WHAT A DAY...... this was quite something.

-RESISTANCE.
Opened with a discussion on phone with "Khalid" from Melbourne "Resistance" (a communist group running a 'Pro Gaza' protest rally today) Although a communist by ideology, he has an 'Orthodox' Christian heritage from Lebanon. 0418 819 548 if you wish to know how 'David' came across to him..by all means call him and ask.

-RALLY. 2.00pm at State library. Palestinians, socialists and anti war people gathered to protest "Israel's Massacre of Gaza"

I rocked up with my 'sign' and plonked myself on the sidewalk, and it didn't take long for some people to notice my 'sign' was not in the same tone as the rest. I had some good conversations with various parties, but..then there was one...from a woman

-REVILED.. who cursed me in both english and arabic, and threatened me with the wrath of Hezbollah.
When the police saw my sign, they asked me to move on as they did not want conflict between groups. They informed me of 'The Israeli' demonstration at Parliament house and I happily moved to that.

-REWARDED. as I was walking up Bourke street a middle eastern man saw my sign and gave me the thumbs up. (My sign declared Hamas a terrorist group) This surprised me, so I asked his background. "Iraqi Christian"..well that said it all. We embraced..and I continued up to Parliament house.

-REJOICING. The pro Israel rally was in full swing..what a relIEF to see Jews actually caring enough about their own destiny in Melbourne.
Had a wonderful conversation with a Jewish man in his late 40s..who tried to convert me to Judaism :)

-REVELATION.... it was abundantly clear that most of the 'positions' people adopt on the ME is "emotion" based. Just show a few images of hurt children on TV and that's it... no critical analysis of the reasons..and worse..the ANTI WAR mob were noticably ABSENT when HAMAS was hurling rockets indiscriminantly at Israeli women and children..and they got a mouth full from me on that score.

Paul, if you want to get rude and generally ill-mannered, then that is your right, but I don't think it does much for you or your point of view. I can see the difference between the two positions which is why I wrote "The Israeli UN ambassador only this week said that Israel intended to wipe out Hamas, so your argument crumbles a bit." I did not say your argument is countered, or knocked out ... I merely said it crumbled a bit, because both sides are now calling for the knocking out or obliterating of the other.
I acknowledge too that Israel pulled out of Gaza, and the reasons are too complex for a short post such as this. Pulling out of Gaza was a concession of sorts, but it was not part of a structured plan to peace, more like a convenience to Israel.
I do not think it is worth trying to work out who is the biggest sinner in this from the time of Ben Gurion's terrorist attack on the British hotel; the road to peace is difficult and certainly not linear. Five generations of Palestinians living as refugees in their own country will not be forgotten just because Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005. There is going to have to be a certain amount of "turning the other cheek", and this is not easy. But one of the pre-requisites is to try to understand the position of both protagonists, rather than just be bellicose and bloody-minded.

'Hamas' is not synonymous with 'Palestine'. I would even contend that Hamas causes a great deal of harm to the Palestinian cause. It is true that there are serious humanitarian concerns in Gaza. However, these issues are multiplied by a leadership that has a greater zeal for hard-line Islamism, and the destruction of Israel, than what it has for its own people.

Hamas, where is a government that represents the Palestinian people responsibly? What about an attempt to build infrastructure that exceeds third-world levels? Israel's withdrawal from Gaza gave the opportunity to show that you are more concerned with your people's well-being than with murdering Israel.

I believe that a co-operative Palestinian leadership, with it's people as the number-one concern, would attract even greater levels of aid than what already pours into the territories. Perhaps even enough to build a viable state from the ground up.

Alas, the rockets continue day and night...

Hamas, you are a terrorist to your own people.

Whilst there's not much I am able to add to this discussion at the moment, I thought the following from a Jewish American Australian resident is at least as good as anything else which has been posted here:

TITLE:  Demonstrate against Qassams and Israeli aggression, both

The world cries in sympathy for Gaza residents enduring a ninth day
of merciless pounding - from land, sea, and air - by Israeli
soldiers.  Struggling to survive after 18 months of extreme
deprivation, pushing 80% of Gazans into abject poverty, unable to
feed or support themselves.

Pro-Gaza demonstrations abound; sympathy rightfully placed.

Among the 1.5-million people crammed into the most densely populated
360 square kilometres on earth (barely 140 square miles), a tiny
fraction are Hamas members, and far fewer fire Qassams - Israel's
justification for their current attacks.

Since 2001, when Qassams were introduced, more than 4,000 Qassams
have been fired, and a similar number of mortars.  Some days bring
nearly 200 Qassams and rockets, raining on Israeli citizens living
well within the 1949 armistice lines.

About 30 Israelis have died; more than 400 wounded.

Israelis around Gaza live in daily fear - Israelis wanting only
security for themselves, a better life for their children, and
living peacefully with their neighbours.

What most Gaza residents desire for themselves and their children, too.

Nine days of Israeli bombs and bullets, and nearly 450 Gazans are
dead - about 1/4 of them women and children, 2,000 wounded - many
civilians.  Terrorising Gaza civilians.

Hamas's response?

30-100 Qassams and rockets fired into Israel daily - which triggered
Israel's violent onslaught.  Terrorising Israeli civilians.

I'll be at the next pro-Gaza demonstration, holding the banner
imploring Israel to cease immediately its violence in Gaza - and
demanding Hamas to stop lobbing Qassams into Israel.

---

(To be honest, I can't be sure if the above is unfair to Israel, Hamas, both, or neither.)

I have to laugh, I waited to see who was here...

Firstly, here is an excellent piece on the legal principles under discussion (http://cgis.jpost.com/Blogs/dershowitz/entry/israel_s_actions_are_lawful), anyone wishing to challenge Messr Dershowitz's understanding of International Law, feel free - tell HIM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Dershowitz) about it.

As to the current operation, Cast Lead, a small nation has democratically chosen leaders who ran on a platform of firing artillery at the much stronger State on the border, that they are now suffering the military consequences of that idiocy is best described as C'est le guerre.

Militarily, the IDF has broken the strip into 3 portions, which I'd suspect they intend to neutralise & clear one at a time... As sympathetic detonation will remove roadside bombs & improvised devices, I'd hope they use artillery on a massive scale (from the footage to date, it looks like they are prepared to)...

I'd also suspect the IDF watched the battle for Falujah very closely... Expect to see the same tactics used here, advise all non-combatants to evacuate, screen them and secure them for the UN to access.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Fallujah

cf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza

Be interesting to see what weapons Hamas comes out with in the next week

Haganah Bet

Good Article and many valuable comments.

It is difficult to report on a region when the lens is being panned from the outside, when the intensity is as highly charged as this conflict is and where the warts of international factional complexity can make it unsafe if you should get it wrong. Everyone distrusts everyone else and as Israel dominates most, it is harder during a festive season to get the supports you might need to surround the information and debate required to motivate people and their governments to take action against the many many forms of violence in operation here.

Unsaid is Iran and Israel and American interests. Worst is the connections you make across regions once you begin to discuss difficulties when our best talkbalk experts are off on their break.

I am not happy with world leaders pandering to either American or Israelis agendas present. I am furious where we have another war adding to some 100 or so other wars, three of which are most vivid for their propaganda and failed rhetoric.

Just for measure I consider the Australian political climate unstable. This is because our own strength to help mediate is being drained by the childish tattles rather than intelligent debate in the ACT. I add that while I am critical of all prattling parrots, it is that we need to stand up to government to keep citizenship viable and ought not to be discouraged by the heat. We need substance on these issues and pandering to niche cultures because we fear, must be overcome.

Israel is on the offensive, so is America and any other Nation, Corporation or citizen who can't see the poverty and terror underlying Palestinia's situation.

To expect more from the media we need to expect more from ourselves. The issues are greater than what we think and if we are to see non-violence as a solution than each and everyone of us must become involved.

As each person dies, it is another life lost.

http://www.miacat.com
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