. Some of the videos are reminiscent of Baghdad 2003.
2 Likes
Sliding under the radar during all of this the US Department of Defence briefed during the week that their forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked 13 times by Militants using Iranian rockets/drones. Consequently they have deployed Air National Guard F-16’s to bolster CENT COM plus the requisite force protection units.
3 Likes
Many of the refugees will probably end up coming to Europe, with all the issues that situation raises if the Egyptians don’t want them, and if there’s not enough facilities supplied to help them in Sinai or southern Gaza. They won’t be able to return to badly damaged or completely destroyed urban areas in the northern part, which will be dangerous because of unstable buildings and unexploded munitions.
Thanks for that, Israel. 
I don’t really have words for just how blinkered people seem to be, largely down political lines once more (though Sir Kier, with a legal background in this stuff has absolutely no excuse for crossing the isle).
War crimes are not just being committed, they’re being actively defended and explained away by the line that Israel, a very powerful military force that has now killed thousands more in this round of fighting alone than they suffered in Hamas’ horrendous attack “has the right to defend itself”. As though scores of dead babies and children don’t.
Israel also has the ability to pace itself and practice discrimination and uphold international law. This is not the existential threat it’s pretending to fight.
And as for the bile that’s being thrown around ahead of Saturday’s protest. What could be more appropriate than a call for armistice on armistice day? But no, we’ve gone and made it another culture war, because these are clearly just brown people trying to dump on British culture (they say, while suggesting that isn’t a culture shared by the protestors).
And so I find yet another reason to weep.
2 Likes
Not really, international support is fickle, if they want to do this they have to do it now while they can still point to Hamas murdering over a thousand Israeli civilians. If they wait they won’t have the same political and diplomatic support. (Similar in a way to the Falklands, Mrs T clumsily play the full diplomatic game because waiting would’ve eroded international support, there were other issues like the weather as well obviously).
I did ask someone online who was whinging that it was inappropriate to hold a March anywhere in London on Armistice Day if they were also calling to Lord Mayors Show being cancelled as that’s on Saturday too. I suspect I’ll be waiting a long time for a response.
I’m amazed we haven’t had serious disorder yet, I know Edinburgh had some earlier in the week but that was just the annual Haloween/Bonfire issues.
It’s the right time of year for a proper violent disorder/riot (not raining/snowing dark enough, not too cold yet) and community tensions have been simmering a long time. I can see it coming, probably somewhere up North with the risk of it spreading if not controlled properly on the first night.
This is a long but fascinating read. Israeli intelligence working with seemingly random Gazans to minimise civilian casualties, as told by one of the Gazans: 'I’m calling from Israeli intelligence. We have the order to bomb. You have two hours' - BBC News
2 Likes
Although to be fair, calling a civilian to express your intent to bomb them is forcibly removing civilians.
If Hamas built loads of tunnels under the streets and homes of Israel, the state of Israel wouldn’t be pursuing its current tactics.
I believe that says a lot about how they view these civilians.
I and an awful lot of friends and colleagues will be in London over the weekend; and will be parading at the Cenotaph on Sunday. We’re all expecting it to kick-off at some point whether it be on Saturday AND/OR Sunday. It could be a catalyst for the remainder of the country.
As Bomber Harris famously said: “they have sown the wind, now they will reap the whirlwind”.
And to quote a 1981 Ultravox song: “I can feel it coming in the air tonight”.
2 Likes
The Saturday protest is outside the American Embassy and there is no protest planned on Sunday, so if it kicks off it will be people looking for trouble. (Much like the “protect the statues” morons during BLM).
4 Likes
You can’t guarantee that it won’t spill over into Sunday. These protesters feel that they are a protected species and can do whatever they want. If they feel that disrupting the Cenotaph ceremony will get them publicity, that’s what they’ll do.
Rowley won’t lift a finger to stop that happening, we’ve already heard his comments in the media. All I can say is that if these idiots want to face down 10,000 vets, then they’re asking for some SERIOUS trouble.
Personally?
Part of me hopes they try.
1 Like
That’s the attitude of the idiots during BLM who caused the policing operation to double in size and then sulked when they were policed equally with BLM. Same morons who were out in their red berets and 1980’s Bomber jackets “protecting the Cenotaph” last week from a protest outside Downing Street that had zero interest in the Cenotaph and hasn’t shown any interest in the Cenotaph at any stage.
Pull the other one it’s got bells on. His comments in the press have (surprisingly) been spot on.
At present their are no grounds to ask the Home Secretary to ban a March on Saturday, their aren’t even the grounds to put conditions on under the Public Order Act at the moment. That would change on the day if a protest miraculously happened, but you don’t mobilise 30,000 people on an impulse.
What we have is right wing press and groups making a crisis out of nothing. I don’t doubt it could kick off, but if it does it won’t be an accident.
9 Likes
This is honestly half the problem. People wanting a fight for the sake of a fight. It doesn’t help anyone having this sort of attitude towards the (theoretical) protests.
5 Likes
This is exactly what Braverman wants
4 Likes