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Hamas invaded Israel 2023

  • Thread starter Thread starter McG
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You people be the judge if CUPE and Fred Hahn heard the Canadian people or understand the true meaning of what they've said.


Statement from CUPE Ontario and the International Solidarity Committee on the war in Israel and Gaza​

In the true tradition of trade unionism, CUPE Ontario will always choose justice over injustice, side with the powerless over the powerful, and support the colonized over the colonizer. Throughout the world, CUPE Ontario’s International Solidarity Committee (ISC) links members to workers’ global struggles so that we may stand in solidarity with all oppressed peoples.

From this foundation, we do not hesitate to condemn the terrible violence in southern Israel and Gaza that took place over this past weekend, and that continues to escalate, with no end in sight. CUPE Ontario members have shared the world’s shock and horror at the attack on Israeli civilians by Hamas fighters and at the subsequent Israeli military assault on the people of Gaza. Violence and death visited on civilians is deplorable and CUPE Ontario mourns the brutal loss of innocent lives. We offer our condolences especially to those CUPE members who have ties to Israel and Palestine, and echo calls for an immediate cease and discussions that lead to a just peace.

However, in these volatile times, the same principles that guide us also make us targets of others’ hate and intolerance. Recently, CUPE Ontario became the focus of far-right extremist hate because of our role in the counter-protests to the September 20 anti-trans demonstrations. Now we find ourselves targeted by a different set of trolls, this time a highly organized pro-Israel lobby that seeks to control the anti-Palestinian narrative fed to Canadians and intimidate any person or organization that fails to comply with its agenda.

This lobby rejects any attempt or even reference to context, nuance or appeal to even-handedness in the history of Israel/Palestine. True to form, it has targeted CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and CUPE 3906 for their recognition of Palestinians’ rights under international law to resist occupation through armed struggle. Support for these rights has guided the creation of CUPE Ontario’s policy against the apartheid policy of the state of Israel; that policy, often led by CUPE post-secondary locals, also forms part of our proud history of work against all forms of oppression and injustice.

These discussions are made even more challenging in our country given the one-sided media coverage and our current political environment. In news stories, Palestinians are routinely dehumanized and openly threatened with annihilation by members of Israel’s government; yet these displays of racism and threats of genocide have received no condemnation from any official quarter in Canada.

Still, CUPE Ontario and the ISC refuse to conflate the tragedy of the Israeli lives cut short since Saturday with a denial of support for Palestinians, their suffering and their rights to self-determination.

We contrast this principled stance with those of most of our elected leaders across the political spectrum. Their reactions have been uniformly disappointing, as they openly side with Israel and avoid any expressions of recognition or solidarity with Palestinians. Politicians of all stripes also selectively call for restrictions on free speech and freedom of assembly for supporters of Palestine and they happily mischaracterize pro-Palestinian rallies as pro-Hamas demonstrations. Most strikingly, tew have called for an immediate ceasefire, even as the death toll rises every hour in Gaza.

We do, however, take heart in the statement of the federal NDP, which concludes by affirming the party’s stand “all people in Israel and Palestine who yearn for peace, freedom and security.” It is this hope for a just and lasting peace that informs CUPE Ontario’s and the ISC’s calls for justice and joins us to the global solidarity movement fighting for the rights of all peoples to liberation and self-determination.
 
I bet they wished they had not given theirs up on the promises given to them by Moscow.......
After its dissolution in 1991, Ukraine became the third largest nuclear power in the world and held about one third of the former Soviet nuclear weapons, delivery system, and significant knowledge of its design and production.

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances comprises three substantially identical political agreements signed at the OSCE conference in Budapest, Hungary, on 5 December 1994, to provide security assurances by its signatories relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The three memoranda were originally signed by three nuclear powers: the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.[1] China and France gave somewhat weaker individual assurances in separate documents.[2]

Don't go blaming Moscow. Like the scorpion, its in its nature.

The people that failed Ukraine are in London, Washington, Beijing and Paris.
Of that bunch some still have to be dragged to their obligations kicking and screaming.
 
Sorry for the Twitter links, I don’t know how to separate the YouTube video links from Twitter.

Rescue under fire of crew of Namur APC suffering from mobility kill conducted by light infantry and what appears to be a specialist variant of a Merkva armoured recovery vehicle. Interestingly the next video in the thread is taken by Hamas allegedly of the same engagement. Very intense firefight.

 
Haven't seen this upthread yet -- SYR reportedly shelling ISR, with ISR shelling back (usual early report caveats apply) ....
It could get interesting if the UAE or others in the region show support for Israel.
 
These two wars will just embolden others to go to war. Partas of Europe and the Middle East with light up. It's just the beginning.
 
It could get interesting if the UAE or others in the region show support for Israel.
The rest of the Arab states are going to hunker down, with passive support at best. None of them wants Islamic Extremism running rampant against them.

Jordan has given the US airfields and Mil support.

But Syria is going to get smashed if this is true.
 
"CUPE Ontario members have shared the world’s shock and horror at the attack on Israeli civilians by Hamas fighters and at the subsequent Israeli military assault on the people of Gaza."
The people who wrote that statement ought first to wait for confirmation that Israel is conducting a military assault on the people of Gaza. By that, I mean deliberate attacks on non-military targets which are not excused by proper application of principles of military necessity and proportion, and in which the non-military targets have not been compromised by misuse by Hamas combatants. Obviously we already have ample proof of the attacks by Hamas on Israelis.
"This lobby rejects any attempt or even reference to context, nuance or appeal to even-handedness in the history of Israel/Palestine."
The people who wrote that part of the statement have left themselves wide open. There's a long history of tit for tat. But the overriding "context" is that in which Israel was supposed to be extinguished shortly after its creation, and is still supposed to be extinguished according to the political charters and statements of some of the involved parties. That followed the "context" of an attempt to extinguish European Jews, all within the "context" of centuries of anti-semitism. Israeli policy towards Palestinians that risks traveling a similar path is at least subject to change according to which political parties control the government.
 
These two wars will just embolden others to go to war. Partas of Europe and the Middle East with light up. It's just the beginning.

 
A pretty decent overview/background of the history, structure and current state of Hamas from Foreign Affairs.

 
The rest of the Arab states are going to hunker down, with passive support at best. None of them wants Islamic Extremism running rampant against them.

Jordan has given the US airfields and Mil support.

But Syria is going to get smashed if this is true.

Jordan is home to over 2 million Palestinian refugees already.

I'm pretty sure they don't want anymore, which would suggest they'd be somewhat supportive of maintaining the status quo in Gaza...

 
and for a bit of variety

It is an offence to knowingly participate in or contribute to, directly or indirectly, any activity of a terrorist group. This participation is only an offence if its purpose is to enhance the ability of any terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity.

 
So we got the usual exercise-restraint, ceasefire-please, moral-equivalence, don't-be-hasty jawboning from all the people who customarily pop up to do these things.

Some of them must have been wishing they'd waited a couple of days before laying down their markers.
 
Jordan is home to over 2 million Palestinian refugees already.

I'm pretty sure they don't want anymore, which would suggest they'd be somewhat supportive of maintaining the status quo in Gaza...

You're correct. Jordan doesn't want any more Palestinian refugees for several reasons:
  • Cost. The camps are costly to support even with UN help
  • Demographics / Politics. The Palestinian birth rate is high compared to Jordanian population. The Palestinians hold some political views which run counter to the Jordanian government which is a constitutional monarchy, however unlike the UK, King Abdullah II exercises significant political power. The Jordanian gov't is worried about the influence of the Palestinians over the Jordanian people. Monarchy - good, more democracy / freedom - bad
  • Economy. Palestinians are taking jobs away from the Jordanians and if the economy falls, anger will flare up between the two populations causing civil unrest.

I would suspect that neighbouring countries with Palestinian refugees don't want any more either. It increases the drain on the gov't coffers and exponentially increases the risk of dissent and conflict within the general population.
 
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