Dear Critic,

You write about the "Pro-Israel side" - well I am on that side, I am pro Israel myself, only that I believe that a strong Israel is a moral one, so I care that Israel sticks to the highest moral standards. Specifically, this means that force may only be used when it is necessary in self-defence and not for any other ambitions.

I am not privy to the specific security requirements on that border and I am not privy to the intentions of those who decided on the spraying, but unless another evidence comes up, I must give them the benefit of the doubt that there was no intention to destroy crops. I find it believable that terrorists could be hiding in the bushes along the fence or quickly emerge out of tunnels there and attack, so that clearing those bushes may well have been a security need. I would be very disappointed with Israel if that was not the case.

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Dear Shadow Minister,

I fully agree, but the Palestinians are a basket-case beyond hope so I am not even inspired to try and fix their manners.

Hey Yuyutsu,
Yeah I know what side you're on, and I can appreciate that you care about Israel being a moral nation and that it sticks to the highest moral standards.

I too would expect them to have a buffer zone along the fence, and though I oppose the occupation and what it stands for even I would agree that killing crops along a buffer zone along the fence would make good sense from a security point of view, and I also agree that it would be foolish not to do so.

What I honestly don't get about the typical Pro-Israel supporters is how they call Palestinians terrorists and place no value at all on the kind of life it would be for someone who was Palestinian and lived through 4 generations of your family and people under occupation and being persecuted simply for living on a certain patch of land Israel decided it wanted to resettle and re-establish its nation on.

No one seems to ever acknowledge that they have a right to resist whilst under occupation.

Thankfully I'm not Palestinian but if I was, I wonder if I too would be filled with hatred and resentment for what Israel has done.

These young Palestinians you call terrorists - are they not just regular young people that know nothing more than generations of oppression for their own people whilst everyone else lives better lives?
Running around stabbing people knowing full well they are most likely going to be killed, but are at their wits end and don't care?
That they cannot even marry or start a family without a job and have little hope for a decent future?
That all they would ever hear from their own people are stories of persecution and suffering?
That they weren't born terrorists, the conditions and mentality they live under itself helped them become terrorists?
And then, is occupation itself not a form of terror?

And tell me Pro-Israel side, does anyone on this planet NOT have a right to stand up to and resist oppression by others?

Yuyutsu,

There are citizens from both Israel and Palestine, and other countries, that in my view (house individual people) or "basket cases" that are beyond hope.

This is unfortunate, but it doesn't mean that I side, or I consider all people are the same. Personally, I would like do more, but unfortunately, I am not skilled in the physical act of basket weaving.

So I believe a newer form of "basket weaving" is needed. Many individuals, have created a "basket case" to house negative experiences, and this has become a habitual pattern to continue to pile more negative experiences into such a basket.

Such baskets are then used for hatred, violence, what some describe as low standards and limited respect for basic human rights or free speech.

What is not understood, is when some people are constantly in a place of re-living negative experiences from others, it can become difficult to change, until we (as individuals) are willing lay an old basket (to its end) and be willing to weave one (a new basket) in an emotional, spiritual or in an individual context.

Recognising that happiness is a learned behaviour, it is vital that giving back to communities and sending positive messages (that flow from that) will leave a legacy that will live on far longer than a lot of individuals alive today - and this (in my view) is a vital step to take on.

Whilst this is a challenge, the United Nations, yourself, community organisations, government and people (worldwide) can contribute positively in this context. Future generations will see the benefits.

So encourage as many as possible to get basket weaving!

Dear Critic,

Surely one should be sorry for the Palestinians, but what could one practically do about it?

I wish that Palestinians would actually resist the occupation, but they rarely ever did. Well we know that they made a lot of commotion, we know that they tried to terrorise the Israelis and kill as many they could, both within and outside Israel, but all they targeted was Israel instead of its occupation and effectively their impulsive actions only prolonged and deepened the occupation.

Had they been peaceful instead, had they used diplomacy instead, had they done just 1% of what Gandhi did, had they even accepted Israeli offers for 97% withdrawal (then continued to strive to get the remaining 3%), then Israel would long be out of there. So sad!

Had the Palestinians of Eastern Jerusalem took the offer and became Israeli citizens, they could have turned the tide and voted for ending the occupation. Sadly they didn't.

Instead, besides useless violence they used the most treacherous weapon that harms themselves far more than their enemies: the womb! As a result, the ones in Gaza are now trapped and will never have a space to breath fresh air. Even if they all miraculously reformed and turned into angels, they have done themselves in becoming so crowded that nobody will ever be able to help them.

Does one have a right to be stupid and hit their own foot with a hammer on the pretext of trying to drive a nail?

There were a few Palestinians who did act wisely between 1949 and 1967, individual refugee families who just crossed the border at night or as tourists and remained in Israel. So long as they did so quietly, maintained a low profile and were not involved in crime, they were secretly allowed to stay in Israel and are now Israeli citizens. This is what I call wise resistance, the others are either fools or they simply, while verbally talking against it and shedding false tears, prefer the occupation and use it for other ends.

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Yes, an occupation that lasts even one minute beyond what is militarily necessary, is wrong. Yes, allowing civilians into a military occupied zone is wrong, let alone allowing them to settle there. Any wrong instils fear and thus can technically be termed "terrorism", but that would devalue the meaning of that word, commonly used today to describe the random murder of innocent civilians while they go about their day.

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Dear Nathan,

Thank you for your nice thoughts.

Unfortunately, by now even if everyone was thinking positively, one couldn't ignore the sheer numbers of people. The people of Gaza gambled on their own lives where their only and unrealistic chance of survival was by conquering Israel, killing its population and taking its place. Obviously they lost and tragically now there is physically no longer enough space for everyone to live.

AC,

Since the 1940s, the palestinian attacks have largely been targeted at civilians to create terror. That makes them terrorists, and Hamas is recognised worldwide as such.

Israelis target military personnel and equipment, generally in response to attacks from Hamas.