Quote Originally Posted by JamesWales View Post
Yeah we have the answer from you. That Hamas bears zero responsibility for thr destroyed city and tens of thousands of lost and ruined lives. I was just wondering if Jon was the same.
Hamas are responsible for their own actions.

You said of Hamas: 'They, just like Israel, could have made decision that would have saved tens of thousands of innocent lives.'

They made a decision to attack Israel on 7 October after at least six decades of land grabs and provocation in the West Bank, Ben Gvir insulting worshipers at Al-Aqsa, periodic 'wars' against mainly Gazan civilians to 'mow the grass', mass murder of protestors at the border fence, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, destruction of the basis for a future Palestinian state, turning Gaza into the world's biggest open air prison, seizure and caging (without charge or trial) of thousands of Palestinians - including 400 children - and much more.

Hamas and others committed crimes on 7 October and later, and probably gave Israel the excuse it was looking for to escalate its 'war' (other words are more appropriate) on the Palestinian people. But they are not responsible for the mass murder of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank - that is all on Israel and the media and politicians who enabled them. Those people are complicit in war crimes, just like Blair and Bush in Iraq.

It is clear from Israeli government statements from 8 October onwards that they were at war with Palestine - not just with Hamas. Civilians have been deliberately targeted from the beginning - euphemisms like 'collateral damage' do not describe it. Israel followed its Dahiya Doctrine (basically kill civilians to demoralise fighters) as part of a political project to empty Gaza!

And while we are talking about the decisions made or not made that could have saved tens of thousands of lives, go back to January this year. There was a plan then too (like June/July 2024) for a ceasefire, return of hostages/detainees, increased aid and withdrawal of the IOF. It lasted long enough for Trump to claim credit before Israel unilaterally broke the truce. Israel - not Hamas. There have been over 21,000 more Palestinians murdered since March this year (70% women and children - most of the men non-combatants) and that is if you just take the Gaza Health Ministry figures which have been accepted by most governments, media and the UN as basically accurate. They do not count the tens of thousands missing under the rubble. They do not headline the injured (3x the dead).