It would appear that the UN Security Council is NOT prepared to make a decision for implementing a cease-fire in Gaza, due to the US and it`s interests blocking any vote to end the ongoing mass murder of men, women and children currently trapped within the confines of Gaza!

The continued exchange of human life in the percentages of 1 Israeli soldier for around 10 Palestinian`s cannot be allowed to go on!

This issue has been engulfing the area since around 1947 when the Jewish displaced peoples were sanctioned by the Balfour Treaty aided and abetted by Britain, to annex part of the Palestinian homeland and set up their own Jewish State of Israel.

Regardless of the legitimacy of the establishment of a Jewish State on foreign land, this issue has created a state of war between the Palestinians and the Israelis` which has been ongoing for 63 years and has cost many thousands of innocent lives on both sides!

The Jewish State has gained increasing strength by it`s accession of some of the most modern and sophisticated weaponry available in today`s marketplace, thanks to the continued support of the US and some of it`s allies!

This situation has got to end, swiftly and with a minimum of casualties on both sides! The cessation of hostilities can only be implemented with a direct order from the UN Security Council, who now must stop dithering and implement this action immediately, if the world is to continue it`s belief in the sanctity of the Geneva Convention and the continued justifiable existence of the UN Security Council!

Dear Cuphandle... I cannot for the life of me gain a 'handle' on your SOLUTION... All I found in your post was whining, with a tiny bit at the end
-"this must end"
-"Direct order from the Security Council"

Now.... that my friend is not a 'solution'. If it was...it would have worked for the various genocides in many places within the last decade or 2. Rwanda... Southern Sudan...Dafur etc..

WHY THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL CANNOT FIX the problem.... simple.. it consists of individual countries with interests and alliances.

The other problem with the UN coming up with a 'statement' on the issue is the BIAS and attempts by the Arab groups to include condemnation of Israel and NO condemnation of Hamas. "That" is why they are being vetoe'd.

A REAL SOLUTION. (For the Gaza situation only)

1/ Agreement to have International, NON partisan monitors on the Egypt/Gaza border.

2/ Monitors cannot be: a) Jewish b)Muslim c) be from countries dominated by either of those groups. d)Socialists.

3/ Agreement to immediately and mutually cease ALL hostilities....Hamas Rockets and Israeli bombing.

4/ Handing over of all remaining Rockets to the U.N. for destruction.

5/ Opening of border crossings. (strict controls of what can and cannot be imported..conditional on this freedom NOT resulting in homicide bombers.)
6/ Israeli withdrawal.

7/ International efforts to reconstruct damage.

PROBLEM SOLVED?.

"In our dreams"..but it's the best I can come up with at the moment.

Khalid Mashal HAMAS.

* "Tomorrow, our nation will sit on the throne of the world. This is not a figment of the imagination, but a fact. Tomorrow we will lead the world, Allah willing. Apologize today, before remorse will do you no good. Our nation is moving forwards, and it is in your interest to respect a victorious nation."[27]

* "Before Israel dies, it must be humiliated and degraded. Allah willing, before they die, they will experience humiliation and degradation every day."

Aaaah...the words of conciliation and peace :) "NOT"

I don't blame Israelis for not accepting that they are bombarded
with rockets and should not respond. I certainly would!

Meantime, I accept that those who lost land to Israel, have a valid
complaint and I don't blame them for being pissed off.

Given that its a bit difficult to turn back the clock and chase
all Israelis into the sea, it seems only fair that any Palestinians
who lost land to Israel, should be fully compensated with interest.

The UN isnt really viable anymore.
Once China and Russia became the quiet powers with veto on what they wanted... it was over at the UN.

Please cuphandle take a breath.
The UN has never been able to enforce its rulings.
You must know that, both sides are unlikely to act other than with self interest.
I am well aware just how sad it is ,but can not, now or ever, take on face value the reports of Israeli crimes.
Lies pure lies have been entrenched tools in this part of the world.
One side truly, honestly, hides weapons amung civilians, uncaring if deaths occur.
In fact using those deaths as a weapon too.
Remember that war that saw the Jewish state grow, was a surprise attack from the other side.
Think about the schools training kids to die, be human bombs, how can you trust such people?
Trading in the lives of their own family's to fuel a hate driven war.
While I want peace in the middle east no shame I stand with Israel, end the murder bombs, all of them first.

The problems in this part of the Middle East are diabolical. The Palestinians have to carry out this type of guerilla activity to continue to prod Israel to give them a fair go and Israel needs to obliterate all resistance to fully protect its citizens. At the moment, I believe it's about 1 Israeli death to 20 or more Palestinians', similar to the statistics between the Nazis and the ordinary resistance fighters in WWII. The situation is escalating like a positive feedback loop. On one side Palestinians are humiliated and vengeful, while Israel is paranoid and arrogant.

The situation is so intractable that the only way it's going to end, sadly, is when they have exhausted all their energy, vendettas, and reasons to carry on.

The UN are a complete sideshow in all of this. It's just an excuse for a few high-profile diplomats to pretend to be statesmen, Tony Blair in particular. All that a buch of bureaucrats can usefully do is to pick the low hanging fruit diplomatically speaking. Once things get a little bit tough, I'm sure we'll see how inconsequential and irrelevant they really are.

Yabby,

To add to your point about the Palestinians having their land stolen, the wall that was recently built to separate the two, goes right through existing Palestinian land. A fellow at work told me he saw a TV show where a Palestinian olive grove was basically bulldozed and the wall put through it. That's pretty bad when it's your whole livelihood down the drain.