The Asia Sentinel should stick to its own lane, unless it wants to work for a living and dig into the allegations that Hamas' terrorism is being implicitly supported by useful idiots. They should take a look at:
Calling for Israel to regain a moral compass against an enemy that has none and is more than willing to sacrifice the entirety of Gaza and its innocent civilian population in their pursuit of Jihad against Jews and the state of Israel is incredibly ill-timed and bad taste. This is how you reward terrorists and let them win. Notice how Hamas has not said anything beyond taunting mockeries of "stop the bombardment before we even CONSIDER releasing the 200+ hostages we took". Does this look like an adversary you can deescalate against and negotiate peacefully to secure hostage releases without paying a disproportionate price in return? The brutal truth is this: for all intents and purposes those 200+ hostages have to be considered as dead until they are found alive.
If we want to talk about substantial international sentiments thinking that Israel had it coming because of their preceding actions over the decades, then let's also talk about how Palestine and Hamas had it coming because of their immediate actions on October 7. Why is it fine to dismiss atrocities when one can find a historical grievance to excuse them, but not fine to accept immediate retribution for immediate atrocities? The very last place that context belongs is in the raw present. I don't care how right or wrong such context is, nobody is going to be in the right mind to listen.
How do you propose to fight a "clean" war in one of the most urbanised and densely populated areas of the world, against an adversary who clearly weaponises this to its advantage by turning the moral high ground against its enemies through the use of an entire civilian population and infrastructure into de facto human shields for their underground war tunnels? This article's title says it plaintively: The killing in Gaza has to stop. Pray tell then, who's going to step in and hold both sides away and be the peacekeeper? Clearly there's no appetite in the world from any country to send in their own troops to be UN peacekeepers in Gaza and forcibly keep a direct lifeline open through the Rafah Gap to the Palestinian refugee centres and hospitals so as to deliver critical supplies.
This entire conflict is a plague on all humanity. Lots of rhetoric thrown around, deepening faultlines that show how humanity has more in difference against each other than what unifies us, and nobody who dares to acknowledge that if you wish to seek peace, you need enough force and power to enforce it. Who's going to be an honest power broker in the region? Who even has the guts to send in troops and impose a peace on a region where all sides can't seem to live with each other?
Sadly I think you fail to grasp the gravity of this , looking for justifications that justify Hamas beheading babies, raping women, taking hostages and using their own people as shields is in bad taste. Before this Israel was simply protecting itself in the course of a long and complex conflict, we know that no side is perfect , why are you not asking why does Israel behave as it does-that is plain for all the world to see following this. Why should Israel turn the other cheek-why does HAMAS want to destroy the deal with Saudi?
You're hilarious, Israel tried a two-state solution? I'm not sure what you're smoking but I'd love a puff if you have any going spare, your version of reality sounds a lot less awful than the one I see.
In 1937 (I believe) it was Palestine that rejected the UN solution on the grounds that the territory given was not enough -then again after the Camp David accords,when it was actually larger than the Israeli part-it’s been war ever since.
Two state solution was never going to work: even if Israel wanted it, Palestinians and the Arab world would not countenance it.
And speaking of awful realities, in this current reality of ours it's not as if there aren't Arabs who live peacefully as full blown Israeli citizens, and even serve in their armed forces and civic communities as fully contributing members of Israeli society. Now imagine if the opposite can ever happen for any Jew living in Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas or the PA.
BTW your facile 'problem solved' isn't a solution, just a dumb, meaningless assertion.
Israel could've proved their critics wrong by embarking on surgical strikes targeting only militants - and if not sure, then not to risk collateral damage (especially mosques, churches and hospitals - kind of a no-brainer, unless you're IDF). But instead, they want to add atrocity piled on to atrocity, as if that's going to solve anything. It never did in the past and it won't now.
They're just investing in more horror to come for everyone. It's hard to believe that the leadership of a so-called 'civilised' nation could be so incompetent & naïve, not to mention run by knee-jerk emotionalism rather than hard logic.
Surgical strikes against underground tunnels deliberately dug underneath civilian infrastructure? Or how about well documented instances in the past where Hamas DID use hospitals as military command posts?
Urban warfare IS always going to cause horrific collateral damage. The difference here is that at least Israel has the justification that they are going after Hamas stuff and if any civilians die then tough, we did warn them to get out of the way (never mind if they can, at least they were warned). Very different from Hamas whom from the outset gunned not just for IDF soldiers but Jewish civilians and basically any civilian they could grab or kill for the sake of instilling terror.
And that still doesn't justify the indifferent cruelty of the IDF. If they just acted with more decency than their opponents, they would get more sympathy for their plight.
Why descend to Hamas' level of brutality? Why not show the world that they are at least *trying* to be better than the terrorist scumbags? Collective punishment is a war-crime, there are no ifs and buts about it...
But we know Israel doesn't care what anyone thinks, as long as it has the backing of its supine, grovelling patron, the USA.
You're wrong. Israel doesn't care what anyone thinks because from its very inception it had to literally fight for its own survival with or without anybody else's support. The US has hardly been a blank cheque supporter of Israel throughout its existence contrary to what many believe.
This is also why the whole idea of Israel valuing sympathy points from a fickle minded and eternally hypocritical global community in the realm of realist international politics is hilariously idealistic and naive.
FYI, Israel is ALREADY trying to be better than Hamas terrorists. They haven't declared Holy War on Islam or Muslims or Palestinians. They haven't outright invaded Gaza when they were already primed to go at least a week or two ago. They are at least justifying their bombing of civilian infrastructure in Gaza by saying that the real targets are those being dual-used by Hamas for military purposes, or the tunnel networks underneath them which Hamas knowingly dug and used unwitting (or witting) civilians above as human shields.
None of which are excuses or justifications given by Hamas when they attacked Israel and Jews. What more do you want Israel to do? As it is they're already fighting with two hands tied behind their backs.
Jew are great people. The zionist are not. People in israel does not feel safe. The americans make sure of that so that they remain relevant in the middle east. Its the oil.
James, Hamas must give and take. Israel must return back their land in gaza,west bank and golan heights.
In return, a two state solution and israel will be safe.
America will not like this but Israel should stop being used by them. Move your support to Russia. Theres 1.5mil jews there.
America foreign policy in middle east fail. Russia is the way to go. Be cool james.
Pinchas, hamas military branch are ready to die. To them, this is a better option,ie syahid. The israel defense force are going to be massacred in that tunnel. You think the idf dare die for netanyahu?
The tunnel is 100ft deep and about 200km interwinned of network. You can bomb then from the air? Theres scorpions,snake,booby traps and water to drown your soldiers. Poison gas? they will neutralise that with water.
Idf will suffocate on the ground. The vietcong did that to US soldiers, remember? The tunnel?
IDF doesn't need to actually go INTO every single tunnel. They can very well just seal off every entrance they find and wreck every bit of above ground infrastructure they can get.
As I said in my comment, until proven otherwise they should be considered dead. Hamas has not shown proof of living for the hostages beyond the 4 that have been released. Hamas has also claimed some of them have already died due to Israeli airstrikes. We are very firmly into Avenging territory now, because clearly the bit about protecting has already failed.
Tunnel battles are considered some of the most difficult for armies to fight.
A determined enemy in a tunnel or cave system can pick where the fight will start — and often determine how it will end — given the abundant opportunities for ambush.
I could not agree more. The attack in Gaza by the Israelis is a war crime, pure and simple. One also has to remember the ongoing illegal theft of more land in the occupied West Bank yet no-one is stopping them.
The Asia Sentinel should stick to its own lane, unless it wants to work for a living and dig into the allegations that Hamas' terrorism is being implicitly supported by useful idiots. They should take a look at:
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/israel-middle-east/hamas-leaders-wealth
What Israel is doing is matching the violence 10 fold.
Shameful. Unsubscribed.
Calling for Israel to regain a moral compass against an enemy that has none and is more than willing to sacrifice the entirety of Gaza and its innocent civilian population in their pursuit of Jihad against Jews and the state of Israel is incredibly ill-timed and bad taste. This is how you reward terrorists and let them win. Notice how Hamas has not said anything beyond taunting mockeries of "stop the bombardment before we even CONSIDER releasing the 200+ hostages we took". Does this look like an adversary you can deescalate against and negotiate peacefully to secure hostage releases without paying a disproportionate price in return? The brutal truth is this: for all intents and purposes those 200+ hostages have to be considered as dead until they are found alive.
If we want to talk about substantial international sentiments thinking that Israel had it coming because of their preceding actions over the decades, then let's also talk about how Palestine and Hamas had it coming because of their immediate actions on October 7. Why is it fine to dismiss atrocities when one can find a historical grievance to excuse them, but not fine to accept immediate retribution for immediate atrocities? The very last place that context belongs is in the raw present. I don't care how right or wrong such context is, nobody is going to be in the right mind to listen.
How do you propose to fight a "clean" war in one of the most urbanised and densely populated areas of the world, against an adversary who clearly weaponises this to its advantage by turning the moral high ground against its enemies through the use of an entire civilian population and infrastructure into de facto human shields for their underground war tunnels? This article's title says it plaintively: The killing in Gaza has to stop. Pray tell then, who's going to step in and hold both sides away and be the peacekeeper? Clearly there's no appetite in the world from any country to send in their own troops to be UN peacekeepers in Gaza and forcibly keep a direct lifeline open through the Rafah Gap to the Palestinian refugee centres and hospitals so as to deliver critical supplies.
This entire conflict is a plague on all humanity. Lots of rhetoric thrown around, deepening faultlines that show how humanity has more in difference against each other than what unifies us, and nobody who dares to acknowledge that if you wish to seek peace, you need enough force and power to enforce it. Who's going to be an honest power broker in the region? Who even has the guts to send in troops and impose a peace on a region where all sides can't seem to live with each other?
Sadly I think you fail to grasp the gravity of this , looking for justifications that justify Hamas beheading babies, raping women, taking hostages and using their own people as shields is in bad taste. Before this Israel was simply protecting itself in the course of a long and complex conflict, we know that no side is perfect , why are you not asking why does Israel behave as it does-that is plain for all the world to see following this. Why should Israel turn the other cheek-why does HAMAS want to destroy the deal with Saudi?
The only people with moral compass problems are you.
Its simple. The charter and raison de etre for Hamas is the annihilation of Israel. They have no interest
in peace. They want the land and the genocide of Israel.
Israel on the other hand just wants peace. They've tried a two state solution and all they get is
death.
Its time wipe out every Hamas member and everyone committed to war with Israel. If Hamas
wants to use their women and children as human shields then its on them.
Problem solved.
You're hilarious, Israel tried a two-state solution? I'm not sure what you're smoking but I'd love a puff if you have any going spare, your version of reality sounds a lot less awful than the one I see.
In 1937 (I believe) it was Palestine that rejected the UN solution on the grounds that the territory given was not enough -then again after the Camp David accords,when it was actually larger than the Israeli part-it’s been war ever since.
Two state solution was never going to work: even if Israel wanted it, Palestinians and the Arab world would not countenance it.
And speaking of awful realities, in this current reality of ours it's not as if there aren't Arabs who live peacefully as full blown Israeli citizens, and even serve in their armed forces and civic communities as fully contributing members of Israeli society. Now imagine if the opposite can ever happen for any Jew living in Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas or the PA.
When did they try a "two state solution"? LMAO
BTW your facile 'problem solved' isn't a solution, just a dumb, meaningless assertion.
Israel could've proved their critics wrong by embarking on surgical strikes targeting only militants - and if not sure, then not to risk collateral damage (especially mosques, churches and hospitals - kind of a no-brainer, unless you're IDF). But instead, they want to add atrocity piled on to atrocity, as if that's going to solve anything. It never did in the past and it won't now.
They're just investing in more horror to come for everyone. It's hard to believe that the leadership of a so-called 'civilised' nation could be so incompetent & naïve, not to mention run by knee-jerk emotionalism rather than hard logic.
Surgical strikes against underground tunnels deliberately dug underneath civilian infrastructure? Or how about well documented instances in the past where Hamas DID use hospitals as military command posts?
Urban warfare IS always going to cause horrific collateral damage. The difference here is that at least Israel has the justification that they are going after Hamas stuff and if any civilians die then tough, we did warn them to get out of the way (never mind if they can, at least they were warned). Very different from Hamas whom from the outset gunned not just for IDF soldiers but Jewish civilians and basically any civilian they could grab or kill for the sake of instilling terror.
And that still doesn't justify the indifferent cruelty of the IDF. If they just acted with more decency than their opponents, they would get more sympathy for their plight.
Why descend to Hamas' level of brutality? Why not show the world that they are at least *trying* to be better than the terrorist scumbags? Collective punishment is a war-crime, there are no ifs and buts about it...
But we know Israel doesn't care what anyone thinks, as long as it has the backing of its supine, grovelling patron, the USA.
You're wrong. Israel doesn't care what anyone thinks because from its very inception it had to literally fight for its own survival with or without anybody else's support. The US has hardly been a blank cheque supporter of Israel throughout its existence contrary to what many believe.
This is also why the whole idea of Israel valuing sympathy points from a fickle minded and eternally hypocritical global community in the realm of realist international politics is hilariously idealistic and naive.
FYI, Israel is ALREADY trying to be better than Hamas terrorists. They haven't declared Holy War on Islam or Muslims or Palestinians. They haven't outright invaded Gaza when they were already primed to go at least a week or two ago. They are at least justifying their bombing of civilian infrastructure in Gaza by saying that the real targets are those being dual-used by Hamas for military purposes, or the tunnel networks underneath them which Hamas knowingly dug and used unwitting (or witting) civilians above as human shields.
None of which are excuses or justifications given by Hamas when they attacked Israel and Jews. What more do you want Israel to do? As it is they're already fighting with two hands tied behind their backs.
James, assalammualaikum.
Jew are great people. The zionist are not. People in israel does not feel safe. The americans make sure of that so that they remain relevant in the middle east. Its the oil.
James, Hamas must give and take. Israel must return back their land in gaza,west bank and golan heights.
In return, a two state solution and israel will be safe.
America will not like this but Israel should stop being used by them. Move your support to Russia. Theres 1.5mil jews there.
America foreign policy in middle east fail. Russia is the way to go. Be cool james.
Sure. But the massacre of 1400 civilians, including babies, and rapes and everything else they did on Oct. 7 does! Fuck off!
Pinchas, hamas military branch are ready to die. To them, this is a better option,ie syahid. The israel defense force are going to be massacred in that tunnel. You think the idf dare die for netanyahu?
The tunnel is 100ft deep and about 200km interwinned of network. You can bomb then from the air? Theres scorpions,snake,booby traps and water to drown your soldiers. Poison gas? they will neutralise that with water.
Idf will suffocate on the ground. The vietcong did that to US soldiers, remember? The tunnel?
IDF doesn't need to actually go INTO every single tunnel. They can very well just seal off every entrance they find and wreck every bit of above ground infrastructure they can get.
The 50 israelis hostage are there alive. So is the other 150.
As I said in my comment, until proven otherwise they should be considered dead. Hamas has not shown proof of living for the hostages beyond the 4 that have been released. Hamas has also claimed some of them have already died due to Israeli airstrikes. We are very firmly into Avenging territory now, because clearly the bit about protecting has already failed.
Tunnel battles are considered some of the most difficult for armies to fight.
A determined enemy in a tunnel or cave system can pick where the fight will start — and often determine how it will end — given the abundant opportunities for ambush.
I could not agree more. The attack in Gaza by the Israelis is a war crime, pure and simple. One also has to remember the ongoing illegal theft of more land in the occupied West Bank yet no-one is stopping them.