Why?
See this piece, "Gaza: Two Years Before the Mast," for details on why. And with John Ratcliffe, another of Teh Stupidz running Trump's spy shacks, revealing that 2014 at the Maidan was indeed a coup, a good reason to unfollow a Uki-tankie and block another who had other reasons to be blocked. But, unskeptical blank-check Zionism was the biggie.
Buckner, after a bit or more of goading on my part, has responded:
Here’s an even better idea: use your actual critical reasoning faculties and discover that despite your confident assertions, considerable well regarded evidence supports the opposite view. Of course Palestinians deserve reasonable and decent treatment and of course there is real evidence that Benjamin Netanyahu has been less than honest about the war in Gaza. But also—and also of course—there is overwhelming evidence that Hamas egregiously and unilaterally violated a ceasefire on 7 October 2023 with sadistic terrorism, that Hamas hides behind civilians and admits no civilians into its extensive and expensive system of tunnels under Gaza, that Hamas held for over two years innocent hostages it kidnapped, and more. One need not hate or love Jews to discover actual truth in these matters. And to any interested in my Letters to a Free Country blog (subscriptions are always free): I welcome readers who disagree with me or other readers, though I prefer they maintain civility. SocraticGadfly left of his own accord, though he’s not been missed overmuch. And I personally see no evidence whatever that he is at all competent to judge whether others are true humanists, secular or otherwise.
He even had a second comment:
I neglected to add, by the way, that supporting religious states is unreasonable in the cases of those being Islamic states—and there are many of these, some merely nominally religious and generally supportive of separation of religion and government—others quite outrageously destructive of civil rights for non-Muslims.
Hmm, where to start?
First, I never said that Hamas was perfect. I did say Clinton Tankersley was lying, and Buckner was lying by uncritically giving him his Substack space. I stand by that, Ed.
Second, there's plenty of evidence that Israeli leadership knew Oct. 7, 2023, was coming in advance, so why did they let it happen?
Third, violating a cease-fire? In reality, Israel had already been violating it. And, cease-fires with Lebanon in the past year as well.
Fourth, Israel holds hostages when it arrests Palestinians without charges and holds them indefinitely in such status. This has long, long been an Israeli practice. "Administrative detention" of Palestinians in Israel is considered the equivalent of hostage-taking by many human rights groups, and as of this time, nearly 5,000 Palestinians are so held. I quote:
According to B'tselem, since the outbreak of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023, Palestinian prisoners with Israeli citizenship have been stripped of many of their rights.[5] It further found that abuse of detainees is so institutionalized that the prisons should be called 'torture camps.'
There you are.
Fourth, I'd say repeating lies that one people tells about another people as part of dehumanization is anti-humanist, and that participating in it yourself is also the same.
Fifth, on the whole background of Hamas, including Israel helping create it, I'm not even going to waste time here. But yes, that first part is true:
Initially, Hamas was discreetly supported by Israel, as a counter-balance to the secular Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) to prevent the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Most my regular readers know the background, but I'll bet Buckner doesn't. The rest of that Wiki link is worth reading.
YOU invited Tankersley to do all of this and so stand in the dock yourself. Simple truth, Ed. YOU, with these responses, refuse to use YOUR critical reasoning faculties.
Sixth, to the second note.
And, supporting Israel, which has fused religious Judaism and secular Jewishness, isn't doing the same?
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