Netanyahu suspends minister who suggested dropping nuclear bomb on Gaza

[Social Media]

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended far-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu on Sunday after he suggested dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza was a possible way to deal with the threat from Hamas.

Asked in a radio interview Sunday whether Israel should drop an atomic bomb on Gaza, Eliyahu replied that that was an option, The Jerusalem Post reported, noting that the comment came in a larger discussion about humanitarian aid.

 

“We wouldn’t have given the Nazis humanitarian aid,” he said, according to the reporting. “There’s no such thing as innocents in Gaza.”

Netanyahu sharply rebuked the comment, saying they were “not based in reality” and stressing Israel’s commitment to abide by international law and avoid unnecessary deaths. 

“Minister Amihai Eliyahu’s statements are not based in reality,” Netanyahu said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, before suspending Eliyahu from cabinet meetings. 

“Israel and the [Israel Defense Forces] are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents. We will continue to do so until our victory,” Netanyahu added.

The remarks were also met by widespread condemnation among Israeli government officials — both from members in the right-wing governing coalition and from members of the opposition.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he “condemns the baseless and irresponsible words of Minister Amichai Eliyahu,” adding, “It’s good that these are not the people in charge of Israel’s security.”

 

FULL STORY

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Oops, did he let the cat out of the bag too soon?

[thaibeachlovers]

34 minutes ago, Social Media said:

“We wouldn’t have given the Nazis humanitarian aid,” he said, according to the reporting. “There’s no such thing as innocents in Gaza.”

Netanyahu sharply rebuked the comment, saying they were “not based in reality” and stressing Israel’s commitment to abide by international law and avoid unnecessary deaths. 

“Minister Amihai Eliyahu’s statements are not based in reality,” Netanyahu said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, before suspending Eliyahu from cabinet meetings. 

“Israel and the [Israel Defense Forces] are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents. We will continue to do so until our victory,” Netanyahu added.

NB he hasn't kicked him out of government, just not allowed to attend cabinet meetings. A Clayton's punishment.

[Morch]

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

NB he hasn't kicked him out of government, just not allowed to attend cabinet meetings. A Clayton's punishment.

 

That's politics. Government and coalition may dissolve, which got it's upsides, but maybe not the right thing to do while at war.

The main takeaway is that there's wide condemnation for his words.

Then again, this particular specimen tends to makes some outrageous statement about once a fortnight - so more nonsense surely expected.

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Well, at least the war has sobered up Netanyahu about the danger of appointing thugs to politically flammable portfolios. Oh wait a minute...

 

Netanyahu appoints far-right MK as chairman of West Bank committee

Religious Zionist Party MK Zvi Sukkot was appointed as chairman of the Foreign and Security Committee's Judea and Samaria Sub-Committee on Wednesday.

Sukkot, who identifies with far-right politics, lives in a settlement and has been suspected in the past of involvement in Jewish terrorist attacks on Palestinians.

His new appointment was immediately condemned and criticized by other politicians and activist groups who demanded he be removed from the position.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-771210

 

Good thing there are no other thugs in the Israeli government who want to pour gasoline on the fire: Oh..wait another minute...

 

U.S. Officials Fear American Guns Ordered by Israel Could Fuel West Bank Violence
Israel wants 24,000 assault rifles. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right minister overseeing the police, has given rifles to civilians and is forming “security squads.”

An Israeli government request for 24,000 assault rifles from the United States is drawing scrutiny from American lawmakers and some State Department officials who fear the weapons might end up in the hands of settlers and civilian militias trying to force Palestinians from land in the West Bank, where violence has been surging, U.S. officials say.

The three proposed tranches of semiautomatic and automatic rifles are valued at $34 million and are being ordered directly from American gunmakers, but they require State Department approval and congressional notification. Israel says the rifles would be used by the national police force, but has also indicated that they could be given to civilians, people familiar with the weapons orders told The New York Times.

https://archive.ph/hc7Ub

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/05/us/politics/israel-us-weapons-west-bank.html#:~:text=An Israeli government request for,Bank%2C where violence has been

 

And this despite the Biden administration's admonition to crack down on the settlers. Youj'd think if Biden is putting Americans in harms way for the Israelis, the least the Israelis could do would be to honor his request and not to further enable settler violence in the West Bank.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

14 hours ago, Social Media said:

“Israel and the [Israel Defense Forces] are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents. We will continue to do so until our victory,” Netanyahu added.

 

I'm not taking a personal side in this dispute/war and which side is entitled to what.... but...

 

My news updates today say the latest death toll reported in Gaza has now exceeded 10,000.

 

And my update from the Washington Post today talks of Israeli strikes hitting refugee camps, hospitals, schools, water towers, etc.

 

"Entire families have been killed; infants are buried with their parents in mass graves. Strikes have hit water towers and bakeries, schools and ambulances. Human rights groups have flagged a growing number of strikes as potential war crimes and urged an international investigation."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/05/israel-strike-targets-gaza-civilians-hamas/

 

and yet Netanyahu is talking above about 'operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents"...

 

Huh????

 

[placeholder]

3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'm not taking a personal side in this dispute/war and which side is entitled to what.... but...

 

My news updates today say the latest death toll reported in Gaza has now exceeded 10,000.

 

And my update from the Washington Post today talks of Israeli strikes hitting refugee camps, hospitals, schools, water towers, etc.

 

"Entire families have been killed; infants are buried with their parents in mass graves. Strikes have hit water towers and bakeries, schools and ambulances. Human rights groups have flagged a growing number of strikes as potential war crimes and urged an international investigation."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/05/israel-strike-targets-gaza-civilians-hamas/

 

and yet Netanyahu is talking above about 'operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents"...

 

Huh????

 

Maybe to him, the innocents are the newly armed settlers on the West Bank. He and his government certainly are taking a hands off attitude towards them. Over 120 Palestians killed, most of them murdered, and as far as I know, 800 at least forcibley evicted from their homes, and the government hasn't issued a word of condemnation.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

October 20, 2023

Damning evidence of war crimes as Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza

As Israeli forces continue to intensify their cataclysmic assault on the occupied Gaza Strip, Amnesty International has documented unlawful Israeli attacks, including indiscriminate attacks, which caused mass civilian casualties and must be investigated as war crimes.

 

The organization spoke to survivors and eyewitnesses, analysed satellite imagery, and verified photos and videos to investigate air bombardments carried out by Israeli forces between 7 and 12 October, which caused horrific destruction, and in some cases wiped out entire families.

 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/damning-evidence-of-war-crimes-as-israeli-attacks-wipe-out-entire-families-in-gaza/

 

[Morch]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'm not taking a personal side in this dispute/war and which side is entitled to what.... but...

 

My news updates today say the latest death toll reported in Gaza has now exceeded 10,000.

 

And my update from the Washington Post today talks of Israeli strikes hitting refugee camps, hospitals, schools, water towers, etc.

 

"Entire families have been killed; infants are buried with their parents in mass graves. Strikes have hit water towers and bakeries, schools and ambulances. Human rights groups have flagged a growing number of strikes as potential war crimes and urged an international investigation."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/05/israel-strike-targets-gaza-civilians-hamas/

 

and yet Netanyahu is talking above about 'operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents"...

 

Huh????

 

 

There are a whole lot of civilian casualties, no one is denying that.

 

Three points with regard to your post:

 

Casualty reports rely almost solely on figures supplied by the Hamas controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza. Hamas does not release information on how many of its men were killed, nor is it clear if the figures include the Hamas men killed in the aftermath of the 7/10 attack. Similarly, casualties claimed by Hamas (as in the hospital blast incident) are apparently added to the casualty lists, but without clear indication as to who/what killed them. Considering a 'normal' round of hostilities results in hundreds of failed rocket launches, that could amount to quite a lot. Further, the figures released highlight death of children, women and the elderly. There are usually not much information handed out on male casualties in the fighting age bracket. The overall figures may tally, but their composition is another matter.

 

People, human rights organizations, and politicians are quick to cry 'war crimes'. Essentially, though, international law on these matters seem to be less about protecting civilians, and more about setting 'rules of war' in a manner which allows such killings. So, for example, in many cases protections are basically waved if a site is used for military purpose, or even if the 'value' of the target attacked 'exceeds' the expected 'collateral damage'. Other such things involve the use of precision-guided arms and munitions, which give more leeway - by 'neutralizing' the claims of 'intent'. All of this does not go toward claiming causing civilian deaths is moral, good or anything of the sort - just that they aren't always quite the 'war crimes' claimed. It is almost routine for many such claims to be raised during the fighting, with the number of actual demonstrable violations being smaller. As far as legalities go, I would be surprised if the Israeli government and the IDF do not rely on robust enough legal interpretations (which, no doubt, will be challenged by alternative interpretations, and a bunch of lawyers making a killing of their own in the process). International law, by the way, defines most of what the Hamas  does as illegal - specifically, using civilians as cover, using hospitals and schools as bases of operations, setting up military facilities in residential areas and so on. 

 

Hamas is the sovereign power in the Gaza Strip. People often refer to Hamas solely as a terrorist organization, but in fact it's a hybrid one, with a political wing, and a social apparatus operating many projects and services. To it's misfortune (on this ground) Hamas was also elected (back when). Part of the obligations and responsibilities involved would include providing protection for the populace and working on its behalf. Most of what Hamas does in the context of fighting with Israel runs directly against that - no protection offered for civilians (no bomb shelters, but plenty of bunkers and tunnels for the Hamas), no advanced warning something is about to go down, no plans of evacuation (and indeed trying to prevent people from leaving, or calling on them to stay put), and most of all - going on such 'adventures' knowing the consequences all too well. Hamas leaders publicly called on their own people to make sacrifices, while themselves and families were safely away at the Gulf. For some unclear reason, people expect Israel to care more about the Palestinian civilians than their own government does.

 

And still, there's no getting around it - a whole lot of innocent people lost their lives, plenty more would lose it by the time this is over.