Quote:
Originally Posted by Nage Waza
If Israel is committing genocide, what about the drug war in Mexico or what is going on in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, etc?
Israel absolutely has attacked Hamas and there are civilian deaths - this is no different than battles the US and Canadian military have engaged in this decade. It is surpising what Israel does to limit civilian deaths - not always - but frequently enough and according to posts in this thread, perhaps more than any other military before.
Calling Israel Nazis or that they are committing genocide or is an apartheid nation is in my opinion hate speech. It is hateful rhetoric that is not aimed at engaging in reasonable debate and is only used to incite violence or hatred towards a group.
|
Firstly, I agree with placing Israel's role in this conflict in the same spectrum as the Mexican Drug War, Syria, Iraq, etc. I would argue something like the Mexican drug war is certainly worse for civilians and showcases an inherently awful government, but it doesn't fit any definition of genocide I'm aware of, just careless action against citizens.
I think the argument COULD be made for genocide in this situation, as Israel's targets (or casualties, if you prefer) are of a specific religion and ethnicity. I don't think Israel's effort to protect civilians is relevant, as it could very easily be argued based on the casualties and the lac of effectiveness that their efforts are purely superficial. Not saying that's true, but you can easily see where the argument comes from.
I know you personally have used "hate speech" and "anti-Semitic" a little casually (for my taste) in this thread, so your definition might be a bit looser than mine. I'm still not entirely sure how placing a swastika on a flag incites hatred towards the Israeli people as a whole, it's clearly a political statement based on their government's current actions, but doesn't seem to be based solely on their religion, ethnicity, or nationality. If someone was protesting something Harper was doing, and placed a swastika in place of the maple leaf on our flag, is that hate speech?
I guess that's more what I'm asking, is not whether accusing the Israeli government of being "nazi-esque" is hate speech, but if it is, WHY it is. Saying why it isn't a good comparison doesn't answer that question, I don't think.