Hi Justin - the Palestinians were/are responding to the illegal occupation of Palestine; the ICJ ruling in 2004 on its Apartheid Wall found that the Wall was illegal; that the Gaza “withdrawal” did not mean the end of occupation as Israel remained the Occupying Power; and that the Occupying Power cannot claim the “right to self-defense” against the people it occupies.
The 16 year Starvation Blockade against Gaza was also later deemed illegal. It is against all of these colonial, apartheid and illegal actions of the Israeli apartheid state - thus labeled by all the key Israeli and Western human rights bodies - that the Palestinians were and are reacting.
No human being should accept to live under apartheid and occupation: the former is a crime against humanity in international law and it is also unlawful to defend such a crime: the latter is illegal as the latest UN Resolution 12626 found.
Kenneth ROTH - formerly of Human Rights Watch - wrote in The Guardian of 20 September 2024 that:
“The general assembly resolution, which largely tracked the ICJ ruling, was adopted by an overwhelming vote of 124 to 14, with 43 abstentions. The tally was even more lopsided than the numbers suggest, given that the “No” votes were limited to Israel, the United States, a group of small Pacific states, and a handful of outliers such as Viktor Orbán’s Hungary and Javier Milei’s Argentina.”
I think world opinion is basically united on this matter as they were united against apartheid South Africa; it is therefore not just my own view or a minority view.
In the meantime let us give Mick the space to enlighten all of us and broaden our minds with his articles and insights. Thank you
Thank you Mick we look forward to the articles and your insights.
In terms of how you framed your introduction to this War in the Middle East Series, please consider these comments to ensure that we optimise objectivity and facts as far as possible - despite the fog and propaganda of war on all sides:
1. The Palestinians are the ones responding - not the Israelis. If you look at U.N. Resolution 12626 of 18 September 2024 overwhelmingly adopted by the global majority of states, then it confirms this claim. A people living under illegal occupation have the right to resist it - or do you think that people living under occupation must just sit back and fold their arms? Apartheid has no right to exist or even be defended - it is a crime against humanity - so we should never defend or tolerate apartheid wether in South Africa, in Israel, in America, in Australia, China or Russia or anywhere in the world. So the Palestinians have the legal and legitimate right to resist this illegal Israeli occupation: the UN Resolution confirms this - and they are responding to the illegal Israeli occupation.
2. The IDF is in dire straits: its command is in disarray, its troops are exhausted, it’s getting nowhere in Lebanon and the Palestinians are still fighting even after the combined genocidal attacks by the U.S.-Israel dropping tons of bombs on innocent civilians locked in an open air prison and starved of food and water. Politically the country is veering towards ugly fascism and settler militias freely terrorising Palestinian civilians trying to survive - and proudly filming this themselves.
3. The failed decapitation and assassination strategy of Israel creates sensationalism and stronger enemies - the blowback from these cheap thrills is visible as each round of fighting produces stronger and better equipped enemies. The global Balance of Power has shifted and the U.S. is no longer able to impose its will all over the world - capabilities trump intentions.
4. The IDF is known for its censorship and hasbara trying to spin realities that don’t exist…like the initial fantastical spin many Western analysts engaged in about Ukraine.
As Max HASTINGS noted this weekend in the British Sunday Times: “It has been obvious for months that President Putin has won his gamble, to show that he is tougher and nastier than the decadent West. The European nations, amid economic woes much influenced by energy costs, are desperate to get Russian oil and gas flowing our way again. They are frankly bored with Ukraine. Moreover, surprising people in Washington, London and elsewhere are murmuring: “Why are we keeping this thing going when there’s no hope of a Ukrainian victory?” Britain has “holes” in its Budget, Germany is in an economic disaster and the U.S. is in enormous debt - the interest payments exceeds the Pentagon’s budget.
Besides the IDF has revealed its weaknesses - not its strength - as it is incapable of defending itself without the constant, direct and massive support of the United States. Its bombastic Prime Minister is engulfed in crises; he needs the war to survive.
5. I am mentioning this as it would be important to not reproduce Israeli spin - we all read the newspapers and blogs and you have been there on a visit - but to continue to provide us with insight that moves our understanding and explanations towards the more objective and factual at all times. Thank you for your indulgence and we look forward to reading your Articles and insights
A much needed intelligent and well informed objective perspective!
Thank you for your analysis.
Hi Justin - the Palestinians were/are responding to the illegal occupation of Palestine; the ICJ ruling in 2004 on its Apartheid Wall found that the Wall was illegal; that the Gaza “withdrawal” did not mean the end of occupation as Israel remained the Occupying Power; and that the Occupying Power cannot claim the “right to self-defense” against the people it occupies.
The 16 year Starvation Blockade against Gaza was also later deemed illegal. It is against all of these colonial, apartheid and illegal actions of the Israeli apartheid state - thus labeled by all the key Israeli and Western human rights bodies - that the Palestinians were and are reacting.
No human being should accept to live under apartheid and occupation: the former is a crime against humanity in international law and it is also unlawful to defend such a crime: the latter is illegal as the latest UN Resolution 12626 found.
Kenneth ROTH - formerly of Human Rights Watch - wrote in The Guardian of 20 September 2024 that:
“The general assembly resolution, which largely tracked the ICJ ruling, was adopted by an overwhelming vote of 124 to 14, with 43 abstentions. The tally was even more lopsided than the numbers suggest, given that the “No” votes were limited to Israel, the United States, a group of small Pacific states, and a handful of outliers such as Viktor Orbán’s Hungary and Javier Milei’s Argentina.”
I think world opinion is basically united on this matter as they were united against apartheid South Africa; it is therefore not just my own view or a minority view.
In the meantime let us give Mick the space to enlighten all of us and broaden our minds with his articles and insights. Thank you
Mr. Ryan. Do you know or have any idea if the hostages are still alive that are being held in Gaza?
Thank you Mick we look forward to the articles and your insights.
In terms of how you framed your introduction to this War in the Middle East Series, please consider these comments to ensure that we optimise objectivity and facts as far as possible - despite the fog and propaganda of war on all sides:
1. The Palestinians are the ones responding - not the Israelis. If you look at U.N. Resolution 12626 of 18 September 2024 overwhelmingly adopted by the global majority of states, then it confirms this claim. A people living under illegal occupation have the right to resist it - or do you think that people living under occupation must just sit back and fold their arms? Apartheid has no right to exist or even be defended - it is a crime against humanity - so we should never defend or tolerate apartheid wether in South Africa, in Israel, in America, in Australia, China or Russia or anywhere in the world. So the Palestinians have the legal and legitimate right to resist this illegal Israeli occupation: the UN Resolution confirms this - and they are responding to the illegal Israeli occupation.
2. The IDF is in dire straits: its command is in disarray, its troops are exhausted, it’s getting nowhere in Lebanon and the Palestinians are still fighting even after the combined genocidal attacks by the U.S.-Israel dropping tons of bombs on innocent civilians locked in an open air prison and starved of food and water. Politically the country is veering towards ugly fascism and settler militias freely terrorising Palestinian civilians trying to survive - and proudly filming this themselves.
3. The failed decapitation and assassination strategy of Israel creates sensationalism and stronger enemies - the blowback from these cheap thrills is visible as each round of fighting produces stronger and better equipped enemies. The global Balance of Power has shifted and the U.S. is no longer able to impose its will all over the world - capabilities trump intentions.
4. The IDF is known for its censorship and hasbara trying to spin realities that don’t exist…like the initial fantastical spin many Western analysts engaged in about Ukraine.
As Max HASTINGS noted this weekend in the British Sunday Times: “It has been obvious for months that President Putin has won his gamble, to show that he is tougher and nastier than the decadent West. The European nations, amid economic woes much influenced by energy costs, are desperate to get Russian oil and gas flowing our way again. They are frankly bored with Ukraine. Moreover, surprising people in Washington, London and elsewhere are murmuring: “Why are we keeping this thing going when there’s no hope of a Ukrainian victory?” Britain has “holes” in its Budget, Germany is in an economic disaster and the U.S. is in enormous debt - the interest payments exceeds the Pentagon’s budget.
Besides the IDF has revealed its weaknesses - not its strength - as it is incapable of defending itself without the constant, direct and massive support of the United States. Its bombastic Prime Minister is engulfed in crises; he needs the war to survive.
5. I am mentioning this as it would be important to not reproduce Israeli spin - we all read the newspapers and blogs and you have been there on a visit - but to continue to provide us with insight that moves our understanding and explanations towards the more objective and factual at all times. Thank you for your indulgence and we look forward to reading your Articles and insights
The Palestinians were responding to what? Israel leaving Gaza in 2005 and leaving them to self-manage?
It would be important to not reproduce the terrorists' spin - we all saw what Hamas reported themselves while they were brutally murdering civilians.