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I suggest you drop this and start working on regaining some of your lost respect. How about that?
Nah, I am not interested in the "respect" of morons who accuse me of antisemitism. Particularly when they offer advice on regaining respect while doubling down on that absurd slander.
 
I suggest you drop this and start working on regaining some of your lost respect. How about that?
Nah, I am not interested in the "respect" of morons who accuse me of antisemitism. Particularly when they offer advice on regaining respect while doubling down on that absurd slander.

I haven't been saying I think a lot of the pro-Palestine rhetoric is antisemitism because I'm trying to insult anyone, or hurt anyone's feelings. I haven't intended it as slander. I'm saying it, because I think it really is antisemitism. Western culture has a deep cultural grove cut into its thought, which makes it harder for us to think critically about Jews. Whatever side is fighting Jews we have a tendency to feel more sorry for the other side. The word for that is antisemitism. And Jews are not bulletproof to this way of thinking themselves. Western Jews are embedded in a gentile culture. They're bound to be influenced. A lot of Jews in Israel also are. Israel is part of the wider world and consume the same media. The Israeli left say a lot of the same things that the left does all over the west. But it's delusional. When delusions hit reality, they often shatter. This is the reason the Israeli left is so weak today, and why Netanyahu still is in power, despite his enormous failure as a prime minister in his previous term.

I think it's more nuanced than just racism. The western left is today postmodern. It's obsessed with structural oppression and to identify who is the most victim. Whoever has suffered the most is automatically the one who is morally superior, no matter culpability.

While Islam is a victimhood culture. Pretty much, the only people they elevate are martyrs. Having suffered for your cause, and ideally die, is the highest status.

These two in combination is an ideological dynamite, that the western left doesn't seem to know how to deal with. Arabs can commit all manner of horrific acts of violence, but since they never really use any win to enrich themselves. That's not the goal of it. As long as all they do is make themselves and everyone around them more miserable, the left struggles with condemning it.

When Netanyahu said that Jews have been losing the propaganda war for 2000 years, he wasn't wrong. Most Jews are resigned to antisemtism. They're aware of it. But treat it as a force of nature. They do little to combat it, argue their side or convince anyone. Since they've largely opted out of the propaganda war, they lose it even more than they would otherwise.

When I call things antisemitism, I'm not doing it flippantly or as a knee jerk reaction. Each time I've used the term here I've given the person I've been talking with every opportunity to make a coherent argument. I've only ever called people antisemetic when they're out of arguments. If you lack rational arguments, that leaves the irrational arguments.
 
I think it is the other way around after Israel took over the entire city..

A turning paint was Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. The status of the city was not settled.


The President said, “I’ve judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This is a long-overdue step to advance the peace process and to work towards a lasting agreement.”

Israel today controls accces to holy sites, and has been pushing Arabs out of Jerusalem.

Yes — since 1967 Israel has controlled all of Jerusalem, including its holy sites, but access to the most sacred locations is heavily restricted and managed under a long‑standing “Status Quo” arrangement.
Historical background

After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Jerusalem was divided: West Jerusalem was under Israeli control, and East Jerusalem — including the Old City, the Temple Mount, and other holy sites — was under Jordanian rule www.israelanswers.comwww.israelanswers.com. Jordan restricted Jewish access to Jewish holy sites, and Jews were banned from the Western Wall and the Temple Mount

It shows the destructive nature of religion. People killing over what is considered sacred.

Zionism is as toxic as any extreme Islamist group.
 
I forgot to mention, another layer of leftist racism, which I think is exceptionally peculiar. The left doesn't judge settler attacks on Palestinians on par with Palestinian attacks on Israelis. It's an incredibly complicated relationship. But generally, settler attacks are annoying. Palestinian attacks are deadly.

I think some of the leftist logic here goes like this: Jews are westerners so therefore they are civilised. They should know better. While the Arabs are savages who can't help themselves.

Israeli leftists also have these same double standards. Arabs are viewed through a benevolent paternal lens. While Israeli attacks are harshly condemned. Arab attacks have always been way more violent. More deadly. Yet continually are made excuses for.

This discrepancy is interesting and hard to explain, by the side, who claim to be against racism.

Note. I know it is more complicated. The settlers are almost always better educated and better connected. They're adept at exploiting legal loopholes in a way that the Palestians aren't. So the double standards aren't completely crazy. But still... deadly violence should always be condemned more than sabotage imho. No matter what.
 
Look at a map of the region especially a large wall map. Gaza. Israel, West Bank is a tiny spot. Yet a lot of conflict over control.

Jordan annexed the West Bank leading to a civil war over control of Jordan. That is where Yasar Arafat made his entrance.

Hamas and Fatah had a civil war over control.

The Lebanese civil war.

Syria.

Saudis versus Iran and Yemen.

Don;t forget the Iraq Iran war. Eight years. Hussein used chemical weapons on Iran and his own minorities.

The Kurdish issues.

That is why I say the region is a shit hole. It is obvious. Nobody but nobody wants peace. Nobody wants to compromise.

Our progressives worship cultural diversity yet are patently unable to see the down sides. No cultures are to be criticized. To do so is racist.
 
Look at a map of the region especially a large wall map. Gaza. Israel, West Bank is a tiny spot. Yet a lot of conflict over control.

Jordan annexed the West Bank leading to a civil war over control of Jordan. That is where Yasar Arafat made his entrance.

Hamas and Fatah had a civil war over control.

The Lebanese civil war.

Syria.

Saudis versus Iran and Yemen.

Don;t forget the Iraq Iran war. Eight years. Hussein used chemical weapons on Iran and his own minorities.

The Kurdish issues.

That is why I say the region is a shit hole. It is obvious. Nobody but nobody wants peace. Nobody wants to compromise.

Our progressives worship cultural diversity yet are patently unable to see the down sides. No cultures are to be criticized. To do so is racist.

In the Middle-East, traditionally, whoever has power will exploit it to the max. So being dominated by another group, has a high cost. So the incentive for groups, not in power, to fight for power is very very high. That means repression, by the top group, needs to extremely brutal. It's all about the incentives. It's not about not wanting war or peace. Everyone wants peace. But not at any cost.

In the west, in the Enlightenment, we developed a system for power sharing. Where the top power didn't exploit it to the max. We're the benefactors of that culture. But it is weird. This culture evolved over time. We have a plethora of institutions and traditions all to create a stable system to keep the elite from sucking the rest dry. It should be noted, that sociologists still hasn't figured out exactly how or why this system works. So we're not really in a position to try to lecture the Arabs on what they should do. The honest answer, is that we don't really know how we did it. USA did their best to introduce democracy to Afghanistan and Iraq. Hardly success stories.
 
It amazes me how long this idiocy has gone on.

To those reprobates here who condemn people here as being anti-Semitic, I’d say:

No one here is anti-Semitic.

We just don’t want Jews to do to others, what was evilly done to them.

Hard to follow? :unsure:
It’s not hard to follow, I just think it’s short sighted.

Look, Israel’s very recent behavior has been very aggressive. So has Ukraine’s.

Both Israel and Ukraine have exacted considerable casualties against an aggressor who initiated a conflict, killing far more of the aggressor than they themselves have lost.

Both have general support from the US, because both are in conflict with entities that are hostile toward the US (and all of Western Europe in general).

The notable difference is that Israel has historically taken a fairly restrained approach toward an entity that has been consistently attacking and trying to kill them for over half a century, and who has the stated desire to eradicate all Israelis.

The disparate response of otherwise rational people to these situations is baffling. Israel has been being accused of genocide since the day after they were brutally attacked. But Ukraine has been viewed as a victim almost universally. Israel is condemned and vilified for taking territory from their opponent, but Ukraine gets viewed as doing so fairly.
The inclusion of the salient facts that
1) Ukraine was invaded by a much larger aggressor,
2) the bulk of Ukraine’s violence has been against the invaders,
3) Ukraine is suffering daily attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure while Israel is not, and
4)much of Israel’s violence was on civilians not invaders,

renders your analysis as blatant propaganda.

1) Israel is surrounded by a billion Muslims. All of which (at least officially) want to see Israel destroyed. Exactly how is Israel the larger agressor?
Nonsense. But I understand why you think the party that killed magnitudes more civilians, attacked multiple countries, and has publicly called for ethnic cleansing of Gaza (and the West Bank) is not the larger aggressor.

The rest of your response was regurgitated apologia which was irrelevant to my post.
 
Look at a map of the region especially a large wall map. Gaza. Israel, West Bank is a tiny spot. Yet a lot of conflict over control.

Jordan annexed the West Bank leading to a civil war over control of Jordan. That is where Yasar Arafat made his entrance.

Hamas and Fatah had a civil war over control.

The Lebanese civil war.

Syria.

Saudis versus Iran and Yemen.

Don;t forget the Iraq Iran war. Eight years. Hussein used chemical weapons on Iran and his own minorities.

The Kurdish issues.

That is why I say the region is a shit hole. It is obvious. Nobody but nobody wants peace. Nobody wants to compromise.

Our progressives worship cultural diversity yet are patently unable to see the down sides. No cultures are to be criticized. To do so is racist.

In the Middle-East, traditionally, whoever has power will exploit it to the max. So being dominated by another group, has a high cost. So the incentive for groups, not in power, to fight for power is very very high. That means repression, by the top group, needs to extremely brutal. It's all about the incentives. It's not about not wanting war or peace. Everyone wants peace. But not at any cost.

In the west, in the Enlightenment, we developed a system for power sharing. Where the top power didn't exploit it to the max.
Wait a second! Europe had been fighting in wars that escalated in brutality (Proto-WWI, WWI, WWII) to less than one hundred years ago! It took the near annihilation of Europe to become the "benefactors of that culture". So shove that culture shit back down. Europe needed the US to create and then recreate an organization aimed at hitting the brakes on massive wars.

This is not to say the US has moral high ground. While the US developed and enacted a workable representative democracy immediately after winning independence (well... workable on the second try) and maintained the critical traditions to hold onto it, the US did some nefarious shit too over time. And while the West is well ahead on democracy than the Middle East, who helped galvanize the not democracy in the Middle East to begin with?
 
The notable difference is that Israel has historically taken a fairly restrained approach toward an entity that has been consistently attacking and trying to kill them for over half a century, and who has the stated desire to eradicate all Israelis.
Entity? You sound as if all Gazans were responsible for the attack while being targeted for retribution.

The disparate response of otherwise rational people to these situations is baffling. Israel has been being accused of genocide since the day after they were brutally attacked.
Cite?

But Ukraine has been viewed as a victim almost universally. Israel is condemned and vilified for taking territory from their opponent, but Ukraine gets viewed as doing so fairly.
WTAF??? What territory has Ukraine taken from Russia. :oops:
 
I forgot to mention, another layer of leftist racism, which I think is exceptionally peculiar. The left doesn't judge settler attacks on Palestinians on par with Palestinian attacks on Israelis. It's an incredibly complicated relationship. But generally, settler attacks are annoying. Palestinian attacks are deadly.
Israeli settlers aren't supposed to be there at all by law. And yes, settler violence has become very deadly. Apparently you do not follow the actual news but still continue to pontificate.

I think some of the leftist logic here goes like this: Jews are westerners so therefore they are civilised. They should know better. While the Arabs are savages who can't help themselves.

Israeli leftists also have these same double standards. Arabs are viewed through a benevolent paternal lens. While Israeli attacks are harshly condemned. Arab attacks have always been way more violent. More deadly. Yet continually are made excuses for.

This discrepancy is interesting and hard to explain, by the side, who claim to be against racism.

Note. I know it is more complicated. The settlers are almost always better educated and better connected. They're adept at exploiting legal loopholes in a way that the Palestians aren't. So the double standards aren't completely crazy. But still... deadly violence should always be condemned more than sabotage imho. No matter what.
Silly Blather.
 
I forgot to mention, another layer of leftist racism, which I think is exceptionally peculiar. The left doesn't judge settler attacks on Palestinians on par with Palestinian attacks on Israelis. It's an incredibly complicated relationship. But generally, settler attacks are annoying. Palestinian attacks are deadly.

A simple Google search yields
Israeli settlers kill Palestinian in West Bank, officials say By Reuters
israeli-settlers-attack-west-bank-village-blocking-familys-return-home-2026-09-29
Palestinian teens killed during settler attack on West Bank village
Israeli settlers kill 19-year-old Palestinian American, officials and witnesses say
They shoot to kill”: Settler violence in the West Bank

Those are but a few of the "annoying" settler attacks.

Moreover, the settlers often initiate an "annoying" attack that generates deadly IDF reprisals.


 
Criticizing what Israel is doing to Gaza has nothing to do with antisemitism. In fact, many Jewish folks have criticized what Israel is doing. Amnesty International has criticized Israel harshly. Does that mean that AI is antisemitic? Seriously?

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/n...in-name-only-say-more-than-100-organizations/

Gaza ceasefire exists in name only, say more than 100 organizations​

One year since the ceasefire agreement, more than 1,400 people have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, nearly two million still need shelter, not a single hospital is fully functioning, and 1.4 million face crisis-level hunger.

GAZA, 9 October 2026 – One year after the Gaza ceasefire agreement was reached, more than 100 humanitarian, human rights, and other civil society organisations say the ceasefire exists in name only, with Israeli forces continuing to kill and injure Palestinians daily, and restrictions on aid, equipment and rebuilding materials preventing families from recovering.

The killing and deprivation in Gaza must not be normalised under the cover of a ceasefire agreement, the organisations working on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory warned today.

Mohsen Abu Ramadan, Palestinian NGO Network Board Member, said:

“Palestinian organisations are responding to immense needs under Israeli occupation with destroyed offices, displaced staff, and shrinking budgets. Local and national organisations are first responders and will remain, but we need to be protected. Governments must act to end Israel’s attacks and restrictions on our work and donors must provide direct, flexible funding to meet the needs.”

Over the past year, Israeli strikes, shootings and military operations have killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 327 children. Families and rescue workers have recovered hundreds of bodies from the rubble, often with their bare hands, as Israeli authorities restrict the entry of machinery needed to reach them. Many more remain buried and unreachable.

The Israeli military has also moved the so-called Yellow Line further into Gaza, beyond the withdrawal line set out in the agreement, squeezing Palestinians into an increasingly small and overcrowded area.

Inger Ashing, Save the Children CEO, said:

“A ceasefire is meaningless if children are still being killed and families are still unable to rebuild their lives. Since the ceasefire was announced, nearly one child has been killed every day. Families remain trapped in a devastating cycle of loss and deprivation, unable to recover. Governments that backed this agreement must use their influence to stop the killing and ensure children can access food, healthcare, shelter and education. Gaza’s children have a right to safety and a future. Governments have the power to help secure both, and they must use it.”

Recent satellite imagery shows the scale of devastation caused by Israeli forces, with neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, homes flattened and agricultural land razed. More than 80% of structures across Gaza have been damaged, including around two-thirds that have been destroyed.

As winter approaches, hundreds of thousands of families still live in tents, makeshift shelters or damaged homes and face a fourth winter exposed to cold, wind and flooding. Nearly one in four households in Gaza is now headedby a woman, and these families are far more likely to be living in unsafe or inadequate shelter.

How does one terrorist act mean it's okay to attack Gaza as Israel is doing? It reminds me in a way of how Bush started stupid, mindless wars due to one terrorist attack on the US.

This insanity and cruelty isn't justified due to the cruelty of a small group of people. Killing children and innocent civilians, as well as destroying their habitats is far worse than what was done by some in Gaza because it did far more damage and far more people were killed.

Btw, my husband's late grandmother was a Syrian immigrant and I never met a more loving, kind person than her. Another story I could tell is how my in-laws were hated by the Jewish condo owners because they were of Arabic descent. Hatred and bigotry come in all flavors, but none of it ever justifies violence, including the killing of innocent civilians during war.

That's about all I have to say on this topic.
 
WTAF??? What territory has Ukraine taken from Russia. :oops:
They didn't manage to keep it, but they took IIRC about 1000 km of territory last year in Kursk, within Russian lines. That's largely why North Korea sent their soldiers to help. Although from what I've heard, most of the NK troops spent their time fapping to internet porn. That could be rumor though ;)
 
It amazes me how long this idiocy has gone on.

To those reprobates here who condemn people here as being anti-Semitic, I’d say:

No one here is anti-Semitic.

We just don’t want Jews to do to others, what was evilly done to them.

Hard to follow? :unsure:
It’s not hard to follow, I just think it’s short sighted.

Look, Israel’s very recent behavior has been very aggressive. So has Ukraine’s.

Both Israel and Ukraine have exacted considerable casualties against an aggressor who initiated a conflict, killing far more of the aggressor than they themselves have lost.

Both have general support from the US, because both are in conflict with entities that are hostile toward the US (and all of Western Europe in general).

The notable difference is that Israel has historically taken a fairly restrained approach toward an entity that has been consistently attacking and trying to kill them for over half a century, and who has the stated desire to eradicate all Israelis.

The disparate response of otherwise rational people to these situations is baffling. Israel has been being accused of genocide since the day after they were brutally attacked. But Ukraine has been viewed as a victim almost universally. Israel is condemned and vilified for taking territory from their opponent, but Ukraine gets viewed as doing so fairly.

As a simplified generalization, Ukraine gets viewed as the victimized underdog who is fighting back against a bully.

You guys remember some years ago there was a video of a kid who was being picked on, who snapped and picked up the bully and threw him down on his head? That kid had been consistently bullied for months before he fought back, but there was a huge outpouring of concern for the bully and criticism of the victim who fought back.

So far as I can see, that’s how Israel is being treated. They’re being vilified for successfully fighting back against an entity that has been persistently attacking them for 50+ years.

My overall conclusion is that propaganda works. Iran (who unquestionably supports and backs has) is 100% known to have a highly active propaganda arm. China too. Russia not so much. It’s there, but it’s more often used against their own people and to periodically attempt to sway opinion about US politicians (which a whole lot of other countries also do).

Comparing Israel’s situation to that of Ukraine is breathtaking. Consider my break taken!

I mean, to begin with (there could be much more to say), Gaza and Hamas in no way resemble Russia and Putin. Again, there could be much more to say, but why bother? This is simply daft.

A much better comparison is likening Israel to Russia.
 
WTAF??? What territory has Ukraine taken from Russia. :oops:
They didn't manage to keep it, but they took IIRC about 1000 km of territory last year in Kursk, within Russian lines. That's largely why North Korea sent their soldiers to help. Although from what I've heard, most of the NK troops spent their time fapping to internet porn. That could be rumor though ;)
Ukraine still holds about 100 square km of the Kursk territory.
 

How does one terrorist act mean it's okay to attack Gaza as Israel is doing? It reminds me in a way of how Bush started stupid, mindless wars due to one terrorist attack on the US.
I seem to remember that FDR committed the US to war against Japan based upon a single terror attack.
 

Comparing Israel’s situation to that of Ukraine is breathtaking. Consider my break taken!

I mean, to begin with (there could be much more to say), Gaza and Hamas in no way resemble Russia and Putin. Again, there could be much more to say, but why bother? This is simply daft.

A much better comparison is likening Israel to Russia.
If you ignore the Hamas 7th Oct attack then you might be correct.
 
Criticizing what Israel is doing to Gaza has nothing to do with antisemitism. In fact, many Jewish folks have criticized what Israel is doing. Amnesty International has criticized Israel harshly. Does that mean that AI is antisemitic? Seriously?

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/n...in-name-only-say-more-than-100-organizations/

Gaza ceasefire exists in name only, say more than 100 organizations​

One year since the ceasefire agreement, more than 1,400 people have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, nearly two million still need shelter, not a single hospital is fully functioning, and 1.4 million face crisis-level hunger.

GAZA, 9 October 2026 – One year after the Gaza ceasefire agreement was reached, more than 100 humanitarian, human rights, and other civil society organisations say the ceasefire exists in name only, with Israeli forces continuing to kill and injure Palestinians daily, and restrictions on aid, equipment and rebuilding materials preventing families from recovering.

The killing and deprivation in Gaza must not be normalised under the cover of a ceasefire agreement, the organisations working on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory warned today.

Mohsen Abu Ramadan, Palestinian NGO Network Board Member, said:

“Palestinian organisations are responding to immense needs under Israeli occupation with destroyed offices, displaced staff, and shrinking budgets. Local and national organisations are first responders and will remain, but we need to be protected. Governments must act to end Israel’s attacks and restrictions on our work and donors must provide direct, flexible funding to meet the needs.”

Over the past year, Israeli strikes, shootings and military operations have killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 327 children. Families and rescue workers have recovered hundreds of bodies from the rubble, often with their bare hands, as Israeli authorities restrict the entry of machinery needed to reach them. Many more remain buried and unreachable.

The Israeli military has also moved the so-called Yellow Line further into Gaza, beyond the withdrawal line set out in the agreement, squeezing Palestinians into an increasingly small and overcrowded area.

Inger Ashing, Save the Children CEO, said:

“A ceasefire is meaningless if children are still being killed and families are still unable to rebuild their lives. Since the ceasefire was announced, nearly one child has been killed every day. Families remain trapped in a devastating cycle of loss and deprivation, unable to recover. Governments that backed this agreement must use their influence to stop the killing and ensure children can access food, healthcare, shelter and education. Gaza’s children have a right to safety and a future. Governments have the power to help secure both, and they must use it.”

Recent satellite imagery shows the scale of devastation caused by Israeli forces, with neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, homes flattened and agricultural land razed. More than 80% of structures across Gaza have been damaged, including around two-thirds that have been destroyed.

As winter approaches, hundreds of thousands of families still live in tents, makeshift shelters or damaged homes and face a fourth winter exposed to cold, wind and flooding. Nearly one in four households in Gaza is now headedby a woman, and these families are far more likely to be living in unsafe or inadequate shelter.

How does one terrorist act mean it's okay to attack Gaza as Israel is doing? It reminds me in a way of how Bush started stupid, mindless wars due to one terrorist attack on the US.

This insanity and cruelty isn't justified due to the cruelty of a small group of people. Killing children and innocent civilians, as well as destroying their habitats is far worse than what was done by some in Gaza because it did far more damage and far more people were killed.

Btw, my husband's late grandmother was a Syrian immigrant and I never met a more loving, kind person than her. Another story I could tell is how my in-laws were hated by the Jewish condo owners because they were of Arabic descent. Hatred and bigotry come in all flavors, but none of it ever justifies violence, including the killing of innocent civilians during war.

That's about all I have to say on this topic.

I don't think its always antisemitism. But often when pro-Palestine supporters try arguing their case there's no arguments. There's zero attempt to understand the actions of Israel. Then its antisemitism. That's all that's left.

But most often I think its antisemetic propaganda that gets spread and passed around. When it reaches someone otherwise sensible, they might be convinced by the argument. That is still antisemitism. We would never condone anyome committing an act of hate crime, just because they didn't know any better in any other context.

There's now more antisemetic propaganda floating about, on every channel, than ever before. Failure to do due diligence and think critically about it at this time, I think is inexcusable.

I niether tolerate antisemitism due to ignorance or maliciousness. Because the result is the same.

And this is perhaps the most important. Israel controlling Gaza, is at the moment, probably, the Gazan peoples best and only chance to be ruled by a power that cares about them, and offer stability, wise and non-corrupt govornence. So being pro Israel right now is also being pro Palestine. And being pro-Palestine right now, is in practice being pro-Hamas, which will only lead to endless carnage.

If you care about Palestinian civilians the best option is to support Israel
 

How does one terrorist act mean it's okay to attack Gaza as Israel is doing? It reminds me in a way of how Bush started stupid, mindless wars due to one terrorist attack on the US.
I seem to remember that FDR committed the US to war against Japan based upon a single terror attack.
That's extremely simplistic, even if we grant you licence to describe Pearl Harbor as a "terrorist" attack, which is stretching the definition to breaking point.

FDR used the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to finally get his way with Congress, in regards to joining the war in Europe, and he had agreed with Churchill to persue a 'Europe first' policy, which is exactly what happened - so the US war on Japan was (at a policy level) secondary to the US war on Germany - hardly a direct retaliation for Pearl.

Indeed, the early days in the Pacific Theatre saw a series of stunning victories for Japan, over US forces (particularly in the Philippines), and British Commonwealth forces (particularly in Burma, Malaysia and Singapore). These were territorial expansions by Japan, not the kind of 'hit and run' attacks we associate with terrorism; The attempt to sink the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor was in support of that strategy - Japan wanted to own colonies, they didn't want to terrorise Americans.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was not intended to cause fear; It was not aimed at civillians; And it was not asymetrical - Japan and the USA were peer naval powers, each with sizable (and to a degree comparable) fleets.

And war had been building between the two Pacific powers for a long time. The US trade sanctions against Japan, intended to penalise her for her invasion and atrocities in China and Manchuria, were seen by Japan as acts of war, for which Pearl Harbor was a retaliation - You can't blockade Japanese ports if you no longer have a navy.
 
Pearl Harbor a terrorist attack?

It i9s a comparison, but for different reasons.

Like what lead up to the Mid East today Pearl, Har5bor was the result of a long period of geopolitics involving America and Europe in Asia. What was called Gun Boat Diplomacy, an apt description of Trump.

Japan had a resurgence of imperialism and I believe Bushido. The Axis Powers, Japan, Germany, and Italy carving out spheres of influence.

Japan is resource poor, especially energy, IOW oil.

American sanctions directly led to Pearl Harbor. Given their ambitions Japan had no choice.

Japan made major blunders at Pearl Harbor that may have cost them the war. The American carriers were not at Pearl. They failed to destroy fuel dumps, dry docks, and repair faculties.

Later in the war a heavily damaged carrier Yorktown was quickly turned around at Peal and made it to the Battle Of Midway. Consequential.

The Japanese withdrew early fearing the carriers would show up.

I am a relatively casual student of war and history. To me it is obvious that what characterizes our foreign policy is an utter lack of ability to learn from mistakes and history.

On the Mid East Trump, Vance, and Hegseth are throwbacks to old foreign policy. The result is more chaos and instability instead of less.

Removing Hussein removed a major check on Iran. So on and so forth.
 
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