| I think it is fair to say that there are people at the extreme on not both, but all sides of the conflict in the Middle East who do want to commit genocide against another group. And, there are good and kind people on all sides who want to find a way to peace for all. Between these views there is a huge and variegated range of other views, all of which have validity in the eyes of those who hold them.
Recent, not so recent, and even ancient history in that region is full of conflict and “justifications” for the extremists, and there is also reason for deep fear among both peace-loving Jews and well as peace-loving Palestinians. We must take the time to listen deeply and understand all sides before we judge or take a position. For those who have yet to understand the view of moderate Palestinians who themselves condemn Hamas, I recommend the website jerusalemstory.com which provides a highly factual explanation and recitation of recent history from the Palestinian vantage point. Because of the atrocities of WWII, we are all at least familiar at a rudimentary level with events that illustrate the horrors that have been visited in Jews, although we can and should always be learning more. And, because of this history, we must continue to stand strong with Israel. However, Israel - of all the countries in the world - has an obligation not to treat others as it has been treated, and we must continue to counsel that approach.
Suffice it to say this is a very, very, VERY complicated situation. There are so many viewpoints that it is impossible to fully understand all of them. My heart goes out every day to everyone who is directly suffering as a result of the ongoing conflict. - Sent from iPhone. Typed by thumb. Excuse misspellings! On Nov 11, 2023, at 12:27 PM, Forest Brown <forestbrow...@gmail.com> wrote:
Thank you to the many people who privately thanked me for my courage to speak the truth. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the support and not surprised it was all done privately, and that only naysayers responded publicly.
This demonstrates a symptom of the very issues at hand that began this conversation in the first place. Even in a town like Lincoln, Jews and Jewish supporters still feel very afraid to be exposed and speak out against antisemitism and false accusations. On Nov 9, 2023, at 2:11 PM, Forest Brown <forestbrow...@gmail.com> wrote:
Firstly, I have compassion for your personal experience and am sorry that you’re hurting.
That being said, you are spreading dangerous propaganda and I’m asking you to please stop.
You have used the word “genocide” incorrectly. Genocide is by definition intentional ethnic cleansing: the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group."a campaign of genocide" Hamas is trying to inflict ethnic cleansing. Israel is defending itself with the intention to spare as many casualties as possible while successfully completing the mission to wipe out terrorists. It is Israel’s responsibility to protect their citizens from genocide. No level-headed person desires war or death of any innocent people. We in the west have been sheltered from was war looks like.
There was a ceasefire on October 6. Hamas who was elected by the Palestinians inflicted TERRORISM. If Hamas is not eliminated there will be MORE civilian deaths in total on both sides. If you expand the reach of your news sources you’ll see Hamas is responsible for many of those Palestinians deaths.
I encourage you to educate yourself about the history of Israel and this conflict, and not use incorrect verbiage that can cause communities their lives. This lie that Israel is committing genocide is causing the rise of antisemitism globally right now.
Spreading misinformation is an irresponsible.
For those who wish to explore this topic, I’ll include a link to a 2 minute reel/video that is simple and easy to follow, as well as a post that includes references and is fact-checked to explain how misinformation is spreading through the media, and by Hamas.
On Nov 9, 2023, at 9:12 AM, Forest Brown <forestbrow...@gmail.com> wrote:
This is dangerous propaganda.
You have used genocide incorrectly and that is dangerous. Genocide is by definition ethnic cleansing. Hamas is enforcing ethnic cleansing. It is Israel’s responsibility to its civilians to protect them from genocide. No level headed person desires war or death of any innocent people. We in the west have been sheltered from was war looks like.
You’re right. This isn’t a normal war. There was a ceasefire on October 6. Hamas who was elected by the Palestinians inflicted TERRORISM. If Hamas is not eliminated there will be MORE civilian deaths in total on both sides. If you round out your news sources you’ll see Hamas is responsible for many of those Palestinians deaths.
I encourage you to educate yourself about the history of Israel and this conflict, and not use incorrect verbiage that can cause communities their lives.
Spreading misinformation about genocide is an irresponsible move right now.
I could bombard you with fact checked I formation but I’ll leave you and the community with one two minute video instead that any person can grasp.
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