Jindy,

I started reading your item thinking "Here we go blah, blah". Another dumb idea.

But frankly you're right. Apologies for prejudging.

If those two were your children? I suspect you'd drown them both and feel better about yourself having made the world a better place. Justifiable homicide if ever there was such a case.

The people's in that region have been fighting for so long they don't even remember what it's about. Now it's just about hate and revenge for yesterday, and tomorrow. The innocent can stop it today if they all stood up and said "No more". But of course they are terrified of the few living nightmares.

I'd suggest the whole area be cordoned off and told to sort it out in say, 12 months. No more supplies from anywhere, nothing. Anyone who survives get's a country each as that's all that would be left.

Neither will ever stop. Bigger countries use them as entertainment frankly. Sick world.

Dear Polycarp,

We are definitely going to disagree on this
subject.

I agree totally with Antony Loewenstein, when
in his book, "My Israel Question," he points
out that:

"...the Israeli perspective is far better
understood in the West, largely because of
the Zionist lobby's activities, but also
because Israel's struggle against 'terrorism'
is now framed even more so since Sept. 11 -
as 'our' struggle against Islamic
fundamentalism..."

So, it's obvious to me why you'd be riding on
that bandwagon. But hey, you're not alone, so
don't feel bad.

The author tells us that:
"The Palestinians are not particularly effective at
translating their message for a Western audience,
and most Western journalists based in Israel
spend relatively little time in East Jerusalem and
the occupied territories."

He emphasises that:, "...Zionist lobby groups
in the USA, UK, Europe and Australia are highly
vocal and efficient at persuading journalists,
editors, and politicians that Israel must be
supported and defended. Ferocious media-monitoring
groups such as HonestReporting contribute to this
atmosphere of intimidation. They also refuse to
tolerate dissenting opinions on the conflict,
and actively campaign against Jewish and non-Jewish
critics."

The Zionist lobby isn't solely responsible for this
situation, as Loewenstein points out, but the post
Sept. 11 environment has emboldened the lobby.

Loewenstein sums it up in a nutshell when he says
that, "As Muslims grow in number and political potency,
the dynamics of the Middle East conflict could change
radically. Only then, perhaps, will we understand that
the US role has always been a rejectionist one,
dedicated largely to maintenance of the Jewish state,
and not really that of an 'honest-broker' at all.

And only then will there be recognition that the
Palestinian leadership has not in fact rejected
'generous' peace deals with Israel over the years;
there has never been a fair and balanced offer on the
table."

RobbyH

'The people's in that region have been fighting for so long they don't even remember what it's about.'

Rubbish. They know all too well what the fighting is about.

This is typical condescension progaganda, routinely used against dispossessed people who often have to spend many generations resisting an occupying force that becomes increasingly punitive and desperate over time.

The Israel-Palestine issue is just another manifestation of the age-old war between a largely transplanted population and a dispossessed population. The former always has might (and sometimes law) on its side but little moral justification, while the latter has moral justification but a severely weakened military or legal ability to reverse its own dispossession.

As sure as night follows day, the occupying force increasingly falls victim to its own fear of retribution from the dispossessed population, seizing more and more internal territory and taking more and more rights away. In response, the dispossessed population loses confidence in the ability of non-violent negotiation and compromise to reverse the injustice of its dispossession and increasingly resorts to violence. This in turn allows the occupying population to reinvent itself as the victim.

This dispossessed-as-aggressor (and occupier-as-victim) propaganda was used against the Irish, black South Africans, the Vietnamese, virtually every nationalist struggle in history ... and Indians in several hundred Hollywood westerns.

It is impossible to reconcile with an organization that vows to wipe Israel out, is it? It is stated clearly in their (Hamas) charter, thus, this article bears little water and an attempt to distort the truth regarding the ongoing on battle in Gaza.
Think about these things. Hamas invaded, tortured, and toppled Fatah government in Gaza last year because they believe that Fatah is very proWestern and anti-Palestine liberation. Secondly, 400 missiles reigned over Israel long before the first bomb dropped on Gaza.
In fact, last year, Israel dismantled and arrested Jews protesters in area closer to Gaza that Palestine authority demanded as part of the peace process. It seems then that the Hamas is carrying out its Charter! not the other way around.
I don't think that 200 rockets were fired to Israel because a tunnel was bombed! this is preposterous!

Matangi, The Israeli UN ambassador only this week said that Israel intended to wipe out Hamas, so your argument crumbles a bit.
But this continuing discussion gets nowhere, each author trying to lay some sort of blame on one side or the other, as if the "final solution" is to decide who is to blame, and then wipe them out. What is needed is a pathway to peace, and firing rockets by either side does not get peace unless one side eventually overcomes the other, and that peace would only be shortlived.
Compromise is needed and I believe the major compromise and the first step should come from the stronger side. The Palestinians should be released from their Gaza "prison", and Israel, the UN, and individual countries should take steps to improve the lot of the Palestinians. This is a first step only. It would take decades to remove the hatreds of the last five decades.

nyk007

Isn't that what Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been castigated for saying about Israel?

Harry G,

Your viewpoint is one that has growing credence in the West. The Israeli's and their propagandists cannot grasp this concept and are relying on their past methods to achieve their deceipt. Those methods are now easily seen through as the west has growing disregard for is media. The western media is now so opinionated and biased in so many ways it is simply no longer trusted when reporting events. More and more people are turning to the internet. As we can see in this article the arguments in favour of a just solution, and one obviously opposite to the desires of the expansionists, far outweigh in reason and volume the arguments of the Israeli supporters.

It's been a trend over the past few years and accelerated after the latest Israeli debacle in Lebanon.

Would the Israeli's in the past have ever been accused of using military action against the Palestinians so as to affect the outcome of an upcoming election? Never ever, yet today it's commonplace and significantly a point religiously ignored by the Israeli's and their supporters ... and that is very telling.

Matangi,

You seemed somehow to have missed the result of the UN observed Palestinian elections ... which saw Hamas elected as the Government of the Palestinians. Which resulted in Gaza being invaded and tortured, and it's elected representives imprisoned. But note in the meantime Hamas hasn't been toppled and actually had a peace agreement with Israel. Odd really eh?