So, Hamas basically released a statement saying that they hope that this is the first of many October 7ths, and they're not gonna stop attacks like this. They literally have a death wish for Israel and will not stop until all of the Jews are dead and they control all of the land.
....*sigh*....
So...yeah. if you wanna know why i went from "both sides bad" to "reluctantly pro israel"...this is why. And if you wanna know why I overlook so much crap Israel is doing to some degree, this is why. I try to understand both sides. And honestly, I try to listen to what Israelis say. And a lot of them will say, "look, we tried peace deals, we tried cease fires, we tried everything that most leftists said we should do, and it's not helping, because hamas really is a radical enemy and will not stop until everyone is dead."
And...they're not wrong. I often compare Israel to a post 9/11 security state with Super Bush in charge. What did Bush tell us? That Al Qaeda attacked his because they hated our freedoms, they hated our way of life, and that they wanted to either take us over or kill us. And a lot of people, in a post 9/11 environment, bought into that, and that's why there was near unanimous support for the war on terror. it wasn't until later we found out that Bush was lying, and as Bush's narrative fell apart, so did support for his wars, especially as he was unable to bring about swift victory and we got bogged down in a quagmire.
But...Israel literally IS facing an existential enemy. And they've been this radical since 1948. Back then, the UN drew up a map, offered both sides 50% of the land, Israel said deal, Palestine said no deal, and a war broke out. And Israel won. They've had to fight for their existence since their state was formed, against an enemy that literally wants them all dead.
This isn't to say israel is perfect. Israel is quite frankly guilty of some pretty bad war crime type stuff too. And I do think they're being excessive in their war against the palestinians. But, when I think about it from their angle, and I wonder if they could do anything differently, I don't see many options on the table. I know a lot of the left has strawmanned the liberal position like I hold, and the Biden administration holds (since our positions are basically the same), as "bomb nicer", but that's all we can do.
If I were the head of the IDF, I WOULD be bombing palestine. And civilian casualties would occur. Maybe, just maybe, I would make slightly more humanitarian decisions like NOT bombing a refugee camp to get at one guy. Maybe. It might be possible that was their only chance. it might be possible they were using civilians as human shields. It might be possible they would never have another moment like this one. So...yeah. All I'm left with here is "bomb nicer". That's literally my position. Show as much restraint as is feasible to minimize casualties. Right now, israel is losing support because it looks like they dont give AF and they'll just carpet bomb anyone just to get at one guy. It's grotesque. But war is grotesque, and I dont know if this even COULD end another way.
That's why I keep having this dilemma. What can we do differently? What can we really do? I mean, I'm pretty much convinced that this is just attack on titan in real life, and we all know how THAT ended (if you havent, watch the show).It's gonna end that way when you got two factions that hate each other so much that they won't stop until the other is gone.
And given Palestine is literally in the inferior position and has been since 1948 when they lost their first war, they just keep bringing this on themselves. it's like Hamas doesnt give a crap. They're just radicals who are so intent on destroying israel it's like they have a death wish of themselves, because the obvious response to their attacks is...this.
And that's why Palestinian quality of life has gone downhill so much since 1948. Becuase they've ALWAYS been like this. They want the land, period, they will kill to get it, they will die trying, or more specifically, the people who make the decisions for them decide they're willing to sacrifice their population base in the process. Hamas doesnt give a crap about their own people. They care less than the Israelis do. They care only about their radical cause, and will stop at nothing to get it.
At this point, I'm just washing my hands of this like Pontius Pilate, and telling the Israelis to do what they will. I'm literally getting to the point, I don't care. I'm American. This isn't my conflict. This isn't my country. This isn't my problem. I support Israel for geopolitical reasons (strategic relationship with US), ideological reasons (westernish democracy with liberal values, albeit imperfect for obvious reasons), and because the alternative are literal barbarians who don't value the life of anyone, even their own people, at all. That doesn't mean they're perfect, but when the alternative is this, they are the lesser evil.
So yeah, Israel, have fun, and remember, "bomb nicer!" That's all I can say. I retain my nominal support for Israel and the Biden administration's actions. Although I probably won't talk about this much after this. Hopefully.
No comments:
Post a Comment