Current Affairs 2024

[Stephen]

I watched this report on the news this morning and i'll be honest I found it emotional to watch these poor people especially the children almost at the point of death through starvation and sickness. Awful

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd119dz515wo

What is wrong with the world that we have to inflict this suffering on each other.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Ah but the Israelis are only defending themselves, with carefully targeted attacks on Hamas.

[Onelife]

The Israeli government has reacted with outrage at the move.

It insists that claims by aid agencies that there is already widespread famine in Gaza are exaggerated and says it is Hamas which started the war, bringing suffering and misery to Palestinians.

I agree with the Israel government…. the young men and women in Gaza appear to be well nourished, perhaps they should find it in themselves to ration the food they are clearly getting to help feed the Gaza children.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I presume you've been there to check personally. I haven't. However, the media, the aid agencies, the UN and most of the civilised world seems to agree there is major famine crisis in Gaza and are not suggesting it's caused by a failure of rationing among the Palestinians. I choose to believe them rather than the Israeli government. Yes, Hamas started this phase of a war that has been going on for decades. Israel could end it tomorrow. They will never achieve their objective this way and are creating new enemies every day.

[Onelife]

I presume you've been there to check personally. I haven't. However, the media, the aid agencies, the UN and most of the civilised world seems to agree there is major famine crisis in Gaza and are not suggesting it's caused by a failure of rationing among the Palestinians. I choose to believe them rather than the Israeli government. Yes, Hamas started this phase of a war that has been going on for decades. Israel could end it tomorrow. They will never achieve their objective this way and are creating new enemies every day.

The link which Stephen posted showed the indiscriminate consequences of war, but as always, the media, aid agencies and those who report on war will use whatever images they can to show the worst of human suffering. I thought the pictures of young “emaciated” men crawling to fill their containers with water was awful…. hold on a minute, the pictures of the men in Stephen’s link didn’t look like they had gone without food for a considerable time, did they?
I personally think the BBC and other media streams should concentrate more on how the families of those who were slaughtered, raped, beheaded and sexually mutilated are now coping… not to mention those still being raped, brutalised and terrorised by Hamas who are recognised by the western world as terrorists with no moral compass.

[Stephen]

I think you need to view the footage again Keith, or make a spec savers appointment.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Yes Keith you're absolutely right about Hamas being brutal and with no moral compass. They are terrorists so sadly that's what we expect. The Israeli government is supposed to be running a modern democratic respectable country. But their current actions are no better and no less brutal than Hamas. Day by day they are abandoning the moral high ground.

[towny44]

Keith also has never mentioned that the current right wing Israeli govt does not have the support of anywhere near a majority of the electorate, and if Netanyahu had any moral scruples he would have called a GE months ago to ensure that the govt had the peoples support.

[david63]

What is probably more to the point is that Netanyahu is loosing members of his war cabinet left, right and centre to such an extent that he has disbanded it. Too much of this is all about Netanyahu and nothing else. This whole war could have been resoled months ago if it wasn't for Netanyahu pursuing his personal agenda.

the media, aid agencies and those who report on war will use whatever images they can to show the worst of human suffering.

Nothing new there - the media, on all sides will, and always have, shown images that support their narrative.

[barney]

The media ?

The papers and news today are full of what they think Farage said in his bbc interview with Nick Robinson.
Having watched it, I know that it’s not what he actually said.
He clearly said that he didn’t support Putin or the invasion of Ukraine but did say that he saw it coming because of the EU and NATO pushing east.
He told the EU parliament in the early 2000s of the potential for conflict because of their expansion.
It was the excuse that Putin wanted and the consequences are what is happening now.
No excuses, just explaining.

[towny44]

Farage may have been referring back to his predictions in the EU parliament, but it does rather rather tar him as a Putin apologist.
However what I blame NATO, and to a lesser extent the EU and the entire Westwrn Nations for, is that instead of giving Putin an ultimatum to immediately withdraw his troops from Ukraine, the NATO alliance would immediately join with Ukraine to force him to withdraw.

[david63]

It would appear that Israel is not as squeaky clean as some would like to believe

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjqq5n8911do

[Onelife]

It would appear that Israel is not as squeaky clean as some would like to believe

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjqq5n8911do

I think the IDF appear to have shown a lot of restraint compared to what Hamas do to Israel civilians and soldiers.

[Mervyn and Trish]

You keep saying that Keith. I don't see it. They're as bad as Hamas and numerically 30 times worse.

[Onelife]

You keep saying that Keith. I don't see it. They're as bad as Hamas and numerically 30 times worse.

May I suggest the tragic loss of life amongst civilians in Gaza would have been far less had Hamas allowed the women and children to shelter in the many tunnels they had built. Sadly, Hamas chose to protect themselves rather than that of their women and children.

[david63]

May I suggest the tragic loss of life amongst civilians in Gaza would have been far less had Hamas allowed the women and children to shelter in the many tunnels they had built. Sadly, Hamas chose to protect themselves rather than that of their women and children.

May I suggest that the loss of life would have been non existent if Israel had not retaliated in such an extreme way. In fact if Netanyahu had taken heed of the warning signs then Hamas would not have invaded in the first place.

[Onelife]

You may suggest that David but there have been several retaliation attacks from both sides over the years so there’s nothing new in in what you say other than both sides have the right to defend themselves. May I suggest that the Oct 7th massacre gives Israel every right to seek out those who committed those heinous acts.

As for all those screaming “genocide” this comes a bit rich when the ideology of Hamas is to wipe every Jew off the face of this earth.

[towny44]

You may suggest that David but there have been several retaliation attacks from both sides over the years so there’s nothing new in in what you say other than both sides have the right to defend themselves. May I suggest that the Oct 7th massacre gives Israel every right to seek out those who committed those heinous acts.

As for all those screaming “genocide” this comes a bit rich when the ideology of Hamas is to wipe every Jew off the face of this earth.

I have a sneaky feeling that Jesus was a Jew, and didn't he advocate turning the other cheek, and that we should all love our neighboours.

[david63]

May I suggest that the Oct 7th massacre gives Israel every right to seek out those who committed those heinous acts.

I don't disagree with that but I think that you are missing the point that Israel and Netanyahu in particular took their eye off the ball which allowed Hamas into Israel to carry out those acts. Had Israel/Netanyahu taken note of what they were being told this whole bloody business could have been averted.

[Mervyn and Trish]

The whole thing is not about the defence of Israel, it's about Netanyahu trying to save his political bacon for exactly that reason.

Very similar to the second, illegal, Gulf War, being a personal crusade for George Bush, abetted by Bliar. And now Putin waving his willy in Ukraine.

[Onelife]

You may suggest that David but there have been several retaliation attacks from both sides over the years so there’s nothing new in in what you say other than both sides have the right to defend themselves. May I suggest that the Oct 7th massacre gives Israel every right to seek out those who committed those heinous acts.

As for all those screaming “genocide” this comes a bit rich when the ideology of Hamas is to wipe every Jew off the face of this earth.

I have a sneaky feeling that Jesus was a Jew, and didn't he advocate turning the other cheek, and that we should all love our neighboours.

If you believe in all this “turn the other cheek” nonsense you probably believe he gave the Romans the nails to make the point.
Religion must surely be the most destructive thing ever invented by man.

[Onelife]

May I suggest that the Oct 7th massacre gives Israel every right to seek out those who committed those heinous acts.

I don't disagree with that but I think that you are missing the point that Israel and Netanyahu in particular took their eye off the ball which allowed Hamas into Israel to carry out those acts. Had Israel/Netanyahu taken note of what they were being told this whole bloody business could have been averted.

As with many acts of terrorism you know the threat exists but you never know when that threat becomes a reality…if reports are correct there would appear to have been lapses in responding to intelligence reports but can you ever really prepare for what happened on Oct 7th or indeed 9/11?

[Onelife]

The whole thing is not about the defence of Israel, it's about Netanyahu trying to save his political bacon for exactly that reason.

Very similar to the second, illegal, Gulf War, being a personal crusade for George Bush, abetted by Bliar. And now Putin waving his willy in Ukraine.

With respect Sir Merv, Netanyahu unpopularity is more to do with home policies rather than what is happening in Gaza.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Whatever the root of his unpopularity he thinks, like Bush, like Putin, that being the hard man will distract attention.

[Onelife]

Whatever the root of his unpopularity he thinks, like Bush, like Putin, that being the hard man will distract attention.

Power is the second most destructive thing known to man.