Whaaattt?

@ViewAhead It does matter as other countries are already creating alliances and accords and making overtures to sideline the US out of world trade agreements, find new partners for individual and collective trade, modify NATO behaviours and armament policies - not buying US military tech, create their own IT and satellite connections and systems to get away from Google, META, Microsoft and Starlink.

That all means less investment, fewer jobs and diplomatic isolation for tomorrow's US altho in farming, car manufacturing, anything needing aluminium, it's already happening.

War has changed. Multi million dollar cruise missiles are very old hat when used against and out-manouvered by 20 to 300,000 dollar drones. One of the US's biggest aircraft carriers has been put out of action by a laundry fire and has had to limp off to criatia for repairs. All those dollars, munitions and sailors utterly useless and no good for bullying and intimidating the enemy now or in the future.

The playground has fundamentally changed.

 

It doesn't matter for those in charge in the US, @Obelix-Vendée, as money has no borders so they can move their wealth around. If ordinary Americans suffer, through job losses, etc, why would they care? It may translate into fewer votes at the next election, but as it is a two-horse race and neither horse is an attractive option, that makes little difference. Across the world, those in charge (front of house and, more importantly in many cases including in the UK, behind the scenes) are pretty much able to do what they want without effective pushback. The esteem of other nations no longer matters as wealth accumulation and status within the 1% is not dependent on it.

 

Anti semitism has been alive and 'well ' for far too long and certainly longer than recent events. I had to intervene when a schoolgirl was physically assaulted by a (probably) well educated white English male as well as being called a 'yid lady of the night'.
British people are quick to join the protests over Palestine (but not one of these has been outside the Iranian embassy) but nobody protests the slaughter in Sudan despite twice as many people dying in the same time period ( and 12 to 15 million people being displaced).
Netanyahu and his regime are war criminals, the Jewish people are not. The same in Iran and Sudan. But only one offers the opportunity of 'Jew bashing'.

 

I think Sudan doesn't get a mention as what happens there has very little impact on the world economy. Money is what makes a story newsworthy, not number of casualties.

 

Up to a point I agree. But the economic impact of Gaza was small compared to Ukraine.

 

That's true.

 

@pete I agree, but when concerted attempt were made within living memory to wipe your religion off the face of the Earth, are you going to give anybody a second chance? There is certainly the irony that the powers that be in Israel seem to trying to do precisely that to the Palestinians.

 

Not all Jews are religious or even Zionists @KT53 and yet they still suffer discrimination all over the world. It's been going on for millennia so you'd think they'd know better than to persecute the Palestinians. Not all of them are terrorists or intent on killing all Jews so it would seem to me more sensible to reach out to those and cultivate friendship and understanding than try and obliterate them.

@ViewAhead the 1% have had it easy, especially in the US where there are so few protections for ordinary people such as we expect in Europe - working hours and conditions, statutaory pay and health care. However, the No Kings movement is encouraging as are moves by other countries to distance themselves from Trump and US bullying by making new individual and collective agreements and treaties that exclude the US, China and Russia.

 

No one, least of all myself, is saying that anti sematism doesn't exist - it does and, as you put it is "alive and well". As for your experience with that poor schoolgirl, I would hope most right thinking people would intervene just as you did. As for her assailant, I would describe him as a stupid bully with no conception of decent behaviour and a definite lack of education/knowledge or whatever you want to call it.
All I was saying ( or trying to say ) was that there is a difference when people argue against the current Israeli govt's. actions, they are immediately accused of anti sematism as opposed to simply disagreeing with a govt's actions. As far as I know, no one here is remotely suggesting that the Jewish people are war criminals but their govt. could certainly be described as such as can others including the US and Iran. The reason Sudan ( and even Ukraine to a certain extent ) doesn't get the "headlines" these days is due to the media concentrating on the current situation but please don't presume to suggest that everyone is unaware of the situation. People of all cultures are suffering world wide and constant wars are not exactly improving the situation.

 

OK, six of one and half a dozen of the other, but the US backing of Israel when it comes to armaments has always given them the edge.
Personally up until now my biggest beef about Israel has been their expansion and settlers as they call them, they come across as a really nasty bunch with the backing of the army.

 

The current UK govt insist they will still work towards/support the recreation of a Palestinian state.
About as likely in the forseeable future as Trump being awarded his Nobel Peace prize.

 

To be fair @pete, most of their expansion came after all its neighbours colluded to invade and try and wipe it out. The old rules of war meant they could annex territory conquered so it was self-inflicted damage by their Arab neighbours. Only Egypt and Jordan seem to have seen the light in that respect.

However, the way the Israelis have occupied, built on and moved into those teritories has not been done with human kindness intended to make friends.

Had the UN had the wit, along with support from the Arab states, to create a Palestinian state at the same time as Israel there might be a lot less conflict now altho there would still have been tensions about the partition and who got to live where, as with Pakistan and India partition.

 

Until a couple of years ago I used to be able to buy Palestinian olive oil from (I think) Waitrose. Then the supply literally dried up and it was “no longer in stock”.

On this year's olive harvest: when precious olives fall unpicked - Zaytoun

 

An interesting development for those of a religious bent…

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/29/middleeast/israel-jerusalem-church-barred-intl

 

OK so I'm not well up on history, but I was under the impression that after ww2 part of Palestine was knicked and given to the Israelis.
I have an old atlas that states there was a country called Palestine.