The Socially Liberal Left and the Palestinians

I have understood that the Palestinians are particularly favored in the foreign policy views of the socially liberal left because they do not have a state of their own. This would, of course, be an acceptable reason, were it not for the fact that the decision against the creation of an independent Palestinian state was made by the Palestinian leadership itself — twice, in fact.

I have also been under the impression that the socially liberal left especially supports various sexual minorities and the cause of peace. What I have not understood, however, is how the minds of left-leaning people work in such a way that all their different views somehow form a coherent worldview.

This came to mind as I was reading Finnish MTV3 and Ilta-Sanomat articles about a recent report concerning the actions of Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023. According to them, the brutal sexual violence seen in the attack was not random but intentional and coordinated.

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According to the report, the Palestinians used as many as thirteen forms of violence, including rape and gang rape, sexual torture and mutilation, forced nudity, killings involving sexual violence, post-mortem sexual violence, and sexual violence committed in front of family members. Nor was any of this unpleasant for the perpetrators; on the contrary, they openly took pleasure in their actions.

Of course, Palestinian militants also killed Jews without sexual violence. In total, around 1,200 people were killed, and they also took 251 hostages.

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One might imagine that socially liberal leftists, who in their rhetoric support sexual diversity and peace, would condemn behavior of the kind described above and at the very least criticize the people who carried it out. However, this has not happened; instead, the Palestinians’ “achievement” has been openly celebrated in these circles even after the details of the events of October 7 became public knowledge.

This was also the case in Finland during the 2024 Pride parade, which drew as many as 100,000 participants — undoubtedly mostly people who support the socially liberal left. Nor were Palestinian support and flags absent there last year either.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Most Finnish Journalism Students Lean Toward the Ultra-Liberal Far Left
Understanding of European Terrorism by Left-wing and Value-liberal Politicians
Gambling Addiction and the Shadowy Instigator

Ukraine’s Missiles and Russia’s Forced Recruitment Set to Topple Putin’s Regime

According to media reports, Ukrainians have developed a cruise missile, "Flamingo", with a warhead weighing as much as one thousand kilograms and the capability to strike targets up to 3,000 kilometers away. If the information is correct, this weapon could destroy key parts of Russia’s arms industry and/or critical facilities that bring money to the war chest, such as oil refineries.

Reports claim that these missiles are already in production, with one being manufactured per day. That is not enough to work wonders yet, but within a couple of months, according to Ukrainians, they will be able to produce dozens per week.

Ukraine has also had time to test these missiles in practice, though no details about the results have been released. However, it is clear that the most important question in this regard concerns how effectively Russian air defense can defend potential targets—meaning whether it can shoot the missiles down as they travel through Russian airspace toward their objectives.

Still, one can hope that at least some of the missiles will get through and significantly reduce Russia’s ability to replace the weaponry it is constantly losing in Ukraine. In that way, the frontline situation could finally shift clearly in Ukraine’s favor.

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In addition to Ukraine’s new missile, Russia faces another problem: the continuous decline in volunteers willing to go fight in Ukraine.

As a result, Vladimir Putin’s regime has apparently resorted to illegal methods to obtain soldiers to fight on its behalf. One example is 18-year-old Said Murtazaliev, who lived in southern Russia and dreamed of becoming a doctor.

In January 2025, before his final year of high school, he traveled to Moscow to spend a relaxing winter holiday. Instead, Murtazaliev disappeared without his family being able to reach him.

A few days later, however, his mother received a call from the police. During the call, a young woman told her that the boy had been detained in Moscow for some kind of minor fraud.

According to the police, the boy had signed a contract with the army and left to fight in Ukraine. Later, Said told his mother that he had been subjected to brutal torture by police in Moscow, and that he was released only after agreeing to go to Ukraine.

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This and many other similar cases show that Putin’s regime has run out of legal means to get men to die in Ukraine. For this reason, he has intensified the conscription of young men into military service.

To that end, an electronic draft system has been developed. A summons sent through it is valid regardless of whether the conscript has seen it. According to Russian law, however, conscripts may not be sent to fight in Ukraine, since the country is not officially at war there, but only conducting a “special military operation.”

For this reason, many conscripts also fall victim to the same kind of violent coercion in recruitment as that experienced by Said Murtazaliev. To escape it, they are forced to sign a contract agreeing to go to Ukraine.

All in all, it is clear that actions like those described above are gradually leading to growing dissatisfaction with Putin and his regime. It remains to be seen, however, whether this will ultimately lead to an uprising and for Moscow’s current ruler to share the fate of Tsar Nicholas II. In my opinion, that would be more than desirable. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The War in Ukraine Came Close to Me
Oily Trap for Putin
AI Drones: Ukraine’s New Edge in the War?