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Cake day: June 20th, 2023

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  • The Gaza Strip’s population of roughly 1.8 million has an unusually large proportion of children. Figures for 2013 from Index Mundi, the internet source of country data, show that that 42.5 percent of the population is aged 14 or under, compared with 32 percent in Egypt and 27 percent in Israel.

    In a situation where disempowerment, underemployment and marginalisation have left few opportunities for expression of identity, reproduction is one of the few liberties which remains, and also contributes to the larger goal of increasing the Palestinian people. Data from Index Mundi show that the fertility rate in Gaza, 4.4 children per woman, is among the highest in the world. That has steadily fallen from a peak of 8.3 children per woman in 1991. This compares with a rate of 3 in Israel, although the overall rate there is elevated by higher rates of around 6 among the strictly orthodox Haredi Jews. In most European countries, it’s about 2.

    It’s the place in the world where the least women work outside the home with only 14 percent of women in the labour market. While women are housebound, their husbands earn more money as their families expand. Traditionally, men will get extra wages if they have extra children.

    So we have explained the high fertility rates and that about half the population is 14 or under. But why so many young kids and FAR fewer older adults? For the last 16 years, a blockade that’s been imposed on Gaza by Israel and enforced by Egypt and Israel controls everything that goes into and out of the Gaza Strip. So food, medicine, all of that is controlled by Israel. And the Gaza Strip lacks very basic health needs for the people living there. So as a result of Israel’s blockade and bombings of Gaza, life expectancy for Palestinians there is a full 10 years less than it is for Israelis living just a few miles away.

    Now let’s look at the definition of Genocide.

    Genocide is any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

    • a) Killing members of the group;
    • b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
    • c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
    • d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
    • e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

    A,B, and C all apply here. And before you go for the “intent” get out of jail free card…

    Israel’s Public Diplomacy Minister: "Erase all of Gaza from the face of the earth. That the Gazan monsters will fly to the southern fence & try to enter Egyptian territory or they will die & their death will be evil.

    Gaza should be erased!"

    Still questioning a genocidal intent?

    How about Bibi Netanyahu saying “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. 1 Samuel 15:3 ‘Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass’," .

    Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called residents of Gaza, about half of whom are children, “human animals” as he ordered a “complete siege” on the enclave including a total blockade of food, fuel, and electricity.

    Former military officer Eliyahu Yossian said the IDF must enter Gaza “with the aim of revenge, zero morality, maximum corpses,” and toldChannel 14 in Israel on Monday that “there is no population in Gaza, there are 2.5 million terrorists.”

    Earlier this year, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said at an event in Paris, “There’s no such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as a Palestinian people.” He also said the West Bank town of Huwara should be “wiped out” by “the state of Israel,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a map of what he called “The New Middle East”—without the illegally occupied West Bank, Gaza, or East Jerusalem—at the United Nations General Assembly just weeks before the onslaught in Gaza began.

    What makes this conflict unique is the incredible power imbalance. This is not normally the case. For example Ethiopia’s genocide against Tigray, the Tigray militants are a powerful force which could conceivably conquer the entirety of Ethiopia and overthrow the central government. In contrast, Israel has the most powerful military in the region, backed up by the most powerful military in the world, and the most extensive global network of diplomatic support.

    This is precisely why Israel’s choices now deserve more scrutiny. Given the vast power imbalance, Israel has options not afforded by other nations in this situation (such as Ethiopia). Given their insistence of choosing continued aggression, it is becoming harder to frame their intentions in a charitable way. If you insist on framing Israel’s intentions charitably, then you should afford that same fairness of understanding to the Palestinians also.

    Do you want to talk about population growth since Oct 7th since that is the current conflict? Or how the population of Palestinians would be more than double the numbers if the Nakba had never happened?




  • It comes from people that haven’t bought the Zionist line, don’t accept Israeli propaganda at face value or that have eyes and can see what is happening in Gaza. The rest is your personal bias getting in the way. This is evidenced by your desire to call any disagreement anti-Semitism to quell discussion. Being anti-Israel bombing the shit out of Gaza is not anti-Semitism and if you cannot see that distinction you are pointless to talk to. That you see support for Palestinians as support for Hamas is another glaring Blindspot you seem to have.

    Stop using anti-Semitism as a cudgel when you cannot defend the indefensible, it is gross.







  • Genocide is any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

    (a) Killing members of the group;
    (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
    (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
    (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
    (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
    

    Sure seems like Israel is trying to get a full bingo card on this one even if you reject the notion of «genocide».

    And before you go for the “intent” get out of jail free card…

    Israel’s Public Diplomacy Minister: "Erase all of Gaza from the face of the earth. That the Gazan monsters will fly to the southern fence & try to enter Egyptian territory or they will die & their death will be evil.

    Gaza should be erased!"

    Still questioning a genocidal intent?

    How about Bibi Netanyahu saying “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. 1 Samuel 15:3 ‘Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass’," .

    Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called residents of Gaza, about half of whom are children, “human animals” as he ordered a “complete siege” on the enclave including a total blockade of food, fuel, and electricity.

    Former military officer Eliyahu Yossian said the IDF must enter Gaza “with the aim of revenge, zero morality, maximum corpses,” and toldChannel 14 in Israel on Monday that “there is no population in Gaza, there are 2.5 million terrorists.”

    Earlier this year, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said at an event in Paris, “There’s no such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as a Palestinian people.” He also said the West Bank town of Huwara should be “wiped out” by “the state of Israel,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a map of what he called “The New Middle East”—without the illegally occupied West Bank, Gaza, or East Jerusalem—at the United Nations General Assembly just weeks before the onslaught in Gaza began.

    Sure seems like a pattern of intent. I could find you that video of Bibi back in 2002 saying much the same if you like. This isn’t new.