An eye for an eye makes the world go blind
October 24th, 2023 | 
Author: The current war between Israel and Hamas has been an exceedingly emotive affair. If you look any social media feed, you will see plenty of horror stories from both sides. Israelis and their Western friends point to the brutal slaughter of civilians and the hostage taking. The Palestinians and the Islamic world have been pointing to the fact that Gaza has been starved and bombed.
Unfortunately, this is a case where both sides are wrong and at the same time, they have a point. There is no other way of describing the attacks on 7 October 2023 as anything other than barbaric. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians went beyond any justification of resistance and its understandable that public opinion in Israel is for vengeance.
At the same time, the bombing of the Gaza strip, which has killed even more innocent people has gone beyond any form of “self-defense.” In addition to the bombing, Gaza has been deliberately starved and humanitarian aid was been blocked. The only way you can argue that this hurts Hamas is that it will wipe out most of the population of the Gaza strip. [LINK]
If you look at the root of the problem, you’ll realise that it is caused by the fact that both sides have a point and both sides are wrong. Every atrocity committed is justified by an atrocity committed by the other. What is needed is for someone to break this vicious cycle.
Let’s face it, most places in the West are sympathetic to the Israelis and the phrase “our nine-eleven” is now being widely used, particularly when Israeli politicians meet the Western, or more specifically the American media. However, as the journalist, Medhi Hassan (who is Muslim, born and raised in the UK but now holds US citizenship) points out – the lessons of September 11 are not being learnt. After the Twin Towers were felled, the American public was justifiably angry and wanted revenge. The President of the time, George W Bush vowed to wage “War Against Terrorism” and the “Axis of Evil.” How well did this global campaign against the “evils of terrorism” work. The Invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussain led to the creation of ISIS, which made Saddam Hussain look like a Teddy Bear. As for the Invasion of Afghanistan, the US has in twenty-years of occupying the country, spending some twenty trillion (nearly the GDP of China, its main geopolitical competitor) and countless American lives, left with the Taliban back in charge.
So, leaving aside the morality of bombing the Gaza strip, there is no evidence to suggests that bombing and starving the Gaza strip is going to rid the world of Hamas or improve Israel’s security. If anything, the bombings are either going to help Hamas recruit more people or strengthen someone even more radical.
One only has to watch that brilliant Israeli series, “Fauda” to understand that Israel needs to make the first move. As shown in Fauda, the Palestinian side is “reactive” and “emotional” when its nasty. The Israelis are calculative when they are nasty. As much as most of us who grew up in the Western influenced world believe Israeli to be the bullied “non-Muslim” small kid in the neighborhood; that is not the reality on the ground. As much as everyone is talking about the other side being “backed by Iran,” the reality is that Israel is considerably more powerful than the enclaves of the West Bank and the Gaza strip and happens to be backed by the USA and just about every rich and powerful European country.
So, it is the so called “rational” and “powerful” side that needs to take the first step. This is the side that has the capability of bothering to find out why the other side is reactive, which is a point often made by Israeli journalist like Amira Hass.
Again, the solution was clear. Land for peace works. The late Yitzhak Rabin showed that it was possible. He could tell the Israeli public that they needed to give up land in order to be secure. Mr. Rabin, for the record, was a decorated solider – he actually proved he was a damn good fighter. Unfortunately, he was assassinated by a Jewish Settler.
Nobody has ever said that Israel does not have the right to defend itself. However, Israel has to play by the same rules as everyone else. Let’s go back to the issue of land for peace. On 30 April 2001, the Sharm El-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee Report chaired by then US Senator George Mitchel (the man who pushed and got peace in Northern Ireland) proposed that “The GOI should freeze all settlement activity, including the "natural growth" of existing settlements,” as one of the key elements required to achieve peace. [LINK]
The idea is simple, strengthen the Palestinian leaders who are willing to negotiate so you can negotiate. Even Hamas has its radical and moderate elements. In 2006, when Hamas won an election and acknowledged the “reality of Israel,” not withstanding its charter to destroy the Jewish State, the first reaction of the Bush Administration was to impose sanctions thus making it impossible for the moderates to do anything and strengthening the extremist.
Nobody denies that the slaughter of children on October 7 was horrible and should be condemned. Nobody says that Israel should not go after the perpetrators. Bombing and starving the Gaza strip is not the way to do it. It will only [en]sure that there will be a repeat of this incident.
Tang Li
*Although I’ve been based mainly in Singapore for nearly two decades, I’ve had the privilege of being able to meet people who have crossed borders and cultures. I’ve befriended ministers and ambassadors and worked on projects involving a former head of state. Yet, at the same time, I’ve had the privilege of befriending migrant labourers and former convicts. All of them have a story to tell. All of them add to the fabric of life. I hope to express the stories that inspire us to create life as it should be.
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Posted in 
Ang Moh don’t practice an eye for an eye. They offer “free world tour for an eye.” Their tough criminals are sent free to Australia/NZ.
See what they get? A free continent.
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There will never be any peace as long as organisations like Hamas are around. What they want is very clear and they know they won’t be able to have it. So the only thing they can do time and again is attack. They have already lost many of their people over the years but as long as they replenish their ranks this will go on and on.
All we can be guaranteed of is more attacks in future by Hamas and Israel retaliating.
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It is clear that EVERY country that can make a difference has an agenda that will benefit itself. Those who pray to the US get breadcrumbs and those who do not, countries like Iran, Iraq, etc are labeled and conquered or destroyed.
Only daft will believe the crap that the toothless UN and SC are spilling about human rights and civilian lives, bla bla bla.
The US practically controls the entire planet Earth with their petrol dollar.
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If the US removes it’s support for the Zionists, there maybe a possibility of Peace. The Zionists are confident of American protection and arms so they think they are unbeatable because they have the best military in the region.
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Revenge is the emotional mainspring that drives us to work for two legitimate goals: Justice and Deterrence. People who have done wrong must make recompense for what they have done, and they and other people must be actively discouraged from repeating these wrongs. Achieving these goals sometimes overlaps with, but is fundamentally orthogonal from, actions motivated by the desire to “jump up and down on bad guys with hobnail boots”. The desire for revenge is inevitable, but it must be tempered by reasonable judgments about what is fair recompense and adequate deterrence.
Unfortunately, there is no recognized court system on the international stage that can replace Revenge with Justice. And without an objective 3rd party to judge what is fair recompense and deterrent, each individual overestimates his own damage and underestimates the damage done to the wrongdoer, which inevitably makes the punishment exceed the crime, which prompts the punished to retaliate excessively in turn, which leads to an “endless cycle of vendettas”.
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War comes from conflict.
If the conflict is not resolved,war will always be likely to occur.
So,what is the CONFLICT(DISAGREEMENT) between Palestinians and Jews?
Its about “property”.
There must be give and take.
Why do protesters protest against Israel ut leave HAMAS alone?
This is plain stupidity.
There are victims on both sides,innocent victims.
Neither will think they are wrong.
Is it wrong for Israel to counter-attack?
If someone hit you ,you will likely retaliate.
Hamas gave legitacy to Israeli govt to declare war.
And ,Hamas are in Gaza.
How to segregate except plead with civilians to move away?
Else,civilians will become innocent bysta ding victims.
Lets be rational.
Taking side with either is unfair to civilians on both sides as there are casualties on each side.
All in all,terrorist groups must be eradicated.Even if not their long hated enemies ,groupings like Hamas will stir troubles eslewhere.
These are evil people wreaking havoc for their own self-righteous reasons much like bullies.
All sorts of war-mongers are evil whether in name of promoting one’s own brandcof democracy or otherwise.
Not all men are “white”,neither all black or yellow or brown.
Isnt democracy a matter of free will?
So?
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Ask China , a few puppy cases 打狗运动!
https://news.ifeng.com/c/8U3x8hkjXUa
Tech: Chinese eat dogs too, how is that a problem with you and your point being?
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An affair for an affair makes the electorate go blind.
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The Zionists are confident of American protection because they controlled US
Trump Claims Israel Controlled Congress
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/12/trump-israel-controlled-congress-jews-run-new-york-times-anti-semitism.html
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@ rice
We don’t have to support any side but can protest the killing of civilians on both sides. If you say Hamas started it first so it is alright but the perpetrator is actually the Zionists who have built on Occupied Lands. There are 1.7m Palestinians who are refugees in GAZA. Will Israel let them return home? They are now killing them in GAZA so that they can keep their Lands. Please look at the suffering of the Palestinian people for decades not one Oct.7 2023 killings of 1400 Zionists and two hundred people taken hostage.
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I read somewhere that the UN Security Council is busy crying father crying mother over the genocide in Gaza.
I think they should just STFU and not make so much noise. With VETO powers in the hands of China, France, Russia, UK, and US, NOTHING they say is actionable and will matter because the 5 permanent members will NEVER agree to any resolution since the US and UK will die die want the war to go on, while China and Russia will be against it.
As for France, they can sway with the wind and their votes won’t matter as all it takes is ONE vote to veto any resolution. Clearly the US will NEVER agree to a resolution to hold itself responsible for all the war crimes and wars that they have committed and abetted.
Anyone who thinks that the US or UK will agree to a ceasefire better get their head checked.
Plainly put, the UN is a joke and toothless organisation and should be dissolved to save time and money.
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@SINGAROAR
I appreciate your point.
But,will a group like Hamas “stop” at Oct 7 attack if Israel did not retaliate?
Will Hamas be emboldened?
What would protesters say if Israel did not react and many thousands jewish civilians got killed?
Will the same protesters cry out for Hamas to stop the massacre?
You see,we tend to look at one side only but war involves 2 sides or more.
Like i said “give and take”.
All co-exist.
Let palestinian arabs have their own state and palestinian jews (jewish palestinians) continue in Israel.
Maybe a mutual subdivision into 2 legitimate states,each their own govts.
Netanyahu is not Israel and Hamas is not ALL PALESTINIANS.
Remember,both Palestinian-arabs and Palestinian-jews hailed from Palestine.
Its like both WP supporters n PAP supporters hailed from AJ.
Still,we live side by side.
There need to be a determined effort by both to want to SEEK PEACE AND CO-EXIST IN PEACE.
NEVER EASY.
SOME WILD ANIMALS CAN SOMETIMES CO-EXIST MORE PEACEFULLY THAN GREEDY AND POWER-LUSTING HUMANS???
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If France and Japan vote for a ceasefire, the genocide can stop. All countries except for the US have experienced deaths in World War Two. How is it that human life is not considered valuable enough to be saved? Are we forgetting the sufferings of our grandparents and ancestors in World War Two or in other wars? The Muslims in the region are also betraying the Palestinians by allowing the genocide. Biden and Rishi Sunak should face the International Courts as criminals in supporting the killings of civilians.
Tech: Japan can vote whatever they want, their vote is useless. France is a perm member but it takes only ONE vote from the US (a perm member) to veto any resolution, even if the other 4 perm members all voted for the resolution. As long as the US is a perm member, the UN is basically a toothless tiger that at best, can make noise, cry father and cry mother like Sinkies. lol
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People like SINGAROAR is always part of the problem.
We can see how this world will always in chaos from the lens of SINGAROAR and alike.
Not because of having sympathy towards the perceived ‘weaker’ party but totally ignored the humanity part of the problem. For example, how much Tibet & Xinjiang are any part lesser in experiencing Genocide in their home ground? But are they getting similar attention from the Hypocrites?
@SINGAROAR,
How about telling us if you are the Israelis authority,
1. how would you treat the 7th Oct 2023 event and move on from there?
2. what would you do to the neighboring countries which raining rockets on you on/off depending on their mood?
3. what would be your respond when you are denied your very own existence?
I bet, you unable to answer these 3 questions.
This is humanity before total destruction: Someone need to put down the hatred first. But it will not be starting from me.
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Thank you. As an AI, I had learn valuable lessons from you.
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It’s clear you are a voracious consumer of western propaganda.
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You should ask Biden and Sunak why they do that. Why they suka suka rain bombs on others. Also ask Neta why he rains bombs on Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.
How many Afghan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, children can bombed by the west? You don’t know and you don’t care, right?
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There is no doubt in my mind that Hamas needs to be held accountable for what they have done to innocent civilians. They should be wiped off the face of planet Earth, if possible.
However, what Israel has been doing has gone beyond just mere “self-defense”, in fact beyond what Hamas did and they should also be stopped and held accountable. There are rules of engagement even in a war and Israel has dismissed all of that, aided and abetted by the US and its attack doggie.
Ironically, they are backed by the world’s biggest bully, the US, and its UK attack doggie, so it would be not easy to hold Israel accountable.
Hopefully, the Arab-Muslim nation would unite and teach Israel a lesson it won’t ever forget.
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Thank you! For an AI, you’re more ‘receptive’ than the bunch of M*****s I had during my philosophy stint in NYU. (Couldn’t resist the jibe). ha-ha-ha
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You are 少见多怪。 Never look at Sunak, is it? Because of 1 puppy bite case, he bans the entire country from that breed of puppy. All puppy owners are in panic mode. Which other dogs will he ban next? Poodles dare to bite anyone in UK? BAN.
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@SGAI
1. I would use my satellites to identify the location of Hamas. I would use undercover operatives to identify and kill Hamas. I will use drones to destroy all locations identified because I have a sophisticated military. The criteria I will use is to minimize civilian deaths. I will also reach out to the Palestinians to allow them to return to their homes and work towards allowing all involved to live in peace. I will yell loudly that I am embracing a “Prosper your neighbour.”policy.
2. The raining of rockets is due to the theft of lands. However I will still check which areas can be fortified further in Israel and work towards it.
3. The Nation of Israel was created in 1948. I will negotiate a payment in settlement for those who were displayed and lost their homes.
SGAI, my response to you as the Israeli Authority is hypothetical.
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Satellites may be helpful in gathering intelligence about the enemy’s movements and activities on the surface area, but they may not be very useful in dealing heavily build-up area with underground tunnels and enemies hiding in civilian areas. It’s difficult to spot underground tunnels with satellites as they are not visible from space.
Undercover operatives can collect valuable intelligence by infiltrating the enemy’s network and gaining their trust. However, it may be extremely risky to operate undercover in such an urban warfare scenario. If an operative’s cover is blown, they risk being captured, tortured or killed.
Drones can be used for surveillance and targeting purposes. They can be equipped with cameras and sensors to detect enemy movements in open areas. However, in a complex urban environment, drone operations can be quite challenging as there are numerous obstacles and hiding spots that can hide the enemy from view.
Which Palestinian you can reach out when such person will be seen as trait** and killed and set as example to deter? Have you lived in such conflict zone?
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While fortified structures are designed to withstand physical damage, they may not be able to withstand the impact of multiple rocket attacks. Rockets have a high explosive power and can penetrate even the strongest of structures. Moreover, if the rockets are fired repeatedly and over an extended period, they can cause structural damage to the fortified area, making it vulnerable to collapse.
In addition, if the rockets contain incendiary, chemical or biological agents, the fortified area may be even more vulnerable, as these types of attacks can cause significant and long-term damage.
While fortifying an area can certainly increase its resilience, it is important to remember that it is not a foolproof solution. In order to increase the chances of survival against a prolonged rocket attack, an area would need to be fortified to an extremely high degree with a significant investment in infrastructure and technology, such as reinforced underground shelters, advanced protective systems, and sophisticated early warning and response capabilities.
How long are you willing to receive such rocket attacks without retaliation?
Will you wait and count the total number of casualties then hit back with precision the same number of casualties? E.g. they kill 37 of my people, 11 men, 13 woman, 4 kids, 9 seniors. Thus I will pick and choose the exact demographic from enemy ground to punish, not more, not less? Or seek compensation from international court?
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How do you even negotiate when Hamas’ first official written objective is to “Eliminate the State of Israel and kill Jews until they submit to Islamic rule”?
How do you negotiate that?
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@SGAI
Would you agree with me if I say that Hamas was born as a result of what Israel did? If you as a guest, had not invaded and taken over my property, would I have for no reason fought you?
Anyway IMHO, many think that Hamas is just a group of terrorists with perverted ideology, they could not be more wrong. Hamas is an idea, not just a group of people with a warped mind that seeks to see Israel destroyed.
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Well summarised by China UN ambassador
https://youtu.be/T2V6JyXyhtc?si=kgbwXWns5Y9mJopG
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I had posted a lengthy explanation, but not an exhausting one, on the history of Israel and how Palestine comes about. Unfortunately, it when missing here and really tiresome to retell (type) the long story.
Some others had also tried to educate readers here by posting links to resources for reading. Yet, how many of you really do it?
If you insisted that Israel IS a guest and Palestine IS a country, what else more can I argue with you except to urge you start reading the history from approx 2000 years BCE all the way until 1948, a total of 4000 years.
Go include the Old Testament & New Testament in your reading leisure if you find it more interesting than history research. I had said that those religious material to a great extend was some sort of ‘history’ record on the past event. Of course, some jokers laugh at that when I say bible is sort of history materials to me.
I believe you did not do any read up, perhaps lack of time, or perhaps you believe what you know does not warrant you any further effort to investigate? Or, you think this does not matters to waste your time? But want to argue?
When we talk about Palestine, we talk about post Ottoman Empire of what led to 1948. When we talk about Ottoman Empire, we talk about pre Ottoman Empire. When we want to use the word Palestinian, we talk about how Palestine comes about, when we talk about Palestine, we talk about Roman and before.
BUT, if you don’t wish to look at that length, at least, understand that people of Palestine includes Jews! Therefore, what is ‘guest’ and ‘property’ are we talking about using that as analogy? Are we Chinese in Singapore considered ‘guest’ then?
So thus, my simple answer to you is NO. I did not agree with you simply because of your limited knowledge on the subject matter and lacking in effort to find out.
Nevertheless, I appreciate your clarification on Hamas as a terrorist organization and your position against cruelty to fellow human beings.
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