19 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Well there is suffering and then there is denial, which are not even remotely the same thing. Having to choose a secondary option for lunch is not quite the same as being subject to the horrors of the Holocaust. Everything in life is a matter of degrees.

Suffering doesn't always involve physical pain or injury, but that is indeed what happened to the Israeli woman and her daughter on Koh Pha Ngan. "To suffer inconvenience" is a common English phrase and that's what happened with the Israeli family at the petting zoo, although the father was hit.

Would it be blowback for the owner of a restaurant or petting zoo in the U.S. to deny service to a Palestinian family or an Arab Muslim family over 9/11? Would that sort of blowback be equivalent to blowback against Israelis because of IDF military actions?

8 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Well I was brought up as a Jew and I've been around Jews my whole life, and there are a remarkable percentage of Jews that buy into this chosen people nonsense.

They were "chosen" in one particular historical context in the Bible.

But that part of history is over, assuming the historical narrative had some validity in the first place.

It's not relevant to modern day, but people in power have hijacked the Bible historical narrative and moved it to modern day to justify their political motivations in Israel.

27 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

They were "chosen" in one particular historical context in the Bible.

But that part of history is over, assuming the historical narrative had some validity in the first place.

It's not relevant to modern day, but people in power have hijacked the Bible historical narrative and moved it to modern day to justify their political motivations in Israel.

Well I don't think The Tanakh, the Bible and the Quoran have expiry dates on them...... and they still carry much weight.

16 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Well I don't think The Tanakh, the Bible and the Quoran have expiry dates on them...... and they still carry much weight.

That is true but the chosen people was always a silly concept, and it seems even sillier these days especially in light of Israel's recent behavior.

We are so special that God chose us above all others.

Just now, spidermike007 said:

That is true but the chosen people was always a silly concept, and it seems even sillier these days especially in light of Israel's recent behavior.

We are so special that God chose us above all others.

I blame Charlton Heston.... gave a false impression.

59 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I blame Charlton Heston.... gave a false impression.

The Ten Commandments ... A great movie, the eighth highest-grossing film of all time when adjusted for inflation. I loved it as a kid, even though it was nearly four hours long.

I was once in a large hotel conference room with a lot of Thais when The Ten Commandments appeared on a wall-mounted giant screen.  I was somewhat surprised how fascinated the Thais were in this film, but even more surprised they all thought it was about Muslims in the time of Mohammad.

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Evil Penevil

5 hours ago, Somjot said:

People might slightly feel differently about a single one day attack performed by terrorists on one hand side and the 1000 days annihilation of a country including mass murder and starvation of the population ordered by a repeatedly elected government and condoned by most of the citizens on the other.

Israel and Israelis have been under attack from terrorists and military forces for 78 years. What sort of blowback does that generate?

5 hours ago, Somjot said:

Haven't they? Millions of Arab and Muslim Americans faced a severe backlash after the September 11 attacks. FBI data showed anti-Muslim hate crimes jumped dramatically, rising from 28 incidents in 2000 to 481 in 2001. Many individuals suffered verbal abuse, physical assaults, workplace discrimination, and increased government surveillance solely because of their perceived identity

I don't deny there was backlash against Arabs in the U.S. after 9/11. I was asking if that blowback was as understandable to pro-Palestinians as the blowback against Israelis in 2026. Interesting side note- the FBI recorded 1,043 hate crimes against Jews, more than double the number against Muslim Arabs even with 9/11.

In 2000, when there were 28 hate crime incidents reported against Arabs, hate crimes against Jews totaled 1,109. In 2024, the most recent year for which FBI figures are available, there were 137 hate crimes against Arabs and 1,938 against Jews.

5 hours ago, Somjot said:

The zoo and the animals have the right to defend themselves, don´t you think?

i doubt an Israeli father and mother with two small girls pose much of a threat to the zoo or its animals.

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

That is true but the chosen people was always a silly concept, and it seems even sillier these days especially in light of Israel's recent behavior.

We are so special that God chose us above all others.

There you go again.

Using the chosen thing as a racist Jew hating cudgel.

Ignorant and disgusting.

Antisemites often exploit the concept of the "Chosen People" to portray Jews as arrogant or superior, suggesting that this belief justifies discrimination against them. This manipulation of the idea can serve to fuel antisemitic sentiments and justify hostility towards Jewish communities. The notion of chosenness has historically provoked antagonism from non-Jews, leading to accusations of racism and superiority.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/ip3/jewishvirtuallibrary.org.icoJewish Virtual Libraryhttps://external-content.duckduckgo.com/ip3/aish.com.icoAish

www.algemeiner.com/2026/04/21/why-are-jews-called-the-chosen-people-misunderstanding-misuse-and-a-convenient-distortion/

Why Are Jews Called ‘The Chosen People’? Misunderstanding, Misuse, and a Convenient Distortion

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April 21, 2026 11:11 am

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Why Are Jews Called ‘The Chosen People’? Misunderstanding, Misuse, and a Convenient Distortion

/wp-content/themes/tribune/images/avatar/rachel-web-400x400-3.jpgby Rachel O'Donoghue

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Opinion

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A Torah scroll. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

From Ana Kasparian’s claim that Israelis are despised worldwide for “thinking you’re G-d’s chosen people” to Roger Waters’ unhinged assertion that Israelis seek to first take over the Middle East and then rule the world because they see themselves as the “chosen people,” you have likely come across similar screeds on social media.

Few phrases in Judaism have been so persistently misrepresented as “the Chosen People.”

It is routinely weaponized against Jews and Israel, invoked as supposed proof of Jewish supremacism or racial hierarchy.

In this telling, Jewish identity is reduced to a claim of inherent superiority, in direct contradiction to the Bible’s core teaching that all humans are created in God’s image.

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Jingthing

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

There you go again.

Using the chosen thing as a racist Jew hating cudgel.

Ignorant and disgusting.

Antisemites often exploit the concept of the "Chosen People" to portray Jews as arrogant or superior, suggesting that this belief justifies discrimination against them. This manipulation of the idea can serve to fuel antisemitic sentiments and justify hostility towards Jewish communities. The notion of chosenness has historically provoked antagonism from non-Jews, leading to accusations of racism and superiority.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/ip3/jewishvirtuallibrary.org.icoJewish Virtual Libraryhttps://external-content.duckduckgo.com/ip3/aish.com.icoAish

What proof have you got that Jews are the chosen people?

Just now, Jeff the Chef said:

What proof have you got that Jews are the chosen people?

Straw man garbage troll bait ignored.

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Jingthing

21 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Possibly goes back pre-1306. Didn't Jesus expel the money changers from the temple. It is written in a book — John 2:15–16

Now the moneychangers couldn't have been Muslim as they didn't exist at the time.

So who were the money changers? A group that existed at the time that Jesus didn't like.

They were likely Jews (Judeans and/or Galileans) or Samarians. Maybe a mix. Could have been Roman, but they were the rulers, so they were unlikely to be money changers.

8 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

If I were in Thailand now, I would be tempted to visit that zoo wearing an IDF T-shirt. 😄 I wonder what the owner's reaction would be?

He might follow the lead of Israelis in the West Bank and divert your access to water to his personal swimming pool. 🙂

Isn't the 'owner' (man in the photo) French? Earlier, I saw Israeli social media postings claiming to state his mother had been found living in Paris (there was a photo of a woman looking out a window of a flat). The comments were violent and abusive. He could be French of North African descent as many are.

2 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

He could be French of North African descent as many are.

I have seen a picture of him on the zoo's Facebook page and he does indeed look of North African descent. I'm not sure of AN's rules on posting that pic, so I won't. But you can find it if you do a search on Facebook for Samui Exotic Park.

2 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

I have seen a picture of him on the zoo's Facebook page and he does indeed look of North African descent. I'm not sure of AN's rules on posting that pic, so I won't. But you can find it if you do a search on Facebook for Samui Exotic Park.

The photo in the article (the OP) is I believe the man in question

11 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

The photo in the article (the OP) is I believe the man in question

Yes, that's hlm, the guy in the blue shirt.

47 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

What proof have you got that Jews are the chosen people?

46 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Straw man garbage troll bait ignored.

So no proof then, just an opinion.

Every adult Israeli is a possible war criminal.

Every military personnel that aids, abets or assists a war crime or crime against humanity is also guilt of such under international law.

The conscripted Israeli military is accused of committing dozens of both since 2023. Two of the leaders have international warrants out for their arrest on such charges.

It stands to reason that establishments and even countries would ban entry to such likely war criminals that possibly/probably committed crimes against humanity under international law.

Interesting that the Koh Phangan FB groups today now have video clips condemning Israel....

6 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

So no proof then, just an opinion.

The concept of Jews as a Chosen People is a matter of religious belief for which no objective proof is possible. That's a characteristic of all religions. Christians can't prove Jesus is the son of God and Muslims can't prove Mohammad ascended to Heaven. Buddhists can't prove Siddhartha Gautama found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. As a former girlfriend used to say, "Same-same but different."

6 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

So no proof then, just an opinion.

21 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

So no proof then, just an opinion.

More obnoxious disingenuous straw man garbage.

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

More obnoxious disingenuous straw man garbage.

Yet you keep posting the same old rubbish, either prove it or leave the chat, as all Religion is wrong for anyone with a modicum of intelligence.

7 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

Yet you keep posting the same old rubbish, either prove it or leave the chat, as all Religion is wrong for anyone with a modicum of intelligence.

Stop trolling.

I'm an atheist.

Racist Jew haters see all Jewish people the same.

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Jingthing

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Stop trolling.

I'm an atheist.

Racist Jew haters see all Jewish people the same.

Are you saying you are just ethnically Jewish, which is why you support the Terrorist state of Israel?

12 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

Yet you keep posting the same old rubbish, either prove it or leave the chat, as all Religion is wrong for anyone with a modicum of intelligence.

There's nothing wrong with Buddhism.

On 8/15/2026 at 6:45 AM, ronnie50 said:

Before Covid, Chinese tourists were banned from some places due to documented inappropriate behavior of some.

As for the Israelis, regardless of how they voted, they are collective outcasts now due to the extermination of Gazans and their government's obvious annexation plans of Gaza, West Bank and even Lebanon. But they have also really annoyed Thais by aggresively moving in to an area en mass and then setting up illegal businesses. They also come across as very aloof.

So who's next? Well, the Israelis are hard to beat. No one else comes to mind at present.

I agree with you- my worry is simply that a minority will no doubt emerge sooner or later that becomes unpopular and then faces discrimiantion

On 8/15/2026 at 1:49 PM, placnx said:

Palestine is recognized as a state by around 150 countries.

The ICJ ordered Israel to evacuate the Occupied Palestinian Territories in July 2024. It has also ruled against Israel on the apartheid question. Human Rights Watch, founded by Aryeh Neier, a Jew, has published a 200 page report on apartheid:

https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/04/israel_palestine0421_web_0.pdf

Pages 146-169 concern apartheid in Israel itself (as opposed to West Bank, Gaza, and easy Jerusalem).

As for genocide, the final ruling at ICJ takes years, but the ICJ has ordered Israel not to commit genocide while it considers the evidence for a final, unappealable judgement.

Anyone who believes the ICJ is a veracious organisation has a lot of growing-up to do.

1 hour ago, JimCM said:

Are you saying you are just ethnically Jewish, which is why you support the Terrorist state of Israel?

He probably would.....

but 'Jewish' is not an ethnicity it is a religion

as anyone can convert to become a Jew same as 'Muslim,Christian,Buddhist etc are not ethnicity's..the Zionists try very hard to conflate the two so they can call anyone who disagrees with them 'antisemitic' (Jew hater) which itself is is totally misused as the Palestinians are the most semitic people and the most abused by those calling others 'antisemitic'

Israel is an genocidal,apartheid,terrorist state.

Edited August 17Aug 17 by johng

3 minutes ago, johng said:

He probably would.....

but 'Jewish' is not an ethnicity it is a religion

as anyone can convert to become a Jew same as 'Muslim,Christian,Buddhist etc are not ethnicity's..the Zionists try very hard to conflate the two so they can call anyone who disagrees with them 'antisemitic' (Jew hater) which itself is is totally misused as the Palestinians are the most semitic people and the most abused by those calling others 'antisemitic'

Israel is an genocidal,apartheid,terrorist state.

The level of your ignorance is stunning.

Just now, Jingthing said:

The level of your ignorance is stunning.

The level of your brainwashing is stunning.