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The Independent Follow 573.7K Followers Lindsey Graham suggests Israel should nuke Gaza and claims Hiroshima bomb was ‘the right thing’ Story by James Liddell • 10h • 2 min read Senator Lindsey Graham has come under fire for drawing comparisons between Israel’s war on Gaza and the US’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II – urging Israel to “do whatever you have to do”. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, the South Carolina Republican appeared to justify Israel’s Rafah offensive – something that President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against – and called the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 the “right decision” for the US. wants to kill you and your family. The Independent Lindsey Graham compares conflict in Gaza to World War II “When we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by bombing Hiroshima, Nagasaki with nuclear weapons,” Mr Graham told Kristin Welker. “That was the right decision,” he concluded. The two atomic blasts and the radiation that ensued are estimated to have killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people – most of them civilians. “Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war they can’t afford to lose and work with them to minimise casualties,” Mr Graham continued. Ms Welker was stopped in her tracks by the senator’s comments, as he continued to speak over the host. “Why is it okay for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war. Why was it okay to do that? I thought it was okay?” Mr Graham said. He added: “To Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Whatever you have to do.” It’s not the first time Mr Graham has shared his controversial opinion about the Middle East conflict, previously urging the US president to blow parts of Iran “off the map”. “I have been saying for six months now... hit Iran,” he told Fox News in December. “They have oil fields out in the open, they have the Revolutionary Guard headquarters you can see from space. Blow it off the map.” The Republican senator’s comments come as Israel launches a ground invasion on the Gazan city of Rafah, with more than 360,000 Palestinians so far having fled the region, according to the United Nations. Tensions between the US and Israel continue to come under strain with Mr Biden warning Mr Netanyahu that the US will curtail the supply of certain weapons if Israel invades Rafah. Mr Netanyahu swiftly responded, telling Phil McGraw on Dr Phil that the halt of precision weapons might cause more civilian casualties due to the uptake of imprecise weaponry. The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

This is so terrible...

My mother was talking on the phone with my Aunt, who lives in Kabul. In the middle of the conversation, my mom heard the explosion from her end. She heard the live explosion, and 80 people died in that instant. It's crazy how this stuff happens, and we never really talk about it as much as terror attacks in the west. My Aunts' neighbors are waiting for their dead children at the moment, they were standing guard in the area. It's really sad. If you haven't read into it, or want to read more, here you go. http://abcnews.go.com/International/90-killed-bomb-rips-central-kabul/story?id=47739486 Crazy part is, THE TALIBAN CONDEMNED THE ATTACK.

They have another excuse against Shias now. Perhaps they can also tell us what Parachinar Shias have anything to do with the Syrian conflict. http://www.dawn.com/news/1226275/sectarian-terror-revisits-parachinar

http://rt.com/news/syria-terrorism-un-row-264/ Russia has accused the US of blocking a draft UN Security Council statement condemning the suicide bombings in the Syrian capital, which were among the deadliest in the two years of the armed conflict. The US blamed Russia in return. The draft document submitted by Russia was aiming to express condolences to the victims of the Thursday attack on Damascus, which killed at least 53 people and wounded more than 250, and to condemn terrorism in any form. But the adoption was blocked by the US and its allies, which wanted to add language condemning the Syrian President Bashar Assad, a move that Russia could not accept. “Unfortunately, such an indispensable reaction by the Security Council to this terrorist attack has been once again blocked by the US delegation linking it with other questions,” the office of, Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s envoy to the UN, said. “We consider unacceptable this search for justifications for terrorist actions. It is obvious that by doing so the US delegation encourages those who have been repeatedly targeting American interests, including US diplomatic missions,” the statement added. The words are a thinly-veiled reference to the September 2012 attack on the US diplomatic mission in Libya’s Benghazi, in which America’s ambassador to the country and three other staff members were killed by Al-Qaeda-linked militants. Russia’s embassy in Damascus was among the buildings damaged by the suicide bombings, which Syria says were also carried out by Al-Qaeda-linked militants. Spokeswoman for the US mission to the UN, Erin Peltin, said“We strongly condemn all indiscriminate terrorist attacks against civilians or against diplomatic facilities. “We agreed with the Russian draft of a statement from the Security Council and only sought to add similar language on the regime’s brutal attacks against the Syrian people. Unfortunately, Russia refused to engage on a credible text.” Opponents of the Syrian regime both among the rebel fighters and the international backers of the opposition have been pressuring Assad to step down. They accuse Russia of supporting him despite the thousands of lives the confrontation has claimed, saying most of the violence is his and his government’s fault. “The problem is that the opposition saying every five minutes that they don’t want to talk to Bashar Assad,” told RT in an interview UN and Arab League special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi. The latest opposition demand for Assad to step down comes in a political statement from the Western-, Arab- and Turkish-backed Syrian National Coalition, which the body adopted after a late session on Thursday in Cairo. The statement was passed after an angry debate, in which some members both Islamist and liberal camps of the 70-strong body criticized their chief Moaz Khatib for his earlier proposal of talks without setting a “clear goal”, as the critics said. “We have adopted a political document that sets the parameters for any talks. The main addition to the draft is a clause about the necessity of Assad stepping step down,” said Abdelbasset Sida, a member of the coalition's 12-member politburo and one of Khatib’s critics. Russia has on many occasions insisted that the personal fate of Assad is not Moscow’s concern. But Moscow insists that Assad staying in power or stepping down can only be discussed after the violence is stopped and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in found, and cannot be a precondition for negotiations. It offers itself as mediator for possible talks between Damascus and the opposition, including hosting such a meeting in Moscow. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem is due for talks in Moscow. Russia hopes that Khatib will also visit soon in search of a breakthrough.