I’m not a “Israel deserved Oct 7th” person because I think that lends itself to the idea that the victims of the atrocities committed on Oct 7 deserved it. I don’t think they did. I do think Israel as a nation brought it upon themselves in the sense that they have been oppressing the Palestinians for however many years, and if they hadn’t been, the event wouldn’t have happened.
Norman Finkelstein put it in a pretty interesting way – atrocities were committed on Oct 7, but he would not condemn a violent outburst by people who were born in a concentration camp. He urged leniency and grace that would normally be afforded to people who were born into such conditions and who proceeded to commit unspeakable acts.
The way I see it Israel deserved the hell out of Oct 7th for like 50 years of slow motion genocide. Israelis did not though. Institution vs the innocent civillians caught in the crossfire.
See, I find myself agreeing, but am having trouble meshing those two, especially in what’s been touted as “the middle east’s only functional democracy”
How does a institution of, by, and for the people not count as a distillation of popular will?
I supposed in a liberal democracy that would be the case, but in reality the US and British governments rarely represent more than 1/3 of the population at best; with those being ‘good’ examples of democracy and Netanyahu being investigated for corruption the share of population actually represented by his administration is likely even lower.
I’m not a “Israel deserved Oct 7th” person because I think that lends itself to the idea that the victims of the atrocities committed on Oct 7 deserved it. I don’t think they did. I do think Israel as a nation brought it upon themselves in the sense that they have been oppressing the Palestinians for however many years, and if they hadn’t been, the event wouldn’t have happened.
Norman Finkelstein put it in a pretty interesting way – atrocities were committed on Oct 7, but he would not condemn a violent outburst by people who were born in a concentration camp. He urged leniency and grace that would normally be afforded to people who were born into such conditions and who proceeded to commit unspeakable acts.
This response sums up my feelings as well.
The way I see it Israel deserved the hell out of Oct 7th for like 50 years of slow motion genocide. Israelis did not though. Institution vs the innocent civillians caught in the crossfire.
See, I find myself agreeing, but am having trouble meshing those two, especially in what’s been touted as “the middle east’s only functional democracy”
How does a institution of, by, and for the people not count as a distillation of popular will?
I supposed in a liberal democracy that would be the case, but in reality the US and British governments rarely represent more than 1/3 of the population at best; with those being ‘good’ examples of democracy and Netanyahu being investigated for corruption the share of population actually represented by his administration is likely even lower.