Still better than Trump smearing the blood of dead Palestinian civilians all over his face as a cheap replacement for his normal clown makeup
this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2025
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Comparing the height of an ant to the width of a hair becomes rather meaningless when you're trying to get through the second-storey window of a burning building. What you have given is the lowest possible bar, as the person they're supposedly better than is actively suborning genocide.
While the US directly supplies weapons, funding, and openly encourages escalation against Palestine, while we threaten and extort these countries from recognizing Palestinian statehood, you claim no discernable difference between these two stances. Maybe a timeless god would see things your way but here in this shitty reality this is about as stark as the contrast gets outside of the Middle East.
I don't disagree that there is a difference, but setting the bar at "isn't actively saying, with public, official statements, that they support the extermination of the native population of Palestine" is just too low a bar for me. As I've said in another comment here, from my perspective, this is nothing but a bunch of bullies who've been kicking some kid, and now that one of the bullies has clearly done permanent damage, they're all saying "hey bro, it's just a joke, bro, are you okay, bro?" Not even trying to stop the other two bullies who are still actively curb-stomping the kid.
As the comic implies, it just seems like a publicity stunt, because doing this now doesn't appear to have any actual value any longer, because I don't see how recognising a government-in-exile is going to meaningfully help any part of the plight of the Palestinian people. This just seems like a pragmatic thing that they think will drum up public support, while not requiring them to actually do anything, because they know that any actual enforcement of international law against the war criminals would require the US' cooperation, so they're "safe" to make these too-little-too-late declarations of "support".
"There is no difference between any two things, you imbecile, you simple rube" is a very popular position that allows you to both appear smarter than everyone and also never change your mental state on anything
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That defeatist attitude is how Trump got reelected.
Don't let perfect become the enemy of good enough, and don't let someone else's good enough become the enemy of "it's a start."
In the political scene, recognizing statehood is the first step, because it becomes state vs state instead of state vs its own people. It doesn't erase the atrocities that happened, but it opens a door for reparations in the future.
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I really don't see the point this is trying to make. Like, would it be better if they didn't recognize it at all?
Imagine if someone punched you over and over again in the face and said, "Sorry, I'll stop." You'd be happy that they'd stopped, but you wouldn't like them or forget, especially because their friend is still currently punching you in the face.
UK, France, Canada and Australia are all in the ICC: this mean both Hamas and Netanyahu are wanted criminals if any of these put feet on the ground of these nations.
Netanyahu would be reasonably safe in China, Russia, USA and Hungary tho.
This, except their friend is actually shooting your starving children, then bombing the hospital they're being kept in.
Y'know what would be the best way to get rid of Hamas?
Provide aid and policing. Help establish long-term stability. Prove that you're on the same side as the people. Treat them as humans and not cannon fodder, unaffected casualties, or shields.
Basically, the opposite of what Israel is doing.
This is what boggles my mind when the right attacks anyone who is Pro-Palestine. Almost none are in favor of Hamas - they just recognize that most Palestinians are innocent people who just want to live in peace. We don't have to kill hundreds of thousands of Palestinians or create a massive diaspora.
The war feels a lot as if Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy were on opposing sides. Yeah, I'd want Mussolini to win, but why did it have to be him?
Hamas needs to be eliminated in order for long term peace to be established but we all know Israel isn't going to stop there.
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It is RATHER FUCKING LATE. Sure, let's put together anti-poaching laws for the White Rhino after it's already extinct in the wild! Now, let's find other ways to do precisely nothing of any meaningful value while being able to claim moral superiority and that "at least we eventually did something". Now that the complete obliteration of any meaningful civilisation in the vast majority of occupied Palestine has been completed, and after god-knows-how-many thousands have died of starvation or just being shot like rabid dogs while trying to take the mangled bodies of their children to a hospital, or daring to try to pick up food. Recognising a state which is in exile is precisely as useful to actual Palestinian people as just watching and shrugging your shoulders. It's just an attempt at performative retroactive unfucking.
We all know it's fucking late, but it makes little sense to complain when someone is finally doing the right thing.
Better late than never.
In case my point was unclear, this is no longer "them doing the right thing". What, precisely, do you believe is the benefit of this action to the Palestinian people? This is a great way of drumming up public support without actually having to do anything. Is there actually any commitment here to action? Is there actually any real cost to doing this? Have these countries ceased funding Israel? Have they stepped up aid? Are they even acknowledging that it is a genocide?
Perhaps I am wrong, but I don't think I am. This is nothing but a publicity stunt, and until it's backed up by real action, I refuse to perceive this as "doing the right thing". This is nothing but a bunch of bullies who've been kicking some kid, and now that one of the bullies has clearly done permanent damage, they're all saying "hey bro, it's just a joke, bro, are you okay, bro?" Not even stopping the other two bullies who are still actively curb-stomping the kid. No. I don't see this as "the right thing".
You are making an argument from ignorance.
First of all, this is something Palestine has wanted for many decades. So finally doing it is absolutely something the Palestinians want.
What, precisely, do you believe is the benefit of this action to the Palestinian people
It marks that the occupation of Palestine by Israel is illegal, making new settlements are illegal.
In short it basically defines almost everything Israel does as illegal and unacceptable by every nation that recognize a Palestinian state.
This is a clear message to Israel that they do NOT have the support of those countries, and their actions are regarded as illegal under international law.
Most likely there will be follow ups to this, that legally depended on this recognition to begin with.
It is also i signal to other countries, that helping Israel oppressing and committing war crimes in Palestine is not acceptable under international law.
Don't let perfect stand in the way of progress.
As someone who is under the godforsaken Nazi regime of MAGA, I have rapidly come to terms with the fact that "illegal" things are only illegal if there is a force willing to enforce the law being broken. Is there such a force? I have heard nothing of it. Please suggest who, exactly, you think is going to actually enforce sanction and punishments for this "illegality". If these declarations do, indeed, have the force of international law behind them, and represent a commitment by these countries to enforce these wondrous and miraculous laws they've been actively ignoring up until this point, then I shall immediately cede the point.
As far as "argument from ignorance" is concerned, I would appreciate some elaboration. Saying "Talk is cheap" is not an argument from ignorance.
You are actually doing it again. The argument from ignorance is that just because you don't see (are ignorant about) the advantage of this, you claim there is no advantage, when in fact there are clear advantages.
With regard to enforcement that is usually a mix of individual countries and the international community, possibly decided in FN, much like we've seen with Iran.
You are living in a lawless country, and USA is not an ally in this regard anymore, but many other countries are actually trying to maintain and uphold international law.
Trump might even get in on it it too, if he thinks it helps his image.
Personally I consider USA a lost cause now, and I have little interest in their policies that mostly consist of shooting themselves in the foot, and let China become the de facto international leader, as USA is stepping down and even sabotaging their former allies on their way down.
I understand why you are pessimistic, I would be too if I lived in USA.
I am not saying "there can be no advantage". At every turn, I was asking you to explain the advantage which, let's be clear, you have been attempting to do in good faith. I just want to understand more about whether this international law is actually enforceable in any meaningful time frame. Saying "I don't see how this helps them in any meaningful way. Do you have some explanation that shows that it does?" is not an argument from ignorance, it is literally asking to be proven wrong. I am desperately trying to see literally anything other than a calculated move of realpolitik with the sole aim of getting their citizens to stop speaking out against their complicity in genocide.
What complaining? It's a political cartoon. It's not saying they shouldn't have done something late. It's just a reminder that they didn't do anything earlier.
Thaaaaat's the negative reinforcement that'll ensure they never change their stance next time.
That is the goal, right?
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It's saying that recognizing Palestine is how you begin to wash the blood off.
I'm pretty sure its saying they're only recognizing Palesestine to make themselves look better.
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You can see the water underneath their hands is red as if blood is being washed off. To me that indicates the message of the cartoon is this is how you start to clean your hands. Note they still aren't clean, but it's a start
That's because you are oversimplifying things. Yes, late is bad. Yes, better late than never. Yes, views have changed over time. Yes,many politicians are cynical fuckfaces. All of that is all true. The artist is not choosing just one thing, and neither should you.
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I think this is at least a good step 1, albeit insanely late, but it needs to be followed with sustained action and reparations. If they use this as a marketing tool like the pessimist in me is expecting, then it’s meaningless bullshit. No amount of recognition will wash the blood off of their hands.
Nothing will wash the blood off. The goal is to not get more on to them.
We need sanctions against Israel like yesterday. Their fascist government won't budge until there is real financial pressure.
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They figure the job's close enough to done that they can flip to the "right side of history" without affecting the outcome
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Politicians from those countries are under enormous Public Opinion pressure to "do something" to Stop Israel (for example, in Britain 500 THOUSAND people demonstrated against the Genocide).
So the politicians in power do the most innefective "something" imaginable.
The simplest most surperficial reading of this is: see, they did "something" and even if small "it's a step forward" - you see a lot of posters here doing that reading.
An analysis with even just the tiniest bit of depth yields the possibility that, by choosing to do the least effective thing they could do now, they're diffusing some of that Public Opinion pressure thus delaying the time when the pressure is so big they have to do something that actually hurts Israel, like Sanctions.
If that is the case, then this action is in fact negative rather than merely meaningless or "a small step forward", because it gives Israel more time to exterminate Palestinians and steal more of their land - it means more deaths rather than fewer and a worse future (as more of them get dispossessed) rather than a better one.
Given that all these countries are still sending weapons to Israel, and the UK - which was the initiator of all this - is even running surveillance flights over Gaza and giving the info to Israel, it seems to me that the "it's a delaying action to give room for Israel to take their Final Solution further" explanation is far more likely than the idea that this is being done with a genuine intent of helping Palestinians.
Exactly. As someone from the UK, I find it nothing more than placating to public pressure, but don’t get it twisted we are still selling them weapons and running recon flights for Israel to then murder people.
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It's setting the stage. It doesn't do much on it's own but if you recognize them as a state rather than just some people it gives leverage to use more diplomatic tools.
How much difference will it actually make? No idea.
Some people will complain they're catching flak for doing the right thing. That's why nobody does it etc.
But that's the point. If you're really honest with yourself you take your licks and own up for what you did wrong. People are gonna give you a hard time for it.
The alternative is not doing it.
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You're letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. Should they take no positive steps?
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Why is France written in Comic Sans?
Because OOP intended these to be sets of 2 hands therefore 1 country per two. OP added France.
Americans can shove their opinions after they let Nazis who openly declared they'd flatten Gaza to take power.
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It's been clearly photoshopped. There was something else instead of France. You should really respect the original author's work
"Out, damned spot! ... What, will these hands ne'er be clean?"
What's with the arm for France? It's clearly labeled in a different way than everything else in the picture.
Hmm, good point. Odd.
Would people prefer no recognition?
They would prefer those recognized that Israel is committing genocide.
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They would prefer an end to the genocide. Telling someone "they exist" doesn't stop their execution.
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link to the original comic? OP clearly, badly, photoshop'd this one and it's clear OP is from the country they replaced with France.
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