Once again the big denial. Ancient pre-Islamic Jewish (and Christian)ommunities were pushed out of Arab Muslim lands, Israel is now home to descendants of Islamic pressures, and they make up close to a majority of Israel's population. Their numbers exceeded the number of Arabs who left Palestine, but they were rehoused by the other Israelis, in contrast to the Arab countries who stole the properties the Jews had to leave behind and refused to help their Arab brethren. The view that Israel is a solution only of European actions is just so untrue.

This is at present before a US senate committee. The failure of the Israeli critics to acknowledge this simple fact just smacks of prejudice.

For the record, Jews who settled outside of the Muslim and Christian world's have faced no problems. Sections of Christianity and Islam alike seek world domination, that is where the real problem is. Fortunately strict Christianity is on the wane, but its ugly head still rears in parts of the US.

Logic,

Gaza was invaded in 1967 and military rule continued until 2005, with re-invasion occurring in June 2006 with subsequent airstrikes since then. It is estimated that between 7,000 and 9,000 Israeli artillery shells were fired into Gaza between September 2005 and June 2006 from Israel, killing 80 Palestinians in 6 months. From the Palestinian side, over 1,300 "home-made" Qassam rockets were fired into Israel from September 2000 to December 21, 2006 (correctly described by the Israeli Ministry of Defense as "more a psychological than physical threat"). Israel controls Gaza's airspace, territorial water, offshore maritime access, population registry, entry of foreigners, imports and exports (reducing the total quantity to 20 different commodities) as well as the tax system - and most recently even the flow of medicines results in scores of deaths. Little wonder it is considered by some to be an internment camp and is still classified worldwide as "Israeli-occupied territory". (c.f., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Gaza_Strip_barrier see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breach_of_the_Gaza-Egypt_border).

Whatever the crimes of Hamas' militants what is occurring in Gaza is "collective punishment", an utterly abhorrent approach to any who have a degree of civility about them.

Demos,

Whilst I concur with most of what you have written, please don't paint all zionists of the same colour. There are those (and I count myself as among them) who are "secular zionists", holding that there can be a Jewish homeland in a secular State of Palestine.

AVG,

It is utterly asinine to suggest that a programme of military resistance is causal to a political objective of racism. The fact that you are unable to differentiate between the two is simply terrible.

Want to do something real in the name of peace and reconciliation? Join up: http://www.odspi.org/

Dane-I hadn't looked at the bible like that.Interesting argument.I can't agree with your comments about the holocaust, because the same holocaust murdered 20 million Russians albeit not all of them went through the gas chambers, but got burned to death in churches or shot by Nazi extermination squads. These are crimes we should not forget and which led directly to the notion that soldiers and public servants have an accountable responsibility to an authority more powerful than their political and military leaders. It's what gives we small people a chance to take our abusers to court and hang them if necessary.

The issue of the Israeli occupation of Palestine will not go away, as will no stories of occupation anywhere, for a long time. Human beings, if forced off their land and into sub-standard accomodation, will eventually fight back and indeed have the right to do so. Their religion is of no relevance except that it can be used by the politically unscrupulous to stir up trouble for the purposes of taking power. The answer to the Israel/Palestine issue is one secular state embracing Israel, the West Bank/Occupied Territories/Gaza and a pluralist political system in which all have the same rights and opportunities. And payment of adequate compensation to those who had their land stolen. Shades of Australia? Extremist religious bigots won't like the idea.

HenryVIII

Jews in Arab countries were forced off their land. They lost everything. But they haven't "fought back". They set up a new life in Israel. And they didn't get any compensation for their stolen property.

But everyone on this forum ignores this fact. And why? I think prejudice. Or because it casts doubts on their one sided arguments. Of course the Western Press plays a apart in its one sided coverage. I suggest you read an Asian paper for more balanced reporting on this issue. Try the Taiwanese China Post on line.

And speaking of Taiwan they have been conquered again and again, by the Spanish, the Dutch, the Chinese, the Japanese and again by the Chinese. Do they fire rockets at their enemies and train their children as suicide bombers? The Singaporeans have a similar history of conquest and a land mass roughly the same size as Gaza with a similar population.

In both countries they accepted the new situation pulled their fingers out, educated their children properly and got to work. The Jews in Israel have historically a lot more to complain about than the Gazans, including those from other Arab nations but they do the same as the Asians, which is why in Buddhist countries Israel has far more respect than the Palestinians.

And you forget that Gaza was a base for an attempt to annihilate Israel, which is why Israel felt it necessary for its own security to hold them in check.

In what other parts of the world are suicide bombers glorified, women expected to dress in all enclosing robes in a hot climate, and children taught to hate for generation after generation? In Israel the Jews have moved on from the holocaust, young Israelis do not blame young Germans for what their parents had done.

The Gazans could be well off if they followed the example of Taiwan, Singapore or Israel. They have to get off their backsides, make peace with Israel and get to work.

Get real all of you. Shed your prejudices.

Out trot all the anti-arab ranters without a fact to bless their little cotton socks with.

1. Palestine was partitioned without their permission by the deluded European countries who didn't want the jews in their countries after WW11.
2. The arab countries only began to "expel" the jews after the genocide and ethnic cleansing exercised by the Israeli terrorist gangs and eye witnesses state clearly that in Iraq it was the Irgun gang who fire bombed jews to force them to go to Israel because no-one else wanted to go.
3. Israel not only did not actually leave Gaza they were told in 1967 that all the settlements were illegal and decided to build them anyway.
4. Israel is not a state, she has no borders, no constitution and no ability to do anything unless the IDF says so. The place is a military dictatorship run by the IDF.
5. 13 people have been killed by the penny crackers since 2000, in contrast 82 people were slaughtered in Beit Hanoun in one week in late 2006.

Now the behaviour of the Israeli's is exactly and actually identical to the behaviour of the nazis which is hardly surprising. The people doing it are German and Russian.

Now while Israel bleats and whines they are deliberately starving the Palestinians to death on Olmert's orders and the approval of the Israeli High court.

Now just grow up the lot of you and read some of the history of the place written by Jewish historians who are not blind to the truth. You might try Ilan Pappe's "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine", or Norman Finkelstein's "Beyond Chutzpah".

Or Gershom Gorenbergs "the accidental empire" which is the history of the settlements and making facts on the ground.

Then try and use you mindless little souls to imagine how you would feel if you had some b...d built a village in your back yard, lock you in, bomb you and drive you into the sea like the jewish terrorist gangs did and continue to do to the Palestinians.

As the article mentioned, people are quick to criticise Israel but very slow to offer any suggestions as to what THEY would do in Israel's position. So I'll pose the question again here - if you were the government of a country facing daily rocket attacks from a neighbouring territory what would you do? And what would your voting public expect you to do?

2 simple questions. Please refrain from covering the last 60 years of rights and wrongs by both sides (and don't tell me the questions can only be answered by considering all the history). Just answer the questions.