# Discussion thread for the Hamas Attacks Israel thread, October 2023 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** israel-hamas-war\ **Created:** [October 9, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317 "2023-10-09T15:10:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 173
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3575 "2024-02-19T09:05:59Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Has anyone at the United Nations Command been prosecuted for the famine being inflicted on the people of North Korea? You mean the famine that was responded to with a large international humanitarian response, and where direct food aid was in no way blockaded? Why would _that_ response result in prosecution? Especially when the famine wasn’t caused by the UN the way Gaza starvation is caused by Israel. > [@Smapti](#): > > Of course not, because _winners don’t get prosecuted for war crimes_. “Might makes right” is why we _need_ international law. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3576 "2024-02-19T09:06:07Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > AFAIK the majority of the population in those places consider themselves to be Arab. Not very far then. About half of Lebanons population is Christian. Are they Christian Arab? Are the Copts (about 10M) Arabs? The Assyrian diaspora is certainly not Arabic, in their own opinion. To call Palestinians Arabs is akin to calling Canadians American. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3577 "2024-02-19T09:06:45Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > “Might makes right” is why we _need_ international law. Needing it and having it are two different things. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3578 "2024-02-19T09:07:26Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > Are they Christian Arab? Of course they are. “Arab” is a cultural and ethnic condition, not a religious one. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3579 "2024-02-19T09:07:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Needing it and having it are two different things. Once again: > [@MrDibble](#): > > I’m not going to address such a ridiculous fact-free assertion in a non-Pit forum. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3580 "2024-02-19T09:17:23Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > It’s complicated, but no. Palestinians are Levantine Arabs, and have been for at least 1000 years. That they don’t _originate_ in the peninsula isn’t really important after so much time and so much mixing. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3581 "2024-02-19T09:53:49Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Both of 'em together and five bucks will buy you a cup of coffee. …can we be clear here, and that you understand that the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are two very different things, right? And you can ignore the jurisdiction of the court if you like. We can just focus on the submission. Do you have any issues with the factual details of the South African submission to the court? Any details that you would like to dispute? Do you understand why the courts rejected the evidence submitted by Israel? > [@Smapti](#): > > Because of everything we’ve seen. And what we are seeing are thousands of civilians killed, the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, along with no evidence that Hamas have been targeted let alone killed in any of these strikes. Pick any day in the war. I’ve randomly picked Flash Report update #85. > **[Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #85 \[EN/AR/HE\] -...](https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-85-enarhe)** > > Situation Report in Arabic on occupied Palestinian territory and 1 other country about Contributions, Education and more; published on 5 Jan 2024 by OCHA 162 Palestinians were killed that day, 296 were injured. How many of them were Hamas? > [@Smapti](#): > > So Hamas is fighting out of where then, exactly? That isn’t my burden to prove. Israel have used “Hamas deliberately embeds itself in civilian areas” as their blanket defence of the way it has conducted its bombing campaign. It’s their job to prove this is the case, not me. > [@Smapti](#): > > War isn’t a video game. This isn’t a war. It’s a slaughter. > [@Smapti](#): > > There isn’t a score ticker that goes up by one every time a terrorist dies. So as I said: Israel don’t have a fucking clue how many Hamas they have killed. Because they aren’t taking care to make a distinction between civilian casualties and Hamas. > [@Smapti](#): > > “All reports”, you say? > > [https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231027-israeli-officer-says-he-found-baby-beheaded-in-hamas-attack](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231027-israeli-officer-says-he-found-baby-beheaded-in-hamas-attack) From France 24 in December: > [@France 24](#): > > Another testimony called into question was that on October 27 by Colonel Golan Vach, head of the army’s search and rescue unit, who told a group of journalists, including one from AFP, that he “personally” transported “a decapitated baby” found in the arms of his mother in the Beeri kibbutz. > > According to Bituah Leumi, only one baby was killed in Beeri: the 10-month-old Mila Cohen, whose mother survived. > > Army spokespersons did not respond to queries by AFP. I think that a careful review of your cites will show they are all out of date. > [@Smapti](#): > > Then Israel is fully justified in destroying them by whatever means necessary. Who is “them?” I was talking about the 14,031 Palestinian children that have been killed in the conflict. Is it your position that Israel is fully justified in destroying those children by whatever means necessary? > [@Smapti](#): > > Hamas is starving the civilian population, not Israel. This is another one of those absolutely ridiculous talking points that just isn’t accurate here. Israel are blocking the aid trucks, both at the Egyptian crossing as well as the Kerem Shalom border \*crossing (that is being blocked by protestors). This isn’t even something that is _remotely_ debatable. We’ve got Israeli leadership at all levels stating quite clearly that they are responsible for the siege. We have daily reports from humanitarian agencies of exactly how many trucks are being blocked by Israel. There is no dispute here. Israel have imposed a siege and are severely restricting humanitarian supplies including food, water, fuel, medicines, are blocking anything that even remotely could be considered “dual use” like tent poles. This has nothing to do with Hamas. This is how Israel have decided to wage this war. > [@Smapti](#): > > And yet noone was prosecuted for Hiroshima. You may want to look up the date the Geneva Conventions were ratified. > [@Smapti](#): > > It’s almost as if the rules of war have always been a fiction used by winners to justify doing whatever they want to the losers. No, the rules of war have been there since they were ratified. They aren’t a fiction. > [@Smapti](#): > > I used “Arab”. Are the Palestinians suddenly no longer Arabs? > [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > It’s complicated, but no. > [@Smapti](#): > > For clarity’s sake, allow me to state that in the post that was being referred to I was specifically referring to the Palestinian people as those whose quality of life will be improved in the long run once Israel wins this war. What leads you to believe that Israel would treat Palestinians any better than they did prior to October 7th? [https://www.savethechildren.net/news/“treated-animals”-palestinian-children-face-inhumane-treatment-israeli-run-prisons](https://www.savethechildren.net/news/%E2%80%9Ctreated-animals%E2%80%9D-palestinian-children-face-inhumane-treatment-israeli-run-prisons) > **[World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Israel and Palestine](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/israel-and-palestine)** > **[EXPO-AFET\_SP%282013%29491484\_EN.pdf](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/briefing_note/join/2013/491484/EXPO-AFET_SP%282013%29491484_EN.pdf)** > > 483.42 KB > **[Israeli police targeted Palestinians with discriminatory arrests, torture and...](https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/israeli-police-targeted-palestinians-discriminatory-arrests)** > > News and Press Release in English on occupied Palestinian territory about Protection and Human Rights; published on 24 Jun 2021 by Amnesty > **[Pattern of discriminatory Israeli police violations against Palestinians](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2021/06/israeli-police-targeted-palestinians-with-discriminatory-arrests-torture-and-unlawful-force/)** > > Police targeted Palestinians with mass arrests, used unlawful force against peaceful protesters, and subjected detainees to torture What are you imagining magically changes between then and now? Will Israel abandon the use of torture, end the practice of administrative detention, stop the surveillance, allow Palestinians to teach what they like in their schools, allow Palestinians to elect who they like, give Palestinians full control over their borders? Will they allow Palestinians to rebuild their airport? To go fishing without fear of getting bombed? Will Palestinians outside of Gaza have the right of return? Will people in Gaza be freely allowed to travel to the West Bank whenever they like? Or are you imagining something else? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3582 "2024-02-19T10:52:58Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Palestinians are Levantine Arabs, and have been for at least 1000 years. That they don’t _originate_ in the peninsula isn’t really important after so much time and so much mixing. Well, yes, it all depends on how far back we go. Some of them are partially ancestors to the biblical Judeans. The Muslim conquest of the Levant made conversion very attractive. This is a part of the world that has been fought over for at least 3000 years (since the Late Bronze Age Collapse): invaded, deported, re-taken, ethnically cleansed. All Palestinians I know refer to themselves as Palestinians. Call them Arab and you’ll be greeted with a dark look at best and most often by a lengthy soliloquy of why they are _not_ Arabs. Now let’s return to @Smapti and his genocide denial. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3583 "2024-02-19T11:04:30Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > And if Israel and the United States have declared that warcrimes don’t mean anything, and that they can conduct wars anyway they want, that probably won’t matter much more in _this_ conflict. But it changes the way wars will be waged against Israel and US aligned countries in the future. As far as I can tell, that already happened; it’s less _“in the future”_ and more _‘just like on October 7th.’_ ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3584 "2024-02-19T11:05:36Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > As far as I can tell, that already happened; it’s less _“in the future”_ and more _‘you know, like on October 7th.’_ …nah. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3585 "2024-02-19T11:07:57Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …nah. Did Hamas, on October 7th, already act as if — as you said — “warcrimes don’t mean anything, and that they can conduct wars anyway they want”? Yes or Nah? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3586 "2024-02-19T11:19:35Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Did Hamas, on October 7th, already act as if — as you said — “warcrimes don’t mean anything, and that they can conduct wars anyway they want”? Yes or Nah? …I’ll repeat what I said: > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > And if **Israel and the United States** have declared that warcrimes don’t mean anything, and that they can conduct wars anyway they want, that probably won’t matter much more in _this_ conflict. But it changes the way wars will be waged against Israel and US aligned countries in the future. Bolding mine. I was specifically talking about Israel and the United States, the so called “only democracy in the Middle East” and “the land of the free, the home of the brave.” The so called “leader of the free world.” Does that clear things up for you? We are talking about the people who represent “freedom, democracy, justice” who have decided to take all three of those things, trample it, and burn it to the ground. They have proven to be giant hypocrites. They never meant anything they said. And it’s a _Democrat_ in charge. They are supposed to be the “good guys.” When it comes to freedom, democracy and justice nobody will be looking to America any more. Because their word isn’t worth anything. They’ve _funded_ this genocide. They’ve provided the bombs that have killed thousands. They’ve turned the other way while Palestinians starve. This won’t be forgotten. Especially by the global south. Whatever moral authority the United States and Israel had before this has gone. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3587 "2024-02-19T11:31:39Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Bolding mine. You’re bolding the wrong part. I’m addressing the bit where you said “But it changes the way wars will be waged against Israel and US aligned countries in the future.” I’m saying _that_ already happened. > [@](#): > > They’ve _funded_ this genocide. They’ve provided the bombs that have killed thousands. They’ve turned the other way while Palestinians starve. This won’t be forgotten. Especially by the global south. Then let them remember; let them remember what happens if Hamas, or someone like Hamas, launches something like unto the 10/7 attack against someone who’s willing to respond the way you note. Let them remember that striking such a blow _doesn’t_ lead to a nonviolent display of moral authority — perish the thought! — but, rather, to disproportionate violence that, as you say, Won’t Be Forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3588 "2024-02-19T11:34:27Z")
If only there was some middle ground between “nonviolent display of moral authority” and sniping five year olds with headshots. But clearly, Israel’s hands are tied on this. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3589 "2024-02-19T11:40:14Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I’m saying _that_ already happened. …it literally can’t have happened, because the thing that I was talking about was the genocide along with America’s complicity with the genocide. I didn’t bold the wrong part. You snipped the context. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Then let them remember; let them remember what happens if Hamas, or someone like Hamas, launches something like unto the 10/7 attack against someone who’s willing to respond the way you note. Let them remember that striking such a blow _doesn’t_ lead to a nonviolent display of moral authority — perish the thought! — but, rather, to disproportionate violence that, as you say, Won’t Be Forgotten. You are talking about genocide. Just say the word. Israel is committing a _genocide_. Let them remember that Israel’s response to the atrocity by Hamas on October the 7th was ethnic cleansing. Multiple war crimes. Shooting children in the head. Deliberately starving millions of people. Don’t try and make it sound less than what it is by talking about “moral authority.” Just call it what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3590 "2024-02-19T11:44:58Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > You are talking about genocide. Just say the word. Israel is committing a _genocide_. Genocide doesn’t mean “when a lot of people die” no matter how much you or the International Grand Poobah of War No-Nos keep wanting it to. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3591 "2024-02-19T11:49:41Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …it literally can’t have happened, because the thing that I was talking about was the genocide along with America’s complicity with the genocide. I didn’t bold the wrong part. You snipped the context. You stated — after providing the, uh, context — the following sentence: “But it changes the way wars will be waged against Israel and US aligned countries in the future.” I’m not disputing the ‘context’ part. You wrote a sentence I disagree with: a sentence I take issue with, a sentence I dispute. As far as I can tell, that sentence — all by itself — is either correct or incorrect. As far as I can tell, war was _already_ so waged on 10/7, so: _incorrect._ > [@](#): > > You are talking about genocide. Just say the word. Israel is committing a _genocide_. > > Let them remember that Israel’s response to the atrocity by Hamas on October the 7th was ethnic cleansing. Multiple war crimes. Shooting children in the head. Deliberately starving millions of people. > > Don’t try and make it sound less than what it is by talking about “moral authority.” Just call it what it is. I’m not trying to make it sound less than what it is; ideally, I’d want it to sound _more_ than what it is: I’d want anyone mulling the decision of whether to launch a 10/7-style attack to figure that the response (a) would be even _more_ horrifying than what we’ve seen so far, and (b) would involve absolutely no attempt to talk up “moral authority.” ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3592 "2024-02-19T11:58:49Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > You stated — after providing the, uh, context — the following sentence: “But it changes the way wars will be waged against Israel and US aligned countries in the future.” > > I’m not disputing the ‘context’ part. You then went on to write a sentence I disagree with: a sentence I take issue with, a sentence I dispute. :: shrugs shoulders :: …the second part doesn’t happen without the first. And the first happened after October 7th, and specifically talks about Israel and the United States. This literally can’t refer to Hamas because I was talking about Israel and the US. The sentence on its own is devoid of context. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I’m not trying to make it sound less than what it is; ideally, I’d want it to sound _more_ than what it is: You mean a genocide, correct? A yes or no would suffice. Do you think genocide is an appropriate response to a terrorist attack? > [@Smapti](#): > > Genocide doesn’t mean “when a lot of people die” I never claimed it did. The case for genocide was made by South Africa in their submission to the International Court of Justice. If you want to know what I mean when I say genocide, I’ll simply refer you again to that document. If you don’t want to read it, then I can’t do anything about that. But the submission doesn’t claim that “genocide means when a lot of people die.” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3593 "2024-02-19T12:01:03Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > A yes or no would suffice. Do you think genocide is an appropriate response to a terrorist attack? He’s danced around the question, but he’s nevertheless made his answer very clear. Here, and elsewhere, he’s expressed acceptance of mass killing of innocents as a tool of deterrence. It’s a position far outside the mainstream of modern thought, but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/3594 "2024-02-19T12:11:20Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …the second part doesn’t happen without the first. And the first happened after October 7th, and specifically talks about Israel and the United States. This literally can’t refer to Hamas because I was talking about Israel and the US. > > The sentence on its own is devoid of context. The sentence is: “But it changes the way wars will be waged against Israel and US aligned countries in the future.” You’re talking about how wars _will_ be waged against Israel and US aligned countries, and saying it’ll _change._ But if it’s not a change from how war _was_ waged on 10/7, then the sentence strikes me as false. > [@](#): > > A yes or no would suffice. Do you think genocide is an appropriate response to a terrorist attack? I believe that what Israel is currently doing is an appropriate response to the 10/7 terrorist attack; give me a definition of ‘genocide’ and I’ll tell you whether I believe it fits that definition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317.md?page=172) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317.md?page=174)