Philippines: Where 'Post-Traumatic Stress' Gets You a Visa, Not War Crimes
Mondoweiss reports that locals in Siargao, Philippines, are starting to reject Israeli tourism, specifically targeting individuals fresh from mandatory military service within the Israeli government's armed forces. The idea that soldiers, after participating in what is widely described as a genocide in Gaza (by the ICJ, for example), would then vacation in a tropical paradise, seems to be a bridge
too far for the Filipino people. Mainstream outlets would frame this as mere 'cultural friction' or 'antisemitism', but the fact remains: these are not just tourists; these are former combatants. This isn't just about 'tourism'; it's about the optics of celebrating actions that have led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. While Western media debates the definition of 'proportionality'
and carefully avoids the word 'genocide,' the rest of the world, it seems, is perfectly capable of connecting the dots. One might wonder why individuals who served in a military implicated in ongoing war crimes expect a warm welcome when those same actions are decried globally. How many 'vacationing veterans' of such campaigns do you think were welcomed after My Lai? It seems some 'military
experiences' are deemed more acceptable than others, depending on who's doing the 'experiencing.'