That is
”I'm not aware of any real issues about the way Jews are treated in Australia and therefore cannot see what your getting at with your comparison with the way Palestinians are treated in Arab countries”
why this rhetoric topic of Palestinians in Israel, KALIN1, exists in this Forum.

By a way, both the Arabs and Jews of Israel are Palestinians if the live in Israel or even much more definitely are – if they were in-Palestine-born.

Israel, as known, was reinstated just in a part of Palestine at the time.

Kalin1, you say "closer understanding"? You, sir, are an optimist.

Here are my two pennies:
1. It is a matter of physics. Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time.
2. The Israelis are doing a fairly good job in a very difficult situation. The Muslims attack, the jews respond, the palestians yell "oppression", and it starts all over again. Actually, this oppression benefits Muslims in that it gives them a cause.
3. The Muslims and Palestinians don't want peace. They are consumed by hate. They want Jews gone, dead gone. If Israel were defeated, I have no doubt that Muslims would murder every man, woman and child there.
4. Forget 'right of return'. The fact is that for every palestinian exiled, a jew in the middle east was also displaced. Before WW2 jewish communities in Egypt, Morrocos, Syria, Iraque, Iran were numbered in hundreds of thousands. Israel took them in. Nobody wants the Palestinians. They have been expelled from Kuwait, Jordan and other places. Muslim governments use their suffering to distract from their own vile doings.
5. As Golda Meir said: I can forgive the Palestinians for what they do to us, I cannot forgive them for what they make us do to them.
6. There is no hope for peace. See items above.
7. Most of Palestinian suffering is their own fault: corrupt, vile governments (Arafat), support for terror (Hamas) and Islam (hate and violence).
8. At least the Muslims hate the jews more than us (gentiles, non-Muslims). Even if there were no Israel, Muslims would still hate and attack us because that is that Allah/Mohammad says to do.
9. I wish both jews and Muslims would find some distant planet and take their fight there. Leave the rest of us alone.
10. On the other hand, if DB is right, the Muslims are attacking God's chosen people, doing the work of the devil. Not a nice thought.
11. I stand with Israel against Islamic hate and violence. In fact, I stand with anybody that tells the truth about the vile ideology of Islam.

Kactuz

Kalin, they're both on the other side already. Enemies of decency and sanity. Put the UN HQ in Jerusalem, make it the world city and peace will reign. Secular righteousness will triumph and good will be done.

Hi Kalin... and welcome Pit Bull Pat.. a newby by the looks of things :)

Pat said:

"Security. That is how Israel's actions can be justified"

For me, it is not a 'YES/NO' issue.. because clearly some Israeli actions, just like that of the Arabs, are immoral, and horrible. I think specifically of one incident I saw in a vid on youtube, where Israeli soldiers were 'advancing quickly down a road', and a hapless palestinian who did not look in the least like a combatant, was shot on the spot by a passing Israeli,even when he was in a submissive posture.

But each side can make a long list of such things. The real issue to me is as Pat said "Security"..but if we can add "with Justice" that would be the preferred option.

PROBLEMS. Sadly, the very existence of Isreal in any form is not acceptable to certain significant elements among the Muslims/Arabs.
If these elements were minor and of little import, we could dismiss them as meaningless, but they are not.

1/ Hamas Charter. Part III article 11

2/ External Influences.

a) Economic. Any trouble spot will always have a 'proxy' aspect. Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, USA, France, Russia etc etc..all have interests which they want to advance or protect in that area.
b) Religious: "Religious Zionism"

3/ Israeli Hawks/Doves. As with every political spectrum, there are extremes.

4/ History. Demos alluded to the Roman exile of Jews in the past, quite true. The question is, on what grounds is this imperialistic crime of history addressed, and at what human cost ?

CONCLUSION.
Clearly, Israel is both right and wrong, and the degree that we attribute of each will depend on our own background- theological and ethno religious. The one thing which is for certain, we will not agree on all matters due to this.
The important thing for Australia, is to adopt a "position" and take a side. From there, we can determine who are our 'friends' and who are our 'enemies'.. thats life. Picking a side does not mean we do so uncritically

So, according to palimpset, destroy and rule: “Put the UN HQ in Jerusalem, make it the world city and peace will reign. Secular righteousness will triumph and good will be done”.

I dare remind Israel was reinstated, as a place the Jews to be at home-and Jerusalem is a significant place to nullify city’s belonging to the Jewish state

Yes I am a newbie, thanks for the welcome.

I do not think that picking a side will, no matter how well thought out it is, help on this issue. Both sides are as bad as each other and unless anyone cares to work it out through a case by case basis both have equally treated each other unjustly. So why pick a side. I think that would only exacerbate the issue and does. I think it would feel threatening for a Paelstinians to know that the major world power (US) is unequivocally on Israel's side. That would make me want to fight longer and harder for my home.

What I believe needs to happen is that the fuel that feeds this conflict must be removed. If Israel could stop attacking Palestinians I don't think a significant number of Palestinians would join Hamas. If people felt secure I do not think that they would blow themselves up for Hamas. Similarly if Palestine stopped attacking Israel then there would be no assasinations, no attacks with helicopter gunships and no concrete wall.

What the International community needs to do is to continue to help both Israel and Palestine to foster an environment where negotiations can take place.

P.S I think that the debate on this issue is forgetting a large segment of the Israel and Palestinian population. Those who do not hate the other, those who do not make the media because they're not 'news worthy', those who are pushed into either camp out of fear for their own security.

P.P.S I cannot emphasise strongly enough how much I disagree with the comment that Islam is a religion of hate. What a bloody stupid thing to say.