I don't know how to confirm this myself but I have read and heard that before anything else, after it was known Hamas fighters were inside Israeli territory, the IDF first move militarily was to start bombing Gaza. No one can argue honestly that the IDF defends Israelis - its literally just the most reactionary of religious Zionists that they serve.

Secular Jewish Israelis? Nah they can fend for themselves for a few hours, we've gotta attack Palestinian civilians, says the IDF. And that's not even bringing up that 20% of Israeli citizens ARE ARABS, some of whom were also attacked in their homes in Southern Israel 10 days ago, but of course the same people calling Hamas human animals will go after them next (not to suggest they aren't already, only that Gazans face more immediate extermination).

The impression I had gotten from interviews (Al Jazeera, the Guardian, Haaretz) was that Israeli civilian police were there and exchanged fire with Hamas but that it was HOURS before they came across any IDF personnel. I've been focusing on this less as the time goes on and the catastrophic situation in Gaza gets worse and worse, so maybe further sources have come out regarding the Nova Festival.

Regardless I would like to see consequences to the people who authorized a festival so close to Gaza in the first place...

"Both are evil" rhetoric is often used to justify or obfuscate one sides crimes, and because on the broader scale, Israel unfolds destruction and death at a higher scale, so there's a lot of intense emotions from thise keyed into Palestinian struggle. That's why so many want you to pick.

It is important to remember Hamas ≠ Palestinians, and Israeli government ≠ Israeli citizens. Yes, they live in a colonial state, but Hamas doesn't care if they try to fight to change it or not, furthermore, most left leaning people are in colonial states or in former colonizing states so they are basically saying they think violence against them is justified too. Everyone should be aware of their privileges and work to dismantle the systems that create them, but that doesn't mean they need be killed in order to realize that!

It's ridiculous because you're absolutely right too, Israeli calling them all "human animals" and doing a total blockade of Gaza is a war crime, but so is what happened to Shani Louk. In the world I am fighting for, the people responsible for both would be held accountable.

It's conveniently targeting one group and their religious expression. It's different when they do it to themselves, like in Turkey before the AKP took power and started weakening secularism there.

Ideological decisions don't care about precedent.

What nooo you're supposed to hate trans people enough to sacrifice personal freedoms and liberty!

Also, it's never ACTUALLY about parental rights and protecting children. Plenty of parents want their kids to grow up believing that there is nothing inherently sexual about a naked body, or about women, but their perspective and rights never seem to be considered.

Think about how the reactionaries in control of many US states banned Drag Queen story hours and the like from libraries and schools, saying that it should be up to parents if they want their kids to go to them, only to then classify all drag shows as obscene and restricted to 18+.

It would still suit their national campaign

God, my memory of them from when I was a kid is such that this would be a scandal in 2004. Do you think they were always like this? I don't.

Well yeah, they hate the idea of planned parenthood. The desirables of society are supposed to be married expressly for the purpose of bearing children, and anyone else is supposed to have it thrust upon them whether they're ready, want it or not.

I came here to comment this. I'm glad this was at the top when ranked "hot" for me. Every time I see a headline like this I die a little inside, I'm so sick of this naive attitude in general society when dealing with theocrats.

I think that people are more upset that it was done only after a troll complained about it on the support or admin community.