Paul L
I have 350 words to raise an argument. It is not my intention to convert anyone to my thinking only that I should be understood. Perhaps add perspective and perhaps challenge the propaganda designed to elicit Australian support for what is clearly an obscenity.

The primary issue in the article is a tragedy however it’s one of Israel’s making. And should be viewed in the context of
• The Zionists seizing of the land by force
• The methods employed including intimidation and terrorism.
• Disenfranchising the legal Arab owners (some still hold legal titles in exile).
• The continuing appropriation of Arab land. Without compensation.
• Unacceptable collateral damage (killing of women and children) on all too frequent incursions.
• Mass punishment (banned by the UN charter)
• “Accidental?!” Execution of independent peace activists despite film evidence to the contrary.
• Mossad execution of the wrong person in western country.
• Israel’s hidden Nukes (also against UN).
All this as consequences of an alleged 3000 year old promise from their God. Land that they as a group haven’t occupied for 2000 years is morally suspect.Imagine the Church of Jedi knights claimed Sydney on the grounds of a promise from the Force.

Much of their biblical ‘history’ is unprovable or spun to suit. e.g. the story of Masada. They were a rogue sect among their differences they ate pork and some weeks earlier raided and killed 100's Jews in a near by town.The list goes on.

In any human catastrophe like the Israel/Palestinian nationalist(?) conflict there are no angels. Neither am I taking sides. Both sides commit horrendous attrocities and only the inocents deserve pity.

I do believe Israel and Palestine are both realities. It is up to both sides to properly negotiate a political solution.

I object to any country trying to gain advantage over another by involving Australia(ns) in what is a problem of their own creation.

Further information and confirmation is available by independent Historians etc

Antonios Symeonakis

The Palestinian/Israeli conflict has been turned from a political one into a "religious" jihadists Muslim/non-Muslim conflict by the Islamists, supported by the "moderate" Muslims in Palestine. The Muslims in Palestine are killing or force-converting the non-Muslim Arabs to becoming Muslims.

The Muslim/Israeli conflict is one between a totalitarian "religious" ideology and a sovereign secular state. This is an example of the many Muslim/'fill in the blanks' conflicts that is happening in many parts of the world (e.g. Kashmir in India, Xinjiang in China, in south Thailand, Mindanao in the Philippines, Checnya in Russia, thousands of Arab Christians are killed in Iraq recently by Muslims)

(You can read all about the destruction Islam has done to the non-Muslims in their 1400 years of history http://www.historyofjihad.org/ ).

A two state solution would be good if the conflict remained along political lines. But since it has now become a Muslim/Israeli conflict this is never going to happen as it is written in Islamic scriptures that Jews must be destroyed. That is why god's army of Hezbullah and Iran are bent on destroying Israel, and 'moderate' Muslims are praying that god's will be done.

I have tried, I mean really tried, to stay out of it, but...

Where exactly, in 'Moslem Scripture' no-less, is there any mention of the need to destroy 'Israel'? History tells us that Jews & Moslems have in fact built quite productive societies in the past and quite probably will again the future.

Similarly, will somebody direct me to this remarkable hidden, source of all that is right and true which tells of the 'truth' of Massada? You know, the one where the defenders ate pork and attacked other Jewish villagers? (and please don't say Josephus, he was never an historian).

Then finally, could someone please tell me what that has to do with the extra-judicial execution of two Israeli Defence Force members who were taken prisoner (in ANY view) despite their being entitled to POW status? That is a war-crime, that is the intentional and premeditated execution of captured enemy personnel without legal recourse and/or justification. It is a war crime that resulted in the execution of Japanese Soldiers & Officer's in WWII, yet some would suggest it is appropriate here?

Israel has to bight the bullet on this one, simply amass the artillery in the Northern Border area to enable them to transform the 10sq km immediately surrounding any future snatches to a moonscape within hours. This would have the effect of ensuring a reasonably quick, comparatively painless end to the captured soldiers (way preferable to what they will undergo at the tender mercies of Hizbollah anyhow) whilst ensuring that no member of the snatch team escaped (or anything else in the area for that matter) escaped alive. This would have the added benefit of setting off IED's and destroying hidden caches of arms/booby traps. Of course artillery information is not cheap, but then again, neither are the lives of IDF members.

PS I note the WOFTSAB has being making it's usual nonsensical contribution, as it continues to eschew reasoned debate, there is no prospect of engaging it in reasoned argument. I shall just treat it as the 'Waste Of F@*#cking Time Space And Bandwidth' it represents.

Hi Hagweasel.

Still full of hate and invective!
And still on yesterdays issues.
You lost and were thrown out of Lebanon and Hezbollah now have longer range rockets.
Just how effective were your military options?

Don't you see that approach doesn't work and hasn't worked for 60 years.

And hey the Yanks now won't let your mates start a nuclear war.

By WOFTSAB you mean:

Willfully Opposing Fascist's Threats, Stupidity And Bombast.

don't you Hagweasel?

Haganah Bet.
I do wish people who criticise me would read what I actually say and for that matter read the history of the conflict.

The pork bones in kitchens on Massada comes from archaeological findings as does the info about their Barberous activities.

While I'm on the subject Joshua's 500K army and/or sacking of Jericho can't be archeologically proven either. In fact the archaeological evidence suggests a different story one where the whole hero mythology is just that. Much of the myths appear nowhere else than in the Old Testament.
The similarities between older myths of other cultures are grounds for doubt as to the authenticity of much of the OT and thereby the Jewish claim to Israel.

The Zionists like the Old Testament authors created (spun) the national history to give a nationalist's mythology to hold their adherents together.
Why no comment about the other points?

Frankly I don't have to prove anything the onus is on the advocates to prove their case for claim.

I am not anti-Semitic (my eldest daughter is Jewish and just back from Israel.) nor Pro Palestinian it is that this proof or no proof is irrelevant. The point is that both nations exist and they need to negotiation honestly instead of the BS posturing demanding impossible pre conditions in order to justify fundamental intrangience.
As I‘ve said before both sides are behaving like two psychologically damaged children playing matches in a powder locker. Meanwhile good people are being killed and for what…arrogance and pride.
I’m bored with this subject
Bye.