Hamas strike on Israel - Threadbans in op - mod warning in OP updated 19/10/23

I'll take it you mean who will stop the neighbours in their tracks? For those neighbours who see that engaging in any conflict would be futile and even counterproductive, I'd say hard diplomacy and a couple of aircraft carriers in the Med would keep them out of the picture.

Houthis - I'd say they are flighty enough but geographically distant so I can't see them directly threatening Israel. Taking out a few tankers would be very disruptive of course but that would economically affect a lot of countries.

Hezbollah - they seem to have been quiet enough but I don't know what their snapping point would be.

Iran would probably just keep supporting the terrorists without getting directly involved - but the recent assassination has probably raised their blood pressure a lot.

Overall, I think any serous escalation would come from Hezbollah in Lebanon before anywhere else. I'd say the UN would do their best and US would support.

But is there was an escalation, I'd say it could quickly turn into a pile on - and I've no idea who would respond or how. It would be catastrophic for the middle east, Europe and the world.

I hope cool heads prevail and that it does not materialise.

I wouldn't even describe it as revenge. The height of the Blitz took place in late 1940 and early 1941, a good four years earlier. Dresden was mostly about terrorising the German civilian population.

"So to me, the dilemma is a simple one - you're either with them, or you're with the people who want to wipe them out."

To me, the dilemma is also simple one - you either support the wholesale murder of innocent civilians or you don't.

"There's far more blatant 'death to Israel' posted here"

Notwithstanding those who have been threadbanned, who is posting "death to Israel"?

Sorry what is travelling the world? Islamic terrorism? , which I don't think Hamas is exactly has been around for a while. This is like your tip of the spear comment- I'm genuinely confused by some of your arguments you have put forth.

I always get confused with the comparison with the blitz and the war on Gaza. Hamas declare war on Israel, Israel launch an attack. People claim what they are doing is self defense. Britain declared war on Germany.... So the blitz was Germany acting in self defense?

Using the self defense logic all the dead civilians during the blitz was Britain's fault, right?

I seem to recall the dispute at the time was not whether Hamas used Tunnels or had operating bases from these tunnels, it was whether Hamas were using tunnels under the Al Shifa Hospital as a main command center. From the evidence presented by the IDF it didn't look like they were. Although perhaps Hamas had time to clear it out , but we may never know. I am in agreement that more stories about the extent of the tunnel network will emerge in the months ahead. I wasn't aware tunnels had been flooded already. If that is the case then many Hamas people along with hostages could be found dead sometime next year.

Yes, Islamic Jihadi terrorism has been around since the 6th century. It has gone through periods of relative quietness or been dormant on occasions. It's my guess that what's happening now in Palestine will trigger another "active " phase even above and beyond what has been happening elsewhere worldwide. There's a post a few pages back about some Jews in an US institute / college who had to hide in the Library because they were afraid after all the anti-semitic talk that was going on around them.

Yes, Islamic Terrorism is travelling the world!

Latest example:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/europol-director-islamist-terrorism-remains-biggest-terror-threat/story?id=104100812

You take it wrongly so. Who will stop what is now a terrorist state - Israel.

Back at that time, there were lots of "Tunnel Vision" as they say!! And since the capture / surrender of many Palestinians both Hamas and civilians, inc. medical staff it has emerged that Hamas did indeed use the tunnel underneath the hospital, but that all medical staff were forced to deny it during TV interviews. Hamas then did a major clean up job when it was clear that the IDF would soon take control of the Hospital and the tunnels underneath. Yes, flooding the tunnels has started awhile back, but it's estimated that the job to completely flood them all will take several months. Have hostages being killed in the tunnels because of flooding? I'm not too sure at this point, because Hamas would have plenty of escape points built in. But with the bombings? Yes, I'd say that many have been killed in the tunnels by the bombs, Hamas and Hostages alike. Whatever warning they would have with the flooding, there would be no such warnings with the bombs....one minute you are sitting in the tunnel and split seconds later, the whole tunnel collapses around you.

To be fair Israel is in a completely different position to any other country.

They uniquely represent a people that was practically forced into extinction (in an abhorrent,open ,calculating and recent way that made monsters of all who did not combat it directly)

I cannot see that they will allow next nor near any repeat of those events without dragging down a multitude of enemies

If their neighbours cannot see that then I pity them (and us too most likely)

The quote goes "Do not go gentle into that good night"

The point was, countries all around them are threatening Israel and many openly state the country shouldn't even exist. Some are already launching rockets at them. But according to that poster, Israel saying they will retaliate if they are attacked is "terrorist" behaviour and they need to be stopped. What about the ones attacking them being stopped? Nothing about that. What other country is expected to sit there while they are attacked by other governments who want them annihilated and do nothing?

"If Israel had responded with a one week blitzkrieg against Hamas targets in Gaza, people could have argued that was a proportionate response"

Gosh that would have shown them.

Hamas wouldn't have known what hit them.