(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . I/P Most Palestinians aren't HAMAS, they're People [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-22 First I’m not using an image for this as, fuck that, I’m not gonna show other peoples trauma as a picture as a call for sympathy. Over the last few weeks on here I have seen some truly horrifying things in the comments, including at least one person stating that they would be okay with total extermination of Gaza… this pisses me off in a big way. I am part Kanien’keha ka, part Romani, and part Irish, as well as a few other things AKA groups of people that had been targeted by extermination campaigns in the past. I also have an intersexed condition something that in many parts of the world leads to euthanasia at birth. I also spent most of my life around Jewish people having lots of Jewish friends and family, several of my aunts, uncles, and cousins married into Jewish families. That said I’ve seen the reasonings people have been giving for why they are okay with the horrifying things they’ve been saying and the reasonings people give for why they are okay with this are ghoulish. The biggest reason I’ve seen people say for why they are okay with this is “If the Palestinians aren’t for HAMAS why don’t they rise up against them?” Have none of you ever opened a history book on apartheid states, violent leadership, or anything. Seriously this is not a thing I should need to explain. HAMAS browbeats the ordinary people into huddling into corners making them scared for their lives, more than half of these people are CHILDREN. They don’t have the means to stand up, they are trying to survive. It is the same thing done time and time again throughout history. Palestinians are people first. Yes, the things HAMAS did are ghoulish and terroristic and should never be backed. My heart breaks for all the lives lost in the HAMAS attack, the fact that these monsters killed innocent people during a celebration is beyond the pale. HAMAS is a terrorist organization and should be treated as such. But that doesn’t mean to back extermination, inhumane treatment, or callousness of a people just because a portion of them did something bad. To those of you who were angry enough to say stuff like that, I understand your reasons for being angry, trust me I understand them, but nothing, no amount of pain gives you the right to call for the extermination of innocent people because you find it easier to other them. Remember most Palestinians are either children or browbeaten, they are not involved with this. And before you post things like “But the numbers say most Palestinian’s approve of HAMAS” let me stop you and say read a fucking history book. Of course they are saying that if not saying it means their brutalization by HAMAS. And if you say there’s no evidence, have you talked to a Palestinian refugee? Because I have and most of the ones I talked to hate HAMAS, they just didn’t feel safe saying so even outside of the middle east, that is how terrified some of these people are. They are being traumatized by all sides in a cycle of violence they didn’t begin and they really only have four answers; leave their ancestral homes, die, live in fear, or become monsters, and yet so few of them actually join HAMAS that should tell you something. I had an anecdote I wanted to tell about two of my friends from the region but they told me they don’t want their entire story told because, they are terrified, this is what they gave me permission to say. They met in college here in the US, they are both from region, one is Palestinian, the other is Jewish. They are both trans and neither felt safe coming out until they got to the US, they got married in 2013. Both want peace in the region and say that they should be proof they can co-exist. Be better people, do better as people, and if your rage is pushing you to think about this, think about how many native tribes of the Americas were wiped out because one or two individuals leading the US military to come swarming in. Think about how the Romani never, to this day, have a place to call home because of anger and hate, how the troubles affected Ireland and people equated innocent people alongside the IRA with those actions. Don’t let history repeat. Yes I realize I used anecdotes of speaking with refugees and of my friends, but guess what that’s because that’s relevant information based on the situation, which is the humanity of people from Palestine. With that all said FUCK HAMAS, help both the innocent Israeli and Palestinians impacted by this and do not become monsters because of your anger. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/22/2200932/-I-P-Most-Palestinians-aren-t-HAMAS-they-re-People?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/