The International House of Mojo

While the Palestinians are not blameless, the Israeli side is the occupier with its boot on Palestinians' neck.

But:


I'm going to set aside Jewish Palestinians for a second, and I'm going to forget that the place is as holy to Muslims and Christians (and even other faiths). Your implication that we'd turn the place into a pogrom is deeply insulting and profoundly racist. How dare you?

You can take your colonialist "They'll kill us all" bullshit and shove it.

Throughout this post and the comments you have laid the blame squarely and entirely at Israel’s feet, not acknowledging and even denying any culpability on Palestine’s part. And let’s not mince words. The point of the “single state” solution is to do to the Jewish people what you accuse Israel of trying to do to the Arabs. To turn that whole area into basically a “No Jews Allowed” zone. To deprive them of access to *their* homeland, *their* holy sites.

And since you keep bringing up irrelevant references to things happening in America, I could point out that attitudes like yours are exactly what is leading to increasing numbers of anti-Semitic attacks in America and other countries.

I agree. I don't believe this post was actually about condemning either side, I thought it was about providing aid to innocent victims. This is somewhat weighted towards Palestine because Israel already has an infrastructure to help its citizens. If innocent Israelis need aid then I certainly won't deny it to them.

(Now with proper links. We really need a preview button.)



Same reason apartheid in South Africa was a thing. And anti-black racism is a thing. And anti-Rohingya pogroms are a thing: Israel does not see Palestinians as humans.

I mean, racism.

As the plethora of evidence shows (including the micro-sample I provided to you).

What kind of question is this, even? This is some pretty basic stuff. Israel declared itself a nation-state three years ago. Hardly an olive branch, that.



Firstly, the post (as a staff member) is nonpolitical; the comment (really the reply to you) went into politics, where I'm commenting as myself and not as Kroms Mixnmojo Staff Member. (I guess if Mojo takes an issue with it, I could always just be removed.) Thirdly, I did both, and received by the usual hasbara talking points, which were shot down quickly (by myself and others). My reply to you was more or less the same.

Finally, as my first comment shows, I have friends and extended family (and family of friends and friends of family) being ethnically cleansed and, in Gaza, friends who were at constant risk of dying. It's hardly "political" say they deserve to live in dignity, instead of having used Israeli toiletries dumped on their heads.

The "political part" I was referring to is the Richard Medhurst video I linked to, referring to Israel as colonialism (which I entirely agree with). Tell you what, though: I don't believe in Israel and Palestine as separate states. You want political? The only solution is a single state. Full return of return. Full reparations. I'd add "take down that wall," but that's not politics. I'd actually argue that's not political all, but if you want a Zionist's eyes to pop, suggest they live next to one of those subhuman Palestinians in Jerusalem. Ho boy if you even bring up Jewish-Palestinian marriage.

Same reason apartheid in South Africa was a thing. And anti-black racism is a thing. And anti-Rohingya pogroms are a thing: Israel does not see Palestinians as humans.

I mean, racism.

As the plethora of evidence shows (including the micro-sample I provided to you).

What kind of question is this, even? This is some pretty basic stuff. Israel declared itself a nation-state three years ago. Hardly an olive branch, that.



Firstly, the post (as a staff member) is nonpolitical; the comment (really the reply to you) went into politics, where I'm commenting as myself and not as Kroms Mixnmojo Staff Member. (I guess if Mojo takes an issue with it, I could always just be removed.) Thirdly, I did both, and received by the usual hasbara talking points, which were shot down quickly (by myself and others). My reply to you was more or less the same.

Finally, as my first comment shows, I have friends and extended family (and family of friends and friends of family) being ethnically cleansed and, in Gaza, friends who were at constant risk of dying. It's hardly "political" say they deserve to live in dignity, instead of having used Israeli toiletries dumped on their heads[url].

The "political part" I was referring to is [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZr6Ftw7fHM]the Richard Medhurst video I linked to[/url], referring to Israel as colonialism (which I entirely agree with). Tell you what, though: I don't believe in Israel and Palestine as separate states. You want political? The only solution is a single state. Full return of return. Full reparations. I'd add "take down that wall," but that's not politics. I'd actually argue that's not political all, but if you want a Zionist's eyes to pop, suggest they live next to one of those subhuman Palestinians in Jerusalem. Ho boy if you even bring up [url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1844576/offbeat]Jewish-Palestinian marriage[/url].

I’m not saying that at all. What I’m saying is that we should be condemning the actions of cowards who would use the innocent as human shields as well.

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Palestine has every right to exist, and so does Israel. But why would Israel just attack these areas, killing innocent civilians who have done nothing to provoke them, and lie about their reasons for doing so, when it would be much easier to... you know... NOT do that? If you don’t do anything bad, then you don’t have to justify it.

And if you didn’t want to make this political, you could have just put up the links and said “I just want to help people who are suffering” and left the commentary for a political blog or your own personal social media.

Nobody here is saying it's okay when Hamas kills people. It doesn't justify Israel killing innocent Palestinians does it? It sounds like you're saying it does.

Thing is, this is such a basic, disproven myth I almost don't want to bother, but I'm going to take 20 minutes to write this. Instead of showing you he-said, she-saids, let's widen the scope.

(1) Israel absolutely shoots blindly and then says Hamas was in the area or building, and the Associated Press bombing is just one example. Israel has yet to provide proof; the only regret Israel has about that is that it couldn't whitewash it. Despite what a discredited Matti Friedman, who is so entrenched in Mossad circles he's given access to their archives, claims.

Let's take something else...like the Great Return March, in which people in Gaza would protest every Friday after prayer.

Including medics.

Here's one from Haaretz: "'42 Knees in One Day': Israeli Snipers Open Up About Shooting Gaza Protesters" Note how over 200 people were killed despite Israel's "shoot to maim" policy. 8,000 injuries.

+972 Magazine (again, Israeli), wrote about it: "Gaza’s Great Return March: 234 killed, 17 investigations, one indictment" Maybe Hamas was hiding among the protesters?

Maybe Hamas was hiding out with Ayman Abu al-Ouf and his wife, kids, and the 12 members of his family that Israel killed? Or the sole COVID-19 testing centre it blew up? Hm?

Maybe Mohammed Al-Hadidi, who lost his entire family, except his youngest? You want to see the footage? That Tweet is technically censored, by the way. You can't see it unless you have the link. It doesn't show up [https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Ababaghanuuj%20palestinian%20man&src=typed_query]on search[/url].

Israel keeps claiming it shoots down Hamas, but it never has proven it. An apartheid system that has a 99.7% conviction rate for Palestinians—in a system that has an entirely different court for Palestinians than it does for Israelis—quite frankly cannot be believed. B'Tselem itself says Israel commits war crimes in Gaza. The standard whitewashing continues.

In other words, a country that bombs infrastructure, hospitals, UN schools is difficult to believe

Look at the Hamas terrorists.

These are the kids killed in May alone.

I doubt the country whose citizens enjoy watching Gaza being bombed (calling it Sderot Cinema) is careful in its usage of missiles.

(2) Israel's indiscriminate policy against Palestinians happens in areas Hamas isn't in.

For example, ]Israel is currently arresting Palestinian citizens by the hundreds for protesting against "forced evictions" (ethnic displacement) in Sheikh Jarrah. It's called Operation Law and Order, but it does not apply to Jewish citizens. It's quite bad. Did you see the footage of the 10 year old they arrested as his sister pleaded?

Speaking of Sheikh Jarrah: while Israeli settlers walk around with semi-automatic rifles, Jana Kiswani was shot walking into her home by an Israeli soldier yesterday. You wanna see the footage? The scream is bloodcurdling. The soldier later threw in a flash grenade. And was then "suspended." Although, as with US officers shooting POC, that just means he'll be back when people have moved on, if history is anything to go by.

Two days ago they shot a fifteen year old for carrying books.

Every week there is news of IDF soldiers shooting Palestinians in the West Bank. And Jerusalem, regardless of whether or not they could have ever posed a threat. Ever looked up Eyad Hallaq? That dude was of many, and he was shot pleading. Here's another link in case Haaretz gives you a paywall.

A country that dehumanises people in this way, that has checkpoints for Palestinians, streets for Palestinians, special laws for Palestinians, cannot be trusted to speak the truth. (Hence why I rarely believe Palestinians actually carry knives when they're shot, even though "suicide by soldier" is now a thing.)

This happens weekly, monthly, yearly. When it's not this, it's siege. 3% of Palestinian children never make it to the age of 5 because of how bad the situation is.

(3) Zionists always try to make this about Hamas. Hamas was founded 20 years after the second, final war, and it was a response, and while I myself intensely do not like Hamas, it's a straw man argument. This is about ethnic cleansing. But using Hamas as a straw man is a very old trick.

(4) I knew that hasbara talking points would wind up here, which is why I made the original post apolitical. The laughable thing is that I have to address this nonsense while 800+ Palestinians in Silwan get ready to be "forcibly displaced" tomorrow and Israel attacked Al Aqsa again 11 hours after ceasefire. Not that anyone cares, because Palestinians aren't actually people (or real) to "the west."

OK, so it took 30 minutes to write. Hopefully this firmly shuts down any further nonsense (intended or otherwise) requesting we justify our existence. Thanks.

Hamas frequently puts their bases, rockets, and other military hardware in densely-populated areas, including residential and business areas. Places packed with civilians, including children. That doesn’t make it any more right to attack those areas, but it’s not a simple matter of Israel shooting blindly and not caring if innocent people get hurt.

Cry me a fucking river

(And yes, I used "died" and "killed" deliberately, in tribute to news coverage of this whole thing.)

One last point: I really do think every casualty is tragic. That said, Israel is the occupier here, and happily implementing apartheid. The guy Jacob in that documentary crystallises the whole issue.

Also, these are all my (albeit extremely well-researched) opinions and do not necessarily reflect past or present views of Mojo staff, etc.

If you've lost family, I'm sorry. That said.



Some fairly persuasive evidence suggests this is untrue and an empty threat. Eleven Israelis have died. 250+ Palestinians were killed, a fifth of them children.

While Israelis are walking around Sheikh Jarrah with machine guns today, a Palestinian child was shot in the same neighbourhood for carrying books.

Palestinian citizens of Israel are being rounded up as I write this; Israel has promised a "day of reckoning" for daring to protest against the ethnic cleansing.

That's ignoring the economic ruin and homelessness Israel is responsible for in Gaza and the West Bank.

Even by hasbara standards, this is unsubtle.

My parents are Israeli and we have lost family in these attacks.
4000 rockets launched at us.
I think its awful that you are using a gaming platform to try and spread your politics.
As a 10+ year mixnmojo user, I wont be a member here anymore, and will be unsubscribing from your Patreon.
Keep your politics to yourself.
Especially when your politics are so misguided.

Thanks for the comments/support, everyone. Friends are so far OK, just (additionally) traumatised, in case anyone was worried. :) Any calls to reps or donations (blood/money) go a long way.

You all da best.

I support Mojo with this move! (And I know we're not about to become overtly political, so please don't panic folks.)

Thank you for writing this, which I would argue is precisely as political as it should be, i.e. firmly and unapologetically siding with the oppressed. It should be an obvious choice but we see it's not, every day, every time, especially when it comes to Palestine.

Hey Kroms, I'm gutted to read your comment. All my support to you and your loved ones.
Stay strong brother.

Thanks for posting this Kroms. I hope your friends and family are okay.

The (non-)reaction of our Western governments to this is absolutely baffling and infuriating. To ignore this amount of suffering - I thought we were supposed to have learned something about not staying silent in the face of genocide a lifetime ago. It's all depressing as hell.

I hope as many people as possible hold their respective governments accountable for their actions at this point in time. And push them to do something, if possible. Don't let history forget the people who let this happen - simply unforgivable in my eyes. Like Kroms said, it's not about being on whatever part of the political spectrum - it's about not letting countless people be needlessly slaughtered.

I tried making this nonpolitical, but it's hard.

There are two things I know a lot about:

(a) Point and click adventure games, especially LucasArts.

(b) Levantine history, especially Palestine-Israel.

A personal thing:

I have spent the past days translating essays of friends and friends of friends into English—things they would want to publish should they die next. In Gaza, people don’t count their age in years, but by the number of “wars” survived. If you call shooting fish in a barrel "war."

I myself am the grandson of four refugees and the son of one. It's a topic I've read dozens of books and papers on. It

I hate having to write about this on Mojo, and I've not brought it up in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2019, during the Great Return March. But some game outlets choosing to be on the right side of history gave me the courage, and Mojo staff was supportive.

Hearing friends scream over the phone as missiles fell around them made silence impossible.

It is my firm belief that you cannot claim to stand for persecuted lives—black, Jewish, Uighur, trans, women's, gay, indigenous, Sikh, Asian—and uncomfortably ignore the question of Palestine. These lives matter.

Thanks for reading.