- Oct 20, 2022
- 6,909
You completely missed the point and the post I was replying to (and managed new levels of condescension at the same time) - I wasn't relitigating the whole conflict but simply outlining the significant influence of Israel in the Labour Party. Its anti-democratic and is one reason why the UK will support Israel unconditionally when it matters despite its decades of horrendous actions. We continue to sell weapons to Israel.
Any foreign influence to this degree in UK politics should concern anyone regardless of your political persuasion. Labelling someone hard left for opposing war crimes and Apartheid is just lazy and an easy slur.
The Desmond Tutu quote seems appropriate ''If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor''
One aspect that @chickens has correct is that ultimately the US holds the influence in the conflict.
I havent mentioned CFI as this is a Labour thread but as you mentioned it, its the same/an even greater issue
Alan Duncan ex Tory who revealed what actually goes on. Its frightening.
Will leave it there
No - I didn’t - it just wasn’t a point I was responding to.
Again as always you present a one-sided POV of the conflict and while I don’t disagree with your characterisation of what is happening in Gaza from the prospective of Gazans, it IS a one-sided assessment of the issues concerned. And as far as the US is concerned, there are signs under this new Labour Government that we are departing from doggedly following the US in our approach on several key areas that I mentioned above and which you failed to note.
You are also misreading the room here imo so sorry if you feel my post was condescending’, put the tone of it down to the exasperation that the same posters are making this thread all about a one-sided POV about Gaza when there is a perfectly good thread ( until it became ultra polarised) that provides a platform for that.
I find your accusation that I have ‘chosen the side of the oppressor’ patronising and offensive tbf - I have constantly pointed out the extremism on both sides of this conflict. I have consistently and repeatedly raised awareness of the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people and in fact was one of the first ones to do so on NSC but your failure to acknowledge the nuances and complexities of the Israel/Palestine question is exactly why I have disengaged from discussing this with you and others on the Israel thread.
I didn’t call you ‘hard left’ for opposing war crimes - we all oppose war crimes and apartheid - again, I was one of the first on NSC to call the system of oppression being forced on the Palestinian people akin to ‘apartheid’ and I have repeatedly highlighted Netanyahu’s record on both of these aspects. I was heavily criticised by those on the Israel thread recently for daring to express happiness for the Israeli hostages that were found alive - you are so blinded by your hatred of Israel, you don’t have room for any humanitarian compassion for innocent Israelis caught up in this conflict. I have been accused in recent days of condoning genocide because I helped elect a Labour Government by several of you posting on the Israel thread, alongside your accusations that Starmer and the Labour Party leadership are responsible or have control over what Netanyahu is doing in Gaza - that is an accusation that aligns itself with the hard left.
What we can agree on is as far as this thread is concerned, it is better to leave it there and consign the ongoing Gaza debate to the appropriate thread..
As I said at the outset - it is hard to have any kind of constructive discussion with people who’s starting point is to accuse anyone supporting the Labour Government as condoning genocide and ‘being on the side of the oppressor’.
That’s not the way to ‘win friends and influence people’.*
*Nor is the length of this post so apologies to everyone else for the TL;DR
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