13 thoughts on “Armenia-Israel-Palestine: the ‘Continuum of Destruction’ to Genocide – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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      1. Because I’m not an advocator for a country, I am a truth seeker. Nothing more nothing less.

        When Richard’s criticism of Israel is on point, I shut up. When he’s off the mark, I post comment.

        Get it?

  1. Don’t forget the congo the UN estimates 3.5 million dead since 1994. I dont think Israel would ever comit genocide but I think other nations could enact genocide against Israel if it lost a territorial war. Just look ar what is going on in syria and iraq against the yazidi…

    1. ben:
      Your response about the “other” illustrates Richard’s point.
      Whenever there is discussion in terms of (good) ‘us’ and (bad) ‘others’ you set the stage for horrible tragedy.

      1. I never said Israel was “good” i just said that i doubt they would commit genocide. Though you are correct about the “other” in many ways Israel is the “other” in the mideast… Its so easy to blame problems and dehumanize Israel(i) by terming them as “Zionists” this IMO is the new “other”. As Richard notes Israel is on a “Continuum of Destruction” but i suspect the end game if something does not change would be genocide against Israeli and not visa versa.

        1. What makes you think Israel would not commit genocide? What is it about Israel that leads you to this conclusion? Nobody fancied that the “nation of Beethoven and Goethe” could do such things either. Doesn’t that give you pause? The Germans often depicted themselves as isolated and surrounded by enemies intent on their destruction. What makes your suggestion of Israel as the “other” any different from this fear-mongering?

  2. Too often, the term “Genocide” is limited to events such as the Rwanda genocide of the Tutsis and the Shoah. In reality “Genocide”, is defined according to the 1948 “Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” (http://www.hrweb.org/legal/genocide.html). This law was pushed and formulated by Raphael Lemkin, himself a Jew who foresaw that many countries will try to weasel out of being accused of “actual genocide”.

    Here is the definition:
    …any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
    (a) Killing members of the group;
    (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
    (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
    (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
    (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

    I would say israel is guilty of AT LEAST, parts (b) and (c) although some would include (a) as well.

    I completely agree with Richard that “morality is absolute”, we cannot dance around distasteful things because our own sacred cows stand to get gored.

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