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Israel

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AndyinPA
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Israel

#1

Post by AndyinPA »

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east- ... d401beefc2

JERUSALEM (AP) — A stampede broke out early Friday at a Jewish religious festival attended by tens of thousands of people in northern Israel, killing nearly 40 people and leaving some 150 hospitalized, medical officials said.

The stampede, one of the deadliest civilian disasters in Israeli history, occurred during the celebrations of Lag BaOmer at Mount Meron. Tens of thousands of people, mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews, gather each year to honor Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a 2nd century sage and mystic who is buried there. Large crowds traditionally light bonfires, pray and dance as part of the celebrations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “great tragedy,” and said everyone was praying for the victims.

Media estimated the crowd at about 100,000 people.
The most recent number of confirmed dead I saw was 43.
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Re: Israel

#2

Post by Foggy »

... the cause of the stampede was not immediately clear.
Wow, that's terrible news. How sad. :(
Out from under. :thumbsup:
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Re: Israel

#3

Post by neonzx »

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/30/99232069 ... s-festival
At least 45 people were killed and some 150 more injured in a crush at a religious festival of ultra-Orthodox Jews in northern Israel, where tens of thousands of faithful had convened in one of the country's largest events since the pandemic began
.

Dying for their religion. Makes our former "Black Friday" stampedes look like no big deal.

BONUS: that many people packed together == super-spreader event.
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Re: Israel

#4

Post by Volkonski »



The Associated Press
@AP
Israel says it is massing troops along the Gaza frontier and calling up 9,000 reservists ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory, as the conflict between two bitter enemies continues to escalate.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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filly
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Re: Israel

#5

Post by filly »

That should tamp down the warfare on the streets inside of Israel.
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Kendra
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Re: Israel

#6

Post by Kendra »

AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt says he's "shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP’s bureau and other news organizations in Gaza." Pruitt says AP is seeking information from the Israeli government.
The reporters covering this for us at such risk to themselves. NBC's Richard Engel was live on MSNBC earlier this morning while the warning sirens were blaring. He and camera stayed where he was, talking to the hosts and not running for cover.
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Re: Israel

#7

Post by Volkonski »



Lindy Li
@lindyli
You can’t make this s— up

Last week Jared Kushner founded the Abraham Accords Institute for Peace to commemorate the “peace” he brought to the Middle East

“The energy and enthusiasm for the Accords across the region is truly remarkable”
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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filly
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Re: Israel

#8

Post by filly »

Volkonski wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 10:27 pm

Lindy Li
@lindyli
You can’t make this s— up

Last week Jared Kushner founded the Abraham Accords Institute for Peace to commemorate the “peace” he brought to the Middle East

“The energy and enthusiasm for the Accords across the region is truly remarkable”
:rotflmao:
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filly
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Re: Israel

#9

Post by filly »

This is a huge story in the news these days. Doesn't anyone here have an opinion on what is going on in Gaza?
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Re: Israel

#10

Post by neeneko »

filly wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 1:35 pm This is a huge story in the news these days. Doesn't anyone here have an opinion on what is going on in Gaza?
I am sure there are lots of opinions, but it is such a messy topic for progressives/democrats/etc to discuss among themselves I can not blame people for being reluctant. This is a real achilles heel issue for the democrats... and if I found out that there was some coordination between Trump and Netanyahu on this.
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Re: Israel

#11

Post by p0rtia »

filly wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 1:35 pm This is a huge story in the news these days. Doesn't anyone here have an opinion on what is going on in Gaza?
Yes. It's tragic, appalling, horrifying, and brutal. The ongoing worst of human behavior. It's what happens when one group tries to annihilate another in slow motion. There is nothing right or honest or productive about it. It is all bad.
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Re: Israel

#12

Post by Uninformed »

filly wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 1:35 pm This is a huge story in the news these days. Doesn't anyone here have an opinion on what is going on in Gaza?
Hopefully not getting into an anti-Israeli/Semitic argument...
My underlying thought has long been that the “powers that be” giving away someone else’s land has resulted in totally predictable consequences. A solution? No idea, partly because I am also of the opinion that there is a strong movement within Israel who wish to eradicate any substantial Palestinian presence within what they view as their rightful borders (including the West Bank and Gaza).
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Suranis
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Re: Israel

#13

Post by Suranis »

It's one side bombarding the other sides cities with rockets while the other side bombards the firsts cities with rockets.

Saying that this is a completly one sided action is a completely skewed viewpoint. What would you do if Mexico was targeting your cities with rockets?

But all I'm seeing on social media is what is completely one sided and leaving out the crap that the Palestinians are doing. And leaving out the fact that the Israeli units doing the murdering are filled with Beduin Arabs who have no problem chopping up a Palestinian or 10.

The backdrop is Hamas starting a conflict to help Netinyahu stay in power as they want a strongman in Israel, as all their foreign funding would dry up without mean old Isreal, and they would immediately lose power in Palestine. Conversely, a lot of Israeli foreign aid is based on the fact that they are under constant threat and constant attacks.

So Netinyahu and Hamas Give each other a nod and wink and rake in the power and cash.

And the fact is that the avst majority of Israel wants the Settlements out, but That majority is split up into several parties at war with one another, and so the reactionary pro settlement party holds all the power, becasue if they leave a coalition the Goverment falls, so the side that offers more settlements gets the reactionaries support.

Its like the position the Dixiecrats had in the Democratic Party, resulting in little or no black reform getting through for a century.
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Re: Israel

#14

Post by Patagoniagirl »

I feel that people equate anti-Jewish government actions as anti-Jewish. I am certainly now, and have been for decades, anti-apartheid. And that is exactly what we have seen since the early part of the last century.

I have watched for decades the stone throwing responded to with bullets. The disposssing of property from Palestinians.

This is horrible justification for the murder and destruction of Palestinians and their homes for the actions of Hamas.

Greg and I hosted many Jewish and Palestinian backpackers in Southern Chile. The Jewish kids were convinced that Palastinians were determined to eliminate them, and the Palestinian kids were entrenched in the same thinking.

Yet, when we hosted these thoughtful young people, they all wanted the same thing. They were all trekking the same path and route through Southern Chile. Enjoying the same wonderment. Difference was, the Palestinian kids lost their homes. Kinda like indigenous folks in the US and around the world. Who owned it first.

I'm ashamed we fund the Israelis.
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Re: Israel

#15

Post by neeneko »

Uninformed wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 2:17 pm My underlying thought has long been that the “powers that be” giving away someone else’s land has resulted in totally predictable consequences. A solution? No idea, partly because I am also of the opinion that there is a strong movement within Israel who wish to eradicate any substantial Palestinian presence within what they view as their rightful borders (including the West Bank and Gaza).
Unfortunately the historical solution is one side not only crushing the other but also convincing external parties to back them. You have to not only completely and utterly defeat your domestic opponent and their identity, but win over all the foreign actors of note who might bankroll further conflict.

The only other alternative is the land being invaded by a 3rd party, absorbing the two national identities into their own.... usually though displacing everyone and scattering them to other parts of the empire.
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Re: Israel

#16

Post by filly »

I used to empathize with the Israelis for a variety of reasons. But I think Israel is blowing it. The death count alone is telling. And I reject equating Hamas with the Palestinians.

I happened to catch Andrea Mitchell interviewing an Israeli Colonel today. He was so overly aggressive and basically said no democracy dare criticize Israel. It was very Trumpian in nature. This may push sane Americans to reconsider their tax dollars being used to kill innocent civilians. Disgusting, really.
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Re: Israel

#17

Post by neeneko »

filly wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 6:12 pm It was very Trumpian in nature.
Well, if you think about it, Israel is basically what you get when you mix American and Russian culture and then remove the need to keep on the good side of the international community. Exactly the cloth 'Trumpian' is cut from.
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Re: Israel

#18

Post by Reality Check »

Isn't this all too much of a coincidence that Netanyahu is trying to hang on to power after losing the election?
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Re: Israel

#19

Post by Patagoniagirl »

Reality Check wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 7:47 pm Isn't this all too much of a coincidence that Netanyahu is trying to hang on to power after losing the election?
Ya mean like wagging the dog?
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Re: Israel

#20

Post by neonzx »

Never forget. We (the collective "we") share responsibility for all the atrocities that have befallen the displaced Palestinian people.

And we are still doing it.
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Re: Israel

#21

Post by John Thomas8 »

neonzx wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 9:14 pm
And we are still doing it.
Post World War One the colonial powers failed on levels never seen in history. Post World War Two, colonial powers (other than the US) couldn't maintain their grips and killed many trying to fake it.
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Re: Israel

#22

Post by Patagoniagirl »

John Thomas8 wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 9:20 pm
neonzx wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 9:14 pm
And we are still doing it.
Post World War One the colonial powers failed on levels never seen in history. Post World War Two, colonial powers (other than the US) couldn't maintain their grips and killed many trying to fake it.
Iran. Central America. 9/11 Chile. Etcetera Etcetera Etcetera. Hell, the USA.
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Re: Israel

#23

Post by neonzx »

1948, without consent of the Palestinians -- the USA backed that.

That's where we fucked ourselves. To turn a crude phrase, "we stuck our d**k where it did not belong." And we pay for it and we keep paying for it.
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Re: Israel

#24

Post by AndyinPA »

We've done that lots of places.
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Re: Israel

#25

Post by Uninformed »

The initial blame has to go to the UK. Just one of the many “colonial” acts by a British Empire whose power was steadily diminishing in the 19th century. The arrogance shown to what were seen as lesser people is, even by today’s poor standards, staggering.
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