Paul.
Glad you deny some of the traits attributed to you, but your denials don't sit well with previous posts.

By peace, I mean the absence of violence, eg Ireland, SouthAfrica, Cyprus, Armenia-Turkey, Korea. We can hope that this absence of violence can eventually restore tolerance and friendship. Was it not a joy to see Amla, Ntini and Smith embracing as they celebrated SouthAfrica's success in cricket. Twenty years ago, Mandela, from his cell, could hardly imagine what would be achieved. Be positive, Paul. Work towards our goals minimising bloodshed, not advocating. Don't give up and resort to the methods of terrorists. We are better than that.

My opinion that peace can be obtained is forged from recent past history, and also forged from personal, commonly held, humanist views. Don't disparage it as just an opinion as if it has no weight.

Original article made the claim that "we are compromised by the media's distorted view of Israeli politics".Are you proving the author's contention?

Most of our talk has centred on Hamas, despised or feared by most of the world; they have no ally in the Arab world except Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been emboldened and its numbers swelled by the recent war with Israel. Though Hamas was democratically elected by the people, I doubt they have popular support now, though they do have the sympathy of Palestinians (opinion gained from snippets of interviews on SBS news).

If Israel were interested in peace with Palestine including a Palestinian state, they should be progressing those talks with Abbas now, marginalising Hamas still further, and gaining kudos from the rest of the world. This is where we clearly disagree. Do you think that if Hamas agreed to, and stuck by, a peace deal, then Israel would leave the occupied territories, pull down the wall, extend a hand of friendship to Palestine? Nations find it difficult to make concessions, but concessions need to be made. This is a major difficulty (let us not forget religion as well, the elephant in the room).
TBC

...continued
Hamas and Hezbollah only exist now because of failure to reach accord over the last several decades. Support for a Palestinian state from the USA is only a recent development. Hilary Clinton has supported a Palestinian state for longer than the US official policy, so despite my pessimism about this aspect of Obama's presidency, there is hope.

What will the present Israeli action spawn? As China rises, the US wonders why it loses respect.

I doubt that the Allies took much care about the civilians in Cologne, and there were plenty of reasons why they didn't. But need to firebomb Dresden? No. Hatred and revenge prevailed.

Did the Americans care much about the civilians of Hiroshima? Probably not, because of the circumstances. Should they have bombed Nagasaki? Probably not. Do you regret raising the red herring of Cologne. Asinine indeed! Pots and kettles, Paul.

Visit the "Israel Today" website, view the headline 28 December, and read "US, Australia back Gaza strike; rest of the world doesn't". Do you think the Israeli Press is being just that little bit less than honest? Remember the contention of the original article which gave rise to these exchanges.

I don't think we have much more to contribute to this discussion, so I will withdraw now, unless there is a particular point you ask me to answer, or you raise a point which I consider particularly asinine, to use your adjective.

I will leave asking you to look at Moir's cartoon in today's SMH. See it at http://www.smh.com.au/cartoons/index.html. Two members of the Israeli Defence Force viewing the destruction of Gaza, one saying to the other "We're teaching them how a civilised democracy is supposed to behave".

I note the newly appointed head of the CIA has declared "no torture" on his watch. "We are better than that", he said. Let us hope we are better in all aspects of humanity in the future, including resolution of conflict.

Scriblerus, you wrote, "why do the Israelis still persist in their refusal to negotiate with Hamas?", in what seemed to be a defense of the Charter of Hamas. Isn't it Hamas that refuses to sign a truce with Israel, let alone acknowledge them?

The people of the region will be able to "stop eating grass and feast on olive branches" when they have a leadership that places the importance of their people over the destruction of Israel.

If 3278 rockets were flying into our nation, I would expect the military to take the necessary steps to prevent such a threat. This would include targeted bombings and most likely a ground invasion to uphold the security of all Australians (15% or otherwise). Your quote has demonstrated the hate-filled core of Hamas and the threat that such Islamism poses to the world in the 21st Century.

I support Israel and the IDF against such a threat

Harry G. your pathetic attack on America is uncalled for. You failed to mention that the British was occupying Jerusalem long before it became a UN Mandate and long before the Jews state was created. But that is not the point, the creation of Israel was inevitable and the Palestinians vowed to crash it from the beginning. They didn't want a state, they wanted Israel destroyed!
The creation of anti-Western movements from PLO to HAMAS is not a US fault as you pointed out. This is a movement that vowed to attack the West, hitting targets in UK, France, and the US. They are empowered by Islamic states of Iran and Syria, two of the most powerful countries in the Middle East.
I don't condone any use of nuclear weapons against civilians, but the ugliness of WW II was felt on both side. Americans were dying in tens of thousands, prisoners were beheaded everyday by the Japanese idiots who believed their Emperor to be a living God. Did the Japs care about Chinese and Koreas who were dying by the thousands every day in the hands of these demons? off course not. New evidence surfaced recently pointed to the Japan using chemical weapons in their raid in South East Asia, particularly China. Japs recently acknowledged and have apologized for it.
Your problem is that you don't see war, in this case Israel vs. Hamas, as a responsive act to an act of aggression, you see it as cruelty on the hands of evil Americans and Israelis. If Hamas shelled your home everyday for six months, what will you do? Negotiate?
To assume that Israel and its allies should negotiate with HAMAS or Hezbollah is ridiculous. These two organizations vowed to destroy Israel and have instigated senseless attack on Israeli towns. I don't see why people would support them.
During WW II, Japan drew up a plan to invade Australia, had a new name for Australia. Why did Australia chose to fight the Japs instead of Negotiating?

MaNiAc-josiah how would you feel if some crazy nutter killed 700 plus israelies is 2 weeks,and restricted you to your home via 24/7 bombimg by self rightious children in expensive american toys plying murder in your NaMe...,would you feel like talking peace to them

you take the high ground, but you are a low life allowing vile to be done in your nAmE..,go talk to your own docters treating your enemy,..killed and maimed by overwelming force crushing the life out of woman and children alike..[did these bomb you?

you are a perfect egsample of what is wrong with this whole issue, you poor retarded igN0rAnus...,you can keep count when countless bombs are dropping on innocent victims while you live in their house ,go see the persons behind the name...,go see the lives your allowing to be murdered in YOUR N@Me

you are an arrogant prat ,and most cetainly an opinionated dikkk head,...you defend the indefensable...,how many of the dead launched bombs at y0u..,but y0u dont care who dies for y0Ur self satisfaction

what threat do y0u offend y0uRSelf against,...y0u who would gladly support the murder of a people made powerless by Y0ur ignorance..,it is easy to suck the blood from others,

while y0u live in the home of the dead who's land y0u feel y0u to need more than they need their god given life to simply live..,trying simply to survive an overwelming OFFENSIVE...,yet trying to play the victim while offending

who's children you contin YoU cOnTiNuE to murder,..know you not the cammand..;THOU shalt not murder..,you dare call yourself gods chosen people yet serve the DeVile

who lives but by god will's them to life?
who living has god not breathed his holy spirit into?

you think god is pleased that the best you cant do with your LIfE is to encourage others into murder in your pReTenTioUs name

y0u are a pathetic excuse for living..but god chose you to live,
he is displeased with ANY life that is TAKEN in vain

vanity that pretends to give a damm
is as pretentious as your naMe

Something is freaking wrong you! you need to see a doctor!