Israel immediately declared a state of war, launching air attacks on Gaza in retaliation, killing over four hundred Palestinians, most of them civilians. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to “take mighty vengeance” against Palestinians, calling Gaza a “city of evil” and vowing to turn it into “cities of ruins.” Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant has already approved a sweeping call-up of reservists.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian town of Jenin is still reeling from the devastation of a recent unsparing Israeli attack, which left the town a razed ghostland. The small town of Huwara has yet to recover from the deadly horrors unleashed by settlers on its residents.

So far this year, Israel’s military forces have killed over two hundred Palestinians in the West Bank.

To make life hell for Palestinians, settler mobs and far-right gangs, backed and emboldened by Israel’s ultranationalist government, have been sowing terror and wreaking havoc among Palestinians, burning villages and houses, lynching and killing civilians with impunity.

In Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers and security forces have allowed the settler mobs to run amok, evicting Palestinian families by force and occupying their homes. During the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, settlers stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem, staging provocative tours, harassing and beating worshippers, and spitting on Christians.

I would love to hear the average Lemmy/Reddit liberal comment on this. I wonder if they’ll remember their outrage as the civilian casualties rise in the coming months, especially if they maintain the asymmetry that has characterized this conflict for decades. Will they justify it as “collateral”?