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Comment by Cyph0n | Hacker News Reader

Impossible unfortunately, as long as it's operating in Israel.

How about operating in the US, which on average kills 3-4 civilians per 1 enemy combatant (Israel kills 1) and starts wars for no apparent reason (what did Iraq have to do with 9/11 - that's more than 100,000 people killed, do you have an idea how much more that is compared to people killed by the IDF in the last decades? Why support "rebels" in Libya or Syria?)

The two of you have proven why this is basically meaningless.

Better response than mine haha.

I agree with you. Original point is still true. It's a double-standard U.S. allows for political reasons.

I'll also add Israel is more selective and defensive in its conflict while doing what it can to prop up its country and people. African dictators and such are on a much lower and twisted level.

I agree with that as well. However I think Israel is a different case.

"Agree as well" with what? I basically said the US killed far more people for far worse reasons - do you agree that Israel is different in that sense? What about Russia where Intel operates and which invaded Georgia and Ukraine? Do you think Intel should stop operating in the US, Russia and Israel (and relocate to the moon, presumably?) or do you think Israel should be singled out (why?)

Also - why single out Intel? Why is it OK for oil companies to operate in the Middle East where most oil-rich countries either wage war directly or subsidize it?

Well for me it goes all the way back to the forceful creation of the state of Israel, so you're talking to the wrong guy. However in modern times, I think the Gaza blockade and regular "wars" against it, the general mistreatment of Palestinians residing in Israel, the attempts at taking full control of Al Aqsa Mosque, and the general racism towards Arabs exhibited by Israeli leaders over the years are good enough reasons for me to put Israel in the spotlight compared to the USA or Russia.

But I still agree with your sentiments regarding the Gulf countries, the US, and Russia. I just believe that the shameful actions they are perpetrating are of a different nature. To that list I'd add Iran.

Disclaimer: I am an Arab Muslim.

I figured you were an Arab Muslim. FYI, Israel has affirmative action where Arabs have a lower standard of admission into medical schools, for example; "racism", perhaps, but of a different sort (which is not to say that no Israelis exist who are racist, just that most aren't and that the state isn't, at least not in comparison to most others.) Where you heard about taking control of Al Aqsa I can only guess; of course 99.99% of Israelis don't want it nor did the state ever attempt it and we let the Waqf destroy Jewish and Muslim archeological artefacts alike as they please there. In general Israel is the hundredth probem on the list of any Arab state, and putting it closer to #1 by singling it out as the one state to be excluded from supply chains etc. is IMO unlikely to help with the first 99. But then again I'm more than a little biased...

In drone strikes, the US classifies fighting age males as combatants regardless of if they were armed, etc., "unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent." Do they do that for all their statistics? Does Isreal do the same?

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