Israels assault on Gaza raises doubts that it has any interest in finding the lasting peace settlement it proclaims to want. Does the campaign have an alternative objective as part of a strategy to engineer a strike on Iran? Its probably the worlds most tragic never-ending story.For almost 65 years now, Israel has been bombing, maiming and humiliating the Palestinians, bulldozing their homes and placing Gaza in lock-down mode turning it into the worlds largest concentration camp. In the latest outbreak of violence this week both sides are accusing the other, You started it!Who knows? At this stage, does it really matter anymore who started the violence? On Wednesday 14th, an Israeli helicopter attack killed Hamas military wing leader Ahmed Jabari, triggering a violent reaction from Hamas which rained little rockets over southern Israeli towns, which in turn brought in more Israeli air attacks killing 19, injuring 100 and leaving six children dead. Dejá-vù: its January 2009s Operation Cast Lead revisited; this time theyre dubbing it Operation Pillar of Defense. Clearly, Israels right-wing leaders do not want a peaceful agreement with the Palestinians.Thats why theyve systematically sabotaged all possibility of reaching a two-state solution. The last honest Israeli who tried to bring peace was Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, until he was gunned down in the streets of Tel-Aviv in November 1995; not by an Islamic fanatic, not by some mad Neo-Nazi, but by one Ygal Amir: an ultra-right-wing Zionist fanatic linked to both the fundamentalist Settlers Movement and Israels security agency Shin-Beth. Since then, Israels extreme right-wing Apartheidists have called the shots and will continue doing so even more now that Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party has merged with Avigdor Liebermans Yisrael Beitenu.Maybe this latest bout of Palestine-bashing is their way of celebrating their new Gross Partei Dont worry about America Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is infamously quoted as yelling to his colleagues during a heated debate in Israels Knesset in October 2001, that they need not worry about American reaction to Israels Palestine-bashing because we the Jewish people control America!" Watching how US politicians file through powerful Pro-Israel lobbies, think tanks and organizations like AIPAC American Israeli Public Affairs Committee -, the ADL and others, competing to give their most impassioned and dramatic pro-Israel speeches, one is tempted to believe Mr. Sharons candid words. During the recent US presidential campaign both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney each tried to give their most convincing Joe Biden-like I-am-a-Zionist speeches, to win over not just the Jewish vote and money in America, but also the Zionist vote which is represented by many non-Jewish born-again Christians. So, when earlier this week US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice openly supported Israel and condemned Hamas retaliatory attacks describing them as violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel", one can hardly be surprised. It doesnt really matter who sits in the Oval office; whether Democrat or Republican, the US will always unthinkingly and unreservedly support Israel every time it decides to play a new round of Palestine-bashing. Naturally, US and global mainstream media willingly oblige, having succeeded in drilling deep into the collective psyche the conclusion that Terrorism is always linked to Islamic Fundamentalists. So, Hamas is made illegitimate before we even start discussions about a two-state solution.No matter that Hamas won the democratically held 2006 elections in Palestine; no matter that Israel itself was founded by violent terrorist groups like Irgun Zvai Leumi, Stern and Hagganah which later merged to become Israels oh, so democratic! Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Those Zionist terror groups were led by Israeli founding fathers later to become prime ministers (and even a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate!) like Menahem Beguin and Isaac Shamir, who in their freedom-fighter days blew up hotels with dozens of people inside them, assassinated UN envoys, carried out hundreds of targeted assassinations, and imposed policies of genocide by killing and maiming hundreds of thousands, and then driving off millions of Palestinian men, women and children from their homes and land using the most barbarous terror tactics. Israels logic in Palestine seems to run like this: if Israel steals lands and homes and livelihoods from the Palestinians, they have no right whatsoever to complain; and if they dare fight back, then they automatically become terrorists.America, the UK and most of the EU seem to agree *** RT.
Lost the second part, due to this forum... Good if I do it; bad if you do… That’s why those countries have branded Hamas and Hezbollah “terrorist organizations”. Basic political common sense, however, tells us that a nation’s armed forces – whether in the US, Russia, China, Brazil or Israel – must report to the civilian leaders of its Nation-State.But what happens if, like the Palestinians, you are not allowed to have a Nation-State?How can Palestinians defend themselves against Israel’s systematic terrorist tactics if they can’t have their own Nation-State and therefore no armed forces?That’s why Hamas and Hezbollah came into the picture to offer the prospect of some self-defense. Sure, it’s easy to disqualify them as “terrorist organizations” but – using that same criteria – would the Western Powers today reclassify the French Resistance during world war two, for example, as a “terror organization”, simply because they refused to passively accept the German military invasion of their country?Should the Resistance have given up so as to avoid the Oberkommando in Berlin branding them as “terrorists”? And what about the terror groups that assassinated Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi last year or the ones wreaking havoc in Syria right now?“Freedom fighters”, I presume, because they violently oppose non-US friendly regimes? The West must understand that you can’t have it both ways: either the French Resistance, and Irgun and Stern, and Hamas and Hezbollah, the Syrian and Libyan uprisings are all “freedom fighters” or, they should all be branded “terrorist organizations”.You can’t have your cake and eat it too. All options on the table… Going into full Baby-Bush-warmonger-mode, recently an IDF spokesman threatened not just the Palestinians but the entire world saying that for Israel, “all options are on the table…” Powerful words coming from the only nation in the Middle East that has an arsenal of nuclear weapons, and the behavioral track record that gives credibility to their willingness to use them. So, Palestinians must brace themselves for ever increasing levels of violence in the days and weeks to come.Will this latest flare-up be used by Israel as an excuse to attack southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has its strong hold (and where Israel was routed when they last invaded Lebanon for the nth time in mid-2006)? Are we seeing a crescendo of violence leading to armed attack on Syria in conjunction with Turkey/NATO and with the “Syrian Free Army” (aka, Al-Qaeda, CIA, Mossad, MI6)? Is this all part of an Israeli strategy to “Secure the Realm” that has a unilateral military attack against Iran as Israel’s real and final goal? More generalized violence in the Middle East will help to convince Obama (and the US military) to stop dragging their feet on Iran and to come on strong again in the region. Israel is calling this latest shock and awe attack “Operation Pillar of Defense.” A Good Orwellian euphemism for Palestine-Bashing. If Israel has decided to let all hell lose in the Middle East to set the stage for an attack against Iran, then it becomes clear that the violence should start (yet again!!) in martyred Palestine. OK, so Israel starts a new Middle Eastern war in Palestine but… where does it end? Adrian Salbuchi for RT (*)Adrian Salbuchi is a political analyst, author, speaker and radio/TV commentator in Argentina http://rt.com/news/israel-gaza-campaign-hypocrisy-815/ This is just Jews doing what they have done there, since the occupation, and it is what they will go on doing, all their enablers and apologists have blood on their hands. Sure, the Zionists may have their MSM, but I would sure rather have truth, always, than their MSM, propaganda, BS.
I agree broadly with your sentiment, however, I do not see any incentive or historcal obligation, on the part of the Koreans. I tried to offer a more fleshed out version of what you have touched on, on another thread, on lastest world news. You can still read the OP, even though you cannot now add to the thread.
I heard there was elections coming up in the near future. Seems to me its the season for democracy in Israel then. A great demonstration of how democracy works in the modern age 'eh?
As Peter Ustinov famously put it: "War is the terrorism of the rich and powerful, and terrorism is the war of the poor and powerless". It's the rich and powerful in other words, who get to define the terms of who and who isn't a terrorist and therefore it's use is a propaganda term. If we take the US State Department's definition of terrorism as 'the use of violence and/or the theat of violence or intimidation/coercion for the purpose of achieving political ends', then all pre-emptive wars of aggression are self-evidently acts of terrorism and the US is, therefore, the world's number one terrorist state. As for the Orwellian term used by Israel as a propaganda tool, the very idea that the Israeli force is a "defence" force, is arguably the greatest of paradoxes. That's why I always refer to the Israeli military by its more accurate euphemism, The Israeli Occupation or Offence Force (IOF). Of course, they are not alone. I remember a time when we referred to our so-called Ministry of Defence more accurately as the War Cabinet.
As Peter Ustinov famously put it: "War is the terrorism of the rich and powerful, and terrorism is the war of the poor and powerless". It's the rich and powerful in other words, who get to define the terms of who and who isn't a terrorist and therefore it's use is a propaganda term. If we take the US State Department's definition of terrorism as 'the use of violence and/or the theat of violence or intimidation/coercion for the purpose of achieving political ends', then all pre-emptive wars of aggression are self-evidently acts of terrorism and the US is, therefore, the world's number one terrorist state. As for the Orwellian term used by Israel as a propaganda tool, the very idea that the Israeli force is a "defence" force, is arguably the greatest of paradoxes. That's why I always refer to the Israeli military by its more accurate euphemism, The Israeli Occupation or Offence Force (IOF). Of course, they are not alone. I remember a time when we referred to our so-called Ministry of Defence more accurately as the War Cabinet.
And now Nutandyahoo has ordered the mobilisation of 75,000 IDF reservists. It's going to be Cast Lead V.2.0
But whatever you do, and the MAIN THING, is to not call use the J word. It's not ALL Jews, just every single Gov they have ever had, all of the population, who support the seed of terrorists, like Netenyahu, and, all the Jews outwith Israel that also give donations. Apart from those, the rest are fine. What % that may be is open to debate.
I have a few questions for you Jack Napier. How does any of this impact your life? Do you have close relatives who live in the region? Do you have investments or property that might be harmed by the war? Are you a Jew or a Palestinian? If the answer to all these questions are "no" (and I suspect that to be the case), then why are you so obsessed with this? This war has been going on for a very long time, and my guess it will still be going after we are all dead and in the ground. So there really is no point in getting all upset about it.
List of attacks by Palestinians on Israel civilian populaion in the last half a year: March - Palestinians fired 173 rockets and 19 mortar shells at Israel in 156 separate attacks. April - Palestinians launched 10 rockets at Israel in 9 separate attacks. Two of these rockets were launched from the Sinai in Egypt. May - Palestinians launched 3 rockets at Israel June - Palestinians launched 83 rockets and 11 mortar shells, 3 shooting at Israel in 99 separate attacks. Also had been reported that Two were killed and seven were injured. July - Palestinians launched 18 rockets and 9 mortar shells at Israel in 28 separate attacks. August - Palestinians fired 21 rockets and 3 mortar shells at Israel in 16 separate attacks. September - Palestinians fired 17 rockets and 8 mortar shells at Israel in 25 separate attacks. October - Palestinians fired 116 rockets and 55 mortar shells at Israel in 92 separate attacks. First half of November: November 4 Palestinians fired a Qassam rocket into Israel, causing no injuries or damage.[291] November 6 At 10:20am [292] Palestinians fired a rocket into the Eshkol Regional Council, causing no injuries or damage.[293] November 9 In the afternoon, Palestinians fired two Qassam rockets into the Eshkol Regional Council, causing no injuries or damage.[294] November 10 Palestinians fired 25 rockets at Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gan Yavne and other communities. The Iron Dome anti-rocket system intercepted at least one rocket aimed at Ashdod.[295] November 11 Gazan groups fired over 100 rockets and mortars at Israeli cities and towns. A barrage against Sderot, timed to coincide with the morning commute to work, injured 3 people. One victim, physical education teacher Moshik Levy, was moderately wounded by shrapnel and glass from his car windshield which exploded in his face. A fourth person was injured while fleeing for cover, and five more people were treated for acute stress reaction.
Who's shooting all of those rockets? Hamas? Anyway, the root problem is that British Mandate Palestine turned into Israel. There was no strategy for what to do with the Palestinians. That's why there has been perpetual War ever since. There has been a lot of propaganda and religious, usually conservative fervor about defending Israel and the Israelis, completely neglecting the other human beings, the Palestinians, whom endured British colonialism, then Jewish occupation, and now US isolation. Where is your history? If you have the history, and the humility, then your heart should be open and saddened by this ancient conflict. Have a heart.
Orwellian couldn't be more fitting. All this talk of constant rocket attacks that never seem to hit anywhere important or Governmental but instead the borders of the warzone. They've always been at war with Palestine, they have to be since it's been Jewish for thousands of years and nobody else has ever lived there but Jews. Palestinians that mysteriously disappear in the night into Ministry prisons. The Zionist party is the only party and will live forever.
Why are you on this thread then, unless you have an interest? Your questions are silly. And moot. Of course I am not a Jew, but were I so, I would visibly oppose the slaughter being done in the name of 'Judaism', therefore, I would gravitate to something like True Torah Jews, or Jews against Zionism, or maybe I would be a Finkelstein, if I were a Jew, or maybe I would be a Hajo Meyer. Of course I am not a Palstinian, what sort of questions are these, even? If, two blocks away, there was a man routinely abusing his daughter, and, somehow, he managed to stay out of reach of justice, do you honestly, for one split second, believe that I would just sit there, and permit that to go on? Remember, I could sit back and just let it be so, since, by your own reasoning, it does not 'impact on my life', does it? Chld abuse has always gone on, right, therefore, why lose any sleep over it, right? Wrong. Such things do impact on the life of anyone that has any humanity about them. If they do not, then that person maybe needs to think more about what their life really consists of. Furthermore, you appear to think, and be labouring under the false notion, that this is merely about some war, that has been going on for ages, somewhere far off. Even if I totally forgot that, you still do not get it, you still do not get that, even leaving this aside, my own country has been infilatrated and subverted by Zionist Jewry, and THAT very much matters to me, thanks v much. I would no sooner be infiltrated by, say, Chinese Communists. Jack
I guess the only point in getting all upset about it would be if the situation were reversed and there were 200,000 Hamas soldiers massed on the border with armored bulldozers and tanks ready to go into Israel while raining airstrikes down on a defenseless population - right? I mean, a situation like that could possibly wipe an entire population from the face of the earth, couldn't it - and good Christian people can't sit back and let that happen, can they? Unless it's Palestinians they're trying to exterminate and then we should just keep our mouths shut and ignore it?
It isn't an Ancient conflict though, it is a modern one. The Jewish Immigrants are not of that part of the World, they have no legitimate rights to that Land. They had other choices for a Home Land, the World was Ok about but No they had to have Israel ! Why ? Trouble trouble trouble is all that the choice spelled .........they were absolute lunatics, those who manipulated Israel to be their Home Land ...... And World 'Leaders' weaklings more worried about their electorate than the future of World peace ......
