Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania continued the Democrats’ piling on against Palestinians this past Sunday.

Fetterman asserted to CNN’s Manu Raju: “There’s no ethnic cleansing. It’s not a genocide. This is a just war.”

Asked by Raju if Israel was using “starvation as a weapon,” he claimed: “No. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Israel is not deliberately starving people, absolutely.”

He added: “Those conditions are miserable there. And it is hell on earth. Why? Some people blame Israel for that? I blame Hamas and Iran for that thing.”

This continues most Democrats’ failure to recognize the Gaza genocide, even walking back the genocide assertion in the recent case of Congresswoman Katherine Clark, a top leader in the House of Representatives.

  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    It’s all a matter of semantics

    No.

    Israel is killing civilians

    Yes.

    whether they are just not caring about civilians as they pursue Hamas, or if they are intentionally targeting civilians we may never truely know.

    Wrong again. You don’t routinely shoot children in the head or use the testicles of other children for target practice if you’re not intentionally targeting civilians.

    Is this ethnic cleansing

    Yes.

    that depends on how you define genocide

    There’s an actual official definition of Genocide:

    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;
      • © 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.

    — Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Article 2[9]

    Israel being guilty of ONE of those things would be enough to make it a genocide and they’re guilty of ALL of them. There’s no room for good faith denial. None.

    Of course it is genocide, I must say, or I’ll get a ban

    Probably just going to get a lot of downvotes or at worst have your hasbara bullshit renoved. Unless you get personal with anyone in a nasty way, you’re unlikely to face bans outside of the tankie instances

    because of the wonderful free speech on this platform.

    Free speech doesn’t mean speech free from consequences. You’re free to fuck around and equally free to find out.

    • Cassanderer@thelemmy.club
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      12 hours ago

      The good guys in any conflicts do not normally go around shooting children in the dick. Knowing nothing else about the situation, if you knew that one side was going around shooting kids in the dick and the other side wasn’t, you would know who the bad guys are.

    • sqgl@sh.itjust.works
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      13 hours ago

      The Court did not find intent but recently the UN did, circumventing the court. Carnage either way.

      I notice that the surrender of Hamas (who still use human shields) is an option this community never calls for.

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        12 hours ago

        Hamas don’t have the power to stop the genocide, surrender or not.

        This isn’t a war between the IOF and Hamas. It’s a systematic campaign to demolish every building in Gaza and kill or drive away every Gazan.

        I don’t know if you’re ignorant and spreading misinformation or a zionist intentionally spreading disinformation talking points, but either way 'but Hamas!" is not a valid excuse for tolerating genocide.

        Btw, that whole Human Shields thing? Turns out that’s IOF projection. they’ve Been doing it for over half a century. It’s part of their standard procedure.

        • sqgl@sh.itjust.works
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          12 hours ago

          Hamas don’t have the power to stop the genocide, surrender or not.

          How so? There was no genocide between 2006 and the Oct 7 attack.

          I believe IDF has sent civilians into buildings ahead of raids as shields. Not officially sanctioned but haven’t heard of disciplinary measures against it either.

          Apparently in their own words, Hamas base themselves in Hospitals. I haven’t seen the evidence myself and can’t read Arabic anyway.

          • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            12 hours ago

            There was no genocide between 2006 and the Oct 7 attack.

            There’s been an ongoing genocide since the Nakba of 1948 FFS! If you’re going to pretend to not be COMPLETELY ignorant, at least get the most basic facts in order.

            I believe IDF

            There’s your problem right there. They have two primary missions: to eradicate Palestinian people, culture, and territory; and to lie about doing so on purpose.

            IDF has sent civilians into buildings ahead of raids as shields

            Amongst many other uses, yes.

            Not officially sanctioned but haven’t heard of disciplinary measures against it

            That’s because it’s de facto sanctioned by the fascist apartheid regime.

            Apparently in their own words, Hamas base themselves in Hospitals.

            Your source of “their own words” being a deleted Reddit post from 10 days ago? Stellar work, Bob Woodward! 🙄

            And guess what? Even if the militant wing of Hamas (as opposed to the civil government of Gaza) DID put bases in or beneath hospitals, it would STILL be a war crime to bomb hospitals.

            Just like when they raided a hospital to murder injured (alleged) Hamas fighters.

            That was ALSO a war crime even if you’re gullible enough to believe the IOF account of what they were doing and why.