#JohnBennetts

You state:
"Why does the digging of a tunnel from Gaza to Occupied Palestine a big deal to Israelis?"

My comments:

1. It is not one tunnel but a network of tunnels designed to enable Hamas terrorists to enter Israel and kill and massacre civilians. Well designed and reinforced with concrete supposedly sent to Gaza from Israel to build houses - these tunnels will hopefully be destroyed along with the Hamas terrorists who built them to kill as many Jews as they could.

2. If you consider Israel is Occupied Palestine does that mean you believe the Jewish State has no right to exist?

Hamas has that view - which is the core of the conflict.

"The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that. Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day."

No mention of Jews or Christians. Just one religion - Islam - to reign supreme in the land holy to three religions.

How do you see there ever being any peace agreement between Hamas and the State of Israel when Hamas speaks like this and pounds Israel with 2000 rockets during the past two weeks indiscriminately fired into Israeli population centers - indisputably and universally agreed as constituting war crimes?

You propose a solution but in the same breath confess that "Sadly, I cannot see that day coming."

Put up or shut up.

Bruce

'Isn't that exactly what virtually the entire Muslim world is doing to Israel?'

And what are Israel's supporters, i.e. the Washington consensus, doing to the Muslim world? Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Syria? Even those Muslim countries who side with USNATO for survival have to be very, very careful that they don't put the needs of their populations ahead of USNATO geo-politics, or they'll be bombed into submission as well.

Yuyutsu

Yes, Israel is stuck between a rock and a hard place - and your family with it. But its problems pale in comparison to the slow genocide it is inflicting on the Palestinians. I should feel sorry for them (Israelis) - and there was a time I did. That time has long passed.

The rest of the world population, as opposed to its US-NATO puppet governments, are getting sickened beyond belief at how Israel has corrupted both itself and the very meaning of 'self-defence'.

#Rhrosty

Your viewpoint perfectly sums up the following barbaric conduct of the Hamas terrorists:
1. Firing rockets indiscriminately into Israeli civilian centres,
2. Hiding their rockets in mosques,schools hospitals and houses,
3. Urging Gazans to go on the roofs of their houses to act as human shields to prevent the bombing of houses concealing weapons and entrances to tunnels and
4. Stopping people leaving their homes to seek safety after they have been warned by Israel to leave
5. Failing to accept the ceasefire offered a week ago which would have spared hundreds of Gazans from dying or being wounded as the conflict escalated

This is the kind of conduct OLO contributors seem to to be wholeheartedly supporting.

I don't and condemn it in the strongest possible terms.

#James O'Neill

What international law are you referring to?

Point out what you consider to be "active disinformation" published by me.

Yes I do have persons who share similar views in Australian Governments past and present - and also many Governments around the world who understand that the indiscriminate firing of rockets into civilian population centers cannot be tolerated by any State.

Holding a population to scrambling for air raid shelters many times a day is something no Government would or should be prepared to tolerate.

That you, #halduell, #John Ryan and #imajulianutter condone such criminal conduct is a disgrace.

#plantaganet

Can you explain why the Hamas killed and wounded are not separated out in the statistics?

Surely it is easy to identify people armed with guns, rocket launchers anesthetics, knives and explosive belts from ordinary Gazans.

And that wonderful statement - "The UN estimates 78% of Palestinian dead are civilian non-combatants."

Just count the terrorists and give the figures. My suspicion is their numbers are far higher

#SteeleRedux

You state:

"You claim; “Israel's decision to take the gloves off came after 1381 rockets had been indiscriminately fired from Gaza into Israeli population centres over a period of ten days”. Yet during that same period Israel had hit nearly twice as many targets within Gaza with terrible cost to civilian lives."

Guess you have never heard of or read Article 51 of the UN Charter:

"Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security."

No country anywhere would tolerate 1381 rockets being fired indiscriminately into its civilian population centers and not act in self defence to put an end to such criminal and inhumane conduct.

Hamas wants the Jews out of former Palestine so a battle to the death it will have to be - if not this time then the next time or the next time.

Is that your wish too?

Two attempts - one by a tunnel and another by sea - to cross into Israeli sovereign territory by "terrorists" (my term) armed to the teeth - captured on video - were thankfully thwarted.

What did these "Gazans" (your term) have in mind for the men women and children if they had managed to get into Kibbutz Sufa?

Perhaps we can agree on a common term - "murderers"

Is that OK with you?

David murdering civilians and stealing their land is not legal by any perversion of the law. Zionists seem to have the same notions of superiority as the Nazis.

david singer

There is no reason to start a pogrom against Gazans.