• Project2501@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Was it evil also to bomb and flatten Berlin and the rest of Germany at the end of WW2?

    If you are British or American, how do you feel about that?

    • barsoap@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      Back then it wasn’t known that it’s not an effective strategy, Germany’s reaction to those bombings pretty much set the precedent for it becoming a war crime.

      And from a German perspective: We started it. And did way worse, e.g. bombing Polish cities with the explicit goal to cause maximal casualties in predominantly Jewish quarters. The allies, meanwhile, did not try to maximise casualties or anything like that but tried to make as many people as possible homeless, in an attempt to lower economic output, gum up the system, etc. Generally speaking, it didn’t work. Have a Kraut video for a lot more context.

      And no such thing could possibly be the goal in Gaza as Gaza already doesn’t have an economy. Other possible justifications, such as “have lower overall casualties” (see e.g. bombing Dresden vs. slogging through it like slogging through Budapest) don’t apply because Hamas is not going to surrender and are way more erm entunnelled. To get them out of there you have to get in there. Or maybe pour concrete in all exits you can find? That’d have my blessings.

      Furthermore: As a German Zionist I’d rather Israel didn’t slide into complete inhumanity, and further into fascism, thank you. (Ben-Gvir is minister so they’re already half-way there, also, there doesn’t seem to be much opposition against collective punishment). It’s not exactly a thing you wish on a country: It’s pretty much the worst calamity that can befall a country.

      • Project2501@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        What would be your preferred and effective strategy against someone who wants you dead and comes into your home and kills your children? Expect and accept apology?

        • SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works
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          11 months ago

          The priority is creating conditions such that Palestinian teenagers don’t constantly see Israel abusing their families, unjustly imprisoning them, stealing their land and murdering them by the thousands, or else you’ll have Palestinians asking themselves: “What would be your preferred and effective strategy against someone who wants you dead and comes into your home and kills your children? Expect and accept apology?” and joining Hamas.

        • barsoap@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          comes into your home and kills your children

          Are you talking about the Deir Yassin massacre?

          Eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, at some point people have to make up and let the past be the past. Currently Israel is going way beyond eye for an eye.

          As to the current situation: How about at least having the fucking decency to build a couple of tent cities outside Gaza and let children, the elderly, and vetted people out of that killbox. If that’s too much, how about not bombing areas you previously told people to flee to. This is like the bare minimum to be able to claim you care a fucking iota about humanity.

        • ours@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          You are only looking at the consequence of oppressing people until they are out of hope and the only path that remains to them seems to be one of violence.

          More violence and more oppression will only cement this and pave the road for the next generation of hopeless militants.

          The solution would be to break this cycle but that would require concessions from the hardline Zionists.

          You too would feel hate and resentment for those who took your father’s land, bombed regularly, put you under a harsh embargo, no jobs prospects, no hope, and, no future.

    • livus@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      @Project2501

      Was it evil also to bomb and flatten Berlin and the rest of Germany at the end of WW2?

      Yes. Reckless bombing of civilians is always evil.

      I’m always flabbergasted when people bring up other heinously awful things as if it’s some kind of gotcha.