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I can't believe I am siding with the Pope on Israeli and Palestine [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-12-18
I am an atheist, have been since I was in my late teens. Before that I was a born again Roman Catholic.
The things the Pope said and stood for back then were just one of my many reasons for moving away from the church.
That said, I do find myself occasionally agreeing with the current Pope:
Pope Francis condemned an Israeli sniper’s killing of two women who were taking shelter at a Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, describing it as terrorism as he gave his weekend blessing. “Some would say ‘It is war. It is terrorism,’” he said. “Yes, it is war. It is terrorism.”
I want peace in the area as much as anyone else outside of the conflict does.
And yes, I want all the hostages returned safely. I will point out that Israeli forces admitted to killing three hostages "by mistake" just days ago (Israeli forces said that the hostages had been unarmed and waving a white flag) so if your goal is seeing the hostages returned safely, I would argue starting a military operation where they are being held is probably counter productive... what do I know.
But this? This is undefendable:
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said that the women, a mother and daughter, had been walking to the Sister’s Convent at the Holy Family Parish when shots rang out. “One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,” the ecclesiastical office said.
So one woman was shot by a high caliber military weapon, and her mother or daughter was forced to carry the body to safety until the she was shot as well.
Explain to me how these woman experienced any less pain or terror than a victim of a mass shooting incident here in the US?!?!
For the people around here defending Netanyahu I ask you, how is this helping Israel defeat Hamas? How is this keeping Israeli citizens safe? How can we not see that it's exactly these kinds of events that makes Israel less safe over the long term because it radicalizes Palestinians who already feel hopeless? How can we not see that events like this only increases antisemitism around the world?
It shouldn't be hard to see that it's possible to win a battle but lose a war yet this is exactly what Netanyahu is achieving. He is turning Gaza into a smoking pit of death but he is losing the war of worldwide public opinion and sympathetic support... which in itself is going to cause long term harm for the Israeli people.
I have ZERO issues with my Jewish friends. I do and will stand arm and arm with them against antisemitism for as long as necessary.
But the world is not black and white. Just like I can love America yet despise Trump and his neo-Nazi thugs, I can stand up for for the Jewish people against Hamas but despise Netanyahu and his far right enablers including their actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
I am not anti Jew, I am however vehemently opposed to the Netanyahu government's response. Stories like this mother and daughter make me sick and full of rage. Eye for an eye justice just makes the world blind. 1,139 wrongs don't make 20,000 (and counting) rights.
I can't believe I am saying this but I whole heartedly agree with the Pope. This is what it is, mothers and daughters running for their lives while being gunned down is terrorism.
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