Israeli Soldier Elor Azaria Guilty of Manslaughter of Disarmed Palestinian

I know. I'm not Muslim, nor was I arguing that Hamas should execute captured soldiers however Islamic law makes more sense than Western secular law, because of its inherent internal consistency.

They're not axioms, they're cultural relics derived from the Christian (namely mainline Protestant) tradition.

"Super human and unfair". Illegal settlements condemned by the UN are unfair aww poor Israel.

There is little point in arguing with you because you are not looking at the problem objectively. It is evident from the language you use that you do not have an ounce of sympathy for the Palestinian cause to a state, and that your personal prejeduces have got the better of you. You use terms like "super human" and "unfair" like an angry child who does not want to follow the rules and believes they are above the rules. Even I, who am not the biggest fan of Israel can understand why it reacts and acts in certain situations, but luckily I am able to look at both sides objectively. You just see Israel's good and not it's bad. Your whole paragraph is just based with a bunch of emotional rubbish that I can use to justify the exact opposite of what you said. "decades-long terrorist campaign by a people that refuses to recognise its existence". I can equally say Palestinians are being opressed by decades of Israeli illegal millitary rule, who came occupied their land and kicked them out. See how it works? You need to either accept UN rule or stop labelling Israel as some sort of liberal democracy which upholds liberal and justice.

It only makes more sense for a believer. Moreover, while I don't have a problem with the idea of divinely-ordained laws per se, I don't think enshrining them in a poetic holy book makes much sense given how quickly they can become obsolete.

The Christian tradition undoubtedly played a role in the formal establishment of the working principles, but the axioms which underpin the essence of humanistic philosophy as we know it today, existed well before Christianity came along. From Ancient Greece, to India - every civilisation has more-or-less prioritised (albeit through non-humanistic avenues in many legal-systems) human well-being and fairness.


Given that our moral attitudes are a consequence of our evolutionary history, it's evident that the overwhelming majority of humans, with the exception of genuine psychopaths, have a basic sense of morality based on some very common virtues. Christian ethics is no exception.

Supporting a certain ideology is not grounds to have your statehood revoked, what a stupid thing to say. Should Belgium cease to be a country for what they did to the Congolese people?

Nice video, please remind me when Israel legalised same sex marriage?

Last time I checked gays are treated well in Israel, unlike in most Muslim countries.

False analogy. Last time I checked, most of the atrocities in the Congo were committed by Leopold of Belgium in his capacity as a private citizen.

And yes, countries that are against liberal values should be treated as less legitimate than countries that uphold them.

False analogy. Last time I checked, most of the atrocities in the Congo were committed by Leopold of Belgium in his capacity as a private citizen.

And yes, countries that are against liberal values should be treated as less legitimate than countries that uphold them.

That doesn't answer my question. Please try again.

How in the hell is that manslaughter? He deliberately shot him in the head.

His venture was private, that doesn't make his atrocities "private", he was still supported by Belgian troops

What are liberal values? Liberal from a Western perspective? Do you propose we treat Russia and other Eastern European countries as less legitimate?

Except they weren't being conducted by a state. Those Belgian troops were fighting for him in a private capacity, and I believe it wasn't just Belgian, but other Europeans who were in his pay. It was basically a mercenary force.

And yes. The West is best.

Gay marriage is not legalised in Israel

In any case, that doesn't change the fact that gays have most of their essential rights in Israel, unlike in Gaza where gays are thrown off roofs and killed, or in the other Arab countries which surround it.

This is an organisation which made a Nazi war criminal its Secretary-General,

Oh look! Someone with a murderous terrorist in their avatar.

Israel was a close ally of apartheid South Africa and it's regime throughout the worst years of that era, trading weapons and precious metals/diamonds and engaged in sanctions busting.

British diplomats cited evidence that Israel had supplied the Argentine military junta with arms that were used against the Task Force during the campaign to liberate the islands.

Israeli military exports before the war included the Skyhawk jets that would later be used to bomb British warships, killing dozens of soldiers, sailors and marines.

Four British warships were sunk by bombs dropped from Skyhawks, including RFA Sir Galahad, a troop carrier that was set ablaze while anchored in Bluff Cove, killing 48 sailors and soldiers. Simon Weston, the badly burned veteran, was among the survivors. Another four ships were damaged by Skyhawks.

"Countries that are against liberal values should be treated as less legitimate than countries that uphold them".
A few posts ago I posed the question of whether countries that uphold liberal values and are democratic should be scrutinized to a higher extent than those who are not as they are more moral, to which you answered no. Surely you should change your answer to yes,since you believe such countries are more legitimate than non liberal value holding countries? If I were to represent a nation, I could "claim" to be a nation upholding liberal values, but surely the only way to be more legitimate is to be more scrutinized so that the term isn't simply applied anywhere?

TBF they didn't know about Waldheim until later on and Israel voted for him as Sec-Gen, so your argument doesn't quite hold up there.

The UN is cursed by excessive respect for the statehood of member nations and that's why idiots/dictators/thugs like Mugabe and Gadaffi have had platforms in it - they aren't supported by the majority of members, but there are sufficient petty dictatorships around to create the space.

Israel was a close ally of apartheid South Africa and it's regime throughout the worst years of that era, trading weapons and precious metals/diamonds and engaged in sanctions busting.

Israel has also been happy in the past to collaborate with other dictatorships, sometimes at their own initiative and sometimes as a proxy for the US.

Hmm yes, Jews have it so good in Israel: