At the end of the day Israel will claim they can't be safe while Iran exists, so no matter how this goes, the subjagation of the Palestinian people will continue until we get a wider war in the region.

At which point Israel will get driven into the sea and scream for the worlds help, maybe end up nuking it's enemies, and also at which point it may also get nuked itself.

But for now, watch Hezbollah and US actions in the Mediterranean, as well as Houthis and US coalition forces in the Red Sea.

Dear critic,

«I think it's a reasonable possibility Israel may end up with 150,000 guided missiles raining down upon it.»

The way you say it sounds more like a wish than an objective analysis.

That Israeli citizens in the north will be allowed to return home could simply mean just that, that the army will no longer stop them if they wish to take the risk. It could also mean that the fighting in the north will significantly reduce by the end of January due to the expected reduction in fighting-intensity in Gaza.

«It might be a good time for your family to take a holiday in Cypress.»

Thanks, but my family can be safe enough in-person in their bomb-shelters, they are pretty good. Their homes are in greater risk but holidaying won't help that.

A rain of missiles from Lebanon could occur anyway at any time. They cannot remain in Cyprus forever, and in any case that's most impractical with small children, the elderly, pets and farms.
When missiles are falling, it is best for someone to stay back and protect their home with a hose and fire-extinguishers from missile-created fires.

«I'd argue that there can be no real diplomacy or a change in policy until Israel is militarily defeated.»

And Israel would never be militarily defeated before using all its nuclear arsenal.

«Until then the Palestinians will continue to be targeted with ethnic cleansing and genocide, and there's little anyone can do about it.»

Not so. There're monsters in Netanyahu's government who stand for ethnic-cleansing and genocide, but they're a minority. Western-countries recently started to sanction them, but could do much more. I think that American planes/missiles could and should bomb Israeli West-Bank settlements selectively rather than punish innocent ordinary Israelis for these atrocities.

«Yet Israels leaders speak this way without any care for consequences»

Then hunt them down, literally, and relieve Israel from that scum!

«They shoot kids for no reason at all»

Yesterday, Israeli soldiers spotted a Hamas scout reporting their positions while riding a motorbike with two 5-year-old children: they chose not to shoot him!

Dear Foxy,

«Israel prefers the status quo.»

You speak of Israel as if it were a person:
There are 9 million Israelis, each with their own preference!

In my estimate, at present the preference of most Israelis is to have the hostages back home, whatever the cost, but this does not seem possible.

«Until the US and Europe
take responsibility and stop funding and preserving
the oppressive regime of Israel - peace will not be
achieved.»

There will never be peace there regardless.
The most one can ever hope for is a longer cease-fire.

I do wish there was a way to stop funding and preserving the present Israeli government without inflicting more pain on ordinary Israelis and cornering them to perform even more desperate actions.

---

Dear Critic,

«At the end of the day Israel will claim they can't be safe while Iran exists, so no matter how this goes, the subjagation of the Palestinian people will continue until we get a wider war in the region.»

What's the one to do with the other?

Iran will continue to do its utmost to destroy Israel regardless, even if Israel and the "Palestinians" were hugging and kissing. The Iranian regime hates Israel so bitterly because Israel was the deposed Shah's best friend!

«At which point Israel will get driven into the sea and scream for the worlds help, maybe end up nuking it's enemies, and also at which point it may also get nuked itself.»

No "maybe" there!

«But for now, watch Hezbollah and US actions in the Mediterranean, as well as Houthis and US coalition forces in the Red Sea.»

And watch how excited you sound...

"Iran will continue to do its utmost to destroy Israel regardless, even if Israel and the "Palestinians" were hugging and kissing. The Iranian regime hates Israel so bitterly because Israel was the deposed Shah's best friend!"

I find it really disappointing when people say one thing about one side, but don't also recognise the exact same argument applies to their side.

"Israel will continue to do its utmost to destroy Iran regardless, even if Israel and the "Palestinians" were hugging and kissing.
- There, I fixed it.

The Shah was obviously pro west.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Persian_Oil_Company

"The anti-Mossadegh plan was orchestrated by the CIA under the code-name 'Operation Ajax', and by SIS (MI6) as 'Operation Boot'. The CIA utilized information obtain from British intelligence and bribed politicians, soldiers, mobsters, and journalists to destabilize the country and consolidate opposition to Mosaddegh. The Shah re-asserted his position and forcefully removed Mosaddegh from office. General Fazlollah Zahedi led tanks to Mosaddegh's residence and arrested him for treason. On 21 December 1953, Mosaddegh was sentenced three years' solitary confinement in a military prison, well short of the death sentence requested by prosecutors. He was then kept under house arrest at his Ahmadabad residence, until his death on 5 March 1967."

- The CIA was only 5 years old, and already conducting covert actions and overthrows.

"The way you say it sounds more like a wish than an objective analysis."

When I say this I want you to understand I don't necessarily wish non-combatants to be harmed, you know I oppose this.

But I do think the only way this endless cycle of violence and death ever end is if the hard-right government in Israel is beaten militarily.
- But obviously it has the West who'll unconditionally defend it militarily in some capacity.

They won't accept a 2 state solution, they want to maintian the current situation, the imprisonments without charge, the killings by IDF and settlers, the use of food and water and as weapons of war. They keep these people in concentration camps, forever taking more land, burning or poisoning their olive groves, IDF invading their homes at 2am, trained to immediately execute anyone who doesn't follow orders, the bulldozing of homes, these 14000 women and kids killed now, and for what? maybe 2000 Hamas killed out of the remaining 6000 men? Right now Israel knows it can't keep this thing going long enough to destroy Hamas, the cost in civilian lives and the global blowback in individual countries (inc. western ones) is too great.
They know this, so they are trying to kill as many Palestinians as they can right now.

[Cont.]

It's about collective punishment, making the price so great that they don't dare resist the occupation and land theft again.
They target hospitals, medical staff, journalists, turn off power and internet to hide their crimes, yet many Israelis openly call Palestinians sub-humans, animals, terrorists etc.
- The Palestinians are just resisting Israels oppression, and not even America dehumanise their adversaries like this.
You don't see Americans saying Chinese, Russian, Iranian or even North Koreans are sub-human / animals.
And many Israelis openly treat them that way, sit back and laugh at the mass killings, and celebrate them.
They tell people to move, and then they target the citizens as they travel.
They'll kill 400 innocent people in a refugee camp to kill 1 medium level Hamas regional commander.
They'll open the border then launch an attack on the aid trucks.
The IDF are killing innocent people now just for the sake of extermination.

I saw an airstike today, that was almost like a tactical nuclear weapon, they purportedly blew up 56 buildings at once.

Israeli journalists on TV saying they support war crimes.
While IDF targets journalists with air strikes who try to report on and cover those same war crimes.

Israelis overcome with joy at the death and destruction...

I've seen more than enough dead kids bleeding out.
Israel knows they're killing them and they don't care.
I've seen Palestinian kids burned to a crisp like someone roasted them in a oven and ones with their faces taken off by sniper rifles.
- That is, IDF deliberately shoot a 9 year old girl in the face with a high powered sniper rifle..

Over these past 2 months I've seen things Israels done, killings so horrific that one would imagine the Palestinians who died would envy the Jews who went into the gas chambers, because it was far less a gruesome way to go.

It's abhorrent.
What have your people become?