A press statement by the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) just before the Easter weekend made my blood boil.
While in Israel on a “peace mission” on invitation from South African Friends of Israel (SAFI), ACDP MP Marie Sukers attacked the government for its position on the Israel/Gaza conflict and specifically the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case. She described it as “theatrical”, “blatant propaganda” and done for “short-term political gain in the Western Cape”.
In an interview with Cape Talk, she went further, saying: “The actions of the government are experienced as quite insulting to Christians.”
I want to be clear that I condemn Hamas’ actions of 7 October. They were despicable acts of terror and I hope and pray that all the remaining hostages will be released safely to their families as soon as possible.
At the same time, it should be blatantly clear to everyone that Israel’s actions cannot be described as self-defence or proportional retaliation.
Israel is committing war crimes and acts of genocide against the people of Gaza and nothing, absolutely nothing, can justify this. Not only has Israel killed almost 33,000 people of whom 13,000 were children, but by cutting off water, food and aid supplies, it is directly responsible for a growing number of deaths through starvation. This is a matter of fact — not political opinions, campaigns or theatrics.
A former colleague of mine, James Elder, is currently in Gaza for Unicef. As someone who has seen humanity’s darkest sides, he is not prone to exaggeration. In a recent interview with the BBC, Elder described how the lack of food and water was affecting the already “paper-thin children” of Gaza, which he called “a coffin for children”. The UN, WHO, World Food Programme and every other aid agency working in Gaza have appealed for more aid trucks to be allowed entry to avoid large-scale famine.
This is what our government asked the ICJ to enforce.
It also called for a ceasefire — as have the pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and hundreds of global Christian church leaders, but not the ACDP, because they believe it is offensive to Christians.
How on Earth can ending the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent people be offensive to Christians? The ACDP must be reading a different Bible from the one I read and studied.
Although they expressed sadness about the loss of life and property in Gaza, members of the ACDP continue to hide behind a theology of neutrality (ironically while having tea with Friends of Israel) and continue to attack those, like our government, who have tried to bring an end to the violence.
The ACDP’s argument that the ANC only went to the ICJ for short-term political gain in the Western Cape is also ridiculous. Apart from the fact that the ANC knows that it will not be able to win back the Western Cape, it was the DA which antagonised Muslim (and many Christian) voters in the province, when it painted over Palestinian murals.
The ACDP also insists that the war can be stopped if the Israeli hostages are released, but makes no reference to the fact that by ending the supply of missiles and weapons to Israel, the US can stop this war in a matter of days. Instead, it plays politics by warning that South Africa’s position puts its international — specifically with the US — trade in jeopardy.
Like the vast majority of South Africans of all faiths, I was extremely proud of my country when we presented our case at the ICJ. For once we stood up for what was morally right.
On Easter Sunday, I listened to a sermon by the Rev Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Lutheran from Bethlehem. Standing next to a cross anchored in rubble from houses bombed in Gaza, he lamented that so many people of faith watched silently as genocide became normalised. “They created a narrative — even a theology — to normalise genocide,” he said.
He then told the story of a little Palestinian boy who was rescued after an Israeli airstrike on his home a few days earlier. “I need water, I’m thirsty,” were his first words after he was pulled from the rubble.
Rev Isaac remarked that Jesus also asked for water after hours on the cross. Those who crucified him gave him vinegar.
Palestinians are desperately pleading for the world to rescue them and to give them water, food and medicine. Like the Biblical vinegar, “sorry about loss of lives” platitudes and one-sided “peace” missions do not help or change anything. And that, ACDP, is what Christians find insulting — not the actions of those who are trying to stop the suffering. DM
Stopping the supply of arms to Israel will strengthen Hamas. It won’t stop the war. It won’t get the hostages released. It won’t stop the oppression of Gazans by Hamas who have done this to them without doing anything to protect them. All the anti-semites will be thrilled when Israel can’t defend itself and the genocidal terrorists continue to murder, mutilate, rape and burn.
Exactly!
If Hamas stops shooting there will be a two state solution, if the IDF stops shooting, the genocide will continue, although this time it will be the Israelis that will be on the receiving end. Thus, comrade Melanie, the solution is not that easy as stopping arms supply to Israel. That said, in I agree fully with your sentiment re the ACDP: The killings in Gaza should be condemned, not praised. There are however two issues that you can help answering:
In 2004, the very same ACDP said that it will never work with the ANC in KZN for the latter to obtain power. When the result was in balance, your ANC did court the ACDP and won the right to govern KZN. Why did you not call out the ACDP then and told the ANC as well that they should not deal with people who are liberal with the truth?
Also, will you please also assist us with some data on many Muslim people were killed by other Muslims since 6 Oct 2023 and why the world and you have nothing to say about that?
Syria and Oman come to mind…
Only negotiation can lead to a lasting peace
The foundation of the ACDP is unclear as the contribution of churches should clearly be from the pulpit, they will know that occupation and discrimination according to ethnic back ground of people is morally wrong, how could you then be offered the morally right decision of being empowered to defend yourself.
Let’s now take ACDP as a political formation, if a political group is invited by lobby groups it is representing it’s interest not that of the country, as an exchange of invitations they can portray the beauty of the country to benefit their interest on an exchange visit but they are forbidden to venture into how the countries foreign policy should be run with lobby groups, more so if presenting their political one sided narrative.
It can amount to treason.
The genocidal statements issued by senior Israel leaders who were also giving direction to the rules of engagement were clear to even the dumbest person that genocide and war crimes will be a general component.
The ACDP failed to understand that great care was taken on our constitutional draft that -no powers will be given over another based on race,gender and ethnical background, supporting such domestically or internationally will be at odds with the constitution.
Hamas terror was clearly condemned but Israel as an aggrieved party in the oct7 incident lied about the IDF not killing hostages yet now they admit that they have the habit salvaging innocent civillians in pursuit of an enemy.
Unfortunately your sentences are so long, so wordy, so meandering I cannot read them let alone make sense of what you are trying to say.
Me, too.
Dont
Unbelievable people (Melanie) can believe that there is starvation in Gaza when there are hundreds of videos of markets full of produce, huge meals getting cooked, people feasting and most of them looking over fed.
As for a genocide, Palestinians certainly don’t behave like there is a genocide going on, casually walking past IDF tanks, hanging out in the open in large groups; surley if the Palestines thought there was a genocide going to happen they would all be helping build barricades, arming themselves and fighting, or fleeing, digging tunnels or breaking down the walls to get into Egypt. What about boats or swimming to Egypt’s. I certainly would not be just hanging around waited to get genocided.
And Melanie, Hamas’s core obejective is to wipe out Israel. Hamas publicly states it will repeat the 7 October massacre, if so expect some more raping and murdering.
So Melanie Hamas is a terrorist organisation and your ANC is suporting them.
Mister Ditto, if it was easy to get out of Gaza, then getting food in wouldn’t be a problem.
Palestinians must build barricades? Against tanks and bombs from above?
Despite worldwide condemnation and various UN resolutions Palestine has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967.
Billions of dollars worth of weapons (tanks, bombs and fighter jets) supplied to Israel. Weapons used to subjugate a race. Weapons used to intimidate while Palestinian land is stolen for settlement. Weapons supplied by the hypocritical “leader of the free world”.
Why no rebuke over fifty seven years of illegal occupation?
Will a “Palestinian right to resist” ever be acknowledged? Fifty seven years and counting!
Let’s call out Palestinians for have strong feelings about Israel. Fifty seven years not enough to turn them into a nation of Nelson Mandela’s.
The Palestinians don’t have tanks, bombs and fighter jets to fight the illegal occupation. To the leader of “the free world” Palestinian oppression is something worth ignoring. It’s more necessary and expedient to have a proxy in Israel to face up to Iran.
To Iran, Palestinians are nothing but fodder in the long war against Israel.
The “leader of the free world” has previous, shielding the apartheid government, ignoring the oppression of millions, fighting communism been the priority.
Israeli “armed to the hilt” aggression is justified, but Palestinian aggression is always dismissed as terrorism. No no no no, that’s not right.
Troy, You are quite right to call out Mark for his comment. What is is clear to me is that Mark has no ability to question what he sees or hears, that he lives in an echo chamber world, where his social media groups reflect his views, and he reflects their views. It’s a closed circle with critical thinking allowed. All I can think is, “Ag, shame.” It’s like white SA in the days of the NP – so many of them couldn’t see what was happening because they didn’t want to see it. It suited them not to see see it, to maintain the status quo.
Shame on you and your kind, Mark Ditto.
Echo-chambers seem to be in plentiful supply. At least one for Israeli-supporters, and one for Hamas. “Never the twain shall meet”
This is for Daily Maverick
Would you make a comment visible if that comment denied “the events of October”?
I reckon not, and you shouldn’t
A comment that voices extreme doubt about destruction in Gaza is visible?
What is that?
Troy not sure if your reply is directed at me as you are claiming destruction denial, but I did not mention the word destruction once.
Mark Ditto- can you possibly believe what you write? Or is it part of a disinformation campaign?
They do .. like Netanyahu’s TOTAL victory BS ! They have no idea of what they are talking about … but hope some idiots will believe it ! Not unlike our own apartheid regime and its hangers on .. some of whom even today… hope it will come back !
Well bowl me over.
A comment that voices extreme doubt about GENOCIDE going on in Gaza is visible?
How’s that then?
Go back and read your comment.
You suggest Palestinians should commandeer non-existent boats or swim to Egypt?
You suggest Palestinians are feasting when reports and visuals state the extreme opposite?
You suggest Palestinians shouldn’t hang out in groups? Most homes have been destroyed.
You suggest Palestinians should be digging tunnels and breaking down walls? With what?
You suggest Palestinians shouldn’t walk past Israeli tanks? I suggest they walk – running will get them shot.
The tone of your comment suggests a callous indifference or an intentional disregard of evidence. You Sir, have been called out. You want to quibble over words?
What happened back in October was evil. What’s been happening since; the conduct of the IDF; the weaponizing of hunger; visuals and reports that can’t be ignored; these are acts of evil.
This is the result of decades of occupation; decades of oppression; decades of Western indifference.
We should be ashamed.
Troy – I am a firm believer in freedom of debate and if someone questions the events of Oct. 7, specifically the scale and scope, this should be allowed. Similarly, if someone questions the scale and scope of the subsequent events in Gaza this should be allowed.
We live in a world of extreme propaganda, and it is very easy to let emotions overtake a hard look at facts. Debate should be allowed, and hopefully facts emerge from this.
Israel stopped occupying Gaza in 2005 but kept barricades in place to stop an accumulation of weapons.
There is NO genocide, less than 1% of population has been killed, officially its the lowest ratio of civilians to combatans killed in an y armed conflict, even though Hamas terrorists have embedded themselves amongst the civilians.
There is no starvation in Gaza, educate yourself and look up @imshin on twitter or #TheGazaYouDontSee also on twitter.
You say the Palinazis could not tunnel there way out of Gaza, lol, they have dug more tunnels than the London Underground has.
So you get your news from Twitter and probably other social media. Your search history just keeps feeding you the same garbage and you just keep believing it without looking for contrasting media reports.
Hear, hear!
And SA indirectly supplying Hamas with weapons through its support to Iran. Show the picture again of the” starving” children in a previous article to illustrate the starvation. Rosy round cheeked , pearl hairband in the shining hair, laughing playfull children but with empty pots, clearly staged
Denise- please watch the news. Any news. It would be remarkable achievement to ‘stage’ the situation in Gaza
Please show me a picture of starving or genocided people in Gaza in any of the news you claim. Believe me, if there were such pictures they would be splashed all over the media.
I, too, have not seen a single photo of an emaciated child or adult out of Gaza, unlike when there was real starvation in Biafra, and other countries. I simply don’t believe anyhting that Hamas, elements of the UN, and other global non-profits, say.
Blind people cannot see ! Or like Israel … they ban (like in apartheid SA) the outlets that do !
Precisely!
Well said!! Unfortunately Hamas has won the propaganda war that cleverly feeds into antisemitic tropes that have been around for thousands of years. The Palestinians rejected every single attempt to make peace for 57 years and then they celebrated the 7th Oct . Anyone who thinks they do not want the annihilation of Israel is dreaming. Support them and you support Hamas who are wholly and solely responsible for whatever has befallen them. Our governments support of them is shameful and disgraceful – and tgat goes for you too Melanie Verwoerd.
Full agreement with your note.
Mark where do you find these hundreds of videos depicting full markets and huge meals? I see destruction and starving children in the hundreds of videos I watch from CNN, Sky, BBC, DW, Al Jazeera and other mainstream sources.
Part of your problem is you watch Al Jazeera. I also used to watch it to try to get a balanced view of the situation in the world and Palestine until it became so obvious they were a propaganda outlet. Since then I have found out they are financed by Qatar who also finances Hamas and provides a safe refugee to there terrorist leaders.
For you to aquire a balanced perspective, view on twitter:
– @imshin (shows the daily food situation in Gaza)
– #TheGazaYouDontSee (shows how good life was in the “open air prision)
– @GAZAWOOD1 (shows the propaganda videos produced in Gaza)
Oh yes, Twitter is so objective and professional- Tosh!
Do you watch anything other than Twitter propaganda feeds?
One can take Melanie out of the anc, but you can’t take the anc out of her.
Lovely!
Well put Mark, couldn’t agree more, as you say Palestinians are casually walking around as if nothing is going to happen to them.
Also in addition to my last comments, The IDF are fighting Hamas not the Palestinians, Hamas took over the Palestinian government by force so they are not the rightful government.
Correction Hamas was elected by the Palestinians in Gaza and if the IDF is fighting Hamas why are they killing so many children, 13,000 by the last count.
Facts do not matter to fools !
One can just about always rely on Melanie to toe the dreadful ANC line (particularly IRO Gaza) and to hew to a so-called progressive left ideology. Personally, I find her views on the current war, repulsive, not evidence-based, and alarming. There is little doubt in my mind that world Jewry is experiencing a surge in global antisemitism, using Gaza as a jump-off point. It’s as if were living in 1939, all over again, although this time it’s not the fascists and Nazi’s, but the left.
Where are these videos of markets full of produce etc?
Hear , hear!
Well said. There was always going to be a problem with the fundamentalist Christian groupings in South Africa. They played no part in the anti-apartheid struggle, but as soon as it was over they hoisted national flags, ignorant of the fact that these are the flags of Ceasar. Jesus had clearly expressed the danger of rendering to Caesar that which is God’s. Now they have hoisted Israeli flags boldly in their churches, in honor of the genocidal maniac retaliation of Israel. One idiot even said to me it was eye for eye and tooth for tooth. No doubt the Israelites are unable to count. But saddest and most shameful of all it the thought, let alone the actions, of going to war in the name of the Prince of Peace. God have Mercy.
“The IDF is doing the Lords work, it is depopulating the holy land of its unholy(human animals) people, and is doing so in preparation for the imminent 2nd coming(AKA the return) of the saviour(Messiah), just as John the baptist prepared the way
for the lord Jesus Christ”
-Evangelical Christians
Did you not see the map of the envisaged Israel presented by Netanyahu?
Mary’s son is coming back the soonest, to preside over the 3rd temple.
So, if you are a true Christian you better dust off your passport and take a one way journey(never to return) to the holy land… Make sure that you witness the 2nd coming.
Disclaimer: I am an Atheist.
I would like to clarify that, as an evangelical christian, this is totally incorrect. Evangelical Christians do not think this way, and this is not their belief with regards to Jesus second coming, temple, or the so called Holy Land.
Then you are in the minority within the Evangelical Christians.
It is clear one must choose between being human/humane and being Christian. Christ was of course Jewish, not Christian so he would be confused about where his religion has gone, but never more so than witnessing his “followers” calling for the deliberate starvation of millions.
And Arab Palestinian.
The majority of Zionists are evangelical Christians from the, I think, far right. The so-called “bible belt” in the US ensures American support for Israel, while being anti-Semitic. Go figure! Mind zealots never make much sense.
Do they even know, or care, that the majority in Israel are of Judaism faith… Not Christian?
Do they even know, or care, that the majority in Israel are of Judaism faith…not Christianity?
The Muslims, Jews and Christians all believe in the same God, of the old testament. But Christians the only one that are suppose to be believe in Jesus and the New Testament. Unfortunately, Christianity is so fractured that most find it difficult to still identify, and the internal war of Catholics vs. Protestants has now fractured even more that one finds it most difficult to distinguish between all these different factions. What faction the ACDP belongs to, nobody knows
The New Testament referred to as the Gospel, is accepted by Muslims in its original form. In the Quran, Jesus is mentioned more often than Muhammad and is . There is also a chapter in the Quran named after Mary the Mother of Jesus and Muslims believe that Jesus will return. To quote from the Quran: “O Mary, Allah gives you the good news of a Word from Him, whose name is Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, distinguished in the world and the hereafter, and one of those brought near [to Allah]. He will speak to people in the cradle and in adulthood and will be one of the righteous.” She said, “My Lord! How shall I have a child seeing that no man has ever touched me?” He said, “So it is that Allah creates whatever He wishes. When He decides on a matter He just says “Be!” and it is. And He will teach him the book and wisdom, the Torah, and the Injil (gospel). (3:45- 48)
Thank you for your answer. I learned a lot
“It should be blatantly clear to everyone that Israel’s actions cannot be described as self-defence or proportional retaliation.
Israel is committing war crimes and acts of genocide against the people of Gaza and nothing, absolutely nothing, can justify this. Not only has Israel killed almost 33,000 people of whom 13,000 were children, but by cutting off water, food and aid supplies, it is directly responsible for a growing number of deaths through starvation. This is a matter of fact — not political opinions, campaigns or theatrics.”
Notwithstanding your assertions, all these issues which are ” clear” or ” facts” to you are actually just your opinions that you have elevated to the status of facts. Perhaps a little more IMHO would be appropriate.
Cannot agree more.
Do I presume that only you (very humble of you ! … consistent with the American hubris) are able to make assertions that can be elevated to the status of facts ? Give up on the ‘humble’ gambit .. it does not compliment your hubristic attitude !
Israel is NOT committing genocide so please stop insisting that they are. There is no stated plan to kill all Palestinians on the part of the Israelis unlike Hamas and their sponsors Iran, whose stated objective is to wipe Israel and all Jews off the face of the earth. The Palestinians of Gaza have supported Hamas all the way. From when they voted them into power, watched and gave them succor, while they built their terror tunnels, ripped up the water pipes to make rockets, hid weapons under their children’s beds, cheered the returning operatives, jeered and spat on the mutilated and raped bodies of the Israeli victims. They are complicit with Hamas. They made the first move, they declared war, they started it. As for South Africa’s ludicrous actions, you are wrong about the “majority” of South Africans supporting them. The majority of South Africans don’t even know where Israel is and couldn’t give a fig about what is going on there. They are too busy trying to scrape together enough money for their next meal while the ANC fat cats and ex ANC hangers on live the life of Riley.
article in The Independent:
Gary Toombs and Simon Elmont are two bomb disposal experts, both employed by Humanity and Inclusion. Gary Toombs has been diffusing ordnance for 30 years. He has worked in Syria, Bosnia, Yemen and Ukraine. Gary Toombs say’s the devastation and suffering in Gaza is the worst he has ever seen.
Should we accept your take, “no genocide” or accept the account of Mister Toombs?
I’ll go with the accounts of those who are reporting from there.
Stop being naive, these 2 guys are doing work for the United Nations. The same United Nations that supports terrorism in Palestine through UNRWA.
You question the journalistic integrity of The Independent then?
You raise doubts over the United Nations, the body that exists to serve the interests of all nations? Are you implying that Tehran controls the United Nations?
If Netanyahu’s government say it’s so, it must be so? Evidence to follow, next week, next month, next we don’t know when? Netanyahu has some serious corruption charges against him. Even Israeli’s find him a deeply divisive figure. Trusting his ‘stories’, now that is naive.
So the dropping of “food aid” from the air into Gaza a few days ago by not only the US but also the UK … was just a publicity stunt ? Time to see a psychiatrist .. or maybe you are beyond redemption ?
Really? Are you blind, and deaf, Agf? What do the statements below mean if they do not amount to genocidal intent?
1. Deputy Knesset speaker Nissim Vaturi (from the ruling Likud party) wrote on X, (Twitter), that Israelis had one common goal, “erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth.”
2. Israeli Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu, from the far-right Jewish Power party, suggested that Israel drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza and said there were “no uninvolved civilians” in the territory.
3. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said he had ordered a full siege on the Gaza Strip, where almost half the population are children. “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel. Everything is closed,” he said. “We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.”
4. Energy Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that there will be no humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza until Hamas releases the captives it took during its surprise attack last weekend. “Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened, and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home,” he said in a statement. Katz said his country will destroy Hamas and that Gazan civilians were ordered to leave immediately. “We will win. They will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world,” he added.
And you claim “there is no stated plan to kill all Palestinians”? Are you blind, or just illiterate?
Remember what Ben Gurion (father of Zionism) said in a letter to his son some 10/15 years BEFORE the ‘creation’ of the state of Israel : “The Arabs will have to go, but one needs an opportune moment for making it happen, such as war “. Think about that ! AND in Netanyahu (and his war cabinet) the Israeli’s have found the perfect lunatic to make that happen !
Neither blind nor illiterate, just a hater.
It is happening to people he/she does not like, maybe does not even consider them as human.
Worse than a blind or illiterate person.
Neither blind nor illiterate, just a hater.
It is happening to people he/she does not like, maybe does not even consider them as human.
Worse than a blind or illiterate person.
Once again the exact same Zionist propaganda repeated again and again.
Thanks Melanie Verwoerd! “Like the vast majority of South Africans of all faiths, I was extremely proud of my country when we presented our case at the ICJ. For once we stood up for what was morally right.”
It is astonishing that there are still those like Mark Ditto and Denise Smit who are apparently still able to deny the gross crimes and genocide committed by Israel. Some people appear to be entirely immune to facts and evidence, as we see also with climate denial.
” Some people appear to be entirely immune to facts and evidence” – would that be yourself, too, Louis? “It is astonishing that there are still those like Mark Ditto and Denise Smit who are apparently still able to deny the gross crimes and genocide committed by Israel.” Other than for wild and persistent media propaganda, are you able to factually substantiate these “gross crimes and genocide”? Or are you just incensed in your subliminal anti-Jewish prejudice by reading the constant media barrage of anti-Israel propaganda?
Just ignore the ICJ ‘ruling’ that there is a ‘plausible’ case of genocide in Gaza ? About that digression or maybe regression would be more to the point … into “subliminal anti-Jewish prejudice” … try considering the difference between anti-semitism and anti-Zionism for a change. Oh .. I forget … there is that clever “self hating Jews” diatribe !
Agreed. The oft-repeated association of criticising the Israeli government’s actions with anti-semitism is getting very old and tired, and is a lazy retort without any substance.
Any government must be held accountable for it’s actions, and to accuse those who of being racist to the people in that country is quite ridiculous. How many of the people who claim anti-semitism whenever Israel’s government is criticised, go on to criticise Arab countries – by their own logic that makes them Islamophobic racists.
If a blonde person calls out someone with ginger hair who has committed a crime, does that make them a ginger-hater? Oh please…
Melanie, you state as a fact “like the vast majority of all South African faiths, I support —-“. I doubt that this is correct, the vast majority of South Africans are Christian. We all understand how millions of Jews and Christians have been ethnically cleansed from the Middle East in the past 100 or so years under the slogan “death to the infidel”
I suspect the vast, vast majority of South African Christians support Israel. Your views more likely represent the lunatic fashionable fringe.
ACDP would be the governing Party if that was the case.
You gotta be kidding, using your warped logic would mean Al Jama-ah would be the governing party
You must be the King or Trump of ‘warped logic’ ?
Melanie – how many civilians have been killed in Gaza are the Hamas figures (which most media will state); and these figures have been shown to be fictitious – given that they go up in an even trajectory on a graph. That means that exactly the same amount of civilians are killed every day. You are hysterical, which is exactly what Hamas wants from its “useful idiots”.
And yet, Israel won’t allow independent journalists into Gaza (and has been killing those already there at a rate of nearly one every two days), to verify the statistics and report from the front lines, so to speak – one has to ask why they are so intent on NOT letting the international media in to report on what they are doing, unless what they are doing is actually murdering thousands of women and children….
The Alexis Kriels of this world are still victims of the believing everything the mainstream media propaganda or even manufacturing information . Imagine one “useful idiot” calling another by that name !
No these figures have not been shown to be fictitious unless you are ONLY following IDF propaganda sources. The figures Hamas have quoted are to a greater or lesser degree supported by others on the ground in Gaza and DO NOT include who knows how many buried in the rubble.
“With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil – that takes religion.” ― Steven Weinberg
I am compelled to take issue with Ms. Verwoerd. Hamas has made unequivocal statements, documented in its Charter, that they do NOT want a 2 State solution. They want 1 State free of any Jews. That they will continue with more October 7ths until they achieve this. They will repeatedly launch such attacks and then move back into Gaza, blending in and shielded by the local Gazans, including children, schools and hospitals. The number of Palestinians dying is horrific. But it does appear that Israel has gone to extraordinary lengths to warn Gazan civilians of impending raids. And Hamas has gone to brutal lengths to force said civilians to remain as human shields for the attackers. As for Israeli “occupation”, a total myth. They had their own Government, elected by themselves. They could have built harbour facilities but Hamas CHOSE to build tunnels into Israel. There was no IDF presence in Gaza. They had access through Egypt: save that Egypt heavily restricted the Palestinians. I would hazard a sheer guess that more Gazans worked in Israel on a daily basis, relatively freely crossing the border, than in Egypt or any other Islamic neighbour. Sadly, it appears that idealogical blindness is hereditary.
You sound like one who has first hand knowledge of what is going on in Gaza .. and all the senior staff of the UN and other humanitarian agencies, who have first hand experience, are just liars ? Have you stopped to ask the question “what business is it of Israel as to what happens outside their territory?” The continued ‘occupation’ has to cease now ! About ‘blindness’ .. you seem to have inherited it ?
Never trust a political party that calls itself ‘christian’; they are most likely hiding behind that moniker to pursue their ‘unchristian’ goals. In fact, religion has no place whatsoever in politics. For those inclined towards religion, it is something private between your ‘god’ and you and should be followed as a guideline on how to improve yourself and your own life and not as a means to clobber people into what you believe is right or wrong according to whatever so-called holy scripture.
Nice one G. Strauss. Unfortunately some people use religion to justify been judgemental and vindictive, and they do this while holding themselves up as custodians of morality.
True morality comes from empathy.
Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. (Karl Marx)
In response to Hennie Booysen at 09:43
There are those who say the Holocaust is a lie. To deny an act occurred is not debating, that’s lying.
Honest people CAN have different points of view – but dishonesty has to be called out. Agenda’s, propaganda and dishonesty go hand in hand.
You come across as a reasonable man, someone who can accept disagreement, I’ll be keeping an eye out for your posts.
Warm Regards
As opposed to your handlers, the ANC’s actions, which have never been Christian but rather Marxist and insane. How do you justify their existence when everything they do is immoral. Judeo-Christian morality never took hold in Africa, which is quite apparent from the grossly immoral behaviour in SA as well as the constant violation of the social contract.
You are quite right that supporting the ongoing genocide in Gaza is extremely unchristian, but then the ACDP have always been utterly despicable and hypocritical in their approaches – during Covid, they were quite happy to put fellow citizens at risk with their support of the ‘no masks’ crowd, even using the phrase ‘my body my choice’. And yet, when it comes to a woman literally having the right to choose what she does with her own body, they condemn that by taking an anti-abortion stance.
Also, any political party that wants to implement laws based on a two thousand year old book written by bronze age sheep herders should never be allowed anywhere near the levers of power!
PS: Melanie, I have absolutely no doubt our government chose to take Israel to the ICJ as part of an electioneering stunt – that doesn’t however, mean that they are not on the right side of history by doing what they did, even if the reason behind it was pure self-interest…
ACD… who?? Totally irrelevant party to any person with any sense.
So very tired of people who allow themselves to believe propaganda because it feeds their own bias. Ms Verwoerd picks on a tiny party with no political relevance as a front for spouting her misinformed views about Gaza.
Have a look in the mirror regarding believing (propagating) propaganda to feed your own bias.
ACDP should either remove Christian from their name or add “Christian Zionist ” to their name.