Is there anyone who still thinks that Israel's actions in Gaza are justifiable?

Urmstongran

Imagine how we would feel if 2,000 of our youngsters were massacred by terrorists, or taken hostage and raped, from Glastonbury music festival? What would a proportionate response be?

We would expect nothing less than our government taking whatever action it needed to stop a recurrence. Hamas have brought this ghastly thing on themselves, and their leaders smirk in comfy homes in Qatar, while the Iranian paymasters stir and stir and stoke the fire.

Hamas and ISIS care not a jot for the suffering of their fellow humans. Israel is doing the heavy lifting for everyone.

It's not a black and white situation, Ug and you know it isn't. Your analogy is utterly spurious.

Agree Urmstongran

No matter how awful the actions of any armed organisation were, and if any of my family or friends suffered from those actions, I vehemently hope that I would never support or advocate the slaughter of innocent women and children as an acceptable resolution.

This

In a letter to the prime minister, the signatories, who also include former court of appeal judges and more than 60 KCs, say that the present situation in Gaza is “catastrophic” and that given the international court of justice (ICJ) finding that there is a plausible risk of genocide being committed, the UK is legally obliged to act to prevent it.
The 17-page letter, which also amounts to a legal opinion, was sent on Wednesday evening and says: “While we welcome the increasingly robust calls by your government for a cessation of fighting and the unobstructed entry to Gaza of humanitarian assistance, simultaneously to continue (to take two striking examples) the sale of weapons and weapons systems to Israel and to maintain threats of suspending UK aid to Unwra falls significantly short of your government’s obligations under international law.”

Urmstongran

Imagine how we would feel if 2,000 of our youngsters were massacred by terrorists, or taken hostage and raped, from Glastonbury music festival? What would a proportionate response be?

We would expect nothing less than our government taking whatever action it needed to stop a recurrence. Hamas have brought this ghastly thing on themselves, and their leaders smirk in comfy homes in Qatar, while the Iranian paymasters stir and stir and stoke the fire.

Hamas and ISIS care not a jot for the suffering of their fellow humans. Israel is doing the heavy lifting for everyone.

Correct. Terrorists don't keep to the rules and don't care about people's suffering, but thank goodness most of us are better than that, for the rest we need rules. There's a reason the rules were added to in 1949 so they now cover civilians which is not unrelated to the Holocaust. Killing kids in Gaza won't stop the Hamas leaders from smirking unless Israel kills them all otherwise the IDF is just recruiting the next generation of terrorists.

So let Hamas kill children Of Israel

Anniebach Do you really believe it's kill Palestinian children or kill Israeli children? I thought Israel was at war with Hamas. If you do, then there's no doubt that Israel is winning, thousands of Palestinian children are dead and most of the rest are starving. How on earth will this result in a peaceful safe place for Israeli children to grow up? Germany still carries the burden of what the Nazis did to the Jews, Israel will carry the burden of what they did to Palestinians.

Do tell, what should Israel do ?

"Three former Supreme Court justices have joined more than 600 legal experts in calling for the UK government to end weapons sales to Israel.

In a letter to the prime minister, they said exports must end because the UK risks breaking international law over a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza." BBC website

We don't send that much compared to the US but it would be a strong message to send to Israel that it must stay within International Humanitarian laws and the UK must also do that by not supplying arms.

International Humanitarian Laws ? Hamas will abide ?

Anniebach

International Humanitarian Laws ? Hamas will abide ?

Are you not aware that Hamas is a terrorist group?

The IDF is an army signed up to the rules of war.

Do you not understand the difference?

Yes, I live in the real world

" Are you not aware that Hamas is a terrorist group?

The IDF is an army signed up to the rules of war"

👏👏👏

Perhaps. the people of Israel should be listened to by Netanyahu and the right wingers behind this slaughter www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/tens-thousands-rally-against-netanyahu-government-jerusalem-2024-03-31/

Annie, you are so right. In an ideal world of course international laws would be adhered to, BUT all out war is terrible and if at all possible, to be avoided. Unfortunately it is not, as some people seem to regard it, a sort of football match with rules and regulations, it is nasty, brutal and particularly dreadful when fighting an enemy who actually uses its civilian population to hide behind, and who obviously cares little or nothing for the suffering of its own people. Israel is fighting for its very existence, as is Ukraine, as were we all those years ago, against people who would annihilate it and all Jewish people. How sad it is that very few now seem to even remember the hostages or care about their fate, or the hideous massacre that started all this horror, still less blame the perpetrators, Hamas.

Jaberwok the massacre which started this horror is brushed aside, irrelevant to the supporters of Hamas, yes supporters of Hamas. Babies raped last October, hostages taken last October?
seems no matter

Jaberwok

Annie, you are so right. In an ideal world of course international laws would be adhered to, BUT all out war is terrible and if at all possible, to be avoided. Unfortunately it is not, as some people seem to regard it, a sort of football match with rules and regulations, it is nasty, brutal and particularly dreadful when fighting an enemy who actually uses its civilian population to hide behind, and who obviously cares little or nothing for the suffering of its own people. Israel is fighting for its very existence, as is Ukraine, as were we all those years ago, against people who would annihilate it and all Jewish people. How sad it is that very few now seem to even remember the hostages or care about their fate, or the hideous massacre that started all this horror, still less blame the perpetrators, Hamas.

Sorry there are rules of war. There is International law. and war criminals are brought to justice. Sometimes it takes time.
www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/04/serbia-kosovo-start-of-ex-kosovo-presidents-trial-for-war-crimes-an-important-step-along-the-long-road-to-justice/
Netanyahu should be very worried.

Anniebach

International Humanitarian Laws ? Hamas will abide ?

No, of course they won't abide by them, they are a terrorist group! However, Israel does need to abide by them, they signed the updated Geneva Convention in 1951 and receive military aid on condition they abide by the rules of war.

"All States must ‘ensure respect’ for international humanitarian law by parties to an armed conflict, as required by 1949 Geneva Conventions and customary international law,” the experts said. “States must accordingly refrain from transferring any weapon or ammunition – or parts for them – if it is expected, given the facts or past patterns of behaviour, that they would be used to violate international law.”
www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/arms-exports-israel-must-stop-immediately-un-experts

“Such transfers are prohibited even if the exporting State does not intend the arms to be used in violation of the law – or does not know with certainty that they would be used in such a way – as long as there is a clear risk,”

Jaberwok

Annie, you are so right. In an ideal world of course international laws would be adhered to, BUT all out war is terrible and if at all possible, to be avoided. Unfortunately it is not, as some people seem to regard it, a sort of football match with rules and regulations, it is nasty, brutal and particularly dreadful when fighting an enemy who actually uses its civilian population to hide behind, and who obviously cares little or nothing for the suffering of its own people. Israel is fighting for its very existence, as is Ukraine, as were we all those years ago, against people who would annihilate it and all Jewish people. How sad it is that very few now seem to even remember the hostages or care about their fate, or the hideous massacre that started all this horror, still less blame the perpetrators, Hamas.

So what was the motivation for targeting an aid convoy? (Or any of the other nearly 200 aid workers who have died?)

Anniebach

Jaberwok the massacre which started this horror is brushed aside, irrelevant to the supporters of Hamas, yes supporters of Hamas. Babies raped last October, hostages taken last October?
seems no matter

No, it's not forgotten or brushed aside, but what does starving millions of people achieve?

The WCK aid convoy which was targeted was in a so-called "deconflicted zone" and the IDF had been fully notified of its movements. The accuracy with which the missiles struck the three cars leaves no doubt that they were specifically targeted. That's not collateral in a war, in which innocent civilians get caught up.

Whitewavemark2

I am not remotely surprised as Israel has been bombing Syria and indeed stepping up their attacks for quite some time.

We just have to hope this doesn’t get worse, although it does partly explain why the USA continues to support Israel by selling them arms, fight Iran by proxy.

Let’s hope Putin doesn’t rear his head.

🤔

We all know how complicated the situation in Syria is and Israel was targeting those terrorists which are known to hae been attacking Israel.

Is Putin abiding by the rules of war?

maddyone

Is Putin abiding by the rules of war?

No. And he, too, has been accused of war crimes. But we aren’t supplying him with the weapons to commit those crimes, are we?

Presumably the leaders of Hamas, sitting comfortably in Qatar will also be prosecuted for their unprovoked terror attack and kidnapping? Rules and regulations for conflict are easy in theory, not so easy in practice, particularly when one side is completely oblivious to any. When you are fighting for your very existence against a ruthless enemy who cares little or nothing for their own people, rules and regulations tend to get thrown out of the window, you cannot operate with one hand tied behind your back, and hope that the moral high ground will save you.