In normal times, I refrain from voicing too many of my own political opinions on this blog. This wasn’t always the case. In fact, my personal playground you are currently visiting, started out as a very political space; many, many years ago. With time, my focus and interests changed and I rebranded myself. Concentrated more on my own issues, personal development and general philosophy. But these are not normal times we are living in. It’s time I remind everyone, how fucking political and opinionated I truly are. I will be one hundred percent biased, probably offend a few people along the way, lack nuance at every step and don’t give a flying fuck about it. This site doesn’t exist to please anyone but as my way of ranting as much as I wish.
I make myself no illusions. This piece is not going to convince anyone. It’s not trying to do. It simply serves as a vent for my own frustration, either because I find myself in them or read/hear the same debates and idiotic, relativistic arguments over and over again. The following will mock people’s feelings, especially their moral and religious convictions. It’s also going to be a lot of text. You have been warned.
“The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout ‘SAVE US!’…and I’ll look down and whisper ‘No.”
-Rorschach (created by Alan Moore), Watchmen
There is a reason why the graphic novel and the movie Watchmen are among my favourite pieces of art of all time. This is not only because of the interesting questions about morality it presents, but also due to the characters acting in the story. One of the most famous ones is called Rorschach. A man who adheres to an extremely strict moral code and won’t compromise his views, even when faced with his own demise.
You often hear these days, that reality is far more complex than this. A lot more nuance to people’s lives and the societies they inhabit. We have to be aware of the context, the socio-economic variables, their teddy bear which fell into the mud when they were kids, yaddayadda.
I think, now it’s more important than ever to take a stance. Refuse to compromise. Stand against the sacrifice of individual freedoms on the altar of moral relativism. If we want our societies to continue to prosper and create a better life for everyone, we must defend some moral values against any threats, be it external or from within. Some values are simply not negotiable.
“Terrorism Is Just a Matter of Perspective”
If you didn’t live under a rock for the past couple of weeks, you will have heard of the barbaric acts of terrorism Hamas committed on the 7th of October against Israeli civilians. About 1,400 people were shot, mutilated, burned, raped, beheaded – in one word: butchered. Many of them children (even infants), women and elderly people who had no way of defending themselves. Some “luckier” ones were kidnapped and are still being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Murdering 1,400 people in a country of 9.3 million is the equivalent of killing 12,500 in my home country. Would I expect a nuanced response from my political and military leaders after an attack like this? Would anyone, if it happened on their soil? I doubt it. Yet, this is exactly what many people around the world currently expect from Israel.
There are two root causes for this way of thinking: antisemitism and moral relativism.
It is no coincidence that this reignited conflict brought hundreds of thousands of people out into the streets. Demonstrating, shouting, demanding. Not for Hamas to lay down their weapons, surrender and release the kidnapped Israelis. No, thousands of braindead people shouting in the streets stuff like
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”
Let’s take a closer look at that, shall we?
What does that actually mean? When people shout this, they are talking about complete Palestinian control of Israel’s borders – from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Effectively, wiping out the state of Israel and all its people. This is, what a genocide would actually look like (because one of the many braindead statements these muppets throw at Israel is the assumption it would commit a genocide among the Palestinians, but more on that later).
The irony in all of this is so obvious as tragic: people in western societies, enjoying the freedom of said countries, are praising the acts of a terroristic, theocratic regime and wishing them all the best in achieving their goal of wiping Israel from the map. The blatant stupidity becomes even more clear when subgroups like “Queers for Palestine” are among those demonstrators. Newsflash: If you happen to be a homosexual or trans person in Gaza, you have two options: stay quiet and try not to arouse suspicion or die. Maybe, if you are lucky, you will just be beaten and imprisoned, but death is definitely also on the table.
Do you know in which neighbouring country you can live however you please? The big, bad, evil Israel.
In political science there are many indicators for what makes a liberal society. I think, we can break this whole process down a bit and create the ass-fuck test. Simply ask yourself, if you can meet another man, date him and eventually get fucked in your ass and nobody bats an eye or if you might need to expect problems with the current justice system. I know, which country I would prefer 100% of the time.
Another argument in an attempt to justify the barbaric acts of Hamas goes as follows:
“One man’s terrorist, is another man’s freedom fighter.”
On the surface, this may make sense. When people fight against an oppressive regime, the people in power might label those who fight against them as terrorists to win public support and demonize the revolutionists. Alas, against popular belief, Israel is not an evil oppressive regime with nothing better to do than to bully the Palestinian people. It’s a tad more complex than that, but more on this later.
Back to the argument at hand. This statement loses its meaning when the so-called “freedom fighters” use real terrorism to achieve their goals.
I don’t know about you, but I would call the indiscriminate slaughtering of civilians exactly that. Hamas didn’t target military objectives, security forces or soldiers – they butchered people in their homes, on the streets, even at a peace festival, of all places. Any attempt to justify those acts reveal a truly rotten moral compass.
Using the same logic, one could also say
“Rape is just a matter of perspective”.
Sounds brutal and unnerving?
But this is exactly what the people excusing the Hamas terrorism are doing. Some victims of the 7th October attacks have been raped. If Hamas are just freedom fighters and their acts are justified, then so is the rape of their victims. Which only leads to the above conclusion. The victims deserved to be raped, because they were part of an oppressive regime and therefore had it coming.
Feel uneasy yet? Still think that you are on the right side of history by blaming Israel for everything?
“We Have to Respect Different Values”
First of all: shut the fuck up, you troglodyte.
Second: No, the fuck we have to.
There is this belief in many western societies, especially among left-leaning academics, that we, as western people, should have respect for systems of different moral values than our own. This way of thinking creates the idea, that every moral system is equal and should therefore be treated equally.
This is the core principle of moral relativism.
But in reality, this is utter bullshit.
I’m a libertarian atheist, why would I ever think that a society which doesn’t respect individual freedoms is even close to being on the same level as my own moral code?
In many countries, especially in the Middle East, I would get into serious trouble for voicing my opinions in the way I’m able to do it here (except one, guess which). In my world, religion is a crutch for the weak-minded and a weapon of mass seduction for theocratic regimes. People who believe some sort of invisible sky daddy will reward them with an eternal afterlife of pure bliss, need to get their frontal lobes checked. It is no coincidence that political religions like Nazism and Stalinism were so successful in convincing millions of people to slaughter millions. It is also no coincidence that the countries which kill most Muslims, are in general other Muslim countries. But most people don’t care about it, since you can neither blame Israel or the US for it.
Moral relativism opens the door for another problem: racism of low expectations.
If we treat each moral perspective as equal, we are basically saying, that we don’t expect people from certain backgrounds to be able to reach the same, high civilisational standards we have agreed on. We justify actions and crimes we otherwise would never do so among ourselves. We excuse heinous acts, because we don’t believe those people possess the capability of understanding why certain behaviours are wrong.
Do you truly believe, that the only way to make your voice heard, is the butchering of civilians? That you had no other choice than to retaliate in such a brutal fashion? Do you really have such little agency?
Why are other people, who have grown up in similar or worse circumstances able to find different ways of creating political change and impact? What makes them different? If it was true, that shitty circumstances ultimately lead to violent outbreaks and terrorism, some events in history would have looked very different.
I’m not saying that violence is always wrong. I’m far from being a pacifist. When my ancestors decided, it was a great idea, to build huge camps all over Europe, where they could gas and burn Jews and political enemies, they weren’t stopped by diplomatic talks. They were bombed over and over again, until they had no other choice than to surrender. And many, many innocent people died in the process. Do I wish the same to happen to the Palestinian people who are also tired of being used by Hamas as human shields? Of course not. But in many cases, it is going to happen. Because Hamas is doing its best, to prevent the people from leaving areas the IDF is going to strike, while they themselves hide in the tunnels below schools, hospitals and other civil infrastructure. They said it multiple times, that they view every civilian as a martyr, ready to die for the cause of causing as much damage to Israel as possible. Innocent people in Gaza have died and will continue to die, until Hamas either surrenders completely or is eradicated. This is the brutal reality of war and fighting against an enemy who is prepared to sacrifice as many civilians as possible.
I will never respect societies which don’t value individual liberties.
There’s a reason why people from the Iranian diaspora are currently very vocal in supporting Israel and Jewish life in general. Because those people know first-hand how it is to live under a theocratic regime which regularly uses terror to keep its people in check. They are fully aware that a Palestinian state under Hamas’ rule, would be exactly the same. If you want to “Free Gaza”, then you should always say “Free Gaza from Hamas” – that’s the only viable option.
In recent times I thought about a cynical idea. What happens, if, by some tragic chain of events, Israel gets overrun, the people living their wiped out and a new state of Palestine is declared. What happens next? According to Hamas’ leaders, this would only be the first step. First Israel, then the rest of world – all of it shall be united under Sharia law. In recent days, there were even thousands of Muslims in my country calling for a califate. And you expect me to treat those ideas as equal to mine?
But back to the question. What happens next? Will this new state of Palestine be the next “place to be”, give or take ten or twenty years? With a vibrant society, equal rights for everyone and low to no poverty?
Be honest with yourself and think about how likely this outcome would be.
I give you some clues. When Israel completely retreated from Gaza in 2005, they left a lot of infrastructure intact, which could have been used. Instead, a lot was destroyed. In fact, many water pipelines were dug out and repurposed to use as rocket materials. Somehow, I don’t expect the same people, who chew on Israeli flags on camera, to maintain the infrastructure they will find, when they are finished killing all Israeli people.
Fanaticism makes you blind and dumb. Can’t be seen using equipment created by Jews, that’s a big nono.
With a leadership which has enriched itself on the back of their constituents, the far more likely outcome will be, that for the average dude nothing changes. There will still be draconian laws in place and people will still be afraid to speak against Hamas. Mousa Abu Marzouk, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh, the three most prominent figures in Hamas, are each worth over three billion dollars. While many of the Palestinian people live in poverty.
Over the years, billions of financial aid has been paid by the European Union, the US and other countries. But instead of reinvesting this money into civil infrastructure, a growing economy or anything useful, Hamas used this money to build tunnels, buy weapons and shoot rockets at Israel. And to enrich itself, of course.
Are those really the people you want to support, when you scream profanities at Israel?
The Eternal Scapegoat
I promised earlier to get into more details on several issues. I think, many people in the west, especially those who are quick to condemn Israel for its acts of retaliation, have no clue about the history of this conflict. Or if they have, it’s a very distorted one – not so much based on facts but the dumb idea of the “noble wild” against a colonial oppressor. A modern tale of David against Goliath.
To remedy this, I will provide you with quick history lesson.
History In A Nutshell
Jews have lived in this part of the world for a long time. 1900 years before Islam, the Romans first used the word “Palestine” to describe this region. The word was derived from the Philistines (Herodotus), the second community that came after the Canaanites, who in turn were partly absorbed directly into Judaism. Personally, I find this whole debate about “Who was here first” really dumb, but since it’s brought up all the time, it can help to put some things into perspective.
It has been Jewish land since the earliest stages of historiography known to us. Before that, only the Canaanites and Philistines came. So, we know that the Jews did not steal any land in Palestine, they were there long before the Muslims.
There was foreign rule over the Jews, including by Muslims, but only for a short time.
There were also more Muslim immigrants in the Palestinian region in the 20th century due to the expulsion of the Jews; around 450,000 Muslims arrived, and today more than 9 million people live in Israel, 20% of them are Arabs with the same rights as everyone else.
After World War II, the surviving Jews needed a new place to settle and to make sure, something like the holocaust would never happen again. The region which is now Israel and Palestine, was British Mandate territory and the UN decided to split the land. After Transjordan got its cut, the UN proposed in 1947 to divide the last 30% into two parts, with around 50% going to the Muslims and 50% to Israel, with Israel getting a large part of the desert.
While the members of the UN agreed on this plan, the surrounding Arab nations rejected this idea. So, shortly after the holocaust, the Jews were attacked once more. The Arab nations, containing Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, wanted to kill all the Jews and the land of Israel for themselves.
Before that, the Jews had already been expelled from Arab countries, several million, and today only 15,000 to 20,000 still live there. Weird, how so many Arab countries seem to have a problem with Jews. I wonder what that reason could be.
Until the middle of the 20th century, the term “Palestinian” was used as a synonym for “Jew”. In the 1940s, there was a so-called Palestinian orchestra in Jerusalem. It consisted exclusively of Jews.
In the period of antisemitism after the Second World War, Arafat did 1964 something very creative. He invented a new interpretation of the Palestinians we know today by turning Egyptians, Lebanese, Jordanians and Syrians, who lived in the Jewish region of “Palestine”, into Palestinians.
Despite Arafat’s attempt to force Jews out of international law, Israel has continued to negotiate.
The next two state solution attempt was to be voted on, the Muslim Arabs agreed, lost the vote, suddenly they didn’t want a vote after all, and started another war, the 2nd war solely because of the two state solution, it was called the Six-Day-War, again Israel won, and again Israel approaches the Muslim Arabs, they even clear Gaza of Jewish settlers, which were forced from their homes by Israeli military.
Incidentally, in the Six-Day-War (1967), the West Bank was not conquered by Palestine, but by Jordan, which had occupied both since 1948. There was no modern-day “Palestine” until then, that was just the name given to the region, remember, Palestine as we know it today was only made possible later by Israel.
Israel then made it possible to establish the state of Palestine in 2005 by giving Gaza and the West Bank back to the Muslims, including the expulsion of all Jewish settlers from Gaza by the Israeli military. Then, in 2006, the people in Gaza elected Hamas as their political leaders.
Israel tried three more times to make peace. At some point, the expelled Jewish settlers from Gaza got fed up and started settling in the West Bank. Granted, also not a good idea, especially with tensions already being high.
There are crimes against Palestinians, there is hatred, including right-wing extremists, that’s not something you can’t criticize and you should be ignorant about. But given the history, and given the fact that there is only this small region called Israel, and the fact that the Arab nations already got almost 70% mandate territory, and every time a peace was attempted it was answered with more war and terror, it’s not so surprising that some Israeli people don’t care about a peaceful solution anymore. The founding charter of Hamas calls for the destruction of Israel, and Israel approached them again and again, and the answer was always war.
Don’t get me wrong. I do think the settlements are a delicate issue and the people there will probably have to go at some point, but it’s not the main reason why the whole situation is so fucked up.
I think Likud and Netanyahu are part of the problem and need be voted off, in order to have any possible future for a better outcome for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
But make no mistakes: yes, Netanyahu is a corrupt shithead, but he and his party are nowhere near the same level of barbarism as Hamas and their supporters are.
On a more general level, I think people should settle wherever the fuck they want, as long as they don’t infringe on other people’s freedoms. But I’m aware of the current reality and don’t think this is feasible for a while.
Although I have to wonder, why even the “moderate” Mahmoud Abbas stated that in a future state of Palestine, there will never be a place for Jews to live. Why is this suddenly an acceptable position?
The Scourge of Antisemitism
So, what’s the core issue? Why do you barely find any Jews living in Arab countries today? Why does this conflict trigger a rush of emotions in thousands of people worldwide and drive them into the streets? Why do so many people call for the destruction of Israel?
The answer is as old as time. Jews have always been the target of hate and discrimination. Long before the idea of the state of Israel was even conceived. Rumours of Jews poisoning wells, stealing children and secretly controlling world events, have been around for centuries. Eventually culminating in the industrial mass murder of six million Jews during the Shoah, mainly orchestrated by Germany, but also with the help of willing allies. One of them was Amin al-Husseini, the then mufti of Jerusalem, friend and admirer of Adolf Hitler. It is no coincidence that Hitler’s ideas are still quite popular to this day in many Muslim communities. Just recently, Ahed Tamimi, the so-called “face of the Palestinian resistance” publicly called for the murder of Jews, to drink their blood and eat their skulls, while positively referencing Hitler. Antisemitism is not something we Germans patented, but it’s rampant in many other parts of the world.
Maybe the best evidence for this claim is the intense reactions the current war caused in western and Arab countries alike. No other conflict on Earth is able to unite leftists, Islamists and right-wing nazis to march side by side through the streets, chanting the same idiotic phrases.
Where were the massive worldwide protests when Assad killed 100,000 Muslims in Syria?
Where were the massive worldwide protests when more than 250,000 Muslims were killed in Yemen?
Where were the massive worldwide protests when 24,000 Muslims were killed in Myanmar?
Where are the massive worldwide protests when Pakistan deports 1.7 million Afghan refugees?
Where are the massive worldwide protests when 773 African civilians were massacred by Jihadi Janjaweed in West Darfur?
This list could go on and on.
I give you the answer: most people don’t really care how many people are killed, as long as they can’t blame the US or especially Israel for it. No other conflict in the world gains as much attention as the conflict between Israel and Palestine. No other country in world receives as many UN resolutions as Israel. No other group of refugees has their own UN sub-department (the UNRWA solely caters to Palestinian issues, and some of their staff are even praising the 7th October terrorist attacks). If I would know nothing about this topic at all, I’d assume Israel is the most reprehensible country on Earth. It couldn’t be possible, that so many countries, the UN, media and people have a completely irrational bias against the only liberal democracy in the Middle East, right?
Antisemitism Kills
Jewish life has always been threatened but with the recent attack on Israel, a new wave of violence has started to emerge. Parents take their kids from Jewish schools, synagogues receive increase police protection, student on campuses get threatened and physically abused. A few days ago, a Jewish woman was stabbed in her home in Lyon and the attacker painted a swastika on her door.
Paul Kessler, a Jewish man living in Los Angeles, was beaten to death because he was openly supporting Israel.
These are the symptoms of a deeply rooted antisemitism, which has been around for generations. If we, as the friends of a liberal society, are truly committed to the promise of “Never again!”, then we have to take a stance. We have to call out moral relativism. We have to make our voices heard – be it in private conversations, on social media or the streets. The time for excuses and justifications is over. There cannot be respect or even tolerance for the enemies of our liberal way of life. Individual freedoms are not negotiable.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Egotheist 