You have been lied to: the palestinians do not want peace, and the war has barely affected their desire to keep fighting Israel, much less destroy it.
A thread with receipts:
We are now almost 600 days since October 7th. We keep hearing about how Gaza has been turned into rubble, starvation is imminent, and a genocide is happening.
Yet 59% of them still believe that 10/07 was the right thing to do. That’s only a 13% drop since December 2023.
Not only has the war barely affected their belief that invading Israel, murdering 1,200 innocents and kidnapping hundreds was the right thing to do, a majority still thinks that it’s great PR for them and will help them with the rest of the world.
Only 9% of them believe that Hamas committed atrocities on 10/07, and a near majority of them (mostly in Judea and Samaria) still expect Hamas to win despite the current situation.
59% of them believe that the anti-Hamas protests are a psyop and doesn’t represent the views of the majority of the population. The majority of them think they are being orchestrated from outside of the territories to undermine Hamas.
The majority oppose those demonstrations.
The vast majority of them opposes disarming Hamas, much less kick them out of the strip, even if it means the end of the war.
Read that again: The overwhelming majority would rather the war continue than Hamas lay down its weapons, much less be exiled from the Strip.
They are also lying to you about how they want to stay in the land. 43% of Gazans, despite wanting the war to continue, are willing to leave the Gaza Strip after the war.
“Gazans are so sick of Hamas!”
Well, no. 43% in Gaza approve of them, 67% in Judea and Samaria, for an overall 57% approval rating for Hamas despite everything that has happened.
In a head to head against Fatah, Hamas would not only stay in power in Gaza, but would take over the entire PA apparatus, and quite handily.
Only 40% of them support the idea of a Two-State solution, while 57% entirely reject it.
And they think that their best way to establish their own state (over Israel) is through violence with 48% supporting the continuation of terrorism.
Only 12% of them believe their most pressing need is to establish a democratic political system that respects their freedoms and right.
All of this is in the new PCPSR poll, the most accurate polling apparatus as far as Gaza, Judea and Samaria are concerned.
This gives us the very clear picture of a society at war that wants it to continue and does not want to achieve peace with Israel.
The Talmud does discuss the fact that books of idolatry that come in possession of a Jew need to be burned. Books of heretics are also included in this command, as well as those written by apostates. The fact is, however, that the gospels are not singled out.
There’s a lot to unpack but let’s make this clear:
The vast majority of Jews absolutely do not care about the CIK slogan. We do realize that it’s said in a childish way to try to get at us, but it doesn’t bother us anymore than someone saying to you Mohammed is the last prophet.
There’s this very interesting phenomenon where people who are extremely invested in something can’t fathom that others are not just as invested as they are. Which explains why Fuentes thinks that Jews are sitting around seething about Catholic Kings and what they did to us.
We do not seek out martyrdom, but martyrdom was foisted upon us many times throughout history, and to die sanctifying G-d’s name is literally considered the holiest sacrifice you can do (the holiest thing you can do being to live for Torah, not die for it) chabad.org/library/articl…
Small addendum about the “in public” statement: this is when it is done specifically to insult Judaism in public. In a situation where the people have no idea why you can’t and they are doing it for their own amusement, you wouldn’t be required to give up your life.
Orthodox Leaders were not only not mistaken to tell their congregations to stay in Europe prior to the Holocaust, but they were justified and right to say so.
A thread to put things in perspective.
Now I understand that this seems like a very provocative statement to make, but I hope that by the end of me making the argument, you will realize that there was no other way.
I am assuming most who will read this are not Orthodox, and will make two preambles prior to it:
Preamble 1
To quote Czech novelist Milan Kundera: “Man proceeds in the fog. But when he looks back to judge people of the past, he sees no fog on their path. From his present, which was their faraway future, their path looks perfectly clear to him, good visibility all the way.”
1.Supported Western bloc, aligning with U.S. Cold War interests.
2.Shared captured Soviet weapons from Arab armies with U.S. analysts.
3.Provided intelligence on Soviet military advisors in Egypt and Syria.
4.Allowed CIA access to monitor Soviet activity in the Middle East.
5.Supplied real-time updates on Arab military movements during key conflicts.
6.Helped intercept Soviet arms shipments to hostile regimes.
7.Provided early intelligence on Egyptian and Syrian WMD programs.
8.Shared valuable aerial and radar data from Yom Kippur War.
9.Secretly assisted U.S. airlift efforts during Yom Kippur War.
10.Gave the U.S. access to captured Soviet-made military technology.
11.Played key Cold War buffer role after U.S.-Israel strategic memorandum.
12.Hosted joint exercises to test U.S. electronic warfare and desert operations.
13.Helped expose Soviet-backed terror networks in Lebanon.
14.Assisted in countering Soviet influence in Ethiopia and Africa.
15.Shared early counter-terror innovations later adopted by U.S. agencies.
16.Provided captured Soviet MiG fighter jet to U.S. for analysis.
17.Participated in Cold War maritime surveillance coordination with U.S. Navy.
18.Contributed to American missile defense research post-Reagan’s SDI initiative.
19.Signed 1983 agreement institutionalizing military cooperation with the Pentagon.
20.Provided intelligence on Iraqi Scud missile locations during Gulf War.
21.Maintained full restraint under U.S. pressure during Iraqi missile attacks.
22.Shared extensive counter-terrorism data with U.S. post-1993 WTC bombing.
23.Collaborated with U.S. on Arrow missile defense development.
24.Helped uncover Iranian nuclear procurement through intelligence channels.
25.Supported U.S. sanctions enforcement against Saddam Hussein.
26.Led regional cyber-defense initiatives benefiting U.S. interests.
27.Aided U.S. in dismantling terror finance networks.
28.Contributed to real-time surveillance of Iranian Quds Force activity.
29.Trained U.S. police and military in counter-terror strategy.
30.Became a launch site and testbed for U.S. advanced missile tech.
And that’s just the military aspect of things. Should I go on?
Let’s do the economy now
1.Imported American goods and machinery to build early Israeli infrastructure.
2.Created stable Western-oriented market amid socialist Arab nationalist economies.
3.Signed trade agreements favoring U.S. exports to Israel.
4.Promoted U.S. investments in Israeli development and agriculture sectors.
5.Bought U.S. surplus military equipment, stimulating American defense industries.
6.Built early pharmaceutical and agritech sectors using American patents and tech.
7.Offered American firms a safe regional base near oil routes.
8.Increased U.S. agricultural imports following 1973 war disruptions.
9.Encouraged Jewish-American capital investment in Israeli startups and infrastructure.
10.Imported American construction tech for rebuilding post-war.
11.Joined U.S. Cold War boycott on Arab oil producers economically.
12.Signed 1975 trade agreements expanding U.S. economic reach in the region.
13.Became major importer of American civilian aircraft and aviation parts.
14.Offered U.S. arms suppliers reliable post-Vietnam market.
15.Signed 1985 U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement (first U.S. FTA ever).
16.Boosted U.S. exports through tariff-free access to Israeli markets.
17.Encouraged U.S. firms to outsource R&D to Israeli universities.
18.Developed early computer hardware/software industries using U.S. capital.
19.Supported U.S. tech dominance in the region through joint innovation.
20.Expanded Intel’s operations, making Israel key in chip development.
21.Integrated into U.S. aerospace supply chains (e.g., for Boeing, Lockheed).
22.Attracted billions in American VC investment into Israeli high-tech.
23.Partnered with Motorola, IBM, and Microsoft for R&D hubs.
24.Contributed to American cell phone and communication tech evolution.
25.Created massive demand for U.S. medical and defense equipment.
26.Enabled joint biotech breakthroughs used by U.S. pharma companies.
27.Drove American private equity expansion into Middle East via Israel.
28.Supported U.S. energy companies exploring offshore Mediterranean gas tech.
29.Provided U.S. defense contractors with combat-proven tech for export.
30.Co-developed UAV tech adopted into American defense platforms.
Sounds like a pretty good ally!
1.Developed drip irrigation, later adopted in U.S. agriculture.
2.Built solar water heaters, influencing early American solar tech.
3.Created citrus-growing techniques that improved U.S. export varieties.
4.Engineered the Uzi submachine gun, used by U.S. allies.
5.Captured and reverse-engineered Soviet radar for U.S. study.
6.Developed secure field communication gear used in joint U.S. operations.
7.Innovated lightweight battlefield medical kits later adopted by U.S. forces.
8.Developed Merkava tank tech, influencing U.S. tank survivability design.
9.Pioneered early computer fire-control systems in military hardware.
10.Created early firewall technology, foundational for U.S. cybersecurity firms.
11.Developed voice compression algorithms, used in American telecommunications.
12.Introduced satellite imaging tools that informed U.S. intelligence strategy.
13.Partnered with U.S. on Arrow missile defense system.
14.Created CAD software used by American design and engineering firms.
15.Developed PillCam, a swallowable camera used in U.S. hospitals.
16.Produced real-time translation software aiding U.S. military deployments.
17.Created advanced encryption algorithms used by American companies. 18.Intel Israel developed Pentium MMX, powering millions of U.S. computers.
19.Deployed counter-IED tech saving U.S. soldiers in urban warfare.
20.Built water purification systems used in American disaster zones.
21.Created early VoIP protocols adopted by American communications giants.
22.Advanced drone technology integrated into U.S. defense systems.
23.Helped develop Iron Dome, jointly funded and used by U.S. for study.
24.Contributed core elements to autonomous driving software.
25.Created real-time cyber threat detection platforms used by U.S. agencies.
26.Developed AI algorithms adopted in U.S. commercial tech.
27.Produced emergency medical tech used by FEMA and U.S. hospitals.
28.Created satellite miniaturization tech aiding American space innovation.
29.Innovated missile guidance tech now part of U.S. systems.
30.Partnered on hypersonic research for joint U.S.-Israel defense applications.
I have a genuine question for non-Jews, but I hope we can have a mature & respectful discussion as I’m not trying to say anything inflammatory. It’s an outgrowth of the last thread about Orthodox Judaism’s view, and I’m genuinely interested in the ramifications.
Here we go:
Isn’t the treatment of Xianity by Islam far more theologically problematic than Judaism’s?
In Judaism we flat out say ‘We both believe in G-d, but we don’t agree on the identity/details.’
In Islam, it’s not simply a question of rejecting the identity/details, but outright denial of the crucifixion, death on the cross, and resurrection while simultaneously relegating him as 100% human and subordinate to someone they see as more perfect.
As a Jew, I know that I personally consider it far worse to take the Jewish Bible and rewrite it, versus adding books to it that I do not consider valid as canon. Or is it a case of partial acceptance and therefore it’s not considered theologically as bad?
And before anyone interjects with “But, in the Talmud it says…,” please read the following two wonderful articles by @GilStudent that will demonstrate how memes on the internet are there to mislead, not educate:
This question came to me because yesterday someone replied that Judaism had far more in common with Islam and… well it seems true superficially (lots of similar practices due to Islam copying them off of Judaism) and seemingly closer as far as the incorporeality of G-d, I can’t help but feel that it’s far worse to say ‘We pretty much agree but your holy book is fake and counterfeit. Your ancestors corrupted it but we have the real version.’
That sits far less well with me than people saying they are a continuation of it but still revere it as 100% true and accurate even though they have a wildly different reading of certain parts than we do.
Which led me to wonder how things would be perceived from the other side of the fence on such a thorny issue.