'Do you support israel's right to exist, and therein Western values?

Do you support Islamic values?'

Wtf do either of these have to do with me betraying western values?

As I said, I oppose the actions of Israel.

Now why can't you specifically and exactly show how I am betraying traditional western liberal democratic values?

Careful in case you indulge in hate speech.

Mind your own business, cohenite.

I was responding to SPQR's erroneous assumptions concerning my comment to Jayb.

He helicoptered in to the Islamic Riot thread and extracted a comment of mine and then dropped it, completely out of context, into this thread to score a few points....enough said.

Poirot says:

"Mind your own business, cohenite."

You're a princess sweetheart; as I say you've got nothing to offer, but stick around, you're very amusing.

julianut says:

"As I said, I oppose the actions of Israel."

And how do you distinguish those actions from its right to exist; is the cause of the threats to Israel Israel's actions or because islam objects to its very existence; is not Israel a microcosm of the West/islam conflict and isn't this objection to Israel's actions merely a specific form of the general complaint against the West; that is, the West's hostility towards islam is the reason for islamic terrorism against the West

Under one god

The map you provided earlier today is completely irrelevant. The Arabs rejected the UN partition and initiated a war to try and destroy Israel at its infancy. They lost that war, and cannot now go back and claim the same borders again.

“Where there was..*..calm and an effective truce,..Israel chose to shatter it,..bringing about the current deadly escalation”

Are you serious? What Hamas call “calm” is a moderate reduction in the number of rockets fired into Israel, not a cessation. Is this a truce? No country can put up with daily rockets fired into its territories, certainly not for years and years. I’m really surprised the Israelis have been so patient, I’m sure any other country would have eliminated this threat long ago.

As for the myth that the escalation was due to the upcoming elections in Israel – actually Netanyahu was doing quite well in the polls, he did not need to take this risk, which could backfire against him spectacularly.

Regarding the mighty Israeli Hasbara machine, let’s look at videos exposing some Hamas propaganda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvaUmIB87-M&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pgQLGYb9Xfo

The first shows how injured civilians are faked for the cameras. The second shows a faked funeral.
Who is engaging in deception?

“Palestinians fired rockets,or attacked the Israeli army, as a response to Israeli attacks,seeking to avoid escalation and publicly embracing a truce”

Have a look at this video message from the peace-seeking Hamas to the citizens of Israel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_5y3GKudcg&feature=player_detailpage

The message? “We miss the suicide bombings. Very peaceful indeed.

Dear cohenite,

Geez mate, you have managed to drop AGW into at least half the posts you have made on this thread. If you are going to adopt a new cause celebre then you are going to have to learn to separate the two.

Further you are going to have to hurry up making your way through the playbook. Claiming the Israelis are 'out gunned' is something even they dropped decades ago after the world learned they had an arsenel of hundreds of nuclear weapons.

SPQR is a big wrap for you and your heightened level of perceptiveness, we wouldn't want to disappoint so please catch up son.

Dear SPQR,

I am genuinely interested in hearing your answers to my earlier questions;

If Israeli troops cross the border into Gaza are the people living there permitted to respond to force with force?

If the Israeli air-force fires missiles and their ground forces deploy long range mortars and tank rounds into Gaza are the people living there permitted to respond with missiles of their own?

It might allow us to lift the conversation above the sniping of the cohenites of this world.

Dear Poirot,

Here is a clip from Cenk of The Young Turks. I don't always agree with him but it is a pretty good take on the situation. I found the clip of the distraught father utterly heartbreaking. There have been more deaths of children since. Thoroughly distressing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEEkEUcb2Y4&feature=share&list=UU1yBKRuGpC1tSM73A0ZjYjQ

Sorry to jump in, but I just find this question so funny and divorced from reality:

<<If Israeli troops cross the border into Gaza are the people living there permitted to respond to force with force?>>

or

<<are the people living there permitted to respond with missiles of their own?>>

Who is there to permit or deny?
Is there a traffic policeman standing in the sky, waving his arms in the direction bullets and missiles can go, then periodically blows his whistle and changes directions?

This is a war. If your brain, nerves and arm muscles are still intact, then they permit you to shoot. Once broken, they do not permit you to shoot. Simple as that.