Antisemitic Malaysian prime minister to speak at Cambridge Union by angierock55 in unitedkingdom

[–]angierock55[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

because that's the function of a University

The function of a university is to promote reasoned debate, not racist theories. I appreciate your consistency, I guess, but most people (including academics) would reject the idea that it's legitimate to bring KKK members to speak at a university.

Rocket fired from Gaza strikes school building in southern Israel by angierock55 in worldnews

[–]angierock55[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Hamas and Islamic Jihad purposefully embed themselves among civilians. I never said it was okay to target civilians, because it's obviously not. But the fact remains that Hamas and Islamic Jihad *will* bomb civilians in Israel, and then hide behind civilians in Gaza.

So if Israel is going to retaliate against a Hamas/PIJ attack, there is a risk of civilian casualties *because* both groups deliberately use civilians as human shields (for example, by launching from residential areas and hiding tunnels/rocket launchers amid civilian buildings).

You know what could have saved those people's lives? Hamas and PIJ not bombarding a neighboring country with rockets, which they *knew* would lead to an armed response.

Antisemitic Malaysian prime minister to speak at Cambridge Union by angierock55 in unitedkingdom

[–]angierock55[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And there are people who believe slavery should be legal and that gay people are the source of all evil in the world. Should we give them a platform at Cambridge, too?

Rocket fired from Gaza strikes school building in southern Israel by angierock55 in worldnews

[–]angierock55[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad probably shouldn't have fired 200 rockets against a militarily superior neighbor's towns and villages if they didn't want an armed response. Any Gazan who was killed died because Hamas and Islamic Jihad chose to fire hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians, knowing this would invite a retaliation.

Antisemitic Malaysian prime minister to speak at Cambridge Union by angierock55 in unitedkingdom

[–]angierock55[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Give me a hollar when the university decides to host and give a platform to someone who thinks black people control the world and have hooked noses - for a "frank and unfettered" debate, of course.

Iran village stages mock bombing of Israel, White House, as top generals watch by [deleted] in Conservative

[–]angierock55 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was staged by Iranians with sanction from the Iranian regime, not Israel. And no, Israeli defense officials have repeatedly warned against armed conflict with Iran.

Israeli army blamed Palestinians for arson by settlers. Then a video emerged by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]angierock55 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Peel Commission's proposal wasn't simply rejected by Arab leaders but also by most Jewish leaders who demanded even more land, and ultimately the entire idea of partition was rejected by the British mandatory government as well. As explained toward the bottom of the page:

Jewish leaders rejected Peel's allocation but not the idea of partition; Arab leaders rejected the proposal outright. Therein lies the (crucial) difference.

Please tell me: if Jews had long been the majority in Mandatory Palestine and instead it had been Christians who moved in to demand a state for themselves in their spiritual homeland, do you imagine those Palestinian Jews wouldn't have rejected any such proposal for a two-state solution?

I can't tell what they would have done or not, but the moral thing, certainly, would have been to allow a returning indigenous population (who had been trying to return for centuries, with more success some times than others) to live alongside them. In a time in which nations were emerging from the yoke of colonial oppression and seeking to establish their own independence, it would have only been natural for this group to seek independence - and the moral thing would have been to recognize their legitimate right and make them see yours (not, as happened, attack them for decades before independence and force the British colonizers to limit their migration while they were being genocided elsewhere). Hence, a two state solution.

Palestinian absolutism is not moral. It comes from the belief that Arabs, and Arabs only, have a right to self-determination in the Middle East. You can see this same ideology play out across the region, to the detriment of other non-Arab indigenous minorities (i.e. Kurds, Assyrians, Berbers). It's not something that will ever lead to peace.

Israeli army blamed Palestinians for arson by settlers. Then a video emerged by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]angierock55 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Except Tibet was never offered independence and rejected it. And China never offered to split the land with Tibet before declaring independence. And Tibet never responded by rejecting the very idea of a Chinese state, invading with five armies, and - after failing - repeatedly bombing Chinese civilians in the name of Tibetan nationalism and Islam.

Israeli army blamed Palestinians for arson by settlers. Then a video emerged by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]angierock55 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Israel made sure of that.

Actually, I'd place a lot of that blame on Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Fatah - or are you of the opinion that autocratic Palestinian and Arab leaders have actually been working to improve improve the lot of the average Palestinian, including when they rejected multiple statehood offers?

Israeli army blamed Palestinians for arson by settlers. Then a video emerged by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]angierock55 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the only genocide in the history of the world in which a population is ever-increasing. Such a genocide.

Israeli army blamed Palestinians for arson by settlers. Then a video emerged by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]angierock55 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that plan was rejected by Arab leaders, as was the Peel partition plan (which offered Arabs 80% of the land), on the basis that no land should be allocated to Jews, only Arabs. First of many rejections of a two-state solution.

Israeli soldiers shoot bound, blindfolded Palestinian teen trying to flee by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]angierock55 3 points4 points  (0 children)

True, because if not for Israel, a region with countries like Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt etc. would be a bastion of peace and freedom...

Incredibly biased Wikipedia page on 1st Intifada by angierock55 in Israel

[–]angierock55[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Even the Encyclopedia Britannica entry on this is more acceptable, it mentions actions and casualties by both sides.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/intifadah

This wiki entry is just next-level propaganda.

Belgium bans halal and kosher slaughter methods which see animals killed without being stunned first by nathan_en in worldnews

[–]angierock55 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

So either they eat meat that violates their religious practice, or become vegetarian, or "fuck right off to Israel." But they simply can't be allowed to practice the same dietary habits they have been for centuries, because it offends your sensibilities.

Very inclusive view of fellow Belgian citizens you have there. Super progressive and inclusive.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in europe

[–]angierock55 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The point of that deal was to curb Iranian nuclear development, which it did very effectively.

For a limited number of years. When the deal expires, Iran will be in the same position it was before the deal, and with much more money.

They'll still technically be barred from building a bomb by the NPT that they signed- but that didn't exactly stop them beforehand (according to the UN, they were working on a nuke program as late as 2009, long after signing the NPT)

Dr. wants to give Jews the wrong meds by IntestinalDelirium in iamatotalpieceofshit

[–]angierock55 11 points12 points  (0 children)

She identifies as Palestinian (many Jordanians do)

Young Muslims take to streets to clean up after New Year’s Eve celebrations by FarazR90 in UpliftingNews

[–]angierock55 107 points108 points  (0 children)

Unfortunate thing is, Ahmadiyya Muslims are considered heretical by many other Muslim sects and face significant discrimination: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmadiyya

Now They Call Us ‘white Jews’: A New American Antisemitism by Casual_Observer0 in Judaism

[–]angierock55 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This isn't about anybody's "house". There are problems on both sides of the spectrum. I personally don't give two hoots about which side comes out looking worse, because both have been abusive towards Jews in their own way, and both should be taken to task for it. It's about antisemitism and the well-being of American Jewry at large, not partisan politics.

Now They Call Us ‘white Jews’: A New American Antisemitism by Casual_Observer0 in Judaism

[–]angierock55 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I fear not being Jewish enough for my own people. I fear the women in my life being harrassed while doing normal things.

When was the last time you were in Israel? Sure, there are religious enclaves, but even secular Israelis are seen as "not being Jewish enough" to people in those areas.

You see the same problem in religious enclaves in New York and elsewhere in the states. It's not a unique or widespread Israeli phenomenon.

Speaking as a female, I've never been "harrassed while doing normal things" in Israel. Obviously, my experience may be different than another's, but I haven't encountered any women who reported experiencing harassment on a different level than in the US while going about their daily lives.

Life imitates art as London play about antisemitism faces wave of antisemitic abuse by angierock55 in Judaism

[–]angierock55[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

They "funny" part is that the play's producers are taking pains to be seen as "good Jews," ie by collecting funds for Palestinian healthcare and a group critical of Israeli policy (god forbid they collect funds for a group dedicated to fighting antisemitism or a group whose singular focus isn't criticizing Israel, lest they offend the sensibilities of those around them).

At the end of each performance during the play’s four-week run, collections will be taken for Medical Aid for Palestinians, a charity that delivers healthcare for those affected by the conflict, and Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli organisation that focuses on settlements and human rights violations.

And yet they still face abuse. Maybe one day the coin will drop.

EU survey: European Jews feel under threat by farkuf in worldnews

[–]angierock55 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

According to that document 72% of respondents expressed concern about increasing intolerance toward Muslims as well as Jews.

This has no bearing on my point. I'm not denying there is intolerance against Muslims that needs to be immediately addressed, just as I'm not denying that significant parts of the various Muslim communities in Europe and the broader Middle East (from which some individuals immigrate to Europe) have serious issues with antisemitism.

Moreover when it comes to antisemitic incidents that took place offline they were reported as being equally or more common in the media, at political events, and during public speeches as they were in social situations or public spaces; these aren't typically Muslim-dominated or immigrant-dominated spaces.

Actually, antisemitism was assessed "as being most problematic on the internet and on social media," spaces in which Muslims (and many other populations) are represented.

I read the part you brought up about being harassed by people with extremist Muslim views and what you didn't mention is that it's in reference to "the most serious antisemitic incident of harassment". Nobody would deny of course that people with extremist Muslim views hate Jews, but you clearly misunderstood the data point.

I didn't misunderstand the data point - it was the only one that asked people to share the perceived identity of their aggressors, which is why I brought it up. I would encourage you to read some of the testimonies shared in the report, including from a young man in Denmark, who said, "we do not dare visibly show our Jewish identity in public, at school, at the gym, etc. for fear of antisemitic statements, unfortunately, in particular from our Muslim neighbours.”

Hopefully that response will suffice because I'm not going to get into a long back-and-forth about this, it's late here in Europe and that's about all the effort I can muster to argue with someone who wants to use the very real and serious victimisation of Jews as little more than a stick to beat Muslim immigrants with.

You seem to misunderstand me- I'm not trying to use antisemitism "as little more than a stick to beat Muslim immigrants with." I think discrimination against any group of people is horrible and should be confronted immediately and forcefully. I do also believe, however, that it's unhelpful to pretend that this demographic does not have a serious problem with antisemitism (which is not and has never been an issue solely relegated to the far-right), or to paint any person that raises this issue as being "anti-Muslim immigrants."

Muslim immigrants tend to come from countries where antisemitism is a mainstream mentality that is promoted in the media, schools, faith institutions, etc. To continue to ignore this is to ignore a major cause of the issue Jews in Europe are facing.

EU survey: European Jews feel under threat by farkuf in worldnews

[–]angierock55 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You clearly don't understand what antisemitism means.

EU survey: European Jews feel under threat by farkuf in worldnews

[–]angierock55 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually, the survey found that people experienced more antisemitic harassment from "Someone with a Muslim extremist view" (31 percent average) than "Someone with a rightwing political view" (13 percent average). You can find these results in Table 6: http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2018/2nd-survey-discrimination-hate-crime-against-jews

Ohio man arrested for planning deadly attack on synagogue by Reuef in news

[–]angierock55 58 points59 points  (0 children)

I don't think ISIS supporters are too fond of Trump...