• @FrowingFostek
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    206 months ago

    By that definition Israel is failing to meet its military goal. Killing SO MANY innocent civilians would be considered a military failure by any other western county.

    Unless the goal is collective punishment and not proportional warfare.

    • @AstridWipenaugh
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      86 months ago

      Yup, a total failure. They’re currently at -2. They’ve rescued no hostages and killed two “by accident”. The only time Israel got hostages was when the military was put on a leash during a ceasefire and they traded some of their own Palestinian hostages.

      • @gedaliyahM
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        -106 months ago

        Israel does not keep or have Palestinian hostages.

        You are trying to establish a moral equivalence between kidnapping civilians from their homes and arresting suspected or convicted criminals. They are not the same thing and equating them only muddies the waters on the real underlying issues.

        • @AstridWipenaugh
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          106 months ago

          Israel has thousands of Palestinians in “administrative detention” that have not been accused of any crimes. Using a fancy word doesn’t make them not hostages. You are right that falsely imprisoning thousands of people over a long period of time as part of a standing policy of oppression is not the same as having 50 one time hostages. It’s way worse.

          https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/29/why-does-israel-have-so-many-palestinians-detention-and-available-swap

            • @AstridWipenaugh
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              -16 months ago

              Dozens, maybe as many as 100. There were only about 200 taken to begin with. Hamas gave back more than a third, and Israel has murdered at least several, that we know of. So sure, bicker about that number and give no fucks about the THOUSANDS of hostages Israel is keeping with no plans to release.

        • @Maggoty
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          -16 months ago

          Lmao, no. Holding people without charges is kidnapping them and that’s the best interpretation. The words State Sponsored Terrorism exist for a reason.

          • @gedaliyahM
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            -16 months ago

            This is exactly what I mean by muddying the waters. Israel clearly has an extremely damaged criminal justice system, but those underlying systems are not going to be addressed as long as the world refuses to acknowledge them.

            When you have activists who only understand half the story decrying Palestinian “hostages,” they draw focus away from where it’s needed. Israel needs serious criminal justice reform, but that is now than ever from happening.

            • @Maggoty
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              06 months ago

              I have an idea about how they could start, stop detaining people for no reason and holding them for years without charge.

              • @gedaliyahM
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                06 months ago

                Okay, so now you are beginning to clarify instead of obfuscate.

                You’ve identified a problem with policing; unjust detainment. That’s something that deserves attention. You can donate here to help.

                • @Maggoty
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                  16 months ago

                  I’m sorry but they’ve had time to reform that. What needs to happen now is the release of all Israeli held hostages.

      • @FrowingFostek
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        46 months ago

        Is your argument that the UN considered 90% civilian casualties as a successful mission?

        • @FlowVoid
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          6 months ago

          No, my argument is that Western armies consider that the expected casualty rate for wartime.

          The UN prefers zero casualties, and also zero war. But Western armies rarely live up to UN ideals.

    • @gedaliyahM
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      -56 months ago

      I disagree, but at least you are understanding the correct meaning of proportionality and we can have a discussion.

      • @FrowingFostek
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        56 months ago

        What about my statement do you disagree with?

        • @gedaliyahM
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          -46 months ago

          While it is impossible to have an accurate count, the best estimates are that about 1/3 of those killed have been combatants. The UN estimates 90% civilian casualties across all wars. The Iraq war was similar in that it involved urban, embedded terror groups and modern technology. The civilian casualty ratio was 77%. This war is in line with other conflicts of the past 50 years.

          It is still a terrible tragedy. War is always a tragedy.

          • @FrowingFostek
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            16 months ago

            50 years is a long time, improved technology should reduce civilian casualties not keep them in line.

            Iraq was a military failure, Israel’s assault on Gaza is a military failure, and the world needs to recognize it.

            • @gedaliyahM
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              -36 months ago

              True. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that we have yet seen what a military success looks like in the Middle East.

              • @FrowingFostek
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                26 months ago

                Leaving the middle east, as politically caustic as the idea may be, its the only viable path to military success in the region.

          • @Maggoty
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            6 months ago

            The Iraq war was fought against a standing military. The follow-on counter insurgency was far less lethal to civilians. Call us when Hamas is running T-80 Tank Divisions.