Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Palestinian civilians in Gaza were “responsible” for the Saturday attack by Hamas.
“It is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It’s not true this rhetoric about civilians [being] not aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true,” Herzog said Friday. “They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état.”
“I agree there are many innocent Palestinians who don’t agree with this, but if you have a missile in your goddamn kitchen and you want to shoot it at me, am I allowed to defend myself? We have to defend ourselves, we have the full right to do so,” he added.
The Israeli president made the comments while calling for over 1 million people in northern Gaza to evacuate in 24 hours. The evacuation was first announced to Gaza residents via leaflets from the Israel Defense Forces.
“Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields,” the leaflets read. “This evacuation is for your own safety. You will be able to return to Gaza City only when another announcement permitting it is made.”
Hamas has told people in Gaza to ignore the evacuation order.
“Israel is removing Palestinians from their homes and lands for a second time, and we have responded to the Zionist crimes by targeting them and Ben Gurion,” Abu Obaida, spokesperson of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, said. “Displacement and exile are not for us, Israel is carrying out psychological warfare through the threats and their dark history, which shows they carry out crimes and killings as a form of collective punishment.”
The United Nations has called the evacuation “impossible,” due to the large number of people asked to leave the area, according to CNN. John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, called the evacuation a “tall order.”
“We understand what they’re trying to do: They’re trying to move civilians out of harm’s way and giving them fair warning. Now it’s a tall order. It’s a million people and very urban, dense environment. It’s already a combat zone. So I don’t think anybody’s underestimating the challenge here of effecting that evacuation,” Kirby told CNN.
The war between Hamas and Israel started on Saturday when Hamas soldiers attacked Israel from Gaza. Hamas killed over 1,000 people and took over 100 hostages in that attack, according to NPR. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by many countries including the U.S., Israel and those in the European Union. Since the beginning of the war, Israel says Hamas killed 1,300 people. The Palestinian health ministry reports 1,800 killed in Gaza.
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The reverse is also true? Israel is carrying out a policy of colonization against the Palestinians, and the Israeli public knows this. A policy which has lead to a very one sided body count. Does that mean the Israeli civilians killed recently were, in fact, valid targets? Of course not. Only a psychopath would say so.
And, in turn, only a psychopath would try to justify the collective punishment being carried out against Palestinians.
The civilians don’t have to be valid targets. It’s a war. Did America warn Japan before they dropped atomics? Israel is already doing what they can to limit civilian losses, but it will never be enough for people like you. The Palestinian people cannot remove Hamas, so Israel will do what it must to defend themselves. That’s what this war is about. Keep excusing terrorists. Keep demanding Israel let their children face constant threats of rockets and invasion. It’s not you who has to live that way.
Israel is doing nothing to limit civilian casualties. They are covering their ass with the weakest excuses to justify their murderous intent. Your murderous intent. Air dropping pamphlets? Get the fuck out of here. Well functioning stable democracies completely at peace would have a difficult/impossible time evacuating an area as densely populated as Gaza.
Israel is murdering civilians, they know they are murdering civilians, and they want to murder civilians. The state of Israel is acting as a terrorist.
Again, they declared war on Hamas, not Palestine. Do you insist that Palestine is Hamas? Do you remember what Hamas did to them? What this community refuses to acknowledge or remember? Of course you know. You’ll use any loss of civilian life to attack Israel, because ultimately when Israel’s civilians are attacked, you won’t be there to defend them. I’ll just repeat the quote to you:
“I agree there are many innocent Palestinians who don’t agree with this, but if you have a missile in your goddamn kitchen and you want to shoot it at me, am I allowed to defend myself? We have to defend ourselves, we have the full right to do so, he added.”
The Israeli President also said:
Which is from the article the post is about so you are well aware of it. Don’t ask if I make the distinction between Palestinians and Hamas. I do, but I’m not the one currently waging a bombing campaign while claiming the distinction doesn’t matter. Israel is refusing to make that distinction. You are as well. While trying to speak out both sides of your mouth.
"They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état.”
Absolutely true. Peace won’t come until the Palestinian people realize that the least death and destruction comes from rebelling against the terrorist forces within, instead of harboring and excusing them.
And the Israelis could rise up against the colonial project being waged against the Palestinians, but don’t. So that brings us back to the question: Are civilians valid targets, then, in your opinion?
Because that would be, as I expressed earlier, the take of a psychopath.
They could rise up against the oppression of a group of people harboring terrorists and shooting hundreds of rockets a day at them? Gee, I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t do that.
Civilians aren’t valid targets. Hamas is. Civilians can become valid targets if they take action to harbor or defend Hamas. At that point, they stop being civilians.
Also, where are your tears for the civilians of Israel? I’m waiting.
Yes? Once 11 days before the first weapon and again as the first weapon was being deployed.
Good on America, then. The point is, Israel is at least doing something to minimize civilian casualties. That contradicts the narrative in this community, that Israel is genociding Palestinians. Giving civilians warnings to evacuate is not a genocide.
Being horrified by the way Israel treats Palestinians and having strong opinions on the subject doesn’t in any way imply you’re rooting for Hamas.
They say that to justify apartheid and genocide and then changing the subject to you support terrorists.
They have rocks in their heads, and they are full of racist hatred towards their fellow human brothers.
It’s sad. Both sides are awful.
It’s implied in that the outcome of what you’re advocating is a return to the status quo, to hundreds of rockets a day launched at Israel, to the constant threat of terrorism and existential destruction. You simultaneously decry the destruction of civilians while never acknowledging the destruction or threat to Israel’s children. That’s how implication works. It doesn’t have to be explicit. We all understand what you’re saying.
Palestine is the only one whose existence is at risk here.
Edit: Think about it like this: You moved into my house without any consent, claim it is yours, keep tasering me and have two missile launchers aimed at me, yet you act offended when I point my own missile launcher at you.
They regularly punch a sleeping bear and then cry foul when it predictably mauls them yet again.
Yet another demand that Israel let themselves be destroyed. You aren’t interested in solutions, only in placing blame on Israel. Israel exists. They have the right and the power to defend themselves. If the Palestinian people cared to keep their children from dying, they would raise them to live in peace. They have not, or cannot. They have not or cannot rid themselves of Hamas. Israel will do what it must to defend itself.
Someone should tell them to stop attacking Israel and harboring terrorists. It’s not working out well for them.
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Ok, your side’s facism is better than the other side’s.
Good job murderer.
Palenstinians and Israelis are the same fucking people.
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Your argument can be used the same way for palestine. You are either discussing in bad faith or hasn’t bothered to inform yourself well enough.
How is the killing of innocent civilians included in the right to defend oneself?
Allow me to quote from the article:
“I agree there are many innocent Palestinians who don’t agree with this, but if you have a missile in your goddamn kitchen and you want to shoot it at me, am I allowed to defend myself? We have to defend ourselves, we have the full right to do so, he added.”
Hamas provoked asymmetrical war with a superior force, and innocent people get killed in war. That does not imply that a counterattack isn’t self-defense. Also, intent matters. Israel isn’t targeting civilians. Hamas is. Just because they’re punching up rather than punching down does not make that okay, or imply that there should not be military retaliation to eliminate the threat.
Your hypocrisy is kind of funny.
You are the only one simping for the IDF
Do you condemn Hamas’s invasion of Israel, and the murder and brutalization of Israeli babies? Because it’s really not clear that you do.
So, do the Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against all of the violence the IDF has done to them year after year? There’ve been frequent incidents of the IDF murdering people or members of the Geneva Convention violating settlements in West Bank attacking and killing Palestinians.
It sure would have been a good time to call for international attention. Harboring terrorists and raising child soldiers, isn’t how you garner sympathy. Also, as you know, Israel has declared war on Hamas, not on Palestinians. Do you denounce the murders of Israeli and carried out by Hamas this last week? Do you demand Israelis let their children be destroyed, because that would be just revenge for Palestinians? There can be no peace as long as terrorist Hamas is at Israel’s borders. You know that, but you have no solution. Do you not care if Hamas is allowed to carry out their stated plan to kill all Jews and destroy Israel? Denounce terrorism now or admit you support it.
“Also, as you know, Israel has declared war on Hamas, not on Palestinians.”
Well, for declaring war on Hamas, they’re certainly killing a bunch of non-Hamas related Palestinians, especially children. Including Palestinians actively trying to evacuate to the south.
“Do you denounce the murders of Israeli and carried out by Hamas this last week?”
Look at my comment history. I’ve been consistently calling out Hamas and Hezbollah as evil terrorist groups. I just also consider the IDF to be a long-standing terrorist group.
I think the world would be a better place if all three groups were removed from existence and the people of Israel and Palestine threw their entire governments in the trash and started over.
https://www.reddit.com/r/IsraelPalestine/comments/1788c7b/strike_on_the_fleeing_civilians_summary/?share_id=UEyb4UImSLzYmlFutYjd4&utm_content=1&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1
“It is abundantly clear Hamas had the means and motivation to do this and it is consistent with the way they operate, blatant disregard for civilian life and their stated attempts to prevent civilians from moving south. It literally makes 0 sense for anyone else, Israel or otherwise, to be preventing civilians from moving south.”
If you want to believe Israel would warn civilians to evacuate an area so that they could bomb those civilians, it’s suspicious you reach for that explanation while ignoring the perfectly good explanation that Hamas is behind the attacks, consistent with their methods of operation and treatment of civilians as human shields. You know. Terrorism.
As for your stated beliefs about Israel… Good luck. They have the means to defend themselves, so they will. Not much more to say about that. If people wanted peace, they could stop raising their children to attack Israel. They can’t do that, apparently, and Israel refuses to let their children continue to die so that Hamas can fester outside their borders. I’m not saying it’s an easy situation. But, one side is literally terrorists, and the other is, at least in principle, a democratic government of the people and for the people.