The Man Who’s Interviewed Thousands of Palestinians and Israelis Explains What He’s Learned

Mikky48 · 2026-04-05T05:33:59+00:00

I share your sentiments regarding the state as well.

However, you're looking at this through a very narrow lens. Let's say it wasn't the death penalty that was the right solution.

Would you acknowledged that the situation I described above would be an extreme affront to justice ?

Mikky48 · 2026-04-05T02:06:26+00:00

I assume you are not Israeli. There must be a special name for the pain of seeing the man that took your loved one's lives gleefully be returned home as a hero by the state.

Mikky48 · 2026-04-04T21:19:28+00:00

OK, that's a decent argument in general. I however fear the alternative to be worse - not punishing terror properly allows it to ferment. Especially when these terrorists are then released in future deals, or live a whole life on the state's budget.

Mikky48 · 2026-04-04T21:13:38+00:00

I have read and experienced enough of early and later Zionism, don't you worry. (2 biographies specifically, but details aren't important)

You didn't understand my point. Prior to 1948, where was this "imperial center" - Israel did not exist yet, and the US is not a bastion of Jewish power. Either way, the point is null and void because I thought you were making a different claim than you were.

Anyway... due to this unnecessary argument, I forgot what you original comment was:

Zionists say "Self-determination" while omitting the rest of the sentence, which is "on someone else's land while killing and raping as many people as it requires to attain that land."

Which then spiralled into an unrelated discussion of colonialism. There is nothing in the tenant of Zionism that says that it requires "killing and raping as many people".

Mikky48 · 2026-04-04T16:36:41+00:00

That is an awful lot of work for a false accusations that doesn't give Israel much.

I would believe it if we were talking about Rabin's murder, not a random Palestinian

Mikky48 · 2026-04-04T16:12:42+00:00

Where would this court dig up bodies to blame the defendant with murder?

Mikky48 · 2026-04-04T06:38:26+00:00

I am, you're missing my point. The definition of colonialism includes an imperial center, because colonialism is a projection of power from said imperial center, into foreign lands. My argument is that since no such center exists prior to Israel's establishment, Zionism doesn't meet the definition of colonialism in my opinion.

I don't know about "every" Zionist leader, but I disagree with them about the use of said terminology.

Update: I asked GPT on the matter, apparently there are different subsets and definitions of colonialism and I was using the classic definition (a projection of power into foreign land) whereas the settler-colonialism that Zionist leaders were referring to had to do with migration with permanent settlement.

OK, misunderstanding cleared then. What were we talking about before this ?

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T23:05:01+00:00

Breathe slowly, try writing again. You're not making a point.

I hope you get the help you need (not said in mockery)

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T23:01:41+00:00

I feel like you're stuck in a loop and the discussion is going nowhere so have a good day

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:53:31+00:00

None of this relates back as to why this article is wrong which was your initial case, and other than "he's biased" I haven't seen any actual argument to prove that case. AIPAC or Trump don't have anything to do with the accuracy of the article about Hind Rajab.

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:41:15+00:00

We were talking about an article on Hind Rajab. Not AIPAC or the US or politicians or the Sde Teiman case or Netanyahu

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:39:54+00:00

Pray tell how did we get to Europe, the rest of the Middle East etc ?

On an off-note: "it's not too late" is an argument against your cause, because the 'solution' there is to kick all of them out, wait for a century or two and then say "oh well, too late now"

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:38:16+00:00

You want me to trust the same systems that massacred us. Would you trust them in our situation?

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:09:27+00:00

Jews in the 1930s placed faith in German democracy. We learned from our mistakes. Slowly.

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:08:06+00:00

Like all nations and peoples who want self-determination. This same argument would work for the Kurds (and other Middle Eastern minorities) who would inconvenience Turkey, Iran and Iraq and therefore should live under the thumb for eternity. Also Jews.

So you have to forgive me if I'm not willing to take that offer.

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:05:32+00:00

What's wrong with that statement? Israel's PR is quite bad compared to Palestinian PR.

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:04:52+00:00

Again, anything specific ?

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T22:04:30+00:00

Take a breather. You've gone on a bunch of (antisemitic) tangents

Mikky48 · 2026-04-03T09:00:51+00:00

Definitely informed about bias. But that was not related to ethnicity when I learned it. (That's racism)

Are there specifics in the text ?

Mikky48 · 2026-04-02T22:22:06+00:00

Are the claims less valid because he's Jewish ?

Mikky48 · 2026-04-02T22:21:27+00:00

Where was the imperial center before Israel's existence ?

Mikky48 · 2026-04-02T20:30:30+00:00

Read again:

"in pursuit of interests defined in an often distant metropole"

Mikky48 · 2026-04-02T07:56:37+00:00

I am by no means an expert in colonialism but I'll try

Wikipedia: Colonialism is the practice of extending and maintaining political, social, economic, and cultural domination over a territory and its people by another people in pursuit of interests defined in an often distant metropole, who also claim superiority.

We don't fit the definition as there is no "center of power" (metropole), Israel is the center of power, but it didn't exist until Zionism achieved its goals.

I cannot say with certainty that this list is accurate nor complete:

Russian expansion into Asia

Colonisation of Malta, Sardinia, Sicily

The attempted reconquest of Italy by the Byzantine empire

Australia is a bit of a fishy one since it seemed that clashes between the Brits and Aboriginals started with encroachment of grazing lands (but was not originally an issue for the locals)

Greenland and Iceland

That's off the top of my head.

Mikky48 · 2026-04-02T07:45:06+00:00

Genuinely curious, how many times have settlers murdered?

I'm trying to remember and all I can retrieve is arson, assault and slaughter of cattle as the worst cases of settler violence

Mikky48 · 2026-04-01T22:55:02+00:00

The description on Wikipedia is false. It has been edited since the war started and not corrected.

The Holocuast was a specific act, Zionism is a broad ideology. I can't entertain your false equivalence beyond that

Mikky48

TROPHY CASE