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Culture War Roundup for the week of January 12, 2026

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Undoing all previous land seizures would involve untangling a colossal rats'-nest of claims and counter-claims, many of which left few if any records; thus we drew a line in the sand at 1945: going forward, no nation would be allowed to take land from another by force of arms.

This is actually where I think the line should be drawn as well - which is one of the reasons why I reject the 1947 borders.

So your proposal would involve both sides receiving remedial 'things they should have learned in kindergarten' lessons?

Yes, absolutely. I'm not sure what your dark intimations about some mysterious ideology are - this is the Motte, we can speak freely here!

Because they didn't start the war.

The Deir Yassin massacre was noteworthy in large part because the village in question had signed a non-aggression pact with the zionist forces (Israel didn't exist yet so they can't really be called Israelis) - and they were ethnically cleansed, paraded about, raped and murdered so that the zionists could take their land via aggression.

If someone gains territory in a war that they started, that incentivises further aggression. If someone loses territory in a war that they started, however....

Then you actually incentivise coming up with a pretext to further legitimise these conflicts or otherwise obscure the identity of who started them, which is a precedent wide open for abuse. Who started the war in Ukraine? Who started the US occupation of Afghanistan? Moreover, who started the current conflict in Gaza that Israel is using to claim territory? Where, exactly, do you draw the line? These are questions complicated enough that there is no real way to answer them consistently in a manner that actually disincentivises war for territory.

Unfortunately, it also leaves the Jewish people, with their long history of persecutions and expulsions,

I mean, seeing how they treat the Palestinians I'm not terribly surprised that they have this long history of persecution and expulsion. But there is actually an answer to this - they should be moved to America, a country which seemingly absolutely loves them and without whose support the existence of modern day Israel would not be possible.

This is actually where I think the line should be drawn as well - which is one of the reasons why I reject the 1947 borders.

We would also have to reject the independence of India and most of Africa. Thus some concessions are made regarding the outlying non-self-governing territories of the European states.

I'm not sure what your dark intimations about some mysterious ideology are

I'm referring to the ideology commonly referred to its opponents as 'wokeness', or formerly as 'SJW', which believes, inter alia, that the Palestinians are Sacred Indigenous People Who By Definition Can Do No Wrong, and that the Israelis are Evil Colonisers To Whom Nothing Bad Has Ever Happened And Who Deserve Everything Bad That Happens To Them. (This ideology tends to reject, as described by Mr de Boer, any name applied to them.)

Your acknowledgement that the Palestinians as much as the Israelis need to learn to co-exist with people who aren't them would be quite rare in many universities.

The Deir Yassin massacre was noteworthy in large part because the village in question had signed a non-aggression pact with the [Z]ionist forces

I do not condone the killing of non-combatants, even if they are on the same side that started it. However, the Arab forces were not innocent in that regard.

Then you actually incentivise coming up with a pretext to further legitimise these conflicts or otherwise obscure the identity of who started them, which is a precedent wide open for abuse.

Which is why, as a general principle, the best settlement is a return to status quo ante. Exceptions are made when that would leave someone without any territory.

Who started the war in Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin, with the little green men in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, in the morning, at exactly 5 a. m.

Who started the US occupation of Afghanistan?

The Taliban, by harbouring al-Qaida, and continuing to do so after the attacks of 11th September 2001.

Moreover, who started the current conflict in Gaza that Israel is using to claim territory?

The 'Islamic Resistance Movement' a. k. a. 'Hamas', 'Palestinian Islamic Jihad', and various other Palestinian groups, on 22nd Tishrei 5784 (7th October 2023).

they should be moved to America, a country which seemingly absolutely loves them

But is that certain to remain the case? If it changes, and the Jews are no longer safe in America, where will they go then? What about those with less-than-immaculate pasts, or those who are likely to be unable to support themselves?

That is why the existence of a Jewish-majority state is seen as non-negotiable by so many. The events of the 1930s and 1940s made reliance on the good will of the Nations an extremely un-appealing proposition. (More information on this aspect can be found in the writings of Scott Aaronson.