Israel

[hugh]

They never stole anything ,Britain gave them it in 1939 for helping them to fight the Palestinians

So how did Britain get it then?

[blueboyno1]

That is not the question or indeed the arguement.If it was then Hamas would be firing rockets at us .

[hugh]

I'd have thought if Britain took it upon iself to parcel out pieces of someone else's land, and that land subsequently became a disputed territory, then the question of Britain's legitimacy would be fairly pertinent?

[maxmix]

They never stole anything ,Britain gave them it in 1939 for helping them to fight the Palestinians

And who exactly was Britain to give this to the Jews ?

Official records show, 367,845 Jews and 33,304 non-Jews immigrated legally between 1920 and 1945. It was estimated that another 50–60,000 Jews and a small number of non-Jews immigrated illegally during this period.

Immigration accounts for most of the increase of Jewish population, while the non-Jewish population increase was largely natural. These figures have been supported by later studies, though estimates of Arab immigration have been disputed.

Initially, Jewish immigration to Palestine met little opposition from the Palestinian Arabs. However, as anti-Semitism grew in Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish immigration (mostly from Europe) to Palestine began to increase markedly, creating much Arab resentment

ie.... Still not their land to begin with.....

maxmix

BTW A couple of Iranian Nukes will solve all these problems.... Just the same as 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' did.....

Look at all the lives that were saved because of these devices..... If it was no for them the Jap's would still be fighting yet !

It's a pity the Russians never had the Tsar Bomba ready in August 1945 also, If the RDS-220 hydrogen bomb had been ready then, who knows what state the world may be in now..... Maybe a better place..... Who knows ?

100 Megatonnes of TNT solves a lot of problems.....

[hugh]

You sound more like Mad Max than Maxmix.

There's only one man that knows the answer to the Middle East problem, but he's not letting on yet. Dunno why he gets so het up about foreign affairs, 'though... it's his home town of Glasgow that needs change. ' Least, the last time I was there loadsa people asked me if I had any?

Only joking, Ionns, only joking.

[blueboyno1]

No matter who or why ,they are there and the palestinians are the aggressors,they have the right to retaliate .

[LANDROVER ROGER]

I note from the news this morning that France has called on both sides for a cease-fire for 48 hours to allow humanitarian aid.
Israel`s response was to state that they have Hamas on the run and now it is time to"step up"the operation.As I intimated previously,they will not be swayed this time by International out-rage.

[£3.73]

and of course wiping out Hamas is going to wipe out the problem ???

I think not ... PLO, Hamas, Fatah, Hamas2, The New Hamas, Palestinian Peoples front, Peoples front of Palestine ...
The Real Hamas, Hamas 4,5,6,7,8, ........ etc etc

If Hamas didn't exist, Israel might have had to invent them

There are 2 kinds of war.

Some wars are waged to implement policies. You manipulate a fight you can win, you implement the change.
The other wars are fought over deeply held beliefs or disputes ... they rumble on and on and on forever and a day.

I have this mental image I can't shake of Palestinian men,women & children in stripey suits and hats with a crescent moon armband. ... is that where it ends ? (or Max Mix's big mushroom)

I refuse to take sides however ... one set of logic is as fkd up as the next ...

[Beachcomber]

e) Well , not quite. It has taught them not to rely on anyone else to defend them. I can understand that. However, don't forget - influential Washington friends aside - Israel can also be classed as a major terrorist state. It possesses nuclear weapons, illegally !!!

How is Israel's possession of nuclear weapons in any way more 'illegal' that the USA, the UK, India, or any of the other nuclear powers? I don't think Israel has ever openly admitted to having any nukes but it seems to be pretty much accepted internationally that they do.

A terrorist state? Difficult to reconcile with that, too. They're a nation that has effectively been at war with its neighbours pretty much since it came into existence, which perhaps says more about the arab nations than it does about the Israelis.

[Martin]

"The UK pledged to give £6.9m in emergency aid for those caught up in the violence." I don't give a ***k if I sound mean spirited, this money would be better spent helping our own.

[Mary G]

I refuse to take sides however ...

Is that in the way of Irish 'neutrality' duinrg WWII? Somehow, £3.73, I don’t think you would have said that in 1939

[ionnsaigh]

The homemade Qassam rockets are crude in comparison to the high tech, American funded Israeli arsenal. The rockets lack any guidance system, falling - with a few deadly exceptions, on the relatively sparsely populated desert, outside the Gaza Strip.
It's perhaps worth noting that the Strip is separated from Israel by a " defense barrier".
These latest war crimes are committed, and are part of Israels election process. The ongoing siege and the attacks coincide with the last moments of the Bush administration. Israel is entirely responsible for Hamas, it serves as it's greatest recruiting agent. The United Nations should impose economic, political and military sanctions on the state of Israel until it commits to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority.

[gizmo]

I envy you Ionnsaigh. It must be so much easier to live your life entirely in black and white, I get so confused with the 40 shades of grey, 41 if you include "Israel is entirely responsible for Hamas." I dont pretend to know the answer to the problems or even fully understand a lot of the questions but the fact that the rockets being launched with monotonous regularity into Israel are rubbish doesnt mean they should allow them to do it. Or should they wait until the casualty toll mounts or until Hamas gets better munitions.

[blueboyno1]

I envy you Ionnsaigh. It must be so much easier to live your life entirely in black and white, I get so confused with the 40 shades of grey, 41 if you include "Israel is entirely responsible for Hamas." I dont pretend to know the answer to the problems or even fully understand a lot of the questions but the fact that the rockets being launched with monotonous regularity into Israel are rubbish doesnt mean they should allow them to do it. Or should they wait until the casualty toll mounts or until Hamas gets better munitions.

Well said gizmo . I wont even try to make sense of the post made by (ionnsaigh )to say that israel is responsible for hamas and the rockets are any less capable of causing death and destruction than israels bombs is just beyond comprehension.

[four eyes]

gentlemen,hammas do not want peace they want victory and nothing else.despite having a well educated group of citizens most of the people there also want victory over israel.this will never happen,untill a new generation decides its time to talk this nonsense will continue as it has since the 40"s.we should leave them alone till they get a grip on reality,then help them come to terms with each other.
any money sent their way is a right off,the eu sends millions to the palistinians each year,WHY,What for,we cant afford to look after our own let alone those idiots out there.