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The Forum > Article Comments > Why the world is silent > Comments

Why the world is silent : Comments

By Mireille Astore, published 1/8/2006

Theories abound about Israel’s grand plan, about Iran’s role, and about Syria’s supply of arms to Hezbollah.

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Israel offers an interesting idea of what nation is about. Nations are usually populated with citizens. Thus, Lebanon is populated with Lebanese of various religions with their various cultural heritages, but united by their Lebanese citizenship.

Israel is populated with people of a particular religion which identifies them as Jews rather than Israelis. So what happens to Israelis is not happening to citizens but to Jews, which in turn allows any misfortune to be linked to past misfortunes in other places.

We don't talk about the suffering of Australians during the Industrial Revolution in England or the various invasions of Britain from ancient times, yet Jewishness talks about sufferings throughout the globe and throughout history as though they happened to Israel.

In this gigantic victimhood the sufferings Israel imposes on others must seem like a drop in the ocean to Israelis, but not to its victims, which is arguably a good reason to leave ancient history out of the equation and focus on current reality and what the consequences might be for all involved.
Posted by chainsmoker, Tuesday, 1 August 2006 5:04:08 PM
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The one funny thing to come out of things like these was having the depth of ignorance beheld by Barbara Bush revealed.

Remember her fantastic quotes about getting those nasty Hurricane Katrina refugees out of her nice neighbourhood.
We couldn't have them sticking around, good grief, they don't even have dry homes.

Very worrying that such power is in the hands of these people.
Posted by TurnRightThenLeft, Tuesday, 1 August 2006 5:05:20 PM
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Where is the evidence that any militia are hiding anywhere among civilians? The only photo I have seen to date is one in the HUN that purports to be Hezbollah militia sitting in a suburb of Beirut.

Problem with the HUN's story is that the suburb is christian so it is probably part of the Phalangist christian militia that helped Israel slaughter the Palestinian refugees in Sabra and Shatila when Sharon bowled into Lebanon without cause in 1982.

After the madness of Iraq and Afghanistan where we were told that the so-called militia were hiding among civilians I thought you lot would have learnt something by now.

Hezbollah has only about 2-3,000 "militia" and they all reside in the south of Lebanon - then they have a political party with 14 members of parliament and 2 ministers and then they have the most important wing of all.

Welfare - they build hospitals, schools, welfare services, clinics and so on.

The same as Hamas. If they are in the community it is because they are simply Lebanese people protecting themselves from the marauders of Israel.

Some of you really ought to stop reading what Bolt says - he gets his rot from Fox news for heavens sake and the number of issues he has been wrong about would stretch around Australia.

Old people have been found in basements after 20 days of bombing - they are not terrorists.
Posted by Marilyn Shepherd, Tuesday, 1 August 2006 6:21:47 PM
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The first Jews arrived in this country with the first fleet. They quickly established themselves as an important part of the new land. Our first policeman was Jewish as was our first Australian born Governor General. Jews became lawyers, doctors, soldiers academics, musicians. Our Universities and orchestras would not be the same without them.

Anti-semitism did not feature. My family has not seen it for four generations. When Israel was established Australia supported it in the UN. After all it shared the same pioneer spirit mateship and willingness to work as did Australia. Israel became to Jews what Ireland is to the Irish Catholic Australians and England to the Anglo-Aussies.

What has happened? Mireille Astore writes an article full of hatred in a University sponsored publication. Correspondents reply with anti-semitic filth. The bogus Elders of Zion has been quoted and also medieval attitudes. This is not the Australia that I and my parents and grandparents grew up in!

Ad hoc comments and by guides and impressions of obviously biased tourists are hardly proof of anything. I was in Israel and enjoyed meeting both the Arabs and the Jews. I did not go there with predjudice and hatred in my heart.

Come on Aussie get back to your values.
Posted by logic, Tuesday, 1 August 2006 6:33:57 PM
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This author needs to be made aware of the heinous atrocities of mass rapes, genocide, baby-killing, torching and destruction of villages, livestock slaughtering and ethnic cleansing committed by Arabs in Sudan. Is it because the victims are millions of black Africans they just don't count? I am sick of the disproportionate, obsessive focus on Israel, when these vile, genocidal evils of Arabs are FAR, FAR worse. My sympathy for the Arab nation is zero, I'm afraid, until they can clean up the heinous, unspeakable atrocities in their own house.
Posted by Kvasir, Tuesday, 1 August 2006 6:34:47 PM
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Mireille

I wish I had the ability to have written what you've written. I applaud your understanding of pacifism.

Israel get out of Lebanon now. Your invasion is looking more like a land grab and is reminesant, if you care to read an unbiased history, of the clearing of Palestine of Palestinians in '47 and '48.

The results of your actions is a groundswell of doubt, in the West, about your self-perceived right to occupy 'Greater Israel'.
Posted by keith, Tuesday, 1 August 2006 8:03:00 PM
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