"Since October 7 last year, Israel's response to the attacks by Hamas has been one of sledgehammers and chisels, a conscious attempt to broaden the conflict beyond its Palestinian confines to targeting the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah and its sponsor, Iran."

Really?

Interesting information coming out of M-E, apparently mainly from Turkey....

As we now know, Israel has taken out the overwhelming majority of the Syrian army's equipment (up to 85%) in raids over the last week. They seemed to have really good intelligence as to the location of all the Syrian depots and munitions dumps. Originally it was assumed this was due to Mossad expertise and that remains the case.

But the story goes that a lot of the really good intelligence was supplied to Israel by Assad himself in return for Israel NOT shooting his plane out of the sky as he skedaddled to Moscow.

Unconfirmed but intriguing

There is not much point in beating ourselves about the head on who is
right and who is wrong; it is all a matter of perspective.
Israel has the best score as they were there first and lived there for
a number of thousands of years.
No one else comes close to that.
Just because the Arabs arrived in the 7th century and conquered the
country causes them to say that land conquered by Moslems remains
Islamic land forever no matter who turns up later.
The British could apply that rule.

It sums up the whole situation, the moslems are driven by the Koran
to fight this war forever. The only way to stop this fighting is to
convince them to write a New Testament of the Koran, but that is
punishable by death.
So is the solution for the rest of us is to kill all moslems or just
accept perpetual war ?

Dear Mhaze,

«Why? A higher standard than Russia? A higher standard than Turkey? What other states are you going to give a pass to?»

- Those I do not love or care for!

And as I have no particular reason to love or care for Russia or Turkey, I assign them a LOWER standard, LOWER expectations!

«The author of the article and its seems quite a few others have a double standard. One for Israel, one for the rest of the planet»

Well and good - then he too must love and care for Israel!

I do not believe in the verse below literally, it does not suit our times in its literal form, but its spirit still does:

"He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."
[Proverbs 13:24]

(Today I would rather rephrase, "He that does not limit his son's screen-time hateth his son...")

«The primary function of the government of Israel is to protect the people of Israel.»

My personal thesis is that protecting others is inherently mission-impossible, a mirage, something no government can ever achieve

... but that is for another day: let us assume for the moment that your statement is correct - then how had this government of Israel fare in that role on the fateful night between 6th-7th of October 2023?

I have reason to believe that this was not only a colossal failure, negligent or reckless, but a deliberate planned attack by Netanyahu on the people of Israel whom he was supposed to protect, covertly contracting Sinwar to do that dirty job for him.

...Unconfirmed but intriguing...

Dear Bezza,

«Israel has the best score as they were there first and lived there for
a number of thousands of years.
No one else comes close to that.»

Anyone can write a book saying "I have been here first, bla, bla, bla."

Modern archaeological science refutes these Biblical claims one by one.

The name "Israel" comes from a different kingdom to the north of Judea, a rival and much bigger kingdom that was never related to Judea. Ancient Israel was completely annihilated by the Assyrians and any claims of supposed union and common ancestry between the two countries were fabricated long after any "Israeli" was left to deny them.

Modern Israel, again, is a different new country, built largely by ethnically and culturally different people. I still support modern Israel and consider it legitimate - but not for the fabricated reasons you stated.

«Just because the Arabs arrived in the 7th century and conquered the
country causes them to say that land conquered by Moslems remains
Islamic land forever no matter who turns up later.»

Islamic or otherwise, based on modern science, the majority of the "Arab" population of Israel (those who idiotically now call themselves "Palestinian") is believed to be the descendants of the original Judeans, thus part and parcel of the farming people who continuously lived on that land and never left it.

«So is the solution for the rest of us is to kill all moslems or just
accept perpetual war ?»

There are estimated 15.7 million Jews worldwide and 242 million Muslims in Indonesia alone. Relations between Indonesia and Israel have recently been improving.

Would you support killing these 242 million innocent people who live close to Australia, including women and children? Just because some other idiot fabricated some other nonsense in some other book?

"There is not much point in beating ourselves about the head on who isright and who is wrong; it is all a matter of perspective".

The only sensible comment amid a lot of twaddle from people who know nothing, and can do nothing about another lot of lunatics in the Middle East. Some people overthrow a dictator, so they must be good. Pig's arse. They will turn out to be ten times worse than the creep they got rid of. Think 'Arab spring' and all the othe shite that was going to make the Middle East a Paradise.

This just makes things worse for Israel.