An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that there were “hostage situations” in the southern city of Ofakim and the nearby kibbutz of Beeri.

Hamas said it had taken “dozens” of Israeli soldiers hostage and moved them to the Gaza Strip as footage emerged appearing to show gunmen in military fatigues leading a group of mostly barefoot women down a street in Israel.

The announcement and video verified by NBC News came hours after Hamas launched a deadly land, air and sea attack and fired a huge barrage of rockets at Israel.

      • @TerryMathews
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        241 year ago

        If you punch someone on the nose, you can’t expect sympathy when they punch back. This isn’t going to produce the result Hamas was going for.

        • @Maalus
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          431 year ago

          I mean, Israel is getting sympathy for punching Palestine for the last 75 years.

          • AlwaysNowNeverNotMe
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            If Israel had been any other middle eastern country we would have leveled them when they attacked the USS Liberty. Instead we funded 3% of their national budget for another 60 years.

              • TigrisMorte
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                11 year ago

                Israel only punched some of the time, not for the entirety and some of that time they were being punched which led to punching back. No, this isn’t a one sided issue like Ukraine.

        • Neato
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          201 year ago

          You can say the same thing about Israel as well. They are long past peaceful diplomacy when Israel decides it owns their homes.

          • @TallonMetroid
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            1 year ago

            Plenty of blame to go around, of course, but yeah, the Israeli failure to reign in Zionist squatters provides an easy rallying point. Whether or not Hamas is actually working for the interest of the Palestinian people is immaterial to the perception that they are willing and able to stick it to the Israelis.

            I’ve believed for a long time that if Israel actually cared about a proper peace solution, rather than “peace when the other fuckers are all dead”, they should’ve taken inspiration from the Allies and Marshall Planned the fuck out of Palestine. Build up infrastructure and industry, and give the Palestinian people some sense that things will be better, because people who have hope don’t become terrorists. But that’s obviously not something the Israelis actually want, and they’re the ones with the power to change things, so here we are.

            • @DoomBot5
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              1 year ago

              That’s all fine and dandy to say, but look at Sodastream. They did their best, building a factory in the West Bank, employing lots of Palestinians and paying them fairly. What did they get for that? So much hate from international terror groups like BDS that they had to close that factory down.

              • Neato
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                11 year ago

                One factory worth of jobs can’t make up for an abusive government that wants to oppress people. They can’t work their way out of this.

            • Deceptichum
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              31 year ago

              Yup and hopefully something will be done about Israel so it can stop.

              • TigrisMorte
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                11 year ago

                Sadly, no one sided action can solve the problem. Both Israelis and Palestinians must decide to stop the violent among themselves and actually do the hard work to come to a solution. ATM not enough folks on either side willing.

          • TigrisMorte
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            11 year ago

            It was the result Nyet 'n Yahoo wanted as well. Like Mango Mussolini, he needs the distraction form his corruption in order to hide from consequences of his actions.

        • @[email protected]
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          -41 year ago

          I can’t even comprehend how one could have the situation so backwards in their head that they could say this.

        • @[email protected]
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          -91 year ago

          With how skewed the power balance is against them, I support any effort at all to fight against Israel.

      • @[email protected]
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        141 year ago

        How does this help them gain their land? On the contrary it will harden public opinion against them. The only person that benefits from this is Netanyahu. I’m stunned by the stupidity of Hamas.

      • Mossy Feathers (She/They)
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        1 year ago

        I mean, afaik both the Jews and Muslims have a legitimate claim to the land, as both their religions have a long history of that territory being “holy” to them. The problem is that (understandably) the Jews only want to be ruled by Jews, and the Muslims only want to be ruled by Muslims. So Israel and Palestine are incompatible with each other in terms of government, leading to the issue that it’ll be extremely hard to get them to shake hands and govern jointly (which, imo, would be the ideal).

        That’s not excusing Israel for the violence against the Palestinians. It’s absolutely horrid. Nor is it excusing Palestine for violence against Israelis. While understandable when looking at their recent history of Israeli aggression, doesn’t exactly make them look good. edit: this was written before Hamas just mowed down a field of concert goers. Fucking disgusting. If you have an issue, take it out on the cops or soldiers, not on the people who are just trying to have a good time.

      • @[email protected]
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        81 year ago

        Ah yes, the old “blood and soil” justification. We have a term for people that think this way: Fascist.

        • @[email protected]
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          51 year ago

          Fkin tankies man 😂

          Had the Nazis had a hammer and sickle instead of the hakenkreuz, they would be the biggest Sieg Heilers out there.

          • @[email protected]
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            41 year ago

            It’s really bizarre. Kids that have been conditioned by the internet to think democratic countries are bad and authoritarian countries are good. Ideologies are stupid in general, but the tankie thing is just batshit. Hopefully it’s just a weird phase for them, but I see there’s a bunch of tankie grifters on Youtube and as we see with the MAGA grifters, once people develop weird parasocial tendencies they struggle to get out of it.

            • @[email protected]
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              21 year ago

              Kids that have been conditioned by the internet to think democratic countries are bad and authoritarian countries are good

              Not only that… There are some idiots who genuinely believe that China and the USSR were/are democratic and that western democracies aren’t.

              once people develop weird parasocial tendencies they struggle to get out of it

              True :(

          • @[email protected]
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            41 year ago

            Do you even know what fascism is?

            Israel is a Democracy.

            There hasn’t been an election in Gaza since Hamas gained control… how long has it been? 18 years? Elections have been permanently suspended by Hamas probably longer than you’ve been alive.

            And look at what Hamas is doing right now. And why? Blood and soil.

            That should be a clue.

            • NoneOfUrBusiness
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              1 year ago

              Do you even know what fascism is?

              Israel is a Democracy.

              An Apartheid democracy. What Israel is doing in East Palestine and the West bank, and what they were doing in Gaza before the second intifada, is literally Lebensraum.

              • @[email protected]
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                11 year ago

                “Apartheid state” rhetoric is just covering for the Hamas fascists. See before Hamas got into power Palestine had elections to determine their national leadership. But Hamas got into power and “permanently suspended” elections. They ended Palestinian democracy and by doing so destroyed any hope of Palestine being recognized as a legitimate country by anyone that’s not playing bullshit games.

                So now Hamas apologists try to rewrite history to convince people there was never any Palestinian democracy, and try to characterize the conflict as something happening within Israel’s borders, thus “Apartheid state.”

                I suppose it’s been so long since Hamas ended democracy in Palestine the younger people don’t have any concept of there ever being Palestinian elections, so maybe it’s understandable to think it’s unfair that Israel doesn’t allow people in the West Bank to vote in Israeli elections. But if you think about it logically, in order for Palestinians in the West Bank to have the rights of Israelis, Israel would have to annex the West Bank. Is that what you want? In order for people in Gaza to have the same rights as Israelis, first Israel would have to re-occupy Gaza, then annex it as well, Is that what you want?

                • NoneOfUrBusiness
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                  1 year ago

                  But Hamas got into power and “permanently suspended” elections.

                  I’m not defending it, but that kinda bypasses a whole lot of context (it was Fatah who tried to ignore the election results first). ?Anyway I’m not saying Hamas are good guys. Anyone who just shoots up civilians is evil in my book, but I’m not sure how that has to do with Israel being an Apartheid state.

                  But if you think about it logically, in order for Palestinians in the West Bank to have the rights of Israelis, Israel would have to annex the West Bank. Is that what you want? In order for people in Gaza to have the same rights as Israelis, first Israel would have to re-occupy Gaza,

                  I’m talking about the already-annexed East Jerusalem. Either give them independence or let them vote on how they’re governed; and no, city elections aren’t enough.

                  • @[email protected]
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                    01 year ago

                    According to Al Jazeera, Palestinians in East Jerusalem (though apparently they consider it to be “occupied”) do have the right to vote.

                    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/10/31/elections-7

                    It’s just that Palestinians tend not to vote in Israeli elections. And Israel has a proportional representation system which has a tendency towards the “two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch” scenario. Minority concerns tend to get factored out in that kind of system.

                    But I digress, Palestinians in territory annexed by Israel have the right to vote in Israeli elections. They just have low voter turn out. East Jerusalem is Annexed so they can have representation if they want it.

                    Palestinians in East Jerusalem can have representation in the Knesset if they turn out to vote. It’s questionable what that representation even means in a proportional representation system, but at least where voting rights are concerned, they’re better off than residents of Washington DC.

                    So yeah the “Apartheid state” meme is all about using ignorance to distract from how Hamas is the group that’s preventing Palestinians from being able to vote for their leaders. Hopefully you’re now less ignorant of the situation there.

      • @avater
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        51 year ago

        The fuck is wrong with you?

          • @IchNichtenLichten
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            81 year ago

            So, not because of a long history of brutality towards the Palestinian people, but because they’re Jewish? GFTO with that nonsense.

              • @Cryophilia
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                31 year ago

                You know there’s a massive war going on in Ukraine where Russia is genociding Ukranian civilians and some of the tankies on this very site are cheering them on, right?

                Like, there’s dozens of examples I can think of off the top of my head. Attacks on civilians get defended all the time, by various different groups of shitheads.

              • @IchNichtenLichten
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                -61 year ago

                Nobody defends attacks on civilians anywhere else in the world; only when the victims are Jewish.

                This is bullshit, I’m afraid. I haven’t seen single comment here supporting an attack on Israel civilians. Stop gaslighting.

                  • @IchNichtenLichten
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                    11 year ago

                    Maybe it’s a Lemmy issue but your first link appears to be to a post you made.

                    As to your second link, that’s just to an account, I’m not going to scroll through pages and pages of comments.

                    If this is the best you can come up with, you’ve just proved my point so please, stop gaslighting.

                • @[email protected]
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                  11 year ago

                  It’s impossible for Zionists to make a coherent argument without lying about easily verifiable facts.

      • TigrisMorte
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        51 year ago

        Barbarism, like all violence, is never justified. It may be inevitable, but brutalizing innocent People has never and will never accomplish anything of merit. While the origins may be understandable, they in no way justify the actions and in no way further the cause, but definitely impede progress.

      • @jcit878
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        -51 year ago

        that’s fascism

        • @moogs
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          201 year ago

          Look at Israel’s borders when it was formed and look at them now, and then ask yourself why there’s such a difference

        • NoneOfUrBusiness
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          151 year ago

          Or are only the Palestinians allowed a homeland?

          Everyone should be allowed a homeland, but not everyone should be allowed an apartheid state where they’re allowed to oppress others.

            • NoneOfUrBusiness
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              But since Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza strip in 2005, terrorist activity spiked.

              Correction: Terrorist activity, predictably spiked after the blockade in 2007. I mean, turning countries into open-air concentration camps has that effect.

              The Israeli government oppresses the Palestinian people in response to the constant threat the region poses to Israeli civilians.

              What? How does oppressing civilians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem help combat terror? How does settlement in the West Bank help combat terror?

              Also check the official definition of Apartheid. Do you need me to tell you how Israel fits the definition?

              There’s nothing necessary about the oppression of Palestinians in Israel, Gaza or the West Bank. The terror attacks you’re talking about are the result of the oppression; don’t mix your cause and effect.

              • @DoomBot5
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                -31 year ago

                The main oppressors of Gaza are Hamas. The main reason for their living conditions is because building materials are taken from the Palestinian citizens to be instead used for tunnels into Israel to kill more Jews. The reason for the blockade is because Iran sends Hamas weapons by sea otherwise. Hell, even with the blockade they still try to do so.

                Of course all of these facts are comfortably ignored because “Israel bad”.

                • NoneOfUrBusiness
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                  1 year ago

                  The terror came after, not before, the blockade. Just saying. And a blockade is already an act of war, so Hamas fighting is to be expected.

                • NoneOfUrBusiness
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                  21 year ago

                  A blockade does not make a concentration camp.

                  That’s a metaphor, ever heard of it? Israel doesn’t allow dual-use materials. The thing is: A lot of life’s necessities are dual use. See:

                  According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories of the Israel Defense Forces, in May 2010, this included over 1.5 million litres of diesel fuel and gasoline, fruits and vegetables, wheat, sugar, meat, chicken and fish products, dairy products, animal feed, hygiene products, clothing and shoes.

                  Specifically, the blockade helps fight terror.

                  The blockade caused the terror. Like literally the rocket attacks started with the blockade; you can look at the timeline. Also I like how you now narrowed your definition to the blockade, because you can’t justify anything happening to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

                  Only insofar as every border everywhere fits the definition. South African Apartheid—the thing people are trying to reference in order to demonize Israel—was intra-state apartheid.

                  You need to learn more about East Jerusalem. I’ll start: East Jerusalem Palestinians are systematically and routinely evicted from their homes to make way for Jewish settlements. It’s much harder for Palestinians to gain construction permits than it is for Jews. Palestinian peaceful protests are repeatedly suppressed violently. It’s almost impossible for a Palestinian in East Jerusalem to get Israeli citizenship (not that many want it, but the ones who do can’t), meaning that they live under a regime they can’t politically participate in. Should I go on? For more information, look up “Palestinian boy shoot in face by Israeli police”. There’s more than one story.

                  Note how I didn’t even touch on the West Bank; that’s a whole different beast.

                  Muslims and Arabs in the region have been terrorizing Jews since at least the late 1800s. They were never willing to accept any form of peace or coexistence.

                  You mean anti-Jewish sentiment began to rise when the “let’s take Arabs’ lands for ourselves” movement began to gain steam? Say it ain’t so. Also give me an example of that terrorization.

            • @[email protected]
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              01 year ago

              I thoroughly encourage anyone on the fence about the situation to read the article you linked because it is a fantastic example of how weak Israel’s argument that they’re not an apartheid state is. It’s nothing but whataboutism and tokenism.

        • FuglyDuck
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          Just to clarify, you understand they’re all semites and they’re all from that particular region?

          Like, it isn’t Israelite land any more than its Palestinian land and at a certain point, these claims of “it was ours first” just continue the cycle of violence, oppression and war crimes.

          They are all both perpetrators and victims.

          • @[email protected]
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            21 year ago

            Yeah, but his belief that it’s his homeland is more valid than their belief it’s their homeland because a bunch of weirdo evangelical Christians who pull the strings of the largest military in the world think Jews need to be in Israel for the end times to commence.

            • @[email protected]
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              41 year ago

              You know what, you’re right. My family fled Lithuania when the Soviets took over, so I’m on the next flight to Vilnius and I’m going to move into the first house I find owned by an ethnic Russian.

                • NoneOfUrBusiness
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                  01 year ago

                  If you did find and reclaim your own family’s home through some procedure under Lithuanian law, that would be nice.

                  Oh trust me, some of the things Jews did for that land were not lawful. See Benny Morris’s 4-stage analysis of the Palestinian diaspora.

            • @[email protected]
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              1 year ago

              Yes, ethnic homelands are homelands because their ancestors have been living there. Being a member of the same religion does not entitle you or your people to land any more than shouting an incantation.

                • @[email protected]
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                  01 year ago

                  Nope, your ancestors didnt live in Israel. People who were the same religious as you did. The jewish presence expanded rapidly in various waves, but was not as consistent as you’re making it out to be. It is not your ethnic homeland.

        • TigrisMorte
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          -31 year ago

          Sadly, what all must do is talk to one another, respect one another, and work out a solution. Neither the Nyet and Yahoo brigade nor the clueless attack and hide while innocents are punished for your actions squad are working upon a solution. Likely they are the impediment which must go away first.

          • NoneOfUrBusiness
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            41 year ago

            Likely they are the impediment which must go away first.

            Hamas can’t disappear until Israel’s stance changes. Remember: Hamas came to power because Israel wasn’t willing to advance a peaceful solution.

            • TigrisMorte
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              11 year ago

              And their actions make that harder to accomplish just as the actions taken by Israel can’t disappear until the Palestinians’ stance changes. It is a circle.

              • NoneOfUrBusiness
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                01 year ago

                No no. Hamas’s philosophy, and what won them the 2006 elections (they had never won before that), was the idea that peace was clearly not working. For example, what got Israel to pull out of Gaza was not the Oslo peace process, but the second Intifada after the peace process had failed. That’s what I’m talking about. It’s not like Palestinians are fighting because they want to; it’s that Israel is creating a situation where there’s no way but to fight or accept your fate as the oppressed. Usually the oppressor needs to stop their oppression before the oppressed stop fighting back.

                Now I’m not saying if Israel gave Palestinians their demands terror attacks would stop completely, but a population living in peace greatly reduces terrorist organizations’ recruitment pool. See: The IRA during the troubles vs now. There’s just no world where Hamas can maintain power without a belligerent Israel…

                • TigrisMorte
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                  11 year ago

                  Your first paragraph is utterly irrelevant to the discussion as this isn’t about reasons for grievance. That said, you are mostly wrong about the cause and effect involved.

                  The IRA then VS now was also via Peace Process being a two way street and not one side doing something. You should study what happened to see that it was in fact both sides realizing the only way forward. Unlike you myopic “It is up to the greater power to stop fighting first!”, both sides had to. And while your supposition that Hamas relies upon the oppression for their continued existence, they would cause the process to fail by an attack, much as the current one. And the only result is those that are also reliant upon the conflict for power in Israel are using the attack to increase support for more oppression.

                  • NoneOfUrBusiness
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                    01 year ago

                    The IRA then VS now was also via Peace Process being a two way street and not one side doing something. You should study what happened to see that it was in fact both sides realizing the only way forward.

                    In this case what’s happening is that neither side is pursuing that way, so nothing gets done. It’s up to Israel to provide an avenue for a sensible peace if they want Palestinians to take it. Remember: Palestinians tried that path (see: The Oslo accords) but their philosophies on the matter are just different. Palestinians view the peace process as a way to take back part of what’s theirs, while Israel is just giving them the bare minimum so they stop terror attacks. Until one of these changes (preferably Israel’s) there’ll never be peace.

                    For example this was part of the Israeli peace offer in the Camp David summit in 2000:

                    The Israeli negotiators proposed that Israel be allowed to set up radar stations inside the Palestinian state, and be allowed to use its airspace. Israel also wanted the right to deploy troops on Palestinian territory in the event of an emergency, and the stationing of an international force in the Jordan Valley. Palestinian authorities would maintain control of border crossings under temporary Israeli observation. Israel would maintain a permanent security presence along 15% of the Palestinian-Jordanian border. Israel also demanded that the Palestinian state be demilitarized with the exception of its paramilitary security forces, that it would not make alliances without Israeli approval or allow the introduction of foreign forces west of the Jordan River, and that it dismantle terrorist groups.[26] One of Israel’s strongest demands was that Arafat declare the conflict over, and make no further demands. Israel also wanted water resources in the West Bank to be shared by both sides and remain under Israeli management.

                    I mean would any self-respecting state really approve these demands?

            • @DoomBot5
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              -11 year ago

              Are you sure? Maybe the Palestinian people should vote on that. Oh wait they can’t, Hamas won’t allow a vote. Instead they threaten “their own” citizens to make sure they’re more afraid of them than of Israel.

              Of course, Hamas also can’t exist without Israel, otherwise who would they have to murder “from the Jordan River to the sea” as stated in their charter.

              • @[email protected]
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                21 year ago

                Of course, Hamas also can’t exist without Israel, otherwise who would they have to murder “from the Jordan River to the sea” as stated in their charter.

                Yes, without the oppressor the oppressed wouldn’t have rallied behind a group who want to violently expel the oppressors. That’s part of the anti-zionist argument.

              • Uranium3006
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                11 year ago

                Give Gaza autonomy in exchange for disbanding Hamas and turning in their leaders. Have a third party both sides trust provide security guarantees to Palestine so they can trust the bargin will hold

              • NoneOfUrBusiness
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                01 year ago

                Not do things that put people who want them did into power. There’s a reason Palestinians flocked behind Hamas and that was because peaceful solutions were not working.