Gaza, Israel, War, Peace

I just pray for those innocent babies and childs who celebrate the new year under the 1 tone bombs of israel.

lets say he is a slave of Israel.

Excellent point.

The brutal 40+ year Occupation is the root cause of the violence.

You bring up a good point.  I agree that Gazans have real grievances and they have been mistreated by Israel. I am not opposing them seeking to redress those wrongs but I am questioning their choice of methods.

Gaza cannot defeat or seriously harm Israel.  Israel, no country, will sit idle while rockets are fired at their citizens.  These are facts which Hamas knows. So Hamas is firing rockets knowing Israel will strike back, hard. Hamas has made a choice. With no chance of a military victory they are betting the lives of hundreds of Gazans that pictures of mangled Gaza children on world TV will force the world to stop Israel.

We can debate who is right or wrong overall, but the blame for Gaza deaths is on the Hamas decision to provoke Israel.

While Israel occupied Gaza they left two years ago.  Enough of this nonsence about the Israeli "occupation".

Israel left Gaza and created the world's largest open air Prison. It has 1.5 million inmates.

Israeli assault on Gaza: the cartoonists' view
How illustrators around the world are depicting the offensive

I completely agree with Heritage. But unfortunately nobody in the US or other European governments is ready to understand this. They would understand it only when the Jews would be driven out and reach their doors begging for refuge but it would be too late perhaps. Ironically, nobody is ready to accept the reality that a day dawns after every night. Is it not?

Your points are well taken.  When Israel occupied Gaza they provided jobs within Israel for Gazans and developed business relationships with Gazan farmers and manufacturers.  They also provided access to the Israeli courts for redress of grievances.  The border was tightened when Hamas sent in suicide bombers   Israel wanted to do business with Gaza and Hamas responded by sending in bombers and firing rockets. 

While Israel occupied Gaza they left two years ago.  Enough of this nonsence about the Israeli "occupation".  And Israel has every right to close the border crossings if Hamas uses this to send it suicide bombers.  Egypt understands this and that's why they also keep their border crossing closed.

Also, why are there so-called refugees in Gaza?  After all, Gaza was once occupied by Egypt (pre-1967).  What did the Egyptians do to help their "Arab brothers"?  Nothing, they kept them in squalid refugee camps.  If the Arabs won't take care of their people why should Israel? 

I have some cartoons too.

Well, thank you for reporting the US Presidents elect statement on the ongoing Gaza Crisis.

You make a good point but your solution is wrong.  If that neighbor is 100 times as stronger than you throwing that stone at him will not cause him to move, especially if he has no place he can move two.  One stone through his window would make a point.  A hundred stones a day with some hitting his children would cause him to shoot you and your family may also be harmed from being close to you.

Even if you are right you don't start a fight you can't win.

Heritage-

You are right that an occupation was a cause of present violence but the rood cause is the Arab invasion in 1948 of the land the UN decided belonged to Israel. If Palestinians had accepted that division they would have had 75% of Palestine for the past 60 years.

Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is the son of a former Irgun terrorist according to BBC Radio 4's Profile programme broadcast earlier today, so 158 is probably correct that hoping for any instant change in US policy may be misplaced.

(More background on Benjamin Emanuel at prisonplanet)

Madhi

Jews originated in Palestine 4 thousand years ago, long before Arabs were there.

Every peace of land in the world is occupied by people who took it from someone else.

Jews lived in palestine 4,000 years ago.

Romans occupied Jewish lands.

Arabs expelled Romans and most Jews.

Turkey occupied the area and ruled Arabs.

England drove out the Turks.

England gave the land to the UN.

the UN divided it between Jews and Arabs.

Arabs invaded the Jewish land.

 The facts are neither 7 million Jews nor 4 million Palestians will leave for other countries. So they can continue to kill each other or compromise and live in peace.

Heritage.

Hamas has killed more Gazans in the past 4 years than has Israel.

Hamas holds more Gazans as political prisoners than does Israel.

Hamas brought this misery on the Gaza people by killing Israeli civilians with rockets fired from Gaza.

So who created this prison?

your answer is that who started the occupation?

Folks,

I really like the article that initially started this thread.  This entire issue is horrible and I personally feel sick for both sides as the Palestinians and Jews have both been horribly persecuted. 

However, at some point people need to stop looking to the past regarding how we got here and look to the future about how to get out of this mess.  The only solution I see on the foreseeable horizon are separate countries for Palestinians and Jews and a good standard of living for both.

Any Jews or Arabs that think that they must own all the land are basically advocating for this kind of war - and should not be too surprised and please don't call foul if at some point you are on the loosing side.  If you are Arab and say you must own all of Palestine then you basically saying that the only problem with the current situation is that its Arab babies not Jews ones that are being killed today because if the roles where reversed how do you think you're going to 'own' all of old Palestine?  If that is your position, why shouldn't the Israelis simply take control of the situation while they have the upper hand?

If you are Jewish, what's to stop the Arab countries once they get their act together 50 or 100 years from now from stamping Israel off the map and if you are Israel and kept the Palastinian people under your thumb, why shouldn't the Arab countries stamp Israel out?

To me the real problem is Hamas' insistance that they must own all of old Palestine and that Israel does not have the right to exist because what they are basically saying is that this is a war of extermination ... 

Once Hamas agrees to Israel's existence, then of course Hamas should be treated as a 'real' goverment who has the right to import and export whatever they want.  In fact, I think it's in Israel's best interest to make the Gazan's life much better because it make the likelihood of future wars much less if you have a good standard of living. 

If you don't think this makes sense, I would point you to Europe who fought two very bitter wars but has somehow gotten themselves to a point where they have avoided war for over 60 yearas, opening their borders to each other and seem to have removed alot of the tensions between nations.

158

at 11:01 on January 4th, 2009

Madhi

Jews originated in Palestine 4 thousand years ago, long before Arabs were there.

Every peace of land in the world is occupied by people who took it from someone else.

Jews lived in palestine 4,000 years ago.

Romans occupied Jewish lands.

Arabs expelled Romans and most Jews.

Turkey occupied the area and ruled Arabs.

England drove out the Turks.

England gave the land to the UN.

the UN divided it between Jews and Arabs.

Arabs invaded the Jewish land.

 The facts are neither 7 million Jews nor 4 million Palestians will leave for other countries. So they can continue to kill each other or compromise and live in peace.

----->sorry for my bad inglish...so,,how about 8 million palestinian in other country..their home no more longer in israel country now..they are suffer now???you all  make me cry with yaurs statement..israel must leave from all palestina or live together with palestinian.

hamas is patriotic n they are not terorist..who is the real terrorist.. in your deep soul.. you know it..it is.......el

think with your brain..n hearts..dont u use your foot to thinking..you will know the real problem my bro..

thank you very very very much for helping me doing my project about this war thank you again&again

You are welcome.  It was included to show that president Obama will not make quick, major changes in US policy toward Israel.

of course there are lots of places for an occupier to go. going to the country of their origin. or if they want to creat a jewish state, US can give the jews part of big USA or maybe canada. you mean that millions of palestinians should become refugees around the world in order to leave their home for an occupyer. by the way brother it is the jungle where who has the power has the right. when you have the right you should stay and shout your right even if you are the weakest.

You also make good points. Israel could have done more, especially in helping set up an independent Palestinian state, but it was not a Nazi type occupation.

And, yes, there is no occupation of Gaza now.

Good comment.

And I pray for the innocent babies and children who celebrate the new year under the rockets and mortars of Hamas.

Thanks for the Obama quote. I didn't vote for Obama, but I'm not so ashamed of him now. I support Israel whole heartedly, and am glad to see he supports Israel also. 

Obama will be a strong supporter of Israel.

NOTICE TO ALL.

This article will not be allowed to become a propaganda picture site for either side. You can post relevant pictures but you CANNOT flood it with propaganda. I will allow one picture of Gaza casualties but not a flood of them.  The same goes for the Israeli side.

he could be fair at least for the beggining.

Well written story

Thank you.

No, the Jews did not originate from Palestine, they invaded it coming from Egypt where they where some where slaves and other resident.