Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is “embarking on a long and difficult war” as it deals with an unprecedented hostage crisis after Palestinian militants launched a surprise land, sea and air attack from Gaza, killing hundreds and infiltrating into Israeli territory.

Saturday’s shock attacks by Hamas led to the deadliest day in decades for Israel and come after months of surging violence between Palestinians and Israelis with the decades-long conflict now heading into uncharted and dangerous new territory. Questions are also swirling over how the entire Israeli military and intelligence apparatus appeared to be caught off guard in one of the country’s worst security failures.

Israel’s political-security cabinet convened late Saturday and made a “series of operational decisions aimed at bringing about the destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, in a way that would negate their ability and desire to threaten and harm the citizens of Israel for many years to come,” according to a statement from the office of Israel’s Prime Minister.

    • @SARGEx117@lemmy.world
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      301 year ago

      It’s fucking baffling to me that the same people who would be first in line to blame ALL JEWS (and do so in a derogatory manner) for all sorts of things (space lasers, anyone?), but the MOMENT you bring up halting monetary and military aid to Israel, they get extremely defensive about it, like the mere thought of not supporting Israel is so un-American you might as well be a terrorist.

      • @FrostyTrichs@lemmy.world
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        151 year ago

        Same thoughts here.

        Watching the world’s reaction to the Ukraine/Russia conflict compared to the Israel/Palestine conflict is equally baffling.

        The world’s moral compass spins like a top. At what point can we just declare all these attacks and wars unjust and a waste of life and resources?

        We have the technology and resources to make a utopia for all humanity but instead we spend our time and money coming up with new ways to kill each other and reasons to be hateful. It’s only going to get worse as the world shrinks from climate shift.

        What a time to be alive. History will look back on us with disgust.

      • @Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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        131 year ago

        It’s not baffling, they need Israel to exist for their end times prophecy to happen.

        It’s not that they suddenly like Jewish people, they just want that box ticked.

        • @SARGEx117@lemmy.world
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          91 year ago

          Yeah, that’s honestly what I’ve always figured. Gotta have Israel around as a shape and name on a map, otherwise sky daddy can’t come home.

          • @Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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            81 year ago

            Most of them? No. They just believe what their preachers tell them to believe, even if it’s contradictory. Jews are bad, Israel is good. They’re do heavily propagandized they don’t even think in the normal sense really.

            But the preachers have that rationale, and the military industrial complex loves the situation, so they push it.

      • @DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
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        41 year ago

        Relief of white guilt and a democratic ally in a strategically important region dominated by theocratic regimes.

        This “long war” business is a pack of bullshit. The Gaza Strip, Hamas’s stronghold, could be occupied by the Israeli army in a week.

        Netanyahu will be looking to drop the “democratic” part of what the West gets from the alliance with the surge in public support for “extreme measures,” there isn’t a doubt in my mind.

        • Quokka
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          11 year ago

          No one in politics gives a shit about “white guilt”, that’s some Fox-esque talking point that means nothing.

          And a country that promptly installs and supports authorities and genocidal dictators gives no shit about democracy in the M.E.

          The reasons are much simpler, oil, conflict, and Christi-Fascist end days dogma.