This occurred to me while listening to the news. When they exchange people it’s always hostages for people held in Palestine and prisoners for people held in Israel. Why is that? Is it just perception or is there a practical difference?

  • Norgur@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    There are three possible definitions I could think of.

    One is the judicial one many have brought up already:

    Hamas just kidnapped random people
    Israel took prisoners and charged them with criminal offenses

    Another is the geopolitical one:

    Israel is a state, so it takes official prisoners. Even if those.were wrongly convicted or innocent people,.they’d still be prisoners of war
    Hamas is not a state, it’s a gaggle of shitheads. Shitheads can’t take prisoners as they have no jurisdiction. So their captives are hostages.

    The last one would be the motive:

    Hamas holds those people with the motive to trade them off to Israel for some gain or otherwise use them as bargaining chip. Israel has taken those people with the opposite goal: Imprison them/punish them for their crimes

        • NewDark@lemmings.world
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          1 year ago

          Recognized as a non-member observer state, and the countries actively oppressing them currently do not.

          The same ones that hand-wring endlessly about a “two state solution”.

      • Norgur@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Well, Palestinians didn’t take hostages. They mostly tried to survive under an oppressive Terror Regime while the government that claims to own the land did nothing but feed on their misery for political gains. They are victims.

        Hamas established said terror Regime and then unleashed their hatred on innocents inside and outside of their domain.

        We need to clearly separate those two.

      • nonailsleft@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Because they never agreed to the UN partition plan.

        I kid of course. If you’re really interested I suggest taking your time to read up on the history of the Ottoman empire post 1800 and then the yishuv and that would lead you to understand the current shituation