Yuyutsu,

There's no further point in continuing the conversation.
I don't think it will be productive.

Josephus,

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be know
as the Children of God
But I say to you that hear, love your enemies
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you
To those who strike you on the cheek, offer the other also
and from those who take away your cloak, do not with hold
your coat as well.

Give to everyone who begs from you and of those who take
away your goods, do not ask for them again. And as you wish
that others would do to you, do so to them.

Josephus, I hope this will help you find peace within
yourself.

Dear Critic,

Thank you for your concern. As you know, many families in Israel suffered great losses, but my own family is fine, for now at least. From a human perspective they can be considered "lucky", but as I see it, they just didn't have that bad karma to be injured.

(That remind me of the injured Thai worker, a Buddhist with 50% burns, accepting his injury cheerfully as he considers it to be his own karma, http://www.nationthailand.com/world/middle-east-africa/40033220)

«I know that both sides have done things which are regrettable.»

And that hurts - not because Israel didn't do any wrong (of course it did), but because you keep speaking of "both" sides, as if there are only two of them, because that would place my family and Netanyahu's government on the "same side".

«How in your view have I humiliated the Jewish or Israeli people?
Any criticism of Israel gets me labelled an Anti-Semite or Jew hater anyway, so why should I care?»

Not by me. If you have humiliated the Jewish people then that is an issue between you and them, but you are unjustly humiliating half (now probably more, as the surveys indicate) of the Israeli people by associating them with that Netanyahu felon and his Nazi coalition, by attributing to them crimes they haven't done.

«You do realise that Hamas has done this to get it's own people back?»

I do, but they are not getting any good karma for attacking innocent people. In fact, many of them are already dead as a result and many others will soon be.

«- People taken and held in Israeli prisons without charge?»»

Some indeed are, but most of Hamas prisoners were charged and convicted, of murder, attempt to murder or causing grievous bodily harm.

[continued...]

[...continued]

«The Israeli hostages from what I've seen are treated well, probably not so much the Palestinian ones in Israeli prisons.»

They used to be treated pretty well before Ben Gvir became the minister controlling the prison service. Not any more and since the war started, their prison conditions became extremely cruel, yet they still receive medical treatment when needed, while 84-year-old Alma Abraham, who was released from Gaza yesterday, is now in ICU in critical condition because her existing medical precondition was left untreated. Yes, they no longer have a canteen, but they still get decent regular meals, while the Israelis that were released yesterday had only a little rice over the last two weeks and lost much weight. They still breathe normal air while one returned Thai hostage suffers stomach pains when breathing deeply due to being kept in a low-oxygen environment.

«I'd be more ashamed if I said nothing, as I be giving my silent consent to it.»

But why be ashamed at all? You don't need to stay silent, only give blame where it is due and not elsewhere, only don't bundle together the good with the evil.

Well that's inconvenient...Human Rights Watch have finally come out to say the rocket that exploded in the Gazan hospital was a misfired Hamas rocket. If even pro-Hamas groups are going to start telling the truth....

Well that's inconvenient..."There has been an abhorrent and conspicuous absence of women’s organizations around the world unequivocally condemning the systematic rape and torture of women on October 7 by Hamas. Brutal gang rapes, sexual torture, and murder of fetuses happened- period. Where are the “BELIEVE THEM” voices? "

http://twitter.com/missmayim/status/1728622257042567218

They only 'believe them' when it suits the politics.

Well that's inconvenient.... there really are tunnels under Shifa hospital. Especially inconvenient for those who said "Investigations have disproved Israel's claims.[about tunnels under Shifa Hospital". But we won't embarrass her by pointing out who said that.

Hi mhaze,
Lets assume the rocket attack happened as claimed.
It still doesn't change the fact that Israel has targeted 24 health facilities a total of 187 times.

"There has been an abhorrent and conspicuous absence of women’s organizations around the world unequivocally condemning the systematic rape and torture of women on October 7 by Hamas. Brutal gang rapes, sexual torture, and murder of fetuses happened- period."

If the rape events did occur I'd condemn them in the strongest possible terms.
Lock them up and throw away the key, never to be released.
But we don't actually know how widespread these events were, proving them might be about as difficult as the Higgins / Lehrmann accusations.
Is it just a few events portrayed as a lot, or was it actually a lot and what evidence exists?
The fact that the story goes back to the President of Israels wife, (Who needed to come out and say something) and that she brought up the two widely shared videos of the German girl and the Jeep girl isn't convincing.
The bloodstain on the back of her pants could've been from her period.
I need more evidence, and I'm not even sure how much exists.
I don't like saying it, but even confessions from Palestinian men could be forced, or Israeli women could claim rapes occurred when they didn't.
Also, I'd like to know the truth regarding stories of IDF raping Palestinian women on camera in order to force them into becoming informants.
If true, I still would not give 'retaliatory' rapes a free pass, (denounce in the strongest possible terms) but it could provide context.

Speaking of context, innocent Israeli women raped by Palestinian men is probably not as bad;
(only marginally, depending on the woman and how well she coped afterwards)
as innocent Palestinian women killed by missiles.

I'm still open minded, but not yet convinced about the alleged tunnels under Al-Shifa. I saw some footage, but it was also stated that it was not actually a part of the hospital.

I'm calling BS on the claims of 40 beheaded babies.

Rape can have an absolutely horrendous impact on a woman.
It can impact them in a way in which they're fundamentally broken.
- With no possible way to recover.

Imagine that the event can potentially be so traumatic for them, that they're not able to ever have sex with a male partner again, without being drunk, high on drugs or on prescription medication.
- Lest they have vivid flashbacks and literally want to throw up, just being with the person they actually do love.

These women can still have love for a man, and still certainly want to be with a man rather than be alone.
They yearn for that love, and close companionship with the men the love.

Imagine how it can be for them if the rape occurs when they are still a virgin;
They never even know what normal spontaneous playing around leading to sex (without being on prescription or illegal drugs or alcohol) is like.

They have the potential to fundamentally break the men whom they choose to try to have relationships with.

Imagine everytime you want to touch or caress the woman you love and play around that she freezes up and feels sick to her stomach and cannot respond to your initiating gestures, and she pencils you in for Friday week when she can get drunk and still manage her parental responsibilities.
- Normal intimacy without drugs is just not possible.

Imagine what consistently being pushed away will do to a man over time, it can absolutely break them too if they don't understand what's happening;
Libido's not something that you can turn on and off like a light switch for a man.
It's like having to face constant rejection from the person you love.

Imagine that as a man you have to obtain prescription or illegal drugs or alcohol just so that the woman you love will sleep with you.

These womens relationships consistently end in failure.
It becomes harder and more painful for them to even try.

This is the reason why I denounce rape in the absolute strongest possible terms.